1768 Who Will Give In?
"You mean?" The Toad's tone turned cold as it asked this question. The only reason it wanted to involve Sir Astarot in the matter was purely because it didn't want to take the hassle of battling a tough opponent. It was confident that it could kill Lucas in a life-and-death battle, so seeing Lucas act in such a forceful manner even after it took the initiative to take a step back infuriated it even further.
"Submit or die." Lucas' words were like a judgment, shocking everyone present. None of them believed Lucas would actually say this to the Toad. They all knew this was what he implied from his words, but saying it so blatantly was another matter.
He had completely torn face with the Toads, and he wanted to make sure that even if they joined them, they'd know their place. Of course, there's also the possibility of the Toads choosing to fight to their last. Given the combined strength of humans, as well as a few Magical Beast Clans that had some hatred for the Toads, wiping them out wouldn't be a mere thought.
The reason Lucas confidently acted in this manner is purely because he had thought about all possible possibilities and was sure he would gain the upper hand in the end.
Like Lucas, Sir Astarot and the Toad were also aware of this. The relationship between Magical Beasts and humans could only be described as strange. Both races detest each other to a certain extent, yet they've also created unshakeable bonds among themselves.
The Toad looked at Lucas, its gaze cold, as it, too, was filled with the intent to kill.
Noticing the change in the Toad, Sir Astarot took the initiative to act as the mediator. This wasn't something it wanted to see. When it came to the Toads, it knew that the chances of them assisting was low, but it never expected that Lucas already had the thought of eliminating anyone who didn't join them. This situation looks more like self-harm since they'd expend a lot of effort to kill these insiders, which will make things even easier for the Gnomes. However, humans were already forced to the wall. If they couldn't get the aid of the Magical Beasts, their chances of surviving aren't even up to five percent. This era isn't as prosperous as the era when the Gnomes first invaded, so the number of experts this era produced isn't even close to what was produced in that era. So rather than leaving the Magical Beasts to reap the reward of their sacrifice, they'd rather wipe out the Magical Beasts before the war, even if they couldn't win, they'd at least try to hide and keep themselves alive.
The Toad's gaze moved from Lucas to Sir Astarot, seemingly trying to see if this was a planned event. Seeing Sir Astarot showing signs of wanting to stop Lucas from being forceful, but also its slight hesitation, it knew that its chances of gaining the upper hand in this situation were zero. Nevertheless, its pride will never allow it to submit, especially to a human, at least not so easily.
"Human, as long as you don't leave this place to gather the forces of your fellow human experts there will be no future problems for my Clan."
The meaning behind the Toad's words was simple: it wanted to kill Lucas and the old man from the Vaergahl Family. As long as neither of them left this place, there is no way Sir Astarot will reveal the details of the matter to humans since that would mean betraying its race.
The situation suddenly took a turn as the other three Toads that were with the Toad Clan Leader moved to block the escape routes of Lucas and the old man from the Vaergahl Family.
A moment ago, Lucas was the one threatening to kill the Toad Clan Leader, but with a single statement from the Toad, the situation changed.
Lucas didn't show any signs of panic as he looked at the Toads with a calm expression, his murderous intent still just as high as it was.
"Do you think if I want to leave this place any of you can stop me?" His voice was filled with arrogance. From his tone, they could tell that he had the utmost confidence that he'd be able to escape from the clutches of the four Toads even if they attacked together.
"I know we can't stop you from leaving, but are you confident you have the ability to keep both you and your son's life intact?" The Toad spoke slowly, making sure Lucas didn't miss the underlying meaning behind its words. Lucas had the ability to leave, but that didn't mean that Grey had it too. As long as Grey is present, it has the advantage.
As expected, Lucas' expression changed when he heard this. It was confident it could leave even under the assault of all four Toads, but if he wanted to take Grey with him, that would be a more difficult matter. If he doesn't handle the situation properly, the losses will surely outweigh the gains.
Grey was also aware of the meaning behind the Toad's words, and the truth is, he didn't have any confidence that he could escape the attack of an existence like the Toad Clan Leader, at least not now. If given a year or two, he was confident he would be able to safely escape from the clutches of these Toads without help.
Lucas turned to Sir Astarot before he turned back to the Toad Clan Leader, "You can try. But I'll say this, if a hair on his body goes missing, I'll make sure not just you, but your entire Clan suffer a fate worse than death."
Lucas' gaze returned back to its calm state, his state of mind seemingly not affected by the thought of his son probably getting killed. If he took a step back and left to protect Grey, the Toads would join them in the future; after all, his threat was already made clear to the Toad.
Here's the chap guys! Don't forget to vote!