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Chapter 431: The War Plan. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2023-07-01 06:27:45 +0000 UTC“You’re a … demonkin?” Fleindia stared at Vifi in bewilderment, seeing as she looked just like a normal human right now. She then turned to Ellaine. “That voice. I heard a voice in my head.”
“Equally.” King Elutis nodded. “… A very—how-should-I-say-it—sultry voice? But at the same time, the tone is quite condescending. As if she is looking at children.”
King Fugnarus clapped his hands, letting out a loud “Ha!” before stroking his beard. “If what the young lady is saying is correct, then that statement of yours, my friend, is quite possibly correct. You used that same tone on me when we first met, and I presume you did the same for my aunt.”
King Elutis didn’t respond, causing the dwarven king to burst out in laughter once again. I personally hadn’t felt this “condescension” from the former, but I sure as hell agreed that Klea was annoying.
“… Vifi’Yok?” Reajaen and Renee both reacted to the demonkin, staring at her with interest and curiosity. It was natural, considering they all had heard me speak of them before.
“You remembered, Renee?” Neill said. “Yeah, it’s that demonkin commander I told you about. The Warbringer, remember?”
“Y-you’re the one O’Bloom was working for! His contact!” Reajaen jerked back, her one working eye widening in shock.
Renee, on the other hand, scowled, looking like she was about to attack Vifi’Yok, although unlike her guards, she hadn’t brought her sword into the room. “… That fiend, huh? The commander who invited grimgarians into my homeland. Who besieged my homeland’s capital! And one of the conspirators who freed Karhalentheel!”
“Easy,” King Drangleic held his hand up, prompting his knights to block Renee’s view to us. “Champion Rhea, I would like to remind you that you were made the representative of Yeos just a moment ago, with our blessing. Do not misuse it by conflict when we have barely begun.”
Maelexus nodded. “You were personally invited here by Princess Hestia. You have a duty to be still and listen first! You as well, Saintess.”
“I—Yes.” Fleindia nodded before looking at me.
“Please, trust me. Everything I do is to assure my divine Quest to our Goddess is fulfilled. I might not be as pious as you are, since I am an otherworlder, but I have too many reasons to not undermine Goddess Aurena and you … Also, I presume Goddess Erithia is watching through you, right now, so I don’t want to make her more hostile to me.”
“T-that is true, yes … I have been told by Goddess Erithia to be extra watchful of you and make sure you did your duty correctly, before she suddenly became silent,” she stated, reminding me I hadn’t told her anything I had learned from Crustacia.
Neither have I had the chance to speak to Renee, and that really showed when she mentioned Yeostar hadn’t spoken to her either. She had been training within Yeostar’s dungeon, as was the privilege of a Champion of Yeostar, but with an “angel,” a former mortal turned aide, instead of the god himself. It was like training at a gym or dojo, but instead of sparring with the grand master as you were promised, you were fostered off onto another teacher who was there to take their place.
Meaning, I had a way to diffuse the situation by telling them about Yeostar’s punishment. Honestly, I probably should have mentioned this earlier since it has been eight days since I met Crustacia, or at least sent a missive to Renee. Well, better late than never.
“… Unprecedented.” King Elutis’s eyes twitched for a moment after I was done explaining.
“… Agreed,” Fugnarus’s wife, Queen Tragaya, stated. “There are rules. The gods aren’t supposed to mingle this much, or alter our paths with such drastic changes.”
Seeing as King Elutis was the king of Saelariel, which was essentially a theocracy with how much they worship the six Origin Gods, and how Queen Tragaya was a wisewoman of the church of Crustacia, it was obvious why these two religious people would react like they did. Going by their reactions, this probably was the first time a subordinate god had caused such drama.
Meanwhile, the two people I thought this would affect the most had pretty mild reactions.
Fleindia simply nodded and sat back down, content with what she heard. “I understand. This is why Goddess Erithia spoke as if I had to guide you. She wouldn’t be like this otherwise.”
For a Saintess of the Goddess of Nobility and Wealth, she certainly had that noble part of herself down, but lacked the ego Erithia had when I met her. Although, maybe mentioning the fact she had to guide me showed a hint of Fleindia’s real personality? Meh, it didn’t matter.
On the other hand, Renee sat back down, saying, “I had a feeling that would be the case.” Her tense face softened, but she still remained stoic. With a slightly deeper voice than usual—not as deep as when she was still impersonating as a male knight—she apologized for her behavior, prompting the rest of the table to speak their mind.
“I too am curious,” King Fugnarus stated, as he had seen Vifi and Ellaine fight with their demonic powers. I appreciated him for not interrogating us up until now. “You’ve heard my declaration of war, lass,” he continued, looking towards Vifi. “I hardly believe you would be thrilled.”
King Fugnarus’s bodyguards had moved silently in front of their king and queen after the reveal of my demonic companions, only the rattling of their samurai armor could be heard. Among his three guards, I recognized Ungi, one of the rank A warriors who accompanied the king on his rescue mission for me. He had almost been killed by Galg, so I was glad to see he had recovered. Asaka deserved all the credit.
Vifi, however, didn’t take the threat seriously and laughed. “Nah, of course not, but you won’t hear me complaining, Dwarf King. You heard me, I was a Warbringer, one of the three candidates for the next position of the Prince of Wrath—meaning I worked with Lord Wrath in the art of war. I understand war both in theory and in the practical sense, ya know? Bole’Taria’s involvement got found out, it’s obvious you need to act on the casus belli, or you would lose a ton of respect.”
King Fugnarus frowned, massaging his temple in exasperation. “… You sound like everybody else I heard.”
“The girl is right, My King,” his wife commented. “Tell me, Vifi’Yok, were you responsible for any of that? I expect Princess Hestia not to be involved, but I have little trust for a Bole’Tarian, right now.”
“As I said, I am an ‘Ex-Warbringer.’ Didn’t ya hear?” Vifi’s irritated side slipped out, dropping the formality to speak in her abrasive, street urchin style. The last time she spoke like that was when I ran into her again in the rank B dungeon. “I got my ass handed to me by the dragon sisters here, and recoil weakened me ta the point that I decided to use that loss as my chance to get out of the army. I’m a deserter … So, what’cha three looking at, huh?”
Oh come, chill!
I jerked my head slightly to the side as I saw Vifi point at King Fugnarus’s guards, cracking her one hand, willing to fight all three dwarven guards. Ellaine grabbed her shoulder, pushing her behind my chair. Vifi shrugged at the manhandling, holding her head up with no shame. King Fugnarus did the same with his guards, telling them to drop their hostility.
I sighed internally, but decided to speak up about it, “I understand Ankor-Nazta’s feelings towards the demonkins after what happened, but Vifi is currently a mercenary working for me. Also, seeing as it isn’t exactly known outside of Bole’Taria, ‘Vifi’Yok’ is her full name. Either address her by ‘Vifi’ or ‘Miss Vifi,’ please, for courtesy’s sake.”
Until Crustacia told me, practically nobody—outside of Ellaine—knew how the demonkin’s naming scheme worked. I mean, I knew Master Kushlek’zar and even Krim-Slak, and those were their first names. It was how the saurians named themselves, but we also had Grazlahta and Akasht for “normal names.”
“Then, Miss Vifi,” Reajaen started. “I know you worked with this ‘Hee’Rlak,’ right? You worked on trying to take over Estralia with the help of O’Bloom, in addition to everything that happened in Yeos. As such, why are you here? What is your reason to work with Princess Hestia as a mercenary?”
“Donuts.”
“… What?”
Oh my gosh …
With a single answer, Vifi stunned everybody, causing another wave of silence to fill the room. Everybody stared at her with bafflement, but mostly in confusion, as donuts wasn’t even an established pastry yet! Only King Artorias, Reajaen, and Renee should know about them, but even they looked confused.
As such, I clarified. “She was blackmailed by my cousin.”
“Cousin?” Maelexus’s eyes widened, but I stopped him before he misunderstood something and revealed some dragon cousin I had.
“As in, my cousin from my past life. Everybody here knows that I was reincarnated into this world by Goddess Aurena, and everybody should have read the memo that the church of Aurena is currently controlled by the demonkins. The whole ‘Heroes of Aurena’ ploy is a farce. Amongst the summoned people is my cousin from Earth, and through some events, he was taken back to the Empire, probably,” I recalled, before letting out a deep sigh as I remembered the letter he left behind. “However, before he did, he made Vifi work for me. Keep me safe.”
“Buuuut, I am still getting paid,” she interjected. “One donut per breakfast, three full meals, proper lodging, and also some compensation for any Quests I participate in. Share depends on how much I had to do.”
“Yes, yes.” Ellaine pushed Vifi even further back, causing the demonkin to glare at her, but the former simply ignored it and forged ahead. “Essentially, Vifi was majorly weakened after the Elyonda siege. She lost an arm and as well as her ability to use her full demonic powers. Princess Hestia met her inside the rank B dungeon [Menagerie of Golems], and from there, she had been helping her survive against the dragonslayers. In addition, she helped us during the penultimate battle against Maagneil, as King Fugnarus was there to witness.”
“Is that true?” King Drangleic asked, prompting the dwarven king to nod.
Ellaine continued, “Due to the blackmail, she now works for us, albeit a bit reluctantly since this does concern her people. Now, the reason why we believe she won’t betray us anytime soon is due to the archdemon I mentioned. Klea’Hatma is her name, and she is the ancestor of the lust demonkins.”
[“Hello, once again,”] Klea spoke. [“Now, considering Ellaine had asked me to help her out, let me say I am currently Aurena’s hostage in Hestia’s Divine Quest. I am far below my original strength—a mere shadow of my former self. Right now, I’m just enjoying my trip through my carrier here.”]
“… And that would be you, Lady Ellaine?” King Drangleic stared at her, causing the girl to nod. The king massaged his forehead, looking in pain. “I see Arcanuess Helvas has been keeping secrets from me, but I cannot fault him if the request came from Princess Hestia.”
I shook my head. “It isn’t that I didn’t trust you, King Drangleic. Back when Ellaine was first made to hold Klea’s remaining mana, it was more that we were afraid the information would get out since she was a wildcard. Saori agreed, and I take her opinion seriously.”
“Your wolf friend is the prudent type,” Reajaen added, causing King Drangleic to sigh and nod, accepting my answer. As such, leading me to my point in this argument.
“Essentially, I am against a full all-out war,” I declared, making sure everybody understood my stance. “But, I understand what all four of you are saying—consequences. As Vifi just said, if this casus belli isn’t acted upon, then it will only cause civil unrest, correct?”
“Yes, since we dwarves worship Kronnaz somewhat. Grudges need to be resolved in some manner, as letting it linger only blights a clan’s reputation or a person’s honors. With words or blood, it does not matter how,” he answered. “Everybody witnessed Maagneil’s attack, I needed to put the blame on somebody. You wanted this war, you wanted our help, I am simply giving you want while serving my own interest, Princess.”
Don’t make it sound like this is what I want!
“Wrong. I want to bring down the Prince of Envy controlling the church, not cause a huge war! You know exactly what you are doing, King Fugnarus. War against the demonkins means war against Folschreck, as they currently control them all! It’s obvious!”
“I detect some other opinions being mixed into yours,” Neill stated, hitting the nail on the head. Considering they have been discussing everything these past few days, these four knew exactly what they were doing, and have been leaving me in the dark.
“I understand, at the end of the day, that I am just a figurehead to this alliance, since I have no political power. Kargryx won’t support me because they are against war! Loatryx only supports me for ‘my benefit.’ Still, that does not give any of you reason to leave me in the dark for this long; it is patronizing, and I already know I am only a child in all this discussion in front of four representatives far older than me!”
Fugnarus, Elutis, and Maelexus belonged to long-living species, and I definitely knew the former two were over 100 years old at minimum. King Drangleic’s bloodline belonged to a rank A griffon king, so he was able to live far longer than most arvisians.
Even if age wasn’t a thing, it wasn’t like I had proven myself as a good diplomat or politician. I had been receiving tips from people, in particular the students, but I just didn’t want to be one, assuring my growth as a proper princess with the skills to handle these situations to be limited. Fortunately, I was getting better since I had to for the sake of my party and for my goals as an idol, and that was why it was easy to sniff out the situation here.
I hated all of this, but I needed to push through. This was why I came into this knowing I had to act more than just a mediator.
“Here is my point. I am reluctantly agreeing to a war, since it is necessary. I won’t argue that point, but what I am telling you is that there is another way to handle all of this! A way to not turn this ‘grudge’ war into a total invasion. Ankor-Nazta and Saelariel won against the Empire due to the latter’s stubborn refusal to drop their Carmaniate war, and now with them further weakened over the years, it does seem awfully convenient to declare war on the demonkins, and indirectly, onto Folschreck.”
I had to be forceful. The point was that I had no political power here, and it meant if I tried to leave the alliance, it wouldn’t affect the people before me. The main reason why I originally had to be the figurehead and sponsor for this summit was due to the distrust Loatryx and Saelariel had for Artorias, due to the latter’s involvement in the War for the Faefolk under their previous name—the Leosfalt Kingdom.
However, this issue had been resolved due to Maagneil’s attack, giving the factions reason to unite. Humans working alongside elves, dragonewts, and dwarves alike. Even after the attack, during the clean up, I saw all of them break bread together, sleep together in tents, and cover each other’s back against the horde of leftover golems.
What they lacked and needed me to cover was now readily available as long as somebody charismatic enough gives a proper speech. I knew how to cajole people into fervor as an idol! So what if all four leaders of this alliance raised their weapons up together?
“No matter what happens, Artorias wins in this war due to the fact they can secede from the Empire, while also building up a strong relationship with Saelariel and Ankor-Nazta throughout the course of this war. ‘We are good humans, the Empire just forced us,’ right? That would give Artorias a chance to start anew and you would fulfill the wishes for Duchess Morgiana and Duke Myrrdin,” I guessed. “I will not speak on Saelariel’s or Ankor-Nazta’s behalf here, but if Loatryx truly wishes to do what is best for me, then I want you to listen to my request.”
Maelexus contemplated my request, making me feel pretty nervous, as I was expecting him to support me as he had stated before. However, instead of me, he looked over at Neill.
“My Princess, you told Pradreo and Skardrvo that you are Princess Hestia’s guardian until the Sixth Empress wakes up, correct?”
Huh? … HUH! Right, she did say it that time we met those two!
The argument I got into with those two dragonewts was about me going to Kargryx for my safety, but since Neill used the guardian card on them, everything got resolved. Now, though, Maelexus was using that card against us, but this was Neill we were talking about, right?
She scowled. “Personally, my advice is to sit this entire war out. Kargryx is neutral towards all outside wars.”
I smiled.
This was something the both of us hadn’t been able to see eye-to-eye on since we first met, but it wasn’t like it was different with Mom either. Due to how Kargryx worked, most of the ancient dragons abhorred war due to the demon war and then the Kargryxian civil war which broke my dragon father, apparently. Neill, as the daughter of one of the dragons who fought during that age, was taught to despise all-out conflicts like wars due to their severity and worldly ramifications.
Sadly, this upcoming war wasn’t avoidable, it had to be done. This, naturally, conflicted with Neill’s opinion on the subject … Thankfully, the two of us talked about it before we joined the summit. I mean, I hated politics but I wasn’t an amateur.
“I am personally still aligned with the strike force idea Hestia proposed when we first spoke, King Fugnarus. When you told us about the Event Quest, you remember?” The dwarven king nodded so Neill continued. “Tell me, what will this war actually do? Satisfy your pride over blood? People will die and that’s it; it’s more senseless than me going out to punch some bandits looting random caravans. Don’t forget there are people on both sides of this battle.”
I nodded. “If you must start a war, then direct it actually at the demonkins, not use them as a roundabout way to attack the Empire to weaken them! Besides, what about the logistical challenges? Do you have a plan for that?”
“We actually do,” King Fugnarus stated to my shock. “The answer is clear, no? Carmaniate. The enemy of my trading partner is my enemy. All these years, Ankor-Nazta has been trading with both the Beastmen Alliance and the Folschreck Empire through Hadjuk-Orn. Although we haven’t met each other yet, I have exchanged messages with the alliance’s leader.”
King Drangleic nodded. “Estralia to keep ourselves stocked up in the west, Carmaniate to give us a forward base in the east in addition to supplying us with their troops if we can ally with them. With the dwarves’s trains, we have a fast way to take care of logistics, while we will have a strong air force through Artorias and Loatryx.”
“Saelariel’s mages and archers were the ones to decide the War for the Faefolk. We can do it again. If we can persuade Caedhul to help, then we would have a marine force. If we can rebuild Yeos, we can also use them as another base to attack Folschreck’s harbors—their economical and transportational crutch.”
“W-we can be useful?” Prince Markval suddenly blurted out in shock.
Elutis smiled, nodding to him. “Of course, Prince Markval. Joining hands with more than one human country is needed for my race to finally heal and mend the wound. Our countries did not fight during the war, so I believe my people will react well to yours. Besides, I have heard the heroics of your previous Champion, Royce, so I await to see what your current one can do.”
Renee hadn’t told him who Royce really was, huh? … No wait, that isn’t important. They left me so much in the dark that they actually managed to form an entire plan?
“The issue is the diplomacy between us and Carmaniate, of course,” Maelexus brought up before I could complain. “Carmaniate is huge, probably the second largest nation if you excluded Caedhul’s many spread out tribes and Kargryx. If I was in their place, I would see our alliance as weak if the first move we made was to ask Carmaniate for help. That can cause issues, even after the alliance is sealed. The best method would be to send a champion to challenge theirs.”
Queen Tragaya sighed. “That isn’t good, then, since Carmaniate is the nation with the person currently assigned the ‘Weapon Saint.’”
I raised a brow and asked her who this person was.
“The ‘Weapon Saint’ is essentially the Pantheon of Fire’s version of the Champion of Yeostar. Blessed by the God of Weapons, Silfosus, the ‘Saint’ usually is a master of a certain weapon type, to the point people calling you ‘sword saint’ or ‘spear saint’ is a compliment on your skills. Candidates to become weapon saints are usually extremely capable people.”
“Ahhh, so that is where I heard about it!” Neill snapped her fingers before she looked over at me. “Hey, you remember Larent? He was a ‘sword saint candidate,’ right? At least, that’s what people called him during the tournament.”
I nodded.
King Fugnarus continued the explanation, “Similar to the Champion of Yeostar having a restriction for receiving a powerful blessing, the Saint of Silfosus has a heavy penalty on the blessed. Essentially, there can only be one ‘Weapon Saint’ around at a time, and anybody could become it by challenging the current one and killing them in a duel. Meaning, anybody, even those opposed to the Pantheon of Fire, may become the champion.”
“… Silfosus sounds like a terrible person and god,” I stated, causing quite a few people to nod in agreement. My impression of the Church of Fire had hit a all-time low.
“Regardless, the fact remains that Carmaniate currently claims this Saint as one of their own. Similar to the Supreme Commander of the Hands of Heaven, both of these individuals are rank S. Actual rank S, and not like that Galg,” Queen Tragaya stated. “Our challenger needs to be strong enough to contest on that level, and sadly, Ankor-Nazta does not possess somebody above level 200. My cousin, Rudigan, at level 140 is currently our strongest warrior.”
“Saelariel does not have such a warrior either; however, our ancient home in Kel’Thun—south of Kargryx, Princess Hestia—does. Or, if he is willing, we may ask the archerudite of Aleistunum for aide, as he is, without doubt, one of the strongest, non-monster mages in the world,” King Elutis stated.
Maelexus groaned. “We too have rank S fighters, but most of them are old and currently retired on Miononbolax’s Loatryx to be within Kargryx’s borders..”
“I thought your nations would have more rank S?” I asked, a bit baffled.
“Getting over level 200 is difficult if you aren’t a blessed or have a method to increase experience gain like your blessings,” King Elutis answered. “As you might know, the higher your level or monster rank, the more difficult it is to gain levels from low leveled opponents. Unless one goes out of their way to challenge enemies around their level, becoming rank S is difficult. Even then, you must defeat many.”
“Wars and dungeons help, but even in Bole’Taria, people around my level are pretty rare,” Vifi’Yok added. “You can guess who is stronger than me, of course. I’ve been level 150 ever since I left that hellhole of a place, and I haven’t found any random enemies as strong as the ones I found in that polluted lake ever since. There is a reason it’s called ‘rank S’ and not ‘rank A, but stronger.’”
Or ‘Rank A, but even rarer.’
King Fugnarus then sighed. “The rank S Ankor-Nazta had who fought in the War for the Faefolk have already passed from old age. Our lands might be vast, but we dwarves prioritize craftsmanship and technological advancements. Every warrior is also an artisan of some kind, so if they aren’t fighting or training, they are providing for our community. That doesn’t leave much time for leveling.”
“Peace has weakened us.” King Drangleic’s statement earned more than a few nods from the others around the table.
“Wars aren’t better,” Renee stated, which made sense as she lost her mother ‘cause of the Empire’s wars.
Suffice to say, Artorias, Estralia, nor Yeos had a rank S. I had initially thought Tehmrayn, that Champion of Plesia naga, as a rank S but was corrected later on when he was below 200. He was strong, but was he rank S strong despite the level difference?
“However, there is one edge we do have,” King Drangleic stated. “The unique Jobs we gained.”
“Correct,” King Fugnarus nodded. “Rudigan is already training it up and I presume your side is too, Princess Hestia. King Elutis?”
We both nodded. I personally hadn’t been training much since I had background stuff to do, but I knew Ellaine, Neill, Tasianna, and all the other members of the Event Quest party were training like crazy whenever they had the spare time. They would dungeon dive to level everything up; which reminded me I, too, had an upgrade awaiting me—my unique Job evolution.
Yet, it was then that I suddenly realized we completely derailed the discussion due to this surprise. We lost our advantage against these shrewd politicians, so I had to bring these talks back in order.
… But somebody else stole my limelight.
“Please, stop!”
It was Fleindia.
“I understand there has been much to discuss, especially about the demonkin, but allow me to state my opinion on this subject. As a Saintess of Erithia, and a Folschreckian, I have a duty to speak!”
The final stretch for this Summit discussion was upon us. I needed fuel to argue back, so I was betting it on Fleindia now.
Comments
Meow!
brunoid
Thanks for the chapter!
Reajaen, and yes, "arvisians." Typos
Diego Rossi
Thanks for the chapter. “Y-you’re the one O’Bloom was working for! His contact!” Renee jerked back, her one working eye widened in shock. - Renee? arvisions - it isn't "arvisans"? and in directly, onto Folschreck.” -> indirectly sWhat - What This was something the both of hadn’t been able to see eye-to-eye since we met, - the both of US hadn’t
