When the Siwen royal court finally learned the fate of their invasion army, the situation had already crossed the point of no return, leaving only damage control to be had. The whole situation could have been much better if they had been notified of the outcome of the Dido siege earlier. That would have given them some time to react. Alas, with the Kingdom of Atra sweeping across their Western territory, any resemblance of order was completely lost at their royal court.
Recognizing the absolute need to act fast, they hastily attempted to assemble an emergency army by conscription and waited for Nino Helnwein to be back; He was the king’s delegate and was the lord of Puras. Regrettably, the man never made it back home. In fact, none of his men returned; Presumably, he was either killed in the battle or by monsters at night. They had no time to find that out. Time wasn’t something they had. They either had to act fast or their sovereignty was at a great risk.
With so many losses left and right, the Siwen dynasty sued for peace by sending two messengers to the Kingdom of Egra and Atra. Both nations had seized their offense and were holding onto their occupied territories at this point, indicating that they had little to no intention of wiping the Siwen out for the time being at least.
“They are suing for peace,” Edmund informed Elias and Ewald in his temporary study in Maiava. “They are calling us to Puras for a talk.”
“No chance,” Elias replied curtly.
Edmund smiled in return and agreed. This was a peace negotiation that heavily favored the Egra. There was absolutely no reason for them to head over to Puras which was a Siwen settlement.
“The king apparently rejected the idea and suggested Fort Tonga instead.”
“A more reasonable choice,” Elias agreed.
In the end, it was settled that they’d meet at Suvi instead. It was a middle ground.
“All of us are going,” Edmund announced. At this point, Ewald pointed at himself.
“Me as well?”
“Yes.”
A ten year-old noble’s son had no reason to be present at an important event such as a peace negotiation. However, Ewald had actual war achievements to his name such as killing General Goss and assisting the conquest of Maiava. In fact, the killing of General Goss alone was a big enough achievement. If he was a commoner, he would have been granted a knighthood right away with a possibility of a fief in near future along with a horde of marriage proposals from other noble houses.
“Suvi is a long journey. We are to depart the next morning.”
Their stay at Maiava had been quiet. It took the residents a while to actually digest that they had been conquered and that their nation was falling apart, literally. Traveling merchants delivered tales of the war and how the Siwen invasion force was literally obliterated. There were some tensions initially which led to nothing as Edmund made sure that his men would stay clear of any potential conflicts. In fact, his army was ordered to camp outside in spite of the freezing weather. Of course, thicker tents were gradually provided to compensate in addition to more fur coats.
As Edmund departed for Suvi, the Fenchel army under Noah’s command was ordered to withdraw to Fort Dido. There was no reason for the army’s presence within the Siwen territory when it was universally accepted that they had lost the battle as well as the war. Should any occupied cities raise their swords, the consequences would be dire. The troop withdrawal was also a show of power. Such an action displayed the absolute confidence in the victory for the winning side. For the losing side, it meant that there was little hope of reprieve.
Two carriages, escorted by about fifty soldiers, were making their way to Suvi. An additional supply wagon was following them since they did not plan to restock their supplies. There was no settlement midway between Suvi and Maiava. It was normally an excruciating journey to make due to the distance and weather. However, for them, it was going to be a relatively easy one due to their number as well as sufficient supply.
Edmund and Elias were in the first carriage. Ewald and Theo were in the second carriage.
“It’s been a while Sir Ros,” Ewald spoke to him. It had indeed been a while.
Beaming a smile back, Theo replied, “Indeed. I’ve heard of your tales.”
“My tales?”
“How you killed General Goss is becoming a tale cited by traveling merchants.”
He became genuinely curious about this tale.
“Pray tell. What were you told?”
Clearing his throat, Theo began recalling what he was told from a traveling merchant.
Shrouded in darkness, a lone boy stood atop of a crumbling wall that was Egra. Hordes of demons glowing in crimson red were creeping toward his location. Alas, the boy stood alone; his fate seemingly doomed. Yet, the boy’s eyes displayed a glimmer of everlasting hope, backed up by wind elementals. Green butterflies began forming around him, granting him powers which no mortal could wield. His everlasting hope became a ball of holy light and banished the darkness.
Wait. What? Waaaait.
“Wait, Sir Ross. Wait.” He felt like he was getting a headache. “That is not even remotely…”
Theo finished the sentence for him. “Close to what happened, I do know.”
What in the world… A bit poetic though.
“I hoped that you were joking.”
“Afraid not. Mind you that this is just one version of the tale I happened to overhear from a merchant. Who knows what the others may be saying.”
It was probably best not to think about whatever was going with the tale, which he could do nothing about. He felt he’d best change the topic. There was something he had been wondering for a while.
“What will happen to the two houses that rebelled?”
Upon hearing him, Theo heaved a heavy sigh. Folding his arms, he gazed through the window in the carriage.
“Hard to say. Let’s just say not many have sympathy for them.”
Couldn’t blame them, either. They rebelled at the worst moment possible. If the Kingdom wasn’t prepared for their rebellion, it could well have crippled the country. On paper, it was already a hard war to win.
He continued, “All I can say is that neither of the houses will be able to retain their lands. And I say that is the best case scenario.”
The Strobel was wiped out. Knowing the king’s personality, the Gaessler and the Mesurii were looking at a very grim future. He imagined how they must be feeling right now. They were probably going through nightmares. Perhaps, the Strobel had the lightest punishment at this point since they were dealt swiftly. The two other houses were going through a literal silent torture.
“By the way, Sir Ros.”
“Yes?”
“Didn’t you say you were engaged? Are you married now?”
He gave Ewald a bitter smile. “I am,” He replied curtly.
Ewald quickly realized that Theo wasn’t really pleased with his wife. He did mention he wanted to choose his own woman. Sadly, as the heir to the Ros house, that choice was out of his reach. The same applied to Ewald himself also.
“How are you finding Lady Flissing?” He asked back, changing the subject.
His relationship with Flora was platonic at the best. At least, neither had disdain toward each other which was a decent start for an arranged couple. Flora had a potential to become breathtakingly beautiful, but a beautiful appearance meant nothing if they couldn’t communicate without barking at each other. As his head maid, Emily, told him once, her job was to be a pretty doll in a doll house, the Fenchel manor. He felt that Flora’s mother was an example of that and a successful one at that.
“I haven’t had too much time with her really,” He replied, “But, so far, she doesn’t seem to be a bad person.”
“Let us pray for our love lives,” Theo said jokingly.
And Ewald replied with a grin, “Let us pray.”
Suvi was a large city of about 80,000 people. Interestingly, it was a city without walls. According to Elias, the city was too large to be effectively walled. Instead, there was a small fortress in the center of the settlement where the lord of the city resided. The city was occupied by the royal army led by Karsten Egra at the time.
The first impression of the city was -
“COLD!”
Ewald exclaimed as soon as he made his exit from the carriage. There was a fur coat inside which he quickly grabbed. In addition to the cold, the whole scenery was white, meaning covered with snow. Even donning a fur coat didn’t seem to repel the cold right away because of strong winds. It was partially because the coat didn’t have buttons, and any stored warmth was being swept away instantly. This place was clearly colder than Maiava. In fact the climate of the mining city could be considered mild compared to the current climate.
Theo without a fur coat exited the carriage and took out his spear from its storage compartment box. He didn’t seem to suffer from the weather at all.
“Sir Ros, are you not feeling cold at all?”
“There is a magic spell that can neutralize the cold wind.”
His reply was so casual. For a moment, Ewald felt like a peasant looking up to a God in the sky.
“There is?!”
“Well, I’ve cast it on you a few times. It’s energize.”
He did recall feeling an intense urge of something hot whenever Theo cast the spell on him. He didn’t think that spell would also repel the cold.
“Would you kindly cast it on me as well?”
“I don’t see why not. Certainly.” He extended his palm toward Ewald and chanted, “Elementals of fire, heed my call. Enter his body and awaken his inner fire: Energize!”
As soon as the spell was cast, he could feel the chill withdrawing from his skin pretty much instantly. He felt he still needed to don the coat however. Apparently, Theo was wearing thick clothes.
Something is off…
The carriages stopped at an inn near the keep, and thus they made their way toward the keep by foot. It started to snow rather intensively at this point, and a flurry of snow was obstructing visuals. Thankfully, the distance was short. Still, there was a small crowd gathered along the road. He could feel intense glares from them. Their eyes were radiating pure hatred toward them which made the soldiers escorting them be on full alert. He felt no such discontent from Ediva and Maiava.
What made them like this?
They were tracking them as Edmund’s party made their way toward the only gate of the keep. A man with silvery hair, Isaac Knell, was waiting for them. There were about ten royal soldiers at the gate who were clearly aware of the animosity. They looked as if they were about to fend off an attack at any moment.
“Lord Fenchel, I welcome you,” Isaac said while lowering his upper body slightly with a palm on his chest. “Let us go inside first. I shall brief you on the situation.”
Nodding firmly, Edmund and his company were escorted to a suite in the keep. It was a large room with stone walls and thick carpets on the floor. There were also three fireplaces that were already lit, pumping out heat into the room. There was no bed, indicating that they weren’t meant to stay here for long. Only Emund, Ewald, Elias, and Isaac were allowed to enter. Isaac wasted no time as soon as they entered.
“Lord Fenchel, I congratulate you on the conquest of Maiava. I had some concerns regarding the city as it is a natural fortress.”
Edmund, too, went straight to the topic he had in his mind.
“How did the royal army fare?”
Isaac’s face darkened at once. “Dire,” He replied curtly and added after a long sigh. “We lost two third of the army while trying to take control of Suvi.”
Given how disciplined and trained they must have been, it came to shock for the trio.
“How did it happen?” Edmund inquired.
Isaac went on to explain that, due to the unique layout of Suvi where the keep was in the center, the army had to camp within the city to besiege the keep. In doing so, the army clashed with local residents nonstop. They were harassed for days without being able to take a break or even eat. In addition, the king ordered them to kill anyone who got in their way, civilian or not, which rightfully earned the ire of the local populace.
“Our siege wasn’t successful,” Isaac said with a bitter expression. “Rather, the local lord surrendered after witnessing us killing hundreds of civilians.”
He lied. Thousands were killed.
“That does not explain how you’ve lost two third.”
Isaac grimaced. “The local lord…” He hesitated. “Poisoned the water source of the keep when surrendering. We were careless.”
Being utterly exhausted and hungry, the first thing the men did upon entering the keep was drink water from the wells.
“I see…” Edmund stroked his chin. “Will this affect the negotiation?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve done what I can to stop the news from spreading.”
They buried their own men within the keep to avoid the massive loss they had suffered. Once they ran out of space to bury, they set bodies on fire.
He added, “Know that we can no longer afford to restart the conflict.”
If the Siwen dynasty ended war with the Kingdom of Atra quickly and decided to focus on the Kingdom of Egra, it was within realms of possibility that they may restart the war if they became aware of the fact that Egra’s royal army was no more. They had time to regroup and, depending on what terms they would agree with Atra, they may even have a reinforcement from them, yesterday’s friend becoming today’s foe.
They still had some advantages, but their leverage had shrunk greatly; They were no longer in an absolute position.
“We have to tread very, very, carefully,” Isaac warned. “What we want is to end the negotiation today.”
“Noted, when can we start the negotiation?”
“Everyone is already here. We were waiting for your arrival. Now that you are here at last, I will inform all parties. Please wait for a moment.”
Once Isaac left the suite, the two men and the boy heaved a sigh.
“The situation does not favor us at the moment,” Elias remarked, “There is no way Sir Kenll was able to stop the news from spreading.”
“Can we take on the Siwen again?” Ewald asked.
“We can. The issue is the distance,” Edmond replied, and Elias explained further.
“We still have fully intact armies from the Fenchel and the Flissing which is about 9,000 men combined.”
The issue was that 9,000 men wasn’t enough to mount an offensive campaign. If the war restarted, the roles would be reversed. The Egra would be the aggressor, and the Siwen would be the defender. Their number wasn’t enough to mount an invasion to force the Siwen to submit. They were able to conquer as many settlements as they did due to the element of surprise. Without it, it wouldn’t have been possible.
Additionally and crucially, if occupied cities learned the news that their country was fighting back, keeping them from revolting would be much harder. A large city like Suvi, who was already deeply discontent with the Egra, would revolt right away. Once Suvi rebelled, other occupied cities would very likely follow the suit.
Man, warfare is never easy, huh.
Ewald was getting a headache. He genuinely felt that it was over when coming to Suvi. Apparently, the most fearsome battle was yet to be fought. Ironically, they wouldn’t be using swords.
“Am I really allowed to join the negotiation?” He wondered aloud, not meaning to ask.
“You sit on the top of the achievement ranking,” Elias replied. “You do have the right regardless of your age.”
General Goss was viewed as a true evil in the Kingdom of Egra. Eliminating him was seen as more than a mere achievement. Leaders always fled when things went sour, thus they were always hard to catch, let alone kill.
Elias added, “Lord Flissing loathed the general especially. He must have been delighted.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
However awesome the achievement may have been, it was a result of a drunken night. Well, he wasn’t even drunk; he was just tipsy. He felt embarrassed just thinking about that night. Shrugging internally, he approached a fireplace and warmed his hands.
Isaac kept his word; They were soon summoned to the negotiation chamber. Only Edmund and Ewad were invited.
It was a surprisingly small circular room with a large round table in the center which took up most of its free estate within the room. It was lit with about six candles on its wall. There was Karsten Egra, Baptiste Flissing, Isaac Knell, and a man he could not recognize. Presumably, he was the delegate from the Siwen. All of them were standing, and the table was high enough not to pose an issue. There was a small crate for Ewald to step on to even his eye level.
“Ah, the Hero of Egra!” Baptiste declared and cheekily added, “And my son in law!”
The diplomat glared at Ewald with doubts in their eyes.
“You lie,” He said, “A child could have not killed the general.”
“Do you doubt my words?” Baptiste retorted with glee. It seemed that this was not the first time he teased him, and he was enjoying toying with him.
“Lord Flissing,” Isaac warned quietly.
Clearing this throat, Baptiste apologized to the diplomat although it was clear that he didn’t mean it. The diplomat also knew this and clicked this tongue as he looked away.
“Let us begin,” Karsten declared. He was donning a fur cloak with a long tunic. A dagger could be seen just barely on his belt. His cloak was sort of hiding it.
As soon as the negotiation began, the diplomat made a demand.
“We request the Kingdom of Egra to immediately withdraw your troops from our territory,” He said.
“And what do we get?” Baptiste asked to which he snorted.
“Surely you jest. Be glad that we are not letting you leave our land safely.”
What a great start…
Indeed, it was. The diplomat continued to insist that the Kingdom of Egra must withdraw and return all occupied cities at once.
“And if we don’t?” Karsten raised his voice, looking fed up. Ewald couldn’t blame him. Talking to a wall might prove to be more productive than this imbecile of a man. He was starting to see why the Siwen lost the war the way they did. It was pure incompetence. They had the resources to be able to defeat his kingdom, yet blew it so spectacularly that they were counter-invaded.
“If you don’t…,” He began to stammer. “If, if you, you don’t …”
“We get to keep all the cities we conquered,” Baptiste said with a jeer.
Ewald face-palmed himself.
This is the best guy they can send? Seriously?
Edmund pulled out a leather pouch. It didn’t look like there was much in it. Placing it in the middle of the table, he told the diplomat.
“Alright, Sir Pfuser. Here. 10 gold coins.”
The diplomat, whose last name was apparently Pfuser, was startled upon hearing how much was in it. It was an amount he’d never amass in his entire life. With shaking hands, he slowly attempted to grab the pouch only to be stopped by Karsten when he was just about to grab it.
He told him while grabbing onto his wrist firmly, “Sir Pfuser. We will save your face here. We will cede Suvi and Elsos and you will keep the gold coins.”
Ceding Suvi and Elsos was always part of the plan. The Kingdom simply did not have the resources to integrate those two large cities.
Either way, Pfuser started to sweat and loudly gulped once. His eyes were fixed at the pouch. It didn’t look like he was interested in the one job he was tasked for. Perhaps he was looking after his own hide with the fate of his nation looking very grim.
“V, very well,” The diplomat conceded at last at which point Isaac pulled out a rolled up leather parchment from the ground and rolled it open. It was an official document for a peace agreement. It listed terms and conditions. Pfuser seemed to have gained some sense of duty as he laid his eyes on the parchment and started to read it carefully.
It clearly stated that the Kingdom of Egra was going to withdraw troops from Suvi and Elsos, and the Siwen dynasty would cede Tonga, Gonne, Ediva, and finally Maiava. In addition to that, a non-aggression pact lasting 5 years was in one of the conditions along with also ceding fort Tonga and fort Edimaia to the Egra as a direct result of the Siwen ceding the four cities.
On the bottom of the parchment, there were four places to sign. One was for Karsten to sign. The second was a signature from a witness. The third was for the diplomat. The final was for the king of the Siwen. Since he was not obviously here, the diplomat would have brought the king’s seal instead.
While he was reading and inspecting for mistakes and wordplays, Isaac pulled out another parchment which was an identical copy. They would sign both, and the diplomat would take one as proof of the deal.
The diplomat eventually signed and stamped the king’s seal on both documents. Once he was allowed to grab the pouch, his face became full of smiles. And soon off he went.
“I … feel stupid,” Isaac confessed with his shoulders deeply sagged. He looked completely defeated. “I prepared for a hard negotiation. To see it end like the way it did… I feel stupid.” He let out a sigh mixed with relief and frustration.
“Excuse me for asking, but are you sure he is not a fake?” Raising a hand, Ewald asked carefully.
“He arrived with sizable guards, and they were Siwen royal guards. He is legitimate.”
Those in the chamber looked at each other rather dumbfounded. It was hard to believe what had happened even if they were right there. It wasn’t exactly a negotiation. It felt more like trying to entice a kid to sign something he shouldn’t have with candies. The Siwen was in a position to fight back, which didn’t happen.
“The Siwen is done for,” Baptiste proclaimed with a laugh.
“That is not our problem. We’ve achieved what we’ve planned. Good work everyone,” Karsten said, flexing his shoulders. “Now, since we are already here, let us discuss land redistribution.”
On cue, Isaac pulled out another scroll. It was an adjusted map of the new Kingdom of Egra which included the newly acquired cities.
image [https://i.ibb.co/qNbkHpJ/LM-vol4-ch33-img1.jpg]
Isaac added, “This meeting is informal. We are going to have a royal party as soon as we return, and that is when formal announcements will be made.”
Karsten’s index finger pointed at Tonga. “Lord Flissing has always stated that he wished for Tonga. Therefore, you have it. Tonga and Fort Tonga shall be yours.”
Baptiste gave a firm nod with a palm on his chest.
Then his finger moved onto Gonne. “Now, Gonne will be granted to a new house. Do you have any recommendations?”
“I shall nominate Noah Harder,” Edmund declared as he pulled out a small piece of paper from his sleeve. “Here is a list of his achievements.”
Isaac took it and handed it over to Karsten who skimmed over.
“I vouch for his loyalty,” Edmund added.
“Anyone else?” Karsten looked around. It was this moment Isaac cleared his throat.
“May I nominate myself?”
“You?” Karsten looked surprised. Isaac took a step back quickly and showed utmost respect toward the king.
“Sire, I wish to settle down.”
He was closing in on his 30th age and he was still unmarried. His refusal to take on a woman until his future was more certain was understandable.
“I see.” He stroked his chin with his eyes fixed at the map. “You’ve served me well for all the years. I shall grant your request.”
Isaac’s face brightened up at once. All his hard work, or rather putting up with the king and queen’s antics, were about to be paid.
“However,” The king explained, “Gonne is a frontier city. I will grant you Rokk instead.”
It was a town not far from the capital, Keviel. With just two days away by foot, it was the closest settlement to the capital. Isaac seemed to have caught on the king’s intention as his smile progressively collapsed. He would be granted a fief. He would become a permanent noble. However -
“I will continue to employ your service. With your fief so close, that shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.”
Isaac’s face was hard to read at the moment with a mix of equal joy as well as mild disappointment. He got what he wanted but also not get what he wanted? It was as if he was stuck in a bad marriage that he couldn’t get out of.. Regardless, Karsten continued on.
“I shall take Vedo since I will be losing Rokk.”
It was an upgrade for the king since Vedo was a much larger settlement. Baptiste and Edmund showed no objection.
“Alright, I will consider this Noah Harder. Now, that leaves Ediva and Maiava…,” The king trailed off with his eyes studying the chamber carefully. He clearly wanted Maiava.
“The Fenchel should take Maiava,” Baptiste said, “With their achievements in this war, I believe it is only just.”
Snapping out, Isaac reluctantly agreed, “I have to agree. The killing of General Goss and timely conquest of Maiava are good enough to warrant it.”
If they were unable to conquer Maiava in time for the peace negotiation, they wouldn’t have gotten it or they may have given up other settlements in exchange. Basically, they may have given up more than Suvi and Elsos, likely Tonga and Gonne if they truly wanted Maiava.
The king grunted silently. Baptiste supporting the Fenchel was an expected movement since the two houses were now allied in a marriage. It wasn’t just a regular marriage, either. The first daughter of the Flissing was married into the first son of the Fenchel. It was the highest grade marriage alliance. He lamented that he couldn’t get the arranged marriage done in time between Ewald and his second princess. If that was successful, Maiava could have been his.
“Very well,” He conceded without much fuss; He was in a good mood. “The Fenchel shall have Maiava. Ediva shall be mine.”
It was not a loss for the king still. He gave himself Vedo after letting Isaac have Rokk, the latter being a rather insignificant town. Isaac may have become a permanent noble but he wasn’t going to enjoy any luxury of being one since the income from his domain would be rather … pitiful.
Taking a deep breath, Isaac moved onto the next topic.
“Now, let us talk about the Mesurii and the Gaessler.”
Everyone’s face stiffened. They were the traitor houses.
“Now, I am not defending them but, according to my intel, the Mesurii joined up the rebellion at the last minute,” he stated. He knew this because he was the one who leaked the fake intel that the Fenchel might revolt during the war.
“Doesn’t matter to my eyes. You either stay loyal or don’t. They did not,” Karsten said, waving away. “Both houses shall be executed.”
Isaac looked around, looking for any input. He couldn’t care less either way. At this point, Ewald recalled Avina’s remark about how hard Ludwig tried to hold his house together, only to see it all crumble down due to the sheer stupidity of his great grandson who took over.
“If I may.” He raised his hand.
“You…?” Karsten looked a bit surprised. “Very well, speak.”
“If I understand correctly, the Mesurii had a leadership change just before they joined the rebellion. I do not dispute that they rebelled but I cannot help but feel sorry for Lord Ludwig who probably had no intention or whatsoever to rebel.”
Edmund folded his arms with his eyes downcast. Baptiste, too, did the same. Isaac, meanwhile, was studying the boy with scanning eyes. Lastly, Karsten was looking directly into his eyes.
“What do you suggest then?”
“Please summon Lord Ludwig and hear what he has to say. At least, let the man speak what he has in his mind even if it won’t change your decision.”
Placing both of his hands on the table, Karsten looked down on the map and went silent.
Ewald added, “I feel Lord Ludwig has at least earned the right after all the years.”
50 years of loyalty, only to see it destroyed by a younger’s mistake.
“I agree,” Baptiste said, “Let the old man speak his piece. I am fine with executing the entire Mesurii. But I do agree with the boy also. Let the man speak his piece at least.”
Isaac was in agreement. “True, Lord Ludwig has served the Kingdom for many decades. Sire, this could work in your favor.”
Benevolence was something Karsten was not known for. The very act of allowing a retired head of a house to speak after a painful rebellion was the very act of benevolence.
“Very well. I will allow him to speak at the royal party. However, I demand that the leader of the Mesurii to be executed.”
No one objected.
“And the Gaessler shall be executed, every single one of them.”
No one objected again.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Isaac declared.
Alrez and Valet were going to be freed. But that was a discussion for the royal party. Vikku, ruled by the Mesurri, was a question mark at this point. Although very miniscule, there was a chance that they may be able to retain their land. It would all be down to Ludwig.
In a hallway, Baptiste, Edmund, and Ewald were walking. Baptiste smiled nonstop. Everything he had wanted, he got them. His nemesis, General Goss, was killed by none other than his son-in-law. He got the land he wanted in Tonga. Finally, the Siwen was no more. He was dying to get back home and soak himself in wine to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Likewise, Edmund also looked happy with a faint smile on his face. He always had eyes on Maiava and he got it. Additionally, his young son distinguished himself in the war. A father couldn’t ask anymore. It was safe to assume that Maiava became his because of Ewald.
As for Ewald, he felt a bit bitter about Noah. Him becoming a permanent noble by being granted a land would mean he’d leave to set up his own house. That itself was fine by him. It was just that he was sad to see Greta leave. He was quite fond of her. However, knowing that the couple was living in a literal hut, he was happy to see them ascend to a higher tier.
She does NOT deserve a straw bed. That’s for sure.
He recalled Fionara telling him that she was perfectly fine with a straw bed. She even told him that she was used to sleeping on the street. He took it as a joke to comfort him at that time.
She wasn’t probably joking.
It took him a reincarnation to be able to see through people’s veils. What changed? What was enabling him to see through what he was once unable to? He had no answer to this.
“What is your opinion on the Mesurii?” Ewald was genuinely curious when he asked the question.
“I do pity Lord Ludwig,” Baptiste replied right away. “I know what kind of efforts he put into holding his house together. He has his faults but he was the best the Mesurii had.”
“He has his faults indeed,” Edmund chipped in, “The most notorious one being unable to cull his house members. But the rebellion? I am certain that he had nothing to do with it. He is a pragmatic man.”
“But that doesn’t mean he should be spared,” Baptiste retorted. “If you forgive someone who rebelled, it sets a bad precedent.”
“I am aware, Bap.”
Bap? Is that a nickname for Baptiste?
“Say, Ed, why don’t you drop by Dido? You will be passing nearby anyway. Let’s have a party. It has been years if not a decade.” Baptiste made a drooling face at his own suggestion.
I see. So, these two are pretty close.
Ewald was in support of Baptiste’s idea. “Lady Flissing implied that she wished to see her daughter. We might as well.”
“If you promise me that you will unlock your best wine cabinet, I shall.”
Baptiste rubbed his hands and was literally drooling at this point. “Ed, I keep the best wines locked up not because I want to. I keep them locked up for a great occasion. And I shall say this is the occasion. I will unlock it.”
They exchanged a friendly fist bump. It was safe to say that these two men were the two pillars of the Kingdom. One excelled in the art of defense. The other excelled in the art of offense.
They departed right away even though it was darkening. With the peace treaty signed, they no longer had a right to stay in Suvi any longer. Besides, they expected the local residents to attack them if they stayed on any longer. Thus, Ewald’s stay in Suvi lasted only several hours. Likewise, the Flissing as well as the Egra were also departing in haste. Some civilians, noticing that they were leaving in haste, began to chase them on foot and threw stones at them.
“It’s not like we were the one who invaded them, burh,” Ewald complained as he looked through a window in the carriage. A small crowd was chasing and throwing stones at them. A stone bounced off the roof of the carriage he was in.
“Well, we did technically invade. We certainly did not start it though,” Theo replied with a sneer. “The Siwen deserves whatever they get.”
He looked up at the sky. It was snowing and darkening fast. Under normal circumstances, they’d be camping.
“Are we going to travel at night?” He wondered aloud.
“We need to keep a certain distance from Suvi. You can consider that we are traversing in an enemy territory at the moment. We won’t have an army chasing us though.”
Having replied, Theo was getting ready by cracking his fingers and flexing his shoulders. It’d be the first time Ewald experienced a night travel. The best way to describe the experience was -
“Hell.”
Soldiers were in a circular formation around the carriage and were moving slowly forward. Theo was leading them. They were protecting the horses while moving forward. Ewald was on the roof, scanning the area. He could see waves of werewolves approaching. It was far more than what he experienced in the Kingdom of Egra. It was also pitch black, and he could not see any other carriages.
“Elementals of fire, heed my call!” Theo began to chant. “Grant me powers to dispatch my foes: Fireball!”
A fireball the size of a soccer ball appeared on the tip of his spear. He swung his spear around which propelled the fireball to fly out and explode at approaching werewolves.
Elementals, grant me a bow and an arrow!
Ewald began to fire at the werewolves as well. With two mages firing at the werewolves, the soldiers’ morale was high because they felt a lot safer. They maintained their formation to protect the horses and did their job by dispatching any werewolves that were too close.
“We are the Fenchel! We’ve been through worse!” A soldier shouted vigorously, and others roared in full agreement.
“Consider those werewolves Siwen soldiers!” Another shouted.
“YEEEEEAH! And we have the hero of the realm with us!”
Initially, Ewald didn’t know they were talking about him specifically. He figured it was someone else and focused on his job on taking down werewolves.
He lost track of time. By the time he started to see the werewolves slowly withdraw, he noticed that the sun was poking its eyes above the horizon.
How many arrows did I fire? Like 50? Has my stamina grown that much?
He couldn’t actually recall how many he fired. What he did remember was that he was pretty much firing nonstop the whole night.
“VICTORY!” A soldier shouted with his fist in the air.
“VICTORY!” Others followed.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, Ewald sat down on the roof of the carriage. It was a hellish night, but there were no casualties. He surveyed the area to find Edmund’s carriage as well as the supply wagon. They seemed to be alright.
“We are going to take some hours of rest. Eat up while you can!” Theo barked out an order, and the soldiers began to do their duties. Some were running toward the supply wagon for food. Some were setting up camp fires. Some were patrolling their immediate vicinity for any surprises.
It wasn’t this bad when we were going to Suvi… What changed?
The only difference was that they chose to travel at night. Monsters didn’t tend to bother them when camping at night. With fifty soldiers, they were clearly reluctant to attack them.
Good news was that the hardest part was now over. With a good distance from Suvi, they were safe. They wouldn’t be traveling at night again.
“Good to be back home,” said Theo as he looked up at Fort Dido. Their journey had been smooth ever since the first night. It would take some time for the peace treaty to be fully effective which made stopping at Tonga or Gonne rather dangerous. Therefore, they skipped and traveled straight to the fortress. The Fenchel army was staying inside of the fort. The last time they were here, they were ordered to stay outside due to the existing presence of the royal army.
Noah Harder, flanked by his wife Greta and a guard, welcomed Edmund at the gate.
“I’ve submitted a request to have you made a landed lord,” was the first thing Edmund told him. Noah’s face brightened up like the sun and he looked at Greta who smiled back in return.
“I don’t know which fief you will get however since more than one choice is open right now. But I am positive that you will be granted a fief.”
Gonne, Alrez and Valet were open for anyone to take at the moment with Gonne being the largest settlement of all although the city also carried a high risk since it was a newly acquired land.
Noah bowed deeply toward him. Greta did the same.
“I thank you, Milord,” He cried.
Edmund patted his shoulder with a smile. “You’ve worked hard. A hard-working man should always be rewarded.”
Turning around, Noah hugged Greta. He was crying, and she patted his back warmly. He had some choices to make. If he was granted land to him specifically, he would be well within his right to demand to take over the Harder family. Another choice was starting a new house where Noah and Greta would be the founder. Either way, the Harder family was likely going to follow Noah to wherever he’d go. Even if Noah would start a new house, the Harder would be treated equally for this generation at least. There were going to be some empty seats at the Fenchel manor.
“Noah, I want you to train a boy named Raem while you are still here,” Edmund told him once his emotions had calmed. “The lad has some potential.”
“Of course, anything you say, I shall carry out.”
“Theo, you are to take over Noah’s position.”
“As you wish.” Theo bowed at once.
Then Edmund looked at Ewald.
“Reward those who deserve it,” He told him gently. “It may hurt to see them go, but you must let them move up. The circle must continue.”
Ewald nodded in understanding. He was truly sad to see Greta leave. But Edmund was correct. They shouldn’t be locked in a cage especially when they deserve a better place. With Noah set to leave, the Harder family will leave as well. The void left by them would be filled by others soon.
“Now, Lord Flissing has invited us for a feast of a lifetime. We are going to Dido.”
“Yes, sir!” Everyone, bar Ewald, responded in unison.
When the Fenchel army reached Dido, the gates were fully open and hundreds of Flissing soldiers were lined up, welcoming them with utmost respect. As they entered the city, citizens were also lined up alongside the road. Every single one of them, whether men or women, had their upper body slightly lowered with their palms on their chest. The street was dead silent as a result. Ewald had goosebumps all over his body. It was a surreal moment for him to see hundreds, if not thousands, of people paying utmost respect. He had never seen anything like this before, past life included.
At one point, a man had his fist in the air and shouted.
“Victory!”
Others followed the suit progressively.
“Victory!”
“Victory”
“Victory”
The Fenchel soldiers did the same with their fists in the air.
“VICTORY!”
Victory indeed. It was a hard-fought war in spite of how easy it was.
When they arrived at the Flissing manor, Flora couldn’t help herself dashing toward her mother who was standing by the front entrance. Baptiste as well as his son, Daniel, were there.
“...Mother!” She cried as she ran into her arms. Her mother embraced her warmly.
“My, my dear child…” She trailed off with tears in her eyes.
Baptiste welcomed them with open arms.
“Welcome, welcome!” He exclaimed joyfully. “We will have a feast tonight! Before that though, enjoy and relax. Have a bath and whatnot.”
That reminded him that he hadn’t taken a bath for … a long time. He sniffed his armor and -
“Aw, what…”
He smelled bad and saw that Emily was also sniffing her arm with a frown.
Well, time to relax and rest up a bit, I suppose. We deserve it.