V
The Sutherland Army, Skyberg Fortress
The Sutherland army quickly abandoned the third block and fell back to Skyberg Fortress. Their defensive formation had been constructed under the assumption that they would be fighting ghouls; it was all but useless against an undead unicorn. The armored mage cannon had been their best chance, but now that it had sustained severe damage, they had to revise their entire battle plan. Then, just over twenty days after they retreated to Skyberg Fortress, Lion received some bizarre news.
He stared down at the deployment map set up on the enormous, long table, so transfixed that he did not even seem to notice as Julius and Diana came into the room.
“You didn’t sleep then, my lord,” Julius said. “Even after all the times I told you to...”
“I’ll sleep for as long as you like just as soon as we have the time. More importantly, how is Heaven?”
At once, Julius’s face turned grave. “Her condition is critical.”
“I see...” Lion said slowly. “Anyway, has something happened?”
“A messenger has arrived from the Kingdom of Fernest. According to the soldier who spoke to them, they carry a letter from the prince regent.”
“Prince regent? Not that idiot king?”
Julius’s mouth twisted. “Yes, it was definitely ‘prince regent.’ Apparently, his name is Selvia sem Galmond.”
“The idiot king’s son, then...” said Lion. “Though it’s not a name I’ve ever heard.” He looked at Julius for confirmation. Julius gave a small shake of his head, indicating that this was the first he had heard of this son as well.
“Should I look into the story?” Julius asked.
Lion thought for a moment. “No, no need. The fact that he’s this unknown probably means he takes after his father. Still, a messenger from Fernest is interesting...” Turning to Julius, he asked, “What do you make of all this?”
Julius must have expected the question because he answered without pausing to think. “I imagine they learned of our predicament and came to sound out a potential alliance.”
“Do you agree, Lady Diana?”
“I do. Fernest has won back its territory from the empire, but food isn’t going to just pop out of the ground. There’s no doubt that they hate us enough that they’d go to war given the chance, but one cannot live on pride alone.”
Lion moved the logistics unit token in his hand to the left of the map. “So basically, the alliance is a way to get us to resume food exports.” Julius and Diana nodded. “But,” he went on, “how did news reach them so fast? The timing is so perfect it feels planned.” Lion’s lips curved in a cruel smile.
The Sutherland army was currently mainly fighting in the grasslands between the wetlands and Skyberg Fortress. With nothing standing between them, the living and the dead clashed head-on. Under the brilliant command of a veteran general like Shaola, they were holding their own against the ghouls, but if another unicorn or some other undead beast appeared, the damage would be devastating. With the armored mage cannon out of commission and Heaven seriously wounded, they needed all the soldiers they could get. Lion guessed that the Kingdom of Fernest was well aware of all this. But from another angle, it meant they naively thought Sutherland would be an easy negotiating partner in their current position.
“What do the others think?” Lion asked.
“The majority are of the opinion that we should turn the messenger away without hearing a word they say.”
“The majority, is it?” Lion looked from Julius to Diana, both of whom were presumably part of this majority, then sighed heavily. “I can’t deny I’m a tad curious about what bait this messenger planned to dangle in front of us. But this time, I find that the majority and I are in agreement.”
“Personally, I was less interested in the sweetness of the bait than the messenger herself,” said Julius.
After deciding so quickly to send the messenger packing, Lion couldn’t let this comment slip by. His interest was piqued. “I didn’t think there was anyone in that country who could interest you, Julius,” he said. “Who is this messenger?”
“Olivia Valedstorm.”
“The Death God herself...” It was the girl who had run rings around the elites of the imperial army and toyed with the army of Northern Perscilla. Lion understood Julius’s interest, but something bothered him. He turned to look at Diana.
“I wouldn’t have thought you would be interested in the Death God, Lady Diana.”
“What a strange notion. Her military accomplishments as reported thus far are such that, if I were in their shoes, I would think it no exaggeration to call her a hero. I would question the sanity of anyone who wasn’t interested.”
“Do you want me to turn her away, my lord?” Julius asked blandly. Lion narrowed his eyes at him.
“Damnit, Julius...”
Julius lowered his head deferentially. “I beg your pardon, my lord.”
With a snort, Lion said, “At least make it an audience worthy of a death god.”
Olivia and Claudia were shown not to an audience chamber, but the parade grounds. Battle-scarred soldiers stood around the perimeter of the grounds. In front of them, a man and a woman sat in unadorned chairs.
This is hardly a place to entertain messengers, Claudia thought. She and Olivia bowed to the seated pair.
“I am Lieutenant General Olivia Valedstorm of the Royal Army of Fernest. On behalf of the kingdom, I thank you for granting us an audience despite the sudden nature of our visit.”
The pair nodded graciously. Then the man, who wore a dark-green military uniform, spoke.
“I’d like to say I’m honored that you came all this way, but as you are aware, I have a lot on my plate right now. You have to understand that I am not at leisure to enjoy a pleasant chat.”
“Duly noted,” said Olivia. “Colonel Claudia?”
“Ser!” Claudia handed the letter over to the redheaded man who approached them. He took it, then passed it respectfully over to the seated man. There was a pause, then—
“This is insanity. You can’t seriously think Darmés will accept these terms.” The man handed the letter over to the woman with a look of utter derision.
“We think it likely that he will,” Olivia replied. “The proposal contains significant advantages for Darmés too. To that end, your nation’s assistance will be indispensable.”
The woman looked over the letter, then said, “Assuming we did agree to an alliance, what would the advantage be for Sutherland?”
Olivia smiled sweetly. “At the very least, you can escape your impending doom.” This had the sound of an insult, and the reactions of the soldiers standing around the parade ground were all as Claudia had expected.
“Those hardly sound like the words of someone asking for an alliance.” Unlike the furious soldiers, the seated woman smiled brightly at them. It was clear, however, that she did not mean it to be friendly.
“Our country is facing the same doom,” said Olivia. “The undead are tricky opponents. Time doesn’t matter to them, so the longer this goes on, the worse things will get for the human side.”
The man raised his head a fraction and indicated for her to continue.
“Even if you drive them off, it will only be temporary. It won’t solve the root of the problem. We can only free ourselves from the threat of the undead by defeating their master, Darmés.”
“So that’s why you want an alliance, and a quick end to the war. I see the logic of it, and yet...”
The woman picked up where the man left off. “Defeating Darmés sounds very simple when you put it like that, but how exactly do you mean to do it? He is an emperor. You don’t expect him to ride into battle, do you?”
It was a natural question to have. The problem was this: only Olivia knew the means of getting close to Darmés. An unsatisfactory answer here risked ruining everything.
“I will kill Darmés,” Olivia said softly. “No matter where he might be.”
Watching her, the seated man and woman went so still they might have been paralyzed.
Lion had the two messengers leave so that he could weigh the merits of the proposal. Once they were gone, he heaved a sigh so heavy that it pushed all the air from his lungs. His heart was still pounding, and his uniform was so drenched in sweat that it clung to his skin.
“Daunting” doesn’t even begin to do her justice. Is she even really human? he thought, noting that Diana was pale and trembling.
Julius, who looked haggard, said, “There isn’t a shred of evidence to back up what she said. If we enter into an alliance, there will be backlash.”
Lion pushed back his damp hair. “And what do you think, Julius?”
“I’m not sure what to think. Except that...” Julius trailed off significantly.
Lion, with terrible certainty, said, “Except that you felt a power in those unnerving eyes that made you believe her. I’m right, aren’t I?” With a crooked smile, Julius nodded. Lion remembered the smile Olivia had given him as she left. It had been so chilling that he felt for a moment as though death’s scythe was hanging over his neck. Who’d have thought the day would come that I’d be afraid of a little girl?
A stream of hissed mutterings made him look over at Diana, who was slumped over with her head in her hands. “Did you say something?”
“Why are we debating this? We obviously ought to join her.”
“What? Why?”
“You need a reason after what we just saw? The girl has the face of a goddess, but behind that, she’s a monster that makes the ghouls outside look sweet. No wonder the imperial army were all terrified of her. We have more food than we know what to do with—why shouldn’t we be generous with it? It’s a small price to pay for that monster’s goodwill.”
Diana’s speech did not clinch the decision, but the plan took shape naturally after that. Lion called Olivia and Claudia back to the parade grounds.
“I’m willing to form an alliance with you,” he said. “However, our current situation is too dire for us to simply take you at your word. We must have some proof with which to win over those not in attendance today.”
Olivia nodded. “Very well. In that case, I will show you something to that effect. Could I trouble you to accompany me to the wilderness to the south of here?”
“South of here? Is there something there?”
“No, but I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
Lion and the others, still not knowing why they went along with it, followed Olivia to the southern wilds. There, they learned firsthand just how right Diana had been.
On a day when thunder rang out over Galia Fortress to augur the coming of a winter storm, the Kingdom of Fernest, the Holy Land of Mekia, and the United City-States of Sutherland forged a military alliance.
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