A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 644 - - Will you fight?!

Slowly, Alice's movements became less stiff, and she even started enjoying the attention they were giving her. Erik noticed and smiled, without stopping his own hand from waving or taking his eyes off the crowd.

"I know your main purpose is still to get revenge on the hunters for what happened to your mom, Alice, but I hope you'll remember there's a world beyond revenge," he muttered gently.

Alice scoffed, a little uncomfortable with this line of conversation. "You're one to talk…" she grumbled defensively. "Don't pretend you wouldn't burn this empire down to get revenge on Edda."

Next to them, Ankhur was waving at the crowd as well, but Alice's words caused his eyebrows to twitch, only worsened by Erik's response.

"Hehe, I probably would," he chuckled coldly, a harsh edge in his tone, before returning to warmth. "But that's why I said beyond revenge, not instead of. After the hunters are defeated and Edda is dead, the empire will remain. It is our future—yours, mine, your moms'."

He felt a piercing gaze coming from the werepanther to his left, causing Erik to glance that way with amusement. "Don't look at me like that, Ankhur. It's far too late for you to get off this bandwagon. Fortunately, I doubt it will ever be necessary to choose between revenge and the empire."

Turning his head back towards the crowd, he shrugged. "Plus, I'm not rash. I won't burn everything down just to get Edda a little faster. I've waited this long, after all. I can wait a little longer."

Ankhur still looked unhappy, but he also knew Erik was right. He'd hitched his wagon to Erik's ride, and there was no getting off anymore. Not without destroying everything he'd built and likely gaining nothing in return…

"Anyway," Erik continued as he turned his attention back to Alice. "What I'm saying is, don't ignore everything else along the way to revenge. Revenge will come, but if you don't take care of the road, you might turn around at the end and find you've nothing left."

Still waving, Alice started to pout. "Hmpf," she grumbled unwillingly. "When did you start talking in riddles, Father?"

"Hehehe," Erik chuckled, knowing he practically had her already. "I'm telling you to go experience the empire a little. Maybe you'll even find secondary reasons to fight? In my experience, you can never have enough reasons to do something."

"Hmpf, well, just say that then," Alice muttered, clearly just trying to be contrary for the sake of it. "I guess I'll think about it…" freēnovelkiss.com

"That's all I can ask," Erik smiled, before turning his attention to the crowd.

He stopped waving and spread his one free arm. "People of Enkare Nkai!" he began, his voice now booming across his subject's heads, instantly bringing silence where it went. "I thank you for the warm welcome!"

Some scattered cheers rose up as he continued. "I know many of those who came from other cities have not seen me before, so let me introduce myself. My name is Erik Gunnulf, aka the Silver Emperor. Your emperor."

His tone took on a sterner cadence. "I know that, despite the aid I've given your kingdom, I still need to truly earn your trust, but let me start by putting some of you at ease."

He put his free hand on Ankhur's shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie. "Ankhur will remain your king. In fact, I will have very little to do with the governance of this kingdom at all! Enkare Nkai will remain the bastion of freedom, equality, and honour that it is today!"

Knowing his role in this situation, Ankhur nodded solemnly at the people below them, and they cheered.

"However," Erik continued solemnly, repeating the lines he'd practised with Elora, "we should never forget that all we did was win a single battle against the Humanitas Sangh. Right now, they are distracted by a foe who is their true equal, but if they actually turned their full attention on us, there's no way we would be able to resist. Not as we are now!"

The cheering died down quickly, and concerned murmuring replaced it. Some asked what they could do, and Erik was quick to provide an answer.

"That is why we must become stronger!" he suddenly roared, extending his hand to grab at the air after leaving a moment of silence. "The only way to keep ourselves safe is to unite Africa! To stand together against the tides of evil!"

Having been given a solution, the people quickly reacted with cautious enthusiasm, as Erik continued with a stern frown. "But… we know that there are still many cowardly, opportunistic, or simply incompetent leaders, because they left you to your fate when you were invaded! They won't see things our way… and we'll need to make them!"

Naturally, the only way for Erik to compete with a united Asia and a united Europe was to unite Africa… whatever the cost.

A shockwave went through the crowd as they realised that Erik essentially just declared his intentions to conquer the rest of Africa. Various hidden agents within the crowd instantly had their eyes widen. Some even started subtly making their way towards the city exits, knowing they had to warn their masters as soon as possible.

"So, people of Enkare Nkai," he continued, unperturbed by the gravity of what he said as the cadence of his voice rose with every sentence that followed. "Will you fight for me when I call for you? Will you fight as warriors of both Enkare Nkai and the Silfrmáni Empire? Will you fight to unite Africa under the banner of our empire?! For glory and the safety of your loved ones?!"

Shocked silence fell among the crowd as his words sank into their minds. The reactions varied.

Some didn't like the idea of going to war again so soon, but still realized the hunters remained a threat, while a small number opposed so vehemently that they wanted to try and negotiate with the Humantias Sangh first.

But neither of these was in the majority. Ultimately, Ankhur and Naeku had fostered a nation of warriors, and Erik's rhetoric was like catnip to them. The fact that the other nations of Africa had left them to their fate when the hunters invaded only fuelled their desire to fight.

Slowly, enthusiastic cheering started rising once again.

"Yeah!"

"It's about time we teach those cowards a lesson!"

"We will fight for you!"

"For Enkare Nkai! King Ankhur! And the Silver Emperor!"

"For the future!"

A satisfied grin made its way to Erik's lips. When the time came, he'd have an army to back up his ambitions. Beside him, even Ankhur felt a little hyped up. He, too, was a warrior, after all, even if his desire to care for his people occasionally interfered with that.