CHAPTER 121: MOVEMENTS

Basla wasn’t even sure if the other tribes were still pursuing him. But he couldn’t risk it. So, he continued running. Even when his legs burned, and his breath carried the taste of blood, he continued running and stumbling through the forest.

He didn’t know how long or how far he had run. He didn’t know where he had run, either. He just knew that he had run deeper into the forest. Or maybe not. He was pretty disoriented.

Eventually, he could run no more and fell to the ground. Through his dazed vision, though, he saw a pair of shadowy things moving toward him. Legs?

***

Old Man Rem looked at the skinny figure sitting in a corner of the bar. He was doing a good job of not grabbing attention. But he still couldn’t hide his arrogance and straight back. It was a popular bar for criminals since it was located in the depths of the slums.

Most of its current guests had probably already flagged the man as suspicious. Fortunately, most people who came to the bar at this time were suspicious. If they weren’t, it was because they were regulars.

And regulars in Burner’s Inn on the outskirts of the royal capital, Radstok, were most likely affiliated with the Syndicate.

The man already being made wasn’t a big deal. But it would have been better if he hadn’t been made.

The man, who had most of his appearance hidden by an oversized robe, flinched when Old Man Rem suddenly appeared on the other side of the table. Fortunately, he knew better than to make a sound. He was mostly used to it, after all.

Rem looked at the man, waiting for him to speak. It was he who requested a meeting, after all.

"Is the report accurate?" The man asked in a low voice.

Rem nodded.

"That indicates internal strife within the forest. Her Majesty wants to take this opportunity and move forces toward Tiabe."

One of Rem’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Indeed. If the tribes of Tiabe were fighting each other, it could be an opening for their kingdom to move in and secure an area or resources for themselves. The arrows that had been used in the attack on the auction hall back then had been confirmed to be from Tiabe, after all.

It was a precious opportunity.

"Understood." Rem nodded. The other man didn’t have anything else to say.

Old Man Rem disappeared from the spot.

Mariss Tormero, the vice-captain of the Highguard, left the bar and returned to his post.

***

"Captain," Mole approached Squawks in the kitchen late at night. It was both urgent and something that the others didn’t necessarily need to hear at once. It was best to take it in private.

Squawks noticed Mole’s tone and looked at him with a serious expression as he nodded for Mole to continue.

"There have been movements within Vorad."

"Movements...?"

"Armed movements."

Squawks frowned.

It could be a training exercise. But if Mole had come to him with the information carrying such a serious expression...

"Direction?"

"Tiabe."

It wasn’t a training exercise. The Vorad Kingdom was gearing up for war against Tiabe. Even if it wasn’t necessarily all-out war with the goal to annihilate the tribes, it at least looked like they were going to pull some offensive maneuvers.

"What do you think, Mole?" Squawks asked, leaning back with crossed arms and a curious expression.

"It’s an opportunity."

War meant work for mercenaries. Work meant money. However...

"For what?" Squawks asked.

"To solidify our good relationship with the tribes."

...There was no way they would side with Vorad, where the Torak Syndicate was based, especially when they had just worked with the tribes to rescue Tair.

It was an opportunity to work with the Tribes against Vorad. It might be considered betraying their fellow humans. But they were mercenaries. They followed the smell of wealth.

Vorad wasn’t a poor kingdom. It was rich in forests, rivers, and lakes. They were the only country with a river that eventually took them to the ocean. It was a long and cumbersome path, but it was better than what any of the other two countries had.

However, Tiabe was an untapped source of bottomless wealth. A single bundle of arrows was worth more than what the Vorad Kingdom would pay them for their participation.

"Sounds like a good idea. I’ll send a message to Vafrid. You talk to the others in the morning. What do you think our kingdom will do, by the way?"

Mole shrugged. If he knew about it, the kingdom’s upper echelons would also know about it by now.

"Probably wait and see. Our king is reluctant to engage in battle. Even when Vorad and Matarok harassed our borders, he just chased them away. Unless Vorad turns to us, I doubt we’ll get any work here."

Squawks nodded. That seemed like an accurate analysis.

The king of Syttle was, according to some, a cowardly king. According to others, he was a benevolent one.

Squawks didn’t disagree, not entirely. He thought the king was both, in a way. But more than that, he was stable.

The king of Syttle didn’t necessarily seek peace. He sought stability. A stable kingdom was easier to rule, and it would be easier for his daughter to take over the mantle once he abdicated.

However, a good monarch knew how to rule even an unstable kingdom. That was why the King only sought stability. If it couldn’t be achieved, he would do the best given the circumstances.

That was what Squawks thought.

So, if Vorad turned their fangs toward them once their invasion of Tiabe inevitably failed, believing Syttle would be an easy consolation prize, they would be sorely mistaken. Squawks almost wanted to see what would happen if the Vorad Kingdom extended its hungry maws toward the plump Syttle Kingdom.

It had been a while since he had seen Syttle troops in action, after all.

But first, it was Vorad against Tiabe. And he was just as curious about Tiabe’s strength.