Yveta furrowed his brow. The situation was even more dangerous than the Old Witch thought.
He wasn't a demon god.
He had merely borrowed the power of six Divine Kings.
He just didn't know why, but whenever the six kinds of magic within him fell out of balance, the Tree of Life Spiritual Energy would pour out a steady stream of leaked divine power.
The last time he transformed into a dragon, he'd already risked falling into an eternal slumber.
It seemed he would have to pay attention to keeping his magic balanced from now on. He couldn't just let it fall out of balance whenever he pleased.
Yveta suddenly thought of something the Old Witch was always saying: "All magic comes at a price, and carries its own risks."
Wasn't that a kind of law, one that all witches had to obey?
Laws ran deep through every corner of the Black Forest. He just didn't know where they originated.
Could they have come from the Dark Queen and the Black Magic Domain?
Yveta came back to himself and said, "All right, I understand."
"Now the Hearthstone Witch wants to leave, while I want to press deeper into this operation."
"Since we're a team, everyone should be allowed to make their own decision. So, to be fair, let's vote by a show of hands."
"The minority will follow the majority."
"Let's begin."
Yveta stepped back and raised his hand. "I think we should take part in this operation. Don't forget, our goal is to obtain territory."
"And gain a foothold from which to oppose Arthas."
"Look..."
He pointed to the ogre he had taken control of by the Dark River. "This fellow is the first spoils of this operation."
"I believe the Old Druid's prophecy."
"Anyone who supports my decision can raise a hand."
Branton raised his hand as well. "My father is dead, and I simply don't have what it takes to rule the Moro Baron Territory."
"If Your Highness came here to obtain territory, I'm willing to yield the baronial title to you."
"This is my payment to Your Highness, and also because I'm no longer capable of shouldering the responsibilities of a baron."
"The law allows for this. If the Treant People really have replaced every important person in the castle, then everyone in the Moro Family is dead."
"I'm the sole heir. I'll swear an oath of chastity to the God of All Things and remain single for the rest of my life in service to the church. I'll become a Church Knight and automatically forfeit my right to inherit the territory."
Branton continued, "The Moro Baron Territory guards the only road into Ambrose Basin from the west. That's why, since ancient times, lords who lack the strength to rule here have recommended capable new lords to Ambrose, the Great Viscount."
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
No one had expected Branton to make such a decision.
But on second thought, the Moro Family had been all but slaughtered by the Children of the Forest. There was no way they could hold on to this territory.
He might as well hand it to Yveta in exchange for Yveta's protection.
Seeing this, Leili immediately raised his hand, indicating that he supported wading into the danger. "This operation is dangerous, but how could we obtain territory if it weren't?"
"I support my master."
Only the Old Witch and Black Wolf were left.
The Old Witch looked at Black Wolf, who hadn't raised his hand, and smiled. "I knew you wouldn't raise your hand. We're alike—we're both cautious."
Black Wolf kept his head lowered, then suddenly looked up and raised his hand.
He glanced at the Old Witch. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this because of you. But I gave it some serious thought, and I don't think we can escape now."
"We've probably already been spotted. Experience tells me that running away at a time like this would be asking for death."
The Old Witch cursed under her breath. "That's because you don't know how to run. Every time something happens to me, I make a quick getaway."
"Nothing ever comes of it. Let someone else clean up the mess. Why should I put in the effort?"
Seeing that everyone was siding with Yveta, she had no choice but to raise her hand too. "Then I also support Your Grace's decision."
"But have you figured out how we'll proceed, Your Grace? Ironically, the Children of the Forest can call on human soldiers to deal with us at any time."
Yveta said to her, "Let's divide up the ogre's treasure first."
"I want a little time to think through a plan."
The ogre had two treasure chests left, along with a pile of unfamiliar coins and a heap of rusty swords.
Only two of the swords glimmered faintly.
Black Wolf's sharp eyes spotted a greatsword among the rusty weapons. It had a heavy pommel, an ornately carved crossguard, and three engraved images on the blade showing the heads of strange beings being cut off.
The first carving showed a human using the sword to behead a Minotaur.
The second showed the head of a creature resembling a pig-man being cut off.
The third showed a centaur, with a human upper body and a horse's lower body, pierced through the heart by the sword.
Black Wolf was delighted. "It's the Executioner! This is the Famous Sword once wielded by Henry, a traveling Great Knight of the Salson Duchy. They say he used it to kill many nonhuman races."
"Special materials were added when it was forged. Wounds inflicted by it won't heal easily."
"It's an extremely famous weapon."
"Your Highness, this is the reward I want."
Yveta nodded. The sword really was best suited to Black Wolf, and would greatly increase his combat strength.
Yveta asked him, "Do you recognize the other sword?"
Black Wolf picked up the other sword. It looked plain and unadorned, with a round pommel, a square crossguard, and a fine wooden grip. The blade was rather long and slender, making it look more like a ceremonial sword meant to be worn at one's side.
Black Wolf nodded. "It's a Famous Sword too. If it weren't, it would've rusted away after spending so long in the water."
"This is the Broken Steel Sword."
"Look at the inscription near the hilt: 'A sword that can sever all things, forged with a special stone that fell from the sky.'"
"But I don't know where it came from."
The Old Witch spoke up. "They say Ambrose, the Great Viscount, Airlan the Landless, died in battle by the Bo River. His sword, the Broken Steel Sword, vanished without a trace. That was more than two hundred years ago."
"So it ended up in the ogres' hands."
"The claim that this sword can sever all things is foolish nonsense, but it can certainly sever many swords. Meteorite Iron was added when it was forged, and the sword was made by a witch."
"That gave it the magic to cut through almost any other sword."
The Old Witch said, "In short, although this is a knight's weapon, it could also be considered a magical item."
Yveta smiled. "Then this sword should come in handy."
"Branton, if I no longer need it someday, I'll grant it to you."
Branton was overwhelmed. "Your Highness..."
Yveta told everyone, "I've thought of a way to deal with the Treant People."
"Branton, I want you to negotiate with the current Baron Moro. Tell him that you've grown strong enough to stand on your own, and that you want the baron's position."
"We'll kill Baron Moro in a room."
"We'll break the Children of the Forest's control over the barony, and in the process, we'll try to win over the barony's human soldiers."
"Killing the baron and taking control of the human soldiers is our only way to defeat the Treant People."
Yveta told everyone, "But we need a backup plan for everything. I memorized the escape route this afternoon. Leili, go and leave several fine warhorses along the route we planned."
"I won't be stingy with money anymore. We can spend all of it as we please, for the sake of our plan to take back the human barony!"
Everyone exchanged glances.
To be honest, Black Wolf hadn't expected a sheltered prince to come up with such a detailed plan.
Yveta said to them, "This is also my first time doing anything like this, so if something unexpected happens, we'll just have to improvise."
"Leili, you're our only way out. Make sure you're prepared to help us escape."
Before you continue