113 Plans II (2/2)
You came from a different world. I cannot have you bear the responsibility of this one.”
Li took a sip of tea and said, ”I'll keep you to your word because I know you haven't broken it a single time since I've gotten to know you. Plus, it does make my life easier. But before I can accept this, I need to know you can back up your words. Say she does make an errant move. What are your plans for taking her down?”
”Assassination, of course, though that is not the primary issue we grapple with. For adept creatures of the night such as ourselves, a simple assassination is a guarantee.” Alexei shook his head. ”It is the matter of upholding the order that she has created. Removing her would break the order of this world, already tenuous, apart entirely.
She is a peaceful buffer between the northern Republic's ambitions of conquest as well as one who has united all four great cities, cities that were once large enough to be kingdoms themselves with their own histories and rulerships.
She is like a dam that holds back a raging torrent of political and civil instability. The amount of chaos involved in ridding of her will not only throw this world into untold levels of bloodshed, but it will also cause immense problems for your own farm that, though I am certain you can deal with through might, will be infinitely more troublesome than the current peace you enjoy.”
”Hm.” Li thought for a few seconds. ”Then you just need to have someone that can plug up the hole her absence will leave quickly enough.”
”Ah, but therein lies the difficulty. There must be a peaceful transition to a capable ruler after her disposal, and the duchess has been exceptionally good in removing any and all challenges to herself or assimilating talent underneath her. With blood magic to enhance her longevity, she has truly entrenched her position.”
Li nodded to Alexei. ”Why couldn't you do it? You can change your form already and you're well versed in rulership to the point of having once been a royal advisor. Why not just take her place?”
”Unfortunately, vampiric shapeshifting cannot completely replicate a body already inhabited by an unique soul. That is left to the domain of Doppelgangers.”
”You could recruit one, no?”
”The duchess has made countermeasures against it. The Elves have, like with many other monsters, hunted down the doppelgangers in the north to extinction, and in the south, one of the first things the duchess did upon taking power and forming her Ascendant Order of heroes was to engage in a doppelganger hunt.”
”It sounds as if you've allowed her to grow into a problem.”
”That, I can admit to, and yet, her capable rule is satisfactory to me such that I cannot say I made a mistake.
At that time, my power was yet middling. I had control of only a small horde, but now I possess dominion over all the hordes in the north and half in the south. There is only one other higher vampire besides me still alive, and the duchess is currently fighting against him. When she falls, I will have control over her hordes too as the only remaining higher vampire to heed to.”
”You won't help her against the duchess?”
”As I have said before, my kind are brutish, selfish, and prideful, and my fellow kin is no exception. Her rule will be chaotic and destructive, likely inciting war with the north. She is not worthy of her power. But I am.”
”And the other big question: can you kill Sunstar? I'm assuming if you get rid of her, he'll make a move, and he's not only revered as the avatar of a god, but he's also quite strong compared to the rest of you. You'll have to get rid of him just as smoothly.”
Alexei smiled. ”You are correct. He is her superweapon rivaling Daedalus, the peerless flying fortress of the Elves, but I have developed a countermeasure against him that I am absolutely certain of, and ruining his reputation is easy enough once the duchess herself is eliminated.”
”So long as you have confidence in it,” said Li. ”I was about to say that if ever there comes a time you need him out of the way, then I'd be willing to take a break from farming to get some exercise in.”