Chaos' Heir Chapter 978: Treason

Chapter 978: Treason

The audience couldn't believe their ears.

Amba.s.sadors often negotiated secret deals and secured personal advantages. The Global Army turned a blind eye to the matter as long as no problems arose. That was basically the norm when individuals dealt with alien species.

However, that practice had unwritten rules. The Global Army couldn't feign ignorance if those secret deals became public. Moreover, the Thilku Empire's military planet was no small matter. Humankind's safety was at stake there, but Khan had traded it away for personal gains.

The n.o.bles and Nognes Excellencies could remain outside that topic. They would love to use that leverage, but that public environment wasn't suitable. They couldn't be seen pursuing personal gains while admonishing Khan of the same sin.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Seycomb, Mister Cirvags, and the human team couldn't accept Khan's actions. They couldn't stay silent, either, due to their political position, and the presence of so many important guests also forced them to question Khan's behavior publicly. "This is treason," Mister Cirvags spoke first, to everyone's surprise, "And a clear breach of the interspecies treaties. Baoway's emba.s.sy is compromised."

Mister Cirvags didn't ask questions. He stated conclusions, and he had the authority to implement them. Khan had taken upon himself the role of the main connection with the Thilku Empire, but Mister Cirvags couldn't accept it when it led to such ma.s.sive secrets.

Brigadier General Seycomb felt conflicted at that sudden turn of events. He agreed with Mister Cirvags but didn't want things to develop in such a drastic direction. Khan was too critical to discard, and many Generals agreed with him, but Mister Cirvags held ma.s.sive authority when it came to the Thilku Empire.

Oddly enough, Brigadier General Seycomb could only hope Khan had a proper reply since he couldn't oppose Mister Cirvags in that public environment. The General had come there to argue in favor of the Global Army but was now in Khan's hands.

"Is it?" Khan asked. "I remember you telling me this was the farthest humankind had ever gotten with the Empire. I pushed that alliance even further."

"By betraying humankind," Mister Cirvags promptly argued.

"Did I?" Khan questioned. "Did the Thilku Empire ever make use of that planet? Did the Global Army ever receive an attack?"

The audience understood what Khan was doing. He wanted to claim to have played a part in the Global Army's peace. No one had known about the military planet until a week ago, so disproving Khan was factually impossible.

Yet, Mister Cirvags couldn't play politics before that ma.s.sive threat. At his core, he was a loyal servant of the Global Army, so he ignored the benefits the other parties were after.

"Humankind's safety can't be in the hands of the [Blue Shaman]," Mister Cirvags declared. "Especially when he proved himself untrustworthy."

"That's not for humankind to decide," Khan responded. "If anything, the [Blue Shaman] finally gave humankind some leverage."

"Without informing any of his superiors," Mister Cirvags pointed out, "Nor coordinating with the Global Army."

"Do I still have superiors?" Khan asked. "Who in this room can claim to be my superior?"

Khan seemed set on making the audience angry on purpose, but his words. .h.i.t the mark. He was the leader of his faction, and nothing stood above n.o.bles inside the Global Army. The tournament had also made him a focal point in the political environment, so it was safe to a.s.sume that no one could order him around.

Moreover, Khan was right. The Empire was a famished and terrifying monster in the universe. The Thilku themselves were also stubborn and headstrong, often forcing the Global Army to compromise during negotiations.

Khan had changed that. The Thilku Empire saw him as one of its own, which was far deeper than anything Mister Cirvags had achieved. The latter was a respected Amba.s.sador, but Khan was a proper Lord. He only lacked the t.i.tle.

"Do you expect the Global Army to be fine with this?" Mister Cirvags wondered. "You are declaring war against its Generals but still want to pa.s.s as an ally. It's too late to trust your loyalty."

"I'm not the one who attacked my ships," Khan stated. "I warned the Global Army, too. Considering what I can do, I settled for something merciful."

Mere hours had pa.s.sed since Khan had accepted some of the Global Army's conditions, but everyone in the hall had already learned about them. All things considered, Khan had truly gone for something that wouldn't hurt humankind too much.

Brigadier General Seycomb felt the opportunity to intervene had presented itself, but Mister Cirvags didn't give him the time to speak.

"We are talking about a military planet," Mister Cirvags repeated. "What would you have done if the Thilku Empire exploited you for a preventive attack? How many lives would humankind have lost because of you?"

The issue was too big for Mister Cirvags to let go, and Brigadier General Seycomb couldn't blame him. Humankind couldn't entrust its safety to a single man. No individual could hold that amount of power.

"Don't bore me with these tricks," Khan sighed. "We both know the Global Army had a contingency plan against the Empire from before I was born."

The hall's atmosphere changed once again. Different emotions invaded the symphony, but all the guests retained their decorum. No one revealed anything, but Khan could see past everyone's calm expressions.

Mister Cirvags didn't know what Khan was talking about. Actually, Khan was in the same situation. He had merely bluffed, but his hunches had turned out to be correct. Brigadier General Seycomb didn't show it, but his mana revealed more than enough.

Gazes inevitably converged on Mister Cirvags and Brigadier General Seycomb. The guests didn't know who to trust, but similar conjectures had long since formed in their brains. Breaching interspecies treaties involved harsh punishments, but no species would leave their borders exposed to an alien invasion. That was another unwritten rule in those deals. The Thilku Empire had prepared a planet in case of emergencies, so humankind probably had done the same.

"And," Khan continued, not letting the guests absorb the news. "If the Empire betrayed me, I'd simply take down the Empire."