Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 725: Jealousy

"It is too suspicious to sign a magical contract, we know that the magic people never used that before, so we do know for a fact that this is something this new ally of theirs came up with," Esmeralda explained.

"From what happened so far, this unknown individual is quite knowledable about your tactics and considering what they demanded with the truce, it is clear that they want you out of the picture."

"But…" Rain said. Read exclusive chapters at NovelBin.Côm

"But… we would benefit from a short period of peace, we can strengthen our forces and train more warriors in three years," Esmeralda added. "We don’t have to sign any suspicious magic contracts, but we should try to negotiate with them the truce. A brief respite and avoid being attacked in several fronts will do us well."

"The problem is that they will have time to recover as well and there is no telling when they will try to stab us in the back," Branden said.

"You don’t know?" Rain asked. "It is pretty obvious."

"Uh?" Branden said, visibly confused.

"They will do so as soon as the opportunity presents itself," Rain said. "My guess is that their current ally is the one who killed and made the bodies of the dragons that I found disappear afterwards. It seems like a spell that bends space, but I am not entirely sure."

Rain had a feeling that the individual aiding the magic and beast people in proposing the truce wasn’t the same person who had warned him about being cautious and avoiding suspicion during his investigation in the southern regions. It was a gut feeling; Although he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reasons behind this intuition, he trusted his instincts.

This sense of difference in the involved parties left Rain pondering the situation. He found himself contemplating the possibility that there might be separate factions or influential figures within the magic and beast communities with varying agendas or perspectives.

This inference arose from the distinct demeanor and tone of the warning he received earlier, as opposed to the seemingly conciliatory approach in the truce proposal.

"I guess I should contact Isa and see what she can say about this," Rain said and then grabbed the magic radio.

"So it can’t be helped…" Terra said after crossing her arms.

"Did you say something?" Rain asked and then Terra punched him in the side. "Ow… why are you so jealous of her?"

"Oh... what’s that look?" Terra asked. "It should be obvious."

"I am not sure…" Rain shrugged.

Rain sensed a level of jealousy from his wives due to his heavy reliance on another woman for guidance. This reliance seemed to affect their pride, making them feel less valued or important in Rain’s decision-making or trust. Consequently, this situation caused a certain amount of mental distress for Rain as well.

Despite Rain’s deep affection and appreciation for his wives, the sense of jealousy they displayed stirred conflicting emotions within him. On one hand, their envy might have caressed Rain’s ego, making him feel sought after and desired. However, on the other hand, witnessing their hurt pride and feelings of inadequacy caused him distress, leading to mental turmoil.

"... Maybe we shouldn’t contact her, after all," Rain put away the magic radio.

"That will be dangerous for all of us, then," Terra said.

"Can you please have some emotional stability?" Rain asked. "While I am also concerned about you, I am also concerned that revealing this situation to others could cause issues for the truce."

"You have a point," Branden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Not only that, we can’t let this truce become known since the population won’t approve it. At the same time, the magic people that fled and came here will fell dubious about our intentions as well."

"Hiding things will only make things more suspicious later on," Esmeralda said.

"You have a point," Branden said and then sighed. "What do you think, Rain?"

"We can solve the entire situation by making the enemies have a taste of their own poison," Rain said. "We won’t answer the call for truce, but we won’t make any moves that will make us look like we are going to attack either side. We will keep doing our own thing in order to increase our strength and maintain the loyalty of those who support us."

In this context, the situation appeared clear to everyone when Rain presented his plan. However, despite the plan’s apparent strategic value, there was a significant risk associated with counting on the enemy’s potential confusion. The lack of detailed information about the enemy’s strategies and intentions due to the presence of magical barriers posed a troublesome obstacle.

The plan’s reliance on the enemy’s confusion stemmed from the limited intelligence available to Rain and his allies. The magical barriers obstructed their ability to gather crucial information about the enemy’s movements, strengths, or vulnerabilities. This lack of insight into the opponent’s tactics and capabilities added an element of uncertainty to the proposed plan.

"... You should at least talk with Isa about this magic contract and see what she knows about it," Seara said and Terra nodded.

"I guess that much is fine," Rain said.

"Should we leave?" Branden asked.

"It is fine, and she doesn’t mind this kind of stuff. Besides, after hearing the conversation, you can convince these two that they are jealous for no reason," Rain asked. "I don’t have that much time on my hands to go cougar hunting."

This time around, Isa ended up picking up the call quite early. Maybe she wasn’t as busy as anymore… since the dragons stopped flying around… Geo still informed the group that some dragons were still on the beast people’s territory, though.

"It seems that a lot of people are with you this time around," Isa said. "Anyway, I never heard of magical contracts, but based on the information you just gave me, I have the feeling that it is similar to the dragons’ authority magic."

"Explain what it can do exactly, please," Rain said.