She is not an investigator.

"Impossible. No one can cross the ice field to reach Frostville. Taking the normal route is even more impossible. Not to mention that the roads have been blocked, the nearest track has long been abandoned. The road is extremely dangerous, and it is simply impossible to reach the destination."

"...But anything is possible, isn't it? Just like before this, I never thought that anyone could come up with the idea of ​​merging those monsters and soldiers together."

Ivan pondered for a moment, then slowly sat back down in his seat.

“We…cannot stop it from happening. We have neither the power nor the authority, not even as the supreme commander of the Allied Forces…but, at this moment, we have the possibility of going to Frostville to find out what is going on.”

"Your Excellency Ivan, you mean..."

“A true soldier can never stay holed up in an office dealing with documents. The only descendant of the Somerset family is in danger right now, and the clue I have is that she is currently in Frostville. So… assemble the accompanying troops and prepare to go to Frostville as quickly as possible to launch a rescue operation!”

"Yes! But... sir, an operation of this scale cannot possibly go unnoticed by other forces..."

“It’s okay… It’s okay if they notice, I’ll explain it clearly. Besides… we’re just going there to rescue people, not to stop their research, right?”

As he spoke, he tapped the table.

"However... if in the process we do find that the plan is not going as expected, then... as the supreme commander of the joint forces, I also have the right to stop all their activities on the spot."

"Yes, sir!"

The Gods' Fools - Beyond the World: Chapter 55, During the Meeting

The next morning, the conference room was already full of people.

Most of those people were top leaders of various family conglomerates and local governments.

Of course, this naturally includes the mayor of Frostville.

Everyone sat in their seats, silent, heads bowed, doing their own thing.

And they await the arrival of the host of this meeting on the battlefield.

creak-

The wooden door was slowly pushed open.

Ivan's adjutant walked at the front, followed closely by Ivan himself.

As he entered the conference room, everyone else stood up and looked at him.

"It's a pleasure to have everyone here. Please have a seat..."

As he took his seat, the door was closed by the departing adjutant, and the meeting officially began.

This is an accountability meeting initiated by all of them, concerning Ivan's assembling of troops yesterday in preparation for the expedition.

In other words, they are seeking an explanation.

"Your Excellency Ivan, please explain the orders you gave last night."

The person in question was a middle-aged man with graying hair, some balding, and wearing glasses.

He is a politician and the mayor of Byanka, the city's direct leader.

"Your army has caused panic among my citizens with its undisguised actions. Please explain your purpose."

"That's exactly what I was going to tell you."

Ivan chuckled softly and leaned back in his chair.

The mayor of Biyanka is more inclined towards cooperation and win-win in his political stance, so his questioning was just a simple questioning, and not with any other special purpose.

This is why the Witch Academy was able to survive in Byonka.

“I have received intelligence that my daughter… Philina Somerset has appeared in Frostville.”

"This is impossible."

Now speaking is the mayor of Frostville, a burly, hairy man who looks more like a soldier carrying a gun than a person having a meeting with everyone here.

“Frostville has been sealed off. I personally handled this, and the soldiers there have been ordered not to allow anyone to easily cross the cordon and enter the city.”

"But news doesn't just spread out of nowhere, especially since we have no way to contact Frostville right now, and we can't confirm the truth of this matter... So, I've decided to go to Frostville to find out the truth."

Ivan spoke casually, but everyone's expression was not good.

"Your Excellency Ivan, I must remind you that you cannot lead your army to roam freely through any city. This is a very serious matter, and we even have the right to file a lawsuit against you."

“You’re right, I can’t, so I won’t bring my army. Those who come with me aren’t part of the Allied Forces; they’re just the Somerset family’s… guards.”

As he spoke, he placed his hands together on the table and looked at everyone with great interest.

"Therefore, I am not speaking to you now as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, but as the head of the Somerset family, seeking your opinions on my trip and visit. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

"I object."

boom--

The mayor of Frostville slammed his hand on the table and said with a serious expression,

“You know what’s happening there. You can’t, and you have no right to, roam my territory with your people, especially based on a ridiculous rumor.”

"So, can you bear the consequences and...rage if the only heir of the Somerset family were to appear in your territory, be in danger, or even die as a result?"

"You're threatening me!"

"No, Your Excellency, I am merely stating the facts."

Ivan smiled and continued.

"Besides, you should know that the plan did indeed receive our vote of approval, so you don't need to worry about us actually having any negative impact on it. That wouldn't be good for any of us, would it? Ah, of course..."

He tapped the table, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by an extremely cold expression.

"If you feel that your city and your plans cannot expose everything about it to us, whether it's because of its excessively ugly nature or because your plans have not been effective at all and are not presentable... then I will, based on the specific local situation, decide again... whether to continue."

"..."

"What do you think, Your Excellency?"

"Your Excellency Ivan, I know you have always had strong opinions about this plan, but you cannot deny that if it succeeds, we will reap unprecedented rewards."

"What if it succeeds? What if it succeeds?! What if it fails? Who will take responsibility for the dead, the soldiers who sacrificed themselves in vain? I have no objection to the original intention of this plan, but what lies before me now is that your damned plan has likely already failed."

"Ivan! What nonsense are you spouting! You must be held accountable for your accusations!"

"Alright, very well then. Now I can head to Frostville to find out exactly how far your so-called perfect plan has progressed!"

"you--!"

Pop, pop, pop.

Scattered applause came from the corner, interrupting the two's argument.

A man who looked far too young stood up from his seat, faced everyone's gaze, and slowly began to speak.

"I do think His Excellency Ivan has a point. We don't have to put all our eggs in one basket, do we? Even if the plan fails, we can make amends. And if it succeeds, it's good for everyone. There's no need to argue about it, is there?"

"...Are the police also preparing to get involved?"

The man smiled and shook his head, watching the two who had calmed down, before slowly sitting down in his seat.

“I cannot speak on behalf of all officers, but as the police representative of Byanka and as a temporary officer of the Special Investigations Unit, I can say that we will support Mr. Ivan’s curiosity to find out the truth and are willing to provide the support we have.”

However, at this point, the man shook his head, looking somewhat troubled.

"Unfortunately, the Special Investigations Division has too few operators, so we have to report this to headquarters in order to try to get more support."

His subtext was already quite clear.

Sitting here, he certainly cannot represent the entire police force, nor can he represent everyone in the Special Investigations Division.

But that doesn't mean he can't do it, so he will report everything to his headquarters at the end of this meeting.

His stance also demonstrates that they would choose to support Ivan's decision.

This is probably what a joint military-police operation looks like.

The Gods' Fool's Play - Beyond the World: Chapter Fifty-Six, The Plan is Formulated

"Hmph... You can't convince me with numbers alone. All your doubts about Frostville are based on assumptions, on a rumor that came out of nowhere."

He was still being stubborn, or rather, he still didn't want the Allied forces to actually arrive in Frostville and do anything.

Even though everything was truly out of his control, he had no other choice.

If those people can actually produce some results, then all the sacrifices they made during this period will be overlooked, and they will become well-deserved heroes. But conversely, if they do not produce any noteworthy results...

Then everything he did will become a crime despised by everyone.

He will lose his reputation, status, wealth, and everything he has now.

He dared not gamble. In this situation where he was completely unable to contact the inside, he could only delay again and again, hoping to give them enough time to produce enough evidence to protect his experimental results.

Since he has already decided to do this, there is no choice but to go all the way down this path.

"May I say a few words?"

Just then, another voice rang out.

It was a woman's voice, which is quite rare here.

“Of course, Ms. Nolan.”

With Ivan's nod, Nolan, representing the witch, smiled and nodded, standing up with barely concealed joy.

"After listening to everyone's exchange and suggestions, I think His Excellency Ivan's suggestion is indeed very reasonable, even without mentioning the purpose of this matter itself, and whether there are really any Somerset family members trapped in Frostville at this moment. But it is a fact that Frostville has been out of contact for a long time, and we can indeed take this opportunity to go there and find out. No matter whether the result is good or bad, we must get more information."

"Ha, witches... a bunch of pretentious bastards."

Nolan's eye twitched, and he almost lost his smile, but he managed to suppress his anger and turned to Ivan.

"Your Excellency Ivan, although I cannot make a decision directly on behalf of the entire Witch Academy, I will provide some assistance to you and your itinerary based on our internal discussions. This is not only for Somerset, but also for the harmonious coexistence of humans and witches."

Now that things have come to this point, it's unlikely anyone will object anymore.

This matter should have been a private one, but seemingly due to some coincidences, even though Ivan did nothing, it was ultimately given the high-sounding reason of the continuation of humanity.

Ivan found it a bit ridiculous, but he had achieved his goal, so his smile became even more genuine.

"So, is there anyone who objects to this?"

Finally, no one answered.

Everyone sat quietly in their seats, shrinking back as if it were none of their business.

"Since no one objects, then... the meeting is adjourned. I will assemble the team at noon tomorrow to prepare for departure. That's all, meeting adjourned."