"Hmmm?" The King blinked, batting his thick eyelashes. He had refused to give this fellow any sort of help as far as he could remember.
But he was standing in front of him now and declaring that he had successfully chased out not only the dark elves but also the demons who had invaded their lands?
Wait, since when did so many demons step foot inside the Gresh Kingdom? Why did he not know anything about this?
The young King frowned, making the two dimples on his cheeks more prominent.
He gazed at Liam, eyeing him from top to bottom, trying to discern everything about him.
However, Liam silently stood with a polite smile, waiting for the King to do whatever he wanted and respond whichever way he wanted.
Only Mia was breaking into a cold sweat because Liam was not just taking credit for the dark elves, he was also taking credit for the demons!
Wasn't he the one who brought the demons here in the first place? What would happen if that secret was revealed?
Mia was not dumb, and she knew that the King of a big Kingdom like Gresh also couldn't be dumb.
Liam was basically playing a double agent, reaping both the rewards from the side of the humans and the side of the demons.
What would happen if this was found out?
Knowing the tough penalties in this game, he would probably be captured and imprisoned or swiftly sentenced to death!
Yet the guy was cooly lying through his teeth!
With her hands crossed behind her back, she crossed her fingers, silently hoping that everything would work out.
Meanwhile, Liam and the young King were still locked in a staring contest with each other.
They kept looking at each other silently, neither side saying anything more.
Liam did not bother talking because he wanted to make the fat sheep sweat.
The King did not bother talking because he couldn't say what he really wanted to say as the Chancellor was also present at the moment.
As he had newly ascended to the throne, he couldn't jeopardize his position like that, which was also why he couldn't give more units to support Liam in the matter of the dark elves.
In the end, somehow, everything had been settled smoothly.
However… there was still something unsettling about the whole matter that made the King suspicious and uneasy.
How could a newly appointed Duke accomplish something so significant without adequate backing?
He rapped his fingers on the chair, having a million questions in his mind.
If the man in front of him was indeed so powerful, then that was all the more reason he had to be wary of him!
Gritting his teeth and swallowing what he originally intended to say, the King finally replied back.
"Good. Good. You have contributed greatly to our Kingdom. As a reward, I-"
However, Liam interrupted the man promptly. "Please, your highness. No reward is necessary."
He humbly shook his head and bowed once before flashing a polite smile again.
Though his action of interrupting the King was rude, no one could question him after these gestures.
"Then? What is it that you are here for? Speak?" The King gnashed his teeth.
"Yes, your highness, I am here for that same purpose." Liam shamelessly continued.
"Though we have somehow eradicated the intruders from our territory, the lands and forests have been destroyed."
"They are no longer inhabitable. Only poison rots in the ground."
"Hmmm…" The King listened to him, his gaze coldly lingering on Liam, wondering where he was going with this.
"Those lands are within the borders of the Kingdom. They can be dealt with after the threat of the demons is neutralized."
"Your highness-" Liam started speaking, but the King shook his head and cut him off.
"It would be for the best if everyone only focussed on that for now."
Liam's eyes twitched, but he did not give up. "I completely agree with you, your highness."
"These lands are not our priority!"
"Yes." The King nodded.
"These lands are probably ruined beyond help. They are worthless and our Kingdom's efforts would be wasted on trying to recover those."
"Yes, indeed."
"These lands don't have any value anymore. They are just an eyesore, a pimple, a black mark on our Kingdom's beautiful terrain."
"Mmm. Yes."
"So, why don't I take these lands myself and hide them?"
"Yes." The King answered casually, only blinking afterward in confusion. What just happened?
He made a mistake and answered too fast without thinking!
"What? Hide? What are you trying to say?"
Liam sneered inwardly, seeing the young guy fumbling. He knew that he almost had this in the bag.
"I mean your highness, I desperately need a piece of land to set up our base. It would help our guild operations if we had a residence."