I saw the envoy for a second time the next day. I looked at him and said, “I hope you’re cognizant of your position and the current situation now. If you are now aware, then let’s discuss your surrender.”
With a totally pale face, he nodded, “There is no problem with surrendering on behalf of the North. We do not have any fighting strength left, either. However, we hope that I can obtain preferential treatment for our winged race.”
I looked at him and chuckled, “You want what? On what grounds is your winged race asking for preferential treatment? Your birds killed my bodyguard. I initially intended to exterminate your entire race after I occupied the North, yet you have the gall to ask for preferential treatment? Is your and your people’s brain still functional?”
“We were unaware of that! We are very sorry about your bodyguard’s sacrifice, but that is something that is bound to happen in war… You must believe us. We would never intentionally kill your bodyguard.”
I stood up and said, “Stop dreaming. I will give you preferential treatment. For instance, I’ll hang your corpses a little lower. How am I supposed to treat my bodyguard if I forgive you now? How am I going to convince my soldiers to obey me? I can discuss this with any race but yours, because you all must die.”
The envoy went to say something, but then immediately shut his mouth when he heard the sound of swords being unsheathed. My guards looked at him. They drew their swords after I gave them the signal.
‘I will never let those around me see me forget Philes for some minor gain. Your race killed my Philes; accordingly, there’s no way I will forgive your race. That’s impossible.’
The winged race had to die. They killed my Philes. I never intended to spare their lives. Further, they were the most vicious tribe in the North. How could I trust them after they exterminated the Moon Fox Tribe? If they could do it once, they could do a second time. There was no chance that I’d spare them.
“However, having you return empty handed isn’t such a good idea, either.”
I looked at the envoy that was ready to run and called out to him from behind. He paused, and then turned his head around to look at me with a final shred of hope. I looked at him and said, “Didn’t you say that the winged race was the true ruler of the North? Get the remaining armies to lower their weapons and surrender, then, and I’ll agree to your request.”
“But in reality, we cannot control their armies. We can only control our own tribe’s army. We have no means of controlling the armies of the three other tribes.”
“What are you going to talk to me about, then?!”
He rushed to reply, “No, wait for me to finish. Though we cannot control their armies, we can destroy their armies. We now have a supervision team that requires all other tribes to send their armies to battle. If they refuse, we have the right to use force. We can destroy their armies.”
I looked at him without speaking. He looked at me and in an insecure tone, added, “Our tribe can truly do it. At current, we have the most complete army. We were recalled from the frontlines first, so no other tribe can resist us. We hope that you can treat us as friends and make appropriate arrangements for us. That way, we can help you in taking over the North.”
I looked at him and asked, “Since you now have the strongest army, shouldn’t you stand up on behalf of the North?”
He smirked and replied, “We have already lost this war. Despite our reluctance to admit it, we, indeed, have lost already. We do not have what it takes to win. We must admit that we continued to make numerous mistakes at the start, and continuing this war would be the biggest mistake. Submitting to the strong is not shameful, is it?”
I snickered and nodded, “If you can think that way, then I don’t care. I look down on that way of thinking, but I have to admit that it is a very wise decision on your part. Show me your results. We can discuss the future if I don’t face any resistance from now until I reach the palace of the North.”
“But n(ow)-”
“I don’t want to talk to you people who killed my bodyguard anymore. You can return now before my guards kill you.”
The envoy left.
It seemed that the winged race of the North had completely given up on fighting. More accurately, the North had abandoned any ideas of fighting. The North couldn’t fight us any longer. As a politician, being able to acknowledge your mistakes and doing everything you can to reduce your losses is the most correct choice. I despise the method the winged race resorted to, but that was unquestionably the wisest course of action at present. Having said that, I’d still exterminate their race even if they did help me, as my Philes died not long ago.
‘Even if Philes rots, I will never forget how he died. I won’t forget that their people killed him. Never. I will make sure to avenge him. I will see that it happens.’
‘My campaign in the North this time was half for my nation and the other half was for vengeance, for Ling Yue’s grudge and my own.’
‘I want to occupy the North earlier, too. After I occupy it, I’ll have my own territory. This place isn’t the elves’ forest of humanity’s Royal Palace. I can do whatever I please here. I am the rule here. The Galadriel won’t allow defects, so they might do something to Lucia. Here, what I say goes. By then, I’ll be able to oppose even the Galadriel tribe.’
‘Nobody will try and come after me again. I don’t need humanity’s throne. I have my own territory. I reign supreme here. I fought for every inch of land here. This is the throne I deserve. Nobody can question me. What happened last time will not happen again.’
‘I won’t let anybody around me get hurt again. I won’t hesitate, either, if I must swing my blade or if I must create a river of blood. I don’t care how many people I have to kill or how many families I must exterminate, as long as I can protect those around me.’
‘I won’t be afraid of killing, and I won’t resist if it means that I can keep those around me safe. I won’t hesitate at all.’
‘I can turn this land into a land of blood.’
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