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Vol 04 Chapter 128: Peace Negotiations

Three days after forming the Anti-Gallia Alliance. The peace negotiations with the Rozel Kingdom started.

The location was the nearest city to the border between the Rozel Kingdom and King Domorgal’s Country.

From the Adernian side, each country’s king attended, and from the Rozel Kingdom, Mari and General Kuryuu were present.

In the tense atmosphere, the first to speak was Mutzio, king of the Equus Tribe.

「We, the Equus Tribe, deployed our troops to repay a debt of gratitude to King Almus. Therefore, we do not require compensation or territory from the Rozel Kingdom.」

After stating this decisively, Mutzio glared intensely at Mari.

「However, your country’s magician caused chaos in our country. For that, we demand an apology and compensation.」

(Hmm, to say this here… I thought they would hide it, as is a disgrace to their tribe. He must be quite angry, then?)

Mari observed Mutzio. The trembling of his hands made his immense anger evident.

「Do you have any proof?」

「Magicians from Gallia were involved in the rebellion.」

Mari smiled.

「There are also Adernian magicians in our kingdom. Just because a Gallian happened to be involved in the rebellion doesn’t necessarily mean they were spies from our country, right?」

There was no proof. Every spy the Rozel Kingdom sent abroad to a foreign country was subjected to a powerful curse to prevent information leaks.

Only a handful of magicians in the Rozel Kingdom, a country advanced in magic, could explain such magic.

(It is impossible for a magician raised in the magically undeveloped Adernian countries to break that curse.)

However, Mutzio said something that contradicted Mari’s expectations.

「The person herself testified. She said she caused chaos in our country under the orders of the Rozel Kingdom.」

「…Oh?」

Mari had lived for over five hundred years and had the experience that came from her long lifespan. She could discern whether someone was lying or not just by their expression.

Mari understood that Mutzio was telling the truth. But she decided to confirm it anyway.

「I’ll need you to bring this person here; I need to confirm if what you are saying is the truth.」

Mutzio signaled to a guard. After a while, a woman with her hands tied behind her back, Lydia, was brought forward.

Her face was hidden by her hair as she looked down, making it impossible to see her expression. However, her shoulders were trembling slightly.

「Show me her face.」

A guard grabbed Lydia’s hair and turned her face towards Mari. Her expression was pale, and tears shimmered in her eyes.

Mari sighed quietly. Then she turned back to Mutzio.

「I don’t know this person. Who is she? It would be problematic if you just make things up.」

「How dare you…」

No matter how much evidence was gathered, it meant nothing if the Rozel Kingdom did not acknowledge it. And it was never likely that the Rozel Kingdom would admit to anything.

Even if evidence was presented, they could simply claim, 「That’s a fabrication you prepared.」

After all, sending spies was something every country did. It was a moot point to bring it up now.

To apologize would mean the Rozel Kingdom would lose its authority. Admitting fault was not an option.

This was not a trial, but a matter of diplomacy.

If the Equus Tribe had not informed the other Adernian countries and had lodged a complaint against the Rozel Kingdom on their own, there might have been no apology, but there was a possibility of receiving compensation.

The Rozel Kingdom would have needed to pay hush money. Of course, they would never openly call it compensation; perhaps they would frame it as a donation to celebrate the new king’s accession.

However, Mutzio had already made this issue public among other foreign countries. Now it was too late.

If compensation was desired, this matter should have been settled through secret diplomacy with the Rozel Kingdom. It was a diplomatic failure on Mutzio’s part.

However, for the Rozel Kingdom, it would be preferable to pay a substantial hush payment in secret diplomacy rather than face condemnation from neighboring countries. If the King of Rozel’s integrity were doubted, it would cast suspicion among the local lords within the country, potentially leading to internal disarray.

In terms of seeking revenge against the Rozel Kingdom, it was a great success. Mutzio could only accept this and step back, he could only take solace in the fact that this information had given a blow to the Rozel Kingdom.

「Well, good. I now understand very well what kind of country yours is. This matter will become known throughout the world.」

「Whatever anyone says, the truth remains the truth.」

Lydia, still pale-faced, was led out.

Thus, the preliminary phase of the negotiations concluded. Next would begin the formal peace negotiations.

On behalf of the kings of the four Adernian countries, Almus read the conditions they had prepared.

「Our demands are the following seven:」

• First, the recognition of the territories we have acquired.
• Second, the return of all territories originally owned by King Faldam’s Country and King Gilbed’s Country to their rightful owners.
• Third, pay 500 Silver Talents1 (approximately 13,000 kilograms) each to King Faldam’s Country, King Gilbed’s Country, and King Domorgal’s Country, and 1,000 Talents (approximately 26,000 kilograms) to King Rosais’ Country, totaling 2,500 Talents.
• Fourth, hand over the custody of Prince Aldo to King Domorgal’s Country.
• Fifth, recognize the ascension of Prince Carlo as King Domorgal.
• Sixth, release all Adernian prisoners of war captured during the current conflict.
• Seventh, agree to a three-year truce.

After Almus finished reading the terms, Kuryuu and Mari scoffed dismissively.

「This is absurd.」

「Absolutely.」

The two shook their heads vigorously. Then General Kuryuu stood up and stepped forward.

「We’ll agree to the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth demands. We cannot accept the others. Are you messing with us?」

Kuryuu’s face was filled with anger.

Tension surged between the two sides.

「It seems there is some misunderstanding here, so let me make one thing clear. We have not been defeated by you. Keep in mind that if we choose, we can reclaim our territories at any moment.」

Mari glared at the Adernians. However, the Adernians were not to be outdone.

King Gilbed stood up and retorted.

「Very bold words. If that’s your attitude, we will not hold back either. After all, our soldiers are fueled by a desire for revenge.」

It was a bluff. The patricians of King Gilbed’s Country were becoming increasingly eager to end the war.

For the first time in decades, they had gained territory from the Rozel Kingdom and were able to form an alliance. They wanted no further adventures. That was the sentiment among the patricians of King Gilbed’s Country.

They were that afraid of the Rozel Kingdom.

「It seems both of you have urgent reasons to return home, Merlin-dono, Kuryuu-dono. It appears as if flames are threatening to light your backyard on fire. Perhaps it would be wise to attend to that fire sooner rather than later.」

Almus threatened the two of them, hinting at the movements of the Germanis tribes and the northeastern Gallian tribes. By the way, Almus was completely unaware of any movements of the Germanis tribes or the free Gallian tribes.

The news of a brewing situation was on its way toward him by hawk and courier horse but nothing had arrived yet.

His comment was based merely on observing the Rozel army’s hasty retreat and included a bit of hopeful speculation.

「My backyard? Whatever could you mean… Are you referring to my home’s backyard? My backyard is full of beautiful flowers (poisonous plants). There has been no fire, I assure you.」

Mari feigned ignorance smoothly. There was no sign of disturbance in her expression.

(Could it be that King Almus knows about the rebellion? But then, speculation is something anyone could do. Is he just fishing for a reaction?)

(There’s no sign of distress on her face… Maybe it really isn’t happening? But the way they retreated was definitely in a panic…)

The two stared at each other in silence, each gauging the other’s reactions.

The negotiations displayed an ominous atmosphere, yet there was one certainty.

Both sides desired peace. Had they not, someone would have already left the table.

The real negotiations were just beginning. The Adernian kings did not truly expect their proposed terms to be accepted as is.

This was the starting point for adjustments.

◇

「The return of territories to King Faldam’s Country and King Gilbed’s Country is non-negotiable,」

Mari stated, her gaze shifting to the two kings.

「However, I believe there is room for negotiation regarding the compensation.」

Ceding territory came with extensive consequences. The loss of territory could lead to dissatisfaction among the nobles2 and erode trust in the king, especially the nobles directly affected.

Compensation money, on the other hand, had less ramifications. It merely reduced the king’s treasury.

It did not directly hurt the nobles.

The Rozel Kingdom was significantly more centralized compared to the Adernian countries. However, support from the nobles remained crucial, a fate inherent to feudal states.

「Nevertheless, 2,500 Talents is an excessive amount. It is not an acceptable figure.」

「And how much would your country agree to?」

「1,500 Talents.」

「That’s unacceptable.」

Ultimately, the day’s negotiations ended without any convergence between the sides.

TN1: The silver talent was a unit of currency and measurement in ancient times. Talents were used by the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans as a unit of weight for precious metals. As currency, it was so valuable that it was mainly used for very large transactions, state finances, or tributes. The value of a silver talent used in this work is the same as that used by the ancient Greeks, 26 kg (about 57 pounds) of silver.

TN2: This is neither an errata nor an oversight on my part. The political system of the Rozel Kingdom is different from that of the Adernian countries.