After temporarily dismissing the goatee-bearded envoy, only the King and Queen of Aulist remained in the palace hall.
The King of Aulist, whose face had been fawning just moments ago, suddenly turned solemn, his eyes once again filled with anxiety and sorrow.
"My Queen, what should I do? This... this Mesent is already dead, I..."
The Queen inwardly sneered, silently cursing the King as useless. However, her face still wore a tender, caring smile. She even walked to the King's side and embraced his head against her magnificent bosom.
"Your Majesty, I know everything, everything."
"I know how hard and exhausting it has been for you, and I know that Mesent's death is a huge problem for you and for this country."
The Queen's gentle voice and sweet fragrance brought tears to the King of Aulist's eyes.
This was his Queen.
What a wonderful woman!
He, the King of Aulist, the sovereign of a nation, had only this one woman as his Queen because she was enough!!
Thinking of how his subordinates usually treated him perfunctorily, how his son looked down on him, and how both the country and his own life were in imminent danger, the King of Aulist couldn't help but choke up and sob quietly.
Looking at the weak King of Aulist, the Queen's eyes filled with even more disgust.
But the King of Aulist was the master of this country. Even though those knights slept with her every day, they still wouldn't dare disobey the King of Aulist's orders.
No one knew whether the King of Aulist, a third-rank knight, had his own trump cards.
Moreover, those knights wouldn't be loyal to a woman either. She still needed the King of Aulist.
So the Queen continued to appear tender and caring. She gently stroked the King's head while her mind began to consider various countermeasures.
First, paying compensation was out of the question.
That would be her money being paid out.
Besides, she knew General Kashuen of Erylan inside out. This cold-blooded man's ultimate goal was definitely not just a bit of money.
He wanted to control the entire Kingdom of Aulist without the knowledge of Erylan's king, becoming the de facto ruler of Aulist.
As for what he would do after that.
Whether he would make even bigger moves.
That would depend on how strong his position was.
This outcome was equally unacceptable to the Queen. She had put in so much effort, going around to maintain relationships, protecting this useless King, all to keep the Kingdom of Aulist under her own control.
The current situation was exactly what satisfied her the most.
"Your Majesty, the best solution now is to kill the dragon, get the dragon's heart, and then we'll have much more room to maneuver."
"Even if we use it to compensate for Kashuen's losses, it would be more than enough."
Hearing the Queen's suggestion, the King of Aulist raised his somewhat balding head from the Queen's bosom. With a worried face, he said:
"I understand what you're saying, but we don't have many troops left. If we continue fighting like this, the entire kingdom's military power will completely collapse."
"At that time, even if those great nations look down on us and won't attack us, the monsters won't be so kind..."
The Queen of Aulist seemed to have anticipated the King would say this. With a confident smile at the corner of her lips, she softly proposed a suggestion.
"Your Majesty, we indeed don't have many troops, after all, the country's productivity can only support so many soldiers."
"But don't forget, we still have so many subjects."
"Although Aulist is a small country, it still has hundreds of thousands of people, and among them, there must be brave warriors willing to face the dragon."
"What do you mean?"
The King of Aulist seemed to have an inkling.
"Where there are great rewards, there will be brave men."
"I remember when you purchased that Half-Elf girl before, the slave trader gave you her slave contract, which depicted her image. She was truly a beautiful girl."
The Queen's eyes gleamed. She knew everything that happened around the King.
"If we say this girl is the Princess of Aulist, and whoever defeats the evil dragon will not only get the princess but also gain the status of Prince of Aulist, do you think people will come to slay the dragon?"
The King of Aulist heard this and pondered for a moment.
He put himself in the shoes of an adventurer with some strength. If he saw the beautiful portrait of the princess and learned about the rewards for slaying the dragon, would he be tempted?
He definitely would be!
The King of Aulist was overjoyed, but then he immediately thought of a critical issue.
"My Queen! This... this is a brilliant idea! But this girl is a Half-Elf! She has fox ears and a fox tail, I..."
"My dear King," the Queen interrupted.
"We can commission someone to paint a new portrait, hiding the fox ears and tail."
"But... what if after the adventurer kills the dragon, he discovers everything is different?" the King asked.
"We don't need to worry about that," the Queen said without a hint of concern.
"When he returns to the capital."
"Whether he has obtained that half-dead Half-Elf girl or not."
"As long as he dares to enter the palace."
"We have a hundred ways to kill him."
"Your Majesty, the palace is our territory. Even a powerful dragon fled in a sorry state when it fell into your ambush the first time, didn't it?"
"Please have more confidence in yourself."
"Besides, what they want is nothing but benefits."
"There are so many women in Aulist. We can just find a few pretty ones, brainwash them, and say they are princesses to be given to him."
"Not just one, even ten wouldn't be a problem."
After hearing the Queen's ideas, the King of Aulist was shocked by her ruthlessness.
Compared to her, his so-called schemes and cruelty seemed insignificant.
If the Queen were to target him, he might...
The King of Aulist shook his head, throwing such absurd thoughts to the back of his mind.
He and his Queen had been in love for many years, bathing and sleeping together since childhood. Their feelings were deep. How could the Queen possibly harm him?
These ruthless methods were only for enemies!
The Queen had nothing but love and tenderness for him!
That's how it was!
"Your Majesty, I will help you hold off that Erylan envoy. Please immediately post notices throughout the country to select brave heroes who dare to raise their swords against the dragon."
As the Queen's words fell.
The once peaceful Kingdom of Aulist instantly became clamorous.
Knights began posting notices in town squares, and the news about slaying the evil dragon for power and a princess spread farther and farther.
The bards in taverns were overjoyed.
Because they felt they might soon have new story material.
...
...
The next day, in a small mountain village in the Kingdom of Aulist.
A young man carrying a shabby longsword was sprinting through the wilderness at extreme speed. He was so fast that long after his afterimage flashed through the forest, the leaves stirred by the strong wind were just beginning to fall.
His target was a wild wolf.
This wild wolf was already doomed.
The young man's eyes flashed with a bright light. With a leap, he drew level with the fleeing wolf. His longsword swept horizontally, and with a "swish," the rusty sword effortlessly disemboweled the wild wolf.
The young man then performed an elegant backflip and landed steadily, his sword dripping with blood.
"Dalabongba!"
A crisp call from a girl came from behind.
The young man named Dalabongba turned his head, revealing a bright smile on his handsome face.
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