As if frozen in place, she just stood there and stared at me. I could see her clenched fists trembling.
I told her to return to where she was just sitting, not caring if it would hurt her pride to do so.
I leaned back in my chair and said again.
“If you don’t want to talk more, I don’t mind you leaving.”
“···”
However, no matter how much she seethed and complained inside, the threat of falling from the position of a Lord must be quite fearsome.
Gritting her teeth once more, she slowly returned to her seat and sat down.
“You… are you threatening me right now?”
Without answering, I pondered what to say. Because I didn’t really think about what I should say next.
What should I do? Should I push her further, or…
“If the Overlord finds out, do you think you’ll be safe?”
While I was thinking, the Thunder Lord was the first to open her mouth.
I blinked my eyes at the sudden counter-threat and looked at her.
“You killed the Sixth Lord, now you even shamelessly lowered the power of the same Lord?
Oh, so that’s what she was going for.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
The Lords were Calderic’s greatest power, and even if I didn’t kill her like the Sixth Lord, it would still be considered a sin if it was revealed that I purposely lowered her power.
I couldn’t guarantee that the Overlord wouldn’t hold me accountable if she found out.
But anyway.
In the first place, this was a problem in which the weight of the risks to each other did not match at all.
Unlike me, the Thunder Lord was bluffing with unreasonable threats. It’s not my side that’s desperate, it’s hers.
I got up from my seat and said.
“Then let’s go tell the Overlord the truth right now.”
The Thunder Lord was terrified and she jumped up at the same time.
“Come on, wait!”
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
I smiled and sat back down. It’s like she admitted she was the one in an unfavorable situation right now.
Realizing that I had fooled her, she glared at me with her pointed ears dyed red. Now, I could see just how much shameful must this be for her.
“This, this despicable human…!”
“···”
“You must have destroyed my spirit with this thought in mind from the beginning. Do you have neither honor nor pride? A Lord making such a crude and dirty threat!”
Suddenly, it’s about honor again.
I replied with a sullen face.
“Who was it that came here, acting unsightly and twisting the truth?”
“···The, the truth?”
“Who was the one who rejected the result of a decision that had already been concluded? Who else suggested a duel first?”
“···”
“Even that last blow you made was meant to kill me. You don’t think you’re responsible for your own actions, so you’re going to keep blaming others like this? Now I understand what the other Lords were saying about you.”
As I poured out the harsh words, she stared blankly at me.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. What do you know… Anyway, you killed what you killed…”
She stammered, as if the words just got stuck in her throat.
She could only slump in her seat, unable to continue what she’s saying.”
I clicked my tongue and said.
“Second Lord.”
“···”
“From now on, don’t make the same threats or intimidation in front of me like before.”
She still looked at me with eyes full of resentment and anger.
“Looks like you still can’t comprehend what I’m saying.”
Her eyelids trembled, and she spun her head away. She seemed to hold to the last bit of pride she had left, but she just looked miserable.
I sighed inwardly and looked at her, sniveling.
Blood was dripping from her lips, which she bit it because of so much anger.
She’s really pissed.
From the other side’s point of view, that was only natural.
She had lost a lot of power, and that fact was now being used to threatened her.
When was the last time she suffered such disgrace while sitting on the seat of a Lord?
First, even if they had established who was in control of the situation, that wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem.
Even if the resentment had subsided right now, as it continued to grow, it would only flourish and not decrease.
That would happen if I just left it like this now. At least I would have to tie the knot of this problem properly.
There seemed to be roughly two ways for that to happen.
One was to completely subdue it so she wouldn’t be able to lift her head so easily.
Anyway, that is going to be a little difficult.
A Lord was a powerful threat, but that didn’t mean I have to kill her.
If I pushed her to the end of the cliff, there was a high probability that she would just explode because of her proud personality.
And the other one…
Now that I just hit her with a stick, I should now give her carrots.
There was one thing that suddenly came to my mind.
Spirits were a natural existence independent of the racial characteristics of elves, so it was not something that could be viewed only through their spirit skills.
In the game, spirits sometimes appeared as monsters that could be hunted, or as helpers or enemies in the story.
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And among them, the thunder spirits handled by Thunder Lord also appeared, and there were also other great spirits as strong as Laxia.
If that was the case, she might regain her former level after she signed a contract with a spirit as strong as Laxia.
Honestly, I’m not sure if that spirit could be contracted by anyone…
This was because, as it appeared as a boss to be defeated in the game, it was not a gentle spirit who would make a contract with someone.
But even so, it was a fact that it really existed.
That possibility alone would have been enough to overflow with a carrot.
“I know of a place where there is a Thunder Spirit as strong as Laxia.”
The Thunder Lord, who had been gritting her teeth at my words, was startled and turned around.
“···I beg your pardon?”
“If you’re going to continue with that attitude, the conversation ends here. Go back.”
She said urgently.
“What, what attitude? Just keep talking, okay?”
“As I just said, I know of a place with a thunder spirit as strong as the Laxia you contracted with.”
Hearing it again, her eyes widened.
“That’s a lie. How can I believe that?”
“If you don’t want to believe me, then don’t.”
I crossed my arms and said.
“Do you think I really need to show such kindness to someone who only spews such one-sided hostility? What do you think?”
“···”
“Answer me, Second Lord. Or this conversation would end here.”
She looked at me with unsure eyes.
Then she seemed to be in deep anguish for a moment, then she finally closed her eyes tightly and said,
“Sorry… I’m sorry. I was too emotional.”
At that apology, I chuckled.
Seeing how she became so compliant in an instant, it seemed that the spirits were really important to her.
I was curious about how her expression would change if I said it was a lie, but that was only a passing thought.
“So tell me. Where is the spirit?”
“Do you think one apology will be enough?”
“···”
Her expression darkened again.
“Does that mean there is something you want from me? You really are…”
“No, I don’t really want anything from you.”
I cut off whatever it was she was trying to say.
“It’s just that I don’t feel comfortable handing over this much information. Think the other way around. Would you do the same?”
“···”
“So, I’m thinking about whether to tell you about it.”
The Second Lord—the Thunder Lord.
Even though she lost a lot of power, at level 90, many could still consider her as a powerhouse on the continent.
This bait would make it easy to borrow her help when needed.
My words must have sounded like I was just making things up. That’s why the Thunder Lord’s face became ferocious again. Of course, she had the right to feel that way.
But what could she do? Having a new powerful spirit was important to her, and I was the only one who possibly knew its location.
“If you deceive me and just end up telling me nothing until the end, no, if it was a lie in the first place…”
I stopped her and said,
“Then I will swear on that part. Staking my name and honor.”
“···”
“You wouldn’t insult me by even calling this a deception. Right, Second Lord?”
As the Lordship of Calderic was determined only by the appointment of the Overlord, there was no such thing as succession by blood.
Just as the people in Santea believed in the sacred blood of the royal family and take their rule as something absolute, in Calderic, the Lords’ rule was also absolute. Like a supreme being that no one dared to go against. That was why this system could be maintained.
Still, some of the Lords formed huge families by blood or tribe, and the Thunder Lord’s Cerionne family was like that too.
As she came from the most ancient family in Calderic, she had a higher sense of self-esteem and authority than anyone else.
If I, the same Lord, risked my name and honor in this way, she would take it as a promise I could never break.
Of course, I had no intention of keeping that promise if things went wrong later.
“···Good. I believe you.”
The Thunder Lord replied with a reluctant expression.
“Then let’s end the conversation here.”
I said, compromising.
“I feel like I should tell you I did not intend to annihilate your spirit. That last attack of yours was a powerful blow that could otherwise have killed me.”
I didn’t know if my relationship with her would be restored. Nevertheless, I still wanted to lead her in a good direction.
“···I’m leaving.”
She turned around with a complex face that seemed to be a mixture of dejection and other emotions.
I thought as I looked at that weak gait, as if she had lost strength.
Where can I use her?
Even though she lost some strength, she was still a big player who could be of great help.
Now that I could ask for her help when I needed it, I had to think about it a bit…
···Ah.
Then a thought popped into my mind.
Wyvern.
As they are a rare sub-dragon species, there were only a few places where they lived on the continent, and one of them was the Glide Mountains, located far west of Calderic.
If one travelled normally, it would take a long time to arrive, but if they travelled by riding a wyvern?
“Second Lord.”
I called her.
She stopped and looked back as if she was asking, ‘what else do you need?’.
“Did you ride a wyvern to get here?”
“···Yes, why?”
“How long does it take to ride a wyvern to the Glide Mountains from here?”
She looked at me with her eyes showing confusion as to why I was asking something like this out of the blue and then she replied.
“It should arrive in at least five days. Why are you asking that suddenly?”
I nodded.
“Let’s go right now.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
She blinked.
The time left until the conference was about a month.
I had enough time to do some things before that.
