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n'Come on, don't make me wait,' Layn thought, observing the massive fortification in the distance.

nJust a few hours ago, while their group was still beyond the visible range of the spotters on the Slavian's fortifications, they decided to let the captured patrol go.

nGiven all the efforts Layn had to put forward to capture them, it appeared like an idiotic attempt at mending the relations between the two parties... But it wasn't that in the first place.

n'Come on, any time now,' Layn continued to wish, awaiting the Slavian move.

nThey released the patrol people with a simple purpose in mind. By allowing them to go free, Layn's group showed the first sign of kindness, the first hint that they were willing to sit down at the table and negotiate. This was also the message that those people were tasked with passing.

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"You may go back to your base. All we ask is for you to announce our arrival and send someone to talk about the future of both our tribes.

"

nThis was the simple message those people were tasked with passing. Yet, despite how simple it was, it also served two purposes.

nThe gate in the distance pried open. For how massive it was, a great deal of engineering though had to be put to allow for how quickly and seemingly effortlessly its sides moved apart.

nA huge group of riders appeared behind it, only to rush outside at a breakneck speed.

n'Are they going to fight?' Layn asked himself, observing the movements of the other group.

nFor the sake of easing the beginning of the negotiations, Layn stood alone. The rest of his group waited a considerable distance away, far enough to make Slavians feel relatively safe but close enough to join in the battle if one were to erupt.

n'Come on, don't be stupid,' Layn wished heavily, watching how the group of cavalrymen rapidly closed the distance.

nThe group of riders slowed down and stopped just ten seconds away from Layn. And then, a plainly dressed man rode forward, leaving the rest of his companions behind.

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"I am Stefan, lieutenant of general Arto,

" the rider announced himself, looking down at Layn sitting directly on the grass.

"For letting my people go relatively... unharmed, you have my gratitude,

" the man said, almost spitting his words. Yet, he still nodded his head to thank for the act of kindness earlier.

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"I believe it will be a disappointment for you, but I am capable of speaking your language,

" Layn said, standing up in one, fluid motion.

"I am Layn, one of the leaders of the Steppe Camp and the current Overlord of the entire Steppe,

" he said with a big smile, leaning his head over his shoulder as he looked out with the curiosity for the man's reaction.

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"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord,

" the man replied. His face changed when he heard Layn's introduction. What's more, it prompted him to get down from his horse and get on equal ground as the archmage.

"Now, would you mind elaborating what's your purpose of visiting?

"

n

"Oh, it's pretty simple,

" Layn said, putting a wide smile on his face.

"But sadly, I don't think it's going to be as simple as if it would be if a follower of general Kazan were to be the mediator,

" Layn said as his smile soured.

n

"Oho?

" the officer's expression soured as well.

"And why is that? Could it be that there is some kind... of a deal between you two?

" he asked, openly placing his hand on the handle of his saber.

n

"I wouldn't call it a deal, but more like... For my plans, it would be more convenient to deal with someone I have no respect whatsoever for,

" Layn said. At the same time, his smile returned to his face.

"Just make sure to hold your hand where you have it right now. We wouldn't want your peers to think that we came to some kind of agreement, would we?

" Layn said, suggesting what his real intention was.

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"I see,

" the officer replied as a small, devious smile appeared on his lips as well.

"In that case, what would you like our common... friend... to do?

" the man asked, pulling out his saber a little from its scabbard.

nSeeing this, Layn instantly raised his hand, stopping the people from his group from rushing forward.

n'Now that we have a thread of common understanding, it would be a pity if we were to start fighting for no reason whatsoever,' he thought, smiling at the man.

"Let's say that ever since a friend of mine was killed in action, I have a lot less sympathy towards the other general of yours,

" Layn admitted as his expression darkened.

nHe didn't know Carter well, nor did he know him for long. But the few days that he spent with that man allowed Layn to feel a huge amount of respect towards him.

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"Oh, so you are the one that Sitra talked a lot about,

" the officer suddenly realized. For a moment, his concentration lapsed, allowing for a shocked expression to surface on his face.

"Speaking of which, how is she?

" he asked.

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"Safely bored in my camp,

" Layn replied, freely revealing what could actually be a piece of crucial information.

"But the problem is, right now, my camp is in quite a peculiar situation. A situation that your people can either exploit like the general Kazan would prefer, or a situation that general Arto could help us make use of,

" Layn explained, slowly adding more wrath to his expression.

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"What do you need, man?

" the officer asked, clearly interested in the topic.

n

"Let's say there is a common enemy of our people, one that started to infringe on my steppe,

" Layn said, finally turning his expression to one of genuine rage.

"What I really want is you to act as if our negotiations completely broke down because I turned out to be an immoral piece of **,

" Layn said, stomping his leg in the ground and raising his voice to the very limit beyond which people in the distance could hear his words.

n

"What would that do for you?

" the officer asked, following Layn's ruse and pulling his weapon out.

n

"I would be able to put the attention of my current enemy on your people. As for you, by pretending to fail at the negotiations, you could retract and, as a result, save your forces from the disaster that I'm about to unleash on you,

" Layn said, not bothered to hide the details of his plan at all.

n'After all, even if this man is actually one of Kazan's men, the only thing that will change will be the name of who will bring ruin to his people,' Layn thought.

n

"So, to reiterate,

" the officer slashed the air with his saber in a clearly threatening way. Even without looking behind, Layn could tell that this was the straw that broke the camel's back, making his group jump ahead.

nThe archmage raised his hand again to stop them. Right now, the moment was too crucial to allow any kind of mishap like that.

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"You want me to push Kazan's forces into your welcoming arms so that you can dupe them. In this way, you will weaken both of your opponents while giving my faction a chance to raise, right?

" the officer smiled through the wrathful expression he wore on his face.

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"Isn't it great to talk with someone intelligent?

" Layn asked before spitting on the ground..

"Now, get the hell out of my face, you naive bastard!

" he shouted, stomping on the ground with enough strenght to make the ground shake.

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