Chapter 80: White Robe, Leader of the Alliance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: White Robe, Leader of the Alliance
Hearing White Robe speak, the Northern Lords finally began to calm down.
"Hmph... those humans clearly have no respect for us. It’s bad enough they want to seize the entire Northern Territory, but they even have the gall to call it 'unifying' the North."
"If you ask me, these humans are simply arrogant. Before, their fleet’s firepower was too overwhelming, and we were forced to retreat into the freezing winds. But now that we’ve finally broken through to the Demigod realm, are we supposed to keep cowering here?"
"The world belongs to Demigods now. Any one of us could step out and sink that arrogant human fleet. In my opinion, we should take the initiative and strike now. We should utterly crush this ridiculous 'Unified Empire.'"
Listening to the lords' declarations, White Robe nodded slowly.
"Very well. Since no one has any objections, I shall continue—"
"Wait a moment. Have you all forgotten someone?"
Just as White Robe was about to lay out the next phase of the plan, Elise suddenly interrupted him.
Faced with her question, White Robe looked at her, puzzled. "Who?"
"The human girl who killed those three Northern Lords."
As she spoke, Elise uncrossed her legs and leaned forward.
"White Robe, you said yourself that even you couldn't detect her. Aren't you worried she’s with the Chaos Church? Compared to this so-called Unified Empire, the Chaos Church's erosion of our North is just as severe. Those three lords were likely just the ones who accidentally exposed themselves. I suspect there are many more lords who have already been corrupted in secret."
White Robe fell into deep thought at Elise's words.
"Elise, I understand your concerns. But that is a hidden threat. Compared to that, the threat of the Unified Empire is immediate and pressing..."
Hearing this, Elise crossed her arms.
"Oh? Is that so? To me, that sounds like you're making excuses for the Chaos Church. From where I'm sitting, it looks like you can actually sense the power of Chaos, but you've been pretending not to notice."
As Elise’s words fell, the room plunged into a sudden, heavy silence.
After a long moment, White Robe looked at Elise with a complicated expression.
"Elise, we have worked together for two thousand years. Is the trust between us really so fragile? If you truly don't believe in me, you are free to leave the North. Go wherever you wish—the Aodu Empire, or even further north to the Ice Dragon Territory. The choice is yours."
Elise narrowed her eyes at his dismissal.
"Hmph. You certainly seem eager to see me go. Fine. I was getting bored here anyway. It’s a good time to see the rest of the world."
With that, Elise stood up to leave.
"Wait."
White Robe suddenly called out, causing a flicker of alertness to cross her face.
"What now?" She looked at him, her eyes guarded.
"Take this."
White Robe tossed an alchemy pouch toward her. Elise caught it and peered inside, finding a vast sum of gold coins and a wealth of daily necessities.
"It’s a long journey. Take care of yourself."
Elise felt a pang of conflicting emotions. "Hmph... sentimental fool."
Without another word, she turned and left the high tower.
After her departure, the atmosphere among the remaining lords became subtle.
"I told you, those two have had that kind of relationship for ages..."
"Really? I always felt it was more of a one-sided thing from White Robe's end..."
"Hey, stop, stop. Don't say that out loud. He’s still the Alliance Leader, give him some face..."
Once he was certain Elise had truly left, White Robe sat back down.
"Lord of Black Wind."
"I am here, my Lord."
"I hereby appoint you as the First Commander of the Northern Allied Forces. Assemble the armies of the various lords and move to intercept the Unified Army’s advance."
"Understood."
After issuing the command, White Robe glanced at the surrounding lords.
"The rest of you will act independently. There is no shortage of Demigod-level figures within the Unified Army; those are the ones you will need to deal with."
With those final instructions, the other Northern Lords departed one by one, leaving White Robe alone.
Left in the silence, White Robe couldn't help but sigh.
Aside from the Lord of Black Wind, there were very few lords here who truly obeyed him. Most were simply afraid of foreign invasion and found it convenient to follow him because he was willing to take the lead.
As the founder and leader of the White Lake Alliance, his greatest wish was to bring an end to the absolute chaos of the Northern Territory. Previously, he had used the threat of the Aodu Empire to tentatively unite these scattered lords.
The emergence of the Unified Empire was both an opportunity and a challenge. If handled correctly, he could use the momentum to unify the entire North. But if they failed, the North would fall into the hands of outsiders, and the foundation he had spent years building would become someone else's prize.
"If only the Unified Empire were led by the people of the North... then no matter who won, the North would finally be unified under a legitimate banner."
Thinking of this, White Robe rubbed his temples.
"A pity... in the end, I couldn't keep Elise here. No, perhaps it’s for the best. At least this way, she won't be dragged into the Chaos Church's conspiracy with me..."
As White Robe was lost in his lament, a petite girl dressed in red and white suddenly appeared before him.
Before he could even register when she had arrived, the girl gave a soft, playful smile.
"So that's how it is."
She stepped toward him.
"For the sake of your ideal of a unified North, you had no choice but to accept the power of the Chaos Church, becoming the greatest mastermind behind the scenes in all the Northern Territory. And yet, worried that the Witch of Wind would be implicated, you let her walk away... Hmph~ you really are a noble idealist, aren't you?"
White Robe’s pupils shrank instantly.
"You... you’re that human girl who killed the three Northern Lords. Wait—how do you know Elise’s identity?"
Seeing his shock, the girl’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"I thought you’d be more surprised that I know you’ve accepted the power of Chaos. But never mind. Since you care so much about that Miss Witch, let’s make a deal. Tell me all the secrets of the Chaos Church, and I will guarantee her safety. From what I can see, the Chaos Church won't easily let go of a partner you've worked with for two thousand years..."
White Robe’s hands clenched instinctively.
"No, that’s impossible. I have full control over the Chaos power within the North. I would never let the Chaos Church lay a finger on Elise..."
"Hmm... I was just taking a guess, but I didn't expect you to admit to accepting Chaos power so quickly."
"What?"
In that moment, White Robe realized that beneath the girl’s faint smile lay an unfathomable, terrifying darkness.
"I’m not sure if the Chaos Church will go after her," the girl whispered, "but tell me, Mr. Alliance Leader... you wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious Witch, would you?"