Chapter 343: Chapter 343 - Continued Support

Point-of-View: Aries Velenet

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"Sorry to keep you waiting," Remarked Larrk, as he entered the room and shut the door behind him.

"Oh, no need to apologize, I understand you would have had a lot of matters to attend to...I should be the one apologizing for requesting such a last-minute meeting," Responded King Landis with a smile.

A few hours had passed since the tournament ended. Following Larrk Stryker’s victory in the final, a dazzling, entertaining show was put on, with fireworks, music and a wide range of delectable food and drink.

During the celebrations, King Landis approached Larrk and requested a meeting, which Larrk readily agreed to.

Following the wrapup of the tournament’s after-party, we were shown to a meeting room and asked to wait for a moment, before Larrk showed up, after about fifteen minutes or so.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He inquired as he took a seat across King Landis.

"First, let me say that that was quite a spectacular event, and congratulations on your victory...to call defeating the Demon Lord in battle a remarkable feat would be an understatement. I believe this tournament more than fulfilled your goal of displaying Arcadia’s military might to the other nations," Replied King Landis with a smile.

"Ah, you figure that part out, huh? Well, it is pretty obvious when you think about it," Larrk grinned sheepishly in response.

"You had mentioned your intention to get participants from the other nations involved in future editions of the tournament...were you serious about that?"

"Yeah, of course. While it is true that a significant reason why we held this tournament was to serve as a deterrence to anyone thinking about invading or attacking us, my ultimate goal is for Arcadia to coexist in harmony with the rest of the Dark Continent. For that reason, the format of the tournament will be flexible, to keep it interesting...besides including participants from the other nations, I’ve also thought about having it hosted in the other nations further down the line, if and when it grows significantly enough in popularity.

I’d like it to be an annual affair, with something different in each subsequent edition to spice things up. Maybe one edition could have tag-team or group battles instead of one-on-one, maybe another edition could take on a battle royale format, stuff like that. Oh, and this isn’t going to be the only major event we host, we’ve also got plans for music festivals and competitions on skills other than fighting, such as talent shows and the like," He explained with a smile.

Impressive, he’s really put a lot of thought into this...and while at first glance it may seem like he’s giving away a lot of information, I can tell that he’s keeping a fair bit to himself too. Everything he says is carefully and cleverly calculated...it’s no wonder he gave the Knight Order such a runaround while he was in Obsidian...

"My, that all sounds very intriguing...rest assured that Obsidian will spare no effort in collaborating with Arcadia. I had a handful of the Nobles in our nation who were opposed to this alliance attend the tournament to see for themselves...and having spoken to them following the end of the competition, I think it’s safe to say that they’ve abandoned any notions of betraying our alliance," King Landis informed him.

"If I may say something, I noticed that the Demons seemed to be going out of their way to mingle with the guests from the other nations during the celebrations after the competition. They seemed a bit tense but were friendly and amicable all the same...I take it that wasn’t a coincidence?" I chimed in curiously.

"Mhm, that’s right...the Demons are powerful, it’s only natural that they’d be feared. And when something’s feared, people tend to twist the image of that fear in their minds into something more sinister than it might actually be. Underneath their immense power, they’re each just normal individuals with their own thoughts and feelings, no different to us...I hoped that having them interact with those who fear them in a peaceful setting would help alleviate the more irrational aspects of that fear. I want to help make people understand that they aren’t just mindless Monsters who will rampage unprovoked. Besides their immense power, they’re really no different to humans when it comes to what’s important."

I can see why the Demons allied themselves with him...he doesn’t see them as being different to himself in the ways that really matter, and thus treats them accordingly.

If our ancestors had been able to think with a similar mindset to that, just how different would our history be? There’s no way to know for sure whether it would have been better or worse, but somehow, I just feel like the Dark Continent would have prospered a lot more...

"The reason I asked for this meeting is because I wanted to reaffirm our alliance and make it clear that Arcadia has the full support of Obsidian going forward. And I also wanted to state my intent to be more involved with events like this tournament in the future...there is some tremendous economic potential here, it would be a shame to let that all go to waste.

If we can get to a point where all the nations of the Dark Continent are collaborating and coexisting in unity and mutual benefit, I believe all five nations will reach unprecedented levels of prosperity. And this might be a little ambitious, but my hope is that, by the time the next generation takes over, the prejudice and discrimination that have held our nations back for so long will be unraveled and a thing of the past," Stated King Landis.

"I couldn’t agree more, that would the ideal future, and the sooner we reach that ideal, the better. I look forward to your continued support," Smiled Larrk, as he held his hand out.

"Yes, likewise," Nodded King Landis, as he took hold of Larrk’s hand and shook it...

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