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Volume 3 Chapter 2 Part 11

He paused briefly, and then continued.

「If I get to fight against both Theo Cornero and Lassic David, then that is all that I could possibly wish for! 」

「My Lord, you cannot do that! 」

At that time, the old man who had guided Theo let out a loud voice.

「We are determined to fight alongside you, our Lord! 」

Then he turned to the audience and flung his arms widely.

「Is that not right, everyone? 」

In response to the old man’s call, the townsfolk unanimously answered, 「That’s right!」 and cheered on for a while.

「I am happy to see that you all think like that. However, it’s just as Lord Theo said. If all of Selvis’ forces attack, there is no way I can protect you from them. 」

Radovan smiled and called out to the people of the city. Then he turned to Theo.

「Lord Theo, I am grateful for your consideration of my people. 」
「 My Lord, you cannot do this!!! 」

The old man raised his voice again, interrupting Radovan’s words.

「There is no need for you to be worried about us! We will be the ones who will protect you until the very end! 」

The people of the town continue to voice their support along with the old man’s words.

(There! Now is the time!)

Theo took a deep breath.

「Do you really want to protect the Lord of your city, Radovan, that badly? 」

Theo ensured that he would be yelling in a voice that would be loud enough to silence the residents who were still trying to convince their Lord not to worry about them.

「Of course we want to! 」

Someone from among the crowd responded immediately.

「Then let me ask this of you. Is the thing that you want to protect Radovan’s conviction, or do you want to protect his right to continue ruling this city? 」

「It goes without saying. We want Lord Radovan to continue ruling over this city forever! 」

An old man answered as if to represent the will of all the people of the city.

「Then, would you be willing to ask Lord Radovan together with me? 」

Theo called out to the townspeople, and then he turned to Radovan and dropped to one knee.

「You are the winner of this conflict, and I am the loser. You do not need to do anything that I would ask of you, but I am still going to do it anyway: please, surrender. You are one of the rare Lords who values the lives and the happiness of his people more than your master-servant relationship with them, and I do not wish to see a Lord such as you lost in the conflict with the rest of the Selvis’ army! 」

Theo shouted and then he bowed his head deeply before Radovan.

He did not hear any of the townsfolk raising their voices together with him, but he could still feel their prayerful gazes resting on his back.

「Someone who values the lives and the happiness of his people more than your master-servant relationship with them, huh? 」

Radovan looked up at the sky and muttered to himself.

「Maybe that really is what being a Lord is all about. 」

And then he slowly lowered his head to look at the people of the city.

「Everyone, I must beg your forgiveness, but I think it would in this city’s best interest if I were to leave the Factory Alliance and surrender myself to the Fantasia Union. 」

The people respond to the Lord’s words with loud cheers that made the whole city tremble down to its very foundations.

(Thank goodness…)

Theo thought from the bottom of his heart. For the time being, this city will not become a battlefield.

As Theo stood back up, Radovan approached him and knelt down in front of him

「Lord Theo, it seems that the rumors that you are the true King of Selvis are true after all. Which is why, with all due respect to Lord Lassic, I would like to ask to become your subordinate Lord instead of his. 」

Radovan spoke the words that made Theo Look at him in awe.

「I am now only a simple Knight in service of Lord Vilar, so I am afraid that I cannot accept that offer. 」

Theo replied to Radovan quietly.

「Then, until that time comes, would you accept me entrusting my Crest to you? I would also like to ask all of the townspeople gathered here today to bear witness to my oath. 」

When Theo and Radovan turned their gazes to the townsfolk, they all said that they have no problems with it, so the two Lords shook their hands together to seal the agreement between them.

「Okay. If the day of me getting back my independence ever comes, I will welcome you as a subordinate Lord of mine. Until then, as an independent Lord, please cooperate with my sworn friend Lassic. 」

Theo made Radovan stand and gave him a firm handshake once more. Once again, a thunderous cheer resounded throughout the city.

Hearing those cheers all the way across from the city, Siluca breathed a sigh of relief.

(I believed in you.)

She was overjoyed that nothing happened to Theo, but also…

(There are battles where there are no losers. Lord Radovan is not the only winner here.)

Siluca smiled wryly as she thought that to herself.

Radovan was able to surrender to the Fantasia Union without compromising the trust of his neighboring Lords because he heeded the wishes of his people. The fact that Radovan would offer to become subordinate to Theo instead of Lassic was also within Siluca’s expectations, and thanks to their current agreement, if he manages to protect his independence long enough, then not only will he become a vassal of Lassic, but he will also become Theo’s subordinate Lord in the future.

(And we can trust a Lord like Radovan, who to defend the cause that he believes in unless there is going to be a serious problem.)

Theo worked hard for this victory, but it paid off in the end. But if Radovan was not a Lord who respected the will of his people, this plan would never have succeeded.

If Theo had failed in persuading the townspeople, they would have had trouble pacifying Falvis and Clovis as well. If this place had not been subdued in a short period of time, the Lords who had joined the Factory Alliance recently would have gained momentum, and the damage to the Artuk’s army would have increased.

(With this, the King of Falvis’ castle is as good as fallen now.)

Siluca thought secretly as she watched the city where the cheers would not cease well into the night.

* * *

March 30, 2013 of the Continental Calendar

The castle of Jericho Orrick, who claims to be King of Falvis, was build on the outskirts of the trading city in the center of Falvis. It was constructed as if the three smaller castles on the mountain peak have been connected together, and each of those smaller castles has been separated from the others by its own wall.

From its topmost castle, Jericho looked down on the forces of the King of Selvis gathered at the foot of the mountain.

He had heard that all Lords of Selvis had been mobilized for this operation, and it certainly seems to be true.

「Lassic David was just a Knight until last year, you know? 」

Jericho faces his contracted Mage Julius.

「The world seems to be constant, but it can also be suddenly turbulent. 」

The contracted Mage who has served since Jericho inherited the title answered.

「It is too late to do anything about it now. I am disappointed with Waldrind. Even with my connections to the Factory Alliance, they failed to live up to the task. 」

As was the case with Selvis, the Heavy Knights of Waldrind promised to send reinforcements.

「If the Factory Alliance’s leader really sent troops here, the forces of Selvis would have been hit pretty hard. But since the current leader of the Alliance is Lady Marine, I am not so sure about that anymore. 」

「If they were not requesting subordination, I would have surrendered… 」

Jericho frowned.

「But now subordinating myself to Selvis is out of the question. 」

At the contracted Mage’s words, Jerricho clicked his tongue in a bad mood.

「Well, what are we going to do? The enemy has not shown any signs of movement yet… 」

Jericho muttered and looked at Lassc’s forces again.

「This castle is a sturdy one. It will not fall so easily. 」

Julius nodded silently at the Lord’s words, but he also thought that reinforcements would not come.

Marine Kraische clearly decided cut off Falvis and Clovis from the rest of the Factory Alliance.

The Lords of both nations have not complied with requests for vassalage, nor have they complied with mobilization orders during the Battle of Selvis last year. Even if no reinforcements would be sent, they should still be able to stand their ground.

「Marine is now putting all of her effort into keeping Pertava and Ozer together. 」

Even if the power of the Factory Alliance declines once, it should still be able to regain it again. In fact, after Jurgen’s death, quite a few Lords defected from the Factory Alliance, but Matthias Kraische subjugated those Lords and eventually built a greater power than his predecessor. As long as the Heavy Knights are alive and well, it is possible for the Factory Alliance to pick itself up from its feet no matter what.

Julius advised the King Falvis that there was no chance for them of winning in this battle. He has also done his best diplomatically, keeping several Lords on the side of the Alliance. He had also amassed a sizeable army, well-equipped with food and supplies.

He prides himself on always doing what he can. However, he could not think of a decisive measure to break this situation. All that they can do now is to rely on heaven’s luck…

However, as time passed, the situation only got worse and worse.

First, Branis, the highest-ranked subordinate Lord of Jerricho was killed and deprived of his Crest. He was a treacherous man, but his defeat was a costly blow to the King of Falvis, as he was the cornerstone of the northeastern defense of Falvis.

Subsequently, Radovan, who governs the port city in the south, accepted the persuasion of Theo Cornero, the hero of Selvis, and Jerricho received a message that he had surrendered to the Fantasia Union. Moreover, to his surprise, he swore subordination to Theo. Radovan had fought for power over the position of leader of Falvis, but he was an honest man, so Jerricho thought he would stay in the Factory Alliance until the end, but with this, the eastern part of Falvs completely became the Union’s territory.

(In just three days…)

That is how long it took to void Julius’s entire plan.

(Lassic David’s contracted Mage was Moreno Dortus, and Theo Cornero’s contracted Mage is Siluca Meletes. I don’t know them personally, but according to rumors, they seems to be excellent Mages, so I cannot just blame Jericho for this.)

Julius was also disappointed in his own lack of talent.

(After all, if we were swallowed by a big current, we would have no choice but to drown.)

Lassic’s army did not move that day. However, they could not let their guard down, and the castle spent the night wrapped in tension.

The next morning, when it got brighter outside, more turmoil ran through the castle. This was because the army surrounding the castle had increased in number. The Lords of Falvis who had defected to the Union gathered one after another around the castle with their soldiers.

Lassic conducted ceremonies of subjugation with those Lords, and then banquets, before the castle guards who had no choice but to look. The songs and merriment rang out incessantly, demoralizing the castle, and some argued that they should use that chance to attack since Lassic must have dropped his guard, but that proposal failed, so the people in the castle had no choice but to barricade themselves and prolonging the battle.
But that night, the independent Lords who hid in the castle surrendered one by one. Without a fight, Lassic’s forces took possession of the Lower Castle, the Middle Castle, and attacked the Upper Castle where King of Falvis was holed up.

Only the vassals and his personal guards were guarding it, and Jerricho was prepared to fight to the last man…

However, the heart of Jericho, King of Faivis, was broken before that.

「I will never surrender! I am the King of Falvis, and I will end it all by challenging Lassic to a duel! If he is even half the man that the rumors say he is, then he will definitely accept it! 」

「There’s no way you can win! We are talking about Lassic David, the ferocious killer of the previous King of Selvis! 」

Julius hurriedly tried to stop his master.

「This is no longer about winning or losing! 」

But Jericho did not listen to him, and requested a one-on-one duel with Lassic while wearing his armor and holding his sword. With the Lords and soldiers of both armies watching, the two began to fight, but everything was soon settled.

Lassic broke through Jericho’s defenses with his excellent swordsmanship, and went straight for the gap in his armor. His blade slipped through the crevice and pierced his heart with a single stab. The King of Falvis fell on his back and died, drenching the gardens of his castle in blood.

After seeing his master’s final moments, his contracted Mage Julius also drank poison and took his own life. Before his death, he told Moreno, the contracted Mage ofn Lassic, that he did not do it to become a martyr for the King of Falvis, but to punish himself for his incompetence.

As Lassic David entered the castle of the King of Falvis, he was then crowned before the throne. Many of the Lords who already had their own territories in Falvis chose to become Lassic’s subordinate Lords, and the remaining one who did not recognize him as their ruler abandoned their territories entirely and fled while carrying only for their own safety.

And that is how Lassic David became the King of Falvis.

Upon hearing the news that the entire kingdom of Falvis has been conquered in just five days, the King of Clovis, Alfred Shakes offered to surrender himself and all the territories that have been under his control to the Fantasia Union, and Vilar Constance, the Earl of Artuk who was acting on behalf of the entire fantasia Union graciously accepted his offer and welcomed him into the Fantasia Union’s ranks.

Together with their new allies, the combined armies of Artuk, Selvis, Clovis and Falvis marched with their full force to the border of Ismeia, upon reaching which their triumphant victory has been all but confirmed.

That victory was also of great significance to Artuk for other reason: with all of the neighboring lands now firmly in their control, the net that the Factory Alliance was holding over Artuk in hopes of one day catching it like a prized fish has finally been torn to pieces.