Chapter 192 – Alliance (2)
After sitting Dorneth down and listening to his story, it was clear that he hadn’t even mentioned the word "alliance" to Elder Medeia yet.
Of course, he wouldn't need to. By now, the meeting regarding the alliance was probably already taking place in that other cabin.
By the time Dorneth mustered up his resolve and stood before the witches, he would only receive the results without any need to go through the process.
There’s a saying in games—
"Just hop on the bus and trust the driver."
I wasn’t too worried about the outcome of the alliance.
"There will just be a few conditions attached."
By sunset, we would know what those conditions were. Until then, there was nothing to do but spend time chatting with Dorneth, who was sitting there clutching his head in worry.
"Because you suddenly appeared, I lost the timing to bring it up."
"And you say that to a man who barely escaped death from Kamel’s grasp? I should tell Sharbadin about this—how her husband is treating her benefactor like this."
"T-That’s not what I meant! I just meant it was a shame to miss a good opportunity!"
This guy still completely melts when it comes to Sharbadin. Well, being ‘Sharbadin’s benefactor’ was practically a cheat code.
Would Dorneth be added to the divine name register once he became the ruler of Tobaron?
That was exactly what I was aiming for.
Hadn’t his divine name already been revealed?
"Shield of Tobaron."
There had to be a reason why Dorneth, whose fate had changed because of me, had received the divine name ‘Shield.’
A shield was either a weapon used for blocking attacks or a figure that took the lead in an endeavor.
After dealing with Kamel, the only remaining force that could threaten a stabilized Tobaron was Demtor.
If Kamel didn’t manage to break him before then, I was confident that Dorneth would grow into a formidable force capable of withstanding Demtor’s assault in the future.
"The witches would naturally take Dorneth’s divine name into account, wouldn’t they?"
To the witches, a divine name was equivalent to fate.
It held absolute influence over their decisions.
That was why I was pushing Dorneth, the Shield of Tobaron, as the leader of the alliance.
"That magnificent beard of yours looks quite haggard. You must have gone through a lot."
"There wasn’t a war, but a lot happened nonetheless."
While I was running around, struggling both inside and outside of Blyer, it seemed Beneta had been dealing with its own internal turmoil.
Especially regarding the support request I had submitted when I was preparing for my showdown with Kamel.
The request to send the Blood Oath’s elite forces had been rejected in a meeting, which had led to quite a heated argument within the faction.
"Nella said that?"
"It was the first time I saw the priestess so furious. Had you died in Blyer, the Blood Oath would have been at risk of dissolving entirely. Even Fenry stood by her side in silent agreement."
"Haha... Ha."
"Are you upset that we rejected your request?"
"Not at all. In fact, I’m grateful that you did."
"Grateful?"
When Lochter and I launched our counterattack on Blyer, I had requested the best of the best for the mission.
At the time, I was disappointed when the request was denied, thinking I had missed my chance to eliminate Kamel. But looking back, Beneta’s decision was the right one.
We could have been annihilated by Terremor.
The only reason we suffered almost no casualties in this battle was because we had focused solely on evasion instead of clashing head-on with Kamel.
If they had trusted me and sent their best warriors, it would have led to an all-out fight to the death, and the wide-range explosions would have caused devastating casualties.
Hell, if Kamel had set up a trap, we would have all died. I never even accounted for Terremor's existence.
"When you see the priestess later, be sure to pass on my gratitude. No matter what."
"Are you afraid of her?"
"I’ve recently come to understand just how exhausting it is to be on the priestess’s bad side. You should be careful too."
"I’ll make sure to tell her."
"You can skip the last part."
Dorneth had been chosen as the representative to come to the forest on Fenry’s suggestion.
With the intelligence network of the Black Rose, they would have figured out that Etor Territory had fallen into Kamel’s hands and would have anticipated a joint attack from Blyer and Etor.
Isolation.
Beneta must have realized that facing both forces alone would be too much of a burden.
"That damned cat made sure to warn me thoroughly. She told me to form an alliance no matter what. And if that was impossible, to at least bring some of the witches over to Beneta."
"That’s quite the mission."
"My life is on the line."
"They wouldn’t actually kill you if you failed, would they?"
"It just means the matter is that serious."
"Did you bring anything to help secure the alliance?"
"Of course. I came prepared."
"Let’s see it then."
***
The sun was beginning to set outside the window.
It was about time to head over to the cabin for the results. But before that, I checked what Dorneth had brought.
He had brought a large chest filled to the brim with shining gold jewelry.
It seemed like he planned to appeal to the witches’ love for jewels and ornaments.
"Not bad. But this won’t be nearly enough."
It was a good strategy to target the witches’ desires.
I had heard that when Lily fled the forest, all their gold had been stolen, leaving the witches with a severe gold deficiency.
Just flashing this much gold in front of them would be enough to make even the strictest of the elder crones lose their minds.
‘Why even give this to them? The alliance will happen anyway.’
But outwardly, I put on a serious expression and shook my head.
Dorneth’s eyes wavered at my firm reaction.
"This isn’t enough? These are the masterpieces of dwarves..."
"It’s not enough. Far from enough."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I am human. And yet, I was invited into Ordor Forest. What do you think that means?"
He didn’t answer.
He looked like he had no clue.
Dorneth, unlike Fenry, hated thinking too much. That was a relief.
"It means I’ve been acknowledged by the witches. There’s no one who understands them better than me."
And more than the witches—
I knew Fenry better.
She must have considered Dorneth’s divine name when she sent him here.
"And she must have given you a final bargaining chip to use as a last resort. What is it? Bring out everything you have."
"Come on!"
"The elder specifically told me not to use it unless we got a direct rejection..."
Looking defeated, Dorneth pulled something out from under the bed, wrapped in black cloth.
As he unwrapped it, I immediately recognized three familiar stones and an even more familiar weapon.
Three Elf Stones— the artifacts Fenry treasured as if they were her own life.
And a red crow-shaped dagger.
A Damascus-forged ancient artifact, looted from the Jack and Howell brothers after their deaths.
The moment I saw the Red Crow, I screamed internally.
Bingo.
I was far more interested in the Red Crow than the gold.
A Damascus blade engraved with the ancient phrase [Indomitable Will].
I had heard from master craftsmen that Damascus metal couldn’t be reforged through normal means.
Did Dorneth, by any chance, know how to forge it?
"A Crow isn’t a weapon that suits witches. Why did you bring this item?"
"Because it’s made of a special metal."
"Is it Damascus steel?"
"You know your metals well."
"Do you also know how to forge it?"
Dorneth picked up the Crow and ran his fingers over the metal, nodding.
"That’s precisely why I brought it. Forging Damascus steel requires not just my skill but also the help of the witches. That’s why I included it in the trade goods. If the witches desire to refine this metal, I figured my skills would be part of the negotiation."
"Excellent."
"...Huh?"
I snatched the Crow from his hands, wrapped it in the black cloth along with the Elf Stones, and strapped it tightly to my back. Then, I even hugged the golden chest to my chest.
Dorneth just stared at me, dumbfounded.
"...What are you doing?"
"As one of the Blood Oath’s leaders, I’ll personally ensure the alliance with the witches is secured—without fail."
"I should be the one to—"
"Do you not trust me? I am Sharbadin’s one and only benefactor."
"...If you fail, I’ll hold you fully accountable."
"I trust you, as we have shared blood."
Just admit that you don’t want to take responsibility.
Leaving behind Dorneth, who suddenly looked much more relaxed, I stepped out of the hut.
The moment the door shut behind me, my serious expression melted into a broad grin.
"There shouldn’t be any issue with me taking something that would’ve gone to the witches anyway, right?"
A gigantic chest filled with gold.
It felt like all my past struggles were finally being rewarded.
I wasn’t sure when I would need to use this gold, but one thing was certain—it would come in handy eventually.
It felt like having a billion in my bank account.
Just knowing it was there made me feel full.
"Now, where should I hide this?"
As I walked towards the large cabin, I scanned my surroundings.
Numerous huts filled the area, but as I continued observing, my eyes suddenly gleamed with an idea.
I veered off course and stopped in front of another hut.
[Princess Lily. Please bring food before knocking.]
The sign in front of the door made it clear who the hut belonged to.
Lying lazily in front of it was Keros, sprawled out and resting.
I placed the chest of gold and the black cloth-wrapped items down in front of him.
"Keros, let’s make a deal."
“???”
"Hold onto these for me. I’ll buy you meat later, equal to this weight."
Keros blinked at me, feigning complete ignorance—acting as if he didn’t understand human speech.
"Fine, double the amount."
Rustle—
"Triple. If you don’t want it, forget it."
The moment I reached forward, a huge mouth snapped up the chest and the wrapped cloth in a single gulp.
That smug bastard actually had the audacity to smirk at me, thinking he had secured the upper hand in this deal.
I was speechless.
"...See you later."
Leaving that shameless mutt behind, I walked toward the elder’s cabin.
Unlike the other huts, this one was significantly larger, making it stand out at a glance.
Hoo—
I exhaled softly and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
At Elder Medeia’s permission, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The space inside was a vast rectangle, and at the far end stood a large round table.
Four witches sat around it, their wide-brimmed hats pulled low.
Including Elder Medeia, there were five in total.
"Take a seat."
Medeia gestured to an open spot, and I sat down. Swallowing dryly, I slowly looked around.
"Beautiful... but terrifying."
The entire round table glowed with an overwhelming aura.
Five individuals, each bearing a divine name.
Two witches sat on either side of Medeia, completing the group.
Dortas.
The Guardians of Ordor Forest, known as the mentors of Lily Base.
The details of the novel resurfaced in my mind.
During the final battle of the witches, even with all the Stars of Demtor assembled against them, these four witches lasted for a staggering thirty minutes against Demtor’s full force.
Thirty minutes.
That was the time needed to smuggle Lily Base to safety.
To me, these witches weren’t merely the guardians of the forest.
They were Lily’s protectors.
And they all died.
Horribly.
When my gaze met Medeia’s, she gave me a slight nod.
It seemed there was no disagreement about forming the alliance.
However, as expected, they weren’t going to accept it just like that.
"We will now state our conditions."