"So next person?" Invidia looked around once again and smiled at Harol Kodiang.
"Chief Harol, how about you?" Invidia playfully asked.
Chief Harol scoffed.
"You can't make me envy my other self unless that Toonka there grown out of this." Chief Harol scowled while pointing at, the still trying to escaped, Toonka.
"Oh? Sure." Invidia said with a wide smile.
Chief Harol shivered.
'It can't be right? it's impossible.' Chief Harol thinks while frowning at the screen.
"Where is Chief Harol?"
Chief Harol Kodiang. Cale didn't see the crazy bastard born from the unfortunate fate between the master of the Magic Tower and a citizen.
He was the calm yet insane bastard who hated mages and wanted to rid the world of magic.
'Clopeh is a peaceful bastard in comparison to that guy.'
Choi Han gritted his teeth. That Clopeh Sekka is the one that lead the Wyverns in the Henituse Territory attacked!
Now, he's calling that bastard peaceful guy?!
Cale Henituse is the only survivor of hus family. Choi Han wouldn't be surprised if he colluded with the enemies!
He doesn't know why Rosalyn is with the other Cale Henituse but he would make sure that their Rosalyn won't be led astray by that trash!
However, he couldn't be seen even though Cale and Choi Han had arrived.
In order to avoid the eyes of the Whipper Kingdom's people who were hostile against magic, a teleportation magic circle was secretly created in the basement of the royal palace.
It was a place that was under close supervision since it was a space used by a part of the royal family and the kingdom's leaders.
That was why Toonka and his subordinates, as well as the mages dispatched by the Roan Kingdom, were the only ones there.
'Toonka cooperating with mages?' Harol lips twitched, then a boisterous laugh followed.
"HAHAHAHAHA We're only starting and you are lying already goddess-nim?" Harol said with a cold smile.
"Eh? Who's lying? Me? Nuh-uh. Everything already happened there!" Invidia defended herself. She's mostly amused, she's the goddess of envy not lies, she may twist and keep things but she would not lie.
She doesn't need to, just letting them see these kind of things already makes her feel sated.
People are greedy, no matter what time or condition they are in.
But then why was Harol Kodiang, the one commanding the military operation and everything related to the war, not there with them?
It didn't make sense.
'Looks like something happened.'
Cale realized that something must have happened in the Whipper Kingdom.
Harol scoffed. What? Did Toonka somewhat killed their own warriors again? Or is it civilians this time?
That's not new, why do this Cale Henituse act like it's unusual?
Did Toonka notice the look in Cale's eyes? Toonka started to frown. The combination of Toonka's big build and fierce looks made his grimacing face look even scarier.
Cale observed Toonka's expression and started to think.
'If he fought with that face, all the Empire's knights would be frightened.'
Not only the Empire, even their own people would be scared and run away from Toonka because they already know what would follow, their own death from the very person they follow.
However, despite his vicious-looking face, Toonka looked at his subordinates and spoke with a sigh.
Harol squint his eyes, Toonka never sigh. He always yells. He's always on rampaged.
"Follow me. We will head over to where the Chief is."
Toonka turned around and headed towards the entrance first. He could hear Cale's voice coming from behind him.
"What's the problem?"
Toonka hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Goddess-nim did you played the right video? Toonka hesitated? That's bullshit!" Harol angrily spat, he can't take this lies anymore.
This videos are probably fabricated. The mage didn't die in mana explosion despite that much mana stone and now these? Maybe, let give that mage a benefit of the doubt but Toonka? Hesitating? Now that is something as impossible as his Kingdoms survival.
It was something that Chief Harol was supposed to talk about with Cale, but it wouldn't make a difference even if he was told ahead of time.
"After the Imperial Prince made his speech, the Empire sent the Whipper Kingdom a secret correspondence."
"This never happened." Harol continued to call out.
"Not to you. But that's not you." Invidia quipped.
'What?
The Empire's Imperial Prince sent the Whipper Kingdom a secret correspondence?'
Cale, who had been busy meeting the Flame Dwarves and the Bears while completing other preparations after the Imperial Prince's speech, frowned at this news he heard for the first time.
'Why did the bastards who declared war on the Whipper Kingdom suddenly send them a secret correspondence?'
"We declared war against the Moguro Empire!" Harol disagreed.
The Empire bastards have done so much inhumane deeds and they are much worse than who they call barbarians!
They don't used humans as test subjects to their experiments!
Creak.
The door opened. Toonka could not see Cale nor his subordinates and looked straight forward as he stepped out and responded.
"The Empire offered a proposal."
Commander Toonka currently felt angry and frustrated.
Cale recalled the Toonka from the past who would smash everything to pieces and never looked back as he ran off. He liked that kind of Toonka.
'That's the Toonka I know.' Harol thought clenching the arm rest to stop himself from commenting.
Unfortunately, Toonka couldn't act as he used to in the past due to his current circumstances. Suppressing his frustration, Toonka informed Cale about the current situation.
Harol gnash at the screen.
'Yes, this is all a lie. Fabricated videos! Toonka would never do this. If anything annoyed him he would just destroy it, fuck consequences.' Harol thought firmly.
"The Empire stated that they loved peace and that we should surrender Maple Castle if we didn't want to see everyone in the Whipper Kingdom die."
'Ha!'
Cale could not believe it.
The Imperial Prince of the Empire had instilled a sense of pride in the hearts of his people by stating that they would fight a fair and just war. While playing the part of the proud Imperial Prince to the public, he was splaying out negotiations and threats behind the scenes.
But was that bad?
'Not at all. In fact, he is doing very well.'
Blood is shed during war.
People die.
Under such circumstances, it was clever of the Empire to demand the return of Maple Castle through threats or conciliation or whatever as opposed to war.
Perhaps it was a wise move to use the position of the Empire.
'Furthermore, Toonka and the Whipper Kingdom are known as loners.'
Harol laughed loudly.
"Goddess-nim you might as well stop now. Whipper Kingdom are loners but this part said 'known' implying its not true, its impossible that we allied with anyone. All the things that I have seen are bullshits." Harol sneered.
"Oh my such disrespect. Did you somehow forgot that you are in my domain?" Invidia said playfully, then she snap her finger and Harol can't breath anymore.
Harol was slowly lifted, his feet dangling in the air while his neck was being stretched.
"You look nice like that, shall I leave you there?" Invidia said tapping her forefinger on her chin.
"Ahh nope. You should focus on the screen not on breathing, you'll lose it soon anyway." Invidia decided then she waved her hand.
Harol fell down on his knees, heaving while clutching his neck.
The loners of the Western continent.
It made it easier for the Empire to covertly pressure the Whipper Kingdom who was known to be a loner.
As such, Cale couldn't help but be wary of Imperial Prince Adin.
If it was crown prince Alberu of the Roan Kingdom, he wouldn't act as Adin had done.
'Alberu keeps his promises to his people.'
Alberu kept his silence, after what happened to Chief Harol. It should warn everyone not to offend the goddess.
Alberu admits that he felt warm at the way Cale Henituse believed at his other self. It is nice to know that some people still believed in hin despite the continous attacks in the Roan Kingdom that he failed to stop nor defend.
If the people were told that they would be fighting fairly, that is what he would have done.
This was the reason that Cale thought Alberu was the most similar yet different from himself.
It was also the reason why Imperial Prince Adin was similar to crown prince Alberu, but ultimately different as well.
This made Cale feel uncomfortable with Adin.
'No good person will feel comfortable at the bastard Adin.' Litana thought furiously.
"Adin supported those experiments, no sane man would be comfortable with that." Harol whispered. Not wanting to catch the ire of the goddess again.
Adin's resemblance to crown prince Alberu meant that Adin was somewhat similar to Cale as well.
As such, Cale started to speak as he stared at Toonka's back.
"And?"
Return Maple Castle.
It didn't end with just that.
It wouldn't end with just that.
The Empire's pride and ambition wouldn't let them just stop with Maple Castle.
If that was the case, why would Toonka be worrying and talking so wearily?
Harol clenched his fist and gritted his teeth to stop him from commenting. It's just so impossible to see this Toonka! He can't even dare imagine a Toonka that worries! How can he believe something that go against something that he knew ever since he chose to follow Toonka?!
Toonka scoffed and answered Cale's question.
"They want 100,000 people from the Whipper Kingdom for 80 years."
"...What?"
'They wanted what?'
This time, even Cale struggled to understand immediately. There was something that came to mind, but it was difficult to confirm that as the answer.
"They wanted slaves. They wanted the Whipper Kingdom to be their slave." Witira said mercilessly.
"What kind of idiot would agree to that?!" Archie added.
"Harol will explain it to you. Follow me."
Toonka walked out the door.
Cale followed suit with a sense of foreboding.
The Empire wanted 100,000 people from the Whipper Kingdom for 80 years.
'Why does this sound like the Empire wants the power to use 100,000 Whipper Kingdom citizens as slaves for 80 years?'
"That is exactly what they wanted." Alberu stated.
"That's like a disguised death sentence to the Whipper Kingdom." Tasha said, her voice giving way her gloomy feeling.
Cale followed Toonka out of the basement and sternly started to speak.
"Let's get to Harol quickly."
Cale had to meet Chief Harol more than anything right now.
* * *
Cale followed Toonka out and looked around the Whipper Kingdom's central palace.
'It looks more extravagant than Roan Kingdom's palace.'
Unlike the sparkling exterior, the interior had a completely different feeling.
'It's pretty empty.'
There weren't many people around. Furthermore, those who came and went did not have happy expressions on their faces.
Cale, who was currently disguised as a priest, looked around the royal palace which was the center of the Whipper Kingdom and noticed the surrounding atmosphere.
'There's a sense of defeat all around even before the fight has started.'
"Those royalties agreed." Harol said bitterly. Beside Toonka's rampaged that includes their own people, that's the only reason of their crestfallen expressions.
"Those greedy nobles." Harol muttered darkly.
Why was it like this?
Although Cale couldn't tell what kind of atmosphere surrounded the soldiers and warriors because they weren't in the central palace, he noticed that the government officials, knights, and guards all gave off an air of defeat from their expressions.
– Human, it feels like we have already lost! Why is everyone's faces like that?
'That's what I'm saying.'
Cale felt that something was off. He glanced at Choi Han who was beside him. Choi Han, whose appearance was hidden with a robe, was also looking around at his surroundings.
Seeing this kind of atmosphere is probably a first for him.
"No, it's not." Choi Han countered, but more importantly why is he with that trash?!
The trash that insulted his family! Why would he accompany that man?! He would rather run after the enemies than spent even a minute with that trash!
There was a mood that made everything seem like it was limp and sinking.
Cale recalled that mood and asked Toonka, who was in front of him, a question.
"How many people know about that correspondence?"
"About 2 or 3 people other than our side."
Our side.
Those words referred to the natives who were the initial members of the non-mage faction with Toonka and Harol, which were namely his close subordinates.
'Ha!'
Cale finally realized what was going on.
'Those people passing us by with an air of helplessness aren't the people on Toonka's side.'
They are not, if they are they would feel fear, not helplessness. Toonka would never agree to that kind of deal but he would be the kind of leader who will kill his own people because they inconvenienced him.
They slowed him down and stand on his way, a burden so to say.
Cale started to speak.
"It seems that there aren't many of those that are on our side at the central palace."
Toonka hesitated for a moment and then answered.
"...Correct. As expected, you're very smart."
'Smart? More like it's just obvious.'
It was only then that Cale noticed all the people glancing furtively at Toonka while passing by. There was a mixture of discontent, dread, and fear in their gazes.
Toonka continued to speak.
"This central palace is where the royal family stays."
The Whipper Kingdom was still a monarchy.
Toonka and the non-mage faction tore down the Magic Tower and emerged as influential people in the Whipper Kingdom.
However, the royal family remained the same, as well as the royal family's faction of nobles and government officials within the kingdom.
They don't exist now. Toonka personally killed them when they oppsed his decision to wage a war against the Empire.
Toonka leads the whole Whipper Kingdom, not just the non-mage faction to their demise.
No royalties needed to act blind and idiot.
Cale had arrived at the innermost part of the central palace before he even realized it.
There were no more passersby around them.
In addition, there were familiar-looking warriors everywhere.
This place could be clearly felt as, 'Toonka's place'.
"This is the operations room."
Toonka stood in front of the operations room. However, there were native citizen warriors glancing at Toonka as they stood by both sides of the door.
Toonka asked the warriors a question.
"What is it?"
"Commander, it's just that..."
One of the warriors looked at Cale and hesitated, unable to answer. Toonka, who saw this, knitted his brows as he forcefully opened the door.
Click.
He was still the hot-tempered, unhesitating Toonka. Thanks to him, Cale could hear the voices past the open door.
"Chief Harol, why are you rejecting the Empire's offer?"
"Heh, as expected." Harol sneered.
Witira squint her eyes, she knows royalties like this exist, but seeing them in quite an experience. Witira herself would rather go to an alk out war than to let her people be slaves to anyone. And they are the Whale Tribe, who would dare enslave the strongesy tribe next to the dragons?
It was not a familiar voice.
Toonka stopped in front of the open door. Cale could see Chief Harol and his advisors through the gap confronting someone who was wearing a crown and surrounded by knights.
The person wearing the crown and speaking, the one who had just spoken, was the king of the Whipper Kingdom.
Cale recalled the Whipper Kingdom.
While the citizens were used as experimental guinea pigs in the Magic Tower and the kingdom's people were heavily taxed and treated as slaves, the Whipper Kingdom's royal palace quietly spectated from the sidelines as they reaped the benefits given by the Mage faction.
"This kind of people should be the one used as test subjects." Litana stated ruthlessly.
People who condoned this kind of atrocities should experienced it themselves.
The Whipper Kingdom became rich from the magic items created from the only Magic Tower on the continent.
Unlike the citizens of the Whipper Kingdom who suffered from poverty, the Whipper Kingdom's royal family lived a more affluent life than ever before.
The king who ruled the royal palace and the Whipper Kingdom flinched when he saw Toonka. However, he quickly turned away from Toonka and looked at the Chief Harol.
"Chief Harol! Say something!"
While the Whipper Kingdom's royalty watched the Mage faction from the sidelines, they also did not suppress the Anti-mage faction when they appeared.
That was why the non-mage faction kept the royal family intact after taking down the Magic Tower.
The Whipper Kingdom's king never stepped in to manage the affairs of his kingdom.
That king raised his voice when he heard of the Empire's invasion. He shouted at Harol with a desperate look on his face.
"We're finished if the Empire attacks us!"
We're finished.
Chief Harol bit his lips at the statement. It was to prevent himself from bursting into laughter.
The, 'we,' that the king spoke of was the royal family and the powerful elites at his disposal.
Alberu grimaced, even if he wanted to deny it, the Roan Kingdom does have these kind of nobles too.
He would clean those positions once he have the power.
He can't helped but wonder, what about his other self? How did he deal with them? Not even a glimpse about his status was mention in the videos aside from Cale Henituse belief on him.
The people of the Whipper Kingdom were not included in that, 'we'.
Harol was more sure about that than anyone else. That was why he kept his eyes on the king even though he was aware of Toonka and Cale's party.
"Your majesty, the Empire does not just want Maple Castle."
The king and the royal faction said that they should accept the Empire's offer.
"Your majesty, isn't there another demand that the Empire made in that correspondence?"
Chief Harol glanced at Cale and continued to speak. He recited the offer proposed by the Empire.
" 'Maple Castle must be returned and a portion of the Whipper Kingdom's land surrounding that area must be included. In addition, the Whipper Kingdom must provide free manpower to develop the recently devastated Maple Castle and the surrounding area, as well as the portion of land that will be given to the Empire from this offer.' "
Cale gulped.
However, Harol was not finished.
"The workforce is to be solely made up of the Whipper Kingdom's citizens, numbering 100,000 people, and the Whipper Kingdom must fulfill this quota yearly for 80 years in order to promote the development of the land."
Cale closed his eyes.
Raon's voice echoed through his head.
– Human! Isn't that just saying the Whipper Kingdom's citizens will do all the work while the Empire gets all the benefits?
'Exactly.'
To demand that the Whipper Kingdom provide 100,000 of its able-bodied people yearly to work free of charge for 80 years was basically demanding them to send 100,000 people to the Empire to become slaves for 80 years.
Harol's voice was heard again.
"Your majesty, don't you understand what this means?"
The king flinched before speaking with a calm expression. He had steeled himself before coming to look for Toonka and Harol.
He does, the king is not dumb not ti understand. He just decide that giving the Whipper Kingdom's citizen as slaves to the Empire is an acceptable decision.
Not an acceptable decision.
'He just doesn't care what willl happen to those people.' Alberu thinks grimly.
Of course, he was only able to do this because he believed they would not kill their king right now. He spoke calmly and with a majestic demeanor.
"I support the non-mage faction."
He then continued with a tight expression.
"I would accept the Empire's offer."
Harol started to frown.
'I should have killed him earlier!'
Harol should have killed him when he tore down the Magic Tower. He had kept him alive because he didn't want to cause any more chaos.
Now that the opportune time has passed, he couldn't kill the king so carelessly. If he revolted against the king and killed him in the face of war, the people of the Whipper Kingdom who should come together and fight against the Empire would be shaken.
Harol swallowed his anger and spoke.
"...Your majesty, no matter how you look at it, demanding a hundred thousand people to labor as such is basically making them slaves, isn't that so?"
The king exclaimed with astonishment.
"Slaves?! Isn't the Empire simply requesting for a temporary labor force? If we just accept that offer, we can live."
'Ha.'
Harol was stunned.
'80 years was temporary? And that didn't make them slaves?'
Harol found the king, who knew the Empire's intentions yet feigned ignorance, despicable.
Even during the time when the mage faction and the non-mage faction were fighting, the king feigned ignorance and fully immersed himself in protecting himself.
Chief Harol, couldn't help but raise his voice.
"Your majesty, where will you find those 100,000 people?!"
Exactly who was he planning to send to the Empire to become slaves?
The king answered immediately as Harol shouted.
"It's not much!"
'It's not much?!'
Harol's face contorted with anger.
If there's one thing that Harol approved of Toonka's rampaged without control, this is it.
'He was very satisfied of the king's death.' Harol thinks sardonically.
However, the king spoke confidently.
"It's not like the non-mage faction, the natives, or the nobles are going. Aren't there many proud Whipper citizens outside of the royal palace who could work in the Empire?"
Cale swallowed a sigh.
In the end, the king was questioning what the issue was if it was just the citizens outside of the royal palace who were going as slaves and not the royal family nor the non-mage faction.
The king was confident.
"There would be no war and nobody would die. Isn't that quite peaceful? If the Empire truly invades our country, we're finished!"
...The king was probably just afraid that he would die.
"He still dies in the end, fitting for a bastard like him." Harol snarled.
Toonka beside him snarled too.
Cale frowned.
Previously, when Toonka invaded the Empire, the king had an excuse.
He could simply tell the Empire that he had watched from the sidelines because he was afraid of Toonka.
However, it was different this time as it was the Empire who was going to invade.
Cale stared at the king who was willing to abandon 100,000 of his people for 80 years in order to save his own life. He then caught sight of Toonka's fists that were trembling with anger.
Toonka was silent.
However, his fury could be felt.
It was at that moment.
Chief Harol's voice was heard.
"...Are you unaware of why people followed us, the non-mage faction, in our fight against the mage faction?"
Harol's eyes were cold.
Harol wanted to get rid of all mages, so he led the people of the non-mage faction. However, he also understood the hearts of those who followed him.
"It was hard to make ends meet. That's why they followed us."
He raised his voice again.
"Are you unaware of how much the mages oppressed your citizens? Do you know how many people died after being dragged and experimented on in the Magic Tower?"
"What?" Rosalyn asked, her eyes silently questioning Harol.
"You didn't know?" Harol coldly said, glowering at Rosalyn.
"Mages like you made many of my people subjects to your inhumane experiments. Killed and tortured in so many ways." Harol stated, looking at the disbelief in Rosalyn's eyes, cruelly.
"You wanted to be the Tower Master? Nobles like you, who only wanted power, who don't care about the powerless people as long as they can be used so you can achieve whatever the fuck you want, would kill and maim innocents! Even children!" Harol shouted, his blood boils remembering the remnants of experiments they found in the destroyed magic tower.
"That's not-"
"Not true?! It is! If you can't see that then you're just like them Hero Rosalyn, turning blind eye because it would benefit you. It would right? You just need to act like your saving them and you'll be the hero again!" Harol accused relentlessly, pouring his hatred to Rosalyn.
Invidia silently munch the cookies while watching the shouting happened.
'That was a nice hit. Come on Rosalyn give some retort!' She cheered silently.
The king flinched for a moment, but quickly glanced at the silent Toonka and started to speak once again.
"Even so, if we accept the Empire's offer, wouldn't we all be able to live? If war breaks out, we may all die! You can't think of the Empire as the same one from Maple Castle! The real Empire is truly frightening!"
Chief Harol, the person who had pretended to be nice all this time, started to shout.
"The quality of life matters too!"
Even when the Magic Tower was in control, people lived.
However, that was not truly living.
Why did the Whipper Kingdom, no, Toonka and Harol, decide to participate in the alliance between the four kingdoms and one tribe's goal to get rid of the Alchemists' Bell Tower?
"An alliance?" Witira raised her brows and looked around.
If she would forged an alliance with humans, she would not choose these people.
They are a strong, yes but they are close to destruction.
With all the smell of blood around Choi Han and the naivety of Rosalyn. No, thank you.
Then there's the crown prince of Roan Kingdom. She don't trust those kind of smiley face.
It wasn't only because of their fight against the Empire.
The Magic Tower and the Alchemists' Bell Tower.
It was because the two were so similar.
Harol's voice rang out.
"How is being a slave truly living? Your majesty, even if they're alive, that is not truly living!"
Chief Harol glared at the king.
That sight angered the king. Even if he was essentially a powerless king, he was of a noble bloodline, unlike Chief Harol.
"Chief Harol, are you trying to attack me? Out of consideration for all of you, I said that the tribespeople and the non-mage faction wouldn't be sent off! Isn't that enough? We won't get hurt, the Whipper Kingdom will be peaceful, and everything will be great for everyone!"
'Oh boy.'
Cale suppressed his feeling of astonished disgust and stood right behind Toonka.
He could see Toonka's fists trembling.
Even so, Toonka did not burst out in anger.
He was holding it back.
"Lies! He would never!" Chief Harol can't helped but sneer. Putting aside the fear of getting strangled.
He can put up with the past bullshits and lies but not to this, not when he saw the opposite himself!
Toonka don't even know what holding back means!
Cale realized one thing as he observed Toonka.
Why was Toonka so welcoming towards Cale who came to help?
Was it simply because the time to fight was approaching?
No.
He was literally moved by the fact that Cale had come to, 'help the Whipper Kingdom.'
'This bastard is starting to think about the safety and prosperity of the Whipper Kingdom.'
"Fucking bastard! Since when?! Impossible! I've been with him from the start against the mages and he never shown me growth like that! Liar!" Harol screamed forcefully.
Invidia blinked at his outburst and giggle. Then she shut her up mouth again and put an innocent smile.
Although he was still clumsy and stupid.
The bastard who only knew how to look straight ahead and fight was beginning to understand the weight of ruling a country.
'Jeez.'
Cale held back a smile.
He was supposed to be the guy who only looked straight ahead and fought.
[REDACTED]
As a result, Toonka remained in the kingdom and saw how the people lived.
He saw how Cale, who pretended to be a priest, treated the soldiers and how grateful the soldiers were for their help.
Litana smiled. Even if there's people like Adin in this world, there's still kind people, like Cale Henituse and Elisneh.
As a person with influence, Toonka was able to see many aspects of life beyond war and power. He also started to understand the hearts of the people that followed him.
Cale stood behind Toonka and whispered in a low voice.
"Toonka."
Cale saw Toonka flinch as he called his name and thought that Toonka was still the same Toonka as back when they met.
He was still the same Toonka who introduced himself back then as, 'Bob'.
Cale spoke in a quiet voice that only those near him like Toonka and Choi Han could hear.
"Just go with your original style."
Toonka hesitated for a moment. He then heard Cale's voice once again from behind him.
"We've got your back."
Grin.
Toonka subconsciously started to grin.
The look in his eyes then changed. Although they were still full of anger, his eyes no longer held the look of repression as he lifted his fist.
Bang!
The door was smashed with a bang.
Toonka's fist had smashed into the door.
"...C-Commander–"
The king subconsciously gulped and looked towards Toonka.
Toonka looked toward the king who was surrounded by the royal knights and continued to speak.
"Shut up."
'Oh, as expected of the, 'I do whatever I want,' Toonka.'
Cale was impressed.
Toonka was probably the only bastard who would look down on a king and speak to him so rudely.
The king frowned at the sight while the knights placed their hands on the hilt of their swords. The king thought about how Toonka had been calmer than usual these days and started to shout.
"H-how dare you speak to me that way! Commander, are you-"
"Fighting wars is my job."
Toonka ignored the king's voice as he strode towards him.
Cale watched Toonka's back as he did so.
Cale did not like Toonka.
Toonka's disposition and actions did not mesh well with him.
However, Toonka now seemed to understand the weight of life.
Yes, Toonka had grown.
Harol slumped on his seat, gaping ay the screen. He can't believed it. He refused to believe it.
What about their people then? The people who died at Toonka's hand? Does this mean their death we're in vain?! Because here in front of him, a Toonka who had grown is doing things Harol could never imagine any Toonka can do!
A Toonka that did not kill indiscriminately, a Toonka like when they just started the non-mage faction and not this Toonka beside him who is already on his way to hell.
Time passed for Toonka as much as it did for Cale, and that had changed him a bit.
Toonka approached the king and continued to speak.
"We'll win, so you just sit tight and think about your own self-preservation as you always have."
Today was the first time that Cale liked Toonka's actions.
The world didn't need to be filled only with people like Adin or Alberu.
The non-mage faction. It was because leaders like Toonka existed that even weak yet crazed people could win.
Tyrants were bound to show their strength when they acted like tyrants.
If he was a tyrant that also thought of his citizens...
'It wouldn't be too bad.'
Clang!
The knights drew their swords. The blades of their swords were pointed toward Toonka's neck. The knights couldn't fight back against Toonka's sheer strength, so all they could do was hold the blades of their swords up.
However, Toonka was not afraid of those blades as he continued to approach the king. A small trickle of blood could be seen on Toonka's neck where a blade had slightly pricked him. Nevertheless, Toonka continued to walk toward the king without hesitation.
"Commander!"
The king desperately called out to Toonka, but Toonka, who was surrounded by swords, glared at him.
"I've never lost a war."
'They never win. Not against the Magic Tower where they lose so many lives to the mages, most certainly not against the Empire where Toonka was the very person that their soldiers need to be wary of.' Harol thought tiredly.
This can't be true.
He didn't lose against the mage faction nor against the Empire at Maple Castle. He never lost even once.
Toonka had no intentions of accepting the Empire's offer. He recalled Cale and Choi Han who stood behind him.
As someone who always looked forward and fought, Toonka, for the first time, felt a sense of reassurance that someone had his back.
Thus, Toonka glared at the king as he boldly spoke with a voice full of anger.
"...So, the coward can fuck off."
He told the cowardly king to fuck off.
Cale smiled as he looked at Toonka.
"Lies! Lies! Lies!" Harol Kodiang keep on repeating.
But deep inside, deep inside he hates.
That Toonka, he cares.
He's learning to care even about the weak people.
He's not self-destructing.
Why can't this Toonka be like that?