Chapter 145: The Negotiation Conference
The old king had fallen.
This news spread like a storm across the front lines, plunging the soldiers into panic. The uncertainty of the kingdom's future weighed heavily upon them.
In this critical moment, the crown prince, Barbro L. Vaiself, courageously stepped forward. Clad in resplendent armor and mounted upon a magnificent steed, surrounded by noble soldiers, he raised his voice before the troops:
"Men! Our kingdom now stands at the brink of crisis, and my father lies unconscious by cruel fate—but we cannot idly await destruction! Resistance alone brings victory! Fight with me, and let us deliver strength and glory to our kingdom!"
"Charge—"
Watching the Crown Prince's fervor, the noble army behind him excitedly raised their spears, letting out earth-shaking cheers.
"All troops, charge—"
The Crown Prince turned his horse around, raised the longsword in his right hand high, and swung it forward forcefully, shouting, "At my command, overthrow the Empire, expel the Theocracy—"
The plants arranged by the nobles among the soldier ranks loudly echoed, "Overthrow the Empire, expel the Theocracy—"
A single spark can start a prairie fire. With the plants shamelessly cheering along, the initially panicked soldiers gradually steadied themselves, then followed the noble army's example, raising their spears and shouting, "Long live the Crown Prince!"
The kingdom's army's morale slowly began to recover, then rapidly soared.
The next moment, with a sharp "whoosh," the Crown Prince's head exploded like a watermelon struck by Tsubasa Ozora, scattering into a bloody mist.
"..."
After a deathly silence, the kingdom's army's morale plummeted to rock bottom.
...
...
"Click—" After ejecting the spent cartridge, Violet expressionlessly stowed her sniper rifle and obediently sat on the ground, saying, "Mission complete."
Stupid Crown Prince.
...
...
The king had fallen into a coma, and the Crown Prince had been headshot by an unknown attack.
Just like that, the heavy burden of handling the kingdom's affairs suddenly fell onto the shoulders of the Second Prince, Zanac Ryle Vaiself, leaving him with an unreal feeling.
"What kind of mess is this?"
He sat in the chair of the temporary office, torn between laughter and tears, muttering, "Is this just throwing me into the deep end?"
"Your Highness—"
Just as he was questioning his life, a panicked soldier rushed in holding a scroll, stammering, "A d-document from the Theocracy's envoy."
"Tch, so they've finally made their move—"
The Second Prince clicked his tongue. He had found it strange from the start—the Theocracy and the Empire had joined forces, and at a time when the kingdom was in such turmoil, they had openly deployed massive armies to surround the kingdom's borders!? If they truly intended to fight, shouldn't they have launched a surprise attack to catch the kingdom off guard?
Not only that, but after openly advancing and encircling, they had yet to initiate any attack, instead maintaining a stalemate. This left the Second Prince utterly baffled—200,000 troops just sitting at the border eating melons!? Are you so rich you're burning money?
Here, rich country, V me 5 billion?
Now, with the "Theocracy's document"—this key plot device—appearing before him, he immediately understood. The Theocracy and the Empire must have had ulterior motives for acting this way, and their objective was likely written in this document.
"Give it to me."
The Second Prince extended his right hand to the soldier. After taking the document, he solemnly broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter, only to find a single, extremely simple line:
To the Second Prince of the Kingdom,
Please attend negotiations at the center of the three armies tomorrow at 9 a.m.
The Theocracy and the Empire Joint Letter
"Huh?" The second prince showed a bewildered expression, muttering in confusion, "What kind of scheme are they brewing?"
...
...
The next day, at 8:50 in the morning.
Having worked on official matters until past four in the morning and just woken up groggily, the second prince splashed cold water on his face when a soldier informed him that a massive tent had already appeared at the center of the three armies.
'It seems that tent must be the negotiation site.' After drying his face with a towel, the second prince ordered his guards, "Prepare the horses. We ride out!"
Under someone else's roof, one must bow their head.
'The fact that my elder brother was instantly killed in the main camp means the enemy possesses long-range assassination methods. In such a scenario, they could easily pick off Father, me, or even other nobles one by one—yet they didn't…'
Clad in armor and mounted on his warhorse, the second prince rode toward the tent with a heavy heart.
'What could possibly be their reason for acting so contrary to all logic?'
He couldn't understand it—not at all!
Full of doubts, the second prince pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside, only to find two figures seated on opposite sides:
To the left was a man with his hands properly resting on his knees, eyes lowered as if in meditation. He wore pure white priestly robes and an ornate crown—clearly the High Priest of the Theocracy.
To the right sat a man with arms crossed, his posture domineering. He was dressed in a long robe of red, gold, and black, his short golden hair disheveled, his handsome face etched with deep thought—undoubtedly the Emperor of the Empire, the Bloody Emperor.
'What is this eerie feeling?'
Standing at the entrance, the second prince glanced between them before forcing a stiff smile. "Gentlemen, shall we... begin negotiations?"
The High Priest and the Bloody Emperor cast him a brief glance, then resumed their previous postures—one meditating, the other lost in thought—as if he hadn't even entered.
'???'
Already drowning in confusion, the second prince was now utterly baffled. The documents sent to him had explicitly addressed him as the "second prince," meaning they should have known he would be the one negotiating. There was no way this was a case of "a mere prince isn't worthy—bring your father instead."
But then… what was happening now??
Just as the tension in the tent reached its peak, a deep blue portal, swirling like a vortex of stars, abruptly materialized inside. The moment it appeared, the previously statue-like High Priest and Bloody Emperor simultaneously dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
"..."
Witnessing this, the second prince felt that if not for his armor holding his jaw in place, it would have surely dropped in shock—What is this!? What in the world is going on!? Why are the High Priest of the Theocracy and the Bloody Emperor of the Empire bowing to someone else!?
'Could it be… this person is the mastermind behind everything…'
The second prince, drenched in sweat, fixed his gaze on the teleportation gate as a man clad in luxurious black robes embroidered with golden threads slowly emerged from it.
"Rise."
He spoke.
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...
"Rise."
Hayashi glanced at the kneeling High Priest and the Bloody Emperor, then smiled as he seated himself on the sole throne behind him. "I've told you before, there's no need to kneel. After all, you are people of status too."
'Here we go again—' Cold sweat trickled down the Bloody Emperor's forehead, his heart filled with dread. 'Just how deep does this man's paranoia run? Even after I knelt before the kingdom's people, he still tests me?!'
He couldn't afford to slip up—not even once! The slightest hint of disrespect or rebellion, and he would be struck down instantly!!
In stark contrast to the terrified Bloody Emperor, the High Priest's response was far simpler—he bowed his head devoutly and declared with utmost sincerity, "You are the sun, the moon, the only light—our guiding lord—"
'Bootlicker!'
The Bloody Emperor inwardly spat, then added aloud, "The High Priest speaks truth! Lord Hayashi, your magnanimity and grand ideals have deeply moved me—"
"Tch, you almost had me convinced." Hayashi waved a hand dismissively, then turned his gaze to the second prince, who stood dumbfounded at the entrance. With a chuckle, he said, "Your Highness, take a seat—anywhere will do. Then, let us begin negotiations, shall we?"
"Uh, y-yes."
Still reeling from the scene, the second prince nodded stiffly and took a seat on a chair near the High Priest, his posture as rigid as a schoolboy's during class.
"Ahem, now that everyone's here—" Hayashi cleared his throat. "Since the second prince is unaware of my identity, allow me to introduce myself—"
"I am Hayashi, master of Sky City—and incidentally, Warrior Captain Gazef is currently imprisoned within its dungeons."
At this news, the second prince's fists clenched involuntarily—this only confirmed his suspicions that Hayashi was the mastermind behind the Theocracy and Empire's joint siege of the kingdom!
But what was his true goal?
"Your Highness, you're an intelligent man." Hayashi smiled at the second prince. "So I hope you'll listen carefully to what I say next…"
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...
The negotiations didn't last long. When the second prince emerged from the tent in a daze, the High Priest, who followed shortly after, patted his shoulder and said, "Lord Hayashi will not treat us unfairly."
"Uh… right."
The prince nodded blankly, clearly still processing everything.
Seeing this, the High Priest offered no further words, merely smiling before turning to depart for the Theocracy's encampment. The Bloody Emperor, who exited last, shot a sidelong glance at the priest before leaving in silence.
Like the second prince, he too was a "loser" here—neither had the right to mock the other.
"Sigh…"
After standing dazedly in front of the tent for over half an hour, the second prince—his knees somewhat sore—staggered onto his horse. He then forced a bitter smile and said, "What a farce this whole timing has been."