Perkina Mountain Range.
Despite being located in the southeastern part of the continent, it is an extreme terrain where snow never melts throughout the year.
In a place where normally one could hardly find the shadow of a living creature, over fifty Beastmen were bustling about.
“The wind protection magic tool is functioning perfectly!”
“Tent installation complete, no issues with ground stabilization!”
Even though they chose the lowest point that could connect the eastern and southern parts of the continent instead of the eighteen peaks located in the Perkina Mountain Range, this was not a typical place for such a large group to visit.
While the climate wasn’t extraordinarily fickle aside from the low temperatures that prevented snow from melting, for an average person to climb here was a matter of risking their life.
Of course, even the elite of the Suwang Kingdom, who had undergone rough training, wouldn’t ordinarily choose to ascend such a treacherous place unless absolutely necessary.
“Your Majesty, preparations are complete.”
“Good work.”
Nevertheless, the decision of Suwang Cardan Lionheart to hold negotiations in such a harsh area was because this was the only place where he could meet directly with the queen of the Scarlet Allied Kingdom without being disturbed by humans.
However, this decision had one critical flaw.
“Your Majesty, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Even with all this preparation, what do you plan on doing if the Vampire Queen doesn’t show up?”
The flaw was the fact that there was no guarantee that the counterpart for the negotiations would appear at this location.
The Suwang Kingdom had definitely notified their schedule, and they had also received a response from the Allied Kingdom.
But to what extent could a promise exchanged over the communication tunnel hold any real value?
It was not an easily accessible location, and they were not on such friendly terms that they would go out of their way to keep a promise despite the harsh conditions on both sides.
Moreover, from the perspective of the Allied Kingdom, they could certainly suspect that the Suwang Kingdom had laid traps, given the latter’s closer proximity and familiarity with the meeting place.
While it wouldn’t reach a level worthy of being called a large army, they had nonetheless brought over fifty elite members just in case, leaving them without any grounds for rebuttal.
In that regard, from the Allied Kingdom’s perspective, the situation was such that if they had falsely notified about their appearance and didn’t show up at the meeting place, they could take great delight in the mishap it would cause for the Suwang Kingdom that had prepared so much for this day. This made finding a reason to show up even more difficult considering the competitive position of the opposing country.
“They’ll come. They must.”
Yet, Cardan was entirely unconcerned, showing confidence as if such worries were pointless.
Aria Scarlet.
Since the race wars, she had consistently shattered the human powers that had held overwhelming dominance, unifying the vampires of the entire continent, and rapidly rising as a new powerhouse as the first queen of the Scarlet Allied Kingdom.
She was the fourth Progenitor of Vampires that had stirred up the world for the past few years, leading the most promising force in the current era to potentially become the next hegemonic power.
While Cardan had never faced Aria even once, he didn’t consider the possibility that she wouldn’t show up at all.
“She’s a woman who wishes to conquer not just the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire, but the entire continent. Do you think she would be satisfied with such trivial gains?”
Although it was not publicly declared by the Allied Kingdom, the Suwang Kingdom had its ears and eyes everywhere.
It was almost common knowledge that the Vampire Queen dared to harbor ambitions to unify the Terra continent for the first time in history.
Considering that a response came almost immediately to the meeting proposal, it signified that the threat lurking behind had been dealt with, and rather than attacking the Luminous Kingdom, they were now turning their attention towards the Suwang Kingdom.
This meant that they were already aware that depending on whether the Suwang Kingdom could bind the Empire or retreat, they could double their enemies or not.
Cardan was certain that a queen who was trying to reduce variables before the final showdown with humans wouldn’t easily cancel the meeting.
“Moreover, there’s something different about that woman. Whatever it is, it’s worth the risk to find out firsthand.”
In Cardan’s view, the greatest peculiarity of the nascent nation known as the Scarlet Allied Kingdom was not its military might.
The strange part was the diversity of the forces that followed the queen.
Be it the Grand Duke of Sahelran or Helraig, rumors suggested that Dwarves, Beastmen, Elves, and even some humans supported the queen, which was unbelievable information.
How could such a thing occur in a nation ruled by vampires?
Historically, vampires had always been a target of avoidance. There was never a behavior that warranted their acceptance by humans without a reason.
While he hadn’t seen it firsthand and could dismiss it as mere rumor, it was known that smoke does not rise without fire.
Even if they were to completely defeat the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire, the Suwang Kingdom would eventually have to clash with the Allied Kingdom, thus they had to confirm what was happening in central Terra.
And if it turned out that they posed a threat to the future of the Beastmen…
“Then, I will eliminate the queen here before she grows any stronger.”
The strength and notoriety of the queen had reached the Suwang Kingdom, but due to the infinitely growing nature of the Progenitors, present opportunities were always more critical than future ones.
If a fight was necessary, it should be sooner rather than later.
If there was no room for negotiations, then it was imperative for Cardan Lionheart to be prepared to draw his sword against even the mightiest foe.
“Is there a chance for dialogue? If you’re thinking of battle, shouldn’t we prepare a bit more?”
“Well, who knows?”
Despite his subordinate’s impatience, having already determined that discussions were unlikely to conclude peacefully, Cardan surprisingly shook his head.
“The future is always uncertain.”
*
“There it is.”
As soon as I reacted to the faint smell of blood wafting through the cold air, Eleonora and Kanak stopped in their tracks.
Though we took breaks a few times during the climb, Kanak’s heartbeat and breathing were notably rough by this point, indicating that climbing this far might have been a stretch.
In contrast, Eleonora was calmness incarnate.
Despite having been exiled at a young age, her survival in the Dragon’s Canyon was a testament to the superior nature of the dragon-born, clearly showcasing her as a prime example of the resilient race.
“Good job raising her, good job indeed.”
Old memories filled me with mixed emotions, even if she had mostly grown well on her own.
At that moment, Lavina, who had ridden on my back previously, suddenly popped her head out.
“Have we arrived?”
Look at her voice, so relaxed.
Her tone, casual enough to show off her comfortable ride halfway up the mountain, was annoyingly pleasant for some reason.
“She probably doesn’t realize how rare it is for her to hitch a ride with the king of her own country on this mountain.”
Of course, she wouldn’t understand.
But regardless, she did perform her part by cleverly using magic to create a warm wind around us, preventing our feet from sinking into the snow, so I must begrudgingly acknowledge her efforts.
More importantly, I needed to relay information about the group of Beastmen, likely from the Suwang Kingdom.
“There seem to be just over fifty of them. I’ll know the exact number once we get closer, but it’s certain they are fewer than sixty.”
“Fifty? But there are only four of us?”
Lavina gasped in surprise, as if questioning the accuracy of my statement.
Kanak also frowned, clearly not anticipating such a number of troops being brought all the way to the Perkina Mountain.
“It’s alright. No need to worry about that.”
I don’t know how they prepared on their end, but this was within my range of assumptions.
The key point isn’t just about the number of troops but how the Suwang will respond.
I gently set Lavina down from my back.
“Get ready.”
Underestimating in situations like this is more important than it may seem.
We borrowed Lavina’s magic to dry our damp clothes from sweat and snow, checked our weapons, and then climbed the last slope.
The seemingly endless steep incline finally turned into a plain ahead.
Signs of unnaturally melted snow and ice lay before us.
As we approached the makeshift camp that seemed more organized than expected, a warm wind blew in, melting the flurries of snow.
“Quite professional.”
Maybe it was just a show to indicate they weren’t planning to threaten us, or perhaps they hid that warmth in case they needed to launch a surprise attack. Only two Beastmen came out to greet us.
With the beat of life sensed within the tent being four, it seemed the remaining forty or so were stealthily resting outside in the biting wind.
“Are you the envoy of the Scarlet Allied Kingdom?”
There was no one else likely to cross the Perkina Mountain at this hour, and they must have been aware that the invited guest was the queen of a nation, yet the Beastmen still asked.
Their tone was polite, and they slightly bowed their heads, but that’s all.
If it were the Suwang himself, it might be another story, but for mere soldier to directly block and interrogate the queen of another country?
The very act was almost a diplomatic faux pas.
“Interesting.”
I wondered if they thought this would serve as a psychological tactic against me.
This showed that the Suwang Kingdom didn’t know everything about me.
If they were to do this while fully knowing, I’d like to see their true intentions.
“Please show some respect. This is Her Majesty, the Queen of the Scarlet Allied Kingdom.”
Instead of me speaking up, Kanak removed his hat and said this.
The visible unease among the two Beastmen soldiers upon witnessing Kanak as a pure Beastman, not a vampire, was evident.
Yep, seeing is definitely different from just hearing the rumors, isn’t it?
This is why I brought one of each race along. Though, sadly, no Dwarves or humans.
Now, I wonder what kind of justification or demands they might pose after this?
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