The Lord Is Too Overbearing

The news about the decimation of the Empire's Army in Grittenhein wasn't heard before the news about the fall of Vallienda into Grittenhein's clutch. Many people were shocked when they heard about it since no one expected Grittenhein to move this soon after its King declared his alliance with the grand criminal Basil Pacifer.

When they heard the news of the Empire's failed attempt to conquer Grittenhein because of Basil's intervention, they became even more shocked. They didn't know that the Empire was collaborating with Vallienda to take Grittenhein down and they couldn't believe that Basil alone could drastically change the outcome of the battle.

Everyone in Braxtein became nervous because of the news. Basil Pacifer had done a lot for them and they had thrown him away. The King himself had fled the Kingdom, which was enough to prove that they were wrong. After Basil's splendid victory in Grittenhein, they wondered if he would come to Braxtein next.

"What do you think we should do, Your Majesty?"

"Why do you think it is necessary for us to do anything, Eldridge?"

"Basil Pacifer…we were the ones who forced him into this state."

Turning his gaze away from the scenery, Aldrich Agonheart Braxtein, the First Prince turned King, looked at the old counsellor neutrally. He understood the concern of the old counsellor—he, too, felt the same—yet he saw no reason for them to be worried about it.

Basil's problem wasn't with the Braxtein Kingdom, but the Empire—the Church. Everyone had heard the news about the Empire's involvement in the conquest of Grittenhein, which was one of the Kingdoms that allied itself with Basil. It should be enough to tell that anyone who stood on Basil's side would have a problem with the Empire.

Sure, Basil might come to take revenge on Braxtein; however, he was sure that the Empire would back them up when the time came. There was nothing they should do other than control the situation in Braxtein which, in other words, was eradicating the Pacifer's sympathizer.

"I guess you haven't been updated about the newly circulating rumour."

"Rumour?" Aldrich quirked an eyebrow, intrigued. "Everyone is still crazy about Vallienda's fall and Grittenhein's splendid victory which happened yesterday. What kind of rumour seems to interest you more than the two news?"

Eldridge took out a scroll of paper and gave it to Aldrich. The young King, thinking it wouldn't be worth his time, found himself perplexed upon reading the first sentence written on the scroll.

He immediately looked up at Eldridge to confirm if it was a mere twaddle but the old counsellor immediately told him to keep reading and so he did. He spent a few minutes reading the scroll, reading each sentence written on it repeatedly.

He was equally fascinated and bewildered by what he had read; although there was no concrete proof of the claim, it was enough to make one's faith shake. He could see it as a problem for the Church, yet he didn't see why Braxtein should care about it.

"Eldridge, you should rest more. You have been thinking too hard recently," Aldrich advised. "There is still nothing for us to worry about. How can you even let a mere twaddle haunt you?"

"You missed the point, Your Majesty," Eldridge harshly retorted, surprising Eldridge. "There is a reason why Basil Pacifer didn't spread this rumour openly like what our Kingdom did about him. The fact that only some people can get their hands on this information further supports the idea of it being the truth."

Aldrich waited for a few seconds before saying, "So?"

"The Church will be focused on regaining the people's trust back. At the same time, the Empire will be more focused on hunting Basil Pacifer. If he showed up here, there is a huge possibility that the Empire will sacrifice the Kingdom just to eliminate him…and I am afraid that it will also be part of his plan."

Eldridge's thought made Aldrich hum to himself. He would like to consider himself bright but after hearing what the old counsellor said, he couldn't help but doubt it. Surely, he was aware that the reason he didn't think of Eldridge's concern because of his lack of experience. Still, it was frustrating that he was outsmarted again by the guy whom he despised.

"There is no need to be concerned about that, Eldridge," he said after some time, bewildering the old counsellor. "As you said, the Empire will be focused on him; there is simply no time for him to mind us. Besides, the rest of the Pacifer are also being hunted now, aren't they? He must have a lot in his mind already."

At Aldrich's comeback, Eldridge held his criticism back.

"What should we do is similar to what the Church will soon do: regain the trust that we lost. When this rumour became widely known, I am sure we will find a lot more sympathizers; therefore, Eldridge, let us focus on fortifying my stance as the ruler of this Kingdom."

Aldrich's smile made Eldridge take a step back. Without hearing what the young King would suggest, he could already tell it would be another cruel method that tyrants often exercised. He would like to suggest a less harsh method, yet he kept everything to himself in the end. He realized what he would say would make him sound like he sided with Basil.

After reading what the scroll contained, he couldn't help doubting the side he chose. He had heard about the 'hidden agenda' of the Pacifer that the Church propagated; knowing how fearsome Basil was, it was hard to refute it.

On the other hand, the scroll gave a more thorough and logical explanation of the Church's accusation. It talked about the truth behind the Pacifer's fall and the Church's 'hidden agenda.' The revelation was delivered informatively. It was a very great contrast to the persuasive and aggressive way the Church propagated its "truth."

Eldridge leaned toward this revelation. There were just so many things that could be proven to be true even without concrete evidence. The real identity of the Four Great Gods, for example. The fact that any other races apart from the human claimed them to be humans was enough proof that the teaching the Church propagated was nothing but a farce to suit their agenda.

The Church could claim that Basil was lying but one could refute easily with the fact that it had been hiding the real identity of Demons for years. The fact that one of its deceased upper echelons was once involved in an Outbreak was also not helping its reputation.

If Eldridge could choose, he would unhesitatingly choose to believe the story from Basil's side. Of course, he wouldn't do that since that would mean he needed to abandon Braxtein; he was absolute that the young King would never agree to side with the Pacifer.

"May we receive the best outcome out of this," he silently muttered.

Aldrich opened his mouth, telling the old counsellor about the "countermeasure" he had thought about. Eldridge could barely hold back a grimace when he heard about the tyrannical method, yet he still nodded his head.

With even more doubt in his heart, Eldridge ordered the Royal Army to actively kill sympathizers and those who were considered one.

….

Three days had passed since the fall of Vallienda and Grittenhein's victory. Grittenhein was stronger than ever and so was the case with Vallienda which was managed together by Grittenhein and Padeitophys.

No one claimed ownership over the Kingdom. Everyone conquered the Kingdom together and if someone would like to claim it, Basil would be the only one worthy to do it. He was the one who united them. He was their leader—the one they bowed their heads to. Without him, they wouldn't even consider taking down the Kingdom.

Besides, everyone preferred things to remain this way. To be able to interact with each other without minding race and one's affiliation was an extremely pleasant experience. There was no need to emphasize the border of each other's territory as long as one knew one's boundary. It didn't guarantee peace, yet everything would be more harmonious this way.

Tap. Tap.

In the Chieftain Conference Room of the Padeitophys Empire, Basil sat on the head seat, side-by-side with Eloreth, the Elven Empress. Gazing over the ten Chieftains gathered in the room, he tapped the table with his finger.

"The Empire will be hot on our tails now that it is already clear whose side the Elf takes," he said. "Every one of you will be targeted because of your alliance with me and you will have a hard time. Therefore, I scatter my Warriors to help you as much as they can."

The Chieftains became solemn as soon as they heard what Basil said. Somehow, they could already see where the talk was going.

"Helping each other is essential during this time. Grittenhein and Frachtenhein will supply some troops to Padeitophys and Padeitophys shall supply them with some of its best Warriors or scouting squads. The Dwarf will also be helping, so we are currently in a fairly safe position."

A Chieftain raised his hand, attracting Basil's attention. Given the permission to talk, he said, "What is your end goal, Lord Basil?"

"The Empire and Church's utter destruction," Basil answered decisively. "There is no hope for peace with those two hating on the Pacifer to their Core. I want everyone that I care about to be safe and I don't care even if I have to empty half of this world to achieve it."

Basil didn't raise his voice in the slightest as he said those words. He didn't passionately utter his goal which made it even more terrifying, since he made it look like it was something that was bound to happen.

"Then…what are you going to do next, Lord Basil?" this time, Tinuviel asked.

"I am going to meet the Emperor of Demi-Human and find the rest of the Pacifer. I am going to leave you to your own devices for the time being."

At this, everyone sighed lightly. They knew that would come out of Basil's mouth at some point; still, they couldn't help feeling slightly down. Basil's presence was a huge morale boost to the army.

Having him fight with them felt like fighting alongside their Empress because of the power he boasted. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration if everyone was more excited to fight alongside him than the Empress.

"Kuhum!" Eloreth cleared her throat. "It is not like Lord Basil will leave forever. Calm down, everyone." Earning a nod from the Chieftains, she turned to Basil, "Then, how long will you leave?"

"One month is the longest," Basil said after some thought. "Should it be any longer, just know that something unexpected happened along the way."

"Should we be concerned about it?"

At the question, Basil quirked his eyebrow and looked into Eloreth's eyes, making her lightly blush. "Just know that when I die, this world is bound to fall."

An overbearing remark, yet no one refuted it. They should indeed be concerned about the world if Basil died.