In Vera’s eyes, Anke’s plan to win over the Barbarians was far too naive.
Throughout history, there had been no shortage of great monarchs who attempted to subdue the various barbarian tribes.
However, most could only achieve temporary suppression through overwhelming military force during the early stages of their rule.
Unless the nation remained in a state of perpetual prosperity, the moment national power began to decline and control over the Barbarians weakened, those suppressed tribes would inevitably rise in rebellion to break free from the country’s grasp.
Even if a miracle occurred and Anke managed to briefly subdue the Barbarians of the Skeleton Forest this winter, everything would change by spring.
Once the Piranha River thawed, Anke would lose his direct control over the Skeleton Forest on the far bank, and the Barbarians would easily cast off his rule.
Yet, Anke seemed completely indifferent to these foreseeable futures that even Vera could predict.
In front of Vera, he muttered something to himself about “testing out the achievement of the Seven Captures of Meng Huo.”
‘But who is Meng Huo? It sounds like an Eastern name,’ Vera wondered silently.
She could not understand the “achievement” Anke spoke of, so she simply focused on performing her duties.
‘Perhaps the prophecy is true? Maybe someone as eccentric as Anke is the only one who can truly become the King of Kings.’
Two days passed. During that time, they caught several more “rats,” all of whom had been sent by Earl Oca.
Additionally, letters arrived from the Border City sent by Earl Pauly and Earl Rohark.
In their letters, the two Earls expressed concern regarding the crisis facing the Border City and voiced their support for Anke’s determination to defend it.
However, since the influence of these two Earls was far weaker than that of Earl Oca, they did not offer to send troops to fight the Barbarians.
Instead, they chose to provide support by sending various armaments and food supplies to the Border City.
After the third batch of rats sent by Earl Oca was thrown into prison, Vera finally caught spies belonging to the Barbarians.
Contrary to her expectations, the process of finding and capturing these few Barbarians was incredibly easy.
These Barbarians had actually intended to bribe the city guards with gold coins to let them in!
Consequently, they were immediately apprehended by the Imperial Guard Knights and the regular guards stationed at the gate.
While the situation was somewhat absurd, it was also quite logical.
If Vera had not arranged for the Imperial Guard Knights to lead the patrols, the ordinary guards might have actually been swayed by a few gold coins.
Ultimately, the barbarians were bound and brought to the front of Anke’s barracks.
“Wait, is the infiltration method of these Barbarians really that hardcore?” Anke asked Vera after hearing the details of the capture.
“It is crude, but it is effective. After all, those few gold coins are enough to sway the hearts of commoners,” Vera replied, glancing at the coins the Imperial Guard Knights had handed over.
They were gold coins minted by the Windmill United Kingdom, a nation located to the south of the Skeleton Forest.
The coins featured a tulip pattern on the front, and each one was worth three Gold Markors. An ordinary guard would find it impossible to refuse such a windfall.
Unfortunately for the spies, they had encountered the Imperial Guard Knights under Anke’s command.
The loyalty of an Imperial Guard Knight was not something that could be shaken by a few measly coins.
“Fair point. Bring them in. Let’s see if we can get any information out of them.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Bring them in!” Vera nodded to Anke and commanded the knights.
“Understood.”
The Imperial Guard Knight immediately exited the barracks and returned shortly with several guards and militia members, escorting three Barbarians inside.
“Kneel and pay your respects to His Highness!” the Imperial Guard Knight barked, attempting to force the Barbarians to their knees as soon as they entered.
The Barbarians naturally refused to bow to Anke. No matter how much the guards pressed down on them, they would not kneel.
“Forget it. If they won’t kneel, then let them be,” Anke said, waving his hand dismissively.
“As you wish, Your Highness.” Receiving Anke’s instruction, the knight ordered his men to stop.
The three Barbarians received Anke’s kindness, yet they showed no gratitude.
One of them, a barbarian woman who appeared to be the leader, tilted her head back and glared at Anke with an arrogant, condescending expression.
“Are you the chief of these humans? I advise you to release us immediately and surrender the city. If you do, I might say a few good words for you in front of our tribal Chief. Otherwise, when the warriors of our tribe arrive, they will surely trample this pathetic city, cut off your head, and hang it from the city gates!”
“Impudent! How dare you speak to His Highness with such disrespect! Do you seek death?” the Imperial Guard Knight roared at the woman.
“Death? Heh. The warriors of our Iron Jaw Tribe never fear death, nor do we fear torture. Whatever tricks you have, feel free to use them,” the woman sneered at the knight.
“Savages! You absolute savages!” The knight’s voice trembled as he cursed back. However, fearing he might disturb Anke, he could only lower his voice, losing the momentum of the argument.
While the barbarian woman and the knight were engaged in an intense “war of words,” Anke’s attention had drifted elsewhere.
“Vera, Vera, why do these Barbarians have wolf ears and wolf tails on their heads and backs?” Anke whispered to Vera.
“Does Your Highness not know? The Barbarians are descendants of the Orcs, so it is perfectly normal for them to have animal ears and tails.” Vera looked at Anke with confusion.
This was common knowledge; why was Anke unaware of it?
“Huh? I didn’t see that in any of the books at school.” Anke’s eyes widened slightly.
“…Perhaps those old scholars simply didn’t record it. However, as far as I know, the Barbarians in various regions are indeed descendants of Orcs, which is why they possess those features.”
“Oh! That’s truly wonderful!—Cough, I mean, truly surprising.”
“…”
‘A look of joy clearly flashed through your eyes just now,’ Vera thought as she watched Anke try to put on a gentlemanly act.
However, she felt it was somewhat understandable. Vera caught a glimpse of the barbarian woman out of the corner of her eye.
Although she wore strange tribal markings, her face was quite heroic and charming.
Her exposed, wheat-colored skin was full of wild beauty, and while her fur-sewn clothing was bulky, one could vaguely see a fit, athletic physique beneath.
If one overlooked the non-human wolf ears and tail, she could be considered a beauty.
Some nobles had a specific preference for barbarian women, so it wasn’t strange for Anke to be interested.
She only hoped that if Anke decided to “interrogate” the woman personally later, he wouldn’t get bitten.
“Your Highness, this barbarian woman is truly vulgar! I request permission to cut out her tongue as punishment for her wild words!”
The Imperial Guard Knight, unable to win the verbal spat, asked Anke for permission to discipline the insolent captive.
“Oh, sure.”
“Wait, no!”
Anke snapped out of his daze and stopped the knight, who had already drawn a dagger.
“As you command, Your Highness,” the knight replied, retreating with a frustrated sigh.
Anke then turned to the barbarian woman. “You said you wanted me to surrender earlier?”
“Correct! Your dilapidated Border City cannot stop the warriors of our tribe. Surrendering is your only path to survival.”
“Hmm… I might consider it. But can I ask you a few questions first?”
‘What is he planning?’ Vera looked at Anke in confusion. The latter met her gaze and gave a slight nod.
“Of course, as long as you are willing to surrender.” Seeing Anke act so “sensibly,” the barbarian woman became even more arrogant.
“First question: what is your name?”
“Cassir. Cassir Dragon-Tooth.”
“What is the name of your tribe?”
“The Iron Jaw Tribe.”
“And who is your Chief?”
“Why are you asking all this?” Cassir’s voice grew cautious.
“I need to know exactly who I’m surrendering to.”
“Gros Broken-tooth. He is our Chief,” Cassir answered after hearing his explanation.
“I see.”
Anke followed up with several more trivial questions. Though Cassir was puzzled, she answered them one by one.
Suddenly, Anke threw out the most vital question.
“How many troops do you have?”
“We have over 1,000 warriors!”
Having been led by Anke’s rhythm, Cassir answered instinctively. The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was wrong.
“[Iron Jaw Tribe Profanity]! [Iron Jaw Tribe Profanity]! Human! You dared to trick me!”
Having been played, Cassir completely lost her composure.
“You answered it yourself; it’s not my fault,” Anke said, spreading his hands innocently.
‘As expected of Anke. Everything he does is always so unpredictable,’ Vera thought silently as she witnessed the entire exchange.