Chương 100: Chapter 93: Misunderstandings

A day prior— Unlike Crimvane, Lythoria was blanketed in white snow that drifted lazily from a silver sky, just as it always had been. Be it spring, summer, fall, or winter, the frozen earth of Lythoria was never stripped of its icy mantle. Down in the streets, citizens hurried past in clothes designed to fight the eternal freeze, while glowing devices engineered by magic engineers provided barriers of warmth.

Individuals who had ascended to an Augmented Lifeform or higher strolled through the biting winds without a single care.

"What material is this even made of?" Elan asked, leaning forward as she stared at one of the glowing heating devices.

"I haven't heard of anything like this before. Is it from that Freezing Forest Lady Vionette mentioned?" Lucien and Elan followed behind the elf, Sylas. Their eyes constantly darted around, taking in the alien architecture of the frostbound kingdom. Inside the royal grounds, everything was beautifully decorated in carved ice, the sculptors knowing full well the art would never melt in this climate.

Thermal devices were embedded inside palace ponds and rushing waterfalls, casting a warm glow that kept the currents from freezing into solid glass.

"Yes, it is harvested directly from the Freezing Forest, Lady Elan," Sylas explained, turning back to offer a gentle smile.

"The Freezing Forest… so it isn't really freezing if these thermal materials are produced there?" Lucien asked. A soft laugh came before Sylas replied.

"Though it is called the Freezing Forest, its practical nature is actually quite the opposite." Sylas' gaze shifted toward the dark, massive treeline visible on the distant horizon.

"It produces many kinds of thermal materials, acting as if the forest itself is actively fighting against the winter. Honestly, it is the sole reason Lythoria can even exist in this land—Oh, we're here." He came to a stop in front of a wooden door and opened it. Inside was a tastefully decorated room, featuring a small rectangular table with chairs arranged neatly around it.

"Please wait here comfortably until I escort Their Majesties to you." Sylas extended his hand toward the room and offered a polite bow.

"Sure thing," Lucien said as he stepped inside. He looked at Elan and smiled.

"This looks beautiful, just like you." Elan looked away, pouting with reddened cheeks.

"Take your sweet talk elsewhere, it won't work on me." … A few corridors away, Evander and Selene were being escorted by Sylas along the same path. As they walked with measured steps, Evander glanced toward the elf and stepped closer.

"Are they as powerful as those girls we saw back in Crimvane? Or are they even comparable to that man, Noa?" Selene also looked over at the elf, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"It's quite the opposite, Your Majesty," Sylas shook his head, a reassuring calmness in his voice.

"According to my readings, they're at the lowest rank of an Augmented Lifeform, making them even weaker than our normal palace guards. Still… the man identifies himself as the Royal Envoy, and the woman is the newly appointed archduke." Evander stared at Sylas in surprise before the tension left his shoulders.

"After seeing those three monstrous girls, I honestly thought everyone from that kingdom was just as powerful. Seems I speculated too much."

"It is much better for us to negotiate with normal people than powerful ones anyway," Selene noted, a soft, graceful smile touching her lips. As Lucien and Elan sat at the table talking quietly to each other, the doors opened, and Evander and Selene entered the room. Both parties exchanged respectful nods before the royal couple sat in the chairs opposite them.

"I'm Lucien, Crimvane's Royal Envoy, and Noa and Vionette's friend." Lucien's red eyes briefly closed as he offered a formal bow from his seat.

"I'm Elan, the archduke of Aurelyth, and also a friend of theirs," Elan followed suit.... Friends? With the way they acted before in Crimvane, now I have a little understanding of how Crimvane's rulers operate, Evander reasoned silently.

"We were sent here to discuss the terms of the alliance made between our kingdoms. So, can we get straight to the point?" Lucien gestured toward the table.

"Yes, we would appreciate that as well. We can talk about private affairs later during a free hour," Selene nodded, smiling warmly.

"First of all, I suggest that we share every single bit of information we gather across our kingdoms," Elan stated.

"I'm not talking about historical archives or anything of the sort; I'm talking about things like suspicious activities happening inside or outside our borders, political rumors, movements of hostile powers, etcetera." Lady Vionette didn't tell us a single thing about what she actually needs and just told us to 'do whatever you find necessary'… gods, this is going to be fine, right? Internally, behind her calm eyes, Elan was panicking.

"All-round information sharing…" Evander narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I agree with this recommendation." He turned toward his wife.

"Selene?"

"I also think it is a good idea," Selene agreed. Then her tone grew deeper.

"What I had in mind initially was this: if one of your archdukes attacks us without your ruler's permission, or if one of our dukes rebels against us, does the alliance still protect the throne?" Elan and Lucien exchanged an awkward glance, while Selene and Evander stared at them in confusion. Scratching his cheek, Lucien replied, "Well, I don't think any traitors will live long enough to even start a rebellion at that point." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Evander simply tilted his head, finding little reassurance in the bizarre answer.

"O-okay then…" Selene muttered.

"Since the Freezing Forest is dangerous, we will also give you combat support whenever you venture inside," Elan added.

"Actually, Lady Vionette mentioned wanting to visit it herself someday." Evander smiled and nodded proudly.

"It would be our pleasure to give her a tour, then."

"She also said that she'll somehow find a way to teleport a large army without relying on costly magic crystals," Lucien stated. Selene placed her fingers over her mouth, taken aback.

"That's… quite the promise. I don't know how she'll manage it, but we'll provide any support she needs regarding it." Keeping her sweet smile, she asked, "On that topic, if a war were to somehow break out, to what extent would Crimvane send their troops?" Lucien thought about the question for a few seconds, then answered, "I mean… whatever we have? Most people are just sitting around bored, so maybe Lord Noa will just come himself?"

Evander and Selene remained silent, letting out a synchronized sigh, unable to grasp whether these were empty promises or casual prophecies.

"It is nothing to worry about then," Evander said, turning to Sylas. At the gesture, Sylas brought out a map and spread it across the table.

"As we stated in the previous meeting, Lythoria will fully support you with rare materials harvested from the Freezing Forest and provide several of our master alchemists for your people to learn from. In return, we hope to establish permanent, tax-free trade routes running from Crimvane to Lythoria for both our merchants."

Since the fall of Herkin, we have long wanted another kingdom to establish a trade route for materials outside of this frozen realm, Selene thought, her eyes calculating as she observed Lucien and Elan. And since Eryndor is now fully subsumed into Crimvane, they surely possess extensive merchant networks.

"Yes, Lady Vionette told us before we left that she would gladly accept those terms," Lucien said, though a subtle twitch formed at the corner of his lips, knowing damn well Vionette hadn't actually mentioned it.

"But the core problem is…" Elan leaned forward, studying the leather map.

"All the safe routes between Lythoria and Crimvane are far too long—long enough that independent merchants will flatly refuse to travel them."

"Indeed…" Evander traced his fingers slowly across the map.

"And even if we try to forge routes through other territories, the only kingdoms with established trade paths are Rellion and the various realms tightly allied with them."

"To my knowledge, Rellion and Crimvane do not share a pleasant history," Selene said, her eyes narrowing.

"Thus, even if they somehow allowed trade to pass through, it would be exceptionally difficult and stressful for the merchants." A silence settled over the room as everyone stared down at the map, trying to find a logical way around the geopolitical blockade. Then, shattering the quiet, a voice resonated:"Don't worry," Lucien's lips moved, cold fog spilling from his breath.

"I'll destroy them all." Evander, Selene, Sylas, and even Elan froze in stunned silence, their eyes wide. They stared at his face, trying to gauge if he was serious. And he was. His eyes were locked dead onto the region where Rellion stood on the map, gleaming with dark amusement, his lips curled into a sly smile. Those red eyes of his reminded Evander of something instantly: they were just like his queen's.

A few moments earlier—"Thus, even if somehow they allow trade to pass through, it'll be exceptionally difficult and stressful for the merchants." Rellion… damn, what can we even do about them? Lucien was lost in thought as he stared blankly at the map lines. All other alternative routes have dangerous creatures lurking around, or— <Lucien, emergency news! > Kaelen's voice suddenly echoed directly inside Lucien's mind. <W-What?! Are we getting attacked? > <Not quite, but it's just as urgent!

The problem is: some random new guys just showed up in the main gambling house, and the bastards are winning non-stop at the betting tables. At this rate, they might actually break your undefeated record! > <What!? I see why it's so damn important… > Lucien clicked his tongue. His face contorted in annoyance before his grimace twisted into a reckless grin. What was he so worried about? If they beat his score, he could just double it next time.

Unintentionally, the words slipped past his lips instead of remaining in his mind: "Don't worry, I'll destroy them all." Oh shit, I accidentally said that out loud… Panic seized him as he immediately severed the mental link with Kaelen. Is Elan going to yell at me for thinking about gambling during a serious moment again…? He turned toward Elan, only to find her staring back at him with a face full of utter confusion and fear. What are you saying, LUCIEN?! her eyes screamed.

"…you will… take care of it?" Evander muttered, his voice dropping as he stared at Lucien. Lucien turned back toward Evander, dumbfounded.

"Umm… what? Oh! That? It just slipped off my tongue, please don't mind it at all!" I see… he accidentally blurted out their secret plan out loud, Evander concluded, shooting a glance toward Selene. Did Crimvane secretly hire assassins to eliminate Rellion ahead of time, and he wants us to keep quiet about it? Selene caught his gaze and offered a slow, knowing nod, fully convinced she understood her husband's exact line of thought.

"Alright… we most certainly will not 'mind' it," Selene smiled gracefully, her tone becoming instantly compliant.

"So, shall we move on to other topics?" Huh? Why move on? We still haven't solved the trade route problem, right? Lucien glanced at Elan, but she simply tilted her head sideways in confusion. Did they figure out a solution while I was talking to Kaelen? Guess I'll just go with the flow as usual.

"Yes, yes. Let's continue," Lucien nodded. And so, the alliance meeting between Crimvane and Lythoria smoothly proceeded.

The next day— Inside their private office, Evander and Selene sat at their desk, reviewing the internal documents Elan had handed over to them regarding Crimvane. Suddenly, the double doors burst open, and Sylas rushed in, dropping to his knees before the two monarchs with a pale face.

"Your Majesties, a major crisis! Or... perhaps a massive blessing?" he blurted out, his voice dropping into an uncertain whisper at the end.

"Sylas? What happened for you to barge in like this? Calm yourself and explain," Evander commanded, maintaining his composure as he set the documents down.

"I take back my previous assessment entirely!" the elf stammered, lowering his head further.

"He… he is not a weak Augmented Lifeform at all! My initial readings were completely wrong!"

"…can you please explain in a way we can understand?" Selene added, her expression hardening.

"My apologies." He quickly stood up, clearing his throat to regain his composure.

"The Kingdom of Rellion and all the kingdoms allied with it were completely eradicated overnight, leaving behind nothing but craters… exactly as he casually declared to us at the table yesterday."

"What?!" Evander's composure shattered, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"I expected a border conflict or a targeted assassination because of how he phrased it. But a multi-nation total annihilation in a single night…?"

"It seems we severely misjudged that man," Selene whispered, staring at the floor as a chill ran down her spine.

"Yes. That was no mere assassination," Evander's eyes narrowed in awe and dread.

"That was a single man casually displaying his true power."

<… And that's literally what happened! I don't know why, but they're all going around saying 'please don't be so humble, Lord Lucien,' and 'we know your true strength' now! > Lucien complained through the link, his tone full of helpless annoyance. At that moment, the Crimvane party was relaxing inside the luxurious royal carriage, traveling toward the academy grounds for the opening ceremony. Vionette rested her head comfortably on Noa's shoulder, her eyes blissfully closed as they enjoyed the quiet ride.

Opposite them, Elina and Lina stared out the glass window at the passing scenery, unbothered as usual. <So… it all just worked out, huh? > Vionette smiled. <Lucky guy. > <Didn't I tell you before we sent you out, Lucien? That you and your luck were more than enough for that trip, > Noa chuckled. <Huh? >