What the King of Aspen said now also meant that he was accepting Krang’s proposal.
The finer details were for the ones handling the administrative work to manage, and although the relationship could change in the future, for now, it was a good start.
This was something no one had expected, but Krang had aimed for this situation from the beginning.
What if the Empire, the South, and the Holy City-State were to side with Aspen?
‘Then wouldn’t it be better to have Aspen on my side?’
It was a much faster way than tearing apart those three factions one by one.
Of course, it might not have worked.
If the King of Aspen was the greatest fool in the world, then there was nothing he could do about it.
‘But that won’t happen.’
Just looking at the attitude Aspen had shown so far made it clear.
Despite various pressures, the efforts to pursue his own will were visible to Krang.
And the way the King was behaving now showed his character.
The King of Aspen expressed his gratitude, and Encrid nodded and spoke up.
“Do you not think he’s just a smooth-talking swindler?”
He said this while gesturing towards Krang, clearly making a joke. Everyone present, especially those from Naurillia and even Andrew, knew that Encrid often joked.
Though no one expected him to do so in this situation.
“A King of a nation and a friend, is it not?”
The King of Aspen looked momentarily flustered but soon regained his composure and replied calmly.
“I feel like I’ve been deceived as well.”
“Why do you think so?”
“He talks about doing things, but there’s no plan. He just says he’ll do it. What kind of irresponsible statement is that?”
At Encrid’s words, Krang, Jaxon, Sinar, and even Andrew all stared at him.
“Is that something that should come out of your mouth?”
Krang couldn’t hold back and interjected.
Of course, it was understandable.
There was once a man who was born with meager talents yet proclaimed he would become a Knight.
There was no need to ask what would happen.
He showed his chosen path through his actions.
There was barely a day where he let go of his sword even for a moment, swinging it as if possessed.
He lived like a madman, except for the time he took to eat and sleep.
And such a man speaks of having no plan?
“Still, it’ll be interesting.”
Instead of responding to Krang’s words, Encrid turned to the King of Aspen and said.
Interesting?
To Argius, the King of Aspen, that word felt quite distant.
But hearing it now made his heart pound.
It’ll be interesting, he said.
Yes, it will be.
He was born into a royal bloodline and was named a chosen one.
But did he truly live like a chosen one?
He had dreams, but achieving them was a duty. He could not find joy in that. He simply thought it was something he had to do.
But now, the ambition spoken by the King of Naurillia resonated with his heart, making his hair stand on end.
It was like going back to when he first fell in love and was stricken with love’s fever.
Talking with this man called Encrid made him feel that way, giving rise to an unprecedented surge of motivation.
“When I return, I should reject the proposal of becoming a vassal state and boldly proclaim that we have secured a part of the Green Pearl. This will not damage your reputation, right?”
Argius asked Krang.
Krang looked at Encrid with a bewildered expression before quickly reverting to his usual demeanor and responded with a smile.
“Do I look that easy to deal with? It won’t be like that.”
Both Kings extended their hands simultaneously, clasping them together.
“If I were to die, all of this would be meaningless.”
The King of Aspen said.
“Don’t die, eat well, and live a long life. If you feel like you’re about to be stabbed, try shouting for help.”
Krang retorted.
While the two kings exchanged either blessings or curses, Encrid called out to Frog, who stood idly by.
A middle-aged woman and man from Aspen were busy whispering to each other, having been overwhelmed by the atmosphere and Krang’s charisma, unable to say a word.
“Did you say Avnair?”
Encrid asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“Will he die for the responsibility of the defeat?”
There were words Krais had spoken before coming here.
“That’s not something for you to concern yourself with.”
Frog replied politely. After all, the other person deserved respect.
Frankly, there wasn’t a single person in Aspen who would dare speak carelessly to the Knight who had once halted the army.
Especially since Frog had been the one directly sent back by Encrid, he had spoken to the King about it multiple times.
Some of the heroic stories of Naurillia that spread in Aspen were spread by him.
It was a slightly amusing tale, but some of the nobles of Naurillia, who had only heard the stories from afar, still thought the event of stopping the army was exaggerated. As a result, Encrid’s fame was higher in Aspen than in Naurillia.
As they say, an opponent who has faced you in battle understands your worth the best.
And this sentiment also applied to Avnair, the man Encrid was now considering.
“Can I make a request as a victor?”
Encrid spoke, glancing at Krang.
Krang nodded.
This was a statement made under royal consent.
So everyone turned their attention back to Encrid.
Some looked on, wondering what nonsense he would spout this time.
“Speak.”
It was the King of Aspen who responded.
“I understand that the one called Avnair was the main instigator of this war. Since the two nations have now reached an agreement, it wouldn’t be appropriate to let such a violent man go unpunished. Therefore, please send that man to the Border Guard immediately. We must hold him accountable for his crimes.”
As Krang listened to Encrid’s words, he found the tone stiff and unfamiliar. He realized it was because Encrid was reciting something memorized.
The middle-aged woman and the priest standing behind Argius frowned.
Avnair had been imprisoned for his responsibility in the defeat and would likely not escape death.
Moreover, he was not someone they wanted to keep alive. After all, he was the one who often stood by the King and schemed.
Previously, they couldn’t kill him due to Varna’s influence, but this time they were determined to cut him off for good.
Wasn’t he the one who always spoke of ways for the kingdom to stand on its own?
Encrid’s words were stiff and contrary to what had been discussed earlier, making his intent clear.
“You want to keep him alive, right? If you send him, I’ll keep him safe.”
Everyone understood what Encrid meant.
“What nonsense!”
Thus, the priest tried to interject, but Argius raised his hand to stop him.
“Let’s do that. That man was a harsh advocate of war who forcibly pushed for this conflict.”
No, Avnair wasn’t a war advocate but rather a moderate.
But what did that matter now?
This was Krais’ magic at play.
“Just in case, if Aspen doesn’t ambush and maintains good conduct, then, in due time, request for the strategist’s custody. Why? Why are you asking when you already know? He’ll surely die if left alone. If Your Highness is willing to set aside the Empire, the Holy State, and the South for Aspen, it would be better to bring that man over. If internal confusion arises with people arguing about responsibility, that man will definitely die. If you want to save and protect him, it would make things difficult for the King of Aspen, so it’s better if we bring him over.”
They say wise men recognize other wise men. Though Krais wasn’t a wise man, he clearly understood that the enemy commander was not an ordinary person.
And he predicted his situation well, and if not, he assumed that the King of Aspen would naturally refuse.
Above all, bringing Avnair offered two advantages.
Even Encrid realized this much.
The first was that without him, the most brilliant commander in Aspen would be absent, making it difficult to reignite the war.
The second was that if he were to come to the Border Guard and get along well, over time, the accumulated animosity between the two kingdoms could be mitigated.
Simply bringing him to the Border Guard, feeding, housing, and providing for him would be enough.
‘An intriguing man.’
Encrid found it fascinating that Krais could foresee several steps ahead.
Although Krais, when seeing Encrid single-handedly blocking an army, had been wide-eyed and asked, ‘Can a Knight really do such things?’
From Krais’s perspective, Encrid was the more fascinating person.
“Well then.”
With that, the meeting concluded. The two kings returned the way they came. The moonlight still illuminated the land, and the stars shone beautifully.
The moon and stars appeared as if they were dancing together at a ballroom in the sky.
When Encrid momentarily turned his gaze out the window, he saw a shooting star streak across the sky.
“Sinar Kirhais, does your duty still remain unchanged?”
In the carriage on their way back, Krang brought up a topic that Sinar did not want to discuss.
Encrid silently watched the two.
Sinar responded with her usual expressionless face.
“I have never forgotten my duty.”
Encrid didn’t know, but Sinar had been a great support to Krang even before he became King, and they had made a pact.
Krang hadn’t asked because he wanted to ignore his own words.
It was just that, seeing Sinar stay by his side, he wondered if she really needed to continue doing so.
“I see.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Encrid, observing, blurted out a question.
“What is this duty?”
“That’s not something my fiance needs to know. A woman should have at least one secret to remain mysterious.”
If we talk about mystery, wasn’t she second only to Esther within the Border Guard?
With an inhuman beauty, even among Fairies, possessing an outstanding appearance, and always moving around with a blank expression, her mysteriousness was already widely known throughout the city.
“It’s like a Fairy’s duty.”
Krang answered in her place. It wasn’t much of an answer, but if she didn’t want to talk, there was no need to force it.
Encrid, as usual, just let it go.
The black carriage continued to move and returned to the Border Guard, and only then did Andrew relax a bit.
“Hah, I survived.”
Although Andrew was the head of the Gardner family and a key figure among the royalists, it didn’t matter when serving a madman.
And there was one more madman here.
“You seem stiff. How about a sparring match?”
It was still the early dawn, before the sun had risen. Most people would be resting at such a time.
“Are you serious?”
When Andrew responded, Encrid replied with a serious tone.
“When else would I swing my sword if I sleep and rest like everyone else?”
“I do it after I wake up.”
Even Andrew, a training enthusiast in his own household, knew when to say no.
Encrid didn’t push someone who wasn’t willing. He simply thought a bit of sweating would loosen up a stiff body.
Then, the next morning, Krang called upon the forces of Zaltembock, one of the territories under the Duke of Octo, located beneath the Capital.
The Border Guard’s escort team led the way until the escort team from Zaltembock arrived, resolving Andrew’s concerns.
“See you at the Royal Palace.”
At Krang’s farewell, Encrid nodded.
In about a month, when the Border Guard’s reorganization was complete, he would have to head to the Royal Palace.
After all, they would be receiving commendations for their achievements in this battle.
After Krang’s departure, the burden fell onto Krais.
“We can’t just go picking fights at the border, so we should at least build something that resembles a wall.”
With that, Krais began construction, and a wall was erected between the Border Guard and Aspen. However, its height barely reached the waist of an average man.
“Can this even be called a wall?”
A Commander conscripted to the border defense from Aspen commented as he glanced at the Naurillian Commander standing nearby, close enough to touch if he reached out his hand.
The man shrugged and responded.
“They say it is.”
It was the kind of situation where everyone pretended not to know, akin to covering the sky with one’s palm.
Everyone understood that this was just an excuse to claim a border had been established, while they each farmed and lived on their respective lands.
But what would happen when irrigation was set up, and a pioneer village sprouted right next to it?
Naturally, even if each family opposed it, there would still be young men and women who would meet in secret, and in tough times, they would help each other.
Of course, all this would take time, but with this agreement, both Naurillia and Aspen had bought some time.
While the continent was ablaze with war, despite the Empire, the South, and the Holy City-State’s scheming, Aspen, which was supposed to become a puppet state, suddenly clasped hands with Naurillia and played the part of a close ally.
There were certainly those who would view this situation unfavorably, but for now, it was difficult to argue otherwise.
A few days later, the transport carriage carrying Avnair crossed the border.
Since it was a prisoner transport carriage, he was confined behind bars, but it contained soft blankets and food.
He had not been treated harshly.
Even after arriving at the Border Guard, Avnair’s situation didn’t change much.
Ah, there was a small difference.
Instead of a filthy, foul-smelling prison, he was confined in a proper room.
Should he be grateful for having survived instead of giving up his life for the defeat?
‘Who could it be?’
Rather than feeling relieved, Avnair was inwardly impressed by the maneuvers of the King of Naurillia, curious about the face of the one who had plucked him out.
The way things were unfolding made it clear how brilliant the strategist who had brought him here must be.
Two days after arriving at the Border Guard, Avnair heard the sound of two stern soldiers greeting someone outside his door.
“Welcome.”
“He’s inside.”
The latch on the door, which locked from the outside, clicked open. Afterward, the guard and the visitor exchanged a few more words.
“Why is this locked?”
“Isn’t he an enemy General? We were told to confine him.”
“Let it be. If there’s someone here who can escape on their own, a latch won’t stop them.”
The voice sounded young. With a creak from the poorly-oiled hinge, the door opened.
Avnair, seated on a sofa so comfortable it made him reluctant to rise, lifted his head.
He saw the owner of the voice.
A man with large eyes, looking about the age of a younger brother, entered the cell that served as a room.
“Have you been well?”
This was how he first met the man who had repeatedly outmaneuvered him.
He wasn’t alone. A strikingly beautiful dark-skinned woman stood behind him.
“A bodyguard. I’m worried you might take me hostage if you turn out to be better at fighting than I am.”
The big-eyed man continued to ramble on, but Avnair still didn’t realize that this was the Border Guard’s strategist.
When he found out later, Avnair couldn’t hide his shock as his pupils trembled.
“You were the strategist?”
“Ah, it’s not a big deal. I was just anxious and ended up dabbling in various things.”
The conversation was brief, but Krais’s tone remained consistently friendly.
After revealing himself, Krais explained that he had come just to see him and, before leaving, placed his hand on the doorknob and turned back.
“Are you planning to escape?”
“...I have nowhere to go.”
Avnair understood that this abrupt question was an attempt to probe his psychology.
So, he knew his opponent wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
They both exchanged a wry smile. Avnair felt that a small sense of trust or goodwill had formed between them.
There really was nowhere for him to go. If he returned to his home country, he would surely die, so where else could he go?
After leaving, Krais increased the security around the room.
“He said he wouldn’t run?”
Nurat asked about the matter.
“Yes, he said so, but who knows?”
Krais, naturally predisposed to paranoia, thought it better not to trust the man when he still had troops available.
The next day, Avnair noticed the increased number of guards and felt conflicted.
It was as if the man had come to say, “You’re not to be trusted.”
But there was no helping it. That was how Krais was.
How could he suddenly trust a key figure from the enemy’s leadership?
No matter how the situation unfolded, Krais simply felt more comfortable keeping him confined and under surveillance.
While he could have gone so far as to shackle Avnair’s ankles to alleviate his anxiety, Krais refrained from doing so.
After all, Krang’s words still lingered, and he had to consider the King’s reputation.
He couldn’t treat him like a real prisoner.
Even though he had been brought over for the sake of improving relations between the two nations, Krais strictly monitored him, and Avnair could do nothing but endure it.
What else could he do? There was nothing more he could manage.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔