Second World

Jack's face went dark for a second, but his expression returned to normal soon. He gave Guzrim a warm smile and asked, "Marquess Guzrim, Themisphere has not paid any tribute for a long time already. It is a thing of the past. We are both countries of equal dignity. There shouldn't be tributes given by any one of us."

"Equal dignity? Hahaha!" Guzrim laughed condescendingly. "You outworlders are truly ignorant. Do you think you know our world? You are just guests! Your kind is unruly creatures who only care about profits. Not to mention, you are such a young outworlder. Even with Goddess Serenity's blessing, I am surprised the human natives allow this farce to proceed. I guess they are just the same spineless race as their ancestors."

Alfredo, Isabelle, Laurent, and Thaergood fidgeted. They were offended by Guzrim's words, but they didn't speak out of turn. They kept silent and waited for Jack's response.

When Jack didn't give any, Gizrum continued, "Despite your unworthiness, our great queen mother is willing to be your benefactor. With Hydrurond's protection, you won't worry about rebellion or another invasion. Surely you have lost many troops in the recent invasion war. We are willing to garrison a few legions of our mighty warriors to help protect your territory. With our presence, it will drive all resistance, whether from the inside or outside, away from your rule! All you have to do is submit to our queen mother and pay your tributes."

Gizrum paused for a bit before adding, "It's a fair price to pay to guarantee the continuation of your rule, isn't it? Don't waste my time by saying that you need time to think about this offer. More importantly, do not waste our great queen mother's generosity. You won't get this offer a second time."

Jack was still smiling throughout Gizrum's speech. John was strangely also smiling with him. The four human natives were confused by these two's expressions.

Gizrum, on the other hand, thought the outworlders' smiles were an indication that they understood how beneficial this offer was to them. He was glad. It saved him time from trying to make these lowly creatures see the wisdom of his offer.

"Thank you for your very generous offer, great marquess," Jack finally spoke. He stood up from his throne. The wide smile on his face never faded.

He came down from his throne and walked toward Gizrum while saying, "I've long heard of the mighty Hydrurond Dominion. No one dares to oppose you in the past. Your past mighty army was the stuff of legend. People of the old crumbled to their knees whenever they heard of your country's name. Even being a vassal state of Hydrurond was an honor for those past countries."

Gizrum was slightly conflicted. Jack's tone and expressions showed he was praising Hydrurond, but why did this young king use so many 'past' words in his speech?

"This offer you bring is indeed very generous. I was sincerely touched by it," Jack said and offered a handshake.

"Despite being an outworlder, I'm very glad that you are wise enough," Gizrum shook Jack's hand.

With a friendly gesture, Jack put his other hand on Gizrum's shoulder. Gizrum didn't like this lowly human touching him without permission, but he let it slide since Jack was not a fool who rejected his generous offer.

"But… As I said, it's a thing of the past," Jack said, still smiling. Gizrum felt pressure from Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"What…?" Gizrum was confused.

"You see, honorable marquee. You are right about one thing. We, outworlders, are indeed a bit unruly," Jack continued. The pressure he applied on Gizrum's shoulder intensified.

Gizrum's legs were shaking as he tried to resist the pressure. However, even though he had a higher level than Jack, he was also only a special elite. His stats were nowhere near the sum of Jack's three special classes.

Gizrum was extremely puzzled. A draconian race provided extra strength stat compare to the human race. In theory, he should be stronger. He grabbed Jack's hand which was pressuring his shoulder. But even as he tried his best to tear that hand away, it won't budge.

His legs finally buckled and he fell to his knees.

"You… How dare you…!" Gizrum was furious at the shame of getting forced to his knees.

"Listen to me, great marquess," Jack uttered. His face was still wearing that smile but his tone was anything but friendly. "You might think that you can come and show us our place, but you have been blinded by your past glory. Themisphere is no longer a kingdom that bends its knees to any country. It is not during Themos' rule. And contrary to what you believe, it also definitely will not be so during my rule. Now, you can go back to your mighty Hydrurond and tell your great queen mother this. If she dares to show such disrespect again to our kingdom, the next messenger he sent won't just end up with a little bruise."

"Bru… Bruise…?"

When Gizrum was still bewildered by Jack's words, Jack let go of the hand that was shaking Gizrum's hand. With lightning speed, that hand went to Gizrum's throat. The sudden choke caused the draconian to be unable to speak.

Jack then lifted Gizrum high before slamming him down with wrestling-style chokeslam.

Jack used mana manipulation on the slam. It was so hard that it cracked the floor. A damage number appeared above Gizrum.

Gizrum was coughing on the floor as he shouted, "You will regret this, you foolish outworlder!"

Jack didn't bother talking with the draconian anymore. He gave Gizrum a hard kick, which sent Gizrum flying toward the exit with another damage number popping up.

"Throw that dog out!" Jack commanded.

The stationary guards around the hall immediately came to where Gizrum had landed. He was then forcefully escorted out while still shouting and cursing.

Jack sat back to his throne afterward.

"Well, I say we can say goodbye to the attempt in allying with Hydrurond," Isabelle said.

"You don't approve?" Jack asked.

"If Your Majesty hadn't thrown him out. I might have been the one to do so," the Duchess said.

"Although this is not good diplomacy, I guess there is a time when we have to make our stand," Thaergood remarked.