A relatively short distance from the battlefield and the Birdcage Barrier.
A neutral gathering place had been set up for the two warring factions.
Specifically, the leaders of the two kingdoms had come together on the battlefield to discuss matters unrelated to the ongoing war.
On one side stood the Edinburgh Rankers, while on the other, the Layos Rankers formed their assembly, facing off against each other. Both groups were accompanied by a contingent of Sages who acted as the first and last line of defense for their respective kingdom's honorary army generals.
"King Emil, what is the meaning of this? You raised a demon snake that swallowed all my people whole. Tell me why I shouldn't hold you responsible for breaking the guidelines set by the Alliance?"
Questioned a solemn elven royal, addressing the King of Edinburgh. This elf bore shoulder-length, off-golden hair and unusually long elf-like ears. He also wore a set of distinctive earrings signifying his royal lineage within the kingdom of Layos.
This royal elf was none other than Ozark Oloris, the reigning monarch of Layos. Ozark shared a striking facial resemblance with Eren's Living Undead, Shandil Oloris, as the latter was, in fact, Ozark's offspring.
It was noteworthy that Shandil's physical form had been recently destroyed while accompanying Eren on the battlefield without Ozark's knowledge. However, Ozark had previously presumed Shandil to be deceased for over a decade, so there had been no reason for him to keep track of this missing or assumed-dead offspring.
For Ozark, siring new children was always a possibility, given time.
King Ozark fixed his gaze upon King Emil, as if expecting some form of explanation from him. King Emil, however, shook his head, rejecting the idea that he owed an explanation. In a serious and forthright tone, he began to speak.
"I had no prior knowledge that this would transpire, King Ozark. Do you genuinely believe that I would allow that vile thing to kill my own uncle to kill your Rankers? And at the cost of killing my own men as well? This thing… it's beyond the concept of causing collateral damage to hurt one's enemy. I'm sure you already know that."
King Emil met Ozark Oloris's intense gaze, keenly addressing the issue. King Ozark raised an accusatory point.
"Yet your key Rankers retreated before the construction of that malevolent barrier, did they not?" He shifted his focus to Crown Prince Rodrick, positioned a few steps behind King Emil.
Obligated to respond to King Ozark's inquiries, King Emil found himself momentarily at a loss for words. A pointed look directed at Rodrick indicated that he had some explaining to do.
With a sigh, Rodrick finally spoke up, sounding as diplomatic as possible.
"I was indeed informed by Grimdawn before his actions, King Ozark. At the time, I was unaware of his true intentions. However, due to our personal connections, I opted to heed his advice.
Had… Had I known the extent of the impending crisis, I would have immediately alerted the Anfang Alliance," the crown prince of Edinburgh spoke in a helpless tone.
'Fuck you, Eren. Fuck you and your mom. Wait… knowing you, you probably wouldn't take offense in that.'
Rodrick muttered his inner frustrations towards Eren. He didn't particularly care about Eren killing the King's Hand, Garos Renar, who was technically his ancestral uncle. However, he disliked Eren for placing him in this troublesome situation.
No matter what he did now, there was no reversing the fact that Eren would be pursued by the people of both kingdoms and the Anfang Alliance. As such, Rodrick decided to reveal everything he knew about the incident. Because it was bound to come into light anyway.
King Emil attempted to defuse the situation by swiftly intervening.
"What's done is done. I have already dispatched a force, in conjunction with Rankers from House Lancelot, to capture that demonkin's city by force.
We won't allow this incident to go unanswered, and we'll dismantle everything that wretched abomination has managed to build so far."
Rodrick was taken aback by King Emil's actions. Evidently, the king of Edinburgh had made a unilateral decision without consulting his own Crown Prince prior to launching an attack on the City of White Raven.
"You… you shouldn't have done that," Rodrick exclaimed, his voice trembling in surprise.
"Rodrick, have you gone mad?" King Emil retorted angrily. "Are you still trying to defend that monster's actions? He killed over 40,000 Rankers from..." King Emil was about to continue his statement, but Rodrick swiftly interjected.
"That's not what I was trying to say, Father," Rodrick clarified.
"You don't understand Eren as well as I do. If he's planned this, he must have a backup plan. The forces you've sent, the involved Rankers, they may get killed in vain unless you call them ba..."
Rodrick's words were abruptly halted as a Sage from the Edinburgh side, standing behind him, spoke gravely, addressing King Emil.
"My king, the forces you sent to take down the City of White Raven. They all have been killed along with the two Sages. Sage Rutham Renar and Sage Alar Lancelot… they… they died."
The Sage's solemn tone delivered the grim news to King Emil. In the absence of the King's Hand, the elderly Sage had shouldered the responsibility of defending King Emil.
Rodrick, observing the unfolding situation, couldn't help but express his silent "I told you so" sentiments through his expressions. If King Emil had sought Rodrick's advice beforehand, Rodrick would have strongly advised against targeting the City of White Raven.
It was not solely due to the fact that Rodrick had resided within Eren's city, sheltered by its walls during the height of the royal bloodbath. During the time they had worked together, the crown prince had closely studied Eren's nature and recognized him for who he really was.
Even with his cunning nature, Rodrick would never willingly engage in a brutal confrontation with Eren.
King Emil was left shocked upon hearing the news from his Sage guard, and King Ozark Oloris appeared equally distressed. After some contemplation, King Ozark proposed a solution to the Edinburgh side.
