“Oh, pardon me. I’m Konrad Crevlas, leader of the One-Eyed Black Wolf mercenary company. Pleasure meeting you, Queen of the Arachnea.”
He spoke that last part in a tone that sounded almost questioning. I supposed he still didn’t believe I was the Arachnea’s ruler.
“I’m Keralt Ruano. I serve as guildmaster of the Adventurers’ League. We’ve looked into your group and noted that you have intelligence similar to us humans. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”
I couldn’t quite get a read on Keralt. Something about her seemed suspicious.
Ventura’s gaze fell on his companions. “I’ll turn it over to my fellows for now.”
“You seek to forge an alliance with us?” Keralt said, cutting right to the chase.
“That’s right,” I replied. “We have a common enemy. I heard your country doesn’t find the Nyrnal Empire to be trustworthy. Is that true?”
“We’ve had it up to here with Nyrnal, that’s for sure,” Konrad spat. “All the Empire cares about is grabbing more territory, and that’s a problem for us. While Frantz was attacking a so-called enemy of the continent, Nyrnal decided to attack them from behind. That’s just vile.” He took a deep breath and added, “But that doesn’t mean we’re keen on joining forces with monsters.”
“We’re nothing like the monsters you know,” I assured him. “We are a sentient, intelligent army. If you agree to ally with us, we’ll regard you with respect and dignity.”
They still thought the Arachnea were a bunch of mindless monsters. I couldn’t call it unreasonable, given what we’d done in the past, but I now had complete control over the Swarm. I didn’t want them to be seen as savage beasts.
“An alliance between us is sure to apply pressure on the Nyrnal Empire,” I continued. “The only thing we’d ask is that you allow us to march our army through your territory. We don’t intend on placing you under military occupation like Nyrnal does, however; do keep that in mind.”
“Nyrnal has taken advantage of this war to forcibly occupy several countries, and they’re trying to do the same to us,” Konrad said with a grim nod. “That’s the arrogance of a military powerhouse for you. Ever since they annexed the southern countries, they’ve let their pride go to their head.”
Ooh. It looks like Konrad’s getting on board with my idea. I’ll just need to make one more push!
“I’m afraid I can’t be so optimistic about this,” Keralt interjected. “You’re still an inhuman species, and unlike the elves, you haven’t been in this world since ancient times. You recently appeared out of nowhere and seized multiple countries through conquest. You may not have the animalistic nature most monsters do, but you do have an intellect that’s on par with ours. That’s something we need to be wary of.”
She glared at Sérignan and me with distrust.
“Besides, even now you’re trying to hide things from us. Did you really think you could hide that woman’s true nature? Or that girl, Lysa’s?”
“That’s a very disrespectful way of putting it. I just chose the method that would make it easiest for me to interact with humans. But fine, if you insist. Sérignan, Lysa, undo your Mimesis.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“As you wish.”
At my order, the two of them revealed their true forms as Swarms. Sérignan’s lower half morphed back to that of an insect, and she sprouted a pair of wings. Likewise, insectile legs and wings popped out of Lysa’s back.
The sudden transformations left Ventura and Konrad shocked.
“So that’s what they really look like,” Keralt muttered, narrowing her eyes.
“This form just makes these kinds of conversations more challenging,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s got nothing to do with the way they behave.”
I knew it. This Keralt woman is trouble.
“I-I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to turn into such monsters,” Konrad stammered, taken aback. “This is hardly what we discussed, is it?”
“Again, we’re not monsters. We’re bright, self-aware life-forms. Please don’t assume that the way we look is a reflection of our personalities. You hate Emperor Maximillian so much, but he looks human, and the things he does are at least as terrible and callous as anything we’ve ever done.”
Monsters wouldn’t need motives to go to war. They wouldn’t seek to forge alliances and broker peace. The fact that we’ve done this is proof that we’re not monsters!
“That much I’ll agree with,” Konrad said. “That bastard Maximillian, he’s a real monster! All he does is fatten the Empire, claiming anything he can get his greedy hands on. The way he’s taking advantage of this war is just proof of that.”
Konrad’s a pretty reactive sort. He backs up my words without a hitch.
“But the same can be said of you,” Keralt argued. “You took over the Kingdom of Maluk, the Dukedom of Schtraut, and the Popedom of Frantz. Your invasions and massacres put you on equal footing with the Nyrnal Empire.”
“Like I’ve said before, we had reasons for every war we started,” I said, placing a hand on the table. “We don’t go around indiscriminately attacking other nations. Consider that when making your judgments.”
Keralt shook her head. “The Empire comes up with reasons to start wars too. When they attacked Frantz, it was to defend the continent from you. When they annexed the southern territories, it was so they could form a large nation that would stave off internal interference.”
This woman really is difficult to deal with.
“Then let me ask you this, Miss Keralt. Considering your country is pressed between the Nyrnal Empire and us, what should you do?” I needed her to come out and say what she was getting at. “It’s just a matter of time until Nyrnal tries to take over the Eastern Trade Union. If you refuse to resolve the situation through dialogue, the Arachnea can resort to force if we have to.”
“I’m not rejecting an alliance with the Arachnea,” Keralt replied. “But I’m not rejecting an alliance with Nyrnal either. I’ll do anything if it means our country can survive. That’s how the Eastern Trade Union has hung on so far.”
“That’s called sitting on the fence, and it only means you don’t have trust in your own country,” I continued, lashing out at her. “If I were to ask a country I’d just fought with yesterday for their help today, I wouldn’t expect them to extend a friendly hand.”