"Who exactly are you? What is your goal? Do you know what you're doing? You're preventing a nation from rising from the ashes."
The unexpected turn of events finally changed Koschei's composed expression. His plan, decades in the making, had been on the verge of success, yet such a massive disruption had emerged at this critical moment.
As one who had lived for centuries, Koschei understood very well the power contained within the flames above. No matter how much confidence he had in the Inner Guard, they could not possibly emerge unscathed from an attack like that.
"Rising from the ashes? Your joke is just as amusing. You don't seriously think starting a war between Ursus and Yan would save Ursus, do you?" Shen Fei laughed when Koschei tried to persuade him with words at a time like this. He was not Talulah; he would not fall into Koschei's trap.
If Ursus and Yan went to war, then in the short term, an external conflict might ease Ursus's internal tensions. But if the war dragged on without resolution, or if Ursus even lost, it would be fatal for the country.
Ursus had fought campaigns in every direction for so many years and made no shortage of enemies. While it remained strong, that was one thing. But the moment it showed weakness, the countries that bore it grudges would never let this opportunity pass.
Kazimierz was one such example. Ursus and Kazimierz could be called hereditary enemies. They had fought for decades, and Kazimierz had lost a great deal of territory to Ursus. Even now, conflicts still broke out along their border from time to time.
Ursus was stronger overall than Kazimierz, but Kazimierz had endured until now because it was no weakling. The Silverlance Pegasus were no easy opponents either.