'Now, then…' I glanced at Neron, stepping back to join the remaining members of the Outgroup. 'The rest is up to you.'
Neron returned my smile with a nod, stepping forward to approach both the defeated Kuzon and the shivering Dragon King. Based on the short exchange between our parties, it was clear who had the upper hand.
"Tch… whatever. I suppose I'll hear you out." Kuzon gritted his teeth as he returned to his throne.
He put on his emperor's robe, doing whatever he could to regain his dignity. I wondered if he was so lacking in self-awareness to understand that it was already too late.
"Thank you, Emperor Kuzon. I will be representing the Outgroup in this discussion. I apologize for just barging into your palace, but such measures had to be taken so we could speak with you."
"W-well, you could have at least…"
As expected of Neron, through his eloquent speech and expert use of words, he began to reduce the tension that permeated the throne room.
Before long, even the wounded pride of the Emperor seemed to have been restored to a considerable extent.
'By appealing to subtle flattery, and these other means, Neron is priming this childish version of Kuzon to be more susceptible to our message.'
Whether or not this would be sufficient for our goals was another matter entirely. Still, I trusted his method of executing our strategy.
"The Outgroup seeks an alliance with the Midas Empire and the Magic Beasts. We plan on making a coalition and stopping Jared before he expands his influence and power even further." Neron declared.
The moment he said this, I could already see the dazed expressions of Kuzon and Z'ark.
'Now, then, what will their decisions be?'
*
*
*
'E-even the Outgroup wants to attack Jared's Domain? We were just discussing the matter before they arrived…' Zark's thoughts echoed as he glanced at Kuzon.
He could tell that the young Emperor was trying his hardest to hide his emotions, but his expression gave away his look of satisfaction.
'Kuzon must be happy that even the Outgroup agrees with his reckless strategy. But still, we shouldn't go down this route. It's too—'
"It's too risky. You want me to risk the lives of my people, and the entire Magic Beasts to attack Jared Leonard at this point? The security measures in his territory have skyrocketed recently. In terms of manpower, we are sorely lacking. Not to mention, we're safe in this haven. Jared's forces haven't managed to invade this place yet, and they never will."
Z'ark's jaws nearly dropped when he heard Kuzon give his opposing reasons/
'T-those were my exact reasons! Why is he repeating what I said?!'
Didn't this mean that Kuzon already knew that he was right? He had simply wanted revenge, after all. However, now that the Outgroup came up with the same solution, he was adamant about accepting their proposal.
In the end, the most rational solution would be to build their forces and wait for a sign of weakness from Jared's Unified Nations.
"Do you really think you are safe here? Do you think your people will remain safe from the outside forces forever? Jared and his allies have conquered every single place in this world, except this one. Do you not see that it is only a matter of time?"
"This place is special. Don't compare us to the others. We will never fall."
"We were able to penetrate this barrier pretty easily. Do you really think it's that impossible?"
"W-well…" At this point, Kuzon was at a loss for words.
He glanced at Z'ark, but even the Dragon King was speechless. After all, the Outgroup had indeed easily broken past their defences as they had claimed.
"Our group isn't confident of stopping Jared alone. It shows how powerful we think he is. Logically speaking, he should be able to penetrate your barrier already. Unless…" Neron rubbed his chin and gave Kuzon a knowing look.
"W-what are you saying? Are you telling me he already has his means, but he's biding his time? You're saying the barrier isn't a problem for Jared and his forces?!"
"The likelihood is high. And so, I ask, are you willing to take the risk, even if there is only a slight chance of it happening?"
Gulps escaped from the throats of Kuzon and Z'ark, but they did their best to hide their discomfort.
"Isn't it more prudent to build our forces first? Instead of haphazardly attacking, we can wait until we're ready to—"
"And what if the enemies attack while you're preparing? Not only would you be ill-equipped, but you'll be fighting on their terms. Besides, the longer you wait, the more you push yourself to the point of disadvantage." Neron proclaimed, his voice rising steadily.
"Jared grows in power with each day that passes. He amasses more power, and his ambition peaks to greater heights. In essence, he becomes a much bigger threat the longer you stay dormant."
Neron's words commanded silence in the throneroom, leaving both Kuzon and Z'ark dazed. Had they been so shortsighted all this time that they hadn't bothered to consider the consequences of postponing coming to a decisive action?
"I-I told you, Z'ark! Do you see? My idea was right all along! We need an all-out assault on Jared's domain, and then we'll take him down!" Kuzon suddenly changed his position, now staring at the Dragon King with feigned superiority.
Finding a way to remain absolved from any blame, he attempted to deflect, while passing the blame to his powerless vassal.
"We should attack the heart of his empire! Strike the head, and the body will—"
"No. That's not what we're talking about here." Neron suddenly interrupted Kuzon's glorifying words.
"H-huh? Wasn't that what you meant?" The young emperor stared in confusion.
In response, Neron shook his head.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something very fundamental here, Emperor Kuzon." A dark glint appeared in Neron's eyes as he spoke with all seriousness. "We aren't simply aiming for the capital, but for all of the Kingdoms under Jared's banner!"
Shock and disbelief spread through the two parties, but that only served to broaden Neron's grin.
"It's not just the head. We're going to be taking down the entire body as well."
*
*
*
[A/N]
Will we be having an alliance or not? We shall see…
Here's the link.
