"Take a look at this report!" Krell exclaimed, distributing sheets of paper to the other members of the council.
Curiously, they picked up the papers and read through the report. The emotions and reactions displayed by the council members were quite a spectacle. Some took deep breaths, others furrowed their brows in doubt, some growled angrily, and others turned pale.
"Is this true?" one of them asked desperately.
Krell nodded, "Unfortunately, yes."
Krell sat at the table with the council members of the Council of Humanity. Twelve men joined him at the table, all mayors of the largest cities in the world. They were all nobles, positioned at the pinnacle of mortal society. Only the king, a messiah of rank six, stood above them.
They had pushed themselves to the limits during their training and education in the universities to get to this level of power.
About two weeks ago, Enos, bloodied, returned to the capital city. When Krell received the shocking news, he immediately called an emergency meeting of the council and traveled to the city of kings, the capital of the entire empire, and the gathering place of the council.
Half a month later, the entire council had assembled. Only the king of humanity himself was absent, but that surprised no one. The king was the most important person in the entire realm, rarely making public appearances since his arrival.
Half a month later, Krell sat at the round table in the council chamber, discussing their next course of action with the other council members.
"What do we do now?" one of the mayors asked.
Krell pondered, "I would say we have several options. The first would be to wait and see what happens. It's possible that we're overreacting and the Reils don't actually plan an attack on all of humanity. They could be a secretive sub-organization that has established a temporary base in the forest and will soon withdraw. However, considering the presence of three nobles, this is highly unlikely, so I would advise against it. The second option is to utilize the Crystal Organization to track down the Reils in our territory and eliminate them quietly. This way, we can resolve the problem without drawing much attention and pretending that nothing happened. However, there are two issues with this plan. Firstly, the Crystal Organization alone might not be strong enough, meaning at least two of us would have to put ourselves in danger. The losses could be high, and we still don't know their exact strength. What if the Reils' king himself is present? Additionally, we are not aware of the exact reason for their presence. The third option doesn't differ much from the second. It involves making the situation known instead of quietly driving out the Reils. Not only in the realm of humans but also in the realms of the Reils and even the elves. This would change the entire situation once again. Either the Reils have migrated into our land without the knowledge of their leaders, which the Reils themselves would clarify since they also want to avoid total war. However, this would be the most unlikely scenario. If, nevertheless, they did have something planned, spreading the news would panic them. They would realize that we have deciphered their plan. Furthermore, the elves would also become aware, and if a war were to occur, they would intervene and take advantage of the situation. Neither we nor the Reils want that. I would recommend this strategy."
With that, Krell concluded his report and waited silently for the other council members to contemplate their thoughts.
After a long silence, the first one nodded and said, "I agree with you, Krell. I can't think of a better solution for this situation than the third option you mentioned. We could try making a pact with the elves, but considering their arrogance, they probably won't approve of it."
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Agreeable murmurs spread throughout the hall. They took a vote, and everyone voted in favor of Krell's solution.
"All right, then it's settled. Now we just need to decide who will go with the Crystal Organization into the forest and locate the Reils. In my opinion, at least three of us should go for safety," the first one continued.
Silence once again filled the hall.
"I will go!" Krell said firmly as he stood up.
"Me too!" another person said, standing up.
"I'll join as well," a third one added.
"Very well. Let's get started then. First, we'll spread the message, and then we'll..."
----
In the midst of a gigantic gray city within a massive building, twenty beings sat around an oval table in a hall. The beings appeared humanoid at first glance, but only superficially. They had long tails covered in scales, hands with razor-sharp claws, thin and vertical pupils in their eyes that sparkled. Horns of various sizes grew in all directions on their heads.
"These ugly, arrogant, treacherous humans! May they be cursed! How dare they accuse us Reils of such a malicious attack. If anyone were to do something like that, it would be the humans!" one of the Reils councilors angrily exclaimed.
"Don't get so worked up, Riscal," another one said calmly. "We know very little about the situation. May I ask how likely it is that Reils actually invaded the realm of humans beyond our borders?"
"It's not entirely unlikely. Reils do cross the border from time to time, but this case is different. Normally, it's only those of rank three or at most four that we intentionally overlook because it doesn't really matter. But nobles are absolutely impossible. No one of that level could ever leave the land unnoticed."
"Are the humans lying then?"
"Of course they are. But why?"
"There can only be one possibility that makes sense. They want to use it as an excuse to attack us!"
"What!"
"Yes, that would make sense. That's how humans have always been. Essentially evil and treacherous, but always pretending to be in the right. They need a justification for everything so that they can appear as heroes and saviors in the end."
"So what do we do? Do we attack the humans?"
"No! If we attack them, those damned elves will immediately extend their greedy claws and attack us after we're weakened. The only thing we can do is prepare for a gigantic war. We need to reinforce the borders, recruit and train more Reils for the army. That's all we can really do."
---
While the Reils continued their excited discussions and scheming, another species was also engaged in their conversation. They were in a magnificent golden city, grand and colossal. It was the largest city in the world, filled with radiant buildings adorned with gold. Statues and monuments of significant figures stood everywhere in the city. And within one of the oldest buildings of the city, in a small hall, the elves were also discussing the events in the realm of humans.
The elves resembled humans greatly, but on average, they were taller. They lived much longer than humans but were fewer in number. They had less quantity but more quality. They were known as the most intelligent but also the most arrogant race among the three. While humans were known for their hot-headedness and bravery, and the Reils for their brutal yet direct approach, the elves were renowned for their arrogance and intelligence.
A young elf sat at the head of the council. He had short blond hair, and emerald green eyes that gleamed coldly and boredly. They were half-closed, and the elf appeared as if he would fall asleep any moment. A golden crown with red rubies rested on his head, emitting an immense aura. He was undeniably the King of the elves. A grant rank six Beings. Chosen by the gods to rule the entire World of Elves.
Another elf, an old man with long gray hair, had just finished his report. He sat second in the council and was highly respected among its members. His words carried weight.
"What do you think about this?" he asked.
"Hmmmm..." one of the council members pondered. "In the end, it doesn't concern us. It's about the humans and the Reils."
"How can you still be so short-sighted? This doesn't only affect the humans and the Reils; it impacts the balance of power in the entire world!" another elf scolded.
"Okay, what do you propose what we shall do then?"
The King of the elves laughed silently. Immediately the entire Room was silent. Though he was not the eldest of the present Elves, he was the most important person, and his words were highly appreciated by the elves present,
"It's quite clear what we should do. Not only do we know it, but everyone else in the world knows it too. We'll wait. Of course, we'll fuel the tension between the two races with rumors, but overall, we'll just wait. If a fight truly breaks out, we'll simply bide our time and strike when the others are weakened. We'll seize the opportunity and finally conquer the entire world, eradicating the other races."