'As expected of a Demon King, he wants to milk everything out of the situation to the best he can,' I muse. 'I am sure he is going to ask something that is more ridiculous than what Haletha has offered.'
I bet Haletha's Guardians, and Haletha herself already know where the discussion is going. They have lived long enough to know what kind of individual a Demon King is, so they must have an inkling of what Ilschevar is going to say next.
"In other words, you want to be my Minister—my glorified slave?"
"... In a way, yes."
With a hesitant face, the Guardians turn their head to their Queen. Haletha ignored their questioning look, causing them to smile bitterly.
It is clear that they don't agree with their Queen's decision, but they seem to respect it well. They only sigh softly as they gaze at Ilschevar; none of them show any displeasure toward him.
'Beggars can't be choosers. They know this fact well, huh?' I remark inwardly.
"That won't be enough I am afraid," Ilschevar sighs, surprising the Dark Elves. "My Counselor here is better at the job you mentioned than you will be, which means the only thing you can do for me is supply me with the knowledge of the Dark Elves."
"Then—"
"We, unfortunately, don't need that. No," Ilschevar shakes his head faintly, "to be exact, none of us will find that knowledge beneficial. We, Cursed Creations, after all can't and will never be able to use Nature Energy."
Giving the same faint but sly smirk to Haletha, Ilschevar leans his cheek on his fist, and says, "Do you have a more interesting offer, Lady Haletha?"
Ilschevar is planning something—I can tell—but I don't know what it is. He seems trying to force Haletha to say something he wants.
Haletha looks like she knows what Ilschevar wants, but she is hesitant to say it. Silence fills the entire banquet room as both of them look at each other, and I hope I can read their mind so I don't have to be tortured by this curiosity.
When the silence is getting deafening, Haletha eventually opens her mouth. "I... I offer you my body." A bitter smile immediately decorates her face as her eyes express her despair
"That's what I have been waiting for." Ilschevar smirks gleefully.
"Well, that's not surprising, but rather unexpected," I mutter. "I didn't expect Ilschevar to be interested in that kind of thing." Slicing the meat on my plate, I stop paying attention to the discussion.
"You are misunderstanding something, Layland," Valeria comments. "Lord Ilschevar is not such a shallow person. He knows what he is doing."
"I know he is going to enslave her. I just don't find the merit of it." I shrug.
"Ah, you haven't heard of what we are going to do it seems."
"What is it?" I turn my head to Valeria in curiosity.
In return, she just smiles, and says, "Just watch."
I don't know why everyone is keeping this thing a secret from me, but it is starting to get annoying. Nonetheless, I still turn my head to Ilschevar and expect what he will say next.
"Now that you have offered me your body, I won't hesitate to say this. Haletha, be my puppet Queen."
At that statement, I immediately try to decipher what Ilschevar is saying. Two possibilities came up: first, he wants her to be his wife; second, he wants her to rule Lysimork again on his behalf.
Since the first possibility is highly unlikely however, I am inclined to believe the second one is what Ilschevar is saying. In other words, we are going to conquer Lysimork soon.
Now, everything makes sense—why everyone is busy training, and why they look giddy. They are all anticipating for the incoming battle against Iorael, the Dark Elf Elders, and the Lysimork's Rebel Army.
Ilschevar doesn't want to only give Haletha temporary asylum, but also her status back. Although he will be the one in control of the Kingdom in the end, for a Demon King, this action of his is rather benevolent.
"T-That means..."
"Yes, I will 'help' you retain your position." Ilschevar smiles. "I still need to ask you, however, if you are willing to watch your people die at our hands. You can say you are not, and the discussion will end at that moment."
Haletha frowns lightly as she looks at Ilschevar. "How do you define our people?"
"Those who wield weapons and come at us on the day of the Conquest."
"I see." Haletha nods her head lightly, then briefly glances at the Guardians. "I don't mind. You can kill as many of them. I already have 48 loyal subordinates with me—I don't need the thousands of betrayers."
"Heh... You hold grudges too." Ilschevar smiles faintly. "Very well, if that is the case, you are now officially my slave."
Extending his hand as he points his palm toward Haletha, Ilschevar mutters something briefly. His palm glows in the next moment, and Haletha's eyes widen not long after.
Putting her hand on her chest, Haletha pats it softly as if she is soothing herself. I don't know how painful it is, but the Geas Ilschevar has cast must have been the cause.
"We will march to Lysimork in three days. I am confident with the competence of my army, so I can guarantee you Lysimork will fall in our hands in a week."
"Considering the amount of time that will be spent on the way, are you saying that we will only need a day to take Lysimork down?" Haletha asks with a quirked eyebrow, both astonished and sceptical.
"I don't mean to put you down, but Dark Elves are not as many as Light Elves," Ilschevar says calmly as he takes a sip of his tea. "Besides, the Elven Race has always had a hard time against us."
"We are the best is what our King is saying. Hahaha!"
Velucan's laughter fills the room. He doesn't care about the gaze he is receiving in the slightest.
Ilschevar seems to have accepted the fact that Velucan is a lost cause; he doesn't even pay any attention to what Velucan has said. I bet this is not the first time Velucan has ruined the mood Ilschevar has built, so he's already used to it.
"I have talked about it with Eliseus and Vibiane, but I believe you still don't know why you are here, do you, Layland?"
"No, I don't, My Liege."
"It's to let you know of your task in the upcoming battle."
Clack.
Ilschevar puts his teacup down. "You are to accompany Haletha in the front line with Eliseus. I believe she feels more comfortable fighting with the person she considers her friends."
"I am glad to be entrusted with such a task; however, are you sure that I will be able to accomplish it? Confident as I may with my capability, I am not sure I am qualified for that task."
"You will," Ilschevar says surely. "You will accomplish your task splendidly, just like how you succeeded in the Conquest Mission. I have high hopes on you, Layland. Surprise me."
Frowning lightly for a couple of seconds, I eventually nod my head. I already have Eliseus on my side—besides, Haletha is also strong enough to protect herself—so I am sure I will do well.
"What about Vibiane? Will she not be with us?" I ask as I turn to Vibiane.
"Ah, about that, since Lord Ilschevar deems me a good caretaker, he appoints me as Arieda's caretaker. I will be the one who protects her in the battlefield," Vibiane answers cheerfully
"Huh? Bringing a child to a battlefield?"
"Hey, I am not a child!"
Ignoring Arieda's retort, I say, "Well, good luck to you then. I hope you won't act carelessly like you always do when you fight alongside me."
"Don't worry! I am not as careless when I am not with you."
"Oi, are you blaming me for your incompetence?"
Ignoring my question, Vibiane giggles merrily. I keep being stoic for a couple of seconds, but eventually chuckle when the people in the room give our interaction a chuckle of amusement.
The tense atmosphere gradually disappears from the room. The silence lessens the less food we got on our plates; and by the end of it, everyone is relaxed enough to talk to each other.
Really, eating makes people comfortable.
...
As soon as the banquet ended and we were dismissed by Ilschevar, meanwhile the Dark Elves were guided by the two new human maids to their place to stay, Valeria told me to go with her.
I am now following behind her to the garden of Verniculos Kingdom, which I have recently found out is called Profound Night. She doesn't say anything to me yet, so I don't know what we are going to do there.
When I pass the door of the Wyvern stable, I immediately wonder about Genelos and the others. I wonder if they are still alive, and have been treated well.
"You will have plenty of times to visit your pets later."
Valeria sounds upset, so I say, "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. I just didn't know what to say to you to start our conversation."
"Well, now you know."
As I smile faintly, I take my mask off and match Valeria's pace. Her blind mask disappears at the same time I hold her hand, allowing me to see the face of my first love in this world.
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