The tension between them was thick enough to be cut with a sword. They stared at each other, red eyes against red eyes. The First General’s aura surged and the pressure around him increased.
But still, Vacuse did not look away.
He smiled slowly and continued to rub the head of the monster. "Slumping Dragon and crouching Giant."
"What?" the First General asked, his eyes like hot coal.
Vacuse shrugged. "We are the slumbering Dragon. The Giant is the Empire. And they both turn in the same direction."
The First General understood his meaning and grunted.
The Empire is the Empire, and it is powerful, while the Orcs are not as united as before.
If the Warbine attacked the Empire, then there was no doubt that they would be crushed. Then the other High Clans would band together to fight the Empire and reap the benefits the Warbine left behind.
That was the same thing that was happening with the Vorrakyn and the Western Region.
But the question is... what if the High Clans have united without others knowing?
Vacuse knew there was a lot going on in the background, but that said, he could only focus on his own plan.
The First General looked at him for a long time. "You will be the next Dragon Lord? You will be a difficult one."
Vacuse bowed. "Thank you for the high praises!"
The First General looked away from him and focused on Ragna. "You should rest and wash. A large banquet has been prepared for your return.
"Take care of our guests as well."
Things moved fast from there.
Vacuse noticed that the Elders did not say anything, and his suspicions and assessments from earlier were true.
The Elders were the facade through which Ragna controlled things. But it seemed he was sharing power with the First General. Things were more complicated than he thought.
But he was not worried as they were led away.
Captain Valka personally took them into the large building and gave them an entire wing to themselves, where they could even set up defensive positions and all sorts to guard their heir.
"Uncle. What do you think?" Ragna asked.
He was still outside at the platform, but now he was sitting in the middle chair while his uncle occupied the other one. The Elders were long gone.
The uncle turned to him and snorted. "I thought of killing him at least eleven times during the time we talked. I do not like him. While so down, he looks down on things as if he is standing on a giant."
Ragna smiled ruefully. "He is a Dragon."
The First General was silent for a long time. "I wish this was the era where the Vorrakyn were actually powerful, then I would have ground my axe against their scales.
"But we must make do with what is available. Ragna, we cannot make use of him. He is too smart, and he looks like one who plots."
Ragna’s eyes glittered. "He is such a person. And I think he should not be allowed to grow. He should never be the Dragon Lord or the Grand Duke!"
The First General did not say anything, but his silence contained a lot, and after a while, he smiled. "Then... we should send our men to the Vorrakyn as they want, right?"
Ragna snorted. "Then allow him to play some games with them! I want to see that smirk and smug expression fade away into fear and terror!"
At the same time, Vacuse was having a conversation with Captain Valka.
The fact that the Elders were in the First General’s fortress meant that they had no intention of accepting Vacuse’s proposal.
Naturally and generally speaking,
What should have happened when Vacuse and his diplomatic group arrived and sat at the negotiating table was for the Orcs to push for extreme payments before they offered their help, or to outright reject him.
But Vacuse knew it was not going to happen.
And there was only one reason for that.
’... someone from the Western Region must be working with the Orcs. Someone who can smooth things over with the Emperor or at least make things stable after the Vorrakyn are destroyed...’
’... in short, I walked into a one-way destruction trap...’
"Captain Valka, why do you not wait for a bit instead of just going away like that?"
Captain Valka looked at him stiffly, his face stern. He knew what Vacuse was trying to do, or at least guessed. That said, he also knew about what was to happen to the diplomatic group, so his expression was aloof.
"I have to return and attend my lord." Captain Valka’s hand tightened on his sword.
But Vacuse was stubborn. "Captain Valka, I have read a lot about you as well as carried out my investigations. Oh, and for Ragna too."
Captain Valka’s expression turned chilly. "If you know so much about me, then you will know that what you are doing is useless."
But Vacuse continued. "I found it strange. Orcs value family so much, and yet there is nothing about your parents, let alone your extended family. It seems as if you appeared one day and that is it."
Valka’s expression turned vicious immediately. The topic was a big pain to him, and he did not like talking about it. The Warbine ruling family said they picked him from a war front.
All his life, he did not even know the warmth of a family. But at least he had Ragna. His face completely turned expressionless. "What has this to do with you?"
Vacuse shrugged. "What if I tell you I know about your family? I can tell you where they are and who they are."
He stilled immediately, his hand tightening on his sword. "I know what you are trying to do. You want to find a way to turn me against my lord, do you not? This must be some kind of plot that is going to relate to that!"
Vacuse stared at him for a long time. "I hope you really can make the right choice when the time is right."