Chapter 224 - Blood and Flesh

The imperial delegation set out to open talks with the coalition. Second Prince Ureas led the way as the imperial army's representative, with the corps commanders following behind him. Ferda's place in the procession left him walking beside Count Ruster.

“We meet again, Regent Ferda.”

Count Ruster was the first to offer a greeting.

“For the first time since the Golden Council, Lord Ruster.”

“Indeed. Grand Duke Gold is most distressed.”

“Understandably so. To think that Marquis Debelung, of all people, would do such things. A devil follower, was he?”

Count Ruster frowned.

“He was exposed as a Demon Follower. A Doppler.”

“How did you establish that? Even we don't yet know how to identify a Doppler.”

“Surely Marquis Debelung, the man known as the Miracle Alchemist, couldn't have led such a sordid private life?”

“I suppose not.”

Count Ruster was more shameless than Ferda had expected.

“Grand Duke Gold's offer still stands.”

“As I said, I am not a mage who can control people's hearts.”

“I'm sure His Grace understands that perfectly well.”

Persistent, wasn't he? What was that woman to Grand Duke Gold that he should be so obsessed with her? And why was this man so eager to help him?

Ferda was ready with a retort should Ruster say anything more, but he did not. He seemed the sort to say no more than necessary.

Soon, the temporary tent prepared for the talks between the coalition and the Arken imperial army came into view. So did the six white horses around it. Each was a magnificent steed with the coloring and pedigree reserved for kings.

“Thank you for making the long journey. Apart from the five representatives, one companion each is permitted. Please leave all weapons outside before entering.”

Following the knight's instructions at the entrance, twelve people disarmed and stepped inside. Six middle-aged men sat in a row at a long table. Among them was a man Ferda recognized: Eugene Heodret.

He rose first to greet them on the others' behalf.

“An honor to meet you, Prince Ureas. To think I would live to see one of those exalted beings said to have gold flowing through their veins.”

“Likewise. I never imagined we would meet under these circumstances when the time came to face you.”

The struggle for dominance was charged from the outset. King Heodret gave a faint smirk and offered Ureas a seat.

“Let us sit first. We wanted this meeting, so surely we should at least talk?”

The representative sat, and Ferda followed suit. Ureas cleared his throat and began.

“This is the position of the Arken Empire.”

Get straight to the point and move the discussion along, rather than stumble through an introduction with his meager gift for words. That had been Olivia's idea.

“Our imperial army also believes the Demons must be eradicated. We will therefore join the coalition.”

“What a surprise. You lead the mightiest army, yet you wish to join forces with us.”

The sarcasm was unmistakable. It grated on Ureas, but he did not rise to the bait so readily.

“Given the gravity of the situation, I judged that an alliance was necessary to resolve it smoothly. Would we not do better to handle it together?”

“Agreed. Chase selfish gains, and you risk burning down your entire home.”

King Heodret produced a document he had prepared and placed it before Ureas.

“The spoils will be apportioned according to each party's contribution within the coalition. We intend to offer the Empire a baseline share of twenty-seven percent. Will you sign if you agree?”

Twenty-seven percent. Rather low for a supposedly fair share. Even someone prepared to take a loss might be tempted to demand more. How Ureas reacted to that figure would depend on his resolve.

“Is this a joke?”

True to his macho nature, he could not readily accept it. He had come prepared to make concessions, but twenty-seven percent was far too little.

“Our army is nearly as large as all of yours combined. How does that come to twenty-seven percent?”

“I thought it fairly reasonable. What figure did you have in mind, then?”

“If not half, then at least forty-five percent.”

“Rather greedy of you.”

King Heodret chuckled.

“Numbers may matter in warfare, but surely that argument doesn't hold for the imperial army?”

“What do you mean?”

“We already know about the colossal demonic creatures that appeared in the Empire. Wasn't your army wiped out there?”

Ureas's face flushed crimson.

“You dare compare us with my spineless elder brother's army? Unlike those cowards who use an epidemic as an excuse to flee, we are warriors who charge into the jaws of death!”

“Fine words. They would be finer still coming from someone other than the Second Prince.”

His eyes flicked toward Count Ruster.

Ruster fixed King Heodret with a grave look and warned him.

“Whether I say it or the prince does, the imperial army is still the imperial army. I will not tolerate contempt for it.”

People sided with their own, as the saying went. Whatever Ruster thought of Ureas, he was still a man of the Empire.

“Twenty-seven percent is therefore unacceptable. Do you have any idea how thoroughly our army has prepared?”

“Our own preparations are hardly negligible.”

One of the coalition's kings spoke up.

“The coalition has invested considerable effort in obtaining intelligence from inside the city.”

“Intelligence from inside?”

A crowned man boasted, looking immensely pleased with himself.

“Skilled agents from our Heian Kingdom have successfully infiltrated the city. If they bring back intelligence, our contribution will far outweigh that of an imperial army intent on simply overwhelming the enemy with numbers! Did you know that before you spoke?”

King Heodret turned to the king of Heian, plainly hearing this for the first time.

“You never mentioned sending anyone inside.”

“I intended to tell you later.”

“And keep quiet if things went wrong—or if the news was particularly good?”

“Come now, what does that make me sound like? There is no need to bring bad news before anything else.”

“That is not what I—”

As King Heodret tried to explain, a commotion broke out at the entrance.

“Affairs of state are being discussed here. You cannot simply barge in!”

“Let go! Everyone needs to hear this right now!”

The king of Heian seemed to recognize the voice.

“It seems our infiltrator has returned. I have nothing to hide. Why don't we all hear his report together?”

“...”

King Heodret still looked displeased. He gestured his reluctant permission. Once the message was relayed, a man burst into the tent and dropped to his knees.

“Your unworthy servant Yuan greets Your Majesty! Forgive my intrusion on such an occasion!”

Panting, the man hastily paid his respects. The king of Heian rose and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Not at all! Welcome back, Yuan!”

He swept his gaze around the tent, making a show of his smug expression as he welcomed the man.

“If you've come in such a hurry, you must have news we need to hear?”

“Indeed I do!”

“Tell us, then. Let everyone here hear of your achievements.”

“Well, you see...!”

The man called Yuan seized the king's arm.

“W-what are you doing?”

It was shocking enough for a mere soldier to grab his king's arm, but his grip was so fierce that the tendons stood out on his hand. When he raised his face, it was etched with a madness that had not been there before.

“Once I went in there, I realized how utterly meaningless this world is! Hahaha!”

At that moment, everyone capable of magic could clearly sense it: the magic circle inscribed within the man's body activated, and something began boiling up inside him.

Ferda could not stop him. The man was turning himself into a bomb, and the explosion was already underway.

“What does that mean? What are you talking about?! Let go and explain yourself!”

“Yuan! Release him at once!”

The bewildered king of Heian and his knight tried to break the man's grip, but their efforts were not enough. An ominous light rose from his chest, growing bright enough for everyone to see with their naked eyes.

“He's going to blow himself up!”

“Protect His Majesty!”

The knights threw themselves over their kings to shield them. While everyone else saw to their own safety, King Heodret sprang from his chair. He strode over to the king of Heian and kicked him in the back.

The king was hurled against the tent wall, his body pressed fully against the man who had become a living bomb. Then the light reached its peak.

BOOM!

Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere. The brief, violent explosion turned the inside of the tent red in an instant.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Damn it! Goddamn it! A priest! My eyes! I can't see!”

“I'm bleeding! Blood! Blood!”

Faced with a grotesque sight unlike anything they had seen before, the kings panicked.

“Silence!”

King Heodret's roar quelled the screams.

“Calm yourselves. Thanks to the king of Heian serving as an excellent shield, all you caught was his blood and flesh. You've suffered no more than scratches.”

He spat blood from his mouth. Not his own, but Heian's. Or perhaps the scout's.

Wiping his face with a handkerchief, he asked his adjutant a question.

“How old was Heian's boy again?”

“Fourteen, I believe.”

“Such a young age. He's in for a difficult time. You, knight of Heian. Call someone to collect the pieces.”

Heodret gave the order as casually as if he were telling someone to take out the rubbish. The knight of Heian, who had witnessed everything, shouted at him.

“Heodret! How can you be so calm after killing our king?!”

King Heodret glared at him in irritation.

“What is this nonsense about me killing a king?”

“Nonsense?! His Majesty died because you kicked him!”

“You reap what you sow. His end merely suited the saying. Hurry up and call someone to clean this up.”

“When this becomes known, it will mean war with another kingdom! Does that not frighten you?!”

King Heodret crooked a finger toward the protesting knight. But the gesture was not meant for him. It was an order to the other knight standing behind him.

And that knight obeyed.

SHING!

The Heian knight's head fell to the floor and rolled. The single blow had cut cleanly through even his plate armor.

“Ah...!”

“H-Heodret!”

Before their fear could subside, another man was dead. This time, it was outright murder, committed before the eyes of every king present.

King Heodret looked down at the dead man's head.

“He was attempting to sow needless discord within the coalition, so I had him executed under military law. I trust there will be no objections.”

He felt not a trace of guilt or regret. Calmly, he addressed the kings.

“Didn't I make myself clear? Once we formed this coalition, none of you were to do anything unnecessary without my permission. Why do you think I said that? Did you imagine I wanted to become king of kings? It was because you could create a situation like this and get us all fucking killed.”

“...”

“Heian's recklessness nearly turned every king here into scraps of meat. Yet that knight treasured his own king so dearly that he threatened me with war! What would happen if a knight like that returned home? An impressionable young prince would spend his life nursing pointless hatred. So I personally rid the kingdom of a man who would have endangered it. What do you think of that?”

He directed the question at another Heian knight who had witnessed the scene. The man nodded silently.

“It seems we understand each other. Let us bury anything that might disgrace either side. Your king died a hero, trying to protect us all, and so did his knight. Hurry and gather the remains. And I shall consider Heian withdrawn from this battle.”

“Understood...”

“Good.”

King Heodret sat down again. The other kings stared in bewilderment. They ought to be leaving this befouled tent, yet here he was settling back into his chair.

“Heodret. Why don't we continue somewhere else?”

The coalition's kings appealed to him.

“Yes. Wouldn't it be better to move somewhere cleaner?”

They were not the only ones uncomfortable here. Even the cruel Ureas struggled with such a revolting setting.

“Really?”

King Heodret rested a hand on the blood-drenched table.

“I think this is just right. But it seems to be a bit much for the prince.”

It was more than a bit much. The unexpected explosion, a king's death, and all this blood had left Ureas's head spinning with adrenaline, all but paralyzed. Whenever he tried to speak, curses threatened to spill out first. He was in no state to hold a proper conversation.

“Now that Heian has withdrawn...”

The man who spoke instead remained calm even in these circumstances: Ferda Valdrova.

“Your forces have diminished. Surely our share can be increased?”

Amid the blood and flesh, negotiations resumed. King Heodret's expression turned stern at Ferda's audacity.

“I'll go as high as thirty percent.”

“Forty.”

“You'd make a fine bandit. Heian only has about two thousand troops. Thirty percent is already generous.”

“Your coalition has just shown how poorly united it is. Are two thousand troops really the issue? Who knows how many more bombs you have strapped to your side?”

That was a reality he could not dispute.

“Thirty-five.”

“Forty. The far eastern army consists of soldiers trained to fight demonic creatures.”

“You mean those magical engineering weapons. Are you offering to take the vanguard with them?”

“The vanguard would be too much to ask, but if anything blocks our advance, we will be the ones to break through it.”

King Heodret burst out laughing at Ferda's proposal.

“You truly are an interesting man. I thought I had your measure when we met before, but I underestimated you badly.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Very well. Let's see just how impressive these vaunted far eastern troops are. But if you retreat so much as a single step, I'll cut the Empire's share to twenty percent. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

Ferda did not hesitate in the slightest. Was it recklessness, or immense confidence in his troops? Either way, King Heodret was delighted.