Killing with a Dragon
Unsurprisingly, the alliance meeting ultimately failed to reach a conclusion. Charles III, who was leading the meeting, remained hesitant.
He wanted the credit for exterminating the Beastfolk, but he was unwilling for the Frankish Kingdom to bear the cost of their Beastfolk.
When national interests are involved, everyone is pragmatic. Apart from the countries to the north, they are unlikely to receive any substantial benefits from the Annihilation of the Orc Empire.
Especially given the Alpha Kingdom's ambiguous attitude, the land swap plan is definitely not going to work; at best, they could only get a piece of enclave on the corpse of the Orc Empire.
Expanding territory seems wonderful, but the prerequisite is that the acquired land must be fertile.
The territory of the Orc Empire is mostly a harsh, cold land. The fact that Beastfolk can survive does not mean that humans can.
Even if you acquire decent land, it's still undeveloped. Developing it will inevitably require a huge investment.
To put it bluntly, with this job done, Charles III won't have to do anything else; he can spend the rest of his life developing new territories.
Long-term investments yield no returns, and even if the enclave is developed, it is difficult to obtain substantial benefits.
Considering the disproportionate management difficulty and benefits, it would be better to simply allow the local area to become an independent nation.
Exterminating the Beastfolk isn't worthwhile, but letting Beastfolk go isn't the best course of action either. The Human Alliance has made such a huge show of force; what would it look like if they did nothing?
At the very least, the loss of prestige would be enormous for Charles III, the presiding monarch.
The Frankish Kingdom, which held the most influence, adopted an ambiguous stance, the Alpha Kingdom remained silent, and the Church, another major power, strongly opposed the alliance. Clearly, the support of the northern countries alone was insufficient to influence the decisions of the alliance meeting.
In fact, the Church didn't care whether or not to exterminate the Orc Empire. Their strong opposition at this moment was mainly to prevent the Alliance Council from making a decision immediately.
The fact that the main force of the Alpha Kingdom is trapped in the Orc Empire is exactly what they want. The longer it drags on, the lower the probability of this army withdrawing.
Regardless of the choice the Human Alliance makes, the day the outcome is revealed will be the day the results are seen on the front lines.
The Northern Expeditionary Army is not yet at its wit's end. At this point, breaking out would at most result in heavy losses, but it certainly wouldn't be completely wiped out.
The Alpha Kingdom may decline in the short term, but once the Orc Empire is no longer holding them back, they will soon rise again.
Among the top three military powers of the human race, the Frankish Kingdom and the Iberian Kingdom rely on their strong strength, while the Alpha Kingdom relies on its advanced "mobilization mechanism".
There are countries that are similar to the Alpha Kingdom in many aspects, but when it comes to mobilization capabilities, these countries are not even half as efficient as them.
The efficient mobilization mechanism enabled the Alpha Kingdom to squeeze into the top three of the human race, despite not having an advantage in high-end forces or the number of elite troops.
Compared to these visible things, what the Church fears most is the resilience of the Alpha Kingdom. A nation ravaged by the Orc Empire, it always manages to rise again.
There have been many powerful nations, but they all eventually turned to dust, with only fragments of history books proving their existence.
There is only one country that has fallen and declined time and time again, yet risen again and again.
If such an enemy is not dealt a heavy blow while we have the opportunity, the resurgent Alpha Kingdom will be their nightmare once the Orc Empire is no longer a hindrance.
After all, high-level power can be accumulated gradually over time. If fifty years isn't enough, then wait a hundred. If a hundred years isn't enough, then two hundred years is always an option.
Time passed day by day, and before long, half a month had gone by. The Human Alliance was slow to respond, and the Orc Empire was thrown into chaos.
"The situation is not good; the Human Alliance seems to have discovered something. Perhaps we should let Maxim show himself and put pressure on them!"
Of course, all races on the mainland must also speed up their public relations efforts. Regardless of the strength of each race, the more races that get involved now, the greater the pressure on the human race will be.
We must explain the pros and cons, especially to those powerful clans. If we fall, their good days won't last long either.
The ambitions of the human race are boundless; if left unchecked, they will eventually unify the continent!
"The Bearman Emperor said with a solemn expression."
Despite his many flaws, he was still a ruler. A fiery temper doesn't equate to a lack of intelligence; when he remained rational, his political wisdom was quite considerable.
"It's easy to get Maxim to show up, but whether he can intimidate the human race is still an unknown."
If things go wrong, it could backfire. The human race right now is probably just doubting the veracity of the Dragon Race' involvement.
If we make it too obvious and they discover the problem, then we'll really block the path to negotiation.
The best approach is to let the Red Dragon roam freely, so it doesn't appear so deliberate.
We've been working hard to win over all the races. We've already convinced the Dwarves, Half-Orcs, and Barbarians, and are now trying to persuade the Elves and Wood Spirits.
Apart from these major clans, the remaining smaller clans can only make up the numbers and have very limited say.
If anyone has connections with the Sea Tribe, we can contact them. If we can incite them to invade the human race again, it will be worth paying a certain price.
Instead of intimidating the human race, it's better to first scare the Alpha Kingdom, the Warhammer Kingdom, and the Moxi Duchy. Once they're dealt with, the pro-war faction within the human race will be weakened by half.
The Church can handle the rest. They played a dishonorable role in this war, and I happen to have some evidence of it.
If they don't help, we'll secretly leak the information and spread rumors that we've reached an agreement with them to lure the armies of various countries into a trap for their annihilation.
Alex said menacingly.
He went to great lengths to preserve the Orc Empire. He even resorted to tactics to sow discord among the Human Alliance.
Given the relationship between the various human nations and the Church, it's hard not to be suspicious upon hearing such rumors. If even a little "evidence" were to emerge, even if it were far-fetched, it would be enough to trigger a storm.
However, Alex didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. Taking that step would mean offending the Church terribly.
In future wars with the human race, it will be difficult to find such "professional drag" teammates again.
Hudson, busy repairing his defenses, was completely unaware of the power struggles among the various factions. He was still hoping for reinforcements from the Human Alliance to join him in rescuing the kingdom's main force.
In recent days, he has received many private promises from powerful nobles. As long as he can rescue their private armies, they will all be on his side from now on.
Even the Dalton Family representative stated that the Southeast Province is vast and fertile, fully capable of supporting two great noble families, and that everyone can work together for development.
The only family that didn't react was the Locknerd Family. These age-old feuds are truly impossible to resolve.
It's clear everyone's getting anxious. They're worried their key players will be lost on the battlefield, making them unable to cope with the upcoming major reshuffle.
Hudson fully understood their thoughts. The elites of each family were in the Northern Expeditionary Army. If they were lost, it would mean that the family had no future.
Even if they survive the major reshuffle that follows, they will quickly decline due to a lack of successors.
For a large family, the loss of core talent is more devastating than the loss of military strength.
"Dragon!"
"Giant Dragon!"
"Look! There's Giant Dragon in the sky!"
"It's coming this way..."
Looking in the direction of the sound, a red figure appeared in Hudson's line of sight.
The legendary creature appeared before their eyes. Not only was he curious, but even Beldens, who slept all day, rubbed his bear eyes and stared intently at the sky.
Enjoying the gasps of the crowd, Maxim was quite satisfied. Based on the experience passed down from his irresponsible Dragon Mother, the most efficient way to carry out a robbery was when everyone was fearful.
That's right, he came out to rob. Although he was invited by the Beastfolk to show his face and intimidate the humans, it didn't stop him from robbing.
How could a Red Dragon possibly be a well-behaved baby?
As a genius dragon among the Red Dragon Clan, how could he dare to go back to his underlings on Dragon Island and boast if he didn't make a name for himself on the continent!
"You crawlers, hand over all the gold coins and the princess, and I, the Dragon King, will spare your lives!"
Maxim didn't feel ashamed at all about embellishing his reputation. Because he had accidentally entered a dragon tomb as a child and eaten a lot of the tomb's specialty— Dragon Spirit Grass —his body was exceptionally large.
If there were only benefits and no drawbacks, the Dragon Spirit Grass would have been devoured by the Giant Dragon long ago. After all, dragons also have vanity and all desire to be larger.
The price of his dramatic increase in size was the loss of some of his inherited memories, which he could only learn through tutoring by Dragon Mother.
It's hard to say how much personal bias or Dragon Mother's emotions were mixed in.
After all, the sudden appearance of a "baby" that is much larger than itself would put a lot of psychological pressure on the mother dragon.
Judging solely from his size, Maxim is close to the level of Dragon King. As for his combat strength, he is only slightly stronger than an ordinary adult Giant Dragon, the difference is not significant.
If he were truly a Dragon King, he wouldn't have been chased all over the world by two Earth Bear, almost losing his dragon life.
Its eye-catching appearance might not be enough to scare away other magical beasts of the same level, but it's more than enough to frighten humans.
Upon hearing the words "Dragon King," coupled with Maxim's enormous size, the military was instantly thrown into an uproar, and even Hudson was taken aback.
Humans and Giant Dragon follow completely different paths of cultivation. Generally speaking, an adult Giant Dragon is equivalent to a human at the Holy Domain. Most human Holy Domain are no match for Giant Dragon, although occasionally a few powerful individuals can manage to turn the tide; however, specific situations cannot be generalized.
Ordinary human Holy Domain would definitely avoid a large army. Surrounded by such an army, many Holy Domain powerhouses perished.
It's a different story with Dragon Race. Their super strong defense means that ordinary swords and blades have no effect. Only powerful magic ballistae or heavy Magic Crystal Cannon can pose a threat to them.
The biggest characteristic of heavy firepower is its bulkiness; its agility is obviously out of the question, and the probability of hitting Giant Dragon is pitifully low.
If the target were the Dragon King, the situation would be even worse. Most of the Magic Crystal Cannon would only scratch the surface.
If you want to kill the Dragon King, you'll have to rely on building up a strong army! Wide-range attacks with dispersed power are useless against these monsters.
The only saving grace is that the number of Dragon King is very small, and most of them are old Giant Dragon who are no longer as lively and active as they were when they were young.
"Tch, a lousy Dragon King, all he does is brag!"
Beldens' voice snapped Hudson out of his shock. If he were robbed by the real Dragon King, he could only accept his fate; but as for the imposter, well, it was no wonder he had other ideas.
The Giant Dragon before me doesn't look very smart. What Giant Dragon would be foolish enough to raid an army, especially with the demand for "gold and the princess"?
The nobles in the army brought some gold coins, but the amount was certainly not large.
A princess? That's even more absurd. Who would be so bored as to bring a princess to war?
Could it be that some mentally unstable bard has concocted a new story to fool this "stupid dragon" in front of him?
"Didn't you hear me? Get your commander out here and answer me right now, or this Dragon King will unleash a massacre!"
Maxim's voice rang out again, and Hudson rolled his eyes, but instead of replying, he turned his gaze to Beldens.
The meaning is very clear: it all depends on whether your own bear can keep up.
If you can cover it up, then go out and give a direct response; if you can't cover it up, then just let the army besiege it.
Even with a low hit rate, as long as the number of attacks is high enough, there's always a chance of getting hit. If you can't be a dragon slayer, driving away Giant Dragon is a good alternative.
As a seasoned commander, Hudson was used to the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of countless others."
"Don't worry, we still have our army! If that guy doesn't give us any face, we'll beat him up!"
Seeing Beldens' eagerness, Hudson's courage grew, but he still didn't foolishly run up to the Giant Dragon. Instead, he used telepathic magic from a distance:
"Respected Giant Dragon Master, I think you must have come to the wrong place. This is a military camp, there are neither gold coins nor princesses here."
If you want to rob gold coins and princesses, I suggest you go to the neighboring Orc Empire, where there are many royals and princesses.
As you've probably noticed, there's no sign of human habitation for hundreds of miles around. This place used to be incredibly prosperous, but unfortunately you've arrived too late; its wealth has just been looted by the Beastfolk army.
After the masterful deception, it was Maxim's turn to be completely dumbfounded.
That does sound reasonable. The Orc Empire doesn't practice monogamy, and they do have a lot of princesses. Having just plundered human territory, it's understandable that they're wealthy.
But to take someone's money and then immediately turn around and rob them is utterly unethical. If word gets out, it will severely damage one's reputation!
"Humans, stop with the nonsense. I will indeed be going to the Orc Empire, but you still have to pay the toll, otherwise..."
Before Maxim could finish speaking, Hudson interrupted him rudely, saying, "Mr. Giant Dragon, let me correct you, we are not planning to go through here, so there is no need to pay a toll."
The most crucial thing is that we have no money, and we don't have a princess.
Are you sure you want to risk getting hurt and fighting us, only to leave empty-handed in the end?
If word gets out, everyone will think you're a stupid dragon, and all the female dragons will avoid you from now on.
"If I may ask, I can understand robbing gold coins, but why rob the princess?"
Upon hearing Hudson's words, Maxim's already red face turned even redder.
Lacking experience on their first raid, they made several mistakes, truly disgracing the Giant Dragon.
It was all Dragon Mother's doing. She said that "kidnapping a princess" is the easiest way to become famous and demand huge ransoms.
That's bad enough, but what's even worse is that they didn't tell him where it's okay to rob someone and where it's not okay to rob someone.
Perhaps in Dragon Mother' mind, these are basic common sense, things that all Giant Dragon should be born knowing, and she forgot to teach Maxim.
Just like before when he went to fight the Earth Bear for territory, Maxim once again fell into the trap of robbing an army. Fortunately, he didn't act rashly, otherwise it would have been another tragic dragon's death.
"Human boy, besides the Beastfolk, where else around here can we rob?"
Tell me quickly, and I, the Dragon King, will spare you today!
That arrogant, smug expression made Hudson want to knock him down and give him a good beating. However, considering the Giant Dragon's immense fighting power, he ultimately gave up on that tempting idea.
Beating up a dragon is easy, but getting entangled with Giant Dragon afterwards is a huge problem. Hudson doesn't want to be a dragon slayer unless absolutely necessary.
"The northeast direction used to be my family's ancestral land; there should be some treasure there. Why don't you go take a look?"
Hudson said without changing his expression.
There was no lie; the ancestral home of the Coslo Family is indeed in the northeast.
However, it has now changed hands and become the territory of the Locknerd Family. Coincidentally, their headquarters are also in the northeast direction.
Luring the Giant Dragon over at this point would seem like a deliberate act of revenge. However, since they are destined to be enemies, there's no need to be polite.
The fact that Hudson didn't directly lead troops to destroy the Locknerd Family's stronghold was because he was following the rules. The Locknerd Family had no right to even mention using someone else to do their dirty work.
The Coslo Family was killed because of them. More than 300 direct descendants of the family in their ancestral homeland perished, thus perpetuating the blood feud between the two sides.