My Soulmate Is I (Patreon)

Chapter 20: Beware of Spies

(Yue)

“That annoying kid, is he really only eight years old? Could it be that he's actually been possessed by some old demon?”

You could also calculate it as sixteen, considering I'm living a life that's twice as long.

Well, after today's negotiations came to an end, we returned to the inn, and Father started to complained about myself (Night)

"It turned out to be unexpectedly tricky," Mother also said, but her face still had a satisfied smile. "He's really exceptional, just as I expected."

At this moment, I(Yue)  spoke up, "Father, are you really planning to help Princess Lotte regain her kingdom?"

"It's not that I plan to; it's the decision of His Majesty the King, and it's necessary."

"Hmm? Why is it necessary? Why would it be necessary to help Princess Lotte regain her kingdom?"

I couldn't help but be puzzled.

"The reason the Kingdom of Green was destroyed is entirely because a new Dungeon was born near the capital of the Kingdom of Green."

"A Dungeon!?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Is it an extremely advanced Dungeon?"

"That's right. It can be said that this Dungeon is the first of its kind in our continent," Father said seriously. "If we can make good use of this Dungeon, the strength of the entire continent will rise to a new level."

"But when the Kingdom of Green first discovered this Dungeon, they intended to keep it secret and monopolize it."

"Later, the news leaked out and was discovered by the Kingdom of Lind, the Kingdom of Rock, and the Kingdom of Halle. These three countries joined forces to pressure the Kingdom of Green to open the Dungeon to them."

"But the King of the Kingdom of Green used the argument that the Dungeon was born within the territory of the Kingdom of Green, and therefore, the Kingdom of Green had complete ownership. He claimed that whether to open the city to other countries was the Kingdom of Green's decision, and the other countries had no right to interfere. He directly rejected the joint pressure from the three countries. The Kingdom of Green probably thought they could resolve the conflict through the 'Cradle Game'? Were they confident in their national team? It sounds quite amusing."

Father shook his head dismissively and chuckled.

"Originally, the fact that the Dungeon was born within the Kingdom of Green was a good thing for them. The Kingdom of Green could have exchanged it for significant benefits with other countries, gaining an advantage and significantly increasing their national power. They could have even become the strongest nation on the continent, surpassing all others. But they played their hand so poorly that it ultimately led to the destruction of their kingdom. It's become a big joke."

"...Father, you know this so clearly, so why did you say earlier that you didn't know anything?"

"With something this big, how could any country not know about it?"

So, were you just teasing me earlier?

"So, does His Majesty the King also want to gain control of that Dungeon? Why not negotiate directly with those three kingdoms?"

"We've already tried, but the seriousness of the issue lies here."

"...They didn't agree?"

"They had no reason to agree. They could divide the benefits of the Dungeon evenly among the three of them, so why would they want to involve another one or two?"

Father's rhetorical question made me think deeply.

The Tyra Continent.

That's the name of the land where the Kingdom of Dolge is situated.

On this continent, there are six countries in total: the Kingdom of Green, the Kingdom of Dolge, the Kingdom of Lind, the Kingdom of Rock, the Kingdom of Halle, and the Kingdom of Anli. All of them are human nations.

The most powerful nation among them is the Kingdom of Lind, which is located at the center of the continent, boasting the largest territory, the largest population, and the greatest prosperity.

Next is the Kingdom of Dolge, situated in the western part of the continent. In terms of land area, it ranks fourth among the six countries, and its population is third. However, its military strength ranks second, almost on par with the Kingdom of Lind in terms of pure military power.

Then there are the Kingdom of Green, the Kingdom of Rock, the Kingdom of Halle, and the Kingdom of Anli. Generally, the military strengths of these four countries vary, but none of them are so weak that they can't be compensated for. You could say that they are evenly matched.

The Kingdom of Green is located in the northern part of the continent, bordering the other countries, but interestingly, it has no borders with the Kingdom of Anli.

A mental image of the continent's map appeared in my mind, with various countries marked for their influence. I started from the beginning and reviewed the events in the Kingdom of Green.

First, the Kingdom of Green discovered the newly born Dungeon, wanted to keep it secret, and attempted to monopolize it. However, they couldn't keep it secret, and the Kingdoms of Lind, Rock, and Halle got wind of it. These three countries then joined forces to pressure the Kingdom of Green to open the Dungeon to them.

At this point, the Kingdom of Dolge and the Kingdom of Anli were completely unaware of the situation.

Later on, the Kingdom of Green rejected the joint pressure from the three kingdoms and refused to share the Dungeon. So, the three kingdoms formed a coalition and waged war against the Kingdom of Green. The Kingdom of Green was defeated, and the coalition took control of the Dungeon, sharing the spoils.

It was only after this that the Kingdom of Dolge finally learned about the Dungeon and wanted a piece of the pie. However, under the coalition's power, the Kingdom of Dolge had no chance of getting a share of the Dungeon. They didn't hesitate to reject Dolge and were even willing to go to war again if necessary.

In this situation, the Kingdom of Dolge certainly wouldn't dare to start a war rashly. Even if they allied with the Kingdom of Anli, it was unlikely they would have a chance of victory.

Therefore, the three major kingdoms confidently planned to share the spoils among themselves. They didn't want to give even a drop of the soup to the other two.

Two against three couldn't defeat the three, but the Kingdom of Dolge and the Kingdom of Anli would never stand idly by while the other three countries grew stronger. So, Lotte's appearance became an opportunity for the Kingdom of Dolge and the Kingdom of Anli to break the deadlock.

A country couldn't be easily destroyed.

Even though the Kingdom of Green's capital had fallen, the resistance forces in various places never disappeared, and the Kingdom of Green was still in constant warfare.

If, at this time, the Kingdom of Dolge and the Kingdom of Anli declared an alliance with Lotte and offered to send troops to help the Kingdom of Green regain its country, then Lotte would become the flag bearer of those resistance forces, rallying the remaining strength of the Kingdom of Green.

The citizens of the Kingdom of Green would undoubtedly rally around Lotte.

Two countries indeed cannot fight three countries, but three versus three is a different matter.

Even though the Kingdom of Green suffered heavy losses in the previous war against the three kingdom coalition, we must not forget that the newly born Dungeon is within the territory of the Kingdom of Green. Lotte, the Kingdom of Dolge, and the Kingdom of Anli's tripartite coalition forces can be considered as fighting on their own soil.

What does fighting on one's own soil mean?

Even if the countries were all destroyed, there are still pockets of resistance fighting against the rule of the three major kingdoms. Adventurers are taking the initiative to ambush the soldiers of the three-country coalition one by one. This is what we call fighting on one's own soil.

Previously, there was only the Kingdom of Green, and even with fighting on their own soil, they couldn't possibly defeat the coalition forces of the three major kingdoms. But now, with the addition of the Kingdom of Dolge and the Kingdom of Anli, it's three countries against three countries, plus the advantage of fighting on one's own soil—the final result is obvious. Unless all countries want to end up with nothing and mutually destroy each other, the only option is to resolve the issues at the negotiation table.

I see.

I understand now.

At this moment, I couldn't help but let out a smile.

In other words, the Kingdom of Dolge is also in a hurry now. Helping the Kingdom of Green to restore itself is a must for the Kingdom of Dolge, and the Kingdom of Green doesn't need to give up any unnecessary benefits.

What Father wants is for all six kingdoms to sit down at the negotiation table and jointly develop the newly born Dungeon.

Besides that—

Besides that, Father wants to secure as many benefits as possible for the Kingdom of Dolge from Lotte, who seems to know nothing about it.

Therefore, the conversation today became clear all at once.

Father isn't just haggling. He's testing, testing how much I(Night) really understand the current situation.

Once he's sure that we truly have no understanding of the current state of affairs, that's when he'll make big demands and start brandishing his sword.

—It's a pity, Father.

You have a spy.