Chapter 160 : [Diplomatic Passes]

« Chapter-159 | Index | Chapter-161 »

Sarsha stood in silence, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Though outwardly calm, her mind raced. Observing the area carefully, she realized she wasn’t in the real world—she was trapped in an another dimension.

Clenching her fists, she struggled to keep her composure as she glared at her captors. Their casual demeanor grated on her pride. "Never before have my enemies stood so relaxed in front of me. But for now, I can’t do anything against them."

“You’re not setting me free... Am I right?” Her voice cut through the silence, her tone betraying her resignation.

Sora, who had been lost in thought, glanced up. His mind had wandered back to Sweden, to the battlefield, and the expression on Sarsha’s face when he struck her with the staff that ended her life. Her sadness, her desperation—it was etched into his memory like a scar.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. “Not yet,” he replied. “I have some questions for you first.”

Sarsha frowned, crossing her arms. “I don’t want to discuss anything with you,” she spat.

Sora sighed, irritated by her stubbornness. “Listen,” he said, “We're willing to set you free, but only if you promise not to take part in any future wars against humanity.”

Her response was immediate. “Impossible!” she snapped. “My loyalty lies with my kingdom. You can't ask of me to stop fighting for my kingdom!”

The tension in the air thickened as the two locked eyes, neither willing to back down.

Sora took a step closer, his voice cold. “Then what do you expect us to do? Let you go, so you can rejoin your army and kill more humans? Attack other kingdoms if you have to—why target humanity specifically? Don't forget, your kingdom is invading mine.”

Sarsha’s replied, her eyes proud, “Your kingdom has the largest population, and this is your home ground!” she countered. “This battle between the ten kingdoms is unfair in its early phases, and every invading force knows it. We have to balance things somehow.” Her voice softened slightly. “I don't envy your position, and am sorry for your situation, but ours isn't better. I will fight for my people, no matter the cost. Even if it means fighting you again.”

Sora already had information he had gathered from Hannah's mates. But he had asked Sarsha to double check. Already knowing about the first part, he was Intrigued by some of her words. He considered her statement carefully. "She said 'unfair in the early phases'. Does this mean their population will grow in later phases? If that’s true, it’s disastrous. We're already doing poorly."

Alius, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally spoke. “She’s not going to listen. This is pointless.” His sharp gaze moved to Kara. “We can’t let humanity know she’s alive. If the secret of her revival gets out, it’ll bring too much risk for you, Kara.”

Kara remained quiet, her face thoughtful. After a pause, she finally spoke. “What if we compromise?” she suggested. “We ensure she doesn’t reveal our secrets, and in return… we release her.”

Alius shook his head. “Releasing her? That’s a good way to send our elites to the grave. Don’t forget her assassination skills. Her potential is off the charts—if we let her go, she’ll become a threat to humanity in no time.”

Sora nodded slowly, his gaze steady on Sarsha. “You’re not wrong. Her potential is immense. But does that mean we have to keep her locked up forever? If that’s the case, why revive her at all? Wouldn’t that be even more cruel?”

Alius frowned. Though he silently agreed with Sora’s point, he couldn’t come up with a better solution.

Kara, sensing the changes in the conversation, smiled faintly. “I’ve made up my mind,” she said.

The others turned to her, intrigued.

“What did you decide?” Sora asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kara’s smile widened, but she didn’t elaborate. “It’s a secret,” she said playfully. “I will tell you later, but you need to trust me.”

Sora raised an eyebrow, curious but unwilling to press further. “Fine,” he said finally. Turning to stare at Alius, Kara saw him nodding, and smiled.

Turning back to Sarsha, Kara spoke again. “Sarsha, we’ll agree to your terms. We’ll ask a few questions, and then you’ll be free. However, we need you to accompany us for a period of time to handle another matter before releasing you. To ensure we can trust each other, we can sign a contract.”

Sarsha watched the trio closely, her mind racing. She didn’t trust humans—especially not the ones who had killed her. But as much as she hated to admit it, she was entirely at their mercy.

“How long will I stay… imprisoned?” she asked.

Kara grimaced at the word and shook her head. “This is not a prison! This is my home! Think of it as me being your host for a little while. You’ll be my guest, and I’ll take care of you. We can spend time together, play games, or do whatever you’d like. I want to know you better.”

Sarsha froze, incredulous, and blurted, “You kill me, and now you want me to act like your friend? Are you insane? You must be insane! There’s no way anyone in their right mind wants to be friends with their prisoner!”

Sora, who had been tense throughout the conversation, found himself relaxing as Kara's words asking for his trust. When Sarsha started mocking the idea of playing games with Kara, he couldn’t hold back a laugh.

The tension leaving his body, he witnessed the strange exchange between Sarsha and Kara, and couldn't help but laugh when Sarsha started suggesting spending time and playing games to Sarsha.

At the same time, Alius began to laugh as well.

Kara, upset that her intentions were being dismissed and mocked, snapped her head toward the duo as their laughter grew. Her expression darkened, her aura changing. The air around her grew cold, and sword intent materialized around her. “Am I a clown, here to entertain you boys?” she asked, upset.

Sora and Alius, surprised by the change in her aura, flinched, and stepped back simultaneously.

Each noticing the other’s reaction, they exchanged a glance and burst into laughter again at their synchronized retreat.

Kara couldn’t stay angry at them, and a thought crossed her mind: 'These two pretend they’re different people now, but they’re exactly the same kind of idiot.'

Sighing, she restrained her aura and turned to Sarsha, a hint of embarrassment in her expression. “Forget it then. Just do whatever you want.”

Sora, finally calming down, stepped forward toward Sarsha. “Can we discuss the terms of the contract?” Seeing her nod, he continued, “Are you in a position to issue [Diplomatic Passes]? And how many can you provide?”

Sarsha raised an eyebrow at his question, surprised. “Who are they for?” she asked in return.

Sora gestured toward Alius and Kara. “For the three of us.”

Sarsha frowned, hesitating before answering. “I have enough passes, yes. But what would be the purpose of your trip to the [Dark Elves Kingdom]? You do know [Diplomatic Pass] users are forbidden from killing anyone, right? And you’ll need an anchor. Usually, I act as the anchor when I issue passes, so don’t even think about finding some naive person to tag along with you instead.”

She paused briefly, a small smile forming on her lips. “I’ve never issued a [Diplomatic Pass] to a human before. Consider this a privilege”

Alius and Kara exchanged confused looks before Alius asked, “What’s a [Diplomatic Pass], and why would we even need one?”

Sora smiled faintly and replied, “It’s the only way to travel between kingdoms without waging war. I’ll explain why we need them later.”

Turning back to Sarsha, Sora asked, “So, all we’re asking for are a few passes and your promise to keep our secrets. In return, you’ll be free to go after spending a month here in the outside world. What do you say?”

Sarsha snorted, crossing her arms. “We haven’t even discussed the price for the passes. Since you seem to know about them, you should also know how expensive they can be.”

Sora scratched the back of his head awkwardly, thinking, 'it was worth a try.'

He asked, “Alright, what do you want?”

Sarsha thought for a moment before replying, “If I have to waste a month in this run-down place, I might as well use it for training.” Noticing Kara’s angry glare, she coughed and looked away, pointing at Sora. “Since you’re from an enemy kingdom, sparring with you would help me improve my skill proficiency extremely quickly. You’ll be my punching bag.”

She glanced at the battlefield, watching the group of undead and beasts decimate the incoming monsters. “And I want a share of the monsters you’ve been bringing into this place. That’s my price for three [Diplomatic Passes].”

Sora glanced at Kara and Alius. Kara was quietly patting Magnus on the head, while Hiyoko, sensing the lighter mood, hopped onto Alius’ head. Both nodded in agreement.

"You'd need to add 10 [Soul Pearls] to the mix," she said with a confident smile, assuming they wouldn’t be able to afford such a price.

Sora froze, turning to Alius, who looked just as stunned. Meanwhile, Kara simply smiled.

Afraid she might change her mind and raise the price further, Sora quickly responded, “Deal. Let’s sign the contract.”

« Chapter-159 | Index | Chapter-161 »