Chapter 128 - Finished negotiations

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Receiving Bors call, Flex, who was outside of the Amnemos city walls along with his brothers and rest of the company, with a smirk he said.

"That little guy who used to a delivery man under old Aldenis grew quite the appetite. Levon, Yetty, you take over the company while I am away.

If you don't get any signs from me in one day, don't panic and call His Highness for further orders."

"Don't worry, big brother. We'll take care of the boys in your place. Actually, we will move the camp toward the forest and start hunting some beasts since it's been a while since we eat." said Levon.

"Hmm, do that, just don't alert anyone in the neighboring locations." replied back Flex, who prepared to move to Amnemos.

As he ended instructing his brothers, he moved fast toward the city gates, and entering inside unnoticed, he spotted Morlocc waiting in the corner of a building.

"Captain, you have arrived. Let's go since it will be bad if we postpone this too much."

"I know, let's get going. Lead the way, soldier."

Morlocc nodded his head and moved toward the flower shop using a fast speed, a marking of the Black Army that mainly focused on the power and speed of each individual.

Passing the streets, Flex suddenly stopped in front of an old shop that had some flower vases around the windows. After he observed a bit of this location and briefly registered the new environment, he entered after Morlocc inside the shop.

"Follow me, Captain Flex. Everyone should be gathered by now."

Nodding with an indifferent expression, Flex got to the backside of the shop and noticed that there were already eight people inside.

As he entered inside Kane, Valen and Maisha greeted him respectfully, while Bors only added some sarcasm in his tone.

"Captain, I thought you were stopped by some city guards. It seems I was wrong. Welcome, and I hope you are prepared for the talks."

"Hmph, you don't even know the distance from the company's camp and the city. Forget it. I know you like to argue with me about anything. So the young blonde miss is Alderhine's daughter?" said Flex, while having his hand at Bors as if you shoo him away.

"That's right. So you better don't scare her with your mutt." replied Bors, rubbing a bit of salt on his superior.

Bors later looked at Aria and said with a calm tone.

"Are you ready little girl? We'll take you home, but you also have to help us and talk with your father."

Aria, who was seated on the chair, replied to Bors's reminder in a quiet tone. "Brother Wolf, I will try. If things go wrong, please run away while I calm daddy."

Flex looked at Aria and said a bit coldly. "Little girl, I think is the opposite. We didn't come here to fight your father but to have a talk with him. However, if he doesn't follow My Prince's offer, we, the Black Army, will have to show our dark side."

Valen, Maisha and the rest looked a bit at Flex and later at the blonde little girl who maintained her calm, even in the face of such a rather ruthless reminder.

Bors shook his head and helped Aria up from the high chair, and with a calm tone, he said to her. "Let's go, little Aria, don't listen to this old mobster."

Aria nodded her hand and grabbed Bors, who picked her up and placed her on the ground. Later he looked at the rest of Aria's entourage and explained to them.

"You three will still follow and accompany little Aria while we 6 will follow close to your back, only to approach if things seem calm enough. Understood?"

"Yes."

After receiving their confirmation, he looked at Flex, who understood what his expression seemed to say. 'You can start.'

Flex moved outside, followed by the rest of the soldiers, and took over some hidden places of the alleys, waiting for Aria and her group to move on.

"My lady, are we really going to help those guys? What if everything they said is a lie to make us believe in their stories?" asked the maid, Stella, while following the blonde little girl.

"No, Stella. I fully trust big brother Wolf. I can tell he doesn't like to lie from how he talked with me and his other companions. That brother Valen or Kane also seems like a good person."

"Still, my lady, would this affect the future of Alderhine House?" asked the maid back, making the little girl giggle a bit, finding her question funny.

"Stella, what do you think would happen if the father would help Uncle Vestios?"

"Hmmm, then we would be the enemies of the prince?"

"That's right, Stella, also I don't wish father to be sad or the people of Amnemos and Alderhine to suffer the consequences of a bad choice."

In those moments, the maid discovered that her young lady didn't show all her capabilities. She didn't show to her family or even her as a close confidant what she thought outside of her petite appearance.

"I understand, my lady. I'm just your maid and nothing more. I don't know much about the politics of nobility and influential people." replied Stella, before turning silent, following close to Aria.

The two guards at their backs could only pray in their hearts that Grigos wouldn't turn on them and fire them from their post.

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On another part of Amnemos city, Alderhine Grigos, who was wearing simplistic noble clothes that didn't show off his wealth, looked agitated on the streets of his capital city.

Looking around his bodyguards, he asked one closer to him.

"Still no sign of Aria?"

"None, sir. We detached the entire guard around Amnemos, we even went to Hadolt den, and he said he has no news about this disappearance of the princess."

This answer made him even colder and all short of thoughts running in his head. Most of those scenarios were dark ones, but one seemed the goriest.

"Lacilet Vestios, you dare to blackmail me with my precious daughter? You know what this means? War, you damned backstabber."

Yet, he still tried to keep his calm and push aside that scenario, keeping a thought that Lacilet Vestios needed him in aiding him in the war.

"Where are you, dear? Please don't let anything happen to you because I don't know how I can keep living in this world after losing you and Irene."

Saying that, with his voice trembling a bit by himself, he moved around the streets of Amnemos and holding any person passing in his path, giving them a big scare when noticing his scary expression.

More minutes of terror in his heart passed, and his mind seemed to be engulfed in all sorts of thoughts.

"There could he the nobles of my county targeting me, wanting to rebel? Assassins who want my death? However, Lacilet is the biggest suspect for me."

Talking to himself while constantly receiving notifications from his bodyguards that there were no signs of Aria.

It was until he almost decided to summon his entire army that the figure of a blonde little girl of about 12 years old, followed by her entourage, appeared in his sight.

"ARIA! Where have you been, dear?" said Grigos as he sprinted toward Aria with a fast speed reminiscent of Brogg.

"Daddy, please calm down. I was staying with granny Julmina and helping her with the flowers."

Still embracing his precious daughter Grigos caressed her face and noticed that something looked a bit different. Her eyes seemed a little bit dry as if she cried.

Looking at Stella and her two guards, he said coldly.

"Tell me what exactly happened. I know lady Julmina personally. She would remind Aria to go home early. If you don't start talking, I will make sure you stay imprisoned until you learn your lesson."

"No, no. Daddy, don't do that. Stella, Iulius, and Oslo are innocent. It is all my fault for this. There was a wolf who scared me, and I cried a bit."

Looking at Aria with a calm expression, as if every bad scenario in his head vanished like ash. He later said while dropping on his knees and looking at his daughter's eyes from the same level.

"Aria, if you have something to tell daddy that is important, don't hold it."

Aria didn't know how to start telling her father about Bors and the other soldiers belonging to Vlad's camp. All her preparation in her tiny head was for nothing because she couldn't find the proper words to talk out.

It was in those moments that 6 people started appearing from around the building, and later a voice of a calm man was heard.

"Don't be hard on the little girl, Count Alderhine. You can blame us for holding her for a small talk."

"Ahh, brother Wolf, you should still hide." said Aria while turning to the location of where Bors's voice came.

Grigos, who noticed those newcomers rose on his feet and brought Aria to his back, and while drawing a sword, he asked the soldiers.

"And who should you be exactly? What do you want from my daughter and me?"

"It is simple, Count Alderhine, but are you sure you want to talk about those things here?" replied Flex while he began moving closer to Grigos, overtaking Bors and the other four.

Grigos, who sensed a bit that Flex and the other four people moving toward him were dangerous, prepared to signal his bodyguards, but quickly Aria told him.

"Father, don't hurry yet to summon the guards. You should listen to those people because they have an important message for you." said Aria from Grigos back.

Turning at Aria, he told her, like he guessed who wanted to find him. "It is, him? Blood?"

Aria only nodded her small head while looking at the soldiers who still approached Grigos slowly.

"I see, then follow me to my mansion. We will talk there."

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Arriving at Count Alderhine's mansion in the central location of the Amnenos City, and with the soldiers being taken inside his private room, used for official talks.

Grigos moved to his luxurious chair, and after the soldiers got on their seats, he asked Flex who was standing right in front of him.

"So who are you guys, and why would you be interested in me? Do you work for Blood?"

"It is a good start, Count. It is indeed true we are subjects of Blood, but let's not refer to him by his moniker because of unbefitting his status. Blood is His Highness Vermilion Zagreus Vlad, and this is how you shall call him from now on." replied Flex coldly while staring at Grigos face turning colder.

"Prince? Does this mean Lucius managed to sire a child before he was killed? How he was the type to always be alone and only talk with Vestios and a small circle of people."

"It matters less to His Highness Vlad about the past events of the unfortunate fate of Prince Lucius. But it is indeed true, the late Crown Prince is Prince Vlad's father."

Grigos, getting this information about Vlad confirmed, turned silent, and only after some minutes he asked Flex.

"What does he want from me? No, I don't want to listen to you telling me his conditions. Let him talk with me directly since you don't have the right to order me around nor your prince."

Flex looked sharply at Grigos, a bit annoyed by the comment, and after thinking for a bit about the fact that the mission progresses so far smoothly and they were at the last part, it would be dumb for his feelings to destroy all this work done at getting to a seat beside Count Alderhine Grigos.

Getting a dial snail from his dark military coat, he quickly formed a number, and the sound of the snail dialling could be heard in the entire room.

After 30 seconds, the call was picked up, and the voice of a calm young man could be heard asking shortly.

"What happened, Flex, to make you call me now? Did the mission fail?"

"No, Your Highness, we are right now in front of Count Alderhine, but he didn't want me to tell your conditions but opted for you to tell him that." replied Flex after hearing Vlad's question.

"Oho, good job, boys. I will keep this success of your company in mind, Flex. Go place the snail in Alderhine's hands so I can talk with him."

"Yes, Your Highness." said Flex respectfully that it made Grigos look a bit surprised at how quiet and respectful those soldiers looked, especially their leader.

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Vlad, who was in his private room at his desk, where one book full of bisected body drawings and different diagrams could be seen opened, took the snail dial, and in a calm voice, he said to Grigos after hearing the transfer of hands being done.

"Count Alderhine Grigos, it is unfortunate I can't meet you in person and have a civilized between respected gentlemen, but because of circumstances, I have to talk with you from a distance."

"It is understandable. To not length this conversation with useless talk, I will ask you "Prince" one simple question. What can you offer me that would make me be on your side?"

Vlad gave a wide smile that looked a bit evil, picked by the snail on Grigos' side, and the people from the Count's private room could hear something surprising.

"Let me start with something else. You are one of the nobles inside the noble council that tried and even overthrew my family from the throne, however this doesn't matter to me and my interests for the country's future.

I don't know what role you played on that day 18 years ago, nor do I care. You can breathe in relief because I will not kill people indiscriminately. It would be a waste of quality people.

I can also make an accurate guess that you don't like Lacilet since you are talking with me right now. Am I right, Count?"

Ended Vlad with an evil smile as he talked about one of his guesses he just formulated in a brief moment since founding out that Grigos was talking with him.

"Hmph, that backstabber thinks of himself as a king already, yet he wasn't even elected like what we agreed upon. However, to answer your question, indeed, I don't like Lacilet one bit." replied Grigos, which made Vlad chuckle a bit.

After stopping his small laughter, Vlad once again continued on sharing his propositions for Alderhine. Things that would be easily achieved after the end of the civil war since the reality was very ruthless in the world of nobility and the privileged, compared to how the common perspective was.

"This makes it even easier for the two of us to work at Alderhine. I'll drop the exploring questions and give you my offer.

After this war ends, all the nobles who would oppose me and fight against me will be executed, and their lands would be taken by the crown. Since there will be a need for good administrators, I will offer you a bonus of 2 counties and, along with your own, make you a rightful Duke, not just in title. Along with that, if you keep collaborating with me and do not plan to rebel against my future rule, your territory will be subjected to my trade privileges.

Don't pass on this notion because the trade I would make in the future would span the entire South Blue and most likely the entire world. Your capital city is located at a decent place to take in a flow of trade from the main trade route."

Grigos, holding the dial snail in his hand and looking severe at the snail, began thinking in his hand.

'Compared to Lacilet's fake promises, what he just proposed to me is quite generous. As for that trade privileges? I heard some things from the merchants coming from Dawn that Sol was having most of the trade from the other neighboring islands and city-states flooding in his direction. The advancement he made in what was once a shithole couldn't even be fathomed. Still, I have to check on some things.'

With his sharp blue eyes, Alderhine asked on the dial. "Do you require me to fight in your wars or future wars?"

"No, it will be something optional, even now in this war with Lacilet. If you want to assist me, I don't mind, nor do I require your help. Yet, I will say this, if you do choose to help, know that I, Vermilion Vlad I am a person who treats his friends with open arms.

"I understand what you are saying, is there anything I should be aware of before answering your proposal?"

"There is a future system that will overtake the entire country. It is a recruitment training for my Black Army that will happen annually and at which any civilian of Kaysang from peasant to noble would be able to join in. The nobles administrating the lands should keep this information open for all masses and even publicize it."

"That's really all, Prince Vermilion?" asked Count Alderhine, feeling that something was missing.

"Well, there are other things, but it's no need to talk about them at this hour. They will not affect you anyway. It will be something that would benefit every citizen of this kingdom. Universal rights to knowledge, shortly it is the school that we as noble get access to."

Grigos, when hearing this idea of teaching all citizens of the kingdom, instantly thought to himself. 'Is this kid crazy? Doesn't he know what would happen if the peasants would start getting smarter? They will overthrow us, nobles, the privileged who enjoyed such benefits as school? Would the serfs enjoy such a thing? Are you really that dumb?'

'Wait, this young man doesn't seem to be foolish not to know this, could there be a deeper meaning that I still don't understand? Sigh, fine, I will join you, kid. It is better than being under that bastard Lacilet who could target me if winning this war.'

"I will not comment on your future plans because I still don't have more information on them. However, hearing your proposal and plans, I doubt the kingdom would go even worse than in Lacilet's hands. I will be in your faction, young prince."

Vlad, who was holding the dial snail in a relaxed manner, give a smile that seemed a bit warm that was picked by the snail, where only Grigos could see it.

"Grigos, your choice is the right one. Haha, do you want me to tell you something now that you agreed to join me?"

"Why not?" asked Grigos back when seeing that smile on the snail expression.

"If you would not accept my proposal, I would have my boys in your room take you out or hold you hostage in the so-so scenario. Ahh, and to tell you what, my Black Army and the small company I sent to your county could probably take over all your territory. Yet, it is good because it would leave bloodshed, and I don't want to soil these lands with my own people's blood. Only our enemy shall taste death."

"I see. It is good to know this, Your Highness." replied Grigos, feeling a bit awkward about hearing this unexpected comment that felt a bit like a reminder. 'If you disobey me, I can always kill you.'

"Flex, once you get back home. I want a report to whoever got the mission to a flawless complexion."

Bors, who heard Vlad's comment, was faster than Flex and said with a grin on his face.

"Your Highness Vlad, it was all me, Bors. Please don't forget this name."

"Bors? You are the golden eyes boy? Wolf, was your nickname?

Bors replied with a smile on his face to Vlad's question. "Yes, commander."

"I remember you, brat. You are the one who always pushed his body to his limits before dropping down from the training.  When I have time, I will summon you to meet me. We shall see how much progress you made since I last trained you."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" replied Bors back.

"Hehe, I always like kids like him. Alderhine, I will let you talk with Flex about what Lacilet has in plan for me since I have other things to do."

*Gotcha*

After ending the call, Maisha, who noticed Bors genuine smile and his eyes seeming to shine a bit more, asked herself.

'Why is this guy so excited about?'

Turning toward Valen, she asked him. "Valen, what was Prince Vlad referring to?"

"What he says means that he will train Bors. Tsk, lucky bastard. Well, at least I managed to see a good chariot race, right Maisha?"

"Correct, Valen. That race was really satisfying. I never thought some horses attached to carts and who would race around a big stadion would be so exciting."

Bors turned his eyes toward Valen and Maisha, and with a slight grin on his face, he turned back to look at Flex, who received his dial snail from Grigos and seemed to start talking with him.

'I will overtake you, Flex. This time I will give my best to memorize everything His Highness would teach me.'

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