Chapter 93 - Brewing quandaries

Hearing the king's stern rejection, Aile smiled.

Hazel then sighed, "I am sorry then I cannot risk my life again, without assurance."

"Do you know the Kingdom of Poena, saw you being attacked by our side after our meeting and now we received news that they are preparing for war. They believe that we are divided so they will attack taking this opportunity. If we show solidarity now, we can stop this."

"I apologize, I cannot let Sara face the world alone, I need to be there for her. So, I will not take another risk without assurance. Although I would hate for the people of the kingdom to face a war, my priority is Sara."

"How about this, I will try to come up with a deal so that we both can agree on. In the meantime, do not interfere with what happens in Port Kiar."

"What will happen to Port Kiar?" Hazel asked in a questioning tone.

"All I can tell you is that Port Kiar is a unique place, there was a deal between us, and the White Clan that we would not interfere with it as long as it was under the Nala Clan's old man. However, since you, the representative of him will no longer be there. The deal will no longer stand until you or the old man take back the post."

"So, there is going to be a cold war?"

Sigh, "Yes, that is why I want you to return there."

"I will not interfere against you, if that is what you are concerned about, I also hope to be left alone and that things do not go out of hand in Port Kiar," Hazel said.

"You really care about your people... Do not worry things will not escalate. As there is a risk from the outsiders, your people will not be harmed. Until the outside threat is resolved first, no one would want to create internal strife. Politics is a hard and harsh game; I hope we can come up with a solution so that peace can restore there."

"Yes, that would be for the best."

"I will contact you back the same way once we establish a solution. I will hold on to this end of the communication tool, so you can contact me if you come up with another request to return," said the king.

The communication ended, and everyone had a surprised expression. Two wars were brewing.

One war was bubbling between the White Clan and the Royal Rex Clan and the other between the Illumination Kingdom and the Kingdom of Poena. They were in the centre of both of them. There was also a false sense of power as it seemed that the war could be stopped by them, should they decide to interfere.

Everyone quieted after that conversation and was contemplating the best course of action; they were thinking about what to do? It seemed that the fate of the whole kingdom was resting on their shoulders.

Hazel had a reluctant expression as she looked at Aile and said, "Aile I think it will be for the best if I become the Magistrate of Port Kiar again. You can keep Sara here with you, and I can come here and meet you all at night and return back before anyone sees me. Nothing will change, and we will save a lot of people. I will prioritize..."

Aile sighed, "Do you really believe that our decision will change anything. Think about it, do you think another kingdom will just prepare for war because of one case of internal strife. They have their spies and know the situation here better than anyone else. Do you really think they will stop once you forgive people and paint a target on yourself? If they have already started to prepare, then it means it is too late. After all, a lot of discussions happen before a war. This only proves that they already had this planned. Plus, what can you do if you return to become the magistrate? You cannot fight the bandits and pirates alone. The guards here are not enough. The kingdom now has the war as another excuse to not help you. This will make you even more vulnerable. If those people were willing to attack you in such an open arena, do you think they will shy away from it here, in the corner of the map."

Hazel's gaze dropped to the floor, and she became dejected, "What about the people in here?"

Aile looked at her and said, "You know that the pirates and bandits are here for a reason and that is to undermine you. If you return, what do you think the pirates will do? After all, they killed people when they attacked last time. They will strike again, and this time more people will die. So, you returning will not solve the problem either."

"What should we do then, just let all of this happen?"

"Why not? Two of our enemies will weaken themselves here, and if the war between kingdoms happen the same will happen there."

"But I do not want the people of Port Kiar to suffer more. They are my responsibility; I had promised to protect them until my grandfather returns. I do not want to go back on my promise."

"Who said that you cannot protect them?" Aile asked with a chuckle.

"What do you mean? You just said.."

Aile interjected, "Doing anything openly, would not be ideal, but you can help the people from the shadows."

Hazel, Emily and Fiona looked at him curiously.

"If you want to help them then it is simple, just create an Adventurer's Union and hire most of the people that way, they cannot be used as pawns for the cold war."

"Would that not attract too much attention?" asked Hazel curiously.

"There is a solution for that, we can inform Shadow about the war. He will benefit from the news, and he can let us use his name to create the adventurers' unions as bodyguards for his caravans and other businesses here."

Everyone's gaze became excited. Emily and Fiona wanted to support her and offer their help, but they were stopped by Aile's gaze.

Aile continued, "I am sure Fiona can lend you some money to start the union, so you should not worry about finances. As she is responsible for Shadow's trades, she can try to hire from you to make sure that you receive a profit. Making your union remain financially sustainable for the long run."

Hazel immediately shifted her gazed to Fiona. Fiona smiled and nodded at her.

"Thank you! Are you sure Shadow will agree?"

"I cannot promise, but the intel he will get is valuable, he will likely agree." She had a smile on her face as she said that. She knew that Aile had already made the decision, but nonetheless she had to keep Hazel on tenterhooks for a while.

After getting Fiona's nod, Hazel became excited. She said that she will leave and start to prepare, as to make the adventurer's union quickly so that she can help more people sign up.

Before she left, Aile reminded her to make sure that when she is hiring, she should put harsh conditions for the people to prevent them from leaving once they sign a contract. So that they would not be swayed by money to join the war when the time comes.

She gave a happy smile to Aile, nodded and then left. Adventurers Unions could be established by anyone. However, the Mercenary Union could only be created after getting approval from another branch.

Fiona and Emily were left in the room. Fiona asked, "Why did you stop me, I could have helped her?"

Aile replied, "I do not want you to get burnt out, we have a lot on our plate with the trades happening with the bandits. On top of that, now we need to stock resources that pertain to war."

Fiona nodded, "Ok, I will get to that, how do we prepare for this conflict."

Aile replied, "This will be a silent war, where many people will infiltrate the town to hurt the opposition. We need to get any available properties and hire all the healers. In case they need treatment or a place to stay, we can profit from it. In fact, if you can get properties that can turn to taverns, it would be for the best."

Emily asked, "What should I do?" She had told Aile that she did not want to be seen as useless in front of Fiona. Hence Emily asked Aile to slowly reveal her abilities and strength in front of her.

Aile said, "Well, there is going to be underhanded means that will be used in the war, so we need an underground presence. For assassinations and robbing missions, gambling dens, and other establishments. Do you think you can establish those?"

Fiona interjected angrily, "No way, she can come and help me, that is not a fair place for her to spend her days. You cannot take advantage of her, just because she always listens to you, do not make her do this."