Two Great Threats
"Generals, His Majesty has summoned you here today to announce two things. The first is that on December 25th, which is tomorrow, Duke Gould will be engaged to Miss Diphiya, the sister of General Oddek."
At this point, the Prime Minister deliberately paused, carefully observing the expressions of Langu and Sordil. Sordil remained composed, showing no surprise whatsoever, which was within the Prime Minister's expectations. However, Langu's complete lack of reaction was both unexpected and understandable, given his many years of experience in the kingdom. Knowing that this matter wouldn't reveal their intentions, the Prime Minister continued, "The second matter is that not long ago, the dragon race located in the Cuyis Tree Sea sent representatives to the Kingdom of Donagunov."
"What? The dragons heading to the Kingdom of Donagunov come from the Cuyis Tree Sea!"
"The dragons of the Cuyis Tree Sea actually sent people to the Kingdom of Donagunov?"
Seeing that both men were simultaneously shocked by the second matter, the Prime Minister and His Majesty the King breathed a sigh of relief. If these two hadn't even reacted to this, the situation would have been difficult to resolve. Whether these two were colluding or had infiltrated their intelligence network, the Prime Minister and His Majesty the King would have been agonizing over keeping their heads. Just as the King and Prime Minister breathed a sigh of relief, Langu and Sordil exchanged glances, both sensing something different in each other's questions.
Langu had initially dismissed Sordil as nothing more than a nepotistic upstart who had risen through nepotism, so he had never taken him seriously. However, after hearing Sodir's question, that thought vanished. From the question, Langu could tell that Sodir knew about the dragons in the Cuyis Tree Sea, but was unaware that they had sent people to the Cuyis Tree Sea. This realization sent a chill down Langu's Dragunov. It meant that Sodir's power within the kingdom was in no way inferior to his own; otherwise, how could Sodir know information that even he couldn't obtain? This forced Langu to postpone his years-long plan, knowing the consequences of its failure. Therefore, to ensure success, he had to eliminate Sordil, this obstacle, first.
Sordil was also shocked, never expecting that even with his extreme caution, he had still been discovered. Fortunately, Belmod and the others were unaware of his true identity, giving him a chance to turn the tide. Furthermore, from Langu's questioning, he could deduce that the person responsible for monitoring the Kingdom of Donagunov was indeed him. Understanding this, Sordil finally understood why this guy had the opportunity to marry Irene during the dragon invasion of the Western Continent. Having grasped the whole story, Sordil was left with only one path—poaching her.
"Both generals heard correctly, and I, the Prime Minister, am not mistaken! There are indeed dragons living in the Cuyis Tree Sea, and they have already begun to make contact with the Kingdom of Donagunov. The purpose of His Majesty's summons to you two today is to discuss with you how to eliminate these two major threats to the kingdom!"
Having achieved his purpose of testing, the Prime Minister did not continue to conceal the truth, but instead revealed Belmod's intention in summoning the two.
"Your Majesty, the Western Border Army swears to serve you to the death! At Your Majesty's command, the Western Border Army will immediately set out to attack the Kingdom of Donagunov and eliminate this threat for Your Majesty and the Kingdom!"
Just as Sordil was worrying about how to poach Langu's man, Langu knelt down on one knee to pledge his loyalty, teaching Sordil the essential manners of a 'sycophant' through his actions. This caught Sordil off guard, leaving him unsure of how to respond.
"Haha! Langu, get up! I have never doubted your loyalty, Langu Langu's loyalty, or your loyalty to the Western Border Army!"
"I never doubted that you would call them back!"
Seeing Langu help Langu up from the ground, Sordil thought to himself Belmod, "What do you mean?" But after witnessing the two of them exchanging empty compliments, Sordil also thought of a way to deal with the predicament. Sordil knelt down on the ground, mimicking Vermouth's actions, and said:
"Your Majesty, although I lack General Langu's ambition and the Western Border Army's formidable military strength, and am unable to eliminate enemy nations or remove obstacles for Your Majesty, I and my Bell Dragon Rider Regiment are willing to be Your Majesty's sword and shield, fighting for Your Majesty until the last moment of our lives!"
"Very well! With two such loyal generals as my ministers, how can I worry about the prosperity of my kingdom or the destruction of my enemy states!"
With the loyalty of Langu and 'Oddek' secured, Belmod smiled broadly. He helped Sordil up and then firmly grasped the hands of the three of them together. Just then, seeing that the time was ripe, the Prime Minister naturally stepped forward and presented the plan he had prepared long ago.
"The two generals are loyal and willing to share His Majesty the King's burdens, which is a blessing for the kingdom. In fact, His Majesty the King and I had already come up with a solution before the two generals arrived. However, we did not know the actual situation of the Kingdom of Donagunov and the Cuyis Tree Sea, so His Majesty summoned the two generals overnight to discuss and prepare to further improve the plan."
After the Prime Minister finished speaking, Langu's face darkened abruptly, his brows furrowing. However, this expression was quickly replaced by a smile. If Sordil hadn't been watching him closely, he probably wouldn't have noticed this subtle change at all. In contrast, Sordil felt much more relaxed. No matter what their plans were, as long as they didn't kick him out of the noble circle, his grand operation of gathering intelligence and poaching talent could proceed smoothly. Therefore, Sordil was happy to offer the Prime Minister a way out, helping him descend from that awkward position.
"Oh, Prime Minister, what solution have you and His Majesty the King come up with?"
Seeing the way out offered by Sordil, the Prime Minister no longer maintained his composure and said, "The method is actually very simple: a portion of the Western Border Army will be withdrawn and led by General Oddek to continue holding the front line in the Western Frontier, while General Langu will lead the rest of the Western Border Army to be deployed to the vicinity of the Cuyis Tree Sea to monitor the dragons there. What do you two generals think of this plan?"
Sordil secretly wanted to tell the Prime Minister, "Your plan is absolutely brilliant! Prime Minister, you're a godsend! You've arranged everything I wanted to do, and I don't know how to thank you enough." After all, with this arrangement, he could openly and legitimately poach someone's man and banish him from the Western Territory, keeping him away from Goddess Irene. However, on the surface, Sordil maintained a thoughtful expression, waiting for the general to speak first.