Something was disconcerting.
Lorian thought so.
The plan had worked.
The number of people allowed to enter the city had also been elevated.
As desired, all nobles were being allowed to enter the city. Instead, the number of escorts assorted to each person; the retainers they could bring with was reduced to two, but that was no big issue.
What mattered, and important was that they all came together.
Pretending to sympathize and stealthily unpacking and distributing the ration supply was also successful. With their overwhelming quantity and quality, it would not be a that hard task to capture the food flow of the city.
And to seize the food flow in crumbling, starving cities like these was to seize power.
From that perspective, in retrospect, the toll negotiations were an advantageous happenstance for them.
Because time was on their side.
'…Strange.'
It was nice that the plan had worked out faithfully.
But it had worked out… too well.
Like puzzle pieces fitting together…
