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Chapter 240 - 240 Withdrawal
Chapter 240 - 240 Withdrawal
240 Withdrawal
William slept for two days and one night before waking up. The first thing he did after waking up was to get an update on Ava State’s situation.
“He really said that?” William asked as he listened to Remides’s update on Ava State’s situation, especially Morton’s attitude towards him.
Remides nodded and looked hesitant.
William asked, “So what’s on your mind?”
“Morton is still in the embassy, being watched by someone I trust. Without my orders, he can’t go anywhere. And he’s the only one in Black Crow Gaze who witnessed everything and knows that you’ve returned. In other words, we still have control of the situation,” Remides explained quickly.
Remides quickly reported her handling of the matter to the Presiding Judge.
But that wasn’t what William wanted to hear.
“No, I’m not asking how you plan on handling this. I trust that you can handle such matters yourself… What I want to know is what you think about what Morton said?” William asked solemnly, his voice filled with gravity.
Remides was stunned. She repeated William’s question in confusion as if she didn’t understand what he meant.
“What do I think?”
William nodded and said, “Or perhaps I can be more direct. I’m asking if you really want to go back to the Doomsday Watchers and continue as one of the 13 Judges?”
William still saw Remides as she was a thousand years ago; it had only been a few months to him.
If she were still the independent Ranger woman from a thousand years ago, asking her to oversee Ava State would be like a death sentence. After all, she had given up her status as a High Elf and journeyed across the ocean to the Vic Continent to become an adventurer because she couldn’t bear the Ava State’s blessing system that completely extinguished any hope for the future.
She had ruled as the Shadow Queen of Ava State for centuries, and Remides’ adventure with the Judges was just a blip in comparison.
If there was a conflict between Ava State and the Judges, she ought to prioritize the interests of her own realm.
Morton’s question was a crucial one.
William’s ultimate goal was to overthrow the Riel Empire and use the power of Currere to resist the Moon Realm. In order to achieve this, he needed to become the de facto ruler of the empire,
even if it meant doing things he couldn’t do in the game back then.
Ava State and the Vic Continent were not just different nations–they were two civilizations with distinct species, faith, and culture. If William wanted to incorporate Ava State into the new empire, he would have to use force, just like the current Riel royal family.
Even if Remides was willing to help, she couldn’t change the internal divide in Ava State or the potential risks in the future.
The situation was complex, like a clash of civilizations. Resolving it wasn’t as easy as eliminating Morton, the only one who knew the truth.
To make it simpler, the human civilization on the Vic Continent had never claimed the Ava State’s elven civilization, so there was no way to incorporate the Ava State’s government into the empire’s territory without violence.
On the other hand, because of the two High Elven colonists from Ava State—the Forest Elves and the Ice Elves—Ava State might even be able to claim the empire’s Emerald and Coldstone Provinces due to historical reasons…
Of course, William could use his strength to solve these problems.
The Holy Spirits Army could be summoned in Currere, though it wasn’t as strong as it would be in the Moon Realm. But it was still powerful enough to destroy one or two city-states. William didn’t even need to use that card, he could defeat most of the High Elves on his own.
The issue was that this wasn’t a game where he could just paint the map in the color he wanted to win.
People would die.
Many people, and not just the guilty ones.
William knew that, even if he managed to kill a lot of people, it wouldn’t bring him any closer to his goal of amassing Currere’s forces for resistance. Oppressive rule through fear and pressure might make someone submit temporarily, but it would only lead to bigger problems in the long run.
It would take at least a hundred years to fully integrate Ava State into the empire, and according to Steelheart Widow, the new Moon Realm crisis could happen within the next few years.
Killing was easier than making someone submit. When you killed someone, you didn’t have to worry about their opinion. But to get someone to submit willingly, you had to take a lot of things into consideration.
This was true for one person, and even more so for an entire country.
So, whether it was out of conscience or a desire to save Currere’s strength, William couldn’t go through with such a plan.
His question left Remides in a long silence. It was only when he asked again that she really thought about it for the first time.
William added, “Morton’s words may be tough to hear, but he’s got a point. The people of Ava State’s free city-state won’t take orders from a human Presiding Judge above you. That being said, we still have some time before that becomes necessary. Until then, you can maintain both identities, but eventually you’ll have to make a choice.”
William said this because he wanted the other party to find a reliable successor as soon as possible.
He needed Remides’s combat skills, but he couldn’t give up on Ava State. This was probably the best way to fully utilize Ava State’s strength.
At the very least, Ava State couldn’t rely on the protection of the soul to survive the next Moon Realm crisis.
After a while, Remides asked, “Lord William, let me ask you something. Am I still a Doomsday Watcher and a Judge in your heart?”
“Forever.”
William nodded.
“Even after a thousand years?”
“At the very least, in my heart, you will always be one,” William said guiltily.
He knew that to him, the so-called 1,000 years was just a blink of an eye.
“In your heart…”
Remides said, having failed to notice William’s strange expression, and placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
“Well then, Lord William Kane, leader of the Doomsday Watchers, Chief of the 13 Judges, and Presiding Judge, I, Remides Shadowmoon, the third Judge of Judgment, trooper of the sentinels against the Moon Realm, wish to formally request that… I be allowed to withdraw from Judgment.”
Wh-what?
Before William’s expression went from doubt to surprise, Remides said, “If you agree, I would like to stand on equal footing with you as ruler of Ava State. I would represent Ava State in negotiations with the Doomsday Watchers regarding the upcoming crisis with the Moon Realm.”