Unsfiervie Empire, Imperial Training Grounds
"The spies finished reporting, Your Majesty. In two months, the Empire of Dacloures would send two dragons to attack our territory. The spies confirmed that those would be a mountain dragon and a water dragon."
"Against water and lightning attacks, it is really bad. We can fight against human soldiers and other beasts. But, those dragons, they may easily wipe out our knights and invade us. If the majesty would allow, it is better to have allies from different territories."
"The majesty is handsome and in the right age to form a family. In fact, Dacloures initially offered political marriage. But, since the majesty rejected them, they became hostile to us. Now, they even want to attack us! "
Three ministers consequently spoke and waited for the emperor to speak. In the distance, knights could be seen practicing in pairs or threes. There were combination of human and beast.
The man before them looked temperamental. Yet, his bearing emitted that of calm wind. His physical appearance belonged to that of the gods that mortals looked upon. This man carved out of perfection was neither mortal nor immortal. He is a beast dragon of fire.
"That ruler of Dacloures must have gone insane. They are known as water dragons. Why would they marry their daughter to me, a fire dragon? It is only my right to reject it. As for alliance to other territories," the emperor paused and looked to the side where a territorial map was carved on the wall. He extended his right hand and pointed his index finger, "This one, what about we try sending our invitation to this territory."
When the three ministers heard it, they were ecstatic. At last, their emperor agreed to form an alliance. But when they followed the direction of where the emperor's index finger was pointed, one of them almost lost its balance in shock and shook his head. The two also paled.
"Teokess???" one minister sounded extremely confused.
"T-Teokess is impossible to form an alliance, Your Majesty," said the second minister after regaining his composure. "They are not under any imperial ruler. It is an independent tribe."
The emperor's expression suddenly turned dark. Surely, on this territorial map, it could be seen that Teokess was part of his territory. "What's the meaning of this? Could it be that people looked down on my authority and started forming their own kingdom?"
"That is not the case, Your Majesty. Please do not misunderstand," said the minister in haste. His hands almost trembled as he signaled the person beside him to explain.
"In fact, they were part of the empire 10 years ago. But, the emperor at that time abandoned them. We thought that the war would end their lives. At that time, they had less value and were considered useless. May I show you the documents on the second annex building, Your Majesty?" the third minister initiated upon sensing the emperor's change of expression.
The two silent ministers secretly took a deep breath and could only stare at the wall. It was indeed what happened. And the current ruler of their empire was actually the third ruler. He ascended to the throne 2 years ago. Thus, it was understandable that he may have a gap in knowing the territorial history.
"No need to go to the second annex. Just tell me," the emperor demanded in a cold tone. He is a fire dragon. It was already commendable that he managed to control his temper in such a situation.
"The ruler of this empire ten years ago issued an imperial edict called Official Forsaken Territory. The record of that document is in the second annex. He hoped to buy time and divert the enemy's attention to the Teokess area. The idea was to use the cold temperature of the Teokess and tire out the enemy then, strike them at their lowest."
"Was the edict necessary?"
"At that time, it was necessary, Your Majesty. The people of Teokess kept on pestering the ruler back then. They kept asking for support and assistance from the imperial army. To silence them, the ruler directly cut them off from his responsibility."
The other minister added, "It may seem unreasonable but Teokess people do not want to leave their homes. At first, the ruler offered them for evacuation. But, they were stubborn and refused to be evacuated. That is why they were cut off."
"It is unfortunate that for some unknown reason, the enemy did not show interest in the land of Teokess. Perhaps, the strategy was divulged. Or maybe, they also think that there is no value in taking that territory. It's rather cold land. On the day of the invasion, they skipped Teokess and directly attacked the imperial city. It ultimately resulted in the downfall of that empire."
After listening to the story, the emperor clasped his hands and muttered, "Interesting. What else is the status of that territory now?"
"Well, after the fall of that empire, the next ruler tried to reclaim the territory of Teokess. However, those citizens already claimed to be an independent tribe. When that ruler tried using force against the tribe, their tribe warriors used strange magic. It is said that they could melt the ice in their surroundings and make the temperature unbearably hot. After that, no one bothered them until you defeated that ruler, Your Majesty."
"And they also announced it to the world. If someone wants to be their ally, they must submit to their tribe. This means one must surrender their territory to them. For this reason, it is impossible to form an alliance with them."
Who would have thought that after hearing the ministers' words, Emperor Unsfiervie would laugh in pure delight. "HAHAHAHA what strange magic? Only that incapable lineal tiger beast ruler would say it. That is why he was easily defeated by me. Hmmph! If Teokess warriors could melt ice, isn't it an indication that they also have a fire dragon assisting them?"
"Indeed, the majesty is wise. However, Teokess people are known not to welcome outsiders anymore. It is known that their chief demands an outsider to surrender."
"Spying them is proven to be fruitless. And the coldness of that land is not favorable for visiting even to a fire dragon, Your Majesty. It is better to find a different territory for alliance."
The emperor thought for a while, 'That ruler's temper is worse than mine. Perhaps, Teokess possesses a dual prowess of both extremes. It is difficult but not impossible to form an alliance.'
After his brief silence, his right hand illuminated and formed an illusory fire. The minister who spoke last sweated profusely, thinking that his words offended the emperor. He could only close his eyes and chant a silent prayer.
"In two days, I will challenge Teokess to a duel to check their chief's ability."
Only after the emperor turned around and walked away did the three ministers breath in relief. After the emperor's figure was out of their sight, they began whispering.
"What shall we do?"
"Let him be. We have survived several wars. Even if his reign is defeated, we can just serve a different ruler."
"Shhh... mind your words. He might hear you and turn you into ashes."
In fact, 10 years ago, those three ministers were the people who had came up with the strategy of abandoning the land of Teokess.
And when their strategy failed, they immediately vowed loyalty to the new tiger beast ruler.
Upon the defeat of the tiger beast, they repeated their scheme and vowed loyalty to their current emperor.
These three believed that they were wiser than the chameleon.
However, they feared that their empty loyalty would not be effective if Teokess would really win against the current emperor.