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Chapter 305: End of War Agreement (3)

The 9th Circle warlock who had been released from the grimoire, Death’s Worship, had tried to contact the emperor of Andras?

Perhaps Jerem was aiming to fill the vacancy left by the former emperor, Invidia. Most of the Seven Swords had been lost, but Andras was still strong. They had a large amount of territory and a vast population, which was something that would be hard for a warlock to ignore.

Andras had many humans to supply as offerings. They occupied close to 60% of the Northern Continent. Sacrificing just 1% or 2% of the population would be enough to obtain a tremendous amount of power. If Jerem obtained the throne of Andras, Meltor would have to devastate Belfort with their full power right now.

A cold light gleamed in Crowd’s eyes. “Somehow, he knew my identity and looked for me. He thought I was a power-blinded traitor and said that we could control this Northern Continent if we joined hands.”

Theo admitted, “Hah, it isn’t out of the question.”

Crowd snorted, “If I were interested in necrophilia, I would’ve thought about it for five minutes.”

Theo laughed at Crowd’s words. It was true, despite being a joke. If Crowd had concealed this fact and colluded with Jerem, most of Andras’ population would be used as sacrifices for black magic. The Northern Continent would’ve turned to hell in one month, rather than the three months that Heathcliff had seen.

“But I didn’t want to rule over rotten corpses, so I refused.”

“Did he step back?”

“No way. He revealed his true colors on the spot. Vampires, banshees, and other things appeared behind him.” Crowd stroked his empty sheath and his eyes deepened as he thought back to that battle.

After all, Jerem was a legend who had reached the status of the 9th Circle. So, it was a terrible experience even for Crowd, who could be called the strongest swordsman of this era.

Crowd continued speaking in a much heavier tone, "Honestly, it was pretty dangerous even though he was in a terrible state and I was in perfect condition. If my helper hadn’t arrived at that moment, it is likely that this meeting would’ve been canceled.”

“Helper?”

“Haven’t you seen him before? The bow master who possesses the ability of foresight, he was the one who helped me.”

“Ah.” Theo was convinced.

He had been wondering why the bow master hadn’t shown up with Invidia. If that person was Crowd’s helper, then it was natural that he wouldn’t join in on the wild suicide mission. A mercenary only cared about their contracts. It was rare for mercenaries to accept a mission where they would die, even if they were paid for it.

As one knot unraveled in his head, Theo asked another question, “So? Did you kill Jerem?”

Crowd shook his head. “No, he ran away. Somehow, he was too wounded to go all out. It was clear that the longer the fight went on, the more energy he would consume. He held on for an hour before giving up.”

Theo nodded. As Gluttony said, Jerem had suffered a deadly blow. Despite his opponent being inferior to him, Jerem had retreated because he couldn’t continue fighting. It was proof that Theo could defeat Jerem now. Theo had to quickly search for Jerem while he remained injured.

“But this is the important part.” Crowd looked solemn. “While he was trying to convince me, I was able to find out the warlock’s intentions. I know what he is trying to do and where his next destination is.”

“... Where?”

Theo couldn’t help reacting by leaning his upper body forward, which caused Crowd to smile. “Heh.?I can’t tell you everything."

Theo blinked. “What?”

Crowd grinned. “Now, let’s start the agreement to end the war. I wonder what concessions I can get with this information.”

Theo lost his composure and raised his voice, “You are using information about Jerem to negotiate? Don’t you know that neglecting him will cause a disaster for the entire continent?”

Crowd’s smile fell away. “I'm sorry, but we are also on the brink.”

“Kuk...!”

It seemed that Crowd was acting as an emperor, regardless of how long it had been since he was crowned. The frustrated Theo was forced to take a step back. Clearly, it was impossible to persuade the ruler of Andras, who sat on the throne of responsibility. Moreover, neither Theo or Veronica was in charge of the negotiations.

Theo gestured, “... Sigh. Then please, White Tower Master.”

Orta nodded. “Don’t worry. Not everything will be decided with this agreement. Just think of it as the basis of diplomacy.”

Theo replied, “Thank you.”

“Still, it will take a few hours. I will try to conclude it as quickly as possible.” Orta took a seat in front of Crowd and pulled out the stack of documents he had prepared in advance.

These would be the real negotiations. How far would they go and what would they get? This was a battle that went beyond the military forces. Veronica hated the sight of documents, Randolph only knew the sword, and Theo only had a library’s knowledge, so it wasn’t a struggle they could involve themselves in.

Three hours later…

“... This seems to be the primary agreement.”

“I agree. I’m a little tired.”

Crowd and White Tower Master Orta talked in the same language, but the matters were so complicated that it was difficult to understand what they were saying.

The brief summary was as follows:

The designation and development of the trade zones, excluding some of the mines in 30% territory Meltor would get, would be divided into 5:5. Unlike the conditions in the first letter which were one-sidedly disadvantageous, Andras could get reasonable benefits.

“Okay, I will keep my promise.” Crowd had a tired but satisfied face as he turned to Theo. The half-dozing Veronica and Randolph woke up, and Crowd revealed Jerem’s objective.

“He said he was heading to Lairon.”

Randolph cocked his head, “Lairon, what purpose would a warlock have there?”

Crowd explained, “I didn’t hear that much. I just know it has something to do with the royal family. It sounds like Jerem is looking for something left from the old days.”

Theo mused, “A warlock and a religious kingdom...”

It was incomprehensible, but Theo was satisfied with the clue to Jerem’s location. Theo organized the information in his head and spoke to Crowd, who was still looking through the documents, “I have to ask. Will you help us capture him?”

“No,” Crowd replied decisively. “I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to act independently, regardless of my will. All of the Empire’s Seven Swords are dead except for me. I can’t give up the role of the king to become support.”

It was an answer that Theo had expected. “Then how about the bow master? If he is a mercenary, I would be willing to pay appropriate compensation.”

Crowd hesitated. “That... He can’t. I can’t tell you everything, but he can’t do it right now.”

Theo nodded. “Later is good. When he is free, tell me.”

Crowd nodded. “... I will do so.”

Theo turned to face the three who were waiting for him. Orta asked Theo a question first, “Now that the negotiations are over, what are you going to do?”

“Let’s see... The negotiations went well, but it would be nice for me to stop by Lairon.”

“Then what about Red Tower Master and Sir Clovis?”

Veronica and Randolph answered instantly.

“I will move with Theo.”

“I don’t want to go back without doing anything.”

It was as expected. Orta sighed lightly and nodded to Theo. As the negotiator of the contract, Orta was obliged to report to Kurt. Before he left, Theo glanced at Crowd.

A human born from a monster, who had become a king of humans…

“Crowd.”

Crowd turned his attention to Theo.

Theo smiled. “I feel like I won’t fight you again.”

Crowd smiled back. “...?Huu, what are you talking about?”

An unknown consensus was formed between the two men involved in the Seven Sins. Theo could sense it. He would never fight this man in his life. Despite there being no basis for it, Theo was convinced as he flew away from the tower.

That was the day when the unique empire of the West Continent disappeared.

***

Flash!

This time, light swirled in the sky. When one was teleporting to an unknown location, the first piece of advice all space magicians were taught was to teleport at least a hundred meters up in the sky. That way, they would avoid any dangerous obstacles on the other side.

Theo had also learned the warning, so he set the farthest point in the sky as his arrival point, even if it was a place without humans.

“I don't know where this is. Theo, where are we?” Veronica asked as she floated beside him.

It was unfamiliar terrain.

Theo replied, “This is the northwest part of the Soldun Kingdom. I’ve been here before in the past, so I remember the space coordinates.”

“Ah, you thought that far ahead? There are many places in Lairon where teleporting doesn’t work.”

Theo nodded. “That’s right. They are wary and appearing suddenly can be considered a hostile act by Meltor.”

Theo maintained flight magic on Randolph while speaking. It was well known that the religious kingdom of Lairon hated magicians and magic. However, many people didn’t know that the temples scattered through the kingdom obstructed magic itself.

This was the power of a divine power barrier on a national scale.

Lairon didn’t have any physical defenses, but it was excellent at detecting elaborate teleportation or the activation of large spells. It was nothing they couldn’t break through with force, but it was better to avoid attracting attention until they knew where Jerem was.

I can’t let him run away.

It had only been a few centuries since warlocks had been declared a public enemy of the continent, but they had still survived. It was nearly impossible to find a warlock when they were determined to hide. A 9th Circle warlock could definitely conceal himself from Theo, an 8th Circle magician.

Theo was busy checking a map, “Now, we should go north. If I’m right, there should be a city...”

At that moment…

“Theo.”

“Hmm?”

“The north is that direction, right?” Randolph’s voice was low and heavy, causing Theo to look in his direction.

Theo’s expression hardened. “... Smoke?”

The sky was turning black. It was evening, when the sun sank toward the west and the moon rose. He thought the red light was from the sunset, but the dark light on the horizon wasn’t from sunlight scattering. It was the color of a large amount of flames burning and gaining momentum.

No, let’s concentrate.

Theo focused on his senses, and he heard screams and the sounds of clashing metal.

It was clearly the noise of battle. His companions prepared themselves as they waited for him to give an order. Theo was thinking quickly. Should they rush over and check it? He was too nervous about the disruption taking place in Lairon to leave it alone.

“Let’s go.”

With that, the trio quickly shot toward the pillar of smoke.

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