2 days back, in the King's Chambers.
After assessing everything that had happened so far, Daneel had called a meeting with Luther, Kellor, Robert, and Faxul to discuss what they would do next.
After the 4 had assembled, he had directly dived into the details.
"What is the thing which a force would seek to obtain if they wanted to take control of Lanthanor effectively?"
"The Oathstone."
The answer was given by all 4 at the same time, leading Daneel to summon the golden rock which was currently definitely being dreamed about by their enemies.
"Exactly. Knowing that I am injured, I think that the Withering Leaf Sect will mount an attack on the Palace. But if they do so directly, there is nothing stopping us from teleporting the army over to surround and annihilate them. By my estimation, they will approach someone in order to ally with them without caring about the cost they would have to pay simply because of how desperate they are."
Hearing these words from the King, except Faxul, the rest couldn't help but smile wide and nod.
Already having gotten used to the fact that the person in front of them had steadily grown with time to possess one of the most intelligent and calculating strategic mind in the Central Continent, they felt pride puff up their chests due to the fact that they were lucky enough to stand on the side of someone who seemed to have no limits.
As for Faxul, his face morphed into one of single-minded determination, as he had slowly started to strive to learn just what it meant to be in a King's shoes, like his father had been.
"We agree, Your Majesty. And according to the current situation, Axelor is the most likely candidate for the alliance."
Hearing Luther speak out, the rest nodded their heads as there was simply no other possibility.
Arafell had always been the closest of allies, while Eldinor wasn't in the equation. This left the Hidden Kill Sect and the Black Raven Kingdom, both of which had dealings with Lanthanor that definitely wouldn't lead them to accept the alliance.
This left Axelor, which was also a hated enemy of Lanthanor's for centuries. Seeing the chance to beat an enemy when it was down, it was definitely likely that they would jump at the chance to lead an attack.
"Yes, that's what I thought as well. That is why I have laid out a plan where the main objective is to capture or subdue our enemies without taking many losses ourselves. Kellor, get the map. Faxul, what's the matter?"
As Daneel had begun to lay out the plan, he had observed that his closest friend had gotten a puzzled expression on his face.
After thinking for a moment, Faxul spoke while looking straight into Daneel's eyes.
"Why not… kill them? They would kill us if they had the chance. Why show mercy?"
This question was met by silence in the room, as even the rest had turned their heads to look at Daneel as if they had the same question in their minds, but had hesitated to voice it out.
Scrunching his eyebrows, Daneel tried to frame an answer, but found that he couldn't give one which reflected his true intentions without revealing information that had to be kept secret.
As someone who had slowly matured to become the King who had outsmarted both Queen Eldara and the Withering Leaf Sect, he knew very well that the best option was to be ruthless in order to decimate an enemy if possible.
Yet, there was only one thing that held him back: the scene he had seen in the memory relived when he had met his Master.
When the war did come, wouldn't it be best if Angaria had as much strength as possible?
This was his reason behind considering non-lethal routes. Each and every Fighter and Mage he killed could make a difference in the war against the Church if he could find a way to reach his goals while still preserving their lives.
Either by oaths or even threats, they could be preserved to fight when it really mattered.
Even in the case when he had given the order to drop explosive trinkets on the Sect, he had known that defensive trinkets would enable most to at least live.
As these thoughts went through his mind, Daneel found that there was no other reason which would make sense.
Thus, he chose not to look for something to say to appease his trusted advisors.
"In this, I can only ask you to trust me. It is in our best interests to capture as many enemies as possible without killing them, and we should plan accordingly to do so."
After looking into Daneel's eyes for a few moments, Faxul nodded and let it go.
Over all the years he had spent with Daneel, he knew very well that he was considered as the closest of confidantes with there being almost nothing that needed to be hidden between the two.
Now, if there was something which led his friend to speak like so, he understood that it definitely must be something that had to be concealed at all costs.
It was the same case with the others. Nodding, they proceeded to walk forward to gaze at the map of the Royal Palace that Kellor had just unfolded on the table.
Feeling glad that he had such perfect comrades, Daneel also walked over and began to outlay his plan.
"Using the modifications for the army that I will be giving to Luther, we must aim to make them retreat as quickly as possible. It is possible that the Sect might split their forces to ensure that the Axelorian Army occupies ours for a longer time, so we must act while keeping this in mind. When the Sect attacks the Palace, I will make it so that the Dragon Heart Formation will hold them off as long as possible before they find a way to enter. They are a force which has existed for centuries, so they will definitely have means to breach the formation. Before they do, all the soldiers, guards, and servants MUST be evacuated as the Sect will definitely kill whomever they see. We cannot risk evacuating them sooner, as the spies in the Palace would have enough time to warn the Sect that something is off which might make them reconsider. After this, they will try to breach the King's Chambers where there will be a … surprise waiting for them."
Taking a deep breath as he had spoken for so long, Daneel stood up straight and looked into the eyes of each of the men in front of him.
In a tone that displayed the determination he felt, he said the words which reflected his innermost feelings about this entire situation.
"They almost took over our Kingdom. They had the gall to save the biggest criminal who lead to thousands of deaths of innocent Lanthanoreans. And they still dared to kill our soldiers to provoke us. Enough is enough. It is time for Lanthanor to give our final answer by putting an end to this force to set an example for all of Central Angaria."
...
Remembering this conversation, Daneel cursed at himself seeing the way that things had actually turned out.
Although he had no way to know that the Sect could have a trinket which would be treasured by even the Big 4, he still cursed and blamed himself for being responsible for the deaths of all those whose blood was still flowing in the passageways of the Royal Palace.
With this incident, the last intentions of Daneel to not be ruthless were swept away completely.
What use was there for mercy if it meant the death of his own citizens?
What meaning was there in saving lives for the greater war if it meant risking the deaths of those who trusted him?
There was none.
Etching the faces of all those he had seen so far and promising himself that he would personally find out the details of the rest, Daneel branded into his mind and heart this moment where he shed his shell to emerge as someone who would never again step back from doing whatever was necessary to ensure victory.
With a voice that was as cold as the iciest depths of hell, Daneel turned to Kellor and gave his order.
"Bring the other part of their force over. It is time to kill them all."