Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Continental Summit
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The First Prince is a dog whelped by a tiger.
The First Prince is no emperor material.
The orc ministers, who had seen his true colors since childhood, all chimed in with that assessment.
But hilariously enough, the power currently gripping continental hegemony was none other than the First Prince in name and fact.
No matter that it took four years, the one who ultimately beat the Second Prince was the First Prince.
Was it heaven taking pity on his incompetence, so unlike the emperor?
Luck followed everything the First Prince did, and every threat always veered away from him.
'Heaven's fortune rides with me.'
Having slain his most dangerous foe, all that remained was to properly establish a great empire.
The emboldened First Prince now aimed to turn that blade toward the North and the East.
'War, Your Majesty!'
But his smooth sailing ended there.
An utterly unexpected place and person doused him with oil on the fire.
The Third Prince, who had waged wars great and small against the elf kingdom, had finally crossed the ultimate taboo and touched the pointy-ears' sanctuary.
'Murder of elf royalty.'
No matter how distant the branch line, royalty was royalty. Killing noble blood was on an entirely different level from harming some random elf noble.
As the saying goes, it was an incident that shook the foundations of the elf kingdom's rigid class society. What ruler would stand idly by?
Naturally, the queen and nobles were outraged, setting aside old grudges before their common enemy.
The elf kingdom, sunk in long slumber since the Immortal King's death, had finally roused its massive frame.
'You idiot!'
For the First Prince, it was enough to drive him mad.
He'd never dreamed the Third Prince—planted as a buffer since he seemed disinterested in hegemony—would stab him in the back like this.
How long could a mere warlord faction hold out against an awakened hidden dragon?
Once the Third Prince fell, the next target was obviously the First Prince himself, sharing a border.
This was no longer someone else's problem.
He needed to buy as much time as possible until his depleted national strength fully recovered.
'Get their permission, no matter what.'
The First Prince dangled non-participation in the war as bait to draw in the elf queen, while dispatching envoys to the North and East.
Of course, the fact that the Third Prince's subjugation was the price for this aid remained a closely guarded secret.
But the First Prince, who had accidentally ended the civil war, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
In the Great Hall thronged with countless orcs.
The First Prince, his once-thick jowls now much leaner, asked the Third Prince in a hollow tone.
"Just one question, little brother. Why did you have to kill that elf royal?"
"Because she was beautiful. I wanted to stuff and mount her."
"......You're a mad bastard too."
Tragically, the Third Prince had inherited the emperor's prowess not in martial might, but in an incurable disease beyond any medicine's cure.
Irony of fate, indeed.
'Peace.' 'Conference.'
Words that didn't suit this continent at all. What peace could there be between races that had slain humans since the dawn of fire?
A hundred out of a hundred, it had to be a scheme to drag us out or bait laced with a trap.
Snow-Covered dismissed the letter and proposal without a second thought, deeming them unworthy of reply.
But the First Prince overturned all expectations once more by sending yet another diplomatic envoy.
The bastard who had viewed humans as mere insects was now pleading rather than proposing.
'Hoping for a decision in the name of peace.'
No matter how many times she reread it, the words stayed the same.
As if desperate to prove there was no trap, the First Prince left the venue and all conditions up to us—his sworn enemies—to decide.
An unprecedented bold move in history.
At this point, we were more curious about why he craved this summit so badly than whatever scheming lay in his heart.
Because the First Prince was a pacifist?
No—everyone knew he was an imbecile.
Because there was no reason to fight?
No, for continental hegemony, sustained war was an inevitable choice.
In the end, the cause was some external shift.
After huddling for over half a day, we arrived at one conclusion.
"Something's up with the pointy-ears."
The most realistic variable we could imagine right now was solely the elves.
If not some clash between them, there'd be no reason for the First Prince's urgency.
"War or whatever, it can't be a welcome situation. He knows what it means to split his fronts in two."
The elf kingdom's national power rivaled the orc empire.
The First Prince couldn't afford to divide his lines when even staking everything he had wouldn't suffice.
In the end, placating us was his main goal.
It was a truly revolting moment for the First Prince, who only preached peace when it suited him.
"Then why the Elf Queen? Facing each other can't be pleasant for them either."
But one question lingered.
The Elf Queen's baffling decision to attend in person, even stamping her seal on it.
"Right—no reason for her to bother showing up."
Whatever sparked the hostilities, a united elven front just needed to fight well.
For foes on all sides, a summit of monarchs held no meaning anyway.
What on earth did she want? We wouldn't know until we saw it with our own eyes.
In the end, we could only turn to the Knight King seated upon his throne for his decision.
Snow-Covered spoke up.
"They're all vile, cowardly, despicable scum. I don't want to trust them."
"Quite right, Your Majesty."
"But the shifting tides are undeniable fact. We must act accordingly."
Stagnant waters freeze.
The Knight King Snow-Covered, who had learned that lesson from hard experience, commanded in a resolute voice.
"Reply like this: If you truly desire peace, we'll grant it. But bear in mind the summit will convene before the White Gate."
For us, it was a conference with nothing to lose.
Like a parched man digging a well, Snow-Covered had invited our enemies right before the beast of the North.
How dignified, how bold.
The Gray Wolf burst into laughter, delighted, and the Prime Minister bowed his head with a smile.
Escorts kept minimal, venue at the gate.
The letter penned in the king's own hand was duly delivered alongside the trembling orc envoys.
And a month passed, with replies from all monarchs confirming full attendance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
The fully armed Northern Army marched toward the White Gate amid massive drumbeats.
Of course, the Eastern Army led by King Richard emerged onto the plains right on schedule as promised.
The Steel Alliance filled the plains before the gate, bristling with eagerness to charge.
Gone was the old force riddled with shortages—now only elite troops held the line.
But alas, there was no war today.
Snow-Covered and the heroes ordered the vast alliance forces to stand off at a distance, then spurred their deer toward the meeting pavilion at the plain's center.
"Knight King, Your Majesty!"
Clop! Clop! Clop!
A glad voice rang out in reply.
King Richard and his retinue, with whom we'd only exchanged letters until now, spurred their mounts and raced toward us first upon spotting our group.
How long had it been since we'd seen face to face?
Snow-Covered, now a proper queen of an allied realm, and Richard exchanged courteous greetings.
"How have you been faring, King Richard?"
"I've missed my brothers every day. It's truly a joy to meet like this again."
Just as Snow-Covered had blossomed into a fine lady, Richard had grown into a sturdy man.
Merely four years had passed—why did everyone grow so fast?
I swung down from my saddle in haste and strode toward Richard, who couldn't hide his delight.
He dismounted too and came running, shouting the old title without a second thought.
"Captain!"
We clasped hands as we had in the knight order days, then bumped shoulders.
Richard, dignity be damned, already had tears moistening his eyes.
"Why'd you leave like that back then? You should've given us a chance to repay you!"
"I've been repaid plenty."
Proving my judgment true, Richard had become an excellent king.
Not only had he fully repaired the war's ravages, he'd turned the East into a prosperous realm.
Small wonder the saying went: All gold and steel must pass through Scream Canyon.
The North had gained a staunch blood ally right next door—that was repayment enough.
"Hm."
Familiar faces appeared right on cue.
I exchanged nods with Helena, soon to be queen, and Knight Order Captain Ronald, then wrapped up the joyful reunion with Richard.
Now, time for the summit venue.
Remounted, we shared intelligence on the ride there.
"Last night, we spotted an elf grand fleet off Sodom's western seas. They'll likely have landed at the mainland port across the way by early dawn."
"Must've looped around the southern seas."
Just then, Northern spies confirmed orc armies mobilizing on the central continent.
Thus, all were verified inbound: the First Prince, Third Prince, and Elf Queen.
Who'd have thought they'd come here in person.
We, who'd harbored some skepticism, pressed on across the plains.
"Here."
As the appointed spot drew near, my sharpened senses issued a cautious warning.
A considerable expert lurked nearby.
"- - - - - - - -."
A round table set in the plain's midst.
There sat the kings and high command from each nation, wordless, some hundred meters from their guards.
"Wait here, please."
"......Take care, Your Majesty."
Only three per monarch could approach the summit table: Snow-Covered with me and the Prime Minister; Richard with Helena and Ronald.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The Northern and Eastern parties dismounted and walked toward the table under every eye, announcing their arrival for the continental summit.
"Thanks for attending, East King and Knight King."
"Hm."
"············."
The first to speak was the First Prince, decked out in ornate golden armor and finery.
Beside the haughty Third Prince sat the Elf Queen alone on the opposite side.
No greetings exchanged, naturally.
Snow-Covered and Richard simply pulled out chairs and sat. I stood behind them, dropping my right hand to be ready to draw at any moment.
Any funny business, and we'd all plunge to hell together.
I pinned down the swirling auras around us with killing intent, glaring at each of them in turn.
Ahem, ahem.
The initial stares traded were already lethal.
Sensing the awkwardness, the First Prince cleared his throat lightly.
"Due to my own failings, it seems rifts have deepened between fellow monarchs. I hope this gathering clears misunderstandings and becomes a step toward peace···."
"Shut your trap and pull your armies back from the front lines, First Prince. Are your eyes in your ass? We had a clear agreement—why aren't you honoring it?"
"Wh-what·····!"
The Elf Queen cut in before he finished, unleashing curses without hesitation.
The First Prince flushed beet-red, while the Third Prince—hit right in the vitals—twisted his face in fury.
"You crazy pointy-ear bitch!"
A war between the two sides was clearly afoot.
I barely suppressed the amusement flickering across my face and quietly met the Prime Minister's eyes.
'Perfect opening.'
'Agreed. Drag this out as long as possible.'
"···Pointy-ears? You're the mad one here. Today I'll slice off that useless filth so you never bother anyone again."
Unlike the old 2-on-2 days of the Knight King era, hostile relations were now tangling into a complex web.
Recognizing this too as a gift from Mother North, I reset the board in my mind.