Chapter 994: Chapter 434: North First, Then South (Part 2)
"Very good." Kemler expressed his satisfaction with Mathew Bade’s plan. The Undead Grand Mage raised his head and locked eyes with Mathew Bade.
What he saw was a Black Knight burning with hatred and venom. Kemler liked that kind of ally.
In Mathew Bade’s eyes, what he saw was an Undead Grand Mage filled with seething resentment and ravenous greed.
"So... what is your decision?" Mathew Bade indicated that it was time for Kemler to make up his mind.
"I agree with your decision to go north first, then south. We will strike preemptively and catch Brittania completely off guard." Kemler laughed, his old, withered cackle echoing through the abandoned villa. The Undead Grand Mage took a few steps forward, then abruptly turned back. He pointed at Mathew Bade standing behind him: "You’ve provided me with a good suggestion, godson of the Witch Demon King."
"Then we can prepare to attack Jisoleox..." Mathew Bade said subconsciously.
"Jisoleox? No, we are not attacking Jisoleox!" Kemler brusquely rejected Mathew Bade’s proposal. "I and my Ancient Tomb Legion will not be attacking there for the time being."
"???" Mathew Bade frowned slightly. He had already given two targets, and among them the Montfort Duchy was not a good choice for an offensive. The duchy had almost no farmland; its income depended on herding, customs duties, and the mines in the Gray Mountain Range. Under such circumstances, almost every Lord in the Montfort Duchy had built sturdy castles along the Gray Mountain Range to watch the roads and control the pastures. "Can you tell me the reason?"
"The reason is... I am the one who decides where we strike!" Kemler stepped up to stand before Mathew Bade, the wrinkled face under his Wizard Hat staring fixedly at the Duke of Musillon, whose expression had turned rather ugly. "Learn to adapt to your role, godson of Akhan. Your task is to assist me, not to command me. Do it well."
"...Of course. Since you’ve decided so, we’ll do it your way." Mathew Bade’s expression fluctuated, but in the end he nodded in agreement. "My army and I will assist you. Wherever you choose to attack, I will go all out."
"You’d better." The Undead Grand Mage stared at the Duke of Musillon for a while, and only after confirming that he had no other ideas did he finally avert his gaze. "Very well, now let us return and make ready for war. My Ancient Tomb Legion will bring annihilation to this world, starting with the Montfort Duchy."
"In that case, I shall take my leave first, Lord Kemler. Once you are prepared, I will lead my army out of Musillon to support you." Mathew Bade lowered his posture, giving a slight, ceremonious bow. "Do not forget our agreement."
"Mm." Kemler tightened his grip on his Noisy Skull Staff. The raven at the tip of the Magic Staff cawed a few times as powerful Undead Magic wrapped around him, and he vanished into a bank of fog reeking of death and carrion.
"So arrogant and rude." A Vampire Lord behind Mathew Bade stepped forward, his voice brimming with anger. "An Undead Grand Mage without even a single title, wandering the Gray Mountain Range like a dog for so many years, and still he’s this arrogant. I believe we must teach him a lesson, my Duke."
"He’ll get his lesson, but not now." Mathew Bade was very good at holding his temper. After multiple failures, the young man had grown quickly. A strange smile overflowed in his blue eyes. "Right now, Kemler and I are still allies who advance and retreat together. We need each other. For the moment, we are kin, brothers-in-arms, comrades—at the very least, co-conspirators with their own agendas. He and I must stand united and work together against the Knights. Between us, cooperation is profit, division is harm."
"Your will is the standard for my actions, my Duke." The Vampire Lord was named Har Harris. If Laine were here, he would immediately recognize him as the contact in Musillon of Laine’s Marinburg merchant alias, Gabriel Newell. After Akhan’s departure, the Vampires of Musillon had sworn fealty to Mathew Bade.
Vampires are all turncoats; Mathew Bade had no idea how much loyalty these people truly had, but it certainly wouldn’t be much.
After a brief moment’s thought, Mathew Bade went on, "Since Kemler has decided to attack Montfort, we merely need to cooperate with all our strength. Prepare to return and muster the troops."
"Truly with all our strength, my Duke? Kemler is so arrogant—he will be our powerful enemy in the future!" The Vampire Lord was clearly reluctant. He shrilled, "We should get ahead of him, at the very least not let him win so easily."
"No, this time we must help Kemler with everything we have. Even if there is no immediate benefit, we must help him." Mathew Bade again rejected Harris’s suggestion, his brows knitting tight. "Right now Musillon has become a lone city. We must rely on the Ancient Tomb Legion to break open the situation for us. Every one of Kemler’s victories will cause the Knights and the Lake Jade Pool to shift their gaze away from Musillon all the faster. That is exactly what we need. On that premise, we must give him our full support... at least for now, it is very necessary."
"Do we need to contact the Witch Demon King?" Harris continued to ask.
"No need." Mathew Bade lowered his head, thinking. At present, Witch Demon King Akhan was in the Southern Evil Lands and the Border Prince’s Domain searching for traces of the Witchcraft Crown, while Manfred was leading a large Undead Legion to assault Skaven’s Magic City—Nagash’s Sword was inside that Demon City.
