Chapter 352: Who’s Crazier? (5)

Chapter 352: Who’s Crazier? (5)

The room was silent. The distance between Keter standing at the door and the table where everyone was gathered was barely thirty meters. To a Prime, it was such a short distance that he might as well have been right in front of them.

The Primes on Second Prince Rakan’s side were unarmed, yet their very existence was like a sword. At any moment, they could tear Keter into thousands of pieces.

However, the instant Keter proposed an alliance, his status shifted from enemy to a diplomat of a rival state.

Rakan rubbed the bridge of his nose and addressed Keter. “What is that immense foreign pressure I feel above us?”

Before Keter revealed himself, an overwhelming weight had already pressed down from the sky beyond the ceiling. It was no coincidence.

As if it were nothing, Keter answered, “You saw the explosion that reached the edge of the sky before, didn’t you? That arrow is called Milky Way. I have it suspended overhead right now. If you attack instead of speaking with me, I intend to drop it.”

“The arrow that killed Eslow?”

Deyal, the Lord of the East, had witnessed its power firsthand. Keter smiled, not having expected a testimonial.

“That time it was one shot, but now there are three. I need at least that much insurance to speak with you.”

“If you drop them, you’ll die too.”

“If you gentlemen accompany me to the afterlife, I’ll have no regrets.”

“...Ridiculous.”

At that moment, Perez, Baen Kingdom’s Great General, strode toward Keter. He stopped directly in front of him, well within the distance no one should enter uninvited. Perez looked Keter up and down.

“I’ve heard much about you. The Divine Bow of the South, isn’t it?”

It was a clear provocation. Keter ignored him, leaned his head to the side, and addressed Rakan instead.

“Shall I assume this garlic-breathed gentleman represents the allied forces, Your Highness?”

“What?!”

Perez covered his mouth, face reddening. Rakan, unsure whether to laugh or scoff, allowed a faint smile.

“Hardly. All authority here rests with me. If you have something to say, say it to me.”

“As you wish.”

With a casual shove, Keter nudged the mountain-like Perez aside and walked toward the table. Everyone followed his steps.

Reaching the table, he rested a hand on the shoulder of the strategist seated opposite of Rakan.

“This seat looks nice. Mind moving?”

“Ah...”

The strategist glanced between Keter and Rakan. When Rakan gestured for him to rise, he vacated the chair.

Keter took a seat. “Oof. Now this is comfortable. We should replace the chairs in Sefira’s conference room with these. You could sit in this all day, and your back and hips would feel great. Where did you buy them?”

“...They are from Baen. I could send some to Sefira as a gift. If...” Rakan interlaced his fingers and narrowed his eyes. “...you leave here alive.”

“Are you saying you intend to kill me?”

“If this alliance proposal is a lie, then yes.”

“It isn’t. Let’s form an alliance.”

“...”

“...”

“...?”

An awkward silence spread. Unable to bear it, Perez spoke.

“If you came to propose an alliance, then explain why, and under what terms!”

“Why propose an alliance? Well, it’s because it benefits both sides. As for terms, those should be negotiated with Lord Hissop, not me.”

“So you came all this way just to say that?”

“Who else would take on such a role?”

“...You are even madder than the rumors claim,” Perez said with exasperation, but his gaze had shifted from hostility to a strange hint of respect.

Tap. Tap.

Rakan tapped the table to gather attention.

“Why should we ally with Sefira? You seized the south from me and killed no small number of my soldiers. If we form an alliance, we cannot attack you. Would that not be a one-sided loss?”

“I hear rumors you were beaten senseless by the Demon Capital monsters Rukan unleashed and fled like a dog with its tail on fire. Isn’t that why you’re all gathered here? Judging by your faces, you haven’t found a good solution. If you ally with Sefira, however, you can redeploy the troops you stationed around the south to the east. That alone would ease your burden considerably.”

“...You argue surprisingly logically, Sir Keter. Not what I expected.”

“I’m naturally a refined man. I only get irritated when people insist on provoking me.”

“It is true we suffered against the Demon Capital monsters, but you understand that Prince Rukan has made a fatal mistake, do you not? The Demon Capital is the common enemy of all. By wielding its monsters, he has made himself a target for extermination.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

With a laugh no one could mistake as genuine, Keter suddenly stepped toward Rakan. Deyal immediately blocked his path.

“Step aside, please. If I intended to kill him, I would have done so already.”

“...”

Deyal refused with his gaze alone, without even asking Rakan. It was an unmistakable signal that he would not move, even if Rakan ordered it. Rakan rose as well and pushed Deyal aside, standing before Keter.

“Do you take me for a fool who will be deceived by you again?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point. While we waste time like this, Rukan gains time to prepare.”

Rakan was angry at being called a fool, yet the final remark struck him enough to hold his tongue.

“I will grant mercy to the man who came here to die. Speak.”

“Mobilize your army and attack the north immediately. Sefira will strike the west through the south. This is a strategy that can only be executed at this very moment.

* * *

Keter’s plan of Sefira striking the west and Rakan’s alliance army attacking the north was similar to the strategies proposed by Stefan, Belferio’s Sixth General.

Intrigued, Stefan looked at Keter and asked, “Young man, I admit that you’re strong. As you said, we have not yet prepared a countermeasure against the Demon Capital monsters. Still, your suggestion of attacking outright sounds absurd.”

“Precisely because it sounds absurd, it’s worth doing. Rukan will think the same. Didn’t you capture the tamer from the Demon Capital? Rukan will assume you’ll stay crouched and inactive until you find a solution. The only moment to exploit that blind spot is now.”

“You mean to proceed even without any countermeasures?”

“If we had to fight true Demon Capital monsters, it would be foolish. However, monsters controlled by humans are different. In your first encounter, you were too busy fleeing to notice, but if they can distinguish friend from foe, then that control can be turned against them.”

“...!”

Keter spoke as if he had been there himself. The strategists stirred; his remarks were too precise to be dismissed as improvisation.

Unable to contain his curiosity, one strategist stood.

“That is speculation at best. If you are mistaken, we could lose an entire army. How could that be called wise?”

“Failing to seize an opportunity and letting it slip away isn’t wisdom either. Is waiting truly wise? Hoping for outside aid? They will observe since that benefits them. Demon Capital monsters are feared because they cannot be controlled. The moment it’s confirmed that they can be controlled, everyone will instantly change their perception. They’ll watch you bleed and analyze until the end. Only then will they act because they can afford to wait. Am I wrong?”

“...”

When a single decision could determine millions of lives, who could claim certainty? Only one man here could: Keter.

“The moment I arrived here without warning—this very moment—the opportunity arrived. Wondering why Sefira would join hands with Rakan? It’s obvious! Compared to the madman Rukan who commands monsters, Prince Rakan, who at least fights man to man, is the better choice!”

Nods spread across the room. Rakan, at least, fought within the bounds of common sense. Rukan had long crossed that boundary, conscripting children, farmers, and the elderly, and now unleashing monsters.

Even Rakan felt his resolve wavering under Keter’s persuasive voice.

“But Keter, how can we trust Sefira? If we withdraw our border forces and deploy our main army north, what if Sefira attacks the undefended east...”

“This is why I call you a fool. Sefira can barely control the south as it is. We lack manpower, far too few people for the land we hold. That’s why we showed excessive mercy to our enemies and even invited outside forces, promising them territory. Prince Rakan, you understand this, don’t you? Land without people is nothing but wasteland.”

There was no reason for Sefira to overextend into the east. Keter’s argument was persuasive.

“We cannot mobilize a great army on faith alone.”

“Yet you agree time is critical. Can you trust everyone here? Are you certain Rukan has no informants among you? When this meeting ends and everyone disperses... is it merely my imagination that Rukan will somehow learn of it?”

“...”

“Prince Rakan. They say the enemy of my enemy is my ally. For now, our priority is to unite and eliminate the Mad Crown Prince Rukan. Our quarrel comes afterward. That is my summary.”

“A temporary alliance, then.”

“That depends on your ambition. But at the very least, know this: Sefira is content with holding only part of the south. We are modest people.”

“...

Rakan looked away from Keter and met the eyes of his strategists, silently asking their judgment. They hesitated. Keter’s proposal carried enormous risk, but it was grounded enough that they could not dismiss it outright. They needed time. How could such a decision be made immediately? However...

“Twelve seconds. I can’t wait longer than that.”

...Keter believed it was enough.

At the precise time limit, sweat broke out across foreheads despite the chill in the room. Rakan, however, did not rush. He stared into Keter’s eyes without expression. Then, with two seconds remaining, he spoke.

“You said the details of the alliance should be discussed with Lord Hissop.”

“I did.”

“Your plan depends on time. Can Lord Hissop come here immediately?”

“Are you getting impatient? Or have rumors spread that Sefira is treacherous? Of course, Your Highness, you should come to Sefira.”

“Haha. If I go, two Primes will accompany me. Will you stand behind Hissop’s chair?”

“I dislike administrative meetings. I’m busy.”

Keter’s confidence irritated Rakan but also intrigued him. He knew Sefira had defeated four Primes, but that victory was solely because of Keter. He wondered if Sefira could withstand two Primes even without him. Rakan wanted to see why Keter was so confident.

With a subtle motion, he signaled Deyal, who nodded silently.

“Time is of the essence, so we depart at once. General Stefan, General Perez...” Rakan said in a low voice, “Until I return from negotiating in Sefira, no one leaves this room, even if the enemy launches a surprise attack.”

Rakan was ordering them to watch each other since they may be spies, just as Keter warned. The two generals immediately understood and nodded with grim resolve.

* * *

Immediately after Rakan departed for Sefira to negotiate the alliance, Keter left the council chamber. Perez and Stefan tried to stop him, but...

“I have no intention of obeying Prince Rakan’s order to stay in this room. If you don’t like it, want to settle it right here?”

If a disturbance broke out here, the commotion would be obvious outside. However, this entire scheme depended on a secret alliance. Faced with Keter’s threat to cause a scene, the two generals hesitated.

“I’ll leave quietly, so don’t worry.”

Making a scene would benefit neither Keter nor Sefira. Besides, they had no justification to detain him. The generals ultimately let him go.

Once he left Prince Rakan’s residence, Keter moved swiftly and discreetly, with clear purpose and destination. His destination was the northern region of the Lillian Kingdom.

In the north, there was a desolate rural village inhabited only by the elderly. Beneath a shabby straw hut lay a vast underground chamber. It served as Crown Prince Rukan’s hidden refuge, and only three people knew he was here.

Drip. Drip.

Rukan sat in darkness. Around him echoed the steady sound of droplets falling from stalactites. Though unseen in the dark, anyone entering would know: they were not water droplets, but blood with a metallic stench.

Rukan sat at the center of the cavern, soaked by the falling blood. He looked dead. His eyes were closed, his chest unmoving. He was not breathing.

Knock. Knock.

Then, there was a knock from outside. Rukan’s eyelid twitched faintly.

“Your Highness, It is Darian.”

Darian was one of Rukan’s trusted aides, and one of only three who knew of this location. Rukan did not respond, but Darian, familiar with his habits, continued anyway.

“There is an urgent matter to report.”

“...”

Silence again, but Darian knew it meant to continue.

Countless possibilities flashed through Rukan’s mind, wondering what news Darian would bring this time. Yet the matter Darian brought was...

“Keter of Sefira requests an audience with you, Your Highness.”

It was an answer that shattered every one of his expectations.