The Dwarf King thought carefully about the supervisor's words before looking at him seriously and asking:
"Did the people you sent to investigate sense any demonic aura in the area?"
The supervisor immediately shook his head and replied:
"No, my lord."
Then he continued with obvious concern:
"We found nothing there except wreckage."
He lowered his head slightly before adding:
"All the ships carrying the supplies were completely destroyed."
The king frowned as he sank into thought, then spoke in a low voice:
"Perhaps the demons discovered our supply routes across the ocean and sent a force to attack them."
But before the supervisor could respond…
The king shook his own head as if rejecting the idea himself.
Then he said slowly:
"No…"
His eyes narrowed as he continued:
"If the demons were responsible, they would not bother hiding their auras or traces."
Silence filled the hall for a few moments.
Then the king's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a colder voice:
"If it was not the demons…"
His tone grew even harsher:
"Then those filthy elves must be the ones behind it."
The moment he finished speaking…
A heavy and furious aura burst from his body, causing the air inside the hall to tremble slightly.
Then he looked directly at the supervisor and ordered clearly:
"Send the supply ships again."
The supervisor quickly raised his head to listen as the king continued:
"But this time… I want one of our generals accompanying them."
Then he slammed his fist against the armrest of the throne and added:
"I want to know whether the elves truly attacked our ships."
The supervisor nodded quickly and said:
"As you command, my lord."
But he hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Should we send the general with a sacred weapon?"
The king thought briefly before replying slowly:
"Yes."
A cold look appeared on his face as he continued:
"I want him to capture those elves alive."
He lowered his voice slightly before adding:
"We still do not know the extent of the power they are using to attack our ships."
The supervisor nodded once more, then bowed quickly and hurried out of the hall to carry out the orders.
But before he completely left…
He heard the king say in an angry voice:
"And if the elves truly are behind these attacks…"
The king's aura intensified further as he continued:
"Then we will make them regret it."
The supervisor did not respond to his king's words. He simply kept walking and left the hall as though he had heard nothing.
But far away from the Dwarf Kingdom…
Far away from their king's confusion regarding the attackers' identity…
A squad of mermaids, led by the princess, was swimming calmly through the depths of the ocean.
In her hand, the princess carried fragments of the Ocean Crystal that she had recovered from the wrecked ships, while a small satisfied smile rested upon her face.
Then she said mockingly:
"The dwarves must think now that the elves attacked their ships."
She laughed softly as she continued:
"Those fools will never expect that we were the ones behind it."
The members of the squad smiled after hearing her words, while one of them said admiringly:
"A clever plan, Princess."
But he hesitated slightly before adding:
"However… isn't this dangerous?"
The princess looked at him calmly as the man continued:
"We could have kidnapped some demons and killed them after taking the fragments."
Then he gestured toward the wreckage surrounding them and said:
"That way, we would have left evidence pointing to the demons as the culprits."
The princess shook her head mockingly before speaking while looking at the wreckage scattered across the ocean floor:
"The dwarves are not that stupid."
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly and continued:
"They will definitely grow suspicious and investigate what truly happened."
She raised one of the Ocean Crystal fragments between her fingers as she coldly continued:
"But because we hid our tracks well and left behind no evidence pointing to us…"
A faint smile appeared on her face before she added:
"They will begin suspecting their greatest enemy first."
Silence lingered for a moment before the princess continued:
"The elves."
Then she laughed lightly and said:
"They are the race that least wants the dragons to discover they are in direct conflict with the dwarves."
The squad members looked at the sea princess with clear admiration, their eyes shining as they listened to her analysis.
To them, she appeared as though she had planned everything with terrifying precision.
As for the princess…
She looked at her squad members staring at her with admiration, but she did not tell them the truth.
She did not tell them that none of this plan had been her idea from the beginning.
It had been the plan of her father and his advisors.
She was merely carrying it out.
But she did not care much about that.
What mattered to her now…
Was that those looks of admiration remained directed toward her.
And the moment she thought about her father…
She remembered what he had done to her and her squad before they departed.
She remembered the violent storm he had unleashed upon them.
Suddenly, anger flared inside her.
But she hid it completely behind her calm expression.
Then she turned toward one of her squad members and handed him the Ocean Crystal fragments they had collected.
"Take these pieces."
Then she pointed toward the distant kingdom.
"And return them to my father."
She raised another small fragment before her eyes and continued:
"As for this one… I will keep it."
The man looked at her in confusion, so she replied with a faint smile:
"I will use it to locate the remaining fragments."
The man immediately nodded, carefully took the pieces, then mounted one of the giant sea beasts and departed toward the kingdom.
Everyone watched him until he disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
After that, one of the squad members asked:
"Will we wait now… or attack again, Princess?"
The princess slowly shook her head, and a strange smile appeared across her face as she replied:
"No."
Then she continued in a calm yet frightening tone:
"We will do nothing for now."
Silence spread as she continued:
"We will wait until news of what happened spreads across the continent of Mira."
Then she raised the fragment in her hand and said:
"I want everyone to begin fearing for the Ocean Crystal fragments."
The squad members exchanged glances while the princess continued explaining her plan:
"And after the news spreads…"
Her smile widened further.
"We will strike again."
One of the warriors frowned in confusion, so the princess explained:
"At that point, if any other race is attacked…"
She gestured toward the wreckage around them.
"They will immediately assume that their enemies were responsible, after what happened with the dwarves."
The squad members gradually began to understand what she meant.
Then one of them said in astonishment:
"So, Princess…"
His eyes widened as he continued:
"You want to spread chaos and suspicion among the races?"
The princess laughed confidently and replied:
"Exactly."
Then she continued while swimming slowly through the dark waters:
"If everyone starts attacking each other and stealing ships carrying the fragments…"
A cunning look appeared on her face as she continued:
"Then we will be able to retrieve those fragments from the depths of the ocean with ease."
Then she laughed softly and added:
"While their true owners will not even be able to reach them."
The squad members' laughter echoed through the ocean after hearing the sinister plan.
But none of them realized…
That every word spoken by the princess had not come from her own thinking.
They were merely plans carefully created by her father and his advisors.
As for her…
She did not care much about who came up with the idea.
As long as the final result would grant her race the power they believed had been stolen from them long ago.
And because she also…
Did not want the looks of admiration and awe to disappear from the eyes of her followers.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]