Episode 128: Deception and Domination (8)
“An order has come from headquarters. “We will spare no effort in providing all support, so negotiate with the elves so that we can join hands.”
The reason the headquarters’ attention was focused on this county, which was originally an insignificant territory on the border, was because of the appearance of a new elf wanderer who appeared here not long ago.
Ronan, the knight commander who had come to meet the lord, announced the results to everyone gathered with a blank look on his face.
“Our needs are the same. “We need support to repair the damage from the war with monsters from the demon world, but we can use the power we have restored to help you.”
“B-but Naan. We have already sent a large amount in advance. However, the amount of food and weapons support you mentioned was too much… … .”
“stop! “The command has already decided to meet all conditions!”
Of course, Naan was also here. She disguised the orders given to Lucy as if they were requests from the elves and firmly stated that the elf army would only be able to join the alliance if the support they requested was provided.
Everyone was shocked because the amount of supplies was not small, but the knight commander shouted and made the scene quiet. Because the Allied Forces have already decided to provide all support for the Elves.
[Not bad.]
Even though Lucy was in the midst of a war against mutant infectious agents, she was satisfied with the results of the negotiations.
The reason Naan asked the Allied Forces to provide unnecessary material support was just to drain their power, just like the conditions they put on the church.
This is nothing more than buying time to completely occupy Ravizda, the world of the dark elves and the elves’ hometown, and make all the nutrients coming from it their own, and to push them down at once with a weight class that has grown more overwhelming than it is now.
“Hmm, that’s how sincere we are in our cooperation with you. All you need to know is that.”
The leader appealed to Naan how sincere they were. In fact, it was extremely unconventional support, and it was also evidence of how much they needed the cooperation of the elves to break the counterweight to the church.
“I just spread the word. “All decisions are made by a council of elders.”
“yes. “I guess so.”
Naan nodded but drew a line. The leader sighed slightly but couldn’t help but nod. In any case, they were the ones who were in urgent need now, and the command had proven that by deciding to support them this time.
“Chris, look at me for a moment.”
Instead, he dispersed the group and summoned Chris separately from among the knights under his command. Chris, who seemed to understand why he had called, glanced at Yuria who was next to him and Naan who was sitting in front of him, and then stood up.
* * *
“You know why I called you, right?”
“Isn’t it because of Naan?”
“that’s right. “He is a very important guest, different from Raon.”
The leader patted Chris on the shoulder with a tired face.
“The elf hero Raon rarely spoke of his people. But my eyes are different. She is the lion of her kind. “She herself is said to be a simple errand girl, but it is important that our story reaches the elves through her.”
“That’s right.”
“She… … You’ve been getting along well with your sister lately. Same goes for you. So, how do you cook it well? “This is the future of all of us.”
What the leader was whispering was to give Chris, who seemed close to Naan, a firmer grip on her so that he could have an advantage in this negotiation.
Chris, who had already roughly guessed it, nodded. In fact, it was not he who became especially close to Naan, but his older sister Yuria, but thanks to that, he also naturally became close to Naan.
“I will try.”
Moreover, Chris, who still does not know Naan and Yuria’s big secret, sympathized with the leader’s feelings and said that he would follow his instructions.
As the leader said, he believed that the lives of countless people and the outcome of the war depended on this negotiation.
“We’re in big trouble.”
“That’s right, Chris. A very big deal… … “Hey.”
But before Chris could say anything and even try.
Na-an, who heard news from the wind spirit that night, told the story with a serious expression. Yuria helping out from the side is a bonus.
“What on earth is happening for you to be like this?”
“The church also contacted the elves. And with very big gifts.”
Yuria calmly lied. It is true that she felt bad because she was deceiving her younger brother, but she had no hesitation in her actions because she firmly believed that this was the way for her younger brother.
“What on earth is wrong with the church?”
“I heard that the church forces said that the monsters from the demon world are enemies of the church and that they want to join hands with us, who have the same enemies.”
Naan stayed calm and told him the truth, as he was embarrassed.
Of course, this was also Lucy’s plan, to incite competition between the church and the alliance to take away each other’s power and prolong the stalemate.
“I will report it first. Right Now.”
In the end, Chris couldn’t do anything and had to go back to the manager to tell him this shocking news.
[great. If we just take the time like this, our win rate will increase faster.]
“I heard that you are taking a lot of resources from the great forest. “Isn’t it bad because there are a lot of situations there?”
The voice that rings in Naan and Yuria’s head when they are alone. Naan urgently asked about the battlefield situation in Lucy’s voice.
There, now, Raon, the only remaining member of his compatriot, was there, so he was worried about that.
[If balance is maintained but breaks down, you can push on to the end.]
Lucy gave a cliché answer. Because it was impossible to explain in detail what kind of war was going on right now.
[It is true that more time is needed, so the war between the Church and the Allies must be dragged out further.]
Instead, Lucy did not hide the fact that she needed time. Yuria caught on to Lucy’s habit of not saying things like that, and sensed that the war going on there wasn’t going well.
“Don’t worry. “Both sides, who can no longer act hastily anyway, must make every effort to cooperate with the elves.”
Yuria was confident that Lucy’s separation strategy would work well.
As a person living here, I already knew that this continent could no longer sustain a fierce war.
No matter how strong both sides are, no matter how many there are, in the end, they must farm to secure food and live their daily lives.
Unless you specialize only in combat like the Demon King’s Army, there are limits.
“W-What on earth does that mean!? “The church reached out to the elves first!?”
“That’s literally it.”
And not long after, the Allied Powers, who thought cooperation with the Elves was a sure thing, turned around once again.
* * *
“Tell them to think again! “To join hands with the church, they will never acknowledge the customs of the elves!”
“B, but the elves said that the church has already met all the conditions for the elves!”
The emperor, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces headquarters in the imperial capital of the empire, was frightened and panicked by the news that came from the northern border early in the morning.
“All conditions met? Those guys!?”
He was dumbfounded and speechless after receiving the report. It was hard to imagine that a church that had acted without the slightest mercy, claiming to judge heresy, would take a low-key stance towards elves, who were of a different race.
“So, what did the elves say?”
“That’s what they’re thinking about right now. “They even gave me holy relics bestowed by the goddess.”
The church was already sincere. He was left gaping at the news that they had given the Earth-made firearms, which they themselves could not use freely due to lack of resources, to the elves.
“They said that since they are that sincere, I can’t help but think that they are also sincere in fighting together against the black iron bugs.”
“Such idiot… … “How could they do that without any intention?”
The church also knows that elves can act as a kind of kingmaker. The emperor was fascinated by the fact that the elves were swayed by the persuasion of such a church.
“Your Majesty, we can’t be pushed around by these guys like this.”
“That’s right. If the elves fall to them, it will be impossible to end this war!”
Other leaders of the Allied Forces insisted that no matter what they gave him, he had to persuade and capture the elves. In fact, he was the same way.
Since the balance was exquisite, the weight could not be passed on to the opponent.
“Sleep for a moment. “Take a moment.”
However, the emperor did not make a decision right away and instead attempted another communication. The target of the communication is Baal, a demon lord who is a member of the alliance and rules over the most powerful force in the demon world.
Baal frowned upon hearing this story.
“Are these stupid ears really being greedy?”
“Are you saying you walked a tightrope on purpose? But elves are not that kind of race.”
Baal, like a demon, hated elves. The Emperor, who knew this fact, shook his head, denying his suspicion of the elves.
“We were attacked by the Black Iron Insect and are trying to avenge it, so it is strange that we are weighing the relationship between the church and ourselves. “If I were an elf, I would try to mediate between us.”
Baal thought that the elves were secretly encouraging both sides. Even though there is no reason to do it if they want to.
“But if we leave it like this and the elves go over to the church, it will be a big problem.”
“That’s right. Ha, this is an external channel. For now, I have no choice but to accept it. “It’s a natural gamble where if you succeed you will gain, and if you fail you will lose.”
However, Baal also could not find a way to end this strange competition once and for all. In the end, we’ll just wait and see what their choice is.
In fact, they directly sent Naan a proposal to join the alliance rather than join hands with the denomination, promising all other support.
“I will definitely pass on this valuable opinion.”
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Of course, Na-an draws a line and says that he is only conveying the news and informs Daesulim of the news.
[Now you just have to spill the information to the church. So that they too can be stimulated and squeeze out the maximum resources they can.]
Lucy heard that and put her next plan into action. The endless competition has already begun a long time ago.
[Allied forces’ win rate 55%, Church’s win rate 45%, battle sustainability 35%.]
At the same time, Lucy was predicting when, where, and whose victory would end in this war currently taking place on the continent based on the data collected so far.
Due to that calculation, things that even the parties involved in the war do not know exactly appear as probabilities. The Allies still had a slight advantage, but since this war had to end without anyone winning anyway, Lucy didn’t really care about the odds of winning.