“Let’s talk specifics then,” Ashwood responded after some uncomfortable silence.

There was clearly something the old King wasn’t telling him, but he wasn’t sure how much he should care either. He doubted it was something that would stop the Kerania kingdom from becoming the Republic’s proxy on Eigos and so it probably didn’t matter.

The King nodded, reached under the table and pulled out a scroll.

Ashwood looked on in mild surprise as the monarch unfurled a handmade map of the southern part of the continent. As the map detailed the three southern kingdoms of Farad, Accad and Kerania in great detail, the Colonel supposed it was of local make. In comparison, the mountain range which cut the three kingdoms off from the rest of the continent was very artistic and the northern territories lacked the attention of the south. The countries were still labelled, with one name being particularly prominent: The Sarak Archduchy.

Even with the map’s primitive origins, Ashwood studied it with great interest. He had much more detailed pictures taken from orbit, of course, but the borders and landmarks shown made it worthwhile.

“The mountains must make any invasions very difficult…” Ashwood commented.

“Quite right, using conventional means, the Teilen Mountains make moving any significant force an ordeal. All the passes have robust fortifications on both sides, as you can see,” The King pointed towards the little symbols that apparently depicted forts. They looked like two tiny towers.

“Right. What did you want to show me?” Ashwood asked. Hopefully, the King didn’t just want to show off his map.

King Joseph gestured towards the northern countries, “The northerners are led by the Sarak Archduchy, which controls the northern sides of the Serpent and Fool’s passes that lead into the Accadian kingdom. Those are the eastern ones, here,” He pointed towards two stylized passes, each side of both protected by a fort.

“The western Caspian Kingdom controls the Golden Pass leading to the Faras Kingdom, here. They are supported by the more northern Merev Kingdom and the Irasiel Queendom,” He pointed to both on the map, “As far as we know, they’ve mobilized around a hundred thousand men, though they have the capability for more. They seem to be aiming for the Sarakian mountain passes, though they’ve yet to make a proper attempt at seizing the passes from the Accadians.”

Ashwood frowned, “You are at war?”

The King nodded, not letting anything show on his face, whether triumph or sheepishness, “Yes. Hostilities started soon after news of your battle reached us, with the other two southern kingdoms following our lead.”

The Colonel stared at the King. At least the monarch’s behaviour now made more sense. He quickly thought through the potential ramifications of this revelation, but couldn’t think of anything significant. Losing the element of surprise and the opportunity for proper preparations wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible either.

Still, there was one very important question he had to ask.

“And the Custodian? She hasn’t come forward to turn your forts into craters?”

The King had the good grace to look a bit apologetic, “She hasn’t left the First Temple, as far as we know. Though there have been reports of Knights wielding miracles around the Teilen mountain range.”

Ashwood stared at the King with a constipated-looking expression, somewhat mirrored by the King’s own grim look.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

‘The Admiral jinxed it, didn’t he? Was there a hundred little WMDs running around the place now? A thousand? Perhaps they were always there in secret, with only the Custodian using her powers in the open?’

The Colonel breathed out, giving himself more time to think and calming himself, “Since your kingdom still exists, I’m assuming the situation is not as bad as it seems?”

The King’s grimace became even more pronounced, “We don’t know for sure. There should be somewhere between five and twenty on the northern side of the mountains, with none having shown anything approaching the Custodian’s level of power.”

Ashwood rubbed his chin, “That is good to hear,” He paused, then added in a murmur, ”Their presence might even be beneficial to us.”

No one on his side wanted to poke the Custodian before they understood her power more. Assassination was an option, but they still understood too little. If it failed they might anger her enough to make any sort of reconciliation impossible. Dictators tended to have big egos, and Ashwood didn’t think that the Custodian was much of an exception. Perhaps more importantly, they had no real idea what success would entail. Would another person simply take over her role, whatever it really was? Or was she the only one with the knowledge to make use of her power, with any possibility of the Republic gaining it for themselves disappearing with her death?

Assuming the King spoke true, the so-called miracle-wielding Knights were an excellent opportunity to gain more information.

The King looked at Ashwood in confusion, “How so?”

“We’d rather not poke the Custodian again so soon. While weaker versions of her running around will make any battles more costly, they will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about her power,” Ashwood explained his thoughts out loud.

That it would mostly be the natives dying for the information went unspoken.

‘Still, we’ll have to treat these miracle knights with caution. If they are anywhere near the Custodian’s level…’

But they couldn’t be. There was no way that someone capable of destroying warships in orbit would be deterred by a medieval fort for even a minute.

King Joseph didn’t seem terribly reassured, “Understand her power?”

Ashwood simply nodded.

The King’s face went carefully blank, ”I see.”

The Colonel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could guess what was going through the King’s mind. The fact the man was willing to fight against his supposed god’s chosen but likely didn’t believe that their power could be understood was definitely worth an eye-roll.

Not that it really surprised Ashwood at this point. Eternity’s power could not be disputed since no one ever saw the supposed divinity.

“Do you possess any concrete reports about the knights, Your Majesty?”

The King inclined his head, “They are in my study. I will have copies made and sent to your quarters. And I have told you to call me Joseph.”

“Thank you. I apologize, I must have forgotten, Joseph.”

The King didn’t look convinced but if it got his mind off the topic of religion Ashwood would count it as a win.

The Colonel tapped the table again, “I’ll have to consult with my superiors before we agree to any concrete plans, but I’d like to hear your intended course of action. It’ll help me understand the situation more.”

“Truth be told, we had not planned much. There wasn’t much of a point without your involvement.”

Because they would have had no chance at victory without the Republic's intervention.

“Surely you’ve at least given some thought to the matter?”

The King nodded, acceding to the Colonel’s request, “We planned to first clear the enemy forces in Accad and Faras. Unlike us, they did not manage to purge the Church’s influence fully from their lands. That will have to happen now as well, though anything else will depend on what your people decide.”

‘The Custodian abandoned her soldiers here?’

That couldn’t be good for morale. Perhaps he’d be able to make use of this in the future.

Ashwood nodded at the King’s words, “I imagine so. I will contact my people and we can meet again in two days if that is acceptable?”

“That is acceptable. I look forward to many more fruitful meetings, William.”