I finished recounting my tale to Cato, who stood by the window overlooking the city square. The sun had started its journey downward, casting warm orange light through the window. To my right was a mug of that fenrisian ale that I had asked for. The liquid was tart and bit at the throat, almost painfully so, but it gave a burst of energy that couldn't be matched.
"So, she essentially declared war on Velcrest?" He stood, unmoving, as his gaze lingered on whatever sat just outside of the window.
"Correct." I reached out and grabbed the mug and quickly threw back another gulp of the tart liquid. It clung to my tongue, almost refusing to go down my throat with how thick it was. Silence hung in the air as I swallowed it, thankfully allowing me some time to think and plan my next response. "At the moment, we are in the clear, as their Warmaster is preparing for the crusade into the domain. However, I'm afraid if Velcrest does something like this again, we won't be able to avert the disaster."
"Perhaps we don't have to. We can try to plan ahead and cut them off, but one day, we can just allow them to waltz into the domain. It should spark a reaction and drag the entire confederation into a war. Once weakened, we can easily swoop in. However, their biggest deterrent at the moment is the Saint of Blades." He pulled his gaze away from the window and walked towards the chair across from my desk. His hands clasped firmly behind his back.
"I'm uncomfortable with the idea of a war right now. There are too many puzzle pieces in play. Once we have purged part of the nobility and ensured that we have a solidified alliance with Asteria, I think we could win. Asteria could bear the bulk of the war, and we can easily move in, and clean up. However, that begs the question for us Cato, what is our stance on Asteria?" While I was a fan of ensuring the theocratic confederacies were eradicated, it still felt wrong to lead Asteria into the mix.
"The king sees Asteria as a valuable chess piece. However, with that being said, we are aware of the strength it possesses, and we will react accordingly. If possible, we would like to maintain an alliance with them. The number of benefits that the domain grants us is far too significant to just let go to waste. Once we know how Asteria truly functions, we will go from there." He gazed at me with raging blue eyes as he settled into his seat.
I nodded along, glad to see that roughly the king and I had the same idea on Asteria. I wanted to keep them around. Especially as an additional deterrent. While I recognize Asteria maintains neutrality, that still doesn't mean that we can't use it to our advantage. "Fair enough, Cato. We just have to keep in mind that the Empress, if what was said is to be believed, is incredibly powerful. Hell, the amount of strength that she radiates right now is enough to confirm that, for me at least. I'd say that she would be a super weapon."
"Ah yes, I can't forget that. Her, Alessia, and the entire guard are powerful indeed." He sighed as he reached up and scratched his head.
I crossed my fingers and leaned forward on my desk. Each nation had a handful of high-leveled individuals that function as weapons of mass destruction. A remnant of a long forgotten arms race of sorts. Now, they keep the peace through mutually assured destruction. Though supposedly, some of them are friends. But it was something that I questioned. After all, how do you keep someone so grossly powerful under your control? "Well, I did have an idea if you are interested in hearing it. It may benefit us, in the long run, if it works out as planned."
"Oh? Do tell." He raised a single eyebrow as he crossed one of his legs.
"Well, I want to keep Asteria as a powerful force for us to use. With that being said, I want to funnel a little more resources for them to use. One that I have in mind is a runaway slave that recently came into my custody. With a forbidden class." I leaned forward a little more, waiting for Cato to pick up on what I was telling him.
"So, you intend to funnel the domain, and by extension, the Empress, hoping to lay a foundation for future deterrents all while under the pretense of staying allies. Interesting, but it's also a risky proposition if you anger the domain." His eyes glimmered slightly as he had already worked through the information that I had given.
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"Correct. If we can stay in the good graces, we can, for all intents and purposes, put a leash in the domain, though I'm not advocating for a complete takeover, but enough to have enough of an influence on them." I relaxed my hands a bit and sat back. I was happy that things were going a bit in the direction I wanted them. One step at a time.
"I see. It's something to consider. It's a fine line, Redrick. If Asteria proves to be hostile, we lay the bricks of our own defeat." The severity of his words weighed on me a bit, asking me to think about what I was asking.
It was tough. Already Asteria was dangerous, and if we fanned the flames too much, it could become a raging inferno that would consume us. If we didn't put enough fuel into it, then it would be but a small flame, the smallest of gusts, would easily blow that out. It was kind of stupid that we were hitching our plans on an undead domain, but a chance like this only came once in a lifetime. "I know, but it has to work. It has no choice but to." I sighed as I relaxed in my seat a bit.
"That is also true. Just don't get your hopes up. In the end, the only thing that you can rely on is yourself." The words came out with a sense of finality as we both sat in silence and weighed what was to come. At least until he broke the silence once more. "Oh, Redrick, I meant to tell you that there was a caravan coming towards this area. I heard there were some Northmen in there."
The topic quickly shifted, and I shuffled our earlier conversation into a mental cabinet. It was something to think about later, though; after this, I wanted to visit that slave and see what the class was. "Northmen, huh? They don't usually come down this far south." It was interesting. We called them Northmen, even though they weren't quite men. But they rarely left the lands of perpetual winter.
"Yeah. It's a full merchant caravan, so there aren't just Northmen in there. If, what you think is planning is good, I suggest you look at the wares. You may find something of use there." With that being said, he stood up and gave me a wink before wandering out of the office, not even giving me a chance to speak. "Anyway, Redrick, thanks for the status update. If anything else happens, let me know. You know where to find me." With that, he vanished through my door, leaving me alone.
So, he wasn't directly condoning what I was planning, but he wasn't stopping me. Which was good. That left me some wiggle room. I sighed and slouched in my chair, as exhaustion renewed itself. Perhaps I would get some rest before I ran the errands for tomorrow. I would also have to find out when that caravan would have driven by since I didn't want to miss out on those goods.
A few hours later:
The gentle rays of the morning sun caressed my eyes and pulled me from my slumber. A yawn escaped from my lips, and I sat up. The lingering effects of exhaustion sat just behind my eyes, trying to bring my eyelids together once more. But I fought it the best I could as I forced myself off the bed. I had so much that I needed to get done today. I went to the bathroom and relieved the pressure that I felt building up in my bladder before I wandered over to my closet to pick out the clothes I wanted. While I was talking to the new ward of the city, I needed something that would not flaunt wealth but also something that hinted at it. Perhaps I would have Miranda pick something out. She was always good at that stuff. Oh, how painful it was to start my day.
I stumbled out of the house in a red cotton shirt with a matching pair of beige trousers that Miranda picked out for me. That woman was a gift from the gods if I was going, to be honest. I yawned once more as I brought up a city map and quickly picked out the area where the newfound ward was. It was now or never, I suppose.