Serves Them Right

We must save his life.

Tagelise's words were calm and understated, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

It's as if Kang De was just an ordinary person who had nothing to do with it.

Rather than the executioner who slaughtered 60,000 elven soldiers with a mere flick of his wrist.

The middle-aged elves, who were clearly of noble status and powerful, also changed their expressions and hesitated. Even though they had long lifespans and had seen the rise and fall of the Mortal World, and their accumulated experience and knowledge were the treasures of the entire country, they were still somewhat unable to accept helping the enemy of the whole country.

After all, what Kang De did was truly enormous.

It not only dealt a heavy blow to the Royal Army, but also swept away the once-dominant reputation of the Dusk Moon Dynasty, making it a laughing stock among the nations, and even tempting its vassals and colonies to act rashly.

Those were six Dragon Banner Warband, tens of thousands of soldiers laden with glory, years of experience, honor, victory and fame accumulated on the battlefield, all of which ultimately became a stepping stone for humanity to become famous in the world.

If there were Guinness World Records in this other world, Kang De could even get a world record for "most elves killed by hand". If this were a system-driven game, Kang De would definitely get an achievement called "Elf Butcher", gaining the effect of increasing special attack damage against elves by 30% and permanently locking aggro with Twilight Moon Reputation.

Which elf wouldn't want him dead? Why would they be willing to help him? If you had a button that could kill Trump instantly, you'd press it until it's smoking.

So the elf who had been talking to Tagelise whispered, "Your Highness, this..."

Tagelise glanced at the courtier who had served the Eternal Royal Court since the time of the King of Light, and smiled faintly, "Lord Elandil, even someone as old as you has forgotten that compromise is the essence of politics?"

Elandil frowned and said, "But with him..."

"A person who can destroy several elite legions and influence the course of a war in an instant, a person who can destroy any city in the world and even threaten the capital of Twilight Moon, a person who can keep us in constant fear for decades simply by hiding—isn't that enough to make us compromise?"

Tagelise asked gently, "Then what else would make us back down?"

Elandil wanted to say that nothing could make the Dusk Moon Dynasty back down, but as a wise man, he also knew that such words must never be uttered, because they represented a dangerous ideology.

"You see... this is the problem."

Tagelise rubbed his temples and sighed, "The political atmosphere has become like this. Even a wise man like you is subtly influenced. You thought that although the parliamentary system took away some of the royal court's power, it could at least correct mistakes. The sages were too wishful. Now it seems that a monarchical dictatorship is better..."

"... Your Highness!"

The elves gathered around Tagelise all paled. Elandil whispered, "Please don't say that! Such remarks can easily cause controversy and unrest!"

"I'm not stupid," Tagelise chuckled softly. "Who really cares about the words of a royal duke known for his gentle and kind nature, who has been frail since childhood and has to rely on potions to survive?"

These words silenced the elves, who simultaneously bowed their heads.

Let's talk about Kang De again.

When Prince Tagelise, who was granted the title of Duke of Tiling after the Empress ascended the throne, spoke of the renowned Cathayan, his emerald eyes gleamed with interest.

"Lord Elandil, don't you find him interesting? His background is interesting, his strength is interesting, and the role he plays on the world stage is also very interesting..."

The elven royalty, whose physique made him far thinner than the males of his kind, chuckled, "According to Selendron's testimony, while Kang De's performance in the Battle of Valentan was undeniably brave, it was merely at the level of the Royal Guard. Perhaps a single elite assassin squad and a meticulous plan would have been enough to take him down."

"Yet this very person was able to intimidate the Dusk Moon Dynasty and force us to temporarily halt our military operations."

He even laughed as he said this, "And he stood on the side of Goth's weak duchy... What if he had stood on the side of the Empire? I guarantee that the human emperor would not hesitate to declare war on us, and would use that terrifying destructive power to achieve several decisive strategic victories..."

Elandil said in a deep voice, "So he is a huge threat..."

Tagelise shook his head and said, "No, that's not the point. My idea is that if the Human Empire possesses this power, they can launch a strategic offensive and challenge the Dusk Moon Dynasty's position. So, what if we also possessed a similar power?"

Elandil looked at his colleagues, all of whom were elves who had accumulated wisdom over the long years, but he found himself unable to keep up with Prince Tagelise's train of thought.

"... Your Highness?" he asked, bewildered. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Deterrence... the significance of deterrence," Tagelise said solemnly. "Faced with such power, assembled armies would suffer devastating blows, and sacred capitals with centuries of heritage would be easily reduced to ruins. It is so powerful that it is irresistible and unpredictable. When two nations possess this level of power, I can boldly assert... that peace will then arrive."

"This..."

The elves were even more bewildered; if it weren't for the fact that it was so rude, they would have even pointed out that the statement was utterly absurd.

--Who would understand this?!

There was only one Kang De; how can we and the empire possess the same power?

Investigate and steal Kang De's secrets?

Since we can get it, why should we let the Empire keep a share?

We can use this power to destroy the Human Empire, and peace will still come.

Although the elves didn't speak, their eyes conveyed the meaning.

Tagelise glanced at them a few times and sighed silently.

"Never mind..." he murmured, "I didn't expect anything from you anyway... The saddest and most painful thing in the world is being the only one who is awake."

--How rude of me.

Despite being described this way, the elves did not show any anger; instead, they lowered their heads.

Then, Duke Tagelise revealed an expectant look. "But it's alright, I have a feeling this mission will be very interesting. Since Kang De has declared that he can only use his power three times, he must understand the effect of deterrence, and even its true meaning."

"After all, the Valentan Speech already made it very clear..."

He chuckled as he said this, "He's bound to be an interesting guy."

Elandil frowned and pondered for a long time, then sighed, "Your Highness, I still don't understand. He is, after all, human, and there's a possibility he might side with the Empire. He's a potential threat to Twilight Moon..."

"Or perhaps a potential ally," Tagelise said calmly. "Don't you think it's a waste to use such immense power solely to intimidate us?"

Elandil's expression changed drastically; this wise man of the royal court actually showed a look of fear.

He murmured, "You..."

"Kang De, to describe him in Zhendan Language... 'A marvelous man.'"

Tagelise said calmly, "Goth cannot withstand the onslaught of the Twilight Moon Army, not even with him. But his appearance means there can be another solution, because the essence of politics lies in compromise. If he has enough value, we don't mind compromising and letting him rule over Goth is not out of the question."

He pulled his cloak tighter around himself and exhaled. "The council's secret order should be reaching the expeditionary force soon. The pro-war faction still holds the upper hand. They are unwilling to accept defeat and back down. The so-called negotiations and compromises are just a facade. They are secretly implementing their plan to hunt Goth... That's what I'm planning too."

Duke of Tiling glanced at the courtiers beside him and smiled, "The council hunts Goth, and I hunt Kang De. A clear division of labor, a pleasant cooperation, but the royal family will certainly gain more; that's the rule of the game."

Elandil kept his head down and remained silent.

In front of this important person, he was like a useless decorative vase and a yes-man.

Because the other party simply won't listen to his opinions... it's always been like this.

"Lord Elandil, you must assist me." Tagelise gave him no chance to protest in silence, adding meaningfully, "This is also Her Majesty the Queen's order; you will not disobey, will you?"

Elandil gave a wry smile, patted his chest, and bowed, saying, "Of course not."

Duke of Tiling nodded with pleasure. "Very good. In fact, I have never had the experience of dealing with humans on an equal footing, and I need your guidance and advice."

Because Elandil had traveled the continent, like many famous elven courtiers, his legendary elf adventures were eventually recorded in the works of bards and sung by the world.

He shook his head and said, "If you need advice, then I must say, please don't make assumptions, please don't have too high expectations. Humans can be quite rude sometimes."

"No way?"

Duke Tagelise chuckled, "I've heard of Princess Tina's reputation. The person who would be so captivated by such a beautiful flower must also be a well-mannered, noble, and elegant gentleman."

"... That's not necessarily true." Elandil shook his head. "Excuse my bluntness, but if you want to recruit him or win him over to the Twilight Moon's camp, instead of testing the waters with him here, you should think of other ways—like with Cathay. The Cathayan take their duty to their king very seriously."

"Cathay? No, I don't believe he's from that country."

Duke of Tiling shook his head and said, "Cathay could not produce such a person, otherwise it wouldn't have been defeated and driven back by a group of nomadic savages, even facing the risk of national annihilation."

"Lord Elandil, though I lack your extensive experience and witness to the vicissitudes of life, I have learned some lessons from history. For instance, everything has a cause. The destruction of a small nation may not be due to its own shortcomings, but rather to the strength of its enemy. This is the tragedy of the weak, but..."

Tagelise gazed at the distant horizon, where a cavalry caravan was rapidly approaching from the direction of Valentan. His scattered elven followers all gathered together, drawing their weapons in preparation.

"But if a great power continues to decline and eventually perishes..." he sneered, "Then there's no other reason than that they deserve it."

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PS1: First update, 3,000 words... Damn, I miscalculated. I forgot to factor in the possibility of insomnia. Today was another day of waking up early and using the jackhammer. My head is numb, and I'm not very satisfied with what I wrote. Here's another chapter. I'll go to bed early tonight, before 11 pm.

PS2: Tagelise is not a sacrifice, at least not in the recent plans, don't worry.