“I’ll say this in advance, but I have no intention of revealing the identity of the Suwang. If that’s what you desire.”
As soon as the thread loosened, I made my move, noticing Shete, who showed her cautiousness while immediately assessing her chance to escape.
Shete, who had been slowly testing her limbs, stopped in surprise.
“…What do you mean by that?”
Shete, rolling her eyes for a long time as if trying to guess my intent, asked. Although she didn’t seem to fully believe that I would keep my word about the secret, it was clear that in the face of my glaring eyes, there was no way to escape, so she seemed to take it as a sign to come clean for the moment.
It was still easier to read her feelings since she had a tendency to wear her thoughts on her sleeve.
Perhaps this lingering immaturity was the reason Cardan was trying to conceal her existence even more.
“I can generously overlook that outburst of violence due to surprise, but I mean it when I say I still hope for a friendly relationship with you.”
“Nyaa haha, do you really think that’ll work?”
The azure feline scoffed openly.
A firm distrust loomed. Despite having spent several hours discussing peacefully, we hadn’t reached any conclusions, and trying to talk about friendship while one side remained captive seemed utterly unconvincing.
‘How troublesome.’
I snapped the threads that were binding Shete and Cardan. Though I still scattered some threads soaked in blood around us, they were free from direct restraints for now.
With a soft thud, Shete’s toes finally touched the ground, and she let out a grunt.
“You mentioned needing food, right? I’ll provide that.”
Before Shete could make another reckless move or attempt to flee, I quickly added, “I can’t promise that every beastman in the Suwang Kingdom will be able to fill their bellies year-round, but I can assure you we won’t let you starve immediately.”
This wasn’t a lie to lure them; it was sincere. The Scarlet Alliance Kingdom, centered around the vampire faction, does not require as much food compared to the overall population. Once the ongoing farmland expansions in Bertica Duchy and Armes Duchy are completed, they should have plenty of food.
Or to put it accurately, they aren’t running out of food right now.
If food production had truly been insufficient, the past Bertica Kingdom wouldn’t have been able to send supplies to the Luminous Kingdom, would they?
While it’s true there were humans starving in the slums, this was due to the complete monopoly of wealth by the nobility, not because there was a fundamental shortage of food.
Considering the amount of food being produced in the Suwang Kingdom, it’s likely that there aren’t too many beastmen completely starving.
Filling the shortfall wouldn’t cause any major issues.
“Then, you mean we should attack the Greysia Empire, is that it?”
“Something like that.”
“Is there any guarantee that vampires will keep their promises?”
“Isn’t your very existence now proof of that? I mean it when I say I wish for friendship. If I didn’t, I would have made you my subordinates without even having a conversation.”
That was half a lie. I couldn’t turn them into vampires just to borrow the Suwang’s power because the moment Shete became a vampire, she would lose the qualification of becoming the Suwang.
However, it was also a fact that I was genuinely respecting them, as the one currently holding significant power.
Before they could dig in further, I decided to stake my claim.
“I understand that it’s difficult to easily trust a race like vampires. But think about it coolly. Aren’t humans currently in an unprecedented state of weakness since the race wars? Just look at how the once-secure Bertica Kingdom and Armes Kingdom have fallen. If you miss this opportunity, when do you think you’ll have another chance to topple the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire?”
When discussing who harbors the worst feelings towards humans, it’s hard not to mention the beastmen. In a way, they are also the second largest population, resulting in many being victimized, so for most beastmen, the term ‘slave hunters’ is synonymous with humans.
‘That was the case when I was in the Mist Labyrinth.’
How desperate must the Beastman Resistance Army have been to form an implicit alliance with the vampires?
The Suwang Kingdom probably isn’t that different in the grand scheme.
Right now, being stuck because the only exit, besides the Perkina Mountain Range, is blocked by the Empire isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Though I’ve heard that unlike the barren Helraig Duchy, the Suwang Kingdom has decent land, that’s only when viewed from a one or two-day perspective; rolling only in the east of the continent for several hundred years could still feel like a prison.
Shete frowned but couldn’t immediately refute this time.
Perhaps finding it hard to make a decision alone, she sought help from Cardan with her gaze.
“…I do agree it’s a good opportunity to end the era of the Empire and the Luminous Kingdom. However, what good is it if there’s no place for us in this new age?”
Compared to Shete, Cardan’s attitude was somewhat calmer, but his statement still carried the same core.
“I know this isn’t purely out of goodwill, but as a gesture of the queen trying to resolve this through conversation, to respond candidly: Yes, we find it hard to easily trust the vampires and the Scarlet Alliance Kingdom. I’ve heard that the Alliance Kingdom aims for unity over Terra; to put it another way, once the war with humans has ended, doesn’t that mean they plan to swallow up the Suwang Kingdom next?”
As the former Suwang and current candidacy for the Suwang, Cardan correctly pinpointed the core issue.
Ultimately, the fundamental problem lay here.
Unless there was confidence that neither side would attack the other, this alliance could never be established.
“I have one question. I hope you can answer this sincerely.”
Thus, I chose the direct approach.
What I was asking for was one undeniable truth that had no means of verification. Whatever answer they gave, it was an act of courage I’d taken to first trust them despite my fears.
“Do you desire honor? Or is it sufficient if you can benefit? For instance, if you could secure the bread that would allow every beastman in the Suwang Kingdom to eat their fill and the freedom to go anywhere, would that be enough for you? Or like the humans today, do you want to build a world just for beastmen and write a new history?”
“Nya ha, I thought you were trying to act all serious and was curious what you’d say.”
Shete, who I’d thought had deferred everything to Cardan, laughed disdainfully as if my question didn’t merit consideration.
So it seems this won’t work either. If this doesn’t cut it, what kind of approach should I take next—
“If we just plant the Suwang Kingdom’s flag from the eastern end of the continent to the western end, will the flag feed us? Honor and achievements aren’t of any concern to us.”
Though she was still learning, perhaps her conviction was firm; unexpectedly, she answered my question without a hint of hesitation.
This one feels genuine due to her sheer ignorance.
However, I’ll need to take Shete’s words with a grain of salt, so I turned to Cardan, the real authority, and demanded clarification on whether this was the consensus of the Suwang Kingdom or just an opinion of the Suwang personally.
“You are correct. We’ve only fought to defeat the enemies threatening our survival; we’ve never put our lives on the line for future historians’ assessments. The lack of a national name is for that very reason. The Suwang Kingdom isn’t the dynasty of anyone; it exists only for warriors deemed deserving of survival.”
So that’s why it was called the Suwang Kingdom.
I knew they didn’t claim a name for their nation but had never heard the reason why until now.
Yet, hearing it now, it felt rather fitting.
In a continent where national names are typically derived from royal families, they are one of the few nations without a royal family.
They elect a leader based purely on pure martial ability, not hereditary rights. Their existence is simply the Suwang Kingdom for all beastmen.
I had no choice but to conclude that their words weren’t lies.
If this was something they concocted on the spot, I’d have no hope of beating such a foe no matter how I tried.
And assuming this was true, what the Suwang Kingdom ultimately desired was survival. That was my specialty.
“Thank you for your sincere response.”
If those in power over the continent aren’t seeking honors, then there remains the potential for inclusion.
Perhaps I should just share my thoughts with them.
Once I unify the continent, I plan to let the Grand Dukes govern local areas, and as long as they don’t break the common rules of paradise throughout the territories, I’ll have no intention of interfering; only a few close individuals knew that.
Since I didn’t particularly want to publicly announce that the queen planned to take a hands-off approach right after establishing her nation, it seemed I had this impression of being a power-hungry ambitious person.
‘Maybe it would be better to just outright say it.’
Still, proving that my goal isn’t power itself wouldn’t be an easy task.
How could I express in words that I have no intention of betraying the Suwang Kingdom, using them favorably in the future, when that future hasn’t even happened yet?
But fortunately, I was blessed with living proof that I was willing to accept other races aside from vampires right here among us.
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