The whole kingdom was touched by the heroics of the people of Bali. The story spread like wildfire throughout Roge. How the brave soul of a few people of Bali has fought against the 8000s of Albania soldiers. It's a sign of strong courage!! King Vladimir was highly impressed and announced a public ceremony to celebrate the victory. People from all over the kingdom came to the capital city to celebrate their heroes. The celebration was in full swing, everyone was dancing and cheering on the streets. Astonishingly, the king also joined this special celebration to welcome the 54 survivors of Bali. He congratulated them personally and flourish the moment with his splendid words,
"The citizens of Bali, you have fought hard. Despite the clear disadvantage you have fought against the Albanians and saved the kingdom. You are the true heroes of this kingdom. Your selfless actions are the noblest thing I have seen in all my life, thus I feel there is no one more deserving of the title of Noble,"
"I Vladimir K. Roge son of Yaropolk K. Roge, the protector, and king of Roge hereby promote all the citizens of Bali to the status of nobles and honor their bravery with a knighthood, irrespective of their gender or age."
The crowd burst into cheers. King has shown his sincere gratitude towards his subject, honoring their bravery and sacrifice. All the people present witnessed the benevolence of the king with their own eyes. No one knows who started it but a sudden chant spread through the crowd, everyone's voice merged collectively chanting the same thing,
"Vladimir the Benevolent"
After a few minutes of this chanting, the crowd calm down a bit and the King continued,
"Bali, the city that birthed and witnessed their heroics, where the souls and swords of such brave warriors rest for eternity, from this day on, shall be known as,"
"THE CITY OF SWORDS."
The celebration continues with the same glimpse of happiness. Altogether, the heroes of Bali, now the city of swords, kneel down on the red carpet as a show of respect. The king stepped down from the podium and walked towards them. A servant bought a gold plate holding the royal sword. The hilt of the sword consists of silver lotus-shaped flowers with broad, flat sides; a grip wrapped in a gold wire; a silver collar at the base of the grip; a copper guard with rounded ends, and a hollow interior. A thin line with short repeating diagonal bands containing a wolf pattern ran through the scabbard made up of copper-gold studded with sapphire diamonds and precious gems. King Vladimir picked up the royal sword and unsheathed its shining blade. He touched down the sword over the shoulders of these heroes, knighting them personally.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
This marked the beginning of a new era for the kingdom of Roge.
On this day the king didn't just rose the commoners to knighthood but also promoted Dickon to the rank of Baron. Unlike a knight, Baron is a real noble, who can hold territory and subsequent authority over it. This gave the people a belief that the king is not doing it as a show but is actually serious. Solidifying people's trust in the benevolent king, giving them hope, that if they earn enough merits they can also become noble, regardless of their origin. This started a military culture in the kingdom of Roge motivating people to actively participate in military activity. Not only people from humble backgrounds, but the current nobles also actively contributed, thus gaining an even higher standing.
After the major defeat of Albania, Roge launched an offensive on Albania claiming most of its western territories. They captured all the minor territories near Bali and kept marching on. The army finally faced severe resistance at Belladom and was finally stopped at the river of Bella. After the battle turned to a standstill, the two kingdoms finally sat down for negotiation.
After a long negotiation, a treaty was finally signed between Albania and Roge. Roge returned most of its captured territory and only reclaimed its original village of Peru and Poli, situated at the entrance of the mountain pass. This gave complete control of the mountain range to Roge. The vast area from the city of Bali to the river Bella was returned to Albania, in exchange it had to pay large amounts of war penalties and hand over its northwestern port to Roge. Which gave Roge, direct access to the Golden Sea and to the Eastern continent. The harsh penalties and the loss of a port city were major economic setbacks for Albania. This led to increasing dissatisfaction among the masses on the Albanian side of the border. The two nations signed an armrest for 2 years.
Meanwhile, Roge concentrated its military on its western border which has been constantly at war with the barbarians of Kari. With the full support of its people and multiple rigorous battles, the kingdom of Roge managed to push the barbarians out of its western borders, reclaiming its coastline. The barbarians of Kari suffered heavy losses and retreated back into the forest down south. The southern forests are the forbidden line separating Kari and Roge. Even after a great victory, kingdom still didn't dare attack the home turf of Kari and left it alone. Roge has taken back its western cost again enabling its maritime trade. After winning two major wars one after another the kingdom of Roge enjoyed peace for the next 2 years. While the forces of Kari lay dormant in the south, the Albanians were busy recovering from their losses. Meanwhile, Roge flourished with massive agricultural harvests and prosperous sea trades with the eastern continent. Transforming from a small kingdom in the countryside to a territorial powerhouse.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Here we are back to the present in the City of Swords training hall sweating away for the dreams of a new and brighter future.