Dire Situations

The other men nodded to the Supreme Commanders words. Their expressions as though they had eaten something rotten. In fact, one of the ministers looked as though he was about to vomit. The idea that one person could subdue an elite unit under the Queen within seconds was an idea none of the people present wanted to entertain. After all, even for the notorious Gazef Stronoff, it was unlikely he would be able to deal with so many elite soldiers in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, it wasn't just the fact that the 'maid' defeated them all, the real astonishing part was the fact that she easily defeated them all whilst only purposefully killing two of them.

"If what you say is true, you are stuck. There is no way to receive help from the other countries especially with the Slane Theocracies war against the elves taking place."

Duke Armatt spoke with a tense tone. It was clear that he found this situation far from pleasant.

"What about the Empire and the Kingdom? Surely they would send aid"

The scrawny looking finance minister added. His slumped posture and permanent frown made him unpleasant to look at, however he was a reliable finance minister who was currently maintaining some semblance of stability in the countries finances.

The Supreme Commander shook his head before speaking with a worn out tone.

"Unfortunately that is unlikely. Any support from them will be too late, besides they will be having their annual war within a few months. They do not have any resources spare to help supply our war"

The finance minister looked down in frustration as he felt their options rapidly closing.

"I shall be the one to ask then. Your Majesty, what assistance has been offered by this so-called True Dragon Lord?"

The previously quiet Adventurers Guild Leader spoke up as he respectfully addressed the Queen. Much like the kingdom, Adventurers in the Dragon Kingdom were technically free to move as they please and were not bound by the conscription laws of the country. Nevertheless, the adventurer guild and the Queen had reached an agreement that any adventurer who wished to join the war, could and would receive appropriate pay for doing so. This was the best they could do without earning the ire of the other branches of the Adventurers guild.

"haaah Nothing. He has not yet spoken of what aid he can give..."

Draudillon spoke with an exasperated tone. It was completely unbelievable after all. To attest to that, every member in the meeting stared at Draudillon with eyes of disbelief and amazement.

"Wait! He has not even specified his terms?"

The Merchants Guild Leader slammed his fist on the table as he spoke with a shocked voice.

"He stated that he would be back to hear our answer first. I believe it is a test of some sorts, perhaps to see what move we will make next. He is very intelligent and strong too. Honestly, I doubt he would suffer if we declined"

Hearing these words from the Queen, Duke Armatt questioned her.

"Do you mean it doesn't matter how we answer him? Personally, I dislike the idea of relying on some stranger who claims to be a Dragon Lord"

A slither of anger was present in the Dukes voice as he spoke of the idea that their 'potential partner' was a dragon lord.

"Regardless of what he claims, my instincts were screaming that he was at least at the strength level of my father. His words are not to be taken lightly and he is currently not an enemy we can afford to make."

The Duke frowned but offered no resistance. While his pride wanted to immediately refute this alliance, his responsibility to the country knew that this opportunity may be the best one.

"Let us get this straight. There is no hope of reinforcements within the immediate future from the other nations and the small amount of resource aid they can provide will only allow us to prolong the war."

The Supreme Commander spoke to the members, waiting for Draudillon to nod as he continued.

"Our enemy is growing in number and have more resources, so a battle of attrition is a sure-fire loss."

With the Supreme Commander finishing his recap of the situation, the faces of the gathered members turned even darker.

"That is correct. As such, I propose we ally with this Dragon Lord for now. While he expressed his intent for a long term alliance, as long as we do not create any terms along those lines, we can back out at any time. Besides, I am sure my father will not remain silent after he hears news of a supposed dragon lord allying with us"

Draudillon proposed her idea to the group.

"Is it not a bad thing for your father to meet with this stranger?"

The foreign affairs minister spoke for the first time. As someone who spent most of their time working on relationships with their neighbours, he found the idea of inviting a potential natural disaster into the country willingly to be pure insanity.

"Although he is free natured, my father is someone who built this country. He would not destroy it so easily. I am sure he will size up this Zelphyr and take whatever action a True Dragon Lord would."

In the end, it was decided that the Dragon Kingdom would accept an alliance with Zelphyr with the terms to be decided.

Next, they had to decide the minimum level of support they would need to ensure the alliance succeeded.

As such, hours of heated discussions ensued.

Another day had passed with Zelphyr finally leaving the fortress to head back towards the Dragon Kingdom. He had spent his time sorting through the information provided to him by his various moles he had planted. While most of the information was worthless at this moment, it gave Zelphyr a good grasp of what time-frame they were currently in. After all it seems that the Slane Theocracy was stretched very thin, with their latest issue being a run-away thief.

As a result, Zelphyr concluded that some of the events from the original should take place in roughly a months time.

'This is good to know, it seems we are ahead of schedule at the moment'

Other than the attack on Carne village, Zelphyr has stayed away from the original plotline and events. This was due to his belief that making friends with adventurers of a low calibre and using the adventurers guild as a way of getting information, was a lot slower than directly investigating whilst they still had the benefits of being hidden. Additionally, adventurers were bound by certain restrictions and while Momonga did not exactly adhere to these, it was true that he had to still upkeep a false image.

"Regardless, let us go and play with the Dragon Kingdom"

Zelphyr and Narberal once again travelled to the Dragon Kingdom. Unlike before, Zelphyr was not as excited to see the scenery however, he noticed that on the outskirts of the border and the border towns, there was more destruction that before. Apparently, the two days they had been gone, was enough for them to see the effects of the raids from the demi-humans.

Zelphyr felt no sympathy, after all, this was a positive for him as it cornered the Dragon Kingdom even more. Thus, giving him even more of an edge in their future negotiations.

"Lord Zelphyr, although it is not my place to ask, I am curious as to what aid we will be providing them"

Narberal questioned Zelphyr with a polite tone. The curiosity seemed to stem from the fact that they had not discussed this at all. After all, Zelphyr felt that if he discussed it, then there is no doubt that many of Nazarick would object and that's not a conversation he wanted to repeat once more.

"I will listen to their requests first, however I intend to provide some resources and manpower. Should they be cordial enough, I may assist them on their war planning too"

Narberal nodded with a neutral expression, luckily not trying to stop Zelphyr.

"I see, would you like me to inform Nazarick ahead of time?"

Zelphyr shook his head with a grateful smile.

"I appreciate the idea, however mobilising Nazarick now will only slow down the denizens other tasks. We will start to prepare everything once we return. Besides, I already have an idea of everything we will be providing."

Narberal nodded her head and returned to silently waiting. Unlike his expectations, sitting in the carriage in silence was no where near as awkward as he thought. He and Narberal would have occasional conversations with each other about various topics. Quite frankly, he found that being around Narberal was quite comfortable even when she held her neutral expression.

Finally, they arrived at the outskirts of the capital city of the Dragon Kingdom. Zelphyr had sent a few of his subordinates ahead to notify the guards and the castle of their imminent arrival so that they're not caught in a situation like before. Damaging the Kingdoms forces with unnecessary squabbles was not productive for anyone involved.

"Now then, descendant of the New World Dragons, let begin this dance"

A smile filled with anticipation spread across his face as he looked towards the distant castle.