a.s.suming that it was just because of the fact that a golden opportunity to take out two Kings of two of his biggest rivals so that he could place those Kingdoms in vulnerable positions which he could take advantage of might be lost, the Head folded his arms behind his back and turned to the kid who was the reason he was here.
Adopting a stoic expression, he asked, "Do you take me for a fool, King Daneel?"
He used the communication trinket that he had given the King to send this message, so nothing was heard outside.
Still, the change in the expression of the King was discernible, and it made a small ray of hope appear on King Safiros"s face.
The Head had always wanted an opportunity like this.
And now that he had it, his instinct told him to haggle, and get as much out of it as he could.
True, the rules did dictate that the Big 4 weren"t supposed to interfere too much in the Central Continent. But they also clearly stated that too much bloodshed should also be prevented, so that the overall strength of Angaria would remain the same.
Hence, if anyone asked, he could just say that he was following this rule, as the sudden loss of two Kings really would lead to all kinds of unrest that would definitely result in ma.s.sive loss of life.
He had a suspicion that King Daneel probably knew about this, more or less, as he had gotten access to the Secret Archives. The Head was unsure regarding just how much data he must have collected there, but it was definitely possible that he must have gone through the tome that listed the various rules and guidelines of the Big 4.
Still, he was sure that he could use this situation to his advantage and take as much out of it as he wanted, as, after all, he was in the position of the one that was being asked the help.
The King took a few seconds to reply, and when he did, it was in a respectful tone.
"I do not follow, Head. I have only stated the truth. I know there are holes in the story, but believe me, they puzzle me as much they might seem puzzling to you. Some can be clarified by asking King Safiros, right now, and if you do so, I will also be very interested to hear what he has to say."
So it looked like the kid was prepared to take this "innocent" act as far as it would go.
As someone who had lived for centuries and had seen all kinds of geniuses and schemers, the Head wasn"t so easily fooled. He could tell that there were a lot of lies in the King"s story, but one thing was true: these three individuals definitely were under risk of being killed by King Safiros.
True, King Safiros was only an Exalted Human while King Daneel was an Exalted Warrior, but the latter looked like he had been bombarded by some kind of formation repeatedly, which made it possible that he might have had to deal with some tough ones to get to his friend.
At this moment, the Head didn"t care about these holes, and he didn"t care to find out about the truth. It was enough for him to know that they existed, and whatever they were, he was confident that they were trivial enough not to concern him. After all, he was the G.o.dd.a.m.n Head of the High Council of the Big 4, and the strongest Hero on this continent to boot!
So, his whole focus was on exploiting the King, and his statement had been aimed at doing just that.
In response, the Head humphed and said, "If you do not at least admit that this has all been somehow orchestrated by you to gain the support of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom, then I will leave here, right now. I have no interest in helping those who are disingenuous with me."
This finally made a hint of panic flash across the eyes of the King, who had looked oh, so confident till now.
Smiling satisfiedly to himself inwardly, the Head maintained his seriousness and looked forward to see what the King would say.
The reply…was just what he had hoped it to be.
After shaking his head and putting on a serious expression, too, the King of Lanthanor said, "In a way, you are right, Head. My friend was abducted without my knowledge. But I decided to use the opportunity that was presented to me to both understand how the minds of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom worked, which would help me to better understand my Champion Path, and to get a way to enter the Kingdom of Axelor without contention, so that my work would be easier. If it weren"t for me burning a lot of resources that will set me back for a long time, I wouldn"t even have been able to free my friend so that an attempt to escape would at least begin. I know why you are saying this, Head. Just tell me what you wish in return. I know that the Big 4 does not give out free favors."
Yes, dealing with smart people who could read a situation accurately really was a delightful experience.
Musing in this way, the Head finally let a small smile crack on his face before putting forward his condition.
"Your talents are wasted out here. I want you to-"
"Join the Big 4? I"m ready to do that if you allow me to break through and become a Champion first. That"s something I need to do out here, anyway."
"…"
The Head had thought that he would face an uphill battle, so he had built up this impression of a tough guy so that he could haggle for the King to join the Big 4 willingly.
Yet…he had already agreed, which left the Head sheepishly rubbing his nose.
So…it was done?
His main aim had always been to make sure that more and more talented people would be present in the Big 4, so that they could rise to become Heroes that would protect the continent. With everything he had seen from the King so far, he was confident that this was someone who could reach that step. As for what he chose when he did reach it…that would be up to him, but when the time came, the Head was more experienced than anyone else alive in persuading one to take that plunge and become a Hero.
He was confident in his skills. So, all he had wanted was for the King to agree.
Now that it was done, there was no need to dally any more.
"All right. It"s good that you made this decision. We can leave, then. I don"t care what you do before that point as long as you don"t toe the bottom line, but after becoming a Champion, you must honor your word and enter the Big 4 after breaking all ties with the Central Continent. Is that clear?"
Hearing the stern voice of the Head, the King of Lanthanor looked like he was struggling with the decision even though he had stated it directly before.
Finally, after a few seconds, he nodded, which made the smile on the Head"s face broaden.
Of course, inwardly, Daneel was laughing so hard that he was afraid that it would show on his face.
The Big 4 had always been the final goal of his on this continent: he had long known that if he truly wished to unite this continent, then he would have to target those sects, too.
According to his estimates, after he became a Champion, Daneel would be heading there anyway, so he had given the Head a word regarding something that would have happened eventually in either case.
Could there even be a better deal?
Meanwhile, Arnold was fuming as he saw the exchanges between this Hero of Angaria and the vermin he wished to crush under his feet so much that they were itching continuously, as if being denied that pleasure would make them feel so disappointed that they might shrivel up and cease to exist.
He could tell that he had lost this round.
This really was a stalemate: he just couldn"t risk bringing down the Big 4 on him, especially as he hadn"t even broken the third seal. Sometimes, in war, and in life, the best ability that one could be in possession of was knowing when to retreat, and when to advance. It would definitely be devastating if he gave in to his rage and advanced now, so the best thing to do was accept that he had lost this round, and prepare for the next one.
No matter how he thought about it, this was the only method he saw, even though it stung a lot that he would be losing the two pieces of the Grand Inheritance. Yet, he was confident that given enough time, and with the knowledge of just how capable his opponent was, he would definitely be able to take them back, along with the brat"s head.
So, taking a deep breath and condensing all the fury he felt into a blazing ball that he could call on whenever he wished, Safiros straightened his back and wiped away the blood on his mouth.
From the smile on the Hero"s face, it was obvious that an agreement had been reached.
Hence, deciding to retain some dignity, he said, "Get out. But remember how you were chased like a dog. Head, I will be taking my leave."
Saying so, he vanished, while the 4 individuals in the air looked taken aback. Even the Head was a bit surprised, as he had been expecting the King to go mad, as that would be in line with the personality he usually put on display.
Only Daneel got a cold smile on his face as he saw this.
Indeed, even he knew that he had won this round due to all the meticulous planning. In fact, he had even been pretty close to losing, and that would have happened if it weren"t for that soldier who had stepped forward in the last moment. Daneel was almost inclined to think that this was a form of Karma due to all the sins committed by Arnold, but as he knew that no such thing seemed to exist in this world, he chalked it up to luck, and engraved it in his mind as a lesson.
But…he had been fighting from a position which had been shrouded in darkness. Arnold hadn"t known a lot of things, which Daneel had used to full advantage. But now…almost everything was out in the open, and Daneel couldn"t even imagine just how dangerous an enemy he would be now when he was equipped with so much more than before.
He would never be able to sleep peacefully if such a foe was alive.
As this thought came into his mind, his cold smile turned into a happy one, before he turned his gaze to Town Azmar.
…
Meanwhile, in Town Azmar, Lazon was surrounded by people anxiously looking around for some indication that the promise they had been given would be fulfilled.
Many even came forward to ask him if he knew anything, but all he said was that he was still confident in the King, and they should wait.
However, he could tell that everyone was scared even though they had gone ahead and bent the knee bravely before, as they knew the fate that awaited deserters.
Deserters would be subjected to 99 days of extreme torture, after which their remains would be thrown to the dogs all over the capital to be torn apart and feasted on.
Such a fate…would make anyone shake in their boots.
BOOM!
As a loud sound reached their ears from the direction where the garrison was located, the fear only grew in intensity, with many beginning to break down and regret the decision they had taken.
These were fragile people who were living after picking up the parts of their life left after seeing their loved ones die. They just weren"t equipped for any amount of stress.
The confidence and gut instinct that had led Lazon to do what he had done before was still strong, but it couldn"t help but waver just a bit as he saw legions of soldiers running toward them from all directions.
He tried to tell those around him to flee and not tell anyone about what had happened here, but although some did so, most were too afraid. They stayed where they were, rigid, ready to be slaughtered by the soldiers who must have heard about what had happened.
Just as he prepared to defend as many as he could, he heard a voice in his head that startled him and made him look up.
"In one minute, look east. A true King always keeps his promise."
…
Arnold had just reached the throne room in the Palace of Axelor. With an expression of frustration on his face, he prepared to down a few bottles of wine to satiate his anger before beginning to plot the downfall of the King.
This plan…would be so perfect that the King of Lanthanor would definitely find out how he had felt today.
Pointing to a wine cabinet and looking elsewhere, he lazily made a bottle fly over.
"Nice collection you have here."
What the-?!
With alarm, Arnold turned around to see the bottle that he had cast the spell on in the hands of an old man who had appeared out of nowhere.
As he recognized him, extreme shock appeared on his face as he raised a finger to point and stuttered "Y-you-"
Opening the bottle and taking a swig, the old man, who was bald with a long beard smiled and said, "Yes, me. You won"t mind if I take this with me, right? Oh, why am I even asking."
Saying so, the old man calmly walked to the wine cabinet and began putting all the bottles he could find into the pockets of his robe.
Feeling danger, Arnold tried to teleport away, but he realized that a Hero-level anti-teleportation formation had been placed here already which he would need a few seconds to break through.
So, he decided to act shocked, which was an emotion that still hadn"t faded anyway, and ask, "H-how?"
"Oh, stop dithering. I can tell you"re acting. The major flaw of that formation you deployed is that it can only detect the overall complexity level of a consciousness. That makes it easy for additional ones, like mine, to sneak in."
5,4,3,2…
What the old man had just revealed was something to marvel at, as it revealed the many layers of the plan of the King. Yet…Arnold was busy counting down the seconds until he could teleport away.
However, before he could say "1" in his mind, the old man turned around and fixed his beady eyes on his and said, "Ok, good chat. Courtesy of the King of Lanthanor, I bid you farewell."
BOOOOOOOOOM!