Chapter 2: Secrets of the Mountainfolk
Having ordered my soldiers to disguise themselves as the Droy Company, I returned to my domain for a time. I couldn’t stay away too long, or it might come out that I’d been moving my troops around on unofficial tasks. When I got there, Gibun had just returned from Bertaquin, and after hearing his report I ended up setting out for Bertaquin next.
I was feeling a little fatigued, and I didn’t want to be away from Runan too long with the matter of the Droy Company still remaining, but Gibun’s report was also not something I could ignore.
He said they’d found a mana circle.
For some reason, in the game, this mountain region didn’t get activated until it was occupied by the player. Maybe this mana circle was part of that secret.
“You sure you’re all right, Gibun? You can rest, if you’d like.”
“Not an option. Someone’s got to show you where the mountainfolk are, and prevent you and the captain from missing each other too!”
“Well, you’ve got a point there. I’ll keep you working just a little longer, then.”
“I can take it.”
Euracia, Gibun, and I headed out on horseback. I’d assigned Jint another task, so he was busy elsewhere this time.
“That’s the castle!”
This was my first time visiting Bertaquin. True to expectations, it was an underdeveloped domain. We entered the castle as soon as we arrived. Yusen might be there, after all.
But there was no sign of Yusen.
“He said he would be surveying the area, so I guess he’s still not back yet...” Gibun said, scratching the back of his head with a look of concern on his face.
That leaves us with nothing else to do at the castle.
“Let’s head into the mountains.”
“Yes, sir!”
With Gibun leading the way, we headed to the area where the mountainfolk were.
“I think it was this way...”
However, Gibun got us lost on the way there.
“Well, you see... It was a very tense situation at the time!”
Forest here. Forest there. With all this green everywhere, it was understandable that he couldn’t tell one place from another.
“Let’s just move forward for now. Those weirdos with the green face paint will show up eventually!”
Just as Gibun said that, something fell down from up in the trees. A person, incredibly enough.
“It’s one of them! They look just like that! Eeeeek!”
Gibun tripped and fell over as he backed away. Euracia meanwhile quickly drew her sword.
But on closer inspection, it was a familiar face.
“Hey, it’s Yusen!”
“Your Excellency, you came!”
At this point, Gibun rose to his feet with indignation.
“Captain! What was that for?! Why are you dressed like one of them?! Did you become one of the mountainfolk while I was away?”
“Shut up. The bigger problem here is the way you failed to recognize me and started wailing like you’d seen a ghost.” Yusen gave Gibun a swift kick in the butt before turning to me. “They paint their faces green in this fashion. I stood out too much on my own as I was, so I decided to do the same.”
“Well, that’s certainly true, Captain. Just looking at your face, there’s no way to tell you apart from—”
Gibun, who’d said a little too much, was cut off as Yusen gave him another punishment that left him lying on the ground.
Nice to see they get along so well.
“So, have you figured anything out?” I asked.
“I investigated their territory. Here’s a map!” Yusen said, handing me a hand-drawn map.
“For now, is there any way of reaching the place where the mana circle is without them finding us?”
“They won’t leave their territory. It’s an unbreakable taboo for them. So, if we take the side route over here, we can get there easily, but...”
“But what?”
“It seems to be a holy site for them, so they’re guaranteed to notice if we trespass there. That’s the problem.”
There’s no avoiding a clash, huh? I may not like it, but I came all this way for that mana circle, so I’m gonna do what I have to do.
“Until I see that mana circle, I can’t decide how I’m going to deal with the mountainfolk. Lead me there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following Yusen, we took a big detour off the path. Unlike Gibun, however, Yusen knew the area like the back of his hand.
“There it is, Your Excellency!”
Let’s see if it’s what I think it is.
A massive cliff. And at the bottom of it, a mana circle. It looked very familiar.
“I knew it. It looks like the one we saw that time, doesn’t it?”
“I was thinking the same thing. Look at this!”
It was the same as the one in the underground space Euracia and I found during the war with Brijit. Remembering what happened that time, Euracia held out her hand. Blue light shone from her ring. This was also the same as back then.
In short, this circle of mana was a device created by the Ancient Kingdom.
If there’s iron somewhere in this area, could it be that it’s not from an iron mine, but iron ore that was being used by the Ancient Kingdom? Was it lost with the fall of the kingdom?
“Ukakakakakauka!”
At some point while I was thinking about all this, a green-faced gang had surrounded us. It was immediately obvious they were the mountainfolk because they were dressed the same way as Yusen. Hundreds of them appeared from on top of the cliff and from the rear, encircling us with faces that showed unmasked hostility.
“Who is your chief?! I am Erhin, the new Lord of Bertaquin!”
In response, one of them opened his mouth. The man with the broadest shoulders in the mob.
“It matters not to us who you are. Begone at once. Or your life will be forfeit.”
They seemed uninterested in my status as their lord. Well, that had been obvious at first glance. They were all short, but with comparatively broad shoulders and muscular frames.
“I suspect that one is the chief,” Yusen explained. “He was rather strong. I was only barely able to beat him.”
“Oh, yeah?” I replied.
Bertalman
Age: 28
Martial: 80
Intelligence: 50
Command: 78
I immediately checked the man’s ability scores. He wasn’t A-class, but the numbers were certainly still appealing.
“If you won’t leave, then you must die! Kill them!”
The mountainfolk attacked because we ignored their warning.
We could fight back, but that risks casualties. That being the case, we’ll break through instead.
“Euracia, it’s probably fastest to dispel the mana circle and go inside. We’ll cover you, so get that door open!”
“Got it.”
Euracia nodded and raced toward the mana circle. As she did, I arranged for her protection.
“We’ll hold them off until Euracia opens the door!”
“Leave it to us!”
Then, just as we were about to make contact with the onrushing mountainfolk... It only took a brief moment.
The mana circle flashed with the same blue light as Euracia’s ring, and the ground began to shake like an earthquake.
“Ukakakakaka?”
The mountainfolk, shocked by the tremors, ceased their attack. At the same time, the wall on which the mana circle had been drawn opened up as if it had been vertically bisected—and then the shaking subsided. Euracia’s ring and the mana circle were still emitting a powerful blue light as they resonated with each other.
She went inside, and I followed behind her.
The mountainfolk looked on in a daze, clearly confused by what was happening.
“Look at this. What do you think it’s doing here?” Euracia said, pointing in front of the door. There was a sword thrust into the ground there. Cocking her head to the side questioningly, she drew the blade. It was brown, like the sword that had been in Rozern.
Nameless Sword
Martial +2
The item’s effect was identical.
Don’t tell me the Ancient Kingdom’s treasures are all the same. No, even if they’re harboring some secret, surely there can’t be twelve of these brown swords, right?
“Your Excellency! Look! Look at them!”
Gibun’s shouts caused me to turn and look at the mountainfolk.
“Ukakakakaka!”
The mountainfolk assailants had all prostrated themselves before us at some point. And as they lay in supplication, their apparent chief addressed Euracia.
“Master!”
He spoke as if he were speaking to a goddess.
Euracia pointed at herself with a blank look on her face that seemed to say, “Master? Me?”
Speaking on her behalf, I asked, “What do you mean, ‘Master’?”
The chief raised his voice and answered, “It is as our ancestors foretold. She is the one who opens the holy place with blue light—the savior who will liberate and lead us. We have protected this place, waiting eagerly for the one who will lead us with the blue light!”
On hearing this, Euracia cast a troubled look in my direction. She was even more divine when her poker face slipped, making the mountainfolk prostrating themselves before her look like worshippers. Their presence complimented Euracia’s beauty.
“What do you suppose they’re doing?”
“They appear to be worshipping you.”
“Huh?”
Euracia hid herself behind me. It was unusual for her to do this, since she typically stood in front of me, ready to fight whenever a battle broke out. And she was even grasping the hem of my shirt. I’d have loved to look at this fresh side of her a little longer, but I turned to face the mountainfolk again.
I had mountains of questions for them.
“You’re saying that you were waiting for someone to open the door sealed by the mana circle?”
“Who are you?! I have nothing to say to anyone but our master!”
Chief Bertalman’s response angered Euracia, who shouted from behind me, “I don’t know if I’m your master or not, but he and I are together!”
“What? Oh, I see. He is your spouse, then?” Bertalman said, jumping to an unbelievable conclusion.
“E-Erm, no, he’s—mmph?!”
Euracia was quick with the denial, but I covered her mouth with my hand.
“If she’s my spouse, then will you listen to me?”
“If you have sworn vows with our master, then we will swear our loyalty to you as our master as well.”
I see. So that’s how it is.
I put my hand around Euracia’s shoulder, pulling her close.
“In that case... Your master is my wife!” I declared boldly, but Euracia objected of course.
“Wait, who’re you calling your wife?!”
“Just play along for now. We need to get the mountainfolk on board,” I muttered, putting my hands together in a conciliatory gesture. Euracia pursed her lips slightly.
“Even though I’m not your type! Yeesh!” she complained in a whisper. She then raised her voice so everyone could hear her: “It’s true. He is my partner.”
“What?” She accepted it so plainly that I couldn’t help but be astonished.
“Is that not what you meant?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“If it helps you, then I’m fine with it. And besides...”
“Besides?”
At a loss for words, Euracia smiled, and she shook her head.
“Even if you are a pervert, maybe I can accept that...?”
With that, she turned her back to me and headed inside.
No, hold on. Do you really still think I’m some kind of deviant?
“Whoa, hey, Euracia! I told you that was a misunderstanding!”
Euracia pretended not to hear me as she looked around, vanishing inside. I watched as she left me behind out here, then turned my gaze back toward the mountainfolk. I’d considered going after her, but this had to come first.
“Anyway, you heard her, right? My questions are her questions. So answer me. Were you waiting for someone to break the seal of this mana circle?”
Bertalman, who had been watching us, seemed to draw some conclusions, and opened his mouth to say, “When you get in a fight with your wife, the best strategy is to let her win, Master!”
What kind of conclusion had he come to? Why was he looking at me like I was pathetic? With a look that told him to shut up, I asked, “Listen, just answer the question, would you?”
“O foolish Master. I will answer your question. Yes, we have waited many long years.”
“Was there some reason for that?”
“We mountainfolk were brought to ruin by Brijit a thousand years ago. But we had a benefactor who saved us then. Our ancestors did as he told them, and have protected this land with the mana circle ever since. He told us the one who would one day appear with a blue light would be our master, and that that master would spread the name of the mountainfolk across the entire continent.”
“Whoa, hold up. I get that this guy saved you, but you’re telling me you’ve really been waiting for an entire millennium?”
“We are not like those of Brijit. No matter how many millennia pass, we never forget our gratitude! It is said that he foretold many things, and our ancestors bound us to do as he said. And so, we obey!”
Hmm. That was a pretty cool little speech. Their high degree of loyalty’s no lie.
I wanted these mountainfolk as my subordinates badly. Their mobility and ability to conceal themselves while in the mountains was a big part of that.
I’d be a real lucky guy to have them as loyal subordinates.
But even more important was the fact that their story had hints to the treasures of the Ancient Kingdom in it.
The man who the mountainfolk said saved them was likely the original bearer of Euracia’s ring. He must have taken the treasures from the Ancient Kingdom that were stored in Brijit, then brought them to be stored at this mountain with the mountainfolk protecting them. In that case, was their savior involved with the Ancient Kingdom? In other words, one of the ancestors of the Eintorians? I could theorize that their savior left this place and then went to Rozern to give them the ring. Not that I have any idea why he’d have done that. Still, having any clue at all makes a world of difference.
“Hrm...”
Well, if I keep pursuing the mystery, the pieces of the puzzle are bound to fall into place at some point.
“Your Excellency! You married Her Royal Highness?!” Gibun approached and asked as I was deep in thought.
“What?” I responded, shooting him the most incredulous look I could muster. Yusen let out a sigh and shook his head before dragging Gibun off. Gibun hadn’t been able to say a word to Euracia the whole way here. He’d been overwhelmed by her beauty, or her position. Probably both.
Anyway, I turned to the mountainfolk and said, “Basically, you were looking for a master who would bring honor to the mountainfolk, then? It sounds like his prophecy was correct, because I am the man who destroyed the same Brijit that drove your people out. If you serve under me and Euracia, I promise you the whole world will know the name of the mountainfolk!”
“Brijit was destroyed? O Master, is that true?” Bertalman asked with a look of stunned disbelief.
Considering his people couldn’t leave the mountains, it was no surprise that he didn’t know.
“The reason Bertaquin has a new lord is because Brijit was destroyed.”
“You truly destroyed them, Master?”
“The master you’ve been waiting so long for has appeared before you. If you cannot even believe what he tells you, then what have you been waiting these many long years for?”
“We believe you! You are our saviors!” Bertalman turned and spoke to the tribesmen in their own language.
“Whoaaaa!”
The mountainfolk immediately let out a great cheer. Then they repeatedly bowed their heads toward me.
“Are you still doing this?” asked Euracia, who had returned at some point. She was always making sudden appearances, so it didn’t even surprise me anymore.
“How far in did you go?” I asked.
“This place is really deep,” she replied. “It seems there’s an iron ore mine, but at the entrance was another one of those magic circles.”
“What kind was it?”
“The sort that increases our mana. Just like the one we found a while back.”
“No way!”
It looks like the mana circles associated with the Ancient Kingdom really do have that function, like I suspected.
This was really good news. I could raise two people’s ability scores this time.
“Euracia, do you know the origin of that ring? Like, who it came from?”
“No. Father never told me. Or rather, he likely didn’t know himself.”
The answer’s not going to come easy, I guess. What purpose did these facilities from the Ancient Kingdom and their treasures have?
“Well, it’s fine. We have unsealed the mana circle that you people were protecting. You are to follow me and my wife Euracia from now on!”
“Yaaaaaaaaaay!”
Their cheer echoed through the mountains.
Why were they driven out of Brijit, and for what reason did my Eintorian ancestor save them? Whatever the answer, the important thing now is that I’ve found myself some powerful pawns in the mountainfolk. There are mountains everywhere, but with this world’s level of technology, none of them are highly developed. That means that the mountains aren’t yet part of humanity’s domain. It’s just a fact that having the aid of the mountainfolk, with their incredible mobility inside the mountains, will be useful.
On top of that, it looks like the huge volume of iron ore that I was expecting is in here too.
I planned to use that iron to build myself an elite unit of iron cavalry as soon as possible.
The iron cavalry boast both offensive and defensive power. They’ll be invaluable in the age of chaos that comes with the destruction of Runan.
And I already had a man in mind to be captain of my iron cavalry.
Martial 96. Intelligence 70. Command 92.
He was one who possessed superior abilities for a commander.
Yes, it has to be Erheet Demacine.
*
The iron problem was resolved.
Gibun and Yusen were to bring in engineers from Eintorian, then secure the transportation routes. Management of the domain and development of our manpower were proceeding apace too.
Which means what I need to do now is gather information—information on the Naruya Kingdom. So far, I’ve been able to keep winning thanks to my experience with the game. But there was no second Naruyan invasion in the game. It’d be dangerous to go up against the powerful forces of Naruya without any intel whatsoever. They have characters—their king foremost among them—who I can’t overcome even with Daitoren equipped, after all.
If I fight blindly without accurate intel, I really will be risking my life in this war.
There’s that saying that if you know the other guy, and you know yourself, you won’t have to worry about the result of a hundred battles. Some famous Chinese strategist guy said it. If I know the enemy, I can win. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
“I’m gonna head to Naruya,” I said, thinking aloud.
“Wha—? What’s this, coming out of nowhere?” Euracia asked, her expression dubious.
“It’s to gather information. There’s something I want to use the Droy Company to find out.”
Euracia stared at me. “Is that right? Well, let’s make sure we’re adequately prepared,” she said as if that were the natural conclusion. Which meant she planned to come with me.
“Uh, listen... I think I’d better go it alone this time. You kinda stand out... You’re not a good pick for a covert mission.”
“Just what about me do you think stands out?” Euracia asked, pouting. She was upset I’d told her not to come.
“Everything about you. Your very existence. That soft, blonde hair and your creamy-white skin. Your breathtaking beauty. You stick out like a sore thumb.”
“...” Euracia stared at me in dumb amazement when I said that.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you saying?! This is way too embarrassing! You can’t just say that...!”
She turned away, her face reddening.
Hey, wasn’t her reaction too slow there?
“That’s just how much of a sore thumb you are. So, much as I might like it to be otherwise, I’m going alone. The domain’s set up to run when I’m not around, at least. I’ve got a favor to ask of you instead.”
“A favor?” Euracia asked, bashfully hiding her face behind her hands.
“Can you move Rozern to act on my behalf? I want you to head there for that purpose.”
Yeah. Infiltrating Naruya to gather intel was great and all, but I needed to be able to move Rozern if I was going to put it to use.
“Move Rozern...you say?”
“Yeah. In the coming war, I’m going to want Rozern to choose me over Runan, and to help me out.”
“Of course we’ll choose you. If the choice is you or Runan, the answer is obvious.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes,” she answered instantly, an expression on her face that showed she felt no need for hesitation. “Because you said Runan was a sinking ship. But no, there’s more to it than that...”
“More to it?”
“I’ve actually chosen you over Rozern too.”
“Huh? You have?”
There was a silence, followed by, “You dummy! I don’t even know you anymore!” as Euracia stormed off looking genuinely angry.
*
Near the Runanese capital, the soldiers guarding the Droy Company fortress had been replaced by Eintorian troops. And inside the fortress, there was a prisoner I’d spared because he knew the chief of the Naruyan branch of the company.
The branch chiefs just pass orders along and rarely visit the fortress, so nothing should look like it’s changed as far as they’re concerned.
I had traded my usual noble garb for Gensema’s clothes.
“Today they’ll be coming from Cassis, the Naruyan capital, right?”
“Yes. That’s what was scheduled.”
The chief of the branch in Cassis. In other words, the key individual in this situation.
“You’re certain Gensema’s never met his branch chiefs directly?”
“Yes. He only sent out messengers with orders for the branches.”
The prisoner nodded, wincing a little.
After seeing how mercilessly we’d killed his comrades, he probably had no intention of trying to trick me.
Naruya’s not corrupt like Runan. In fact, in order to preserve the absolute authority of the king, they systematically eliminate any unpredictable elements like criminal organizations. Because of that, unlike in Runan, the Naruyan branch of this company is at a high risk of being wiped out. That’s why Gensema chose not to show his face—to prevent it from ending up on a wanted poster if the branch did get swept up.
He could only do that because he was running a crime syndicate, not an ordinary organization. It’s going to make mopping the rest of them up all at once tough.
“In that case, think of me as Gensema from now on. Got it?”
“Understood!”
Once I’d driven that point home, the person we were waiting for arrived. His name was Martin, and his ability scores were nothing impressive.
“I am Martin, chief of the Cassis branch! You’re the master? I never expected you to be so young...”
“I inherited the position from my father. If you’ve heard anything about the master that is contradictory to my appearance, then that was likely him.”
“I see. So that’s how it was... Anyway, why is it you’ve called me to the main fortress? Isn’t this in violation of company rules?”
Martin eyed me suspiciously. He was as cautious as I’d expect from the branch chief of a criminal organization.
“That’s just how important this is!” the prisoner standing beside me interjected.
“Oh, who are you? You’ve come to Cassis a number of times to deliver messages, haven’t you?”
“I see you’ve been good enough to remember me.”
Perhaps thanks to that acquaintance, Martin put his suspicions aside for the time being and nodded.
“I have an important task for you, and that is why I’ve made an exception to the rule,” I explained before clapping my hands together.
When I did, the soldiers brought in the gold bars. Four boxes worth. Even one box was equivalent to five years of the Droy Company’s revenue. They opened the boxes to reveal the gleaming gold. Martin’s eyes lit up as he approached. He’d joined this organization for the money, so that was to be expected.
“What is this...?”
“The advance payment for the important job I’m assigning you.”
“All of this...is the advance payment?”
“Correct. And you’ll receive twice this much if you’re successful.”
“Double! You’re serious?”
Martin looked at me with disbelief...because there was enough money in the advance payment alone to walk away from this lifestyle and live like a king.
“Where in the world...did so much money come from? No, just how dangerous is this job?”
The higher the price, the greater the risk. That was a given.
“There is something that I am hoping to investigate by ingratiating myself to the Naruyan nobility. This gold is the price of the information.”
“No way!”
“You just need to accept the payment and help me infiltrate Cassis. I’ll handle the rest. Our client is a great man. If the job is a success, the Droy Company will be able to make inroads in the Jenas Kingdom. I think you can see why it was worth breaking the rules now. However, because we’ve had to go against protocol, I expect you’ll be transferred to another branch once the job is done. That, or you could quit entirely. You can consider this to also be a retirement bonus.”
“I can’t believe we’re moving into Jenas!”
That meant moving into an incomparably larger market than Naruya. Unlike the insular Naruya, Jenas was a country whose profile had been rising due to their trade with other nations. Obviously, they were even more watchful of what business was going on in their country than other nations.
That was why the Droy Company hadn’t been able to extend their tendrils into that region yet.
Martin looked at the boxes again. Then he gulped.
“By the way...would I, personally, be in any danger?”
“Not at all. I’ll do all the risky stuff myself. I only need you to set things up so I can infiltrate the country.”
“I’ll do it, then! You’re really giving me all this gold...!”
“Good. The gold is yours. Once you’ve gotten me into the country, you may return to the fortress to claim it. But only after you’ve gotten me in. Understood?”
Martin’s eyes bulged as he thought about this.
From the perspective of a villain like him, it must have been concerning that he wasn’t being handed the gold here and now. In a shadowy organization like this, it was only natural that he would fear he might be repaid not with gold but death once he’d served his purpose. After all, this was an organization where people didn’t meet face-to-face. They were bound by gold, not loyalty.
“I just have to get you in, that’s all? And then I really get the gold?”
“That is correct. Obviously, if you were to talk, I would die when I infiltrated the country. If that happens, you won’t be getting the gold. What, do you think I’d do you harm when I’ll still need the Cassis branch to help me make my escape?”
“You have a point... Okay then. I’ll take my payment when the job is done. Heh heh heh!” Martin said with a chuckle.
He seemed ready to stab me in the back once he had the gold bars.
With that much money on the line, that’s a natural outcome. But there’s no way he should be able to betray me before he has the gold. I’m sure Martin must smell the danger, but the allure of the gold in front of his eyes is much greater.
“Now, let’s take the company’s route to Cassis.”
“You’re not going to bring Lutri with us?”
“It’s a top secret operation, after all. The fewer people involved, the better.”
“I see. Then you’ll be acting on your own in Cassis?”
“That is what it means, yes.”
Those words lent Martin a sense of certainty, his lips curling ever so slightly up into a smile.
The Gensema he knows is weak, and Lutri is the strong one. And we’ll be going to Cassis, his sphere of influence. That means if I kill him instead of paying him, his men can turn me into the authorities. It’s a profitable deal made all the more tempting by the security measures he has in place. He must have sensed that as long as Lutri isn’t with us, it should be possible.
*
The Droy Company branch near Cassis was also a fortress with an underground prison. It was a facility for holding slaves who were being trafficked. The children who didn’t sell would be taken in by the assassin group and subjected to advanced training from a young age. Those who survived would become hired killers, while those who couldn’t handle it would simply perish.
Of course, they just killed any adult they couldn’t sell. That’s the kind of place the Droy Company was.
“So, how are you planning to get me in? You’ve brought me here with some plan in mind, right?”
Martin nodded in response to my question.
“Of course. There’s a group in Naruya called the Ten Commanders.”
“Surely you aren’t suggesting I wasn’t aware of them?”
“The truth is, we have a customer in the Ten Commanders. Heh heh heh!”
Really?
“Only Naruya has an organization like the Ten Commanders.”
The Ten Commanders of Naruya were literally the ten strongest guys in Naruya. Whenever a stronger guy appeared, the lineup changed. Whether they were a noble or a peasant didn’t matter.
Basically, they’re a total meritocracy.
When a commoner was chosen as one of the Ten Commanders, they stood above the ordinary nobility. They might not have a title, but for as long as they were one of the Commanders, the nobles couldn’t lay a hand on them. That included every noble outside of the royal family and the House of Valdesca who came from one of the Twelve Continental Families.
Naturally, it was incredibly prestigious for a noble house to have produced a member of the Ten Commanders. The Ten Commanders system had existed since the founding of Naruya, and the post was seen as sacred. But at the same time, it was also a license to do anything without facing the censure of anyone outside the royal family and the House of Valdesca.
*
Three months later, in the royal palace in Runan, the king was shouting at his retainers, his face turning red as he was unable to control his fury. When Duke Ronan answered his sudden summons, he looked at the king dubiously.
“What is the matter, Your Majesty?”
The king immediately pounded the armrest of his throne in response.
“Those Rozernans have gotten full of themselves! All of a sudden, they’re refusing to pay the promised annual tribute? What ingrates! I’ll make those underhanded curs pay for this!”
Not just Ronan, but all of the nobles present furrowed their brows when they heard the king say that.
Yes, this is outrageous. Curse those measly Rozernans, they all thought.
Even though they weren’t the ones who’d saved Rozern.
“We’ll destroy them at once. Prepare for war!” the king roared.
While the king and Ronan thought alike much of the time, the duke was still the more logical of the two.
“Sire! We can’t go to war.”
Consequently, he opposed starting a war on impulse.
“We’ve already sent many of our troops to Brijit, where there are still elements resisting our rule, and they are busy suppressing the domain.”
They had only given Erhin a small number of troops when he said he would take Brijit, but once the capital fell, the lords replenished their troops and headed there one after another. Thanks to that, the Royal Army and the nobles’ personal forces were largely away at the moment. If they recalled them to start another war, they would quickly face pushback from the nobles and an insurrection in Brijit, among other problems.
“Still, we cannot suffer this in silence. Damn that petty country!”
The king’s words worried Ronan. Once the man got angry, there was no changing his mind. He was strong when facing the weak. At this point, the nobles came together to make a suggestion.
“Why not send Count Eintorian, sire? Then there won’t be any need to fight a war. Sending him should be enough to intimidate them!”
“Oh, I see. That is a move we can make. To think things would go so badly after we withdrew him. Fine, send an envoy to Erhin. We’ll demand that Rozern pay ten times the annual tribute for going back on their word. If they don’t, then it will be war. Also, they must send us hostages. Yes, I think that the princess who came here last time will do nicely.”
He wasn’t thinking about the big picture. He’d completely forgotten about Naruya. The possibilities of money and a beautiful woman dangling before him were all that went through the foolish king’s mind.
“But sire, that will make it hard to use Count Eintorian...”
“I don’t want to hear it. Are you suggesting that Runan ignore a slight from measly Rozern, then, Duke? We either send Erhin, or we send in the troops to destroy them utterly!” the King of Runan declared firmly.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login