“Likewise, you insane king, likewise.” I smiled again at him, though mine was clearly tenser than his.

“… I see you have made a multitude of my citadel.” He spoke softly as he maintained his smile whereas slowly descending. This man’s mana management certain was superb to have the ability to float so flawlessly like that.

“My citadel now.” I grinned condescendingly upon him.

“I did not anticipate you to be so daring.” He landed with a mushy thump only a few meters in entrance of us.

I immediately held my breath as my again tensed up upon seeing him up shut. He did not do something but, however his presence alone instigated worry inside me.

“Your fault for pondering I am a mushy tofu.” I talked again.

“Smooth– Puhahaha!” Common Zhang broke out in laughter, making me flinch in shock.

“You– Do not joke round on this scenario!” I poked his shoulder in annoyance. This man severely feared nothing, huh?

“However you began the joke! Smooth–soft tofu… Ahahahha!” He continued laughing whereas I simply facepalmed.

Effectively, though I stated that, his laughter really made me ease up a bit…

“I belief you’ve a enterprise with me?” The calm elf king smiled at me, attracting my consideration as soon as once more, “is not that why you place up this large present?”

I gulped and took a deep breath to calm my nerves once more earlier than talking. He was proper. I got here right here for one particular factor. I ought to focus, particularly if I needed to complete this in simply 5 minutes.

“I need to give you a proposal,” I began talking, “I do know you’ve a number of historical scrolls stashed in your treasury. I need you to commerce that with the lives of your individuals.”

“Hmm? The lives of my individuals?” He raised an eyebrow, “are you that assured that you just maintain the lives of my individuals in your hand?” He requested, nonetheless with a smile. However this time, for some purpose, I felt chills down my backbone.

“Sure. Will you settle for?” I frowned and tightened my fist, attempting to not take a step again. Chae, do not you dare be intimidated by this clown.

“Nobody is allowed to carry my individuals of their hand, apart from me, their rightful King.” He opened his eyes as I noticed a malicious glint inside his lovely jade inexperienced eyes.

… He stated ‘King’ as a substitute of himself. It certain was scary, how robust his supreme was.

“You might be mistaken in case you suppose I would fall in your menace,” he chuckled slowly, “however you caught my consideration with the scrolls.”

I stayed silent and waited for him to proceed what he was saying whereas I watched his physique language began to alter. Good, though it might sound dangerous, if he willingly raised his guard towards us, that meant he was beginning to take us severely.

“I do know some stuff,” I took a step ahead, incomes myself an amused smirk from the blonde elf king, “you wanna know who instructed me about that stuff?” I grinned.

“Hmm~” I felt his mana rose slowly, as if he was attempting to slowly mess with my mind.

“Your lifeless child brother instructed me. Is not that great information to you?” I scoffed, “lastly, the little brother that is all the time been higher than you by way of gaining assist and love out of your ‘topics’ is lifeless.”

“… So that you noticed,” he paused for a bit earlier than persevering with, “I’m wondering simply how far did you see?” He leaned in nearer to me, “how a lot of me did the crest present you, and the way a lot of me did he treasure inside his coronary heart?”

“Sufficient for me to know that you’ll by no means choose these meaningless historical scrolls over the lives of your topics.” I stood nonetheless with out backing away.

He was a bit off the mark, since I knew concerning the historical scroll throughout my time within the bizarre white room, not from the flashbacks. And I additionally knew that the elves hadn’t been in a position to determine what these scrolls have been for, in order that they kinda simply saved it there, with out understanding that they include some fairly candy stuff.

“You appear assured. What extra do you’ve in retailer?” He questioned additional.

Lastly, the query I used to be ready for.

“Except for this citadel,” I smirked, “your wells are mine now, too.”

“You–!?” He flinched for the primary time since we had met, and for a second there, I felt like his mana flicked a bit of.

Good, good. Be alert. Be uncertain. Be scared.

I could not assist however grin on the considered him shedding his composure, “you possibly can inform your subordinates–sorry, I imply your topics, because you take a look at them that approach, to verify all three of your wells.”

“… So you possibly can freeze from an extended distance.” He frowned.

“I assume.” I shrugged him off and tilted my head whereas grinning.

Really, I could not precisely ‘freeze’ one thing from an extended distance. Particularly not one thing that wasn’t even in my imaginative and prescient. However the sensible factor I seen this morning once I was coaching at daybreak whereas the others have been asleep, was that my ice may very well be prolonged.

It was much like how Firiell may summon a department on prime of a department, I assume? Anyway, that was the very same method I used once I prolonged my ice from the citadel gate’s wall all the best way to the entire citadel.

The explanation I dropped a small ice shard into the properly was that normally, ice shards have much less density than water, therefore why it will float on prime. And in response to the orc, they solely scooped up water at midnight, like after we first caught that fingerless orc, which was nonetheless just a few hours from now. So, my shard ought to nonetheless be floating properly on prime of the water inside these wells.

With just a bit little bit of effort, I expanded the shard till the entire prime layer of the properly was frozen nonetheless.

“Now that I’ve frozen your total water provide, absolutely you’ll conform to my request?” I continued pushing.

“Wh-what!? In order that was why we went to go to all these wells…” Firiell exclaimed in shock.

“I… I did not even consider that.” Jeanne muttered in disbelief.

Effectively, in fact she would not. This was principally a foul play, endangering the lives of harmless elf villagers. Oh properly, excessive conditions referred to as for excessive measures.

The elf king raised his eyebrows as he seen their shock, and frowned a bit, as if eager about one thing.

Good, their responses appeared real, this was the significance of not telling my associates about this plan. As a result of, their shock would make it seem as if I had actually frozen your complete properly, once I really solely froze the highest layer.

“Hmm, fascinating plan you’ve there, human,” he chuckled, “however we nonetheless have–“

“We have poisoned your lake with lead, so do not even begin.” I lower him off and gave normal Zhang a bit of grin, which he returned with a cheeky wink.

The elf king’s eyebrow twitched barely as he introduced his hand to his chin, supporting it, “now that is some predicament we’re in, huh?”

“Positive is. Simply surrender, this kingdom is positioned in the course of nowhere, you will not get water provide from anyplace else earlier than your individuals begin dying.” I smirked and tried my finest to sound assured, despite the fact that my coronary heart was beating like loopy proper now. C’mon, simply settle for!

“… However why should not I simply kill all of you proper now?” An evil smirk appeared on his face, as he stared at us along with his icy chilly glare.

“Pfft– Hahaha! So you actually do not know!” This time, I used to be the one who laughed as a substitute of normal Zhang.

“What are you speaking about?” Erenduill questioned. I may sense his wariness from the tone of his voice. Nice.

“You,” I pointed at him, “you have by no means absorbed a crest earlier than, have not you?”

“… It doesn’t concern you.” He frowned.

“Oh, Erenduill, that is what occurs once you solely research from previous experiments, however by no means really get some hands-on expertise.” I defined, referring to the experiments they did on themselves and on people throughout their analysis about crests.

“Are you claiming that you realize greater than I do?” He was now trying visibly upset.

“Contemplating that I am a human, which you did not research completely, and the truth that I did take up a crest,” I took a step ahead and poked his chest, “sure. There’s one thing that I do know, which you do not.”

Immediately, he went quiet, which really stunned me. For as soon as, this cheeky king was puzzled. However despite the fact that nothing got here out of his mouth, I used to be certain that numerous issues have been racing in his thoughts proper now. Varied eventualities, prospects, theories, plans, you title it.

He was the sort who would proceed after eager about it completely, with cautious planning, as a substitute of performing first and suppose later, which suited his late brother extra.

“Entertain me along with your data.” He ever so politely gave me a smile with out backing off.

“Effectively,” I smirked, “you realize {that a} crest is equal to a coronary heart, and I’ve absorbed one.”

He nodded in approval, following my story to date.

“So now, inside me there are two mana cores as a substitute of 1. My hearth and my ice.”

“I fail to notice how that bothers me.” He smiled sweetly at me, which simply irked me increasingly.

“Effectively, you see, usually, when somebody dies, their magic simply kinda disappears,” I huffed, “however in my case, I’ve two. And I’ve linked each of them in order that when one vanishes, the opposite will explode. Solely one in every of them will vanish alongside me, and that is not the crest.”

Listening to my rationalization, he chuckled and stated, “that is wonderf– Wait…”

I grinned with satisfaction once I noticed his eyes widened, and horror was painted throughout his face.

“Sure. Kill me. Eradicate me as you see your citadel explode right into a pile of rubble and corpses,” I laughed, “or watch your topics die of dehydration as a result of you possibly can’t discover a water provide.”

“Kkh–!” He frowned with anger, and his mana out of the blue rose sharply.

“The second my coronary heart stops beating, so will your individuals’s,” I grabbed his hand, and positioned it on my chest, “kill me, alongside along with your topics.”