Chapter 190 – We Observed!?

Voices rose from all over Alanberc.

“We won!”
“To think that they could be driven back so easily!”

The battle had ended in less than an hour, and no one had died, much less been wounded.

On top of that, while Sheorl had given them some support, it had been their leader, Alyssa, who drove the enemy away. And so there was no way that their morale wouldn’t get boosted.

As for me, I was standing on the wall between the city and the holy place, along with Alyssa and the rest of us from Sheorl.
This position offered us a full view of the holy place.

I looked down with a telescope and said,

“It seems like they were able to stop the attack as well…”
“Though, some of their green lands are burning.”

Rienna said. Yes, flames were rising in parts of their richly green land.

“They may be burning the parts that have been infected by miasma.”

Said Alyssa, who was next to me. I nodded.

“Previously, a small bug that was covered in miasma got in, and a whole district was burned down in order to kill it. And so there must have been a similar invasion this time.”

But it was still a very small area. And from the looks of it, no one had died. There was no doubt that they had succeeded in defending themselves.

However, the holy place would likely be the first to be attacked next time.

And even if they stopped it, the enemy would come again. And if the holy place took damage like this every time, then…

“…Everyone believed that the holy place was safe, as if protected by an iron wall. But perhaps it is a lot weaker than we thought.”

Alyssa muttered quietly as she stared at the holy place.

In the first place, if Alanberc fell, then the holy place would have been the next target. Perhaps they had been confident that they could defend themselves if this happened, but they underestimated the enemy.

Alyssa had a conflicted expression on her face, but then she shook her head and said,

“They never listened to the cries of help from the Arancia people, and they just locked themselves up in there. Unless they come to us for help first…no, even if they do that, most of the people will refuse to help them.”

They were reaping what they sowed… That was likely how Alyssa felt. How most of the people felt.

And it wasn’t just them, of course. The people of Sheorl also had no reason to help them.

However, if they were to become desperate enough to ask for aid… I could not see myself refusing.

And it did not seem too unlikely that they would ask.

However, what if they didn’t ask for help until they started dying… It’s their own fault, and it cannot be helped. I wouldn’t be able to say that. Not if I and Sheorl had the power to help them.

In that case, could we use that power to control the leaders of the holy place?
We could make a display of our power. Aries also had the ability of mind control. We could bribe them with precious metals and stones. It would not be difficult to make them cooperate with Alanberc.

As I thought about all of this, Rienna muttered as if reading my mind.

“If the holy place does fall, then Alanberc will be surrounded on all four sides. It will be considerably more difficult to defend the city if that happens.”

Rienna was right.
So in a way, helping the holy place would be profitable for Arancia.

But Alyssa shook her head.

“If we want to continue to guard against future attacks, it might be best to let go of the past and work together to defend the city. However, at least for some time, the people of Arancia will agree with that. As for the holy place, I’m sure they have their own pride, and will claim that they are doing just fine. I do not see how we can cooperate…”

Alyssa answered. Haines had been listening all of this time, and he now opened his mouth.

“I don’t think that cooperation is even necessary here.”
“Huh?”

Alyssa tilted her head to the side.

“Well, I mean, there are other things that must be done… Um, how can I put this… Brother?”
“I think he’s trying to say that regardless of what the holy place is thinking, we should do what we can and find other ways to protect Alanberc.”
“Yes! That’s what I mean, older brother!”

Haines and Ashton were right. There was no need to work together. As long as Arancia was safe, then whether or not they worked together was a small problem.

I nodded and said,

“If we want it so that they are helped merely as a result, then we just need to make it so the attacks stop completely.”

Alyssa looked very puzzled as she turned to me.

“Make them stop? Surely that is not…”
“It will be difficult. However, the people of Arancia cannot stay shut up behind these walls forever. Even the food problem leaves you too dependent. You must take back your old lands.”
“That is true. While we are receiving aid from Sheorl now, we cannot continue to depend on you forever.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. That being said, we don’t know how long Sheorl will continue to be safe. And so I want Arancia to not only be able to support itself, but to be able to help other territories. In order to do that, you can’t just stay here and defend. You have to go out and fight to take back your lands.”

Mel could purify the ground and little by little, increase the range of safety around the city. And with the Evergreen Stones I asked Elto and Roydon for, they can make plants grow and start farming again.

After thinking about this for a while, Alyssa nodded.

“Yes. Every day, the scale of the attacks increases. If this continues, it will be like we’re just waiting for death. Regardless of the holy place, we must take back our lands with our own hands.”
“Then we must find out where the attacks are coming from, and the reason for them. Sheorl can also investigate the far seas and explore the area around Arancia. If we can predict when they will come and by what route, it will be easier to deal with them.”
“Aye… But, that means we will need your help again. Especially with the walls. We aren’t strong enough yet…”
“Don’t worry about it. I was also curious about the surrounding area.”

As Alyssa tilted her head, I muttered while looking at the blackened lands of Arancia.

Next Chapter

 

The Cave King will live a Paradise Life -Becoming the strongest with the mining skill?-