Chapter 91
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 091
Chapter Title: Tripartite Negotiations
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He whistled lightly. At the sound, wolves slunk out from the forest.
Rolang muttered to himself.
"...These wolves... they look even bigger than last time I saw them. Am I imagining it?"
"They've actually grown a bit."
These days, the wolves hunted and devoured the forest beasts on their own without Woojin handing over the inner cores. Thanks to that, they were steadily growing stronger as time passed.
He'd gone to the trouble of making custom armor for them. But now it was too small to fit anymore.
'I made the armor extra roomy on purpose knowing they'd grow... What a shame, but nothing to be done.'
At least the saddles still worked. He'd designed them with adjustable straps.
He fitted saddles onto Rex and Sean, then hopped onto Rex's back. Rolang followed suit, climbing onto Sean's.
"Alright... let's move out."
Bang!!
The instant Woojin gave the command, the wolves kicked off the ground and bolted forward. The speed was insane. The surrounding scenery warped and stretched like pulled taffy.
Fierce winds clawed relentlessly at their faces. Rolang let out a groan.
"Ugh, my eyes are gonna pop out at this rate!"
The wind kept stabbing at his eyes. Rolang hurriedly summoned divinity to shield them. Golden light flared in his eyes like flames.
Woojin was quietly impressed. A Holy Knight riding a wolf, with glowing golden eyes.
'...Kinda cool.'
But inefficient. He'd waste divinity every time he rode like this.
'Gonna need to get some goggles later.'
He made a mental note.
The wolves were so fast they reached the Troll city in no time.
"Good work."
Woojin fed each wolf a hefty chunk of jerky, then followed Rolang's lead toward the meeting site.
Soon, an odd sight came into view.
A massive wooden table sat in the city square. Seated around it were the Troll and Naga delegations. The atmosphere didn't look friendly at a glance.
The Trolls sat with arms crossed, glaring at the delegates like they wanted to devour them. The Nagas, meanwhile, showed no reaction, their faces blank.
The mood was icy. Naturally, the human representative seated with them, Cecilia, looked uncomfortable, like she was sitting on pins.
"......"
Poor Cecilia fidgeted restlessly, scanning the mood, until she spotted Woojin and waved frantically. She looked desperate for help.
Woojin took the empty seat beside her without hesitation. Eyes turned their way.
"......Everyone here now?"
A Naga with dark blue scales spoke. His voice hissed like a snake. His attendant beside him immediately translated via sign language.
Trolls and Nagas had different languages, as did all the native Demonic Realm races. To communicate, they relied on sign language for diplomacy.
Thanks to learning it, humans like Cecilia could join these talks.
—Our side's all here.
"Same here."
Cecilia signed as much. Knartash nodded in agreement. It seemed they'd all been waiting for Woojin.
The tripartite negotiations began.
"No need for warm greetings... Best to get straight to the point."
Knartash spoke, and gateway keeper Logar signed the translation. The Naga delegates nodded.
"Agreed. It's the efficient choice. But before we start..."
The Naga turned to look at them. Slitted pupils typical of reptiles. His chilling gaze swept over Woojin and Cecilia.
"......I'd like an explanation about them. New faces. Where are they from?"
"The south. From lands where the shadows are thin."
"A minor power, then."
The distant south, where shadows grew faint—powers there were weak, or so the Demonic Realm natives believed.
The Naga delegate continued.
"An alliance with such a minor power won't reclaim your territory. Join us. We'll provide troops."
In exchange for suitable tribute from the Trolls, the Nagas would lend their army.
Knartash snorted derisively.
"'Suitable tribute'? Your demands are excessive. Handing over thirty percent of our old lands makes us a vassal state."
"An overstatement."
Dismissing it, the Naga pressed on.
"By our standards, it's a fair offer. If opinions differ, we negotiate a compromise."
If they balked at ceding land, other tribute could substitute. That's why the Naga delegates had come to Troll territory.
"Five hundred beast inner cores. In exchange, a thousand of our warriors. So proposes the King of the Scaled Ones."
Provide beast cores, get equivalent troops. The unexpected proposal made Knartash blink.
Woojin stroked his chin thoughtfully.
'The terms... are too good.'
Five hundred beast inner cores.
A tall order, but Trolls were master hunters. If every warrior hunted, they could gather that many in a month.
It accommodated their side. Uncharacteristic for Nagas, so a wary Knartash probed further.
"No other conditions? You wouldn't lend troops so freely."
"None. We simply wish to drive these revolting flesh-things from our lands."
Once Trolls reclaimed their territory, Abomination forces would weaken accordingly.
The Naga king despised the foul Abominations. A show of sincerity from the Trolls, and he'd gladly lend troops.
The Naga elaborated.
"This alliance lasts only until you reclaim your old lands."
Nagas allied out of necessity, cutting ties once served. No exception here.
After Trolls retook their lands, Naga warriors would withdraw immediately.
"Choose. Take the Scaled One's hand, or reject it?"
The Naga finished.
Knartash pondered deeply, arms crossed. Seeing this, Woojin advised in the Troll tongue.
"Can't decide right away. Ask for time to think."
"......True enough."
Knartash nodded readily.
Logar signed the message. As if expected, the Naga rose without protest.
"Call us once decided."
The Naga delegates departed with their escorts toward the city outskirts. Once out of sight...
Knartash cut straight to it.
"What scheme are those bastards plotting?"
"Who knows..."
Woojin fell into thought.
Nagas were cunning.
They rarely lied outright, but never told the full truth. They were hiding something.
Cecilia signed her thoughts.
—Maybe sending troops to scout our situation and intel?
Nagas waged wars to expand. But mutant Abominations had disrupted that.
Backing Trolls for a northern campaign offered advantages.
Cull Abomination numbers, observe Troll and Church Alliance deployments, terrain, strategies. Useful for future conquests.
Plausible they'd support for such gains, but...
"......That's not all."
Something felt off.
Woojin voiced it, prompting Knartash—who'd been deep in thought—to ask.
"Why think that?"
"Doesn't add up. Nagas have taken heavy losses from Abominations too. No reason to hand over troops so readily."
Not long ago, eight hundred Naga Abominations targeted the northern line.
Trolls repelled them easily, but that many Nagas turning Abomination meant their front was crumbling.
'Naga territory is vast.'
Defending it required even more troops. With their own noses barely above water, lending a thousand made no sense.
There had to be more. Woojin crossed his arms, pondering.
'Why lend troops at all?'
Troop support...
A memory surfaced: old news from Earth.
'...When war broke out in Europe, neighbors rushed to supply weapons.'
He hadn't understood at first. If war hit next door, shouldn't you stockpile for yourself?
But soon he realized his shortsightedness.
'Better to fight a great foe on someone else's land than yours.'
War ravaged regions, killed masses. Best to arm others, end it afar.
Applying that here...
"......Are Nagas afraid of war on their own soil?"
Woojin muttered. Knartash chuckled.
"Ridiculous... Scaled ones don't fear war."
Nagas reveled in conquest.
Trolls had long suffered repelling them. Totalitarians, they charged heedless of life for their tribe's glory.
'Knartash is right. Nagas don't fear war.'
But they feared something.
'......Old Ones.'
Monsters from beyond rifts.
Even elite warriors struggled against them, barely driving them off.
Hundreds of Naga Abominations. The delegates. It all pointed one way.
'A Dragon Abomination hit the Nagas hard.'
They'd suffered greatly. Lending troops diverted the Dragon Abomination's attention.
If Trolls pushed north and raided Abomination bases, the Dragon would pivot to them first.
He shared the theory. Knartash shook her head in disbelief.
"Damn salamanders... plotting the same cheap trick again. What now?"
"Help them."
"The ones trying to screw us?"
"No other choice."
Couldn't ignore Nagas. If the Dragon devoured them, its army would swell.
But not for free.
"Let's toy with those bastards a bit."
"......Sounds good."
Woojin and the Troll queen grinned.