"A trivial matter like that doesn't require us to report to or seek the Spectre's advice," Obsidian said after thinking for a moment.
If indeed the Tucan Kingdom could not be incited to war, their main goal would not fall apart.
"But, the Tucan Kingdom is the strongest nation in terms of military power. If that nation doesn't fall or weaken, the other nations won't dare to go to war recklessly." Nightshade complained about the problems they were having.
In the Azure Realm, many nations possessed military strength almost on par with the Tucan Kingdom. But no one dared to wage war on other nations because if the Tucan Kingdom intervened and rallied the others to unite. Punishing the one that started the war would be a piece of cake.
The risk was that their nation might be wiped off the map of the Azure Realm!
What if a nation that wanted to go to war formed a coalition with other great nations?
It remained a strenuous thing because many factors would tear the coalition apart.
The Tucan Kingdom had a history of military power capable of repelling demon armies that tried to invade the human continent. The Demon army reached 10 million soldiers, and Tucan managed to defeat them with only 1.5 million troops.
That was because Tucan had a myriad of talented generals who were able to adjust the rhythm of the war according to the conditions and make the situation favorable to them.
War did use millions of soldiers, but the determinant of the winner was still a general, who became the commander of the troop.
With such extraordinary achievements, who would dare to wage war on such a country?
In addition, coalitions were difficult to maintain in the long term if the benefits of each nation did not satisfy all parties. Because no nation would want to become cannon fodder just to check or test the Tucan Empire.
A weakened or crippled nation must guard their rear in case any predator had its eyes on that moment to seize territory and devour them in one gulp at its weakest point.
Coalition to overthrow the leadership of the Tucan Kingdom as war peacekeepers was a tough feat!
"Haha! Why are you guys discouraged just because one plan to drag down the Tucan has not worked?" Obsidian chuckled at Mikael, Nightshade, and Darkfire in disdain.
"Oh, milord. It seems you have a plan. If permitted, may you share it with your subordinates? Consider it as enlightenment for a lowly person." Mikael asked Obsidian. He knew that among the three superiors before him, Obsidian ranked higher than Nightshade and Darkfire in both strength and intelligence.
"Tsk. Alright.
"We don't need the Tucans to fight but drag them into the war. There are two nations that are ideal enough to make the Tucans inevitably deploy their military might.
"Aslan and Asylum."
Mikael frowned in confusion. Likewise with Nightshade and Darkfire.
"I understand about the Aslan Empire because, literally, they are neighboring nations. But Asylum? Why?" Nightshade asked for further explanation.
"If it was just Aslan, the Tucan wouldn't bleed at all. It would just be a story of a god stepping on an ant. However, if Asylum comes into the picture, then the story turns into a god's fight against a demi-god and an ant."
"Though your parable is weak, wouldn't it be better without Aslan? The ant?" Darkfire tried to chime in too. He also wanted to know what Obsidian was planning, as this, of course, would be done without consulting the Spectre, their organization's head.
"Aslan was able to make Tucan hurt in another way. It was the loss of the barrier or wall between the two behemoths.
"All this time, Asylum didn't have a chance to compete with Tucan because, besides the great distance, they also had to pass Aslan first to get to Tucan.
"Without that, the Asylum will be in trouble when they take Aslan down since Tucan reinforcements will come, knowing the purpose of their arrival.
"That's why it was important for Aslan to be exterminated by the Tucans, even if it was an unequal fight. So that the Tucan military advisers would not see Asylum figures in that incident.
"Meanwhile, our role besides instigating Aslan is to supply weapons to the Asylum so that their military power increases. Or we can also arm Aslan so we can make the Tucans bleed more.
"Without a doubt, a drawn-out war would ensue, and there would be enough time to tempt other nations to attack Tucan amid the war."
Only this time, finally, a realization came to Mikael, Nightshade, and Darkfire to understand the whole picture of Obsidian's plan.
A demi-god armed by them would be able to last much longer against a true god without the need to worry about disturbance from the ants, who own the place of the fight because the ants have been destroyed, and the place had become no man's land.
"That's a good and well-thought-out plan. But are you sure the Tucan military advisors won't be aware of the importance of Aslan's role and presence as a neighboring nation?" Nightshade still had little insight into the war. So, he knew that military advisors had the farsightedness to see the bigger picture.
"Hehe. That's why we need to influence Aslan without any hints or signs of being connected to the Asylum. Of course, it has to be without any clues about the presence of our organization as well. Otherwise, Tucan wouldn't have fallen for such a tricky trap."
Mikael smiled, satisfied with Obsidian's explanation. With that, they didn't need Spectre to intervene and only needed to use their subordinates, who had roots in those nations.
"Oh, my lord. I am proud to serve the organization, and here is a bit of money from the Tucan vaults that I can embezzle for our cause."
Mikael grabbed a small chest box with 100 gold coins and held it out at Obsidian while dropping to one knee. Now, the task and report were complete.
"Em! I'll take this. And be careful, don't make a mistake. Right now, we're being watched by King Louis der Cyrus. Don't let him find out what we are and our goals.
"This is not the time for our organization to appear on an empty stage. We needed to organize and tempt the participants into going to war without reason."
After Obsidian had finished his words, the four of them were smirking as if they were wearing tiny party hats on their faces, adding a touch of fun and mischief to the situation.
The Azure Realm, full of war, was their dream place as an arms dealer. In the interim, misery was their call to supply more weapons for another cycle of destruction and devastation.
Suddenly, Obsidian's facial expression turned serious. He snapped his finger, and the soundproof barrier disappeared in an instant.
Nightshade and Darkfire, who saw the action, immediately put on a fighting stance. One cast a magic spell on both hands. And the other drew the sword from its scabbard with a deep metallic ringing, echoing through the air as it was pulled out.
At the same time, Mikael let out two daggers in each hand from his long-sleeved white suit. The light glinted off the sharp blades of his daggers, reflecting a bright and dangerous gleam.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the wilderness was so deathly still that a needle falling would be heard loud and clear.
Obsidian was the first to react when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, disappearing from where he stood in an instant.
Mikael, Nightshade, and Darkfire also reacted quickly, their movements betraying their curiosity as the sound of footsteps echoed through the forest.
In a split second, the sound of flesh being sliced and torn was heard, accompanied by the reddening of the ground in the wilderness. There was no screams or groans of pain were heard. Make people wonder what happened in that place.
Not long after, the four people emerged from the darkness as the late afternoon sun was blocked by the trees, slightly hiding their appearance.
The black hooded cloaks of Obsidian, Nightshade, and Darkfire were drenched in a thick, red liquid that was nothing but human blood with a pungent odor.
Meanwhile, Mikael's white suit was now stained crimson, and still, the blood trickled slowly from the two daggers in his hands.
"I almost thought we were being overheard. Who would have thought that there would be refugees using this road." Obsidian said.
"Forgive this lowly subordinate of yours, my lord." Mikael bowed, apologizing after turning his daggers around.
Of course, Nightshade was not happy because she had to be bathed in that smelly human blood. She threw her tantrums at Mikael.
"You are not good at picking places. Damn you! If those people weren't ordinary people but were scouts. I'd rip your head off from your neck!"
Mikael didn't dare to answer and prostrated himself on the ground. He just resigned, accepting the ire of the higher-ups of the Brotherhood of Spectre.
"That's enough. Use your magic to clean us all. We need to get out of here as soon as I clean up the bodies. And you, hurry back to Tucan. I'm afraid someone might suspect you if you stay away too long." Obsidian told Nightshade to immediately end her whining, then pointed toward Mikael.