“Spread the word throughout Nerathis,
A Dragon has blessed Drakthar.”
Alden declared, his tone full of unhidden pride.
“Every single person in Nerathis should know that the Hero has bonded with a Dragon. Those who trusted him should know their trust wasn’t unfounded.”
The King’s gaze then fell on the Council Members and he continued,
“And those who doubted him should know that he has already reached a level they could never hope to reach.
Spread the Word,
The Hero and his Dragon are coming for Nerathis’s Enemies.”
The instant Alden said those words, the council members felt their hearts beating much louder than normal, especially when they saw the Dragon in the Hero’s arms.
Of course, Cirri didn’t give a damn. Being the centre of attention didn’t bother her one bit; she was a Dragon, she was supposed to be the centre of attention.
She was more focused on using her little paws to force Kael’s hand to rub her cheeks, which Kael obviously complied with.
He also heard Alden’s words, and while all the attention did somewhat frighten him, he steeled his heart. He was prepared for this when he decided to reveal Cirri, so he just smiled and accepted all the attention.
While Kael was thinking all this, Alden continued.
“Also use this chance to push the Hero’s story. Talk about what happened in Estwyn, how a Corrupted Beast lost all control over itself and was controlled by a foreign, unknown force, used to attack the Hero.
Mention how desperate the Twilight is getting and how they have the ability to strengthen the Power of Corruption inside a beast and take control over it whenever they wish.
Find more cases similar to Estwyn’s Town Head, reveal everything you find throughout Nerathis. Ask the church to use their men to spread the word as well.
Spread the notion that Twilight’s ultimate goal is to inject the Power of Corruption inside every bond in Nerathis so that they can use it to take control over those Bonds, steal them from their Tamers, and destroy Nerathis as we know it.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
The Council Members nodded.
Kael, on the other hand, couldn’t help but be impressed.
To think this man found a way to push his agenda the moment he revealed Cirri. It was almost as if he was prepared for this.
‘Tsk, politicians are the same in all worlds.’
Kael snorted inwardly.
‘I guess I need to become like them as well.’
He muttered.
Honestly, he liked the plan. He could understand what Alden was trying to do.
Once the King establishes that the Power of Corruption is evil, Selene’s words will lose their value. The doubt she had sowed in people’s heads about them not understanding the Power of Corruption completely will fade away, and once people become ‘anti-Power of Corruption’, rallying them against the Energy of Dawn won’t be difficult.
Kael stared at the King, waiting to see what else he had to say, and the King continued,
“Once you find enough cases similar to Estwyn’s Town Head, contact Eryndor, Zephyria, and the Council of Gold Delegations. Ask them to support our claim.
All four of us will push the same agenda and turn the Power of Corruption and Twilight into a common enemy.
Stay open to any form of communication from Xenthalor. The instant they try to get in touch, inform me. The best way to end this would be for it to go down without a war.”
Once again, the council members nodded.
The discussions continued. Possible reactions to this announcement were considered, roles were divided amongst the council members, with different members dealing with things they had expertise in.
As the King participated in this conversation, Kael couldn’t help but be impressed again. Seeing the King being active in the conversation made him wonder when the man even thought all this through.
The council members, he could understand. They had the time to think and discuss, but he and the King were talking about entirely different things just a while ago. Honestly, he was already thrown out of the loop and had lost track of the conversation, yet…
The King was still going strong—heck, he was leading the conversation.
Kael also noticed that the King was right about Council Members participating in the conversation more actively, with every one of them trying to prove their innocence. They felt like staying silent attracted too much suspicion, so they blurted out every idea that came to their minds without hiding anything.
The discussions continued for a while. Once the details were fine-tuned, the King raised another matter.
“Once Xenthalor and Twilight are cornered, we need to stop their growth through any other means.”
Alden then turned towards Kael and smiled,
“This is something the Hero came up with, and I believe it can be followed.”
The rest of the council members stared at Kael and frowned. Alden continued,
“Once the Energy of Dawn and Power of Corruption’s true nature is revealed and people believe they are harmful, Drakthar will send delegations to all other nations with Verdant Omens. The delegations will be given full power to inspect anyone they desire, and if users of Corrupted or Half-Corrupted Beasts are found, they will be executed on the spot.”
The council members’ expressions turned grim at those words. The King, however, didn’t stop.
“The delegations will send us and the church monthly reports. If the cases of corrupted humans in a certain nation increase beyond a certain number, that nation will be put on a red list. The higher-ups of that nation will be examined using Verdant Omen, and if they are found corrupted, they will be executed as well.
Drakthar will be at the forefront of this operation. We will take charge, and use this chance to strengthen our influence even further.
We need to be seen as the strongest force that will protect Nerathis from all the dangers, and with the Hero and his Dragon on our side, things will become much simpler.”
Alden declared with a big smile on his face.
“But Your Majesty…”
Suddenly, the Shadow Regent called out.
His worries were the same as the King’s—the method of direct executions would be too cruel, many innocents would die—and at his question, the King once again smiled at Kael and,
“Then we kill the corrupted beasts instead, and the Tamer will be imprisoned for a decade.”
“But if we kill their bonds…”
“If they cherished their bonds so much, they wouldn’t have rushed to strengthen them at the first notice.
It didn’t matter if it was the Grand Magic Empire who promoted its use. Tamers who truly love their bonds will let thousands of others test the result of this new power before putting their own bonds at risk.”
“…”
Zephyr turned silent at those words.
But even now, the King wasn’t done. The last bomb was still yet to be launched.
“Of course, since Drakthar will stand at the forefront of this operation, it is only natural we start the operation at our home first.”
The King commented, then, as he stared at each and every one of the council members, he declared,
“And to set an example and prove how serious we are regarding this matter,
We will start with our higher-ups instead of common people.”
“!!!”
The Council Members widened their eyes.
Yes, it was time to find the Traitor.