Chapter 61: The Art Of Deceit
Xeron seethed with dissatisfaction as he surveyed the aftermath of the siege. This wasn't the glorious massacre he had envisioned. The city fell faster than expected, and the lack of resistance disappointed him. The once proud elven city stood conquered, but the spoils were far from satisfying.
The elven forces were sparse, and the civilians had wisely evacuated beforehand. After a brief skirmish, Xeron found himself with a mere one hundred souls – a pitiful harvest compared to his expectations. Even the previous encounter with the pegasus knights had yielded more souls. How could he be anything but displeased?
The siege equipment, meticulously repaired during a day-long pause, went mostly unused. Xeron had anticipated a grand display of his demonic might, but it seemed the city had other plans.
Alexander approached him after the battle. "Your Excellency Xeron, the city should have had a significant troop presence, but they withdrew for some reason."
Xeron, annoyed but curious, questioned, "And why do you think they withdrew?"
Alexander, feigning contemplation, responded, "It's likely a stronger enemy appeared."
"A stronger enemy?" Xeron raised an eyebrow. "Is there someone more formidable than us?"
Alexander nodded, playing the puppeteer. "Certainly! His Excellency Rashka is a formidable foe. Perhaps he attacked other cities, prompting the elves here to send reinforcements. I can't think of another reason for their sudden retreat."
Xeron scoffed, dismissing the idea. "Impossible! Supporting another city means losing this one. The elven druids aren't foolish. And Rashka's army can't possibly surpass mine."
Alexander, undeterred, hinted at a different perspective. "Initially, maybe not. But circumstances change. Your Excellency, since we received reinforcements, wouldn't Rashka have too?"
Xeron's eyes widened in realization. "You mean..."
"Yes, precisely. The reinforcements are under His Excellency Ignatius' command. What if he summoned more troops but allocated the majority to Rashka? It's a strategic move. Rashka's army may be stronger now," Alexander suggested.
Xeron fell into contemplation. Doubt gnawed at him. If this were true, Rashka's forces might indeed surpass his own. Ignatius, who controlled the reinforcements, could play a decisive role.
Alexander, with a conspiratorial gleam, pressed on. "Is it possible that Rashka and Ignatius reached an agreement on the way here? They did meet you together, after all."
Xeron hesitated. "Yes..."
"Then consider this – what if they made a deal? More reinforcements for Rashka in exchange for the souls he obtains..." Alexander left the thought hanging.
The seed of doubt had been planted, and Xeron couldn't shake the suspicion that a clandestine pact existed between Rashka and Ignatius. The uncertainty left him uneasy, questioning the true allegiance of his allies.
The realization hit Xeron like a thunderbolt, prompting a surge of anger as he calculated the additional souls Rashka might have amassed due to the augmented military might. Fearing that Rashka and Ignatius had covertly conspired to keep him in the dark and share the spoils among themselves, Xeron couldn't contain his frustration.
Alexander's revelation acted as a catalyst, and Xeron, unable to hold back any longer, unleashed a torrent of curses at Rashka and Ignatius.
The betrayal cut deep, and Xeron found himself caught in a web of deceit spun by those he had considered comrades.
After venting his frustrations, Xeron turned to Alexander, grateful for the enlightenment. "Fortunately, you're here. Otherwise, I would have been kept in the dark. Now, tell me, what should we do? Return and question Ignatius?"
Alexander swiftly dissuaded him, shaking his head with a cautious expression. "No, no. Don't ever do that! Your Excellency Xeron, have you thought about it? If you raise your suspicions with His Excellency Ignatius over the unfair allocation of troops, and then he uses it as an excuse to have you remain in the demon city to summon troops while he leads an army out, what would you do? By then, they'll both be unbridled in concealing their gains..."
The gravity of Alexander's words sank in, and Xeron grasped the perilous situation. Confronting Ignatius directly was not an option.
"Your Excellency, it's as you have seen. Now that His Excellency Rashka's army is so strong, the elves view him as a threat and would rather abandon the city to provide reinforcements to fight him!" Alexander explained. "In other words, this is equivalent to His Excellency Rashka snatching away the souls that should have belonged to us. If this carries on, we'll get fewer and fewer souls!"
Xeron nodded, acknowledging the dire circumstances. "Yes, I understand. The only thing we can do now is to rush ahead of Rashka!"
The elves had a limited number of soldiers, and with Rashka's increasing aggression, they saw him as a formidable adversary, diverting their attention from the city. Xeron, fueled by a mixture of jealousy, anger, and greed, now focused on vying with Rashka for the headcount.
Xeron, driven by his emotions, marched deeper into the kingdom of Erathia, unknowingly setting himself up for an impending elven ambush.
Alexander observed silently, contemplating the intricacies of his manipulations. The simplicity of his actions belied their profound consequences. As a demon, Alexander found himself adept at the art of deceit and manipulation, wondering if these skills were inherent to his demonic nature.
Yet, amidst the orchestration of events, Alexander remained pragmatic. With the battlefield's inherent dangers, his priority was to preserve his own life. Survival would provide the opportunity to escape Xeron's control and navigate the perilous circumstances he had set in motion.
.....
Read ahead on my Pa*treon!
Link : pa*treon.com/thebookaddict (Remove the *)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone