1772 Obtaining The Upper Hand
Sir Astarot gave Lucas a meaningful look as it heard this. It didn't expect that Lucas would use its words in such a way. The truth is, this isn't what it intended, however, this is also a way to settle this matter. From Lucas' eyes, it could tell that Lucas came up with this idea after Grey made mention of it.
If Lucas had been overbearing with his request, then Sir Astarot wouldn't have accommodated him, but Lucas actually had a sense of discretion and suggested that the soul brand be handed to Sir Astarot, making it clear that he wanted this matter to be handled by it. If the soul brand was given to Sir Astarot, the Toad Clan Leader didn't need to worry about having to answer to humans and would naturally be cooperating with Sir Astarot.
After thinking about all this, Sir Astarot didn't show any signs of clearing up this misunderstanding, knowing the character of the Toad Clan Leader, as long as it swore an oath not to order it around and also return the soul brand back.
The Toad Clan Leader, as well as everyone else there, turned to look at Sir Astarot, but to the dismay of the Toad Leader, Sir Astarot didn't show any reactions. Its heart suddenly went cold, and beads of mucus started to show on its body; although very faint, the poison it filled the air with made it hard for it to hide it. It was very nervous at this moment. Sir Astarot was basically giving the go-ahead for it to be executed; of course, it was nervous. Not just nervous, but extremely depressed!
If it had not tried to be too forceful with wanting to consume Grey, perhaps things wouldn't have digressed to this level. It secretly regretted accepting this secret meeting.
The old man from the Vaergahl Family thought of something as he took a glance at Sir Astarot, and his aura fluctuated slightly as if preparing to attack. He wasn't the only one, even Lucas acted in the same way.
The Toad Clan Leader's expression was beyond dark at the moment. If Sir Astarot is truly willing to sacrifice it, then its chances of survival are very low.
'Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!' It cussed out repeatedly, infuriated that a King like itself had been forced into such a perilous predicament. Its black pupils darted around as if trying to think of a way to get out of this position.
No one spoke as everyone remained quiet. None of them dared to act recklessly; after all, the reason they were negotiating was because neither side had complete dominance. Even in the current moment, the only reason things looked favorable for Lucas and his companions is purely due to them taking advantage of the vague hidden meaning behind Sir Astarot's words.
Sir Astarot's words could be implying that it wouldn't allow anything to happen to the Toad Clan Leader and its clansmen. It could also imply Lucas' words too. And without Sir Astarot giving an explanation, everything was up in the air. Lucas was bold enough to take the risk since he knew doing that would be the best way he could keep the Toad in control. Because he wanted a higher probability of this happening, he even made sure to suggest that Sir Astarot be the one to keep hold of the soul brand of the Toad Clan Leader.
Lucas played a psychological game with the Toad Clan Leader, and due to the situation it was in, there was no way it would think too deeply about it. The reason Lucas opted that the soul brand was handed to Sir Astarot was so as to make the Toad Clan Leader see hope in retrieving its soul brand without any issues, that's why he also spoke about Sir Astarot taking an oath. Given Sir Astarot's status, it wouldn't go back on its words. Once this reasoning came to light, the Toad Clan Leader, who was already hoping to retreat from this calamity, would have a sense of hope and also give in eventually.
After a minute or so of silence, the Toad Clan Leader looked at Sir Astarot.
"Astarot, it's not that this King doesn't trust you, but what guarantee can you give me that you'll return my soul brand after this war?" It looked at it seriously.
Hearing its question, everyone heaved a sigh of relief, Sir Astarot included. It naturally wouldn't want the Toad Clan Leader to be killed. Even though the Toad Clan Leader isn't the Half God Plane Magical Beast in the Toad Clan, it was the strongest. Losing such a powerhouse will massively reduce the overall strength of the Magical Beasts' Forest.
"You've known me for a few thousand years, do you think I'm that dishonest?" Sir Astarot wore a calm expression before adding, "Besides, it's not like we have any past grudges, so I have no reason to seek any grievances with you."
Sir Astarot's words gave the Toad Clan Leader the reassurance it already had, but it still found it really hard to just hand over its soul brand. This was not a simple matter, and it couldn't carelessly make a rash decision. It fell into silence once again, and like before, everyone left it to slip into thoughts.
After what looked like forever, the Toad Clan Leader opened its mouth to speak, gritting its teeth, it said to Sir Astarot while shooting death glares at Lucas and Grey's way, "I'll trust you this time Astarot."
Saying this, the Toad Clan Leader acted decisively. A golden light shot out from its head, shooting in Sir Astarot's direction. Sir Astarot reacted accordingly, keeping it safe. Everything happened very fast, and with the aid of Sir Astarot and Lucas' barriers, the three Toads outside didn't see or sense the transaction that just took place.
Grey heaved a sigh of relief as the heavy burden he had been in the past hour or so had been very difficult to bear. In the end, they managed to gain the advantage. The Toad's timidity led to its eventual downfall. Only after Lucas and Grey noticed that the Toad wasn't crazy enough to put its entire clan in danger did they manage to force it to do their will.
Here's the chap guys! Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead y'all!