Chapter 47: The day before

「Great Demon Lord Ashura huh? Why would a great demon lord be working with some secluded faction within the forest?」Asked the hybrid.

「Well, he's a founder of a mercenary group so he'll work with whoever pays him the best. Though in this case, I'm sure money isn't his goal.」

「Then what is?」

「The rare mineral called Orcan that can rarely be found anywhere else but deep within Vernys. It has a unique property of being able to neutralize the miasma emitted by mutants.」Explained Gilga.「Although Ashura doesn't really need them, the majority of his followers do. For the Hyakki Yagyo, Orcan is more valuable than gold.」

「I didn't know there existed such a mineral.」Surprised Kibadios since although he has been living for a long time and accumulated vast knowledge about this world, yet he has never heard of "Orcan". Wait, did she say "majority of his followers? Does it mean most of the Hyakki Yagyo are mutants?

「If that's the case...」asked Ryuu.「Why didn't that Great Demon Lord just take over the forest and secure his source of Orcan, something that's more valuable than gold to him?」

「That'd be because of me 」laughed Gilga while pointing her finger at her face.「You all know Vernys is located right next to my city state, Uruk, right? Although we, the Great Demon Lords, all belong to the same group, we are, first and foremost, rivals. You wouldn't want your rival to take over a territory right next to yours, right? He knew if he was to turn Vernys into his turf, he would have to deal with me. And speaking from his personal experience, nothing good would come out of a conflict involving two Great Demon Lords. As long as he gets his supplies of Orcan, he's good. Besides, for some reason, he does not care for territory, he'd rather be free and roaming around the land with his band of mercenaries. He once told me he had spent fifty years fighting battles after battles over territories, just to lose them all in a fleeting moment so now he has decided to live his life differently.」

… First her , then him ? Why does it feel like Esthar has become the setting for Drifters? Kibadios sighed after having guessed the identity of Ashura.

「... If he's lending his help to Yllaner sama's brother, then wouldn't that mean the outcome has already been decided? No matter what, the princess and her forces cannot fight against a Great Demon Lord.」Ryuu concluded.

「Well, there are three main reasons we're not throwing in the towel yet. Firstly, I have yet to hear that he would personally be there. All of the intelligence I have gathered only confirmed the fact that members of Hyakki Yagyo are there. Maybe Prince Yllaes only formed contracts with those particular individuals since Hyakki Yagyo members are allowed to work independently. Besides, my hunch tells me he's not there personally. After all, if he is there, he's risking a conflict with me if he's not careful.」explained Gilga. 「Secondly, if Yllaes has Ashura, then Yllaner has you two. If you both were to take on Ashura head to head, I can't guarantee who would come out on top, don't sell yourself short… And thirdly, it's princess Yllaner we're talking about. I have no doubt she will overcome this trial and Vernys will emerge stronger and more united than ever.」

「It seems like you have a lot of confidence in the Princess」Kibadios smiled.

「Yes. 」She grinned devilishly.

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「What are you doing here, Princess? Aren't you cold?」Kibadios approached Yllaner on the balcony of the airship that was carrying them toward Vernys. Even though there existed a magical barrier around the airship that helped regulate its temperature, given that they were flying high up during the middle of winter night, the ship's deck was undoubtedly much more chilly than its interior.

「Kibadios dono.」Yllaner politely nodded. 「Thank you for your concern. I just feel like I need some fresh air.」

「What you need is a good night's rest since we'll be at Vernys by tomorrow morning…This is probably a stupid question, given how things are going, but how are you feeling, Yllaner dono?」Kibadios showed a rare genuine concern for the princess.

「...I'm scared. I'd be lying if I said anything otherwise.」The girl flashed a faint smile while raising her slightly trembling hand in front of her.「For all my life, I have been trying my best to juggle my responsibility as the apparent heir of the Vernys Confederation and my love for Kyles. I wanted to have it all and at this very moment, I may be losing them both. Sometimes, I hope I'm just in a bad dream and the moment I wake up, I would find that everything would be okay... 」Yllaner turned to Kibadios after regaining her usual composure. 「I'm sorry. I should not have bothered you with my burden like that. It's just somehow, for some reason, I feel like I can express myself in front of you without any inhibition… as if we have known each other for a really long time.」

「No, no. I really don't mind.」Kibadios leaned his back onto the airship's rail. 「Isn't it better to have someone to talk to in these trying times?」

「I guess so.」Yllaner nodded.

「So, what is your master plan? Or if you would rather keep them a secret, you don't have to let me know.」

「You know, Ryan trusted you with all his life and you have personally saved us all, it would be weird if I don't trust you enough to tell you my plan now.」Yllaner chuckled. 「My plan is simple enough, if I have to sum it all up in one word, it would be "Bait."」

And so the Maeg Royal Airship, which had been ordered by Lance to take the princess back to Vernys Forest, continued to head North under the quiet starry sky toward the Fyeran territory, the only clan that was still holding out against Yllaes' forces. The fate of the Vernys Confederation would be quickly decided in mere fourteen days from now. Despite the short duration of the conflict, this battle between the siblings was considered to be one of the most important events that has ever happened in the extensive history of the Vernys Confederation. The hybrid's fate, though, would be decided in ten days, when his own mistake would lead to him experiencing grief for the first time during his current incarnation.

"The wheel of fate is turning..."

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「Mother. Please eat something. At this rate, you will fall sick.」An elegant-looking elven man, wearing an elaborated oriental cloak, pleaded while kneeling on his knee. He looked up, but the woman did not bother to react. She just sat there, motionlessly gazing at the small windows on the wooden wall. 「Don't be stubborn, mother! I have triumphed and in the end, I'll show you I will lead the Vernys Forest to prosperity! Must I remind you, Yllaner abandoned us for a mere human man. She and her backward looking mindset can never rule over this forest.」

The elven stood up then walked out of the room frustratingly, his light eyebrows pressing against one another, one of his hands clenched into a fist while the other moved up and lightly touched a short scar on the right side of his face. 「Yllaner… Skyer, what's the progress on rooting out Yllaner's supporter from the council?」

「To date, we have arrested more than a dozen elders who dared to oppose you, my prince.」Another elven man emerged from the shadow, then walked behind Yllaes and reported to him. 「The rest seemed to have quiet down in their oppositions. At the current, I'd give it another week or two before the capital will fully be subjugated by our faction.」

「... And that's two more weeks that anticipated, isnt it?」

「It can't be helped. Princess Yllaner's political machinery is extensive. Still, we can systematically unravel them here in our clan's territories, but like I have told you, I'm more worried about the support she's receiving from factions within the other three clans. Although all their leaders have all voiced support for your ascension, some within their own clans are against it. Since those clans are operating autonomously from us, there's nothing we can do about it.」

「Just keep an eye out for them. I'm confident the other clan heads can take care of their own problems. They're not too incompetent. Though, internal conflicts between those clans work out for us in the end, since after I have dealt with Yllaner and Fyeran, we shall turn our attention toward quickly unifying Vernys by force anyways.」Yllaes turned back to his right hand man.「How's the mission to convince the Fyeran? I'd rather we flip their support before my sister arrives there.」

「Our "representatives" have arrived to the Fyeran's capital yesterday. From their report, it seemed like Easlyn dono is considering accepting your claim to the title of head of the Shilna clan.」

「I figured.」smirked Yllaes. 「No matter how loyal they are to my sister or mother, they should understand that they stand no chance in a fight against us. We just have to flex our forces in front of them just for them to run away, with their tail tucked in between their legs… Now is the time we have to show our strength and absolute power. Heed my order, Skyer. Execute every single sympathizer of my sister that you can find and hang their heads on the tree branches for all to witness in fear.」

「Understood, Yllaes sama!」The man bowed, before leaping backward and disappearing into the shadow.

The handsome elven prince strode toward a large, green mossy door, where he was greeted by the guards before they opened it up, leading him toward an open garden, which has been used for centuries as a gathering place for the clan elders to discuss their policy issues. Although it did not snow in Vernys, the cold weather of winter has prevented many of the vibrant colored flowers that usually decorated the garden from blooming. The gloomy atmosphere of the garden now has reflected well the overall mood of the meeting. The moment Yllaes entered, the faint murmuring chatterings quickly quieted down, all eyes, each with their own hidden emotions ranging from admiration to fear, glued on the usurper as he walked to the expansive tree located at one end of the garden, where the clan head would traditionally stand.

「Thank you for coming here today. Let us discuss the issue regarding my foolish little sister coming back to Vernys.」