Chapter 224
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
The Imperial army decided to set out and attempt negotiations with the allied forces.
The Empire's representative was Second Prince Ureas. He led the way, with the legion commanders following behind him.
As they took their places, Ferda found himself moving alongside Count Rooster.
“It seems we meet again, Regent Ferda.”
Count Rooster was the first to greet him.
“This is our first meeting since the Golden Council, Lord Rooster.”
“Indeed. His Grace Grand Duke Golt is truly upset.”
“He has every reason to be. Of all people, it had to be Marquess Dvelung who pulled such a stunt. Was he a demon worshiper?”
Count Rooster frowned.
“It was revealed that he was a demon follower—a Doppler.”
“How did you discover that? We still don't know how to identify a Doppler.”
“Could Marquess Dvelung, known as the Miracle Alchemist, really have led such a sordid private life?”
“I suppose not.”
Ferda thought Count Rooster was a thicker-skinned man than he had expected.
“His Grace Grand Duke Golt's offer still stands.”
“As I told you, I am not a mage capable of manipulating people's minds.”
“His Grace Grand Duke Golt knows that very well.”
Persistent bastard.
What on earth was that woman to Grand Duke Golt that he was so obsessed with her, and why was this man helping him so much?
Ferda was prepared to retort if he said anything else, but Count Rooster did not speak to him again.
He had the air of someone who never said more than necessary.
A short while later, they spotted the temporary tent where the allied forces and the Arken Imperial Army would hold their meeting.
At the same time, six white horses encircling the tent caught their eyes.
They were all magnificent steeds of a color and pedigree fit only for kings.
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Each of the five representatives may bring one companion. Please leave all weapons outside before entering.”
As the knight guarding the entrance instructed, all twelve men disarmed themselves and stepped inside.
Six middle-aged men sat in a line along a long table inside the tent.
Ferda also saw a man he knew.
Eugene Hudret.
He rose first as the representative and offered a greeting.
“It is an honor to meet you, Prince Ureas. I never thought I would live to see such noble people, with gold flowing through their veins.”
“I feel the same. I thought that when the time came for us to face one another, we would not be meeting with me in such a position.”
A tense battle of wills had begun from the very start.
King Hudret gave a dry chuckle and invited Ureas to sit.
“Let us sit first. Since we hoped to meet like this, shouldn't we at least have a conversation?”
The representatives took their seats, and Ferda followed suit.
Ureas cleared his throat and began to speak.
“This is the position of the Arken Empire.”
Rather than fumbling through an opening, he led the conversation swiftly by getting straight to the point.
It was Olivia's idea.
“Since our Imperial army has also determined that the demons must be eradicated, we will join the allied forces.”
“How surprising. You say you will ally with us while leading the strongest army in the world.”
The sarcasm was obvious.
Though it offended Ureas, he did not lose his temper easily.
“I believe this matter is serious enough that it can only be resolved smoothly through an alliance. Would it not be better for us to solve it together?”
“I agree. When one pursues private interests, one can end up burning down one's own house.”
King Hudret took out a prepared document and held it out in front of Ureas.
“The distribution will be based on contributions within the alliance, and we intend to grant the Empire a basic share of 27 percent. If you agree, will you sign?”
27 percent.
That was a small figure for something supposedly fair.
It was low enough to make it worth trying to demand more, even while accepting a loss.
It was also a figure that would reveal what Ureas had in mind.
“Are you joking?”
As the macho man he was, he could not accept it easily.
He had come prepared to take a loss, but 27 percent was far too little.
“The number of troops in our army is comparable to the forces you have gathered. How did you arrive at 27 percent?”
“I thought it was fairly reasonable, but I would like to hear how much you expected to receive.”
“It may not be half, but it should be at least 45 percent.”
“You're being greedy.”
King Hudret chuckled as he spoke.
“I agree that the number of troops is important, but is that really something you can say to the Imperial army?”
“What do you mean?”
“You already know about the giant monster that appeared in the Empire. Wasn't the army there wiped out?”
Ureas's face flushed bright red.
“How dare you compare us to my spineless elder brother's army? Unlike those who only plot to run away under the pretext of an epidemic, we are warriors who charge straight into the jaws of death!”
“Those are fine words. It would have been even better if someone other than the Second Prince had said them.”
His eyes slid toward Count Rooster.
Count Rooster looked at King Hudret seriously and warned him.
“Whether I say it or the prince says it, the Imperial army is the Imperial army. We cannot tolerate being looked down upon.”
An arm bends toward its own side, as they say.
Even if Count Rooster disliked Ureas, he was still a man of the Empire.
“Therefore, 27 percent is difficult for us to accept. Do you even know how much preparation our Imperial army has made?”
“We are not lacking in preparation either.”
One of the allied kings spoke up.
“The allied forces are currently investing a great deal of effort in gathering information from inside.”
“Information from inside?”
A crowned man boasted with an expression of pride in himself.
“People with exceptional espionage skills from the Kingdom of Heian have successfully infiltrated the inside. If they return with information, we will make a far greater contribution than the Imperial army, which intends to rely solely on its numbers! Do you understand that?”
King Hudret looked at the King of Heian as though he were hearing this for the first time and asked,
“You never said you had sent anyone inside.”
“I intended to tell you later.”
“When something went wrong—or when you received good news—you would keep quiet?”
“No, what would that make me? There is no need to share bad news first.”
“That's not what I meant—”
Just as King Hudret was about to say something, a commotion broke out near the entrance.
-This is where state affairs are being discussed. You may not enter without permission!
-Let go! I have to tell everyone right now!!
The King of Heian seemed to recognize the voice.
“It seems our infiltrator has returned. I have nothing to hide, so why don't we hear him together with everyone else here?”
“……”
King Hudret's expression remained displeased.
He gestured as though reluctantly granting permission, and once the meaning was conveyed, a man burst into the tent.
The Kingdom of Heian's infiltrator entered and fell to his knees.
“This unworthy servant, Yuan, greets Your Majesty! I apologize for rudely bursting into such an important meeting!”
The man hurriedly paid his respects while breathing heavily.
The King of Heian rose from his seat and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Not at all! Welcome, Yuan!”
Then he swept a casual glance around the tent.
He welcomed him with an ostentatiously self-satisfied expression.
“You came in such a hurry because you must have news to deliver to us, correct?”
“Yes!”
“Tell us, so that everyone here may learn of your accomplishment.”
“The thing is……!”
A man named Yuan grabbed the King of Heian's arm.
“W-What do you think you're doing?”
It was shocking enough for a mere soldier to grab a king's arm, but he was gripping it so tightly that the veins stood out on his hand.
When he raised his face, there was a madness etched into it that had not been visible before.
“Once I went in there, I realized just how utterly meaningless this world is, hahaha!!”
At that moment, those capable of using magic clearly felt it.
The magic circle inscribed within the man's body manifested, and something began to boil up from inside him.
Ferda could not stop the man.
He was turning himself into a bomb, and the explosion was already underway.
“What does that mean?! What are you saying!? Let go so I can speak!!”
“Yuan! Can't you let go!?”
The clueless King of Heian and the knight tried to escape his grip, but it was useless.
An ominous light rose from his chest, eventually growing bright enough for everyone to see with the naked eye.
“That man is trying to blow himself up!!”
“Protect His Majesty!”
The knights threw themselves over the king to protect him.
While everyone was prioritizing their own safety, King Hudret sprang to his feet.
He walked over to the King of Heian and kicked him in the back.
The king was hurled against the tent wall, his body completely covering the man who had become a human bomb.
Then the light reached its peak.
Bang!!
Flesh and blood went flying.
The short, violent explosion instantly stained the inside of the tent red.
“Cough, cough!”
“Damn it! Damn it all!! Priest! My eyes! I can't see!”
“I'm bleeding! Blood, blood!!”
The kings panicked at the grotesque sight they had never seen before.
“Silence!”
King Hudret's roar silenced their screams.
“Calm yourselves. Thanks to the King of Heian serving as an excellent shield, all you received was blood and flesh. At most, you have a few scratches.”
King Hudret spat blood from his mouth.
It was not Hudret's blood.
Or perhaps it belonged to the scout.
King Hudret wiped his face with a handkerchief and asked his adjutant,
“How old did you say the Kingdom of Heian's son was?”
“Fourteen, I believe.”
“He's at a difficult age, and now he'll have a hard time. Knight of Heian, call someone to clean up the flesh.”
Hudret gave the order as casually as if he were telling someone to throw out trash.
The Heian knight, who had watched the entire situation unfold, shouted,
“Hudret!! How can you remain so calm after killing the king!?”
King Hudret glared at him as though he found him irritating.
“What nonsense is this about me killing the king?”
“Nonsense?! He died because you shoved His Majesty with that foot of yours?!”
“You reap what you sow. It was simply an end befitting him. Hurry and call someone to clean this up.”
“If this becomes known, it will lead to war with the other kingdoms. Aren't you afraid!?”
King Hudret crooked a finger at the knight who had protested.
It was not a gesture directed at the Heian knight.
More precisely, it was an order to another knight standing behind him.
And that knight obeyed.
Shhk!
The Heian knight's head fell to the ground and rolled.
The single blow had cleanly cut through even his plate armor.
“Gasp……!”
“H-Hudret!!”
Before their fear had even faded, another man had been killed.
This time, it was a true murder committed in full view of every king.
King Hudret looked down at the dead man's head and said,
“He was removed under military law for attempting to cause needless confusion within the alliance. I hope there will be no objections.”
King Hudret showed not the slightest guilt or remorse.
He calmly addressed the kings.
“Didn't I make myself clear? Once we formed an alliance, no one was to do anything pointless without my permission. Why do you think that is? Do you think I wanted to become king of kings? It is because situations like this can arise, where every one of us could end up dead.”
“……”
“Because of the King of Heian's rash action, every king here nearly became a piece of meat. Yet that knight valued his own king so highly that he accused me of trying to start a war! What do you think will happen if such a knight returns to his kingdom? A soft-headed prince will live on with useless hatred. So I personally removed a man capable of threatening the kingdom. What do you think of that?”
King Hudret asked another Heian knight who had been watching the scene.
The man quietly nodded.
“It seems we've got the story settled. Let's cover up the things that could shame us all. Your king died like a hero while protecting everyone, and the same goes for the knight. Hurry and clean up the flesh. And understand that the Kingdom of Heian is withdrawing from this battle.”
“Understood……”
“Good.”
King Hudret sat back down.
The kings were flustered by his actions.
They were about to leave the bloodstained tent, yet he had sat down and resumed his place.
“Hudret. How about we move somewhere else to continue this conversation?”
The allied kings asked Hudret.
“Yes. Wouldn't it be better to move somewhere a little cleaner?”
They were not the only ones uncomfortable with this place.
Even the brutal Ureas found a place like this difficult to stomach.
“Is that so?”
King Hudret placed a hand on the table soaked in blood.
“I think this is the perfect place to continue, but it seems the prince finds it overwhelming.”
It was indeed too much.
An unexpected explosion and the death of a king.
And now blood had been added to the situation.
Ureas's mind was practically numb, with adrenaline racing through him.
Whenever he tried to speak, a profanity threatened to leap out of his mouth first, leaving him incapable of holding a normal conversation.
“Since the Kingdom of Heian has withdrawn……”
The one who spoke instead was a man who remained calm even in these circumstances.
Ferda Valdrova.
“Their forces have been reduced. Would it not be reasonable to increase our share?”
The negotiations continued amid the blood and flesh.
King Hudret turned serious at his bold proposal and spoke.
“Let's go as high as 30 percent.”
“40 percent.”
“You're quite the bandit. The Kingdom of Heian had around two thousand troops. Even 30 percent was generous.”
“The allied forces have just demonstrated that they cannot properly unite. Is two thousand really the issue? We have no idea how many more bombs they may have strapped to themselves over there.”
It was an undeniable reality.
“35 percent.”
“40 percent. The Far Eastern forces are soldiers trained to fight monsters.”
“You mean those magitech weapons. Are you saying you will take the vanguard with them?”
“Taking the vanguard would be too much, but if anything blocks the way, we will be the ones to break through it.”
King Hudret burst out laughing at Ferda's proposal.
“You are a truly interesting man. I thought I had understood you well enough when we met before, but I underestimated you far too much.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Fine. Let us see how formidable those vaunted Far Eastern troops are. If you retreat even a single step, I will reduce the Empire's share to 20 percent. What do you say?”
“Do so.”
Ferda did not hesitate for even a moment.
Whether he was being reckless or simply placing immense trust in them,
either way, it only entertained King Hudret.