Enlightened Empire

Chapter 402: Family Reunion

After Pacha had finally relaxed, the two kings just sat there for a while, and warmed their body with the hot irish coffee in their hands. Finally, the hero king looked up again. For a few second, he eyed his fellow king, before he said, “I can never tell what you are thinking.”

“That’s the idea.” Corco laughed. “Anyways, what’s up with you?”

“What?”

Again with the frown.

“Well, just asking how you are doing up there,” he said, and suppressed the desire to make fun of Pacha’s confused face. “You see, we’re pretty isolated down here in the south, so I rarely get to talk to anyone from either of the northern kingdoms. It’s a good chance to catch up on gossip.”

“You want gossip, king?" Pacha asked, as a sneer formed on his face. "The central kingdom is in trouble, in no small part due to the miracle king of the southern kingdom.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“It was not a compliment.” Pacha snorted, but continued enjoying his drink anyways. “The people of my lands are in distress, some have risen in revolt. Your little miracle has caused endless trouble for all of us. Not least of all, your aggressive priests have started to show up in the central kingdom, and even in Arguna, to preach their made-up stories and seduce my people to their heretical ways.”

“Rather than complain, you should try working with the new movement among the priests,” Corco tried to help. “They’re way easier to control than the old guys. All they want is to go back to helping people, like the Pacha faith used to be in the old days. I don't need priests who play politician. Those fossils in Arguna have been overreaching their position for a while now.”

“You liked the priests well enough when they helped you steal the throne.”

Pacha’s voice was sour for a reason. Back when they had fought over the throne succession, Corco had conspired with the priests. At the time, the only reason Pacha hadn’t become king was that he had been framed by the priests. During the old emperor’s second funeral, a fake sign from the heavens had cost Pacha a throne he already had secure. Yet Corco had no shame for his past actions.

“Well, sometimes you have to make strange allies in a pinch,” he said instead. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“To be frank, I still do not know why I have come to this place. What is it you want, exactly?”

Although Pacha would know that Corco wanted an alliance, the messengers hadn't mentioned any details, for fear of spies.

“Well, I feel like we can help each other,” Corco thus began.

“What help could someone like the great merchant king provide the central kingdom?” Pacha said, straightforward and unhappy.

“Well, I’d say that for once, our goals align, right?”

For a second Pacha pondered over the words, before he slowly nodded.

"Continue."

“We both want to deal with the Ichilias, that's a fact. They've been a thorn in my side for years, and they have prevented you from controlling your own kingdom all this time. Now, they have lost most of their army, their lord is dead, and I hear that their successor is stuck in Antila. If you could just march over and pressure Huaylas, we can breathe easier in our siege of Antila, and you finally get your own kingdom under control.”

This was a mutually beneficial deal, as far as Corco was concerned. Ever since Pacha had become king, he had never really been able to rule beyond the borders of his direct lands. Instead, he had always had to wrestle the Ichilias for control over the remaining estates in the central kingdom. However, it seemed the hero king underestimated the value of Corco’s offer.

“Hah, I hear your siege isn’t going well.” He forced a mocking laugh as if he was in the stronger position during these negotiations. “Maybe your army is not quite as invincible as you thought.”

“Maybe.” Corco shrugged, as the constant smile finally dropped from his face. “Wanna try?”

Faced with the threat of war, Pacha’s familiar frown returned once more. A heavy silence filled the air as tension between the kings rose. Before anything unreasonable could happen, Corco laughed, far more natural than his inexperienced uncle.

“Haha, just kidding. There’s no reason for us to be at each other’s throats, is there?”

Finally, Pacha leaned back in his chair again. Although he didn't talk it looked like the worst part of the negotiations were over. Corco had called Pacha’s bluff, and the King of the Center had flinched. As far as Corco was concerned, Pacha had proven that he had no desire to fight, so the only reason for him to come would be an alliance. Finally, it was time to play his cards.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be much nicer to deal with House Ichilia than with me? Those guys are always stirring up trouble. Would be nice to cut them down to size?”

“That is easy talk, and hard work.”

“So how about I make your work a bit easier for you?” Corco asked. A piece of metal from within Corco's sleeve landed on the table and shook the mugs atop.

“This is…” Pacha trailed off, as he stared at the shiny seal lying before him.

“Yes, it’s the official seal of House Ichilia,” Corco responded. “Loreius Ichilia calls himself the new lord of Huaylas, but he doesn’t even hold the family seal. They lost it in an unprovoked attack against a foreign kingdom, a great shame for their house and for the central kingdom. That should be enough cause for you to rescind some of House Ichilia’s powers, or even some of their land, right?"

Again, Pacha returned to silence, and gave Corco a critical look.

“Take it,” the miracle king insisted, “it’s a gift.”

“Why,” the hero king finally said.

“As I've said, we both benefit. My siege gets easier. Plus, at least we both carry the same name, right? I’d rather you or Amautu take over the empire than the Ichilias or the Arcavians.”

“I know little about the Arcavians, merchant king. On the matter of Arcavia, you should be the expert,”

Corco ignored the provocation and retained his smile.

“You're the one who has been working with them for years,” the merchant king replied.

“No, the Ichilias have,” Pacha shook his head and looked up at the sky. “I have tried to keep my distance. I have always questioned their motives. You are the one who has lived with them for years.”

“Yeah, and that’s why I don’t trust them either.” Corco laughed. However, Pacha didn’t follow his nephew's lead. His face was still an immovable mask, though he didn’t seem cross with Corco this time.

“Either way,” he said as he leaned across the table like he was about to start a conspiracy, “be it Ichilias or foreigners, the one I trust the least is Amautu. You should not hope for him to win our contest, no matter what.”

“What, you’re not getting along anymore?”

Corco knew that there had been repeated friction between the two northern kingdoms. However, he had no idea that their relationship was this bad. Though that was based on the assumption that Pacha wasn’t lying to him right now. Either way, a bit of prodding would offer a good chance to scope out Pacha and Amautu’s relationship. To Corco's surprise, the young king didn't need any more prodding before he spilled everything.

“This is not a matter of getting along.” Pacha frowned, seemingly searching for his words. “He is creepy, and I do not trust him.”

“Like what? Examples please.”

“His warriors come too quickly, and too many,” Pacha replied like an oracle. Corco was really getting annoyed by this new, 'stoic silence' model of the central king.

“So he trains a lot of men?” he asked back in a lighthearted tone.

“No, I said they come too quickly. Their training time is too short, it is not normal.”

“I’m not afraid of a few warriors.”

After all, no matter how many warriors Amautu had, he would never keep up with the training speed of the southern kingdom’s armies. Maybe Amautu had received a good cultivation technique from his Chutwa allies, but it really wasn’t an issue for Corco’s army. Yet Pacha shook his head again.

“And what if someone can train warriors as fast as your kingdom can train commoners?” he asked in a deep voice of dread. He didn’t seem like he was joking. From his eyes, Corco could see many nights lying awake in search of solutions to an impossible problem.

“That’s ridiculous. He’s just tricking you, right? How could anyone do that?”

Corco was reminded of the immortals of the persian empire, who always topped up their numbers whenever someone died. This way, enemies would only see their numbers stay the same in every engagement, and then think that they were truly immortal. Though he somehow doubted that Pacha and all of his warriors and servants would fall for such a simple trick.

“I have yet to ascertain as much," the hero king said. "My spies seem less capable than yours.”

Maybe Pacha was bitter over his lack of support, or maybe he was hinting at another cooperation, but Corco said: “In that case, I'd like it if you kept me informed id you find out anything,” and left it at that.

His resources were limited, and the methods of his spies were special. For the longest time, his intelligence system had been his only solid advantage over his brothers, and he wouldn't diminish that with an ill-conceived cooperation. A strong Amautu was mostly Pacha’s problem anyways, so he wasn’t too bothered, even if the information turned out to be true. Yet the hero king wouldn’t let up in his attempts to discredit the scholar king.

“It is not only that,” he said. “There is also the issue of the Chutwa scholars. They have gained more and more influence in the northern kingdom over the years. By now, they control almost everything. The northern lords who do not want to convert to the chutwa faith are marginalized, sometimes even ruined. Those Chutwa scholars and their disciples are now everywhere, sitting in every single noble manor in the north, watching every move. The more I hear of Amautu’s actions, the more I suspect that he is planning something big.”

Finally, Corco realized what Pacha had been implying, what he had really meant by 'creepy' and 'no trust'. The realization made his blood run cold.

“Wait, you think he’s trying to sell the country as a slave state to the Chutwa?” he asked, although he knew the answer. Pacha just nodded.

“But… that would be bad for him, right?” the king tried to reason. “Why give up his power to a foreign force?”

“Maybe he believes that it is the only way for him to win.” Pacha shrugged. Clearly, he was already convinced of Amautu’s plans, or he had suddenly become a very good actor. “Or maybe he has spent too much time with the Chutwa. As far as I am concerned, the damned scholars made him lose his mind a long time ago.”

In the end, Corco thought back to Amautu’s actions in the past, and to his teacher Ichtaka. And it wasn’t like he had received absolutely no news from the north. What little he had heard, from his spies and from northern lords who felt suppressed by their king, fit well with Pacha’s speculation. As little as he wanted it to be true, the speculation seemed more and more likely.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he finally conceded.

“Just be careful of the northern kingdom,” Pacha emphasized again in a heavy tone, and emptied his drink.

Maybe, this meeting will be more useful than I thought.

Amautu's plans to take over all of Medala with foreign help could prove a grave threat to his ambitions. Of course, Corco had his own plans for the future of the empire, his own strategy for conquering the other two kingdoms, though he would never admit as much to a fellow king. Still, learning of his rival’s plan was of great help, and made him realize that Pacha was a valuable ally to have, if only for a time.

“I will,” he finally said. “Thanks for the tip.”

For a second, the air was heavy again, as both kings were worried for the future of their home. In the end, it was the merchant's turn to break the ice once more.

“Another drink?” Corco asked, and held up his best bottle of whiskey in a cheery voice.

“Please.”

Finally, Pacha managed a smile as well. With gifts exchanged and secrets shared, and with some alcoholic support, the two fake brothers finally managed to talk like family. Thus, the kings continued to drink deep into the night.