"Damn it! Damn it! That guy dared to butt in here and interfere with my plans somehow..."
Loud cursing was heard within the throne hall of the Garudia Kingdom. Louie, who was still in disguise as King Ivan, cussed with all his heart at the news of this sudden 'epidemic' that crippled the forces of their kingdom.
This was way too suspicious to be a simple coincidence. He knew within his heart that Feihren had something to do with all this. He could not put his finger on how he could do it right under his nose though. It was akin to being fooled by some sort of magic trick.
As if he was alone in this room spitting all these words, Louie hadn't paid any attention to the people who were at this roundtable meeting. They stared at each other dumbfoundedly as they silently rebuked this childish act of their king. Instead of properly handling the problem and tackling it from the roots, all they could hear within his angry rant is the bantering of a child-like monarch.
One of the older members of the Senate could not hold it off for any longer as he spoke up, "Your Majesty, if I may interrupt this tirade! We should plan out how to deal with these matters instead of pondering on it nonsensically!"
Another one of the members of the council added, "It would be best if we ask for help from the closest kingdoms of Omod Continent as soon as possible. We can't even launch a proper plan of attack, let alone enough forces to defend ourselves."
"Hmm yes yes, we could do that!" Louie hurriedly replied as if his memories were jogged. "Oh, how about the Draconian Empire to the North? We should ask them for assistance!"
"..."
"I think that would be a bit too much Your Majesty. What would the Draconian Empire gain if they were to help us? I mean, what would they get from lending any kind of assistance?" One of the generals immediately interrupted.
"And even more so... We should not show any weakness as of now, even more so to these 'neighboring' kingdoms within the Omod Continent. These greedy bastards would immediately swallow us whole if we let them see us like this!" One of the elders within the council added.
"..."
The room grew silent. It seems that this discussion had led to some serious issues. Not just regarding the Wolfenstein Kingdom, even the other kingdoms and empires within the same continent they were in suddenly became a threat. Luckily, none of the said kingdoms and empires was close enough to the Garudia Kingdom to become a threat too soon.
"...How about you ask for some assistance from the Bainzen Empire?" A sudden voice from an unknown source interjected as it broke the silence.
An unknown figure with a considerably tall and thin stature cloaked in bright yellow robes walked inside the throne hall as he immediately continued,
"Ah do not worry. I am not of the enemy. In fact, I am one of the nobles within this kingdom, although you might barely know me as I reside at the westernmost part of this pathetic kingdom..."
"What did you just say...?" One of the generals stood up, as rage could clearly be seen in his eyes.
"Ah, did I hurt your fragile feelings?" The man laughed as he continued, "It is true though. You all are just pathetic. Succumbing to all this from just a little pressure? This kingdom deserves to fall."
Although all of his statements were the painful truth, Louie could not be directly bothered by it. In the first place, this was not really his kingdom.
"And what do you propose for us to use to ask for assistance from the Bainzen Empire?" Louie answered coldly as he intently gazed towards this yellow-robed man.
In truth, this noble that had suddenly appeared was a member of the 14 Night Crows, Adrian Gaunt. He was someone assigned to keep tabs on the happenings within the Garudia Kingdom. He was akin to a planted seed that grew eyes and ears from within.
Although he was told to 'do nothing for now,' and just 'Observe and do not anger the new king of the Wolfenstein Kingdom', he could not disperse the thought that the young emperor Jason was just chickening out from all these minor wars. For Adrian, this is all just nonsense propaganda of a newly crowned king to 'assert' his dominance and nothing else.
For him, this King Feihren should be taught a lesson... a little slice of the humble pie.
"Hmmm... I could ask them to lend you some of their military forces, in exchange for a percentage of the kingdom's tax if ever you successfully conquered Wolfenstein?" Adrian replied with a devious smile, "Around 70% or so?"
"Don't be ridiculous! This man is just..." One of the Senate members immediately retorted but was cut short as Louie interrupted.
"And does the Emperor of Bainzen approve of any of this?"
"Ah yes, the young emperor Jason... Of course he is? Why would he not lend 'friendly' assistance to this kingdom? This place is already akin to us being neighbors, you know?" Adrian grinned as he added.
"Hmmm, so be it. I agree with your proposal, but only if we successfully conquer Wolfenstein..." Louie then answered in a low voice as the people around him looked to the ground with dismay. They could not easily refute this decision as they themselves knew the cost of not accepting it.
It could be said that currently, with the sudden disappearance of the beast and riders alike that numbered over 7,000 in pairs, and the death of another 7,000 from the breeding sites. The Garudia Kingdom was obviously in its weakest state. It was now not a matter of how much they could risk from attacking, but how much they could afford to lose while both attacking, and defending.
Although it was already approved that the 120,000 knight would be divided into 30,000 defending and the rest to be sent towards the Wolfenstein, they could not just risk a half-assed attack and end up utterly beaten. They had to guarantee their 'victory' somehow...
And that's where the Bainzen Empire's assistance comes into play...
