The Guardian gods-Chapter 220

Iris and her team sat in the palace room waiting, food and drinks were being served to them. Iris and her team didn’t mind indulging in the human culture so ate and drank while sharing jokes among themselves.

All of a sudden, Iris and her team looked towards the throne, they could feel a powerful presence walking out from behind the throne. Seeing Erik for the first time in flesh confirmed Iris’ suspicion that he wasn’t really a human.

"King Erik, we come with the hope and intent to aid you in this dark time. We believe we have a way to counter Silas’s influence and restore the so desperately needed"

Erik stood, his posture still tense but his expression one of caution. At first he was ecstatic of hearing that the Harpies are willing to help but as he went back to his room to prepare himself, the excitement died down as he began thinking clearly once again.

"If even the Harpies were able to solve Silas’ problem for them. The discussion on their actions against his envoys still had to be brought up"

"Especially considering the fact that even after their bizzare action, they still proudly made their way into his home which was an insult to him and his kingdom"

"He could accept their help now but that means he will lose all credibility to hold them accountable for their past actions as they can simply overrule it by claiming that they were the savior of his people ’’ Erik thought to himself.

After dealing with Silas, Erik was now able to see beyond the current situation. If this problem is solved, another problem will arise which will be his own people questioning him of his ability to govern their kingdom.

What will he say to the family of those envoys dropped from the sky, it may seem that that situation has been forgotten but that was only because of Silas issue which took everyone’s mind of their fellow human being dropped down from the sky and turned into the red paint on the ground.

Meeting with the Harpies, Erik can find to kill two birds with one stone.

"I appreciate your willingness to assist us," Erik said slowly, "but we need to address past grievances before we can move forward. Your actions against my envoys cannot be overlooked. How can I trust your intentions now?"

Iris expression turned cold as she regarded Erik "You trusting our intentions means nothing to me or my people, you are the one in the desperate need for help"

"We just saw this as an opportunity to create countermeasures in the case our people face the same problem. As for our action against your people, you should be thankful that the might of the Harpies kingdom didn’t descend upon your people for daring to make a move at our mother" Iris said in a cold icy tone.

Erik’s eyes narrowed at Iris’s words, the room growing tense with the weight of the conversation.Jonas, standing beside his father, felt the need to interject. "We understand the gravity of the situation, but you should be aware that the attack against your queen wasn’t a deliberate action of ours, it was all Silas doing"

Iris was clearly pissed off at Eriks’ tone at the beginning of their meeting so she snapped back at Jonas "Who’s fault is it that Silas spawn was able to get that close to my people and our queen"

Looking at Erik she said "If you had been a competent leader, you would have known what was going on with your people and who to trust before sending them out to the opposite race to seek help. Silas is at fault still doesn’t absolve the fact that you are responsible for the actions of those you sent out"

Erik’s jaw clenched, his voice cold as he responded, "I don’t need a lecture on leadership from someone whose people resort to threats and violence at the slightest provocation. We are all victims of Silas’s machinations. Blame will get us nowhere."

Iris stepped forward, her tone sharp. "Do not mistake our caution for weakness. We defended ourselves against what we perceive as a threat. Your incompetence put us in that position."

Jonas, trying to mediate, raised a hand. "We need to focus on the present. The past grievances will only hinder our progress. Both sides have suffered. We must work together if we are to overcome Silas."

Iris regarded Jonas with a mixture of irritation and respect. "Fine. But know this: we will not tolerate any further incompetence. Our cooperation is conditional on your ability to manage your own affairs."

Erik’s eyes burned with suppressed fury, but he knew she was right. "Agreed. But let me make one thing clear: any harm to my people in the course of your so-called "Help" will result in severe consequences. Do not underestimate our resolve."

The room was thick with tension as the two sides sized each other up. One female member on Iris’ team touched her shoulder causing Iris to take a deep breath.

Looking at Erik she said "You might have spoken to early"

Erik looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

Iris sighed once again as she said "Our help with Silas situation will involve in some lethal harm to the group of people you choose to give us for the research"

Erik’s expression turned cold as he regarded Iris and her team. Jonas could hear the increasing heartbeat of his father, so he anxiously stepped forward and said to Iris, "Can you explain?"

Iris nodded. "It has become clear that Silas’s situation can’t be dealt with using magical solutions, which leaves the other option open."

Before Iris could continue, Erik interrupted, "Biological."

Iris raised a brow at Erik’s words. "You are certainly full of surprises, King Erik." ƒreewebɳovel.com

Erik, not minding her words, was deep in thought. "How could I have forgotten this option? It clearly should have been the only option left after magic didn’t work".

This brought Erik’s memory back to his people, especially his younger days in school. The study of body structure and makeup wasn’t a very popular topic for the elves since they all had magic, and studying magic was much more interesting for most elves. Yet, the study of body structure and makeup was an emerging field among the elves; it was even made a compulsory class needed to graduate.

Shaking off the memory, Erik regarded Iris, knowing he was about to face a new dilemma.

"We have reason to believe that at the beginning of your kingdom’s foundation, Silas sent out a few humans with what we call, for now, ’a switch’ inside of them to lay low within your kingdom. When it suits him best, the switch is activated," Iris said, watching Erik and Jonas’s expressions closely.

Hearing Iris’s words, Erik tried his best to stay calm, but the sound of his clenching fist was clearly picked up by Iris, who thought to herself, Interesting. Meanwhile, Jonas had a look of horror on his face as he looked at his father.

It began making sense to him, "his father’s actions over the past weeks. He must have learned of this from Silas, which led to his paranoia".

Erik didn’t know what was going on in Iris and Jonas’s minds. But he himself knew what was going on in his mind "confliction". He could immediately agree to Iris’s words and have her pick out a group of humans, but what kind of king would that make him? And what was he to say to the families and friends of those taken away?

Erik looked at Iris and said, "You need humans to find out those switches, but how can you guarantee that those picked out by you aren’t just normal humans with no switches in them?"

Iris looked at Erik, remembering her discussion with Kael before she left. Kael had said to her, "There are some loopholes to your solution." That loophole was what Erik had just pointed out.

That was also the reason she chose to meet Erik upfront and not go about kidnapping humans from their homes. She could have taken a dozen humans away and dissected them, yet there was a high probability that none of the humans would be the ones she needed.

Kael had advised her to meet with Erik, as he could help her pinpoint certain individuals with a higher likelihood of having a switch inside them.

Taking a deep breath, Iris spoke, "That is precisely why I approached you, King Erik. Randomly selecting humans would be inefficient and unethical. You know your people better than we do. We need your assistance to identify those who might harbor Silas’s influence".

Erik considered this, his mind racing. "So you want me to hand over my people to you based on suspicion? How can I justify that to my kingdom?"

Iris replied, "This is not about suspicion but about saving lives. If we identify the right individuals, we can potentially save your entire kingdom from Silas’s grasp"