Chapter 168 - Walking on Eggshells (8)
Dracan Rotique was tall as a pole, had pale skin and long straight hair, his overall figure being reminiscent of a ghost. In addition, there was not much information about him, so he was known as a rather mysterious person.
Therefore, even Alfred was uncomfortable dealing with Dracan.
Why did he suddenly come to see him without any notice?
In addition, Arthus hadn’t given any orders either, which made Alfred even more anxious.
Alfred quickly tidied his messy appearance, took a couple of deep breaths, and greeted Dracan as if nothing had happened.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Dracan.”
Nod.
Despite Alfred’s warm welcome, Dracan merely nodded with a cold attitude. However, Alfred didn’t think that Dracan was being rude at all, perhaps because of the look in his eyes.
It wouldn’t have been strange for Alfred to talk down on Dracan in terms of status, but he was someone Duke Arthus cherished. Alfred also spoke to him in a respectful manner because the secret project of creating Chimeras wouldn’t have been possible without him.
Being somewhat embarrassed, Alfred coughed and asked, “Anyway, what’s the reason for your visit? Did the Duke send you?”
“No,” replied Dracan after a while.
“Then why?”
“I’m here for your eldest son, Marquis.”
“Eldest son as in… Waled?”
His eldest son, Waled, had become disabled as his left arm had been cut off.
What could he have possibly needed from a person with a missing arm? Moreover, there hadn’t been any specific orders from the Duke either.
Of course, just because his arm was missing didn’t mean that the contracts with his spirits had been nullified, nor that his spiritual skill had weakened. However, his mental state had deteriorated because he had been struggling to come to terms with the sudden reality of having only one arm and being physically impaired overnight.
“That’s right,” replied Dracan.
“For what reason?”
Alfred was on edge.
Only a handful of people knew that Waled had lost an arm, given that his son’s injury was also a weakness of Alfred, which could’ve made him vulnerable if exposed.
However, Dracan continued to speak in the same tone.
“I heard that Sir Waled has lost an arm.”
“That’s right. What about it?”
“I will restore that arm.”
Alfred couldn’t believe his ears.
Why did this man, who wasn’t even close to him, come here out of nowhere with the intention of restoring his son’s arm?
What kind of nonsense was he talking about?
“Will you allow me to?”
Dracan’s proposition toward Alfred was straightforward. Rather, it was Alfred who was taken back by him.
“W-well, if you suddenly ask me such a thing after suddenly showing up like this, of course I…”
“Are you refusing?” asked Dracan firmly.
All Alfred had to do was decide whether or not he was going to leave his son the way he was.
Given how firmly Dracan had presented his offer, Alfred felt like he would never get another chance like this if he rejected his proposal.
Besides, given that he had majored in pure anthropology, wasn’t Dracan a master of transforming humans? His background made him more trustworthy.
‘...!’
Even so, Alfred still couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Alfred examined Dracan's eyes once more, finding them still fixed in a cold, unmoving gaze. His expression could’ve meant that he was genuine, or it could’ve simply been a poker face.
'Why is he suddenly acting this way? What sort of ulterior motives could he have?'
Dracan must have heard from Arthus the news about his son, but it was suspicious that he was making this proposal, given Arthus hadn’t even ordered it.
However, the longer Alfred took to think about the proposal, the more pressure he felt from Dracan’s gaze.
‘He certainly does need another arm, but…’
Alfred hadn't been pressured by someone to take action like this in a long time, as he typically held a higher status compared to others.
As time went on, he grew more receptive to Dracan's offer. Alfred was aware that by keeping Waled in his current state, not only would he not become more powerful, but he would actually be a burden.
However, hadn’t he already given up on his two sons a while ago?
‘But…’
Nevertheless, a person's bloodline was one of the few things that one could never completely let go of, regardless of their desires. The love for one's family was something that could never be severed.
After thorough consideration, Alfred said, “...Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Then I will take your son with me right away.”
Smirk.
After being silent and expressionless for the entirety of his visit, Dracan finally smiled.
* * *
“...Dang it.”
By the time the bright light disappeared, Henry couldn’t help but look disappointed by the fact that Elagon had turned into a large egg.
‘Do I have to wait again?’
It was one after another. Klever, then Elagon.
It was rather frustrating for Henry, since all of his servants had to evolve at some point in their lives.
Henry shook his head in disappointment and approached the egg on the floor.
‘It’s so big.’
It wasn’t fitting to call it an egg, as it looked more like a rock.
Henry touched the egg to try and summon it back into his bracelet.
Crack!
“Huh?”
Crack!
He merely tapped the egg lightly, but it suddenly cracked and mana started to pour out through the cracks.
‘Could this be…?’
This was definitely proof of evolution.
Henry became excited at the possibility of Elagon hatching right away without having to go through the evolution phase.
Crack!
The cracks grew even larger, and when they made the egg look like it was covered in a spider web, Henry eagerly hoped that Elagon would evolve into the spirit king.
The second the cracks broke the egg…!
“...?”
Henry was at a loss for words when he saw a smaller egg appear from inside the large egg.
* * *
The greatest nobles representing the imperial palace were waiting for Arthus in the first living room of his mansion.
All the nobles that had gathered here were of high status. Not only were they members of the Central Aristocratic Association here, but also of the Imperial Ten Sword responsible for guarding the emperor, the influential people from local areas, Count Terion and Oscar, and the heads of the Patrician Family.
If someone who didn’t know the situation saw this scene, they would've thought that all the nobles of the empire had gathered together.
Arthus sat at the head of the table, slightly raising the corners of his mouth.
“Everyone has arrived.”
His smile was friendly as usual.
However, despite Arthus’ friendly greeting, no one at the table smiled back at him, and the reason was simple. Everyone here was well aware of Arthus’ true heartlessness hidden behind that smile.
Everybody was silent.
Lord Phomepod, a member of the Central Aristocratic Association, spoke first.
“Of course we would show up since it was you who called us, not anyone else!”
“I was so happy when you called us to gather!”
After Lord Phomepod broke the silence, the other nobles spoke as well, suggesting that they had been waiting for someone to speak first.
Everyone was flattering Arthus.
With a smile, Arthus glanced over everyone’s faces over the long table.
He was familiar with everybody as they were all powerful people who had paid tribute to him and joined his side.
Arthus almost burst into laughter. He found it ridiculous that those who didn’t even offer gifts to the most powerful emperor in the empire were trying to please someone lower in rank than him.
Alfred wasn’t present because he wasn’t needed in today’s gathering. Besides, he was the trigger for this upcoming event, so he couldn’t waste his time on such trivial matters.
Gulp.
As Arthus continued to smile without saying anything, the nobles swallowed nervously. They felt uncomfortable even though they had done nothing wrong.
Arthus looked at the nobles’ faces for a long time, and after a while, he said in a quiet voice, “I’m planning to start a rebellion soon.”
“...!”
It came out of nowhere.
Arthus' statement was direct and unfiltered, laced with the promise of bloodshed.
Those who couldn't fully digest the news looked bewildered, and because of this, the atmosphere became even more quiet. It was suffocating.
Of course, some people’s eyes glistened, as they had been expecting this.
“What do you all think?”
Arthus kept things short. He revealed his intentions and inquired about the intentions of the others as well.
His plan had already been set in stone.
This was just the least amount of courtesy he could give them.
Arthus' question chilled the air.
The silence was deafening.
Seeing that nobody expressed their disagreement despite giving them plenty of time, Arthus gave a subtle smile once again and said, “Alright. I understand what you all mean, so I’ll contact everyone in the future. Let’s call it a day.”
This marked the end of the meeting.
The purpose of today’s meeting was to confirm everyone's intentions for the last time, and it had also been an opportunity to show off his power to anyone who might’ve thought to oppose him.
He wasn’t worried at all.
Even if Arthus’ plan was disclosed to the emperor, all the Imperial Swords were gathered here. What was the point in telling the emperor about this when all the members of the empire’s most powerful group agreed with Arthus?
It was said that the history of a coup was recorded by the winner. The people who were recorded along with the winner were not those who were brilliant or made outstanding contributions. Most of them were just considered to be those who had failed to stay loyal because loyalty wasn’t going to save their lives.
As Arthus ordered the gathering to end, everyone left the living room and the suffocating atmosphere.
All the preparations were proceeding seamlessly. All that was left was to wait for Alfred and Eisen to battle each other.
A couple of days passed.
* * *
After a few days, Alfred’s side found out the location and specific date of the Fief War. The war was going to be in the Thern region, which was the borderline between the fiefs of Alfred and Eisen.
This region had evenly distributed highlands, plains, and gorges, making it a perfect place for smaller battles like the Fief War.
‘Not bad.’
It wasn’t too far from the Shonan region and it was full of strategic locations that were fit for ruthless combat.
In addition, since Henry had constantly received information from Syred, it was possible to predict Alfred’s strategy for the battle.
This was an honorable battle between the nobles bound by several promises, not a real war, so the number of soldiers one could have was limited to five thousand.
Knowing that, Alfred had prepared a total of five thousand soldiers, the maximum number of troops that could be used in this battle.
“This should be more than enough, right Henry?”
“Yes, Marquis.”
Henry had a meeting about the upcoming Fief War at Eisen’s mansion. However, in truth, it wasn't so much a meeting, since Henry was Eisen’s sole advisor. In reality, Henry was the mastermind behind the strategy, devising and presenting the plan.
Furthermore, Eisen displayed an astonishing level of arrogance, believing in powerless self despite the fact that Henry's life was at stake.
‘Well, thanks to him, things have gotten easier.’
Ultimately, Eisen's soldiers were merely puppets that he manipulated in order to enhance his own reputation. However, when the true battle commenced, it was Henry who would truly take on an active role, not the soldiers.
Soon, the play possum-like meeting ended.
After the briefing, Henry left Eisen’s mansion.
There were two days left until the Fief War, and Henry needed to complete all the necessary preparations until then.
‘The real battle will start two days from now.’
Henry's plans began unfolding like the turning gears of a machine.
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