Chapter 302: King’s Unease

“King, that’s not Yeonhwa’s voice.” It was the strategist she kept by her side, then.

Elpidius fell silent, as if willing to listen.

“Saying ‘sweep them away’ makes it sound simple, but ultimately, this is also war. We’re in a situation where we need to conserve every bit of our forces. Starting a war within the Human Realm is not feasible. It would be best to focus on monitoring with minimal manpower and concentrate our main forces on dealing with the Demon Realm.”

“Even that monitoring requires manpower.”

“However, it would still require fewer troops than waging a war. The probability of wasting precious soldiers’ lives would also decrease.”

“And what if we really get stabbed in the back?”

“That’s why we monitor—to prevent getting stabbed in the back. We can obtain information in advance when those guys plot something and prepare for it.”

“So, when information comes in while we’re busy fighting the Demon King’s army and the Hero, you’re saying we should pull troops from the battlefield to deal with them? That’s certainly efficient.”

Of course, her words were logically sound. Logically sound, but… Irritation flickered in Elpidius’s eyes.

Having lost his uncle and become sensitive to internal enemies, even if he tried to hide it, he didn’t want to leave any future threats behind. But this strategist, inserting herself into the meeting, was obstructing him, so how could he see her favorably?

An even more subdued voice emerged.

“You must know the scale of the forces we’ve gathered to defend the city from the Demon King’s army while simultaneously dealing with the Hero. If they move at once, no kingdom among the betrayer kingdoms will last long. Three days would be fortunate.”

Like the rat bastards they are, their scale is also rat-like.

Three kingdoms united. Even the battle to kill the Hero, called the second battle, is effectively the final battle. They poured in every available soldier, so even if it were just these three kingdoms united, those who couldn’t withstand them would be wiped out in an instant.

“Don’t think too conventionally. The forces we’ve gathered are already unconventional, so why keep trying to fit them into an ill-fitting frame to make plans? I know a strategist’s position is to be cautious, but this time, I wish you’d be a bit more daring.”

“……”

A vague and clumsy response could tighten the noose around our necks, yet she’s telling the cat not to hunt mice, worried it might get hurt, and just watch them. Why can’t she understand that?

The Sanguo strategist fell silent. If this were just a debate between Sanguo and the Empire, the opinion here would have prevailed. But the victor of this debate wasn’t decided that way.

“Don’t push her too hard. This is our last chance, so it’s natural for a strategist to be more cautious.”

When the voice of the one with the strongest say in this place was heard, Elpidius had to shut his mouth.

More than any kingdom, even more than the Empire, this kingdom provided the best quality troops. As a kingdom supporting almost all Heroes, other countries had no choice but to prioritize respecting Rweche.

Beyond the communicator, the King of Rweche, well aware of this fact, slowly opened his mouth.

“The Emperor’s words have merit, but I also share the Sanguo strategist’s thoughts.”

Knowing the weight of his words, he must think carefully and speak.

Thus, the aging king, pushed by the turning tides of the world, revealed a part of himself so as not to offend the young Emperor.

“Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I don’t have the courage for more adventures here. Aren’t we already shouldering a significant risk?”

Success barely breaks even, and failure destroys everything. Nevertheless, there is no better option, so we’re forced to proceed.

Like most who inevitably seek stability as they age, his waning vigor didn’t want to shoulder any more risk here.

“Emperor, your opinion is beneficial if successful, but it’s a dangerous plan where everything we’ve desperately prepared could fall apart with the slightest misstep. The risk of failure is too great compared to the potential gains.”

“The probability of failure itself…!”

“No matter how low the probability of failure, shouldn’t we consider failure as long as it’s not 0%? I am a king responsible for a country. The lives of countless people depend on my decisions.”

The Emperor’s plan only yields benefits upon success, but it’s devastating if it fails. There’s even a possibility of collapsing before even facing the Hero.

We can’t fail without even trying to kill the Hero, can we?

‘…But the probability of failure itself is low, even if they say so.’

Just rushing in, trampling them quickly, and returning promptly is all that’s needed, so why…

Suppressing his frustrated feelings, Elpidius slowly rolled his eyes. Lindel Riner, who had been watching him with an anxious expression from the corner of his vision throughout his speech, was quickly sending signals to respect the King of Rweche’s opinion.

It seemed he was planning to dissuade Aletea if the atmosphere really flowed in that direction. It must be good for him. His relief is quite evident.

‘Anyway, there’s no benefit in causing discord with Rweche.’

Even without such signals, he intended to follow the King of Rweche’s will from the start. This entire plan is impossible to execute if Rweche backs out.

Therefore, Elpidius slowly nodded his head, though it wouldn’t even be visible.

“…Understood.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then, the remaining problem is…”

By continuing his seemingly interrupted words, the intention to salvage the potentially awkward atmosphere is conveyed. With no reason to object to this harmless action, he readily accepted and replied.

“We need to find a way to make Deon Hart and the Killer Knights clash with our Heroes without other impurities like demons.”

If demons clash with Heroes, the restrictions in the Human Realm will be lifted. Moreover, they are not Deon Hart’s weakness, so he wouldn’t care whether they kill someone or get killed. They would just become troublesome obstacles.

The optimal situation is for only Deon Hart and the Killer Knights to confront the Heroes. The Killer Knights are human, not Heroes, and they are Deon Hart’s cherished subordinates. They would be the perfect hostages, just like last time.

However, the problem is…

“Having experienced it once, Deon Hart will try to move separately from his knights. Taking them would only be a hindrance.”

Could it be that Deon Hart isn’t foolish enough to repeat the same mistake?

Whether he moves with demons or alone, he would never bring his knights along. We can lure Deon Hart, but we won’t be able to lure the Killer Knights with him.

As if thinking the same, the King of Sanguo added.

“Among the possibilities, the most beneficial for us would be Deon Hart moving alone.”

“That would be the case.”

“Then, based on the premise of facing Deon Hart individually, we should find a way to suppress his innate abilities…”

“It would be good to find a capable sorcerer. Sorcery suppressed even the demons’ abilities, so it might work on a Hero as well.”

And Sanguo is located in the south, where many sorcerers reside. The Empire will also search, but Sanguo taking the initiative would be faster.

“Indeed.”

At the subtly urging words, the King of Sanguo readily agreed. Elpidius conveyed simple gratitude to her for saying she would look for a sorcerer and turned to Lindel Riner, who seemed to have something to say.

At the gaze asking him to speak if he had something to say, he opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“What you’ve said is all valid, but I think it’s regrettable not to even attempt to involve the Killer Knights. How about adding a method that would be beneficial if successful and harmless if it fails, while keeping the basic premise and method you mentioned?”

“What is it?”

“Deploying individuals who can provoke the Killer Knights’ competitive spirit near the location where the battle with Deon Hart will take place.”

“Competitive spirit, huh…”

Certainly, considering their personalities I’d seen in passing, competitive spirit might be a decent bait. If they collectively insist strongly, there’s also a possibility Deon Hart might concede.

But… are there even individuals who can provoke their competitive spirit?

‘…Come to think of it, in the past.’

Elpidius remembered hearing a story that the Killer Knights had clashed with a knight order on the battlefield. Recalling the memory, Elpidius slightly furrowed his brow.

“Are you perhaps referring to the ‘Nameless Knights’? I can only think of them. If so, I want to tell you that they suffered heavy losses in the last battle, and also, being Heroes, Deon Hart is unlikely to allow the Killer Knights to accompany them.”

“I’m not talking about them. They are strictly ordinary individuals, and although they haven’t directly clashed, there is a knight order with a subtle sense of rivalry as they fought together as knight orders of two Heroes.”

Ah.

“…Primiero Knight Order?”

“Yes.”

“They also wouldn’t have their full strength.”

I know most of them died in the battle of Miller territory. The remaining forces would be all the personnel Marquis Primiero… no, Stigma Primiero, took when he went to subjugate the Barbai.

As expected, Lindel replied.

“About one-third remain.”

“Still too few.”

“However, precisely because of that, it will increase the Killer Knights’ confidence and increase the possibility of Deon Hart reconsidering taking them along. And originally, the Primiero Knight Order’s size is larger than other knight orders, so even if only one-third remains, it’s not such a paltry number.”

“…Are we using them as bait?”

“The Primiero Knight Order is elite.”

Lindel Riner stared directly at Elpidius with a blank expression.

The other rulers also seemed to be listening to their conversation, and silence had settled into the background. In the quiet space, the battle history of the Primiero Knight Order flowed out calmly.

“They face hundreds with double-digit forces and achieve victory against thousands when triple-digit forces are deployed. I think attaching the name ‘bait’ to those who don’t die easily and might even swallow the opponent is an insult.”

“…Isn’t that because there was ‘Hero’ Stigma Primiero? And even if they can exert the level of power you mentioned without him, they would just be dog meat if only Deon Hart comes alone.”

“Wouldn’t it be beneficial just to exhaust his stamina before facing the Heroes? And I clearly said in advance. It’s beneficial if successful and harmless if it fails.”

Certainly, there’s not much to lose.

From the start, they were too few in number and not considered in the general troop formation. Instead of putting them in reserve forces, sending them there would suffice.

Moreover, considering the rumors that Stigma Primiero cherished Deon Hart for a moment, if it’s true, there’s a possibility Deon Hart might hesitate for a moment because it’s the knight order of a former acquaintance.

‘Well… judging from the results of the Miller battle, that possibility is significantly low.’

That’s not the main purpose anyway, and anyway, there’s at least some possibility, so it’s fine.

Elpidius turned his gaze back to the communicator.

“Everyone heard that, right?”

We will proceed as planned.

There’s no reason to object to the Empire using its ambiguously remaining forces. Agreeable responses from each ruler returned.