Shifting Blame and Appeasement

Herren had already rehearsed his speech countless times on the road, so it was a piece of cake for him.

However, Helen deliberately "artistically embellished" his speech to suit the individual.

It remains speculation about Noxus about to start a war, but the threat posed by Noxus has been exaggerated.

For example, Noxus will not only attack Ionia, but also invade Freljord and harass Demacia.

This is somewhat alarmist, after all, Heron only knows that Noxus will most likely invade Freljord again, and he doesn't actually know much about Demacia.

But with a king in Noxus, nothing is impossible...

"We wish to forge a secret alliance with your country, and in the event of a Noxian threat, we will relieve Demacia of the pressure from the Noxians in the north."

"Hmm... So, similarly, if Noxus invades Freljord, will we also have to join the war?"

"No, if Noxus is merely invading Freljord, we don't mind the Demacians standing by."

The Demacians are very committed to a peaceful and prosperous life, and Herren knows that it would be very difficult to form a true military alliance with Demacia.

Sure enough, Jarvan III frowned after hearing Harren's answer.

"This sounds like a really good thing for Demacia... What are your demands? Do you need our supplies?"

"That's right. Although I said I would share the pressure with the Noxians in the north, I'm afraid you don't even believe it yourself... In fact, we don't have enough strength to fight against Noxus. It's not that our warriors aren't strong enough, but that we simply don't have any experience fighting against the Noxian legions."

"you mean……"

"We hope that Demacia can send an advisory group to train our scattered soldiers so that they truly have the strength to fight against the Noxian army."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Jarvan III fell silent.

This sounds reasonable; it seems like a good thing for Demacia to cultivate a force in the north of Noxus that can share the pressure... and it sounds like they won't have to invest much, just sending experienced people to train soldiers.

Demacia and Noxus are arch-rivals, so Demacia has no shortage of experience and doesn't need to openly risk provoking Noxus.

However, after a moment of silence, Jarvan III gave only an ambiguous answer.

"I understand... Please rest here for a while. Let me think about this matter some more."

"Forehead?"

Herren found it strange; in his view, Jarvan III shouldn't have had any reason to refuse.

However, no matter how much Harren explained the pros and cons, Jarvan III simply stalled, saying he would consider it further.

But under Harren's persistent persuasion, Jarvan III revealed some of his own considerations.

Firstly, there was a lack of trust in Harren's alarmist rhetoric... He didn't think Darkwell would be so reckless as to wage war on all sides; the first thing Harren mentioned—the invasion of Ionia—hadn't even happened yet.

Secondly, based on the above circumstances, coupled with Demacia's long-standing isolationism, Jarvan III still adhered to the principle of "it's better to avoid trouble."

Moreover, Freljord is bitterly cold, and even if he had that thought, his mercy could not force uncomprehending warriors to suffer in such a place.

Therefore, no matter how much Harren pleaded, he still couldn't get any further information and had no choice but to leave with Jarvan, placing his hopes on Jarvan III changing his mind.

Jarvan was in charge of arranging Heron's accommodation, but instead of doing so, Jarvan led Heron to his own place, saying that he wanted to apologize for his previous behavior and treat Heron well.

Herren was in a bad mood and intended to refuse, but he couldn't resist Jarvan's enthusiasm and had no choice but to go as a guest.

Jarvan's palace was extremely luxurious. The old king clearly valued his only son highly. As the only son, Jarvan had an unquestionable right to inherit the kingdom, and no amount of attention was too much.

Jarvan noticed that Herren was not happy, so he brought out his treasured wines and arranged for servants to prepare a banquet.

"Don't be sad, Herren. That's just how my father is... but he's wise. Didn't he say he'd consider it? Maybe in a couple of days, he'll think it over and agree to your request."

"Oh? So, you agree with me?"

"Me? Haha... Although I am a prince, I spent the last few years in the military camp and don't know anything about politics. But if you ask me, I would be very willing to fight the Noxians if I had the chance."

Young and passionate, the only royal descendant, brave and skilled in battle, bearing the glory of his ancestors—with all these buffs, Jarvan is eager to have a real fight with the Noxians.

But his responsibilities also required him to cherish his people and not let them bleed in meaningless wars.

So, if we could get to Freljord...

Of course, this is just wishful thinking. Even if they were to cooperate, he certainly wouldn't be able to go given his status, but he strongly supports cooperating with Winter's Claw.

"Don't be discouraged, there's still hope... Let's drink until we drop tonight and relax properly."

"Drink until you drop? Looks like I'm not going home..."

"Oh? So confident? Then I'll have to see for myself."

As Jiawen spoke with a smile, he looked outside and muttered to himself.

"Strange, why hasn't that guy arrived yet..."

"Are there other people?"

"Of course, I'll introduce you to my friends. Otherwise, if it's just the two of us, it'll seem like we're drowning our sorrows in alcohol."

As he spoke, Jarvan poured the amber-colored wine into a clear crystal glass. Herren picked up the glass, took a sip, and nodded slightly.

"A very pure white wine, with some oak barrel aromas, probably over ten years old... The most unique thing is the finish, crisp but not pungent, um... a bit sweet."

"Oh? You know about wine?"

"I know a little bit, but I'm not very good at evaluating... I consider myself a winemaker."

"You really surprised me."

Since Herren had already started drinking, Jarvan sat down and drank two glasses with him.

The servants had already brought the dishes, and Jiawen was starting to get impatient, constantly looking outside.

The main reason was that Herren had a high alcohol tolerance and drank quickly, and Jarvan kept up. Before long, he was slightly tipsy, and it felt like a long time had passed.

Finally, footsteps sounded outside the porch, and a burly man hurried in.

"Sorry, Jarvan, I'll take care of it..."

As soon as the man entered, he saw Herren, paused for a moment, and then greeted him politely.

"You've finally arrived!"

Jarvan patted Herren on the shoulder.

"This is Heron, a distinguished guest from Freljord... Heron, and this is Garen, my comrade-in-arms in the Fearless Vanguard."