Chapter 342: First Plan

"Well, pay attention. If I were to say that I will only sell weapons to humans, there would certainly be a lot of problems with the demons. Surely, the rest of the demon kings would immediately think that I plan to support the Church. But..."

Ryan made an intentional pause after his speech. Every person in the room looked at him very closely and without daring to intervene.

He fixed his gaze precisely on Ophelia to make sure she understood the point.

"I will make it very clear that the purpose of my trade is to distribute weapons that are completely incapable of being controlled by the church or the holy knights, which means that adventurers will have no fear of opposing the church in the distant future by not losing their advantages in combat." Ryan explained with a firm voice.

"Are you looking to balance the scales of power?" William asked, instantly understanding the true objective of the king of Kowarre.

"That is right, if humans stop feeling controlled through their own weapons, the church and its holy knights will gradually lose the trust of the nations; if anyone can attack them without losing their abilities, then they will have to tread much more carefully, and of course that directly benefits the demons in the long run. I am giving a very clear message, I will arm the disgruntled humans, so they will not fear doing the dirty work for you."

Ryan settled into his seat and interlaced his fingers, keeping a slight smile hidden behind his hands.

"Naturally, that is something only I can do." Ryan added.

That explanation made all the girls in Ryan's group show a smile of deep approval instantly.

They never expected Ryan to be planning something this grand to destabilize the entire continent.

Ophelia still continued thinking in silence, while William and his group of outsiders were left somewhat surprised by the strategy Ryan had just revealed.

"I admit it is an interesting plan." William stated sincerely. "That being the case, I cannot object to your intentions at all. But, what does the demon queen Ophelia think of all this? I mean, at the end of the day, these will be weapons that humans will also use to fight against the demons themselves." The blond human asked.

"I figured you would say something like that, but the historical war between the different races is not my problem; humans will have weapons to fight either way, the simple fact that I provide them will not change that fact. Is that not so?" Ryan said looking at Ophelia, answering the hero's doubt without hesitating for a single second.

And before she could answer, Ryan added.

"And since we cannot change that fact as long as the church and those deities exist, the advantage the demons have now is that many more humans can rebel against the church."

'Of course, this has a much greater advantage for me.' Ryan thought, hiding his true intentions behind a bored face.

'I plan to turn Kowarre into a great nation, and to achieve that I need strong alliances, and also to take advantage of the deep dissatisfactions humans have. I know very well that there are still several nations that have not yet fully submitted to the church's orders.' The human king evaluated in his mind.

Ophelia did not immediately respond to her ally's gaze. The demon queen analyzed in great detail every word Ryan had just said in the hall, weighing the pros and cons of this situation.

Then, she finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Wow, even though I have known you for a good while now, I didn't imagine you had something this twisted in mind. You truly surprised me. Now that I understand the core of your plan, the truth is that all of this makes a lot of sense," Ophelia admitted.

Ophelia let out a small, nervous laugh, although she then began to laugh much more calmly and freely through the hall.

"Ha ha ha, I must admit it in front of everyone, you truly are a genius, you will do something the other demon kings will be able to approve of without any problem. Or at least they will not stand in your way." The queen of Morrisen praised.

Helen, standing next to Ryan on the dais, crossed her arms and nodded her head very energetically.

"I knew it from the beginning, Ryan is a true genius." Helen said with a lot of pride in her voice.

"He certainly is." Mirian commented, sharing the deep admiration for her lord.

'Genius? I hope this massive weapon selling thing doesn't turn me into a billionaire playboy philanthropist... just kidding.' Ryan thought to himself, lightening his own stress.

With that thought hovering in his mind, he observed how everyone around him was in complete agreement with his unexpected business plan.

And in the minds of everyone present, it was deeply etched that Ryan was a much more interesting and calculating demon king than they initially thought.

Once the entire tense matter was settled, William, along with Alina and Delia, withdrew from Kowarre's castle to fulfill the special task in the distant city of Kallistia.

The Dryad went back to sleep inside the relic that Iris carried with her.

Before vanishing into thin air, Nadira politely said goodbye to everyone. She explained that she would no longer be able to use that same relic to physically appear in front of them; however, she assured that when the crucial moment arrived, she would join them in the impending battle.

Ryan did not waste time once the guests left. He immediately asked Beatrice to go along with Karol and the mercenary Iris.

The three girls received the order to infiltrate the elves' nation to confirm the terrain. They had to verify that everything William had said was real, especially regarding the famous tournament to choose warriors for the saint.

Ophelia also decided to retire on her own after hearing the group's new tactical orders.

But before she left, Ryan expressly asked her to return to the castle the next day, because there was something very important he wanted to show her.

The grand throne room fell into a deep silence. There were very few people left in the place now, since the rest had gone to fulfill their tasks.

And it was in that moment of calm that Mirian approached Ryan with slow steps and a very restless look.

"Hey, Ryan, I would like us to talk about something important." Mirian said, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor.

Alicia, with her sharp instincts, immediately understood that Mirian wanted to be completely alone with Ryan to talk about her personal problems.

So the beastwoman kindly asked the rest of the women who still remained there to accompany her outside to sort out some matters.

Helen, Lise, and Chloe, along with Irina, heeded the subtle suggestion and walked out through the broken door without saying anything.

And once Ryan and Mirian were left completely alone in the throne room, he settled into his seat.

"Alright, what do you want to tell me?" Ryan asked with a calm voice, giving the archer his full attention.