Chapter 91 - Sleeping With the Enemy 4 (1/2)

Chapter 91 - Sleeping With the Enemy (4)

“Foolish! How can you be so foolish!”

The Duke of Tiata stood up as he yelled out his words.He had witnessed someone spurn the alliance with another nation in favor of an individual.However, when he turned to look, the king of Daitan had an extremely peaceful expression on his face.

“What is foolish about it?I’m trying to lead our side to victory in this drawn out war.I tried my best to exclude all subjectivity when making this decision.”

“Do you really believe his words!?”

“Do I believe him?Even our alliance wasn’t based on absolute trust either.Isn’t that right?I think you are mistaken about something important, sir Eritard.”

Strength entered into the clenched fists of the king of Daitan.He had remained calm as Artpe entered the barracks.He maintained his calm even as Artpe sent the general flying.However, there was a slight heat in his voice now.

“I only believe in one thing.Ibelieve in absolute power.If I’m forced to choose a side, of course, I’ll pick the magician.Isn’t it an obvious choice even from your point of view?”

“He is Aedia’s······!”

“Yes.Since you brought up the subject of whether I believe his words or not, you still haven’t come up with an excuse yet.What do you want from the Forest of Eternity?We’ve already come this far, so I hope you won’t give some dumb answer like you don’t know anything about it.”

The Duke of Tiata struck the table as he refuted the king’s words.

“I told you I have no connections to the Forest of Eternity!I won’t deny the fact that there are hostilities between the Elves and our people.However, that’s a separate issue!We really are trying to fight for our own independence…..!”

“If that is true, why were you trying discard this magician?You bullishly accused him of being Aedia’s magician, and you kept nitpicking him for no reason!If Aedia possessed a magician as strong as him, there is no way he would be unknown to us!”

Actually, there was a magician that fit that exact description outside the barracks.However, Artpe kept that to himself.It seemed the Duke of Tiata had the same thought as him, but if he spoke those words out loud, he would be admitting his allegiance to Aedia.He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“That is······ That is…...”

The Duke of Tiata was about to open his mouth, but he decided to keep it shut.It would be great if he could pass this off with a likely excuse, but too much had been revealed earlier.The gap in his story would only widen the more he spoke.He was being bit from both sides by wolves, yet the only thing he could do was to spit out blood.

This was why he went with his remaining option.He had to stress the fact that the king of Daitan needed him.His expression turned cold as he spoke.

“Please think about it······!It would hard to hold the borders of Daitan if the soldiers of Tiata doesn’t give support!Who cares if one has the most powerful weapon if one doesn’t have a shield?”

“Ha.A shield…...”

It seemed the Duke of Tiata’s words had triggered a mine.The king of Daitan had been trying to keep his cool until the end, but this enormous mine blew away all his remaining patience!

“We can’t just maintain the status quo. We’ve already held out for far too long.In the past five month, our progress have stalled.We are just going back and forth in an endless loop of retreating and charging.Since the pathway to the ocean is blocked by the Lunatic Wave, the plan was to bottle up Aedia from our side, and the side of Tiata.We were supposed to weaken Aedia by raiding them through the fall and winter.We were supposed to make them use up all their resources, yet that hasn't happened.Aedia seems to have felt no ill effects.Instead, my country is suffering!I have no choice, but to use special countermeasures!”

The attack on the port city of Belata was part of his special countermeasures.Daitan had reached its limit.This was why they broke the international law by sending their elite troops against Belata.It was a last ditch attempt to tilt the balance of war in their favor.

Even if they were able to secure the upper hand in the war, it was as if all their problems would have been solved.Daitan was already seen as the invader, and now his country would have caused civilian deaths.Daitan’s future was dark even if they had won the war.

Despite this fact, the king of Daitan had pursued this course of action.It was proof that Daitain was truly in a bad spot.

Artpe asked him a question.

“Who came up with this plan in the first place? Who came up with this plan of pressuring Aedia to make it a war of attrition?”

“Sir Eritard suggested the plan, and I went along with it.In the end, it turned out like this.”

The king of Daitan shook as he freely expressed his anger and a sense of powerlessness.When he heard those words, Artpe couldn’t help but smirk.

Was the king’s intelligence lacking compared to the strong power he possessed?Or did he put trust in the honor between men to establish the alliance?It didn’t matter what had occured.Either option had been endlessly foolish.

“Let’s think this through.The ocean is not passable right now.The north and the western border was closed.No resources are able to enter into Aedia, so how are they able to hold out so well?Did they use their awesome power of magic to transport supplies?”

“You are talking about transporting supplies to feed an enormous army…...Is it possible?”

“If they have hundred magicians like me, it is possible.However, if they were capable of such a feat, they would have just wiped out the capital of Daitan.Basically, there is no way they could have received supplies from an outside source.”

It was one of the skills he had needed as one of the Four Heavenly Kings.It was the skill to play one side against the other!Words flowed out of Artpe like water as he made a persuasive argument.The king of Daitan’s eyes turned sharper as he looked towards the Duke of Tiata.Since there was no possible way Aedia could receive supply from an outside source, that only left the Dukedom of Tiata.The Duke was supposed to be his ally!

“Bullshit!You and I came up with that plan in collaboration!”

The king of Daitan’s gaze was so intense that he felt a tingle all over his body.The Duke of Tiata straightened himself as he yelled out.The king of Daitan nodded his head.

“I did agree with your plan.However, five months have passed, and this is the result of that plan.In your opinion, how do you think our enemies replenished their supplies?Please persuade me once again like before.”

“Sir Zard······!”

This was the end.There was suspicion but no evidence.However, the mood had decidedly shifted against him.He wouldn’t be able to overturn this.

The words spoken by the king of Daitan was the decisive factor.Logic wasn’t important right now.It was power.It didn’t matter if the king believed the Dukedom of Tiata wasn’t connected to Aedia.The king of Daitan had made a choice, and he wouldn’t budge from it.

The Duke of Tiata grinded his teeth.

“Are you really going to look down on my Dukedom like this!?Are you confident that you won’t regret this later on!”

“I’m already having regrets.I’ve risen to kingship through a rebellion. I was afraid of the public unrest, so I rushed into a war with another nation.Now my nation is at the brink of ruins, so I regret my decisions everyday.”

The king of Daitan wielded his words like a sword.At this point, his expression turned cold like a snow storm, and the tone of his voice changed.