On the Chessboard

Of the Five-Nation Alliance, three did not follow the rules. They sent sons of noble families and high-ranking officials to the alliance, ostensibly for friendly visits, but those in power knew the real purpose. The countries receiving them had naturally investigated these individuals and their families thoroughly to prevent them from becoming unwanted scapegoats in their domestic politics. In that case, even if they were killed, it would be of no use if they suffered losses.

The other two countries did not do this. The reason for one of them is unknown, but in Kudel's case, it was because the talented people were all young, unmarried, and childless; even if they were born, they would be too young for such political exchanges. Therefore, the prince had to go in person. In fact, ever since he left Kudel, the prince had been worried. His mother had died early, and if he hadn't been there to keep an eye on things, who knew what kind of trouble the king would cause? Although many ministers were aware of the king's flaws, he always managed to formulate his absurd plans with remarkable efficiency. He presented his reasoning in a way that was undeniably convincing. Take, for example, the king's previous attempt to send an army to eliminate a giant dragon dwelling deep in the borderlands. This proposal initially met with universal opposition; after all, it was a dragon, and who knew what abilities it possessed? However, faced with his ministers' doubts, the king spoke eloquently, citing numerous historical records and legends, convincingly portraying a scenario where, despite the dragon's immense power, given Kudel's national resources, strength, tactics, and warriors, eliminating it was not difficult if used appropriately.

Ultimately, the prince stopped his father's crazy idea. Everyone's first reaction was correct; after all, it was a giant dragon. How many humans who saw it had ever returned alive? How much of those rumors could be believed? Of course, these things couldn't be said to the king's face. He had great confidence in his judgment, and it was precisely this confidence that made others easily believe him for no reason. The prince was like that when he was young; if he hadn't gained experience later, he probably would have been led by the nose by his father for the rest of his life.

Of course, the dragon-slaying madness was stopped because I was there. But the reason I was sent abroad as a political hostage was probably because my father felt I wasn't obedient enough after that incident. After all, although the reasons I gave made it easy for my father to step down, no one knew whether that extremely confident man would be dissatisfied. Sending me away this time was probably to prevent me from interfering with him.

As it turned out, this foolish father still did something foolish.

When the prince first noticed the increased security, he merely thought it might be a bit excessive, but not a big deal. However, when he saw the soldiers marching in from the Black Road, his expression turned extremely grim. Sending regular troops across the border without prior notification to enemy territory—who didn't know what that meant?

They'll try to escape, and they certainly won't be foolish enough to just wait to be killed.

However, the prince hadn't expected them to choose the Black Road... If his side was simply unlucky to have joined Li Lin's group and had no time to choose, then they probably had no other escape route. After all, everyone knew the Black Road, this underground passage controlled by the Dark Elf, was incredibly difficult to traverse, and most people had no idea how long, wide, or large Black Road was, or how long it would take... The fact that they'd been forced into this situation meant the border between Kudel and Lalia was completely sealed off.

Therefore, upon seeing the man, the prince wavered. He instinctively wanted to stop Li Lin from agreeing. After all, while others might be unpredictable, this mage did indeed possess the ability to lead people across the Black Road. Currently, he had not only traversed the Black Road but had even gained control of the entire Dark Elf race. What was even more terrifying was that he was not a member of the Kingdom of Kud and naturally wouldn't consider their interests—fortunately, he was also not a member of the Kingdom of Lalia and wouldn't consider their interests either.

Probably.

"I see."

After getting everything he wanted to know from the prince, Li Lin frowned in thought. Then he gently patted the little one's head to calm her down again. Li Lin was certain that if he didn't do something now, Angela would definitely subject the prince to horrific torture on the grounds of "daring to try to deceive us." She would have plenty of reasons to do so.

Stopped by Li Lin, Angela shook her head in dissatisfaction, while the prince and the Dark Elf priestess standing beside him breathed a sigh of relief; the former was worried about her health, and the latter was worried about the impact she would have on the situation.

So, you don't want me to help them.

"... As you can see, Master."

"Then, let's make a deal."

Transactions can sometimes be more terrifying than commands or requests.

The prince's expression was somewhat complicated, but the renewed red light in Angela's eyes compelled him to make a decision.

Please speak plainly.

"I will give you their heads."

Li Lin's words brought a surge of joy to the prince, followed by a moment of surprise.

"But I need you to sign an agreement as a prince."

"... What agreement?"

"These Dark Elf have been good to you, haven't they?"

As he spoke, Li Lin pointed to Maya beside him, and the prince had no choice but to nod.

"So, given their strong desire to return to Earth, shouldn't you do something about it?"

"This..."

The prince's expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

You mean...?

"You should understand perfectly well, or do you want me to just say it directly?"

"But..."

He understood Li Lin's meaning, of course, but these were Dark Elf. Even elves were not well-liked on the surface, let alone Dark Elf. Even with his princely status as a guarantee, he was still just a prince. In other words, even if he weren't a prince but a king, making such a decision would still be under considerable pressure.

"You are not unaware of the Dark Elf's reputation on the surface world."

"I both hate and fear it."

Li Lin naturally knew this. Before speaking with the prince, he specifically sought out Nia and Maya to learn about the situation of the Dark Elf on the surface. Ironically, while elves were also disliked and even used for slave trading, their activities were confined to the forests. In other words, as long as humans stayed away from the forests, these "weak distant relatives on the surface" were as useless as trash, posing no threat whatsoever. But Dark Elf were different. They rarely appeared on the surface, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. They were more evil than elves and easier to kill. Some Dark Elf who left the Underdark even managed to carve out a place for themselves in the human world as assassins, which instilled in humans a feeling beyond hatred—fear.

They hate elves, but they are not afraid of them, at least not outside the forest.

They hate dwarfs, but they are not afraid of them, at least not outside the mountains.

They hated the Dark Elf, but they also feared Dark Elf, because nowhere was safe, not even the royal palace.

The Dark Elf's cruelty, bloodlust, and ruthlessness are their best trademarks. This is far better than the elves' elegance and the dwarves' straightforwardness, since the former, no matter what, cannot inspire a sense of threat.

"I only ask that you make this agreement. What happens afterward, whether the surface humans will attack the Dark Elf, is not your concern, and I will not use these issues to cause you trouble."

The other party has already made it very clear, and it seems... there's no other way out.

I agree.

"Very good."

Li Lin nodded, then turned to Maya.

"Then, this young lady will take you to sign the agreement. I believe the divine magic bestowed upon her by the Dark Maiden will be sufficient to ensure the agreement's execution."

The slightly suggestive remark caused the prince to pause for a moment, but he said nothing more. Instead, he turned around and, at Maya's gesture, left the room. He didn't want to stay in this room, which was filled with a terrifying killing intent, for even a second longer.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Angela giggled and nestled into Li Lin, turning her little head, while Li Lin reached out and stroked her silver hair.

"Chess pieces, very good. I can't wait to see their expressions of surprise, fear, and despair... Master? When shall we set off to catch these little mice hiding in their holes?"

"While I'm very interested in what methods you'll use to torture them, unfortunately, they can't die."

"And you still say you want to hand over these people's heads to that stupid idiot? You really know how to deceive my feelings."

Sensing Li Lin's true intentions, Angela pouted helplessly.

"Just bear with it for now, it won't make you sick. What about the other side?"

"Everything is proceeding according to plan."

Upon hearing this, Angela immediately radiated beauty and became even more lovely. No matter what beauty secrets one might have, nothing compares to the joy of success; this is always a truth, regardless of its true nature.

"Weijia has successfully seduced that old man with the power I gave her, and the Caseli Magic Core within him has awakened very successfully. With Weijia's seduction, it has begun to influence the old man's mind. According to Weijia's report, she has already lured that ignorant girl to seduce her own brother. If everything goes smoothly, they can be wiped out in one fell swoop... But according to Master's opinion, this is simply too boring."

"Certainly."

Li Lin gently pinched Angela's soft little face.

"It's certainly interesting when evil triumphs over good, but it's not good if good is defeated too completely... You should know what to do next; that prince can't die so easily."

"Of course I understand what you mean, Master, but you must be careful not to let the story end the same way, or it would be laughable."

Do you think I would make such a mistake, Angela?

Silence.

Then, a cheerful, silvery laugh broke the silence.

"I don't think so. After all, Master, you have already failed once. I don't believe that I would choose someone who is so foolish as to not even know how to learn from their mistakes."

"Very good."

As Li Lin spoke, he stood up.

"Then, we should get going."