Nart and Eid sat down with serious faces.
There were three people before them, with a curtain separating them.
"Hoh? Are you sure youâre able to talk all this to us?" A heavy voice echoed from behind the curtain.
Eid confirmed. "Yes. After reviewing the rules, it should be fine. As long as you donât participate directly, advice like this is OK."
"Interesting."
"Third brother. This is interesting, right?"
"Indeed. To think theyâre facing such a person... If you look at it carefully, the seed of doubt has been planted. Even if they make up with Stefany, that original doubt will strain their relationship.
"If it plays according to Clovis Hacfieldâs idea, he can simply claim that this was a strategy to take down their enemy from the beginning.
"Whatâs amazing about him? Itâs the fact that heâs able to spout all that nonsense in such a reasonable way. Even I am convinced that this is the Dark Mercenary Groupâs intention."
"Hahahaha!"
The three brothers laughed out loud. The third brother asked, "So, what do you think about it, Eid, Nart?"
Nart looked down, contemplating. "Iâm not sure. Iâm good with swords, but I leave all the thinking to Eid."
"Youâre relying on Eid too much."
"Sorry." Nart paused for a moment. "Iâm thinking about joining hands with them."
"Your reason?"
"I donât know. My instinct is telling me to go ahead and work with them. Even if everything doesnât work out, we wonât lose anything."
"How about you, Eid?"
Eid nodded in agreement. "Yes. Working together with them might not be a bad idea. If I have to say the reasons, there are two.
"First of all, whether this will be enough to pursue our goal in expanding to the west through the Dark Moon Mercenary or not, it doesnât matter. As long as we have a good relationship with the Libation Fiesta, it might be worth more than the Dark Moon Mercenary.
"I mean, they have the Hacfield family and the Elseingarde family. Clovis Hacfield and Christina Elseingarde also have unique abilities, and the Libation Fiesta is an abnormal team. If we get on their good side, we might be able to find out what makes them abnormal and benefit from it as well. Last but not least, Clovis has a good relationship with Mara Leverstrike.
"Although I want to consider the fact that he has his dire wolf, I donât know how significantly it will impact them. After all, we havenât seen that wolf in the news for a while. So, I shall reserve my judgment about it."
"I see. How about the risk?"
"The risk is obvious. Itâs clear that the Melesviet family is hostile to the Hacfield family. I donât know much about it, but I believe the reward outweighs the risk."
"What if I tell you that the Prophet has helped the Melesviet family in the past? Also, I should remind you that the archer hates the Elseingarde family.
"..." Eid looked down, contemplating. "I believe we should look at the future. What they need to do is to endure. Besides, Clovis is known to have the ability to fight someone above his rank due to the abnormality within the Libation Fiesta.
"So, he might be able to fight a Tier 9 human when he is only a Tier 8."
"Do you know how big the gap between a Tier 8 human and a Tier 9 human is?"
"I believe so. Even if he canât, he still has his teammates. If they are also Tier 8 humans, working together is possible."
"Indeed."
Eid raised one finger. "Besides, the Libation Fiesta will become one of the most terrifying forces in the world if they manage to grow to their peak. We donât have to rely on a mere Dark Moon Mercenary if we have a connection to the Libation Fiesta."
"Looks like Eid has grown a lot."
"Nart as well. Your instinct is very good, but donât forget to study."
The third brother fell silent for a moment before raising one finger. "In that case, I will tell you something special. Do you know the one-eyed swordsman and R.A.I.D.?"
"Yes? They have been spotted entering this city. We have been thinking that either successors have invited them, but..." Eid shook his head.
"In that case, I will tell you about this special information. Today, the Association President actually met the one-eyed swordsman."
"!!!" Eid widened his eyes in shock.
"What?" Nart gasped.
"Not only that. The one-eyed swordsman is currently meeting with R.A.I.D."
That information sent chills down their spines.
"Master..." Eid was speechless. He did his best to regain his composure. "Master... Are you telling us that they are going to join hands?"
"Most likely. And I believe their intention is to become the third party in this succession battle. In other words, whoever they choose to support will become the winner of this succession battle. And by becoming the deciding factor, they can demand a lot of compensation from the successor.
"This is the same strategy employed by Clovis Hacfield, but he chose to openly create an alliance."
"!!!" Eid gasped. "Donât tell me... He has seen this far ahead?"
"I donât know how far ahead he has seen, but one thing is for sure. He is not an average person. To be able to grow this strong at that age, it shows how capable he is. If you choose to ally with him, I will give you two pieces of advice.
"First, give everything without asking anything in return. Second, see it through."
Eid pondered for a moment before his face grew resolute. He turned to Nart, asking solemnly. "May you give me this chance to lead, Eldest Brother?"
Nart smiled. "I trust you, Second Brother."
"Master..." Eid turned around.
"You donât have to ask for our permission. Eventually, you will inherit our seat. You will make a decision on your own and find out that way by yourself without anyoneâs help.
"Thatâs why be bold. Whatever the result, learn from it and grow even stronger."
"Understood." Nart and Eid lowered their heads.
"However, donât forget the meaning of Three Swords."
Nart and Eidâs faces turned grim. "Yes."