The royal family of Edinburgh pitted the royal scions against each other.
While Layos let its royal scions light fire in the enemy kingdom. Of course, the risks of all royal scions getting killed in the enemy kingdom were very high. But at least they wouldn't try to murder each other.
The elf followed Eren's gaze at his earrings and realized what he was thinking about. He laughed out loud before commenting.
"Hahaha. That's right. I am from the kingdom of Layos and my real name is Shandil Oloris. I am the 18th seat in the line of succession to the Layos throne. A royalty."
There was a sense of pride attached to Shandil's voice when he spoke about his real origins. He felt liberated to reveal his identity as if he was finally allowed to breathe again after so long.
Shandil had used his Rondo identity to infiltrate the kingdom of Layos as soon as he found out about the undercurrent developing between the two kingdoms. At that time, the Osan Woods' Butcher was a hot topic among Edinburgh's masses.
Shandil did his research and used his connections to find out that the matter was connected to Arthur. To get to the bottom of this, he decided to work for the Duke.
It had been a long time since the butcher's first kill site had been revealed to the masses. It didn't allow anyone to decipher his identity but Shandil made a point to visit the Osan woods nonetheless.
The elves of Layos investigated in their own way. Shandil also couldn't find out the butcher's identity per se. However, he learned a bit about what kind of person he was using his first kill site.
The Anfang alliance had made it difficult for anyone to learn about intent-based magic. But that only mostly applied to humans.
The elves were always focused on feelings and emotions. The Elven wines, in their purest forms, were the creation of intent-based magic after all. Its strange effects were linked to intent-based magic as they amplified a select set of emotions in consumers.
The elves were the old practitioners of intent-based magic even before the lost era. Thus, it wasn't too difficult for Shandil to employ his means and learn what kind of person the butcher was.
Shandil found out that the butcher did not hold his kingdom in high regard. He used anyone and anything for his profit without remorse. That his help could be bought with the right rewards.
These small and seemingly insignificant tidbits were enough for Shandil to seek out the Osan Woods' Butcher. He wanted to bring the butcher to the kingdom of Layos. All so that he could serve as the poster boy for inciting a select stratum of people within Edinburgh to rebel against their state.
Shandil also benefited on an individual level by following the butcher's lead. Investing in him and his kills had inspired him for real and enabled him to progress in his dagger arts and elemental attainments as well.
Of course, Shandil had his political interests added to the equation. Contributing to Layos' welfare in any way or form would allow him to progress further on his royal succession ladder. And bringing Eren to the kingdom of Layos would be seen as a major victory for him.
He wanted to present Eren as the representative of the suppressed people in Edinburgh. The butcher's fame or notoriety was well-known within his kingdom. If he joined hands with Layos, Edinburgh politics at all levels would receive a huge shock.
Shandil was shocked to find out that the butcher was not the lone wolf his investigation had him believe. At least not on paper. He couldn't be the representative of oppressed people because he freaking owned a flourishing city to boot. He had risen above the ordinary rankers.
However, that didn't deter Shandil from wanting to take Eren under his wings. In fact, his desire to get the butcher onboard increased when he found out about his real identity.
Opinion building has no limits. And stories could be spun in any direction depending on the target and the desired results.
Shandil could portray Eren as someone who was fed up with Edinburgh because of its internal politics in not letting him run his city. He could say that Edinburgh didn't want him to succeed and so conspired against him.
Eren then manages to escape Edinburgh's conspiracy to find a new and better city in the kingdom of Layos. A kingdom that welcomed him and appreciated his talents. He could become the representative of rankers who had broader ambitions.
Edinburgh was doing the same thing. It would portray the rebels in Layos as freedom fighters and welcome them into its territories. Layos was just returning the favor.
Shandil looked at Eren with an amused look before speaking to him amicably.
"I have wanted to meet you for a very long time. You'd have to forgive me for not approaching you sooner. I didn't know how to contact you, you see. The reason I revealed my identity to you was that I wanted to give you the opportunity of a lifetime.
Your identity as the Osan Woods' Butcher would always put you in Edinburgh's crosshairs. Even if the kingdom and the masses forget about you over time, I can assure you Arthur would never let it slide. He would keep hunting until you were dead.
Don't believe me? Ask Isen Osan."
Eren knew bits and pieces about what was happening inside Layos, thanks to the information provided to him by Sirius. He knew that Arthur had sent his special squad inside Layos to target Isen. It was only due to the precautions taken by Saisha Goren that Isen managed to stay safe. Otherwise, he would have died a long time ago.
Shandil chuckled when he saw Eren still maintaining his stoic look. He wasn't scared or intimidated by Eren. At least not anymore once Shandil became aware of Eren's identity as the Butcher of Osan Woods. He thought that he could control Eren with that kind of information.
"Want to know about the opportunity the kingdom of Layos has for you? You will get a new city inside Layos' borders, which will be entirely under your control.
Layos will provide you with funds for establishing a city and a new guild. And complete protection will be provided by Layos' special forces to assure your complete safety. How about it?"
