Chapter 266: Chapter 266: In That Case, You Have No Need to Exist

"Damn it! Looking at it this way, the Twin Cities are no different from Noxus at all! Hegemony, this is shameless hegemony!"

Beside the white stone pillar, Teren watched his emperor lose his temper, smashing things and roaring at the top of his lungs. A fleeting look of disappointment flashed through his eyes.

After hesitating again and again, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is not necessarily a bad thing for us. The Twin Cities are indeed forcing every nation to join them and building a federation across Runeterra under their own banner, that much is true, but I have seen the monsters of the Void myself. If the Twin Cities’ investigation is correct, then the Void truly is Runeterra’s..."

"Get out!"

The explosive roar cut Teren off.

His lips trembled. Blood ran down from his temple. He looked up and saw the king of Krishia above him, a jeweled crown on his head, his belly swollen with fat, his beard trimmed to perfection. The hand he had used to throw something at Teren was adorned with several glittering diamond rings.

Krishia was a small coastal port kingdom. It had once fallen within Noxian jurisdiction, lying beneath the Noxian port city of Basilich and east of Piltover.

Basilich had seen several rebellions. Leaving aside the distant past and speaking only of recent history, during Darkwill’s rule, Basilich had erupted in revolt several times. The worst of them came when a one-armed female general of Noxus betrayed the empire, opened the city gates, and let a great number of war slaves and prisoners escape. In the end, she was killed by Darius, who had been rising to prominence at the time.

That rebellion had been crushed, but its aftermath was that great numbers of war slaves, prisoners, and refugees whose homes had been destroyed by Noxian warfare gathered together. They refused to join Noxus, and in less than twenty years they had built a country like this one.

Darkwill had grown incompetent in his later years, and the infighting among Noxian military nobles had never stopped, which gave Krishia time to grow. By the time Swain rose to power, Krishia had long since formally declared itself an independent nation.

It was not that Swain had never thought about sending troops to conquer Krishia by force, but the problem was that the Twin Cities were not far away.

To avoid clashing with them, he had let the matter rest. And now, after working with Logan and establishing ties, Swain had no interest in Krishia anymore.

After all, the resources he could gain from attacking Krishia were nowhere near what he could gain by doing Logan a favor.

Did Noxus lack land?

Of course not. Noxus was the largest nation in Valoran by territory. In land area alone, Noxus could equal several Demacias.

Then did Noxus lack people?

That was not it either.

Noxus did not care about origin or birthplace. It valued only talent. So long as you were willing to join Noxus and call yourself Noxian, then no matter what kind of person you had been before, Noxus would accept you.

So in the end, what Noxus truly lacked had always been resources, food.

With that being the case, why would Swain need to risk conflict with Logan over an unimportant little country?

That was why Krishia had managed to survive among the great powers, and why it was still doing fairly well even now.

The disappointment in Teren’s eyes deepened. He lowered himself flat to the floor, humble in posture, but his voice remained calm and steady. "Your Majesty, I beg you to see the situation clearly."

"The Twin Cities are strong, but they are not truly tyrannical. At the conference, City Lord Logan swore an oath. What the Twin Cities want is unity. We will not be sent onto the battlefield as cannon fodder, and the Twin Cities will pay us for our participation. This is the best chance Krishia has ever had to become strong."

"Both Demacia and Noxus, the two great powers that dominate Valoran, have joined the Federation. If we join as well, then at the very least we will no longer have to fear Noxian retaliation. Noxus has not openly declared war on us all these years, but Noxtoraa has been planted just ten kilometers from Krishia’s border."

"If we join the Federation, the Twin Cities will protect us from Noxian aggression. I beg Your Majesty, please agree!"

Kree I sneered at those words. He raised a hand and pointed straight at Teren’s face as he shouted, "What a load of bullshit! You want me to obey the Twin Cities? Then tell me this, if I do that, will Krishia still be mine, or will it belong to the Twin Cities?"

"This is my country!"

Teren slowly lifted his head and looked at Kree I.

The disappointment in his eyes gradually turned numb. He could not understand why the man who had once been chosen by everyone to become king of Krishia, a warrior famed for courage and fairness, had become like this in less than ten years on the throne.

His muscles had turned to fat. His wisdom had turned to stupidity. His fairness and generosity had turned to selfish greed.

At what point had things gone wrong?

Teren thought back over the past, yet never found an answer.

But he did know one thing. Joining the Twin Cities Federation would bring Krishia far more benefits than harm.

Even if Teren’s own authority would likely shrink because of it, he did not care.

What he cared about was Krishia’s future. Royal power, Kree I, the royal family, were those things truly important?

They were completely fucking unimportant.

The system of the Twin Cities had shown Teren another path, and the reforms in Noxus had inspired him as well.

Even the Noxian Empire had dispersed power. Swain, the brilliant man who ruled Noxus with an iron grip, had still never declared himself emperor, and instead governed Noxus as Grand General.

The empire no longer had an emperor, and Krishia still needed one?

Wait.

A sharp light flashed through Teren’s eyes as he looked at Kree I, and in that instant, he had his answer.

"That’s right. You are not stupid. You’ve always been clever." Teren rose to his feet and faced Kree I.

Kree I froze for a moment. Rage rose across his fat face as he shouted, "Are you planning to rebel against me now, Duke Teren?"

"How could a man like you ever be stupid? Of course you understand the Twin Cities. There is no way you don’t know the advantages of joining the Federation. The reason you’re acting like this, keeping quiet in public but opposing it in private, is only because you’re afraid." Teren suddenly laughed.

His smile was full of scorn for the king’s cowardice and incompetence. Pointing straight at Kree I’s broad face, Teren declared loudly, "You are afraid Krishia will learn from the Twin Cities’ system. You are afraid we will be influenced by them. You are afraid your throne will be shaken. You are afraid Krishia will be remade!"

"When it comes down to it, you’re afraid of losing your seat!"

"Shut up, shut your mouth!" Kree I’s secret had been laid bare, and he flew into a fury. Puffing out his belly, he roared, "Guards! Where the hell are you all?!"

"Guards! Seize Duke Teren! He’s been corrupted by demons. Burn him at the stake! Burn him alive!"

Seeing Kree I hopping mad like this, Teren laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. He shouted, "Krishia does not belong to you alone! Krishia became what it is today because all of us built it together with one heart and one mind. That was never your accomplishment alone! And your position was given to you because we elected you and put you there!"

"Guards! Where the hell is everyone?!"

Teren straightened his back and let Kree I keep shouting for help. After seeing the true nature of the man he himself had helped place on the throne, he had finally given up on him.

At the very least, Teren himself bore some blame for what Kree I had become. Thinking about it now, there had been signs long ago.

A few years back, when minor nobles had started gifting handmaidens to the king, he should have cut the problem off right there.

Ten years ago, Kree I truly had been a wise and mighty ruler. He had been a skilled fighter, open to advice, and free of jealousy. But he had one flaw.

He had come from poverty.

When beauties, jewels, fine food, and good wine all became things he could have whenever he wanted, his character began to change. It was luxury and indulgence that ruined him.

And as for himself, who had failed to stop any of it...

"Fine then, let me see how long you can hold onto your throne after I’m dead! You won’t even need the Twin Cities to move against you. The small nations that willingly joined the Twin Cities Federation will unite, wipe out Krishia, and offer the Twin Cities proof of their loyalty. Your stupidity will destroy everything you possess!"

But the strange thing was that Kree I had been yelling for at least three minutes, yet not a single guard came through the door.

That left Teren confused, and Kree I was equally baffled.

Then applause suddenly rang out from above.

Clap. Clap.

The sound was crisp and clear. It was not loud, but it struck the hearts of the two men in the room like stone.

Teren and Kree I both looked up at once, only to see a figure sitting atop one of the elegant white columns overhead.

One long leg in a black leather boot dangled there, swaying lightly. The figure was still clapping, and then a pleasant voice rang out.

"Well said. I like you. Duke Teren, right?"

As the voice fell, the figure vanished, only to appear the next moment beside Teren.

Teren jumped in shock and instinctively stepped back. He stumbled and nearly dropped to the floor, but a hand caught his arm. With the slightest tug, Teren was pulled upright again.

At one meter eighty-two, Teren stood much taller than the other person. Judging by the voice and figure, it was a woman.

"Who are you?" Kree I demanded at once. Panic flashed through his eyes, and then he asked, "Where are my guards?"

"You mean those weaklings?" The woman answered him with a laugh full of disdain, then said lightly, "They’re all asleep."

"I gave them a good dream," Akali said with a smile.

Teren froze, then immediately understood. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You’re with the Twin Cities."

Then he added, "The Twin Cities never really trusted us."

Akali blinked once and nodded at Teren. "You really are smart."

"Logan was right. There are always smart people in this world, and smart people make the right choice."

"Now then, tell me your choice," Akali said calmly as she looked at Teren.

Teren glanced at Kree I and saw that during their conversation, the king had tried to run. Teren was just about to shout a warning when the woman beside him casually flicked her arm. A blur shot past Teren’s eyes.

"Ah!"

Kree I screamed and collapsed onto the ground, clutching his fat leg. A small dagger had pierced straight through his right calf, and blood was already pouring across the floor.

"Tell me your choice. You will decide whether Krishia still has any reason to exist," Akali said, without even sparing Kree I a glance.

For Akali, it did not matter how many ordinary people from Valoran there were. A thousand of them would still not be enough for her to kill.

What kind of enemies had she faced before?

Noxus’s elite forces. The magical creatures of Ionia.

She was a once-in-several-centuries prodigy of the Kinkou Order, someone who had earned the title of Fist of Shadow at only thirteen years old.

The gap between ordinary people and someone like her was simply too great.

Even so, Akali was never arrogant. When it was time to strike, she struck. That was her creed.

"It won’t be enough if only he dies," Teren said after thinking it over.

He drew a deep breath and said in a low voice, "After his death, his faction will fight over the throne. I may be a duke, but I have a title and no real power. What’s more, because I supported joining the Twin Cities Federation this time, they’ve already begun pushing me aside."

"That’s easy to solve."

"Please show me the way," Teren said seriously.

Then Teren saw the girl in front of him smiling as she toyed with a strange dagger in her hand. He recognized that kind of weapon. It was from Ionia. A kunai.

Spinning the kunai between her fingers, Akali smiled and said, "Kill them all. It’s nothing more than replacing the king in your tiny little country. I think you’d make a very good king."

Teren answered Akali with silence.

After a long while, he nodded.

"All right."

At the same time, in the west of Valoran, in a small nation several hundred kilometers west of Zaun, a tall woman in a blue uniform strode elegantly into the royal palace. Her white hair was pinned up behind her head, and she looked down with cold indifference at the man kneeling before her.

Behind her lay wounded men all over the floor, crying out in pain. Some were missing arms. Some were missing legs.

Blood flowed without end. The scene was terrifying, yet strangely, not a single one of them had died.

The woman lifted her leg again. What rose with it was a massive blade. Its tip punched through the luxurious carpet spread across the floor as she said in a cold voice,

"Now, give me your answer, El the Third."

"You... you can’t do this..."

"Oh? And what exactly can’t we do?" Camille tilted her head slightly, the gleam in her synthetic eyes utterly cold.

Her voice was icy. Her still-human, shapely thigh flexed slightly, guiding the long blade with effortless precision toward the old man before her.

"We already gave you your chance. Even if you had only joined the Federation as a formality and contributed nothing, we would have accepted that. But how dare you contact other nations in secret and try to rally resistance through public pressure?"

"I said long ago that when someone plays the good person for too long, others start taking him for a fool. He never wanted to believe that. But looking at it now, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand. He knew perfectly well. He just still wanted to give you a chance."

Some of the coldness in Camille’s voice faded, and her tone softened.

Logan really was kind.

But he was also truly foolish.

"What a foolish choice."

Seeing the trembling old man remain silent, Camille seemed to lose her patience.

"I know your answer. You may be old, but your greed has not grown any smaller..."

"In that case, you no longer have any need to exist."

"At worst, all we have to do is replace the king."

Camille’s voice was cool and detached. Even so, just before she brought her leg down, she seemed to think of something. The angle of her kick changed in midair. Instead of directing the blade’s tip at the old man’s throat, she shifted at the last moment and struck him with the flat of the thick blade, knocking him unconscious.

Forget it.

Doing something like this already made her feel a bit guilty. Both Camille and Silco thought Logan was too soft-hearted, too foolish. After all, that was not how being a good person was supposed to work.

When it came to matters this big, what right did these people have to choose?

This was a world war, not some local conflict. This was not child’s play.

And yet, while they could say all that about Logan, neither Silco nor Camille truly wanted to see him change.

Logan as he was now was good.

It was precisely because Logan was this kind of person that the Twin Cities had developed the way they had.

She wondered how that girl was doing.

Tch. No matter what, she, Camille, was not going to lose to her.

After all, she was Piltover’s Principal Intelligencer. Decades of experience were not something a little girl with only ten years under her belt could ever catch up to.

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