"Kill them!"
"Hang them! Burn them!"
"They trample on my son's head until it's gone! Do the same!"
"Feed them to the coffin turtle!"
"Skin them alive! Let them know how it feels for our Dragonewt and Lizardmen friends!"
"We want the Empire dead!"
All reactions, a vicious reaction. None of them are happy for the Empire soldiers who were captured by us. They all wanted justice for their loved ones, and that's by spilling the blood of those soldiers. That's fair enough, I agree, but I can also understand why this countrt would be reluctant to do so. Basically, politics. They're not a strong country like Amleth. Even if their size is bigger than Amleth's, their military strength is nothing impressive.
Kill those soldiers, even if they're the ones to blame, and you can expect the Empire to strike back. Let them go and the citizens will be the ones who revolt. It's a situation where neither side will be completely satisfied. If it were me back then, I wouldn't understand, but now I can see the argument from both sides. However, I am just the family of a noble knight from another country. It's not my place to interfere. Well, I was involved in the capture of those Empire soldiers, but that's because they kidnapped the citizens and took them hostage, but I shouldn't intervene more than that. Even Dana agrees.
As for the discussion between the Elder Turtle, the Wandering Sage and the Kingdom, it's still ongoing. Wandering Sage, as his title suggests, is very clever. Instead of translating what the Elder Turtle's coffin had to say, he created a potion that allows the other to understand what the Elder Turtle is saying. How it works is beyond me. I can understand the theory part, that the brain interprets what's being transmitted from one brain to another, hence the seamless communication, but again. How? Truly a mystery.
"As if you talking to a soul isn't a mystery!" [Kat]
"True" [Dana]
"Not you too!" [Diana]
At least I can understand when a witch is talking to a soul! It's like a universal language that all souls, whether plant or monster, have in common!
While we are sitting as an outsider watching the conversation between the two sides, the other nobles couldn't help but stare at us. It makes us feel a bit uncomfortable. I especially know what those eyes mean... I said to the Elder Giant (who we shrank with my and Fie's magic so that he could also listen to the conversation), and the Elder Giant just stared back at them! No one wanted a giant's wrath... Well, almost no one. Empress Elizabeth the Vampire doesn't mind...
"Go find yourself a fiancé" [Linda].
"Like hell!" [Dana]
"I don't want Dana to leave me!" [Diana]
"She'll leave the nest sooner or later" [Linda]
"Well..." [Dana]
"Dana..." [Diana]
"No, then I won't!" [Dana]
"Yay!" [Diana]
"You two have really gotten used to those eyes" [Kat]
"It's pretty obvious. They wanted their sons or themselves to be married to us" [Dana]
"Sister Jean and Nar. Linda and Sas. Now that I think about it, Sister Khamisah and Sister Ophelia don't have any... Good!" [Diana]
"This Sas... I've tried to approach him, but he's even more dense than the already DENSE Nar" [Linda].
"Agreed. Sometimes it's more frustrating than funny to see how dense he is!" [Diana]
"Can't you help me more?" [Linda]
"I will continue to help!" [Diana]
"Thank you" [Linda]
"Wait... WHAT!?" [Dana, Kat]
"Please be quiet" [Elder Giant]
"Please do not speak loudly as the discussion is ongoing" [Joseph]
"We're sorry!" [Dana, Kat]
"Meow" [Fie]
"I apologize on their behalf as well" [Linda]
"As do I" [Diana]
(But you two are the reason we are yelling!) [Dana, Kat]
That's what they get for suddenly yelling something. I'm ashamed of their ethics! Can't they be more like me and Linda, who can secretly talk to each other without anyone noticing!
At the end of the discussion, the two sides come to a conclusion
1/ The country of Philip will allow the coffin turtle to live with them as long as they provide the much needed security.
2/ The coffin turtle will receive its essence from prisoners on a 2-3 monthly basis. If there aren't any prisoners on death row, then the citizens who are on their deathbed would offer themselves so that their essence can be swallowed by the coffin turtle. Whether they're babies, children, or the elderly who have naturally succumbed to old age. Anyone will do.
At least, that's what the king and the elder turtle agreed upon. Whether this is good or bad, what will happen to the land in the future remains to be seen. The Wandering Sage doesn't really say anything, even though we wanted his opinion. I'm sure he's just keeping quiet because if he interfered, the discussion would be even more complicated.