In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

"I will handle it. Do not concern yourself with the methods."

Those simple words had lifted the shadow that had loomed over her. Everything, she believed, would soon return to how it should be. Confidence radiated from her face.

Her reverie was interrupted by hurried footsteps. Her elder brother approached, his expression anxious.

"Your Grace, can Michael truly be trusted?" he asked, his voice trembling with apprehension.

Guinevere turned to him, her smile unwavering.

"Why do you ask, dear brother? Is there any reason not to trust him?"

Her brother, Chancellor Guinness, furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"According to his letter, he claims he can send the Crown Prince and the five chieftains back without releasing them. I find that hard to believe."

Guinevere shrugged dismissively.

"Why not? This is the man who killed an emperor. Handling a few soldiers should be trivial for him. Besides, wasn't it you who suggested involving him in the first place?"

The chancellor looked away nervously. They had issued a summons to the nobles in their desperation, only to find themselves overwhelmed by the influx of aristocrats abandoning their estates to seek refuge.

"I never imagined it would come to this," Guinness thought bitterly. Many of the nobles had left their serfs hidden in nearby hills, providing little or no provisions for them. With the imperial invasion dragging on, these serfs began roaming in search of food, further complicating matters.

"Your Grace," Guinness said hesitantly, "there are reports of refugees starving across the land. Shouldn't we take action?"

Guinevere's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, piercing gaze.

"Why should that concern me? Managing refugees is the responsibility of the nobles who abandoned their lands," she replied icily.

The chancellor wrung his hands, visibly distressed.

"But it was your summons that led them to abandon their estates! They interpreted it as permission to leave without consequence!"

Swallowing hard, he continued, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Now, the refugees left behind are either falling victim to imperial soldiers or being absorbed by Grand Duke Maximilian's forces. If he decides to use them as leverage or declares independence…"

Despite the chancellor's warnings, Guinevere simply scoffed.

"So what? Serfs are no better than vagrants. Once peace is restored, they'll reproduce and repopulate on their own. Besides, the war is almost over. What's there to worry about?"

Defeated, Guinness sighed deeply and turned away. He was no master of statecraft himself, but even he could see the potential disaster looming.

The Grand Duke Maximilian, still unyielding at the border, weighed heavily on his mind. If the duke were to absorb the refugees and declare independence, it could spell chaos.

Looking up at the sky, Guinness let out another sigh.

"At this rate, my sister and I might go down in history as the greatest fools of our time."

The soldiers of the Pamir Empire were visibly confused by the unexpected orders. Chosen from the elite forces of the five tribes under Grand Duke Iasus, they were unaccustomed to such mundane tasks.

"Round up refugees? Are our food supplies really that bad?" one soldier muttered, frowning as he glanced at a comrade. The thought unsettled him. If their circumstances became desperate enough, resorting to cannibalism wasn't unheard of—but it wasn't a prospect anyone relished. Starving refugees didn't even seem like viable prey.

"I don't think it's for eating. I heard we get a sack of food for every hundred refugees we bring in," another soldier remarked.

The first soldier straightened up, his dismay replaced by urgency.

"What? Then what are we waiting for? Let's move before they're all taken!"

The reluctance from moments earlier disappeared entirely. In the harsh reality of the Pamir Empire, food was synonymous with survival. The scarcity of resources was one of the main reasons for their frequent invasions of neighboring territories.

To the soldiers, the equation was simple: refugees equaled food. With such a reward on the line, there was no need to question the orders.

Grand Duke Iasus watched the soldiers disperse with a satisfied expression. Occasionally, murmurs of doubt arose, but the officers quickly quelled them with scolding or persuasion, returning the troops to their ranks.

"Don't overthink it. Just follow orders. That's all you need to do," barked one commander.

"Does it matter why? Bring in refugees, and you get food. Do any of you not need food?" asked another.

The soldiers, silenced by these responses, obeyed without further complaints.

Iasus stroked his beard as he watched his men fan out. His thoughts were consumed by the rewards Michael had promised in exchange for delivering the refugees. Beyond replenishing his army's dwindling supplies, the agreement with Michael was part of a larger strategy. The idea of ships laden with grain waiting at designated points brought a satisfied smile to his lips.

The Grand Duke recalled the secret pact he had made with Michael. Though Michael was technically an enemy of the empire, their agreement had to remain a closely guarded secret to avoid potential backlash.

"Oswald, you thought everything would go your way, didn't you? How naive."

Iasus smirked. The food and funds he acquired from Michael would be instrumental in his power struggle with Crown Prince Oswald. To Iasus, Oswald's betrayal of his father, the emperor, was unforgivable. Selling out his own father to the enemy had essentially forfeited his claim to the throne.

"And Mufasa the chancellor—what a fool to support that snake."

If Iasus truly sought revenge for the emperor's death, he wouldn't have allied with Michael. But in the pursuit of power, revenge was merely a convenient excuse.

[Michael, why in the world are you giving military funds to Iasus?]

Miaomiao's green eyes sparkled with curiosity as she questioned him. Her ears perked up, her tail swishing lightly as she focused entirely on his response.

Michael smiled, running his hand through her soft fur.

"He's the type who'll show his true colors once he regains power. And besides, their territory is far too vast to leave unchecked."