"It is the simple requests that one must be wary of."
"The ones that are vague and have many interpretations."
"All I wanted was a promise that no matter what it is, he will grant one favour in the future requested by either me or my successor."
"But even at such a young age, he could see the hidden trap in my honeyed words."
"Because for a noble house that prides itself on loyalty and trust…."
"A single promise is worth its weight in gold."
Boreas Brightfeather, Chieftain of The Free Brothers known as the 'White Worded.'
….
"What web of lies? Who said I am allied with Duke Ancel?"
"Don't you think you're selling our cunning Duke of Plantaria a little short with that comment?"
Railius asked, putting on the most surprised face he could, trying to hide their secret alliance with the Duke of Plantaria, for if someone had evidence of it, then not only could they blackmail him but Ancel as well.
"Denying it to the end, are we? I am indeed selling my good friend a little short but you really need to work on your lying skills, little lord."
The Free Brothers chieftain said with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. Compared to him, Railius was but a little chick, a very easy boy to see through who lied poorly. It was evident that it was not through lies that he managed to persuade Duke Ancel.
"There is no way that 5 Beastman tribes who happen to be on good terms with Ancel would suddenly attack his domain and the empire without his knowledge."
The Free Brothers chieftain said his insightful eyes seemed to bear into Railius's soul, cutting through layer after layer of intricate webs before getting to the truth of the matter, which shone with a white crystal-like light clear in the avian's large yellow eyes.
"I have been dealing with that cunning old bastard for 10 years now, and never once has he been caught off guard like this before."
"As such, the only reason why he would ever be caught off-guard is if he wanted to be caught off-guard."
"And by happenstance, on the day of my fellow Beastmen's attack, you just coincidently happen to be crossing the border."
"Add to that how Ancel's grandmaster coincidently managed to find where you were crossing to intercept you, and I am sure you can see my young lord of Aurellion, why one would at least be a tiny bit suspicious."
"Unfortunately for you, my young little lordling…."
The chieftain said, pausing for dramatic effect, coming down from his furred throne to right next to Railius' ear while he spoke and whispered the last part of his accurate analysis into the small boy's ear.
"I am not a man who believes in coincidences, at least not this many happening at once."
"One coincidence happening can be seen as just that coincidence, two coincidences happening well that's suspicious, but three coincidences happening well…."
"That can only be a conspiracy!"
The Avian Chieftain whispered with a slight smile, which shocked Railius for a second as he did not expect many people to be able to see through his scheme with Ancel, yet this wise ruler in front of him could.
After thinking about it for a bit, the young player even believed that this Beastmen chief could probably go head-to-head with the emperor of Chavaria regarding his skill in politics.
"I never got your name, yet you seem to know mine."
Railius said with a flustered expression, his eyes suddenly turning severe, almost predator-like, as he gazed upon this man who was no easy opponent as most people would not be able to see through his and Ancel's scheme so well."
"Boreas Brightfeather Chieftain of The Free Brothers at your service."
"I will not say that the conspiracy was not smart, but moving so many pieces into place and manipulating so many factions and tribes."
"Will not go unnoticed, at least by those with experience, and I imagine the emperor of Chavaria would be especially suspicious."
"But what I want to know is simple.
"How much of this plan did you come up with?"
Boreas said, wanting to know everything about this scheme that he had discovered.
"I am but a small child. How could I have the abilities and political acumen to plan such an intricate hair-brained scheme? Ancel is truly a political mastermind, and I must take lessons from him in the future."
Railius replied, wanting to put all the blame for the scheme on Ancel as it would allow him to develop himself and his noble house in relative peace as everyone figured out how to deal with the new political threat that had suddenly appeared on the border between the Chavarian Empire and the Beastmen United States.
What the young player wanted was for people to forget about House Aurellion's existence; otherwise, he would find that these people of great power would come after him, especially if they learned that he took an active part in planning this scheme from a young age.
Even Ancel, who was predisposed to working with Railius and House Aurellion, contemplated killing Railius out of fear of his political abilities, which could only increase in the future. While Leon was powerful, being one of the best powerhouses of the continent at the moment, if many grandmasters came together to assassinate someone, then even the ruler of a nation could not guarantee that they could come out of that sort of situation unscathed.
"Ancel is a fine politician and lord, wise and benevolent, but in his nearly two-decade-long rule, he has never been able to plan something like this, which had no weaknesses whatsoever."
"If he were, then he would not have struggled to protect himself and his vassals from the schemes of the Chavarian emperor for the past few years."
"As such, the only person who could have helped craft this perfect plan…."
"Was you the only variable that no one has any data on, much to their own peril, for I expect someday you will become one of the powerhouses of the continent, a man who can dictate the fate of nations!"
"No matter how illogical it is for a 10-year-old boy to be able to come up with such a scheme in the absence of any other political actor present."
"The only explanation is you, the son of the Butcher of Brunag and renowned Spider of Chavaria Lucius Aurellion, because ironically, this sort of subtle scheme of manipulation is right up his alley."
"Why do you call him the Butcher of Brunag?"
Railius asked as in the empire before his abrupt fall from grace, he was seen as a hero of the empire, the citizens loyal to the new nation, and a man worthy of both respect and fear, though in other countries, it appears they only understood about the fear part.
"Because he took no prisoners, he killed every soldier he could without a second thought."
"Tell me, what else can a man who killed nearly 90,000 men in one battle be called anything else but a butcher?"
Boreas said with confidence.
"A hero who ended years of wars that would have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the future and a man who managed to break up an alliance and get them to attack each other!"
"Also, he offered them a chance to surrender. They just chose not to!"
Railius said, matching the tone of the intimidating avian, but in doing so, he also unexpectedly fell into the cunning chieftain's plan. The way he fearlessly responded showed the bravery needed to pull off this kind of plan.
"As I thought you really were the one behind recent events."
Boreas said with a smile, enjoying himself as he watched surprise appear on the young boy's face as he was intelligent to a frightening degree. But when this boy came up against someone like him, all he could do was dance in the palm of his hand.
"After spending so much time claiming ignorance, you finally show that terrifying talent that managed even to persuade my good friend Ancel to take your side."
"This must be a new experience for you, right?"
"After moving everyone around like chess pieces and delivering the perfect checkmate, you have finally met someone…."
"Capable of turning the whole game on its head and exposing you for the little schemer you are and clipping the little Pelican chick's wings."
Boreas said, his yellow eyes fixed on the small boy as Leon stepped in front of his young master protectively, a hand clasped on the hilt of his sword.
"No need to worry, Leon. That is your name, isn't it?"
"I mean your little lord no harm. If I wanted him dead, then he would already have become a corpse the moment he stepped into the settlement, though your loyalty to your friend and his son is admirable and so rare these days. Lucius must have been a remarkable man."
Boreas said with a dismissive wave to the grandmaster of loyalty but respect in his voice while returning to his furred throne, sitting on it with the grace and dignity of a king. If one did not know his identity beforehand, then it would be easy to mistake him for the king of the Beastman United States.
"I still need to thank him for ransoming the men he captured back to us and for killing all my major political opponents."
The Free Brothers chieftain said, taking the conversation in a completely different direction and tone after he got the information that he wanted. After all, if Ancel truly did come up with such a scheme on his own, then even Boreas himself, even with all of his wisdom, would need to reassess the duke, for unlike Railius, who was passing through, he was neighbour's with Ancel and it was a given that they would be dealing with each other in the years to come so having an accurate grasp of the man's abilities was essential.
"You don't want to ask about the deal I made with Ancel?"
Railius asked, surprised that Boreas did not try to force him to give the avian chieftain the details of their deal. After all, it could lead to conflict between them in the future.
"You would not tell me even if I asked, but I assume it has something to do with gaining access to your military knowledge, for that is the only thing I can think of that has any value apart from yourself and what few men still follow your banner."
It took only one look at the young lord of Aurellion for Boreas to know that he was right. Despite the boy's intelligence, his ability to hide his thoughts and feelings needed some work.
"I see. Thank you for confirming it, if only indirectly."
Boreas said calmly as he let out a relaxed sigh, but Railius felt fear vibrate through his body. In only a few minutes, this Beastman Chieftain had stripped him of his secrets, finding out every last bit of information he wanted. Unlike others, this bird-like man seemed to listen to and ponder every word Railius said, seeing all its implications, allowing him through only questions and the young boy's reactions to discover all he needed to know.
"Even if I am now an enemy of the empire, that would not be enough for you to allow me safe passage, am I right?"
After calming himself and taking a deep breath, Railius managed to calm down, asking the wise ruler in front of him what he wanted from him. If he succeeded, he would finally have his haven and prevent himself from losing too many troops and resources.
Vorgaox had tensed up when Leon was mere inches from Boreas, worried that the loyal grandmaster of House Aurellion would take their lord hostage and use him to escape, but nothing happened, and he was surprised at the way his chieftain was dealing with them as by now he was expecting for Boreas to call for Railius and his men's heads due to their hatred of the empire. But instead, he just listened to the conversation between the two people with interest.
"It's so nice to talk with smart people."
Boreas said with a smile as he made his proposal.
"What I want is simple. I do not want your men nor your military knowledge, as we have plenty of that at our disposal already."
"What I want is a favour from you, a promise that sometime in the future, you will help The Free Brothers out no matter what I may be."
"And this is no matter whether I am their leader or not."
Boreas said with a scheming smile of his own. This was big as the Beastmen chieftain had not specified what the request was, meaning he may ask Railius in the future to bring an army to their aid against Chavaria, not that he had any issue with that after they tried to kill him for treason but with no limits on the request it could put him in a problematic situation in the future.
If it were any other Beastman chieftain, hell, even if it was the Beastman United States King himself, it was likely that Railius would have agreed without any hesitation. After all, if he died now, then all promises and bets were off, and he would have to create a new dynasty. It was likely there was not enough time to make another one with the depth and resources that he had at his disposal at the moment.
While he is an exiled noble and an enemy of the empire, he currently has one grandmaster fighter and one master fighter with a potential for two if the second commander of the Pelican Guards, Darius, survives and makes it to them alongside 600, likely more like 1000 elite loyal troops once the rest had made their way to them after all Darius had about 1000 with him in their old territory and while a few may die on the way with all these alliances he had created it would be easy to consolidate his forces.
Compared to other players, it could be said that the military power in his hands is similar to that of a powerful viscount or weak count even after all his losses, which would give him a massive advantage once the game started for real for his men if led correctly could go up against odds of 3-1 if not 5-1 when it came to fighting against regular soldiers.
But Boreas scared the young boy. He felt that if he did not do any negotiating and just agreed, then the favour asked of him would be massive as the cunning leader of The Free Brothers was only going to call it in once he had gotten powerful.
Simply put, by giving nothing away, this old avian was gambling on Railius' future, ensuring an enemy of the empire lived and even getting a blank check of help from him, something that left a sour taste in the young lord's mouth. It was a political move worthy of one of the best politicians in the southern continent.
"So little lord…."
"Do we have an agreement?"