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Volume 3 Chapter 3 Part 11

If he was really as smart as he thought he was, then he would have understood that it would have been easier for him to gain the support of the neutral Lords by genuinely praising the victories and the achievements that the earl of Artuk amassed under his belt and leading the direction of this Lord’s Conference towards the best methods leading towards the reconciliation of the Fantasia Union with the Factory Alliance. But now that he has chosen the road of a full-scale confrontation instead of a peaceful resolution, it was inevitable that the general flow of the rest of this meeting is going to be decided by who is going to be the victor here and who is going to be the loser.

「Alright, let us assume that it was really the Factory Alliance that was the first one to start this war. But it does not change the Fact that the one who was attacked by them was not the Earl of Artuk and his country. The one who was attacked was Theo Cornero, and I heard that his actions had let to the outbreak of a full-scale civil war in Selvis. Had it not been for your intervention in what was a struggle between Theo Cornero and the Factory Alliance, then our own relationship with them would not have been as strained as it currently is! 」

Marquis Dawson spoke again, looking as if he was in an even bigger rage than before.

「That might have very well been the case… until Waldrind decided to intervene. 」

Vilar shrugged his shoulders lightly.

「Theo Cornero emerged victorious from the civil war in Selvis and became Selvis’ new leader, and he was even ready and willing to become a part of the Factory Alliance, but when he reached out to Waldrind with the offer of his subordination to Marine Kraische, his offer was refused and Waldrind declared war on him as they send their Heavy Knights to deal with him on behalf of the dethroned King of Selvis, as a result of which he had no choice but to stay in the Fantasia Union instead and seek out my help in dealing with Waldrind’s threat. 」

「If he was the one who sought your help first, then would it not have been better if you did not respond to his pleas at all? But instead, you decided to not only respond to Theo corner, but also side with him, and as a result of your selfish decision that led to the outbreak of the war between Fantasia Union and the Factory Alliance, since at that time, Theo Cornero was still not recognized as an official member of the Fantasia Union! 」

Marquis Dawson declared while putting a lot of power into his words, and the Lords who were gathered around him also started nodding their heads affirmatively.

(Whatever Lord Vilar is going to say now is most likely going to decide everything.)

Siluca thought to herself. The words that Marquis Dawson spoke just now were obviously exactly what Vilar was waiting for.

「Would it not have been better if you did not respond to his pleas at all, you say? You really expected me to treat a Lord who has expressed his desire to join the Fantasia Union along with his request for hep in such a way? I do agree that this battle has broken out suddenly, and if I did not respond to Theo Cornero’s request, then it is entirely possible that the battle with the Factory Alliance could have been delayed, even if only slightly. I love the Fantasia Union, and I also love and respect the ideals of freedom and peace that the Union is representing. That is exactly why I want to protect everyone who is a part of the Fantasia Union, those who wish to join the Fantasia Union as well as those who want to cooperate with it and its endeavors. If any of the Lords who are present at this meeting today were attacked, be it by the Factory Alliance or some other enemy, I would have rushed to their help without a second thought. Was that kind of camaraderie and brotherhood not the idea that was the cornerstone of establishing the Fantasia Union in the first place? 」

This time, Vilar was the one who stood up from his seat and called out to the Lords while putting a lot of force into his words.

「Fantasia Union was established for the purpose of fending off the possible invasion by the Factory Alliance and its members. Anyone who loves freedom and peace can join it and receive its protection. 」

Those were the fundamental rules behind the formation and establishment of the Fantasia Union that every member of the Union knew like the back of their own hand. Every remark made by Marquis Dawson was standing in a direct contradiction to that statement, and Vilar used that fact against him in order to proclaim himself as a defender of that noble and just cause.

「By the way, since we are already somewhat on the subject, then I would like to ask a question to Marquis Dawson. I would like to ask him what is his opinion about the fact that Eric the Ocean King is trying to advance his forces onto Bretland, a small island continent that has remained neutral to the recent situation on the continent. 」

Vilar asked Marquis Dawson directly. Looks like he does not intend to slow down, and he is going to continue going on the offensive.

「We have no choice but to intervene and put a stop to his plans. If Bretland is going to be made into a member of the Factory Alliance, then it will become another source of potentially grave danger for the entire Fantasia Union. 」

Marquis Dawson admitted with a frown.

「To tell you the truth, what happens to Bretland is of no great importance to Artuk. On the other hand though, if the other small continent, namely Dartania, decided that it wants to become a member of the Factory Alliance, then that would be another matter entirely, as serious as the situation with Bretland, if not even more precarious. 」
「Indeed, but should we not think about the situation of the Fantasia Union as a whole rather than the situation of its individual members? 」

Marquis Dawson glared back at Vilar and rebuked.

「On that, I can agree with you wholeheartedly. 」

Vilar nodded his head with approval.

「With that in mind, let me ask you all this: is it really worth denouncing me for defending Selvis, which has become an ally and then a member of the Fantasia Union from the Factory Alliance? Oh wise Lords of the Fantasia Union, I want you to ask yourselves that question and answer it honestly, bearing in mind what Marquis Dawson said just now: that we must consider the situation of the Fantasia Union as a whole, instead of focusing just on its individual members. 」

And with that, Vilar returned to his seat. However, none of the present Lords dared to reward his speech with an applause, perhaps out of consideration for Marquis Dawson. However, it was probably safe to say that the direction in which the rest of this Lord’s conference was going to go has already been decided.

Vilar nodded his head toward Kurt Gallas, the Earl of Leclerc, as if with that gesture he wanted to indicate that he is going to be leaving the rest to him.

The Earl of Leclerc then stood up with a satisfied smile on his face and proceeded to explain the situation of the small continent of Bretland, the Viscounty of Lanford and the Vanberg conflict to the other Lords of the Union. He also proceeded to advocate that at some point in the future Fantasia Union should challenge the Factory Alliance to yet another decisive military battle, taking the opportunity of the fact that the Factory Alliance was now drowned in its own internal Chaos to their advantage, and that they should start pulling relentless pressure onto them and not give them even a single moment to catch their breath and recover.

As a result, it did not take long for even the Lords who were initially voicing their support towards Marquis Dawson’s claims to jump ships and start supporting the opinions of the earl of Leclerc next.

With that, it was pretty much obvious that the course of action that the Factory Alliance was going to take next would be an all-out war against the Factory Alliance.

(Now, the question that remains to be answered is how exactly are the Lords of the Union are going to attack the Factory Alliance.)

In her mind, Siluca has already moved beyond the Lord’s Conference and was considering plans for the future.

(First of all, Vetlava and Ozer would need to be taken care of, so there will probably be a siege network created in order to block all of their potential movements. If Waldrind’s military deterrence were to disappear, then the large number of Lords should defect from the Factory Alliance. When that happens, the forces of the Fantasia Union will probably attack with all their forces… )

At that moment, the victory of the Fantasia Union over the Factory Alliance should be all but assured.

Siluca nodded with satisfaction.
But then…

As the sounds of the talks between the Lords gradually faded, Alexis Ducet, the leader of the Fantasia Union slowly stood up from his place.

「I now have a good understanding of everybody’s opinion. With that in mind, the Fantasia Union will begin the preparations to confront the factory Alliance. Are all of you okay with such a turn of events? 」

Alexis threw that question into the air, but there was no one who would dare object to that plan. Marquis Dawson was also visibly trembling while casting his gaze down.

「It is a pity for me, but if that is the will of all the members of the Union, then I will of course comply with the resolution that you all accepted. However, I would like to make one additional suggestion. 」

「Yes, of course. What is it, Lord Alexis? 」

The Earl of Leclerc urged Alexis to speak up.

「It is about the leader of the Fantasia Union. 」

Alexis spoke loudly, but calmly.

「The only reason why I became the leader of the Fantasia Union after my father’s passing was because he was the Archduke and I was his son, but that way, I did not earn any official recognition for my capability of being the leader as an individual person. Therefore, I think that the last item on the agenda of this Lord’s Conference should be choosing the new leader of the Fantasia Union, someone who is truly going to be worthy of that title. 」

When they heard that, all the Lords began to whisper excitedly to one another.

Indeed, when it comes to being the leader of the Union, it was a general consensus that Alexis was somewhat unreliable to fit into that role. However, it is still a fact that he is the son of the previous leader, Archduke Silvestre Ducet, and his personality gained him the love of everyone, regardless of them being a Lord or a regular citizen. It is precisely because there was no particular complaints about his rule as the Fantasia Union’s leader thus far that this matter has not been brought during this Lord’s Conference until the person himself decided to do it.

「Now that it has been universally agreed that we are going to confront the Factory Alliance with the use of the military force, I think that the person who is the most suitable for being the Union’s next leader should be the Earl of Artuk… 」

Alexis looked over all of the Lords and then made a proposal.

「… and if it is going to be decided that he is indeed going to become the next leader of the Fantasia Union, then I shall be the very first Lord to offer my subordination to him. 」

At that moment, the entire hall where the meeting was held erupted into a violent uproar.

Marquis Dawson simply stared at Alexis and did not move even a single muscle. A great many Lords also seemed to be dissatisfied with that decision. However, aside from them, there was also quite a lot of Lords who had the expressions of boundless joy on their faces. After all, Vilar was recommended to be the next leader of the Fantasia Union by Alexis himself, and he even went as far as to say that he would be the first one to become his subordinate Lord, so these Lords thought that the best thing they could do in this situation was to respect Alexis’s will and determination.

「Could this be the advent of the Archduke Vilar Constance? 」

Milza came and called out to Vilar. However, Vilar himself had a strange smile on his face.

「No, this is actually going to be my loss. 」

Vilar said while letting out a big sigh.

「What do you mean? 」

Milza asked Vilar while looking dissatisfied. He was probably thinking that someone who managed to achieve such an honor should not be behaving in such a way.

Siluca also did not understand what did Vilar’s words mean for quite a while… but her gut feeling was telling her that things were about to go in a direction in which they absolutely should not be going.

「I knew it would come to this… 」

Villar slowly stood up with a strange smile on his face. Everyone was silent and payed attention to the Earl of Artuk’s remarks, since that could be the moment when a new Archduke was born.

However…

「It is an honor to be recommended by Lord Alexis, but I respectfully decline. Because my grandfather, Jürgen Kraische, who loved his family more than anyone else, would not want to see his grandchildren fighting amongst each other. 」

After saying that, Villar returned to his seat and silently closed his eyes.

(So that was that this was about!)

Siluca felt devastated, yet fully understood why Vilar had admitted defeat just now.

It’s because of the blood of Kraische family that runs through his body. The Fantasia Union is an organization formed by the Iron-Blooded Earl, Jürgen Kraische, to oppose the Factory Alliance, so there is no way that Jürgen’s grandson, Villar, could be installed as the leader.

The lords had forgotten about Alexis’ sudden remarks, but they should have remembered that fact immediately. Villar knew it, so he revealed it himself before that could happen. He probably did that in order to avoid an unnecessary conflict.

(What Alexis said just now… )

Siluca stared blankly at Marquis of Halusia’s beautiful face.

If Alexis had not recommended Villar as a leader of the Fantasia Union, the Lords would not have cared so much about Earl of Artuk’s origins, but he made them all remember that fact with an exquisite timing and the method that was available only to him.

However, Alexis himself was surprised. He must not understand why Villar declined his recommendation. This is because the statement was not intended for this result.

In the end, Alexis Doucet was the one who completely reversed the flow of the Conference.

If the Fantasia Union were to face off with the Factory Alliance with force alone, Villar would certainly have been the most suitable leader. However, Villar cannot be the leader of the Fantasia Union, because he has the blood of Kraische family flowing through his body. And in that case, the conclusion was pretty self-evident here.

「I believe that the Marquis of Halusia is the most suitable leader of the Fantasia Union. 」

It was proposed by one of the Lords and then unanimously accepted.

「And since he remains the leader of the Union, do you think we should respect his will and proceed with peace negotiations with the Factory Alliance? 」

Someone else suggested it, and it too was unanimously approved.

And so the Lord’s Conference of the Fantasia Union came to an end.