3 bar menu

Volume 3 Chapter 1 Part 1

Chapter 1: Business

March 1, 2013 of the Continental Calendar.

On that particular afternoon, Vilar Constance, the Eatl of Artuk was relaxing in his office.

He had several audiences in the morning, but no plans for the afternoon as of yet. The harsh winter was gradually easing, and he was thinking of going on a long ride around his territories for the first time in a while.

At that time, the door leading to the contracted Mage’s office opened, and Margret the Head Mage entered the room. She was wearing her usual robe and a winter coat over it. The color of both her robe and the coat were the exact same: fiery red, which reinforced the notion that she truly deserved the nickname that she was given: 「Hellfire 」.

Margaret stood at Vilar’s desk and handed him a letter while saying:

「You have received a personal letter from Marquis Alexis Doucet, my Lord. 」

「From the Marquis of Halusia? 」

When Vilar received the letter, he used a paper knife to open it, and then he carefully inspected the letter that was sealed inside of the envelope.

It was spelled out in artistic calligraphy, and the text was interspersed with a plethora of poetic expressions.

「The beauty of the characters, the skill of the writing, it is a splendid letter as always. The way it has been written, it can definitely be said that this is a true work of art. If he can put his thoughts on paper in such artistic fashion and make a letter like this, then I can definitely understand exactly why has that cousin of mine ended up falling in love with him. 」

「May I ask about the content of the letter itself? 」

Margaret asked Vilar to get to the point.

「He said he wants me to come to Halusia in order to hold the Council of Lords of the Fantasia Union… 」

Villar smiles wryly.

「It has been half a year since 「The Tragedy of the Grand Cathedral」, and we are finally going to have a meeting to address it. I have to say, if nothing else, then the Lords of the Fantasia Union are as carefree as ever. 」

「Immediately after the incident happened, the eyes of everyone were intently watching the most recent happenings, so it cannot be helped. 」

「If only a certain Mage who was supposed to made a contract with me suddenly did not decide to start serving another Lord and started a war with a neighboring country, then maybe nobody would have made their move. 」

The Mage that Vilar was talking about is none other than Siluca Meletes.

She now goes back and forth between The Forest of Eternal Darkness and this castle, and while she is busy with performing her duties, she often asks for guidance from Margret and is working hard at continuing tp practice her usage and understanding of each system of magic. Although she is a sassy junior in many ways, she is always obedient and enthusiastic when she is being taught something. In the beginning Laura and the other contracted Mages of Vilar had been hostile to her, but now that they actually got to know her and how diligent she was, they have considerably softened their attitudes towards her. Rumor has it that she also visits Zelma, the elder of the White Witches on regular basis.

Though she is relatively small in stature, Siluca was always terrifyingly energetic, to the point where she often did not realize how long she was working and that it is a high time to take some rest. She is quick and precise, and while she is working on something, she has a lot of plans in her head to bring the current projects to fruition as soon as possible.

Since Artuk directly borders Waldrind, the country that is the cornerstone and center of the Factory Alliance, she knows better than anyone else that one wrong move might result in Artuk perishing at the hands of its enemies.

「At that time, did you really have to respond to her request for help? 」

Margaret still wondered what was it that caused Vilar to save Siluca from the predicament that she was in, because at that time, there was literally no reason for him to do so.

Siluc has gone back on the promise to become Vilar’s contracted Mage after everything was set in stone already, and to add insult to injury, she became a contracted Mage of a Wandering Lord named Theo. That action of hers was enough to bring disgrace to the name of the Earl of Artuk.

Siluca then moved on to having her new Lord usurp the title and lands that they have taken from one of the Lords of Clovis belonging to the Factory Alliance, and while being in the middle of the sphere of influence of the Factory Alliance, she declared that her Lord is a member of the Fantasia Union, after which they proceeded to invade the territories of the neighboring country of Selvis to expand their own territories. And finally, after they managed to win in open battle against Nabir Gerje, who was the King of Selvis at that time, after which Siluca wanted to offer their services to Marine Kraische, the Margrave of Waldrind and the new leader of the Factory Alliance, because she wanted them to be accepted into the Factory Alliance themselves. If that manuever of hers eneded with a successful acceptance of Theo into the Factory Alliance, that would mean that he and Siluca would become enemies of Vilar, who was a member of the Fantasia Union.

It was expected that Marine Kraische would accept Siluca’s proposal and welcome Theo as the newest member of the Factory Alliance, since by that time he became the de facto King of Selvis, but much to the surprise of all the onlookers she refused the offer and sided with Nabir Garje, even going as far as to launch a military expedition with the aim of killing Theo and returning the lands stolen from Nabir Gerje back to him.

It was then that Siluca came to ask Vilar for reinforcements that could aid them in battle against the Heavy Knights of Waldrind, but at that time the earl of Artuk refused to meet with her personally. Everyone, including Margaret, thought that this would mean that he refused to have anything to do with her and that he will not send any aid for her, but much to everyone’s surprise the Earl did ended up mobilizing his army in secret, launching a surprise attack against the Heavy Knights of Waldrind at just the right moment, thus saving Theo and Siluca from a certain defeat at Marine Kraische’s hands.

「I had to, because I could see them achieving a beautiful victory. 」

Villar said proudly.

「When you are playing a game of cards, then if you have a full hand, even the one that is not going to bring you undisputed victory, it is pure instinct that compels you to show it off to other players. From a strategic point of view, I could have allied myself with Selvis so that it could help me subdue the rouge Mage who went back on her word to make a contract with me and defeat the Heavy Knights of Waldrind at the same time… because in the end, things did not end up the way I expected them to end. 」

That is because Theo, the new Lord of Siluca Meletes refused Vilar’s offer and did not cancel his contract with Siluca. Instead, he renounced his title and territories, and offered to serve Villar as a knight. He did not want to lose his contracted Mage, so instead he offered Vilar to use her through him.

At that time, Margaret advised Vilar to accept the offer.

「Putting Siluca aside, I thought that making Theo Cornero my subordinate Lord might be worth my while. 」

Theo and Siluca’s battle against the large army of the Heavy Knights of Waldrind and the King of Selvis was splendid to watch, and they have definitely lived up to the trust of the independent Lords who have joined their cause.

The reason why Selvis became a powerful player in the ranks of the Factory Alliance now is because Theo was recognized as worthy to be the leader of Selvis rather than just because he managed to win the battle. What is more, Lassic David, who inherited the title and lands from Theo, is quite a skilled warrior and a charismatic leader himself, so he quickly suppressed the forces that opposed him becoming the next King of Selvis, and the he united the whole country under his rule.

「I saw no reason to object your advice, and that is why I have accepted it. The only thing that is still frustrating me though is the fact that I could not defeat Theo in combat myself. 」