CHAPTER 72: MEETING II

The room went even more silent and they all stared at Vacuse. They stared at him with shock and surprise. Vacuse only smiled back warmly. "What do you think of my plan?"

Drenvar’s surprise turned to a thoughtful look and he nodded. "That seems like something that could work."

Then they all turned to the only imposter among them—Gavyn Froshmmer, Association member and the new chairman of the Kragthar branch.

The man noticed the looks directed at him and his face paled.

Vacuse raised his hand to his chin and rubbed it with a sly look on his face. "I say, what if Gavyn Froshmmer goes and spoils our plan? He would want the noble title, right? And we can’t really trust him. After all, he was alive while his peers were dead."

Gavyn trembled and felt a touch of cold down his spine. "Wait! I can’t betray you! I’m an ordinary human, not a Soulbearer. You...!"

Vacuse’s hand shot forward and a Flicker Lance flew forward with force, slammed into Gavyn’s head with such force and blew the whole body back. His chair jerked and his blood sprayed into the air with bits of bones.

He fell to the ground and didn’t twitch.

Vacuse turned back to the table and smiled. Blood stained the right side of his cheek. "I didn’t really like him since I saw him. He smells like someone who likes to betray."

Everyone in the room twitched. Of course, they’ve seen people killed before, they’ve killed before, but not so casually and ruthlessly.

Skya narrowed her eyes. ’...this guy... did he tell us that plan just to kill Gavyn? I should watch myself around him... he’s the type to take advantage without batting an eye...’

Vacuse shrugged. "Now we can speak easily on what to do. We would need to look for a new Association Chairman. Maybe someone from the new Vassals?"

Drenvar nodded coldly. He didn’t say anything about what he did to Gavyn. Instead, he went to another topic immediately. "That will solve our economic problems. But that’s only a temporary solution. We need something lasting and final."

His voice was gloomy as he looked at Vacuse.

Vacuse was supposed to be the lasting and final solution. But their enemies didn’t want that.

"At first, I thought we should be able to negotiate some things with Duke Frexon but... the Duke was critically injured in the fight and he’s now in a coma."

Vacuse stiffened immediately. Wait, what?

What the fuck? Vacuse sat up and his face showed real shock. It was the first time he would be hearing of such. Duke Frexon was injured? So much so that he’s deeply unconscious enough to be in a coma?

Vacuse’s head spun and all the plans he’d been putting together since morning crumbled into dust before his eyes and his shoulders sank.

He was thinking of using the fact that Duke Frexon was betrayed to form a temporary alliance with him. But now...

Drenvar gritted his teeth. "We need to come to an ending..."

Vacuse interrupted quickly before Drenvar finished. He had an idea what the Dragon Lord wanted to say. "To send me away to the Capital."

Eh?

Drenvar blinked and stopped talking. Everyone froze and turned to him in surprise.

What?

Vacuse spread his hands and his mouth tilted up in a smile, his former dark expression gone and now looking as if he was soaking up all the attention in the room. "The Capital. Send me to the Emperor as a ward. A guest.

"With enemies all around, what we need is something stronger than the enemies. And that is either of the other Region’s Grand Dukes. But that’s impossible.

"Or the Emperor."

Skya scowled. "Didn’t you just say that you don’t want the Emperor meddling in our affairs? This is the same as serving the Western Region to him on a plate!"

Vacuse scratched his head with a small smile. "Well. I didn’t know things were that bad earlier. But now, the Emperor doesn’t seem so bad."

If the Emperor extended his influence and control on the Vorrakyn, then it was something that could be easily resolved in the future. It was something that Vacuse would do.

But now?

Now he would maximize his chances of survival, and the only way he could deal with it was to find a higher power to shield him. It was simply a matter of using the Emperor as a shield for now.

Although he knew it wouldn’t be easy, it could still be done, and he was willing to do it.

Skya shook her head at the shamelessness. "And how do you think the Emperor would accept you? The Emperor does not even allow audience with the Dragon Lord!"

Vacuse shrugged. "I am Vacuse Vorrakyn. Chosen by the SSS Legendary Dragon. The Emperor never saw something like me before. He would accept.

"But first, we must invite the Gold Accord here as we said earlier." Vacuse needed someone to escort him to the Capital, after all.

Someone strong.

Drenvar looked even more thoughtful, but his hand was clenched on the arm of his chair. He took several deep breaths to calm himself. He wanted the rise of the Vorrakyn to be glorious and without help.

But as it seems...

Things aren’t going as he wanted.

At first, he wanted to declare war on the other Dukes but... Vacuse made reasonable points.

"The Emperor, eh? I’m sure he would very much like to have the heir of Vorrakyn in his court, won’t he now? He would want to shape the future of the Western Region."

Everyone tensed as they waited for the decision of the Dragon Lord. After a long time, he finally nodded curtly. "I accept."

Vacuse breathed a sigh.

He had ensured his survival again. For now.

"We will send word to every corner of the West and to the Capital, to every inch of it. Let the whole Empire know that Vacuse Vorrakyn, the SSS ranked, would be a guest of the Emperor!"

Vacuse smiled as he looked at Drenvar.

This old Drake.