A little over half an hour later, on the hill overlooking the battle nearby Tollenheim…

With Telas Kingdom's forces scattered, the battlefield now belongs entirely to Redwing Kingdom. Wagons are circulating in and out of the field towards the rear of the army, scooping those wounded by ranged skirmishing towards the healers behind the friendly lines. To their surprise, when one of the wagons stops by the crater left by the Innovative Energy Devices, they find some mangled men still alive, though badly wounded. They're partially buried under the dirt, severed limbs, and corpses, being very easy to confuse them with the dead.

Despite them being enemies, the wagons evacuating the wounded take pity on the half-dead men and load them up, then quickly ride up to the lightly wounded infantry before returning.

「…I'm back. They left down the stream, seems like they want to check if the other bridges are up instead of trying to make it across. What did I miss?-」

Stripe announces as she climbs to the top of the hill behind Straf and Cycelia. She looks down at the battlefield, and the crater.

「Nevermind. I don't want to know…」

She shakes her wrapped head, pulls away a piece of the black cloth holding the rest in place, and pulls a band holding her entire mask together out.

「…Pfwah.」

Stripe lets out a gasp of relief and wipes her sweaty forehead with the back of her cloth-wrapped hand. Her striped ears on top of her head twitch and flap a few times.

「…Straf, was this really necessary?」

Cycelia asks with a sullen gaze while watching the wagons ride in and out and the marching troops regroup.

「What do you mean, Lia?」

With his fists on his hips, Straf looks at her sullen face behind the nose guard on her helmet.

「…Those men that got ripped apart… It shocked everyone so badly, that it broke the enemy. I hate to say it, but them losing their lives might have saved the rest…」

She replies, and shrugs her shoulders covered by Straf's coat.

「…If it were a normal battle, there would be far more slain. Hundreds and hundreds, perhaps well over a thousand with even more injured. Those hundred spared everyone.」

Cycelia turns her green eyes to Straf again, then lowers them to the grass at her feet.

「Yup. Never fight your enemy on an equal footing, but always make them think they have the advantage.」

Straf nods, snapping his fingers and pointing at her with a smug smirk on his face.

「…But was using that new weapon really necessary? Was there nothing else that could be done?」

She asks with her brows furrowed.

「Yeah, there was…」「Then-」

Straf shrugs his shoulders, nodding while grimacing slightly.

「…Chemical warfare, biological warfare, cluster munitions, tanks, guns, nukes…」

He counts on his fingers with his mouth aslant, thinking as his eyes look up at the gray sky.

「…I don't think you'd like the other options, Lia. All things considered, grenades are pretty mild. I could have done a lot worse.」

Straf throws his hands up, spreading them with a grimace on his face before returning them to his hips in fists. A little shocked by his reply, Cycelia blinks at his face.

「…This is a terrifying and a terrible weapon. Hopefully it's the first and the last the world will ever see it used.」

She replies, gripping her sword tighter while watching the field below with serious eyes.

「Yeah, haha, uhhh…」

He chuckles slightly with an awkward grin on his face, likewise turning his gaze to the battlefield.

《…Do I tell her?》

Straf rubs his chin, thinking with his brows furrowed.

「…That chain reaction gave me an idea for an improved design, though.」

He remarks, shrugging his shoulders. He then places his hands in his pockets.

「You want to improve it!?」

Stripe shouts with her eyes wide-open. Both Straf and Cycelia stare at her over their shoulders.

「Yeah, why not? I could make it more compact and less bulky by having another gem act as a fuse for just a slightly higher price per unit. I think it's worth the cost.」

He nonchalantly replies, spreading his hands while glancing at both Stripe and Cycelia.

「Straf, I… I have moral qualms about using that weapon again-」

Cycelia says meekly with her armored index finger extended, grimacing heavily. The wagons full of men return to the hill with King Telas upon one of them.

「Ah, there they are. Looks like he wisened up when it's his ass on the line…」

Straf turns to the wagons below. The men dismount, the armed guards of King Telas are tied with rope and stripped out of their armor. The king himself approaches under the watch of two soldiers, not tied, but unarmored as well. His face is serious, a little displeased, but he climbs the hill at a steady pace while Cycelia waits.

「King Telas…」

She calls out in a serious tone as he draws near, her armored hands resting upon her sword's pommel while its tip pokes the earth.

「…Queen Redwing. I have to say… It's rather unfortunate that we meet under these circumstances.」

King Telas replies, stopping in front of her. He glances at the guards beside him staring at him like hawks.

「The circumstances are what they are. Did my men treat you well?」

She asks in a stern, serious tone while her emerald eyes make an earnest attempt to burn a hole in his face with their glare. He glances at one of the queen's soldiers at his side.

「…I cannot complain.」

Shrugging his hand, the king bluntly replies with a frustrated, tight-lipped grimace.

「Good. You two… You can leave, thank you… King Telas will not act in a way unbefitting a king in my presence.」

She nods her helmeted head, her chestnut head flowing from beneath the edge of her helmet. Her emerald eyes turn to the guards beside the king. She addresses them in the same harsh, stern tone, but then her voice quickly softens as she nods in gratitude towards them as well. Her glaring gaze returns back to King Telas, and the two men bow their heads low.

「Yes, your highness…」「Yes, your majesty…」

They reply with their armored heads still lowered, and back away.

「Indeed…」

The middle-aged man agrees, watching the two men leave. They only turn around after multiple paces and head back to the rest of the celebrating soldiers.

「…You are far younger, and far more beautiful than I had expected, your highness.」

He says, meeting her sharp gaze.

「Flattery? Now, of all times?…」

Cycelia's helmet tilts sideways a little.

「It's not flattery, I am just making an honest, idle remark. I remember seeing you when you were perhaps two or three years old at your father's court, many, many years back…」

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King Telas shrugs, speaking with a completely straight face and a calm, if a little resigned tone.

「…I was there to discuss the gem deal with your father. Never did I expect that I'd have to watch my back not around your father, but that little girl.」

He adds, and lets out an amused huff out of his nose, smirking a little. Cycelia stares at him in complete silence with a stern face.

「You know, I would not call your father a warmonger, but you couldn't turn your back to him either. He was a solid ally, but could also be a terrible enemy at a moment's notice.」

As Cycelia remains silent, the king continues, shrugging his shoulders.

「None of my family were warmongers. They lived during violent times.」

She replies, glaring into the king's eyes. He scoffs.

「Perhaps… Are you living during violent times, your highness? With their guard down, your father had taken quite a few kingdoms. Nothing unusual, a king's affair…」

Noncommittally agreeing, King Telas nods his head, shrugging with his hands as he grimaces. He asks a question with a smirk, and gestures with his hand heavily.

「…But now you are invading me. Dragon heritage, I suppose. You have the late queen's face, but you are all your father.」

The king adds, spreading his hands in resignation.

「You very well knew what you were doing. I have no interest in your kingdom, I am serving an obligation to my subjects.」

Cycelia replies, speaking the same cold, serious tone while her eyes remain sharply focused on his, until he rolls them aside.

「Oh, please… No interest in my kingdom? I admit, I made a misstep… I underestimated the little girl I saw. I thought you were your mother, not your father.」

「The peace we've had suited me fine. Your gravest misstep was attacking my subjects.」「Hahahaha!…」

The king's face grows increasingly more amused as he speaks with Cycelia. She replies, and he outright bursts into laughter, covering his mouth with his fist.

「…You dare laugh?」

Cycelia growls out, her upper lip twitching slightly in anger.

「Ahah… Hah… Queen Redwing, please. My forces are scattered, I have been captured. If you decide to cut my head off right now, I have no recourse…」

King Telas quickly collects himself, stifling the few laughs that still slip out. He spreads his hands, shrugging his shoulders as he replies.

「…Must we really continue this farce? I assume these are your marshals, or at the very least, your closest aides. I believe we can speak frankly now?」

He asks, pointing his hand behind Cycelia at Straf's bored face and Stripe's confused one.

「…What are you talking about?」

Cycelia asks, narrowing her green eyes at the king.

「We both know Hohenplatz was just an excuse to start this war. You don't need to hide this from me, your highness, I already know. Do not insult my intelligence.」

King Telas scoffs, spreading his hands while Straf's bored face turns into a tight-lipped grimace.

「…I don't follow.」

She replies, shaking her helmeted head lightly in confusion.

「…Well, now I don't follow! You razed Hohenplatz to have an excuse to go to war with me, have you not?」

He asks, shrugging his shoulders.

「How dare you!? Your men razed the village, and you dare insinuate that I'm a warmonger!?」

Cycelia shouts back with her face twisted into a scowl. Her gauntlets squeeze the hilt of her sword tight.

「…All I'm saying is that I did not order my men to do such a thing, your highness. Perhaps it was bandits that did it, and you used it as a convenient excuse. I don't know.」

King Telas says, somewhat taken aback by her anger.

「…Even now, you really wish to claim that it was bandits who had done it? Even though we have witnesses and photos of your men?」

「Perhaps it was deserters, or some other marauders. I take no blame for this, and I will keep saying that I did not order such a thing even with an axe hanging over my neck.」

Cycelia asks, and he replies with a shrug of his shoulders. The anger on her face fades as confusion takes over.

「…If not you, then who?-」

She says, narrowing her emerald eyes at the king.

「He's bullshitting, Lia! You saw the photos! C'mon, don't let him gaslight you into thinking you're the bad guy! Our side is the right side!」

Straf chimes in, walking up to her side, pointing his hand at the king. Cycelia glances at his tight-lipped grimace.

「…You're right, Straf! Absolutely shameless! I don't know who ordered it, but I know for a fact it was your men! You are their king, that makes you responsible!」

Chnk-Thunk!

Cycelia shouts, turning her gaze back to King Telas with renewed anger. She lifts her sword up, pulling its tip out of the dirt, only to ram it back in with more force for emphasis.

「…Like I said, I have no recourse. I've lost, so the story is whatever you decide it is, your highness. I know what I know. That's all I have to say.」

The king sighs, then replies in a resigned tone as he helplessly throws his hands up.

「The only question that remains is to what to do with you. I have a distaste for senseless killing…」

Cycelia says in a stern tone, staring at the middle-aged king's face with an angry frown on hers.

「Uh, Lia, I have an idea…」

Straf chimes in again, extending his index finger as he leans in towards her. Cycelia looks at him with her brows inquisitively raised.

「…Why don't you just vassalize the guy and be done with it? He probably knows how to run his kingdom best, and we could take his shit as a punishment.」

He asks, pointing his hand at the king in front of them. Cycelia looks at King Telas with Straf, grimacing as she thinks.

「…That would be a bloodless solution… It'd be ironic if the power-hungry king would ultimately lose his power as a result.」

She nods her helmeted head while her emerald eyes stare at King Telas. He grimaces as he listens to them talk.

「King Telas, here is my peace offer… You will pay me a tribute and swear fealty to me as your liege, or you will die. What is your decision?」

Cycelia asks in a stern and serious tone with her chin held high. He clenches and grits his teeth, grimacing heavily.

「…It's just one of those days where tough choices just keep piling up, isn't it?」

King Telas grumbles, stroking his short beard.

「Hard choices are a king's affair.」

She declares in the same stern tone.

「That's quite right…」

He lets out an amused huff out of his nose, smirking as he turns his eyes aside, still stroking his beard.

「What is your decision?」

Cycelia repeats with a serious face, pressuring the king. He lets out a large, resigned sigh, and shrugs his shoulders.

「…Very well. I suppose losing my sovereignty is better than losing my head. Frankly, I expected to die, but I was hoping to bargain for my family's sake.」

With his mouth aslant, he throws his hands up and agrees.

「I am not bloodthirsty…」

Cycelia announces while she twists her helmet in an attempt to slip it off.

After a few tugs, it comes off, and she holds it out for Straf to take. He glances at it, then after a few seconds, reluctantly takes it from her hands. She returns her eyes to the king.

「…I'm glad that you're not so prideful that it would kill you. I will take your throne, you will pay tribute and swear fealty there, then make an announcement to your subjects.」

She adds, her tone and expression slowly softening. She glances at Straf's bored face, and a light smile appears on hers.

「I will allow you to ride your horse, but your men will remain prisoners until I am your queen. Let's go.」

Cycelia nods her head down at the king's and guards' horses tied to the wagons, and makes her way down the slope. The king sighs and follows, and soon Stripe joins. With a tight-lipped grimace, Straf looks at Cycelia's helmet remaining in his hands, shrugs, then throws it into his [Portable Storage]. He places his hands in his pockets and follows the rest…