Chapter 74

A Brief Respite (3)

Leohu stood rooted to the spot, glaring at me with a clenched fist that trembled visibly.

She seemed to be hesitating, her pride preventing her from returning to her seat as I had suggested.

I leaned back in my chair and spoke again.

"If you have no intention of continuing the conversation, you are free to leave."

"......"

But even for her, the threat of losing her position as a ruler was daunting.

She gritted her teeth and slowly returned to her seat.

"Are you... threatening me now?"

As you can see.

I didn’t respond, instead pondering my next words. I hadn’t called her here with a specific plan in mind.

What should I do? Should I press her further, or...

"If the Grand Ruler learns the truth, do you think you will be safe?"

While I was thinking, Leohu spoke first.

Caught off guard by her counter-threat, I blinked and looked at her.

"You’ve already killed the Sixth Ruler and severely weakened the power of the same ruler. If the Grand Ruler learns of this, he will certainly not let you off easily."

Oh... so that’s how it is.

Of course, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

The rulers are the greatest power in Caldric, and even if I hadn’t killed the Sixth Ruler, significantly weakening such a major power was still a grave offense.

I couldn’t guarantee that the Grand Ruler would not hold me responsible if he learned the truth.

'But what’s the point.'

From the start, this was a problem where the risks for each of us were completely unbalanced.

Unlike me, Leohu was now putting on a show of bravado with a threat that was far from credible. The one in a desperate position was her, not me.

I stood up and said,

"Then shall I go inform the Grand Ruler of the truth right now?"

Leohu jumped to her feet in alarm.

"Just a moment!"

An awkward silence fell.

I smirked and sat back down. She had essentially admitted that the situation was to her disadvantage.

Realizing she had been toyed with, her pointed ears turned bright red as she glared at me. There was a sense of despair in her eyes now.

"You, you despicable human...!"

"......"

"You must have planned this from the beginning, intending to extinguish my spirit. Do you have no honor or pride? How can a ruler resort to such base and dirty threats?"

Suddenly, she’s talking about honor.

I replied with a disinterested face.

"Well, who else but someone who, after losing a duel, comes here making a fuss?"

"......What, what fuss?"

"Who was the one who clung to a trivial matter after the conclusion was already reached? Who was the one who proposed the duel in the first place?"

"......"

"Moreover, that blow was meant to kill me. Do you not think you should take responsibility for your actions and keep blaming others? Now I understand what the other rulers meant. You’re just like a child throwing a tantrum."

As I spoke harshly, she stared at me blankly.

"Don’t joke. What do you know... Even if you did kill him, you killed him..."

Her voice faltered, but it was clear my words had struck a chord. She slumped back into her seat, defeated.

I clicked my tongue and said,

"Second Ruler."

"......"

"From now on, don’t make such ridiculous threats or look at me with those annoying eyes."

She glared at me with eyes full of anger and resentment.

"Your words make no sense."

But after a moment, she turned her head away, her eyelids trembling. It was a last show of pride, but it only made her look pitiful.

I sighed inwardly and looked at her, who was breathing heavily.

So angry that blood was trickling from her tightly clenched lips.

'Really, this is frustrating.'

Of course, from her perspective, it was a natural reaction.

Having lost so much power and now being threatened, it was understandable.

How often does a ruler experience such humiliation while in their position?

I had made it clear who was in charge, but this didn’t solve the fundamental problem.

For now, her anger had subsided, but the resentment and hostility towards me would only grow, not diminish.

I wondered if I should have just let it go and dealt with it later, but now that it had come to this, I needed to tie up the loose ends properly.

There seemed to be two options.

One was to completely crush her so she couldn’t even lift her head.

'But that’s too extreme.'

While the position of a ruler is a powerful bargaining chip, I didn’t have control over her life.

Pushing her to the brink could make her, with her strong sense of pride, explode.

'And the other option is...'

After a good beating, it’s time to offer a carrot.

I had something in mind.

Spirits, while a racial trait of elves, are natural entities and can be seen through their spirit magic.

In the game, spirits were sometimes encountered as monsters to hunt, allies in the story, or enemies.

Among them, there were thunder spirits like the ones Leohu controlled, and there was even a great spirit as powerful as Laxia.

If she could find and successfully contract with that spirit, she might regain her former power.

'Honestly, I don’t know if that spirit can be contracted...'

Because in the game, it was a boss that needed to be defeated, not a gentle spirit that would contract with anyone.

But the fact that it exists is undeniable.

The mere possibility would be more than enough to dangle as a carrot.

"I know of a place where a great thunder spirit, as powerful as Laxia, resides."

Leohu, who had been seething, was startled and turned to look at me.

"......What did you say?"

"If you continue to maintain that attitude, our conversation ends here. Go back."

She spoke urgently.

"What do you mean by my attitude? Keep talking."

She had been subtly radiating hostility, but now it was completely gone.

"As I said, I know of a place where a thunder spirit, as powerful as Laxia, resides."

I repeated, and her eyes widened.

"And I was considering telling you about it."

"Lie. How can I believe you?"

"If you don’t believe me, then don’t."

I crossed my arms. The disappointment was hers.

"But do you really need to extend such kindness to someone who is so hostile? What do you think?"

"......"

"Answer me, Second Ruler. Or our conversation ends here."

She looked at me with a mix of doubt and hope.

After a moment of deep contemplation, she finally closed her eyes and said,

"I’m... sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me."

I inwardly chuckled at her apology.

Seeing her suddenly become so submissive, it was clear how important the spirit was to her.

I was momentarily curious about how her expression would change if I suddenly said it was a lie, but I resisted the urge.

"So tell me. Where is this spirit?"

"Will a single apology be enough?"

"......Ugh."

Her expression twisted again.

"So, you do have something you want from me. You really are... "

"No, I don’t have anything specific in mind."

I paused.

"I just don’t feel the need to hand over such valuable information. Think about it, what reason do I have to do so?"

"......"

"That’s why I want to observe you for a while."

Second Ruler Leohu.

Even though she has lost a lot of power, she is still a 90-level entity, a significant force.

By setting this bait, I could easily call on her help when needed.

My words seemed to be interpreted as a threat, and Leohu’s face turned fierce again. She had understood correctly.

But what could she do? I knew where her important spirit was.

"If you continue to deceive me and end up not telling me anything, or if it was a lie from the start... "

I paused.

"In that case, I will swear. I swear by my name and honor."

"......"

"Surely you won’t insult me by thinking I’m lying, Second Ruler?"

In Caldric, the position of a ruler is appointed by the Grand Ruler, with no hereditary succession.

Just as the people of Sainthea believe the royal blood is sacred and their rule is natural, in Caldric, rulers are seen as supreme and inviolable. This is why the system is maintained.

Some rulers do come from powerful families, like the Kerionne family, to which Leohu belongs.

As a member of one of the oldest and most prestigious families in Caldric, her sense of pride and authority was unmatched.

By swearing by my name and honor, I was making a promise she could not break.

Of course, if things went wrong, I had no intention of keeping the promise.

"......Alright. I believe you."

Leohu reluctantly agreed.

"Then let’s end our conversation here."

I gave her a slight reprieve.

"To be honest, extinguishing your spirit was not my intention. It was a powerful blow that I had to counter to avoid being threatened."

I wanted to at least try to steer our relationship in a positive direction, even if I didn’t know if it would improve.

"......I’ll be going now."

She turned with a mix of resignation and other emotions.

Watching her slumped, weary steps, I thought,

'What use could I have for her?'

Even though she has lost some power, Leohu could still be a significant asset.

Now that I have a way to call on her help when needed, I need to think about how to use her...

'......Ah.'

A thought suddenly came to me.

Wyverns.

These rare dragon-like creatures are few in number, and one of their habitats is the Glide Mountain Range, far to the west of Caldric.

Traveling normally would take a long time, but if we rode a wyvern...

"Hey, Second Ruler."

I called her back.

She stopped and turned, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Did you ride a wyvern to get here?"

"......Why?"

"How long would it take to ride a wyvern to the Glide Mountains from here?"

She looked at me with confusion before answering.

"At least five days. Why do you ask?"

I nodded.

"Let’s move out immediately."

"......What?"

She blinked in surprise.

There was about a month left until the conference.

It was more than enough time to make the trip.