“Your master truly is something!!”
Helia naturally praised her teacher with a sense of admiration in her mouth. From her perspective, Hans seemed to have already predicted the situation on a grand scale and prepared the right strategies.
Of course, Helia’s reaction was directly conveyed to the Beastmen. Particularly, Yuyoung, who was the sharp-minded chief of the Rat Clan and the leader of the Twelve Tribes, couldn’t possibly miss Helia’s response.
The fact that Helia reacted that way indicated that Sir Hans had given her a heads up. In other words, this man had already anticipated that things would turn out like this.
However, she hadn’t heard that the Royal Knights possessed such intelligence. After all, they had recently traveled between the Human Kingdom and the Dwarf Republic, tackling requests that were almost impossible.
‘So, it means he listened to our discussion and made predictions.’
Yuyoung reached the conclusion without much difficulty. And for Yuyoung, who had been trying to gain even a slight upper hand over the Orcs through negotiations, it felt like a bolt from the blue.
She had written down as little information as possible while being on high alert. Where on earth could he have obtained that information? Yuyoung shook her head. It didn’t matter now; that wouldn’t change anything.
“As expected from the commander, the chief of the Orcs has recently changed, through a duel, no less.”
“The problem is the actions of this new chief.”
“Yes, that’s right. Lady Helia.”
At Helia’s insightful remark, Yuyoung nodded. Now that they had been exposed, the only option left was to cooperate to gain as much advantage as they could over the Orcs. For Yuyoung, that was the only choice available.
‘I’m going crazy, really.’
Yet, Hans was struggling to keep up with the flow of the conversation. Wait a second. Weren’t the Orcs friendly towards me? Then why are they causing a ruckus just because a chief changed? Huh? Why is that?
It was a bit like that; when an answer comes from an unexpected place, one gets flustered without realizing it. That was exactly Hans’s situation now. However, he soon regained his composure.
He had already faced countless unforeseen circumstances. And he had managed to get through each time. That was still the case now. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t even qualify to be a commander.
“Let’s sit down and discuss the details.”
He needed some time to sort out his bewildered thoughts. Therefore, Hans made a perfectly reasonable request as a guest. But Yuyoung became even more convinced at Hans’s attitude.
This man was already thinking about the next plan. Would that truly be beneficial for the Twelve Tribes? That thought crossed Yuyoung’s mind, but she didn’t show it. She didn’t want to harbor doubt.
After all, he was the man her close friend loved. Plus, the nobility Hans had shown until now had set an example for others. Not to mention, Yuyoung herself had directly received help from Hans.
“This way. A spot has already been prepared.”
“I see, understood.”
“Teacher, I’ll serve you.”
Helia was now naturally attending to Hans. He nodded. He thought it was necessary to show the outer appearance as a commander. However, the image seemed a bit off.
Though Helia had become a proud member of the Royal Knights, she was still just a young girl. Making such a child serve him felt awkward to Hans.
Of course, Hans had no intention of doing anything inappropriate. Nonetheless, he walked along with Yuyoung’s guidance and Helia’s assistance. Upon arrival, they saw a pavilion built over a valley.
“This is the pavilion built in the valley celebrated by Maple Mountain.”
“Ooh, teacher! I can see the whole view of the valley!”
“Indeed, it can be called a scenic spot.”
From the pavilion built at the valley’s upper reaches, the view of the valley flowing below was completely laid out before them. The sight of the valley combined with the autumn leaves was a landscape worthy of saying it’s a fairy tale.
Moreover, a sumptuous feast had already been prepared in the pavilion at Yuyoung’s command. It was truly remarkable; it almost felt like the table might break under its weight. Hans and Helia sat at a suitable spot.
Was it because they were Beastmen? The feast was a harmonious blend of vegetables and meats. Well, not all animals eat only meat. However, not having chopsticks was a tad off-putting. What is this, anyway?
“This….”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Hans quickly shook his head. He had seen the Beastmen eating with their hands without utensils. One of his biggest strengths was his quick intuition. With that, he could quickly catch unusual details, and if he noticed something off, he would respond immediately or find another way. Hans had maintained the dignity of a commander this way. And even now, it was the same.
He still didn’t know how things were flowing, but he had unwittingly turned into this remarkable figure who could read the big picture from just fragmentary information. But what if he made a small misstep here?
For instance, with the dining etiquette of the Beastmen. It might seem like a trivial issue, but every little thing accumulates to shape an image. So, he couldn’t just ignore it.
Hans began to eat as naturally as possible. Helia followed his lead. After some time passed, as they finished their meal, Yuyoung looked at Hans and said:
“Did the meal suit your taste?”
“Thanks to you, my mouth has been treated well.”
“I’m honored, Commander.”
“Now, let’s get to the main point.”
Through his past experiences, Hans had grasped that each of these statements was political. Thus, he wanted to swiftly get to the main topic. Because he couldn’t comprehend what was being said.
“I dislike beating around the bush. Time is more precious than gold. The time that flows even now cannot be reversed.”
“Indeed… what a wise saying.”
Politicians’ circumlocution had become second nature. Yet, Yuyoung found herself in admiration instead. She had never heard the phrase “time is gold.” But she immediately understood it.
Even now, the demons were recovering their strength and eyeing this place. After all, one of her bodyguards had been a puppet of the demons. Just thinking about it made her grit her teeth.
However, not everything could be solved with anger. Yuyoung had learned at Lionheart Fortress that conversation could resolve more than expected. She hoped it would be the same now.
“Then I will get straight to the point. You know that the Orcs are pursuing expansion policies, correct?”
“That is true.”
“But before that, the Orcs demanded food from us.”
“They demanded food?”
That was a surprising revelation. Since there was very little information available about the Orcs, Hans had been studying about them by running around here and there. He had received quite a bit of help from Cluna and Yuren.
“The Orcs are a race of power. They value nothing unless it’s obtained through their own strength. But for some reason, they tried to get food through trade?”
“That’s right. It was a shocking first for us, but in the end, we had no choice but to refuse after much deliberation. Winter was just around the corner, and we were short on resources.”
“…So, they suddenly began their expansion policy?”
“Yes, Commander.”
It appeared to be directly related to food. Therefore, the biggest question was the reason. Why had the Orcs suddenly taken an interest in nourishment? Did they have a food problem?
“We’ll have to meet with the Orcs to discuss this matter.”
“If you could do that for us, we couldn’t ask for more.”
Yuyoung let out a sigh of relief inwardly. Hans scratched where it was difficult to reach first, after all. The Twelve Tribes were almost enemies with the Orcs. Of course, the Twelve Tribes wouldn’t scold the Orcs for their actions.
Survival of the fittest.
The predator consuming the prey was the same for the Beastmen. Rather, it was closer to a matter of pride. Beastmen see themselves as predators, not prey.
Yet, surprisingly, the Twelve Tribes chose patience now. That was because they trusted Hans, the commander of the Royal Knights. Moreover, the Human Kingdom and the Dwarf Republic had successfully reinforced their power.
In such a situation, if they were to provoke internal strife with the Orcs, the balance of power they had barely held could easily be shattered. Therefore, for Yuyoung, entrusting things to Hans was the best course of action.
After all, Hans was the person the Orcs were relatively friendly towards.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.