Chapter 340: Truth
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The fight between Manlyn and Shinbella ended quickly. Even though Shinbella had been imprisoned for weeks and was very weak, she was fueled by rage and hatred. Manlyn could face Anfey in a fight, but he couldn’t face Shinbella because of his guilt. A few minutes after the fight began, he was struck by Shinbella’s great sword.
Maybe out of guilt, Manlyn did not resist. If he had, he might have been able to defeat Shinbella. Shinbella’s tactic was powerful, but easy to block. Manlyn, however, did not take advantage of her mistakes. Before he died, he stared at her with sorrow in his eyes.
After Manlyn’s death, the quarrel in Moramatch cald down. Except for a few remaining rebels, most of the rcenaries chose to surrender. For most rcenaries, there was no conflict that could not be solved. They saw what had happened and there was no need to resist.
Anfey beca the de facto leader. He had experience governing a hundred people, but there were at least a thousand rcenaries gathered in Moramatch. Taking care of the ss Manlyn left was exhausting. Even though Christian and Blavi were there to assist him, it took almost an entire day take care of everything.
Ozzic told him that Alice had not not busied herself with taking care of the town, but nevertheless the town was running smoothly. Even Manlyn’s arrival had not effected it much. Ozzic’s words reminded Anfey that he needed to speak to Alice. When he had first t Manlyn, Alice asked him to kill Manlyn for her. Anfey was doubtful then. If it had been another person, perhaps he could lie to her, but he knew that Alice would see through his lie. Anfey was still uncertain about what position he should give Alice. He needed to talk to her to decide whether he was going to trust her or take her power away.
Ozzic led Anfey to Alice’s house. He spotted only two guards in the yard. They looked like formally trained soldiers. Anfey thought they must be Kumaraghosha’s n. The guards saw Anfey and did not stop him.
Anfey hesitated for a mont then knocked on the door. He waved his hand at Ozzic, who bowed and quickly left.
"Co in," Alice said.
Anfey pushed open the door and walked into the room. Alice’s room had simple furnishing. There were a table, a bed, a bookshelf with a few books, and two chairs. Anfey closed the door behind him carefully. He was surprised by the simplicity of Alice’s room.
"I’m not surprised that you ca," Alice said softly. She should have gotten up and greet him as a hostess, but she kept lying on her bed and did not move. Her tone was cordial, but lacked the respect she held for him before.
"You knew I was coming?" Anfey asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.
Alice nodded slowly.
"You had to think about that question before answering?"
"A lot of trouble can been avoided if we think before we talk."
"From what I’ve gathered, you’re not one to shy away from trouble."
Alice shrugged. "So troubles are necessary," she said.
Anfey sat back in his chair and stared at her. "Alice," he said after a few monts of silence, "I know you and you know . We aren’t impulsive people. We don’t have to act like this."
"I don’t understand you."
"You do and I know you do," Anfey said. "What are you trying to show? That you’re childish and impulsive? Or are you telling that I should feel guilty for not believing you?"
Alice narrowed her eyes but did not say anything.
"I think we need to talk, don’t you? Or else we won’t understand each other. We can even turn on each other. Who knows? Tell honestly. Why did you announce that I’m gathering an army?"
"Don’t you think this is a precious opportunity?" Alice asked quietly. "Necromancers are threatening the entire world, but the four major rcenary groups turned their backs on their people. Our offer is practically a beacon in the darkness for these people. Normally, you can have ten towns like Moramatch, and you’re still not the best."
"I don’t care who’s best," Anfey said. "You know why those rcenary groups refused to help. You know why you don’t have the resources to support all these rcenaries."
"I know."
"Then how do you propose we solve this? Where are you going to get food?" Anfey asked. "How many rcenaries are in this country? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? What will you do if all of them co here? The necromancers don’t even need to attack us. All they need to do is surround us and we will all be dead in a week."
Alice looked at him, amused. "I admit you are a smart man," she said with a grin, "but clearly you are severely lacking in certain areas."
Anfey sighed. He was worried because he knew exactly how cunning and brilliant Alice was. "Don’t interrupt ," he said. "Tell , how are you going to solve this?"
"You are overestimating yourself," Alice said with a shrug. "Don’t forget, you aren’t the best. You aren’t even close. You’re second-rate, at best. How many rcenaries did you think our announcent would attract? Did you really think even the four super rcenary groups will co?"
"Watch your tone," Anfey said coldly.
Alice chuckled and shook her head. "There are only four super rcenary groups, but there are more than fifty first-rate rcenary groups. The only one willing to co here is Jagged Rose. All the others here are second-rate at best."
"It is still more trouble than we can handle. What are you going to do about refugees?"
"We aren’t taking useless people," Alice said. "We have our examiner right outside our walls, don’t we?"
"What do you an?"
"The necromancers have control of Transverse Mountains and are pushing their way into the country. A battle with the necromancers is inevitable if soone wants to reach Moramatch. The rcenaries that arrived here are the survivors. They are experienced and ready to fight. Refugees won’t make it this far." Alice paused and smiled. "We are increasing strength without lifting a finger. Tell , am I wrong?"
Anfey felt a sudden chill looking at Alice’s smile. He could picture groups of hopeful rcenaries and refugees being slaughtered by zombies and necromancers. He did not know what kind of a person Alice was before, but her experience in the Country of rcenaries clearly changed her. But Anfey must admit that only people like Alice could survive in a ti such as this.
"I counted. There are about two thousand rcenaries here. How are you feeding them?"
"I never do things I am not prepared for."
Anfey nodded and stared at Alice, who stared back at him. After a few tense monts, Anfey sighed and said, "We’ll talk about this later. I want to talk about Manlyn. He’s not soone who would fall for a trap that easily. What did you do to make him trust you so much?"
"He knew who I was."
"What?"
"He had visited Shansa Empire before."
"You two knew each other?"
"He knows of ," Alice corrected him. "I have no mories of him."
Anfey nodded. A princess would never waste her ti with the leader of a rcenary group. "And then?"
Alice licked her lips and said calmly, "He kept trying to insert himself in my group of confidants. He respected , even more so than Ozzic and the others. I gave him so power to keep him interested."
"Didn’t you realize how ambitious he was?"
"Do you take for a fool?" Alice asked with a smile. "Manlyn was ambitious, but he was not a good actor. We all knew what he wanted." Alice sighed and continued, "He wanted power. He wanted . Of course, I could use that to my advantage."
"Don’t forget that I gave you Moramatch," Anfey said.
"I thought you would understand," Alice said softly. "It seems like you still do not understand my plan."
"I’m waiting for an explanation," Anfey said. He was good at reading people, but Alice was a politician and she knew how to conceal her emotions. He needed to speak to her honestly so he could understand her.
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