Rudra had no other option but to come clean as he decided to start with a bit of truth and mix lies into the fray as per the emperor's reaction to his words , as he needed the emperor's support to control his newfound territory once he conquered it, as without the Hazelgroove kingdom s support it would be impossible to keep the wolves away from his land .

  Rudra hence said " My emperor , i had long been planning on Conquering the Nineclouds kingdom , i am an ambitious man ,i won't deny it , and my hands are indeed dyed in blood , as somewhere or the other the riots inside the city are a consequence of my actions , as civillians are indeed loosing their lives because of my poor judgement ".

  Rudra said soo much as he tried to understand the expression on Cervantez's face and get some hints on how to proceed further. However to his dismay the emperor was expressionless as he only looked at Rudra with a bored look.

  Rudra gulped as he continued " The current situation is such that my troops have entered the city and are embroiled in a battle against the royal forces , although nothing can be said conclusively , at the moment it seems as if victory will be ours…… ".

  Murmurs erupted from all over the royal courtroom as the news shocked many officials , both civillian and millitary as they could not fathom how Rudra had managed to get his forces inside the enemy city and caused such imbalance in only a timespan of 3 weeks .

  However Cervantez asked something completely different to what was going on inside everyone else's minds as he said " So how confident are you that your forces will be able to defeat several tier 4 generals within the enemy ranks along with king Fujiyama , who is tier 4 himself?".

  This question brought everyone back to reality , as they looked at Rudra skeptically. The news about a single person crossing the mortal ranks to reach tier 4 was always heavily publicized throughout the continent , and it was common knowledge that the Duke had no such capabilities.

  Which meant that him dreaming about taking down the city was nothing more than a pipedream at the moment.

  However Rudra only gave a very diplomatic answer to this question as he said " If everything goes to plan 100% , however if issues arise , as they always do , 80% ".

  " A bold prediction , you must have confidence …… Continue ". Said Cervantez , as his posture shifted from a reclined position to a straighter one , he seemed interested now.

  Rudra continued as he said " This humble servant of the Hazelgroove has no intention to rebel against the hand that protects and feeds it , all the territory that I scede will naturally be under my leige as a vassal .

  Even if I become a king , i will always be under your care my emperor " .

  Rudra's words were pleasing to the ears of most Hazelgroove officials as they praised his character , however Cervantez only gave a frightening smile to Rudra as he said , " come take a walk with me , court is dismissed ! ".

  The court was dismissed as Rudra was summoned to take a walk alongside the emperor as the moment they were alone Cervantez said " I know you are here so that you can convince me to send the Hazelgroove army to stabilize the regions that you conquer.

  As although you have ingeniously conquered a kingdom in a matter of days , you don't have the strength to defend it . And let me clear it here itself , i am going to send the Hazelgroove army regardless of what we discuss here today . However how i send the army depends on you here today.

  Either i send my army to conquer a destabilized region from under you , or to support you .

  I know you are well versed in language my friend , but cut me some slack will you ? I have seen this world as a rulers perspective wayy longer than you , and i think i understand the rules better ,

  So tell me , Honorary Arch-bishop , how many people had to die for you to enter the city unopposed? And how many more will die before your goal is achieved? ".

  Rudra was stunned silent for a second at the question presented to him. Cervantez had seen through his bullshittery clean and asked him exactly what he wanted to hide , as Rudra was completely tongue tied . It was the same question he avoided from his conscience everyday.

  Cervantez continued " I would have never found out about this , had i not sent food and grains aid to Whitecloud city as well , as even though I hate our neighbors , probably wayy more than you do , i understand basic human decency comes before personal differences.

  However the aid was blocked off from Fort Magma of all places and both of us know who controls fort Magma.

  It was only then that I realized that you were both the devil and the angel for the people of Whitecloud as you played them into rioting for your cause by using food as your weapon.

  A ruthless yet ingenious plan , that makes me wonder if i should applaud you or fear you .

  However let me ask you this …… Now that what you wished for happened , can you live with yourself for what you did ?

  Was it worth it? ".

  Cervantez was like an angry parent scolding his child as he was more dissapointed than angry at this moment , however the question he asked Rudra was one of Rudra's worst fears , as no matter what , he considered himself a decent man at the end of the day.

  However what shocked Rudra was that he did not even need to hesitate for a second as the answer came from within as a ' Yes it was worth it ' , as Rudra regretted nothing about what he had done.

  Had he got to do it again , he would !

  As he trembled for a minute before replying " i don't regret it emperor Cervantez , i knew my choices before i made them . I am loyal to who i am loyal and i protect mine fiercely. I can assure you that I will bring Nineclouds kingdom to unprecedented prosperity and stability under my reign as i will not wrong those under me.

  However there is no right or wrong for me to reach my goals , reaching there is the only thing that matters.

  Currently Nineclouds was my goal and i am trying my best to achieve it , as Aquahose will soon follow.

  Since you cut me the slack of lying , let me put it to you plainly.

  You want the old Glory of Hazelgroove empire back . With ME having subdued Nineclouds if I become a vassal you can finally call this kingdom an empire and your title won't be just a namesake of the past anymore , as i will not stop untill i being countless kingdoms to your fold.

  I won't betray you , that's my word and although i am a sny lying bas**** when i am scamming people , my word is law and i never break it .

  You are right on the fact that I need your help to stabilize my territory , and according to me , it profits is both if you do . However if you don't , never fret. However just know that you have made an enemy of Shakuni Won Knight of the Elites ".