Teaming Up

"That was just bad luck! I assure you it won't happen again, besides Anda here is a strong fighter, and with his help, you'll have an edge over the others."

"Hmm… It's an edge, a small one, but still an edge... Fine, I suppose we can still work together, but if you aren't as smart as you advertise, our partnership may have to end prematurely."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down."

…

"Sir, who are they?" Nissor said in 'surprise' as Minos entered with Princess Asumi and Anda, both currently covered with heavy cloaks that disguised their appearances.

At the same time, his other men raised their arms slightly, as if ready to fight at any moment.

"It should be a familiar face to you all, this is Princess Asumi, ie, the elusive Sixteenth Princess."

"The Sixteenth Princess? The same one you were chatting with last time?" Jiro asked.

"That's right, and from now on she'll be our new teammate. Her and her soldier, Anda, so say hello."

"Where are her other men? Don't tell me it's just her and him?" Masi asked, as if disgusted.

"They were unfortunately eliminated. It's only her and Anda now, but don't worry, she's got a sharp mind and Anda has a heavy fist, so they should still prove useful." Minos explained.

"Useful? What kind of partnership is this? It seems more like she's leeching off our strength." Masi continued.

"Don't be rude, Masi, in fact, from now on I want you all to treat Princess Asumi as the second-in-command."

"Second-in-command? For what!" Masi shouted in annoyance.

"Masi, watch your tune!" Nissor immediately scolded, causing Masi to shrink his head slightly, giving in to Nissor's authority.

"While I also disagree with Sir's plan, he is ultimately the one in charge, so I will do as commanded. Do the rest of you agree?"

"Agreed!" Everyone said in unison, Masi also giving in due to the pressure.

"Thank you Nissor. You heard them Princess Asumi, since they've agreed, I hope you take your role as second-in-command seriously."

"Don't worry, I'll lead them with conviction, as if they were my own men." Asumi assured.

"Then let this be the beginning of something great." Minos smiled, reaching out to shake Asumi's hand, which she quickly reciprocated.

…

"Sir, we've just got news that most of the Sixteenth Princess's team has been eliminated!" A soldier said in a rush to the First Prince who was lounging around comfortably on his throne.

"Oh? While I had already expected a poor performance from her, I never expected one this bad… How many men does she have left?" Nufes asked.

"From what we know so far, it's only her and one more soldier."

"That's it? And her current whereabouts, are they known?"

"No, she seems to have vanished completely!"

"Forget about her for the time being then. Right now I'm much more interested in that third brother of mine, especially what he's been up to recently. We can't just let him continue to build his troops, or else we'll lose the game before it even starts."

"What should we do?"

"Since he wants to recruit, we'll do the same!"

"But what should we offer? Money?"

"No, we'll only end up losing in that regard, instead we have to offer something more appealing… I want you to try and get in contact with the civilian Nine-Tails, tell them if they support me, I'll reinstate their nobility once I become king."

"As commanded, Sir!"

Watching the soldier run off to get the work done, Nufes leaned back, his fingers tapping rhythmically against each other as he thought.

His brother was money-crazed, a firm believer in the idea that money ruled above all else, but he had never agreed with that philosophy.

To him, money was just an extension of the noblities power, a reflection of their grace on those below them, a means of giving the civilians an illusion of control.

It was certainly useful, but only as a tool and nothing else, and he'd remind that brother of his that there were much more potent tools then just money.

…

Meanwhile, news about the Sixteenth Princess near elimination spread rapidly, most people's interest in the Princess dwindling significantly due to it.

Of course, it actually had the opposite effect on a rare few contestants, those who felt like they had seen through her plot.

Fortunately for the Princess, those contestants were few and far between, and most people had already forfeited her as a real competitor, finally giving her leeway to breathe.

And her timing was quite impeccable, because not long after that, Prince Orino and Prince Nufes both entered overdrive, rapidly recruiting any contestant they could find through any and all means.

Other contestants quickly picked up on this, and those powerful enough realized if they didn't join the wave, they'd soon be crushed by it.

Like that, six main factions were quickly formed, led by the First Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Sixth Prince, Seventh Prince, and surprisingly enough, the First Princess.

At the same time, the Eighth and Ninth Prince had also come together, forming a sort of pseudo-faction that was also a sizable threat.

By this point, the field had been split in seven-ways, most people ultimately succumbing to the general trend, joining one of the seven factions.

…

"Are you just going to watch while everyone else is getting stronger? We should create our own faction as well!" Asumi couldn't help but scold as she realized Minos didn't have any plans of acting.

"And offer them what?" Minos asked, freezing Asumi mid sentence.

"The things I do have, others have more of. In terms of wealth, the Third Prince crushes me, as for influence, it goes without saying that the First Prince is dominant."

"Right now we only have two many choices ahead of us. Either join one of the factions, or keep hiding in the shadows as we watch the events unfold."

"We can't keep watching. It's only a matter of time before we're discovered, at which point without a faction's protection, we'll be crushed." Asumi said as she shook her head.

"Then who do you think we should join?" Minos asked curiously.

"First of all, my eldest brother isn't even worth consideration. While I have barely interacted with him, I can tell he's the narcissistic type, not fit to be a leader."

"Then we have my third brother, and while he's much more open-minded and cooperative, his obsession with money clouds his thoughts and makes him relatively predictable."

"My fourth brother on the other hand is a much more nuanced character, but it's exactly this nuance that makes it hard to work with him. You can never know what he's thinking or planning, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing…"

"My sixth brother is the blood-thirsty type, eager to fight and cause mayhem, but not too fond of thinking hard or deep about any topic."

"My seventh brother is probably the worst, very snakish in character, and an incredibly untrustworthy person who'd betray you at the drop of a hat."

"As for my eldest sister, she's always given off a kind aura, but to be honest, my gut has always warned me against her, as if she's hiding nefarious intentions behind her pleasant face."

"Seems like you don't have good relations with any of your siblings." Minos couldn't help but add, her best review being for her fourth brother, who she still seemed to be reluctant to work with.

"You don't know the half of it… For nobles like us, there is no kinship, only give and take, what can I offer you, and what can you provide me in turn." Asumi said with a long sigh.

"I understand as much, but right now we have to work with someone, and given your status, I think it's best I leave the choice to you."

"... Then I think we should work with my eighth and ninth brothers."

"How come?"

"No other reason than they are the weakest, meaning we may actually have a chance to influence their decision making unlike the others who would likely ignore us completely, only using us as pawns."

"Makes sense. Then since the decision is made, let's not waste any more time."

"Just like that?" Asumi asked in shock, not expecting Minos would act on her decision so quickly.

"What else is there to think about? I agree with your analysis, and the sooner we join the team, the higher a status we can obtain."

"I know as much, but still… Shouldn't we think this through a little further?" Asumi said, not expecting Minos to be even more decisive than she was.

"No need, let the others waste their time thinking further." Minos said, immediately having his men prepare while Asumi watched on with stupefaction.