Work Prophet
Chapter 598 - 30 Difficult Choices

Chapter 598: Chapter 30 Difficult Choices

"Because those damned dwarves don’t want to waste another soldier, they plan to starve us to death," Ilkand said with hatred.

"Maybe they also want to watch us fight over food and water, and enjoy the spectacle of us killing each other," Judith added.

"Perhaps," Kuren said, "what you both say makes sense, but that’s not the reason the dwarves have allowed us to live until now. They haven’t made their move yet because they want to use us as bait."

"Bait?"

"Yes, we’ve been cut off from the outside for so long, Hels and his men will definitely gather more manpower and come to the mountains to rescue us. Those dwarves have a big appetite; they don’t just want to trap us, they also want to consume the rescue troops.

"After that, when they cross the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range to enter the Western Territories, no one will be able to stop them."

Ilkand and Judith exchanged glances and saw a flash of fear in each other’s eyes.

They had originally thought those greedy guys would only take advantage of the Empire’s turmoil with the ascension of the New Emperor to shear some wool and take some advantages before leaving.

They never expected that the dwarves would be bold enough to truly entertain the idea of annexing the Western Territories.

With this battle now, and the upcoming ones, it was a matter of survival; surrender was no longer an option.

After all, it didn’t matter if they died, but if they lost the family lands, they would be eternal sinners.

As nobles, they had been taught from a young age to prioritize the interests of their family, and even Judith, who had the strongest desire to negotiate peace, was now silent.

Ilkand went so far as to ask directly, "What would you have us do?"

"How many people do you have on hand?" Kuren asked.

"I have about seven hundred left," Judith said, "but I suppose only fewer than five hundred are barely capable of fighting, and if we drag this out, there will be even fewer."

"I still have a thousand men," Ilkand said, "and I’ve also kept twelve warhorses."

"Why do you still have so many people left?" Judith was surprised.

And Ilkand’s answer was simple.

"Because I have money."

After a pause, he added, "Although I didn’t bring much money on this campaign, the surname Immanuel itself is a guarantee, and the family had the smiths cover a thin layer of gold on the left arm armor of the elite warriors."

"In the first two days of the siege, I had the guards scrape off the gold and trade it for food."

"You sly little bastard, no wonder so many of my people starved to death! You even have surplus food to feed horses!" the head of the Marier family burst out in anger once again.

Ilkand was equally uncompromising, staring coldly at Judith and scoffing.

"What do you know, you old fool who only thinks about surrendering? Those horses are more important than people; without horses, you don’t have the slightest chance of escaping from those savages in these mountains."

"Enough, both of you," Kuren said, "I need one of you to leave this valley and send a message to the people outside, especially those coming to rescue us. Tell them what’s happened here and urge them to turn back immediately."

"What should we do? You just said it, those Dwarves aim for the entirety of the Westlands. How many of them are there this time, twenty thousand, or thirty thousand troops?"

"And after going through the trouble of setting up this trap, isn’t it precisely to ensure not a single one of us escapes?" Ilkand’s voice was grave.

"If they truly wish to conquer the Westlands, they certainly cannot do without the help of the local people," Kuren replied.

"Establishing and maintaining a new order has never been easy. My family has ruled this land for nearly a thousand years, and erasing the mark we’ve left is not something that can be accomplished with just armor and weapons."

"Do you mean to suggest we pretend to defect, then find an opportunity to escape?" Judith was somewhat tempted.

"The Dwarves aren’t fools; they would certainly anticipate this possibility," Ilkand did not think highly of Marquis Kuren’s plan and stated plainly.

"Even if they truly needed helpers, they could slaughter us and then slowly select others. There is no need for them to take such a risk."

"You are right, which is why you must make the Dwarves believe that you are earnestly defecting to them," Kuren nodded and said with calm composure.

Thus, they were back to Ilkand’s original question—how to do it.

Neither Ilkand nor Judith could find an answer; they looked at each other, both at their wits’ end.

Kuren did not keep them in suspense anymore and said, "Kill me. I need one of you to kill me, take my head, and go defect to those Dwarves.

"And the other will seek vengeance for me, leading men to fight desperately against the one who killed me. It must be a real fight to the death, and the murderer can only take fewer than a hundred men with him; the rest must die here. Hmm, if possible, it is best to sustain some injuries too, so the Dwarves will believe you."

Upon hearing this, Ilkand and Judith were both stunned.

The head of the Marier family was even scared stiff, stuttering, "What, what are you talking about?"

"I said kill me," Kuren stated blandly, "You did not mishear. The Dwarves wouldn’t let me live anyway—it’s just a matter of dying a few days earlier, which is not a big deal."

"But, but..." Judith could hear the tremble in his own teeth.

He had lived for over one hundred and sixty years and never once felt as fearful as he did today.

Kuren merely looked into his eyes and said, "Choose, Judith. Do you want to live or die here with me?"

Judith opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Ilkand, unable to stand his pusillanimous demeanor, spoke up himself, "Then let it be me. I will be the one to survive."

"Have you really thought it through?" Even though he was assigned to a deadly task, Judith seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and finally managed to speak again.

His voice was somewhat hoarse, "This is regicide. No matter the reason, once you act, you will bear this disgrace forever. The Dwarves will certainly spread this deed throughout the Bratis Continent.

"No, not just you... your descendants will be despised by all, bereft of any honor. That would be more terrifying than death itself."

"I know. But someone has to do it, right?" Ilkand’s words sounded casual, but his slightly trembling voice betrayed him, "Who else but us to ensure the Westlands are kept safe?"

"Exactly," Kuren said solemnly, "That is our land, and we must defend it at all costs. It is our duty to protect it, and we cannot shirk it."

This lord of the Westlands seemed to be transported back to that afternoon from long ago, facing a group of raging bandits. Once again, he drew the sword from his waist.