Chapter 416: A Long Tongue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 416: A Long Tongue
“Choi Seulgi didn’t look too happy.”
“Well, the meeting yesterday didn’t go well, so that’s a natural reaction.”
“No, it’s different from that. I wonder if something happened. Perhaps you did something you shouldn’t have…”
“Of course not.”
“She hasn’t shown herself since we had that meal together…”
“This is the North, isn’t it? She must have things to prepare in advance.”
“Something definitely happened… If you have something weighing on your conscience, you’d better confess right now.”
“I truly have nothing on my mind.”
At Jang Ye Ri’s words, I shook my head as if I had no idea what she was talking about. It was true that Choi Seulgi was in a bad mood, but it couldn’t be because of me. The culprits were undoubtedly those bastards in the West. The last thing I heard was in American, so I was sure I was right. As I feigned ignorance, Jang Ye Ri looked at me suspiciously and spoke.
“It’s not the first or second time you’ve made a mistake, so I won’t press it, but…”
“I didn’t think that was the image I had…”
“It’s a joke.”
Jang Ye Ri’s jokes were, as always, chilling. As I needlessly swallowed, I heard her voice from my side once more.
“Anyway, what are you planning to do? If the North decides not to join us…”
“Regardless of the North’s choice, we will fight. The other Green Skins probably want the same. And you…”
“We of the East feel the same.”
Jang Ye Ri nodded and began to walk. She didn’t look like someone on the verge of a great war. It was proof of her confidence.
However, I didn’t think a situation where the North and we didn’t fight together would ever happen. If what I said yesterday had struck a chord in Han So-Hye’s heart, she might make a completely different choice than she did in the first meeting.
“The Queen of the East, Jang Ye Ri, and the Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins, Blood Dagger, are now entering.”
Hearing the words of an unknown guard, Jang Ye Ri and I entered the conference room together. Alisha, who I’d been wondering about, was already seated with the other elves. I wasn’t sure if the human’s warning not to be late had gotten to her, but she was already chatting with the people next to her.
As the queen of the elves who had just taken her first step into society, it was understandable that some humans would want to establish a connection with her.
Since she had never shown any incompetence, I thought she might have left the impression that she could be trusted.
“Is it possible to have an exclusive trade agreement with us…?”
“We will let you know after an internal discussion.”
“Please keep us in mind.”
I could hear the voices of others talking with Alisha.
Choi Seulgi was looking at me with a strange expression. At that, Jang Ye Ri glanced at me, and I instinctively averted my gaze. Coincidentally, my eyes landed on Han So-Hye’s face. She seemed to have a dazed expression.
‘I thought it would stick, but…’
I had expected my words from yesterday to have an impact on her, but the problem was that they seemed to have struck deeper than I thought.
I hadn’t said those things with any intention of seducing Han So-Hye, so I let out a small sigh. The slightly better news was that the atmosphere on the North’s side didn’t seem bad. To be precise, the expressions of the so-called military officers, including the North Knight, looked fine. As I took my seat, Han So-Hye’s expression also began to return to her usual self.
‘Not bad eyes.’
Her eyes were much better than yesterday. The fact that she was no longer glancing at others for their reactions was an undeniable, major achievement.
Even though everyone was seated, the atmosphere was somewhat unsettled. When Choi Seulgi shifted slightly, everyone’s attention focused on her.
“Ah. Since everyone is here, let’s begin our discussion once more.”
And so, the meeting began again.
“As expected…”
“So you’re saying…”
Various conversations could be heard, but they didn’t really register. Time passed in a rather calm atmosphere. However, it didn’t take long for that atmosphere to change. That man from yesterday threw out a topic that was bound to become an issue.
“It’s a bit uncomfortable that some, though not all, of you here seem to desperately want a war. Debating whether or not to go to war is an extremely draining argument. Right now, rather than discussing this topic, it seems more important to discuss how we can reach an agreement with them.”
[If that bastard happens to die, you can assume I did it.]
[It could also be Choi Seulgi’s doing.]
I responded to Jang Ye Ri’s jest with a joke of my own.
“Isn’t it even more absurd to negotiate a crime that hasn’t been committed?”
“I wouldn’t call it a crime, but what is currently happening in the East is…”
“I’m curious as to why you think that is the East’s crime.”
“I said it wasn’t a crime.”
As expected, as soon as the man finished speaking, voices erupted from all over. His last statement was like pouring oil on a fire. The quiet hall instantly heated up, which was only natural. It was hard to tell if the goal was to make a decision or to continue a draining debate.
I glanced at Han So-Hye. I wasn’t expecting any particular action from her, but it was hard to believe that the people currently chattering away represented the will of the North.
I raised the corner of my mouth slightly and continued.
“‘Immediately release the Japanese in the East and open the Eastern continent. As the victims of the East desire protection, we formally request a path be made from the West to the East for our passage.’ This is the first article.”
“…”
“‘The Queen of Garia in the East and the Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins must officially admit and apologize for their crimes immediately after releasing the Japanese. We formally request that they provide appropriate reparations for their wrongdoings through the Western Clan Alliance.’ This is the second article.”
As I, who had been quiet until now, muttered this, everyone started looking at me.
“The third is a request that the Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins, Blood Dagger, and his wife, the Queen of the East, Jang Ye Ri, receive just punishment through the West immediately after admitting their guilt. The fourth is a request that the East officially hand over the elves they are detaining and confining to the West, following the path created by the second article.”
“That is…”
“Even a fool can see that they want to fight. I don’t understand if you’re pretending not to know or if you truly don’t know. They shout about opening the East and, under the pretext of protection, they intend to control the elves themselves. No, at this point, it would be more accurate to say they intend to ‘protect’ the continent.”
I scanned my surroundings once before continuing.
“‘We will protect you.’ To those without power, those words sound incredibly appealing. However, our race, at the very least, is not so weak as to crawl beneath others. They are the ones who have committed the offense. Requesting a path, requesting a continent, and requesting the people who live there. This is a request for the path we opened with our blood, a request for the continent where we will live, and a request for the friends with whom we will live.”
“That’s an over-interpretation. The terms of the treaty can always be…”
“We enjoy the struggle. Nevertheless, the reason I am here now is that I respected you, who have fought alongside us all this time. I respected the warriors of the North and the warriors of the East, who have shed blood together and live on this continent together. They have the right to decide. To decide whether to shed blood together once more or to have a longer period of peace.”
“…”
“But this is a little strange. Those who have never shed blood are debating whether or not blood should be shed.”
A few of them were struck dumb. It wasn’t so much that I had hit a nerve, but rather that they seemed overwhelmed by the subtle aura emanating from me.
“This is an ultimatum. I am not foolish enough to grant a path through the land we earned with our blood. They do not understand us properly. To yield to such people would be an insult to the countless Green Skins who have shed their blood on this earth for ages, and it can never be called an honorable act. I don’t care about the outcome of this meeting. We will choose to fight.”
“If you could decide as you please, there would have been no reason to hold this meeting, Lord Blood Dagger.”
I let the man’s words slide. This time, Alisha spoke up.
“We elves will also lend our strength, however meager it may be. I know these kinds of people very well. The Japanese who stormed our kingdom were just like them. We are not foolish enough to experience the same thing twice.”
“We will fight as well,” Jang Ye Ri muttered.
Naturally, the situation was bound to become uncomfortable. As the leaders of three factions spoke out, those who opposed the war grew quite desperate.
“This is not a matter that can be decided so easily.”
“Let’s just say we’ve decided after careful consideration.”
“We of the North…”
“That was the fifth article. ‘We formally request that the North, which has allied with the East, not interfere in this matter.’ You are free to follow their words. Even if the North backs out of this, we have no intention of blaming you, of course.”
“…”
I had nothing more to say. I felt quite refreshed.
A loud murmuring erupted, centered around the Northern cabinet members. Jang Ye Ri, looking annoyed, scrunched her face and covered her ears with magic. It felt like I was watching a scene from Earth.
Just as the murmuring grew into a clamor, Han So-Hye finally spoke.
“We, too, will help our allies.”
“The nation has only just found its footing.”
“There will be no reversal. We will help them. He is right. Those who have not shed blood have no right to speak of peace. You are all what one might call capable subjects. You know things I do not and have contributed to the development of this place. However, the position you now hold was built upon countless struggles and blood. It is a peace forged through many battles, from the old wars with the Green Skins to the fight against the undead.”
“This choice will be the one that shatters that peace again. If it were just a matter of providing supplies…”
“Countless Green Skins and warriors of the East have died. Many of our comrades lost their lives to protect these walls from the undead. It is our turn to answer the blood they shed. I did not say everyone must fight. I have simply decided that I will fight now.”
“This is not something you can decide alone…”
“I made it clear that I have decided to fight. I do not care if those who are unwilling leave.”
Having finished, Han So-Hye let out a quiet sigh. The expressions of those who had been debating with her turned utterly dumbfounded. This was likely an unprecedented situation. No monarch governed in this manner. Finally, one of them muttered.
Clearly.
It was very clearly laced with hostility. It sounded like a threat, and it sounded incredibly insolent.
“There is no leader without citizens. There is no king without subjects. What do you plan to do after making such a choice?”
Before Han So-Hye could even open her mouth, Choi Seulgi rose slightly at the muttered words.
“That fucking son of a bitch sure has a long tongue.”
It was a statement worthy of her.