“Sage Luciel, could you please not be so tough on us?” Bazack interjected. “Your Highness, the sage may be younger than you, but he has likely fought more battles. At this rate, negotiations will break down.”
Hey, no need to call me young. That was rude.
It seemed that Bazack was the one who wanted our help the most. I made sure to stay on guard, ready to anticipate whatever tactic he might employ next.
“Tough? Me? What a strange thing to say. Negotiations require an equivalent exchange of value, don’t they?”
“Let’s assume that the emperor insists on pursuing the demonization research and that you find yourself having to kill him. Who will you put on the throne then?”
Just as I’d thought, he had started poking holes in my plan. I absolutely couldn’t afford to falter now. “As we told you, our goal is to destroy the empire’s demonization research facilities and expose the fake Lionel. If killing the emperor is necessary to achieve that, we’ll do it—and we’ll announce his death publicly. What happens next will be for the people of the empire to decide.”
“Do you not wish to rule over the empire, Sage Luciel?” Bazack asked. His tone was casual, as if out of mere curiosity, but I suspected he wanted the prince to hear my stance on claiming the throne for myself.
“Why would I want to deal with such a huge hassle? Now, if Lionel said that he wanted to govern over the empire, I’d back him, but—”
“I have absolutely no intention of doing anything of the sort,” Lionel cut in. His expression made it clear just how much he despised the very idea of becoming the empire’s ruler.
“There you have it,” I told Bazack. “You can deal with the empire’s political struggles yourselves.”
He nodded a few times. “And don’t you think that the empire will retaliate and attack the Republic of Saint Shurule if you kill the emperor?” he asked, as if to try to assess our military potential.
“If you want to attack us, we’ll reveal to the world that Illumasia was experimenting with demonization,” I replied. “Also, if you were to declare war on Saint Shurule and not just me and my companions, consider that you’d be making an enemy of Luburk, the Dwarf Kingdom, and Yenice as well.” I was a little worried about his reaction but still decided to tell him what the consequences of such a move would be.
When I was done, Bazack smiled and turned to the prince. “Your Highness, if you truly care about the future of the empire, please bow your head to Sage Luciel. This is your only way of surviving the situation.”
As soon as he heard Bazack’s words, the prince bowed to me without hesitation. “Sage Luciel, please help us restore the empire to the strong, noble nation it once was—the kind that can protect its people.”
So, the prince was willing to cast aside his pride and bow to others if it meant saving his homeland.
“Sage Luciel, General Lionel, please extend a helping hand to us,” Melphina added in a similar fashion. There was a strange persuasiveness to her, the kind that drew people in.
So that was the holy oracle, huh? Albert had only been able to form the resistance because he had their help. Melphina, a woman who could easily move people’s hearts, and Bazack, a good advisor, as well as being strong enough to hold his own against Lionel. However, I still didn’t understand what had happened for them to be forced to flee from the empire. If anything, their explanations had only made me more worried. So, before laying out my conditions, I decided to figure out Bazack’s true intentions.
“I have a question for you, Mister Bazack,” I said. “Why do you want our help so much that you’re willing to make Albert beg for it?”
“Because I feel like you are already prepared to fight the empire and have a clear idea of your objectives. Moreover, I know that no matter how many times we refine our plans, given the circumstances, a bitter defeat is the only future that awaits us.”
I would have almost been convinced by his explanation, as it made sense, but the fact that he had made the prince bow his head to us—an unthinkable act—led me to suspect that he had another objective in mind.
“So were you using this conversation to test me, or something?” I asked.
Lionel’s shock upon seeing Bazack when we’d arrived in this town most likely meant that he hadn’t known the man was one of Albert’s close aides—well, his servant really. Then again, to me, it seemed more like Bazack had the former prince in the palm of his hand rather than merely being a servant.
“To be completely honest, I was wondering why the Lion of War, the guardian of the empire, has sworn allegiance to a healer,” Bazack said.
“And? Did you learn everything you wanted to know about me?” I asked.
“Not at all. I intend on understanding you better through our cooperation moving forward,” he replied in a somewhat carefree way. I felt like he was enjoying this conversation way too much.
“Something’s been weighing on my mind since earlier,” I said. “Why are you acting as Albert’s advisor? If your own nation fell to the empire, shouldn’t you be happy to see its downfall?”
“Ah, you’ve finally asked that question. His Highness and Lady Melphina saved my life, you see.”
“They saved your life?” I echoed, my curiosity piqued.
“Yes. I thought it was the end for me after I lost to Lionel, but miraculously, I regained consciousness after the battle. By the time my injuries healed, however, my homeland had already been destroyed by the empire, leaving me with nowhere to return to.”
It was a fate all too familiar for many defeated generals.
“Five years later, I met His Highness and Lady Melphina. The village that had kindly taken me in was attacked by monsters, and while I managed to defend the villagers with my magic for a time, I eventually ran out of mana and found myself backed into a corner.”
“And that’s when Albert and Melphina saved you,” I said.
“Yes. They were still young back then, but the army they led successfully managed to repel the monster threat and save the village. I am merely repaying my debt to my saviors—not the Illumasian army, but the prince and the oracle.”
“I’m thinking of making him my prime minister once we return to the empire,” Albert said.
Bazack smiled but didn’t say anything in response. Did the prince realize his tongue had slipped? He’d told me earlier that he had no intention of becoming the next emperor, but this time, it seemed like he hadn’t managed to keep his ambitions a secret. His exchange with Bazack was proof to me that I couldn’t fully trust them. As such, I decided to let Lionel decide if we should help them or not, and if so, until what point.
“What do you think?” I asked him.
“I have my doubts about Bazack. He attempted to deceive you, after all. But I want to believe that the empire could restore its lost honor if Prince Albert were to ascend the throne.”
Leaving Illumasia to decay like this would be playing right into Blanche’s hands, which would in turn lead to more innocent people suffering. I really wanted to avoid that scenario, so I simply nodded at Lionel’s words and agreed to help the prince.
“Well then, how about we share our information to try and come up with a way to defeat the empire?” I said.
“Thank you so much,” Bazack replied, bowing his head deeply to me.
I still couldn’t bring myself to trust the guy, but oh well. For now, we had a strategy meeting to tackle.