No matter the world, politicians who lived to old age truly were more cunning than foxes. Terenas's insight and judgment left Patrick thoroughly impressed.
"Judging by human nature, what Terenas has his eye on is probably the Kingdom of Alterac." After some thought, Alleria offered her judgment. "From his actions, Terenas has wanted to settle accounts with Alterac all along, yet he keeps putting it off. If he really only wanted some particular thing, the other kings couldn't do anything about it even if he sent troops to seize it outright. The reason he's only led negotiations without taking actual action so far may be that what he wants is too shocking to obtain without a legitimate reason and the right opportunity."
Alleria's analysis was accurate. She had already guessed the broad outlines; reality simply had yet to prove her conjecture correct.
Patrick said, "But taking Alterac for himself is no simple undertaking. The other human kingdoms are still watching everything from the sidelines. At the very least, Aiden Perenolde is still Alterac's rightful king. Terenas hasn't stripped him of his throne."
"There must be a special significance behind those unusual actions. Humans have short lives. As a human king, Terenas certainly wouldn't waste his time on pointless negotiations. There must be something he particularly wants but hasn't obtained, which is why he keeps discussing things with those kings. What he probably needs is someone to take the lead, rather than leading the whole thing himself, so the Alliance can settle accounts with Alterac together."
As Ranger Marshal, Alleria had considerable experience. Relying only on the intelligence they had already obtained and her understanding of human character and thought, she could deduce Terenas's actual intentions with considerable accuracy.
Although Patrick already knew the outcome, he still said, "Alliance affairs are