Chapter 9

The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Side Story 2 Chapter 9: Total Surrender

"Our army surrenders unconditionally."

While holding a white flag, the enemy representative immediately declared this as he bowed his head.

Wilfred sighed and looked at me.

"So, that’s what he says?"

"Am I supposed to handle the negotiations as well?"

"You said that you didn’t cooperate with our country. That means this surrender is directed at you, not the Allegard Kingdom. We can’t decide on this matter."

Wilfred passed the responsibility for negotiations onto me, truly a calculated move. By informing the representative that Allegard Kingdom and Silver were not closely aligned, he shared that information openly. While he could have used me to gain an advantage in negotiations, he instead refrained from doing so.

Relying on my power would mean that if I left, the deterrent would vanish, leading to another war. Wilfred chose not to make that mistake and made it clear to the Raun Kingdom that Silver was an uncontrollable force, a disaster brought upon them by a wandering mage.

His goal was an honest ceasefire negotiation. He knew that If he tried to deceive them later, it could cause more problems, so he needed to handle this properly.

"Is the mage not affiliated with Allegard Kingdom...?"

"He is a traveler. Although he is a guest in our country, he is not bound to it."

"That’s correct."

"Then... we surrender unconditionally to you. Please spare the lives of our soldiers."

"I’m not interested in massacres. I only helped my friend."

"Then..."

"That said, I personally despise armies that invade in violation of treaties, burn innocent villages and drive out civilians."

At my words, the representative inhaled sharply and seemed unable to breathe properly.

"I plan to leave this land soon. But my friend belongs here. What assurance do I have that your country won’t act tyrannically after I’m gone?"

"I will definitely convince the higher-ups!"

"Do you expect me to believe that, when you invade on someone else’s orders and violate a treaty? I’m not that foolish."

I slowly stepped forward, bringing my face close to the kneeling representative’s.

The atmosphere was suffocating, as if meeting my gaze would spell death.

"Look at me."

"Y-Yes..."

"I’ll allow you to return to your country. However... I will not permit you to follow orders blindly again. Swear on your pride that next time, you will prevent another invasion. You… and all the soldiers under your command. If you fail... you will see this silver mask again. So even if I leave this land... I’ll still be watching you all closely."

Beside the representative, a pair of eyes materialized in the empty space. Upon seeing them, the representative let out a small scream and then bowed deeply.

"Y-Yes, as you command!"

"Then go."

As the representative departed, Wilfred sighed.

"Should I thank you? You’ve managed to sow the seeds of internal conflict within the Raun Kingdom."

"Do as you like. I just dislike unnecessary conflict."

"It doesn’t seem like it. But I must say, Allegard Kingdom is truly grateful. The army returning to the Raun Kingdom is now no longer truly theirs. It’s now Silver’s army and they will surely rebel. Raun Kingdom has swallowed a deadly poison."

Wilfred shrugged as if in defeat. With this, Raun Kingdom would no longer be able to invade the Allegard Kingdom. Of course, the representative could still betray us, but people don’t easily forget their fears.

Especially not when it’s a fear of such intensity that it lasts a lifetime.

"Let’s be thorough, just in case."

While muttering this, I created a massive eye in the sky above the enemy army.

"I’m always watching."

I planted this awareness in the minds of the entire enemy army. Now, they wouldn’t easily ignore my words.

"Allegard Kingdom was lucky."

"It wasn’t luck."

"Then what was it?"

"A matter of how those in power should behave."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

________

"Well, we should get going."

"We’re leaving already...? Can’t we rest for a bit?"

"Our time is limited."

After confirming the enemy’s retreat, I prepared to resume my journey with Allen. Even though I could return to a location via teleportation, we had already lost too much time. I wanted to enter the land of the Elves as soon as possible.

"Seriously...?"

Allen sighed wearily but still climbed into the carriage, indicating that he still intended to come along.

"Thank you for your assistance, Silver. I wish you a safe journey."

"No need to thank me. I did it for my own reasons."

With that, I prepared to teleport but a messenger arrived in a hurry.

"I bring a message! A message!"

"What is it!?"

"An oni..."

"An oni?"

"The Oni Princess is leading an army down south from the north! She has requested for a one-on-one duel with Silver!!"

Upon hearing this, I let out a very deep sigh.

It seemed my journey wouldn’t be resuming just yet.