6kv Chapter 211: Three possible reasons why
Chapter 211: Three possible reasons why
"If so, what other options do you have to offer?"
Etaria's question was as desirable as it was inconvenient. For this was not yet the time for me to reveal my hand.
"Your majesty, allow me a quick tangent before I answer your inquiry," I spoke while bowing my head a little.
Now that I was within the princess' sight, I had to put an emphasis on my presence. This direct approach was my only or most likely shot at forcing my way into the discussion of two people who were far beyond being my equals.
'For the time being, that is,' I thought, allowing a small hint of a smirk to pull the corners of my mouth up.
"You see, princess, I'm more of a man of a business rather than a man of a sword. And it pains me to no end to see how this situation is on the bring from turning away from logic in favor to political fervor."
I locked eyes with Etaria, trying to ignore the immense pressure emanating from her golden irises.
"If we look at the situation we are in from an army general's point of view, then we will be both certain we can win. But while I mentioned that I would kill all of you, it should be pretty obvious it would come at a great cost to me too. A cost I would rather not bear."
I took a deep breath to calm my emotions down.
There was no use getting fired up over my own ideas. Even if I did my best to come up with scenarios that were both fair and plausible, plans had the tendency to grow obsolete upon the first contact with the other side.
"I'm a simple man of a coin. And killing you all simply brings me no benefit and comes at a great cost," my lips quivered as I imagined the sort of stuff I would have to dabble if a time came for me to put money where my mouth was. "And don't get me wrong, if I judge that the cost of killing you all will be lesser than the cost of other options, I will be sure to go through with it."
Over and over again, I put as much of an emphasis on "killing them all" as I could. Because whenever I mentioned it, I always brought my thoughts back to the image of nuclear discharge.
I took a step forward to the displeasure and burst of anxiety of the knights standing in silence behind their princess's back.
"This kind of cost means that there's something in the forest that the Emperor himself is set on getting his hands on. Alternatively, there's money to be made by conquering the forest, money much greater than what you had to spend to amass all those troops."
I took a short breath, happy to include this pause in the flow of the discussion.
After all, the third possibility was distinctively different from the other two.
The first option appealed to the Emperor's greed. The second one appealed to the Empire's greed. And the third one...
"Finally, there might be some reason that forces the empire to bear all those costs, all the effort necessary to raise all those armies..."
I took another pause before closing my eyes and keeping them shut for a few more moments. Then, as I opened them up, I looked Etaria straight in the eyes before allowing the corner of my mouth to twitch and then move up a little bit.
"A reason that's as existential for the empire's well-being as massive is the cost of pursuing it," I finally revealed the last of my thoughts... And then I allowed my smile to grow as I turned my head and threw a sideways glance at Claudy.
"Tell me, does this kind of scenario strike a cord in your soul?" I asked while prying that my deduction was, at least, more or less on the point. "Because I've heard an awful lot of some sort of a great battle at Lunagar fortress. A battle that was supposed to bring an end to the era of the imperial conflicts..."
I turned my eyes back to the princess and batted my eyelashes at her while putting on the cutest yet, at the same time, most shrewd smile my mouth was capable of producing.
"Only for the empire to double its military efforts and send the greatest army ever assembled out... To subjugate a meaningless place. To conquer those who still stood defiant..."
Once again and for the last time, I took a short pause. And from the slight movements of Etaria's muscles, I could guess I was somewhat nearing the point she was awfully familiar with.
"Or to simply keep up the ruse of still having some enemies left to conquer."