Lord of the Oasis

“Were the soldiers asleep when the ship hit the reef?” Kant asked.

“Yes.” Elf King recalled Raphael’s words and said, “It was said that it was early in the morning. The soldiers were already resting, but they were woken up by the alarm.”

“What about the other people on the ship? I mean the captain and the others.” Kant thought for a moment and asked.

“Those people seemed to have escaped in the lifeboat when the accident happened,” Elf King said. “Speaking of which, we are still trying to get in touch with the company of the sunken ship. We can’t know whether the crews are safe or not.”

“Yeah. It’s better to get in touch with those people as soon as possible.” Kant said.

The two talked about the various details of the accident until the carriage arrived at the royal palace of the Elf Kingdom.

After Kant sat on his seat, he asked Elf King, “Your Highness, since you have prepared such a sumptuous meal, why don’t you invite the elven soldiers who escaped death to come and reward them? I also have something to ask them.”

Meeting the elven soldiers who had stayed on the island was Kant’s primary purpose for coming here.

Kant’s eagerness to make the request could be considered a helpless move. After all, he and Bunduk were leaving for Cumberland the next day. There was not much time left.

After Elf King heard Kant’s request, he was stunned for a second. He then smiled and agreed, “Lord Kant’s suggestion is very good. I’ll send someone to call them over right away.”

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your permission.” Kant nodded.

The waiter served the aperitif first, and the two of them chatted as they tasted the wine.

Bunduk and the others did not enter the hall. Instead, they enjoyed their dinner in the dining hall in the military camp.

After a while, an elven guard led Raphael and the others into the hall. They greeted the two kings politely. “Your Highness, Lord Kant.”

“Please rise.” Kant said softly.

After all the elven soldiers raised their faces, Kant put down his wine glass and began to measure it carefully.

Raphael had been avoiding Kant’s gaze, he kept glancing elsewhere.

“Hurry up and sit down. His Highness Lord Kant will have a good chat with you.” Elf King greeted them cordially.

The soldier who led the way had already left. The elven soldiers walked over to the newly placed table and chairs with trepidation and sat down cross-legged.

After all, they had never eaten together with a lord before. This time, it was not only their own lord, but also the lord of the country that they had framed. Of course, they would be nervous and timid.

“Thank you for your hard work. Devitt and the others must have received a lot of care from you when they were alive. This cup of wine is a toast on their behalf to you.” Kant exhaled and said with a smile.

Looking at the healthy and lively appearance of these soldiers, Kant could not help but think in his heart, ‘how great would it be if some of the soldiers of Caradia also escaped from that disaster?’.

“We did not do anything for the reinforcements of Caradia.” Raphael raised his glass and replied, “It is really sad to suffer such a sudden tragedy.”

“I heard that there is a general named Abel in your team. He is extremely courageous. May I know where he is now?” Kant took a sip of wine and changed the topic, he then asked the elven soldiers.

“He is still on the island, in charge of guarding the camp.” Raphael’s hand under the table trembled.

Every time Kant met his eyes, he was awed by the sharpness in his eyes.

He did not know whether it was because he was too guilty or because the Kant’s aura was too strong.

“The camp on the island?” Kant was a little surprised. “According to the letter from your outpost, aren’t you currently hiding in the mountains? When did you have an extra camp?”

“That’s right.” Elf King also asked, “Didn’t you say that the forces on the island have already taken away your sentry post by the beach?”

Raphael’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the question. He realized that he had already let the cat out of the bag. He tried his best to remedy the situation. “Because… the forces on the island have returned the residence by the sea to us, so we built a new camp.”

“Why would they return it to you?” Kant’s eyes became sharp.

He had started from a small oasis, so he naturally knew the cruelty of reality. He had never heard of such a thing as returning an estate for no reason after taking it away.

“Because…” Raphael was so nervous because of Kant’s constant pressure that he could not speak.

“Raphael?” Elf King frowned and called out.

Kant’s eyes darkened, and his expression became serious. He said, “Did you use something to exchange with the forces on the island?”

Raphael raised his head abruptly and met Kant’s gaze. Their gazes met. Raphael’s thoughts were a mess, and Kant’s gaze was like an invisible blade, cutting off his escape route.

Raphael’s shoulders drooped down and he said, “Yes.”

Elf King’s face was filled with disbelief as he asked, “You, no, you betrayed the Elf Kingdom?”

“I reckon that not only did they betray the Elf Kingdom, but they also betrayed the soldiers on the ship.” Kant’s cold gaze swept across every elven soldier present. “Tell me, what did you do on the ship?”

Raphael’s eyes were already filled with blood. He raised his head and stated to Kant, “We planted a bomb on the ship.”

“B*stard!” Elf King raised his hand and threw the wine cup in his hand in front of Raphael. “You bunch of heartless things!”

The liquid in the cup spilled on the faces of Raphael and the other elven soldiers who were kneeling on the ground.

Raphael felt a cold liquid flash across his face. Instantly, he became furious and slammed the table. He pointed at Elf King and Kant and roared, “What right do you have to say that we are heartless? When we were alone on the island and asked for your help, didn’t you ignore our lives? All of you deserved it! If it weren’t for the fact that Abel and I have been comrades for ten years, I would have burned them all as well.”

“This is crazy! Men!” Elf King shouted outside the hall.

A row of guards rushed into the hall and surrounded Raphael and the others.

“It was indeed our fault for not being able to send reinforcements in time.” Kant said calmly. “But one thing is another. You people killed more than twenty Caradia soldiers on the ship. Do you think this is a matter of course?”

“Ha, I didn’t kill them.” Raphael snorted. “We will listen to whoever saves our lives. It can only be said that the matters on this island are not for outsiders to involve in from the beginning.”

“Didn’t kill them? What do you mean?” Kant quickly asked.