Gara clenched his fists until his knuckles turned pale. "This can't possibly be Count Raksa's idea alone," he said. "Someone must be whispering in his ear."
"Not just giving him ideas," Agus muttered. "There's another scheme behind Count Raksa's demand, and it's connected to all the tragedies that came before this."
Everyone turned to look at Agus. He had just made their problem sound far more complicated than they had imagined.
"Sir, is there any way to keep this from escalating further?" Gara asked.
"Offering something else in exchange won't truly end it. At best, they'll keep demanding more until you have nothing left except this territory." Agus's expression turned serious. "What we need is a major move."
All eyes remained fixed on him. Everyone wondered what kind of move he was talking about, but they knew better than to speak before Gara.
Gara did not waste the trust they placed in him. He asked decisively, "Sir, what kind of major move?"
