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Volume 5 Chapter 1 Part 10

Now the Lords of both countries have been encamped before the army of the Heavy Knights of Waldrind. Each army had about 1,000 men.

(Less than I expected.)

This was also dissatisfying.

This was their territory until just the other day. It wouldn’t be strange to see more of the clans and former soldiers protecting their lands. If the people of these territories joined the militia, it was only natural that they would gathered three times as many soldiers as they have now. Marine couldn’t help but feel that these countries have been abandoned by their people.

The Heavy Knights of Waldrind, but also Stark’s Nord fleet and the Dartanian army had to be mobilized in order to deal with such Lords? Really?

Viceroy Milza invaded Regalia, routed Serge Constance, the Earl of Regalia, and made a display of power by assaulting the positions of Lassic David, the leader of the Artuk Treaty. He regretted not being able to kill Lassic himself, but Marine said that making him unable to come to Veltava’s aid was more than enough for her.

Ulrika, the daughter of Erik the Ocean King, was ravaging the Haman Peninsula. The Lords of coastal countries such as Kirchs and Mansur are also afraid of Nord fleet attacks and should not be in a situation where they would dare to move their armies for a while now.

If reinforcements were to come, it would only be the ones send by Alfred, the King of Clovis. However, Marine used her Diplomatic Mage to inform Alfred that if he doesn’t interfere, she will allow him to return to the Factory Alliance. Alfred is a dull and overly cautious Lord, so he will surely not be taking any unnecessary risks.

At that time, the two of Marine’s maids, Layla and Cammy, who had been dispatched to conduct reconnaissance, appeared as if they were materialized out of thin air, and they kneeled before Marine to deliver their report.

「What was the situation in the castle like? 」

After telling the two of them to be at ease, Marine asked them for a report.

「Yes! The morale in the castle is extremely high, and it is clear that they are determined to defend the castle to the death. 」

「It seems that the people of the nearby territories also welcomed the rule of the hero Theo Cornero. Rumor has it that the locals believe that he will surely liberate this country from the oppressors from Waldrind. 」

Layla answered cheerfully, and Cammy continued with a voice that was without any emotion in it.

「So my reputation isn’t good here either, huh? 」

Marine chuckled.

It was her grandfather Jürgen who brought the originally independent nations of this region to their knees by force of arms and then incorporated them into the Factory Alliance. More than thirty years have passed since then, but the memory of the events from back then must still be vivid in the minds of the people who live here.

「Even so, it’s terrifying to see that this Lord named Theo Cornero managed to not only be accepted by the people of Veltava but to prepare his soldiers to die in such a short period of time. 」

A wandering Lord, he quickly became the King of Selvis, and in order to keep his contract with the female Mage that he loved, he gave up his title and territory to become a subordinate to the Earl of Artuk. In the Forest of Eternal Darkness, he thwarted the conspiracy of a secret society called Pandora, which was planning to bring back the time of Extreme Chaos

In the previous battle, Theo Cornero defeated the Lords of Veltava with a small number of soldiers and occupied their territory. His performance was certainly unparalleled. And because of that, the stories about the deeds of a hero named Theo started spreading among the common people like some kind of urban legend.

「Don’t you think I should have invited him to join our side back then after all? 」

Marine smiled at Aubest.

Theo’s contracted Mage Siluca Meletes visited Waldrind with a diplomatic mission after Theo won the battle against the King of Selvis, Nabir Gerje, and she stated that Theo was ready and willing to join the Factory Alliance and subordinate himself to Marine at that time.

「That decision should be made by you and you alone, Lady Marine. 」
Aubest answered expressionlessly.

「Yes. You just gave me advice, and I was the one who made the decision. I don’t regret it. Perhaps it’s just that I don’t want to fight the Lord Theo Cornero and his contracted Mage Siluca Meletes. But perhaps they could have been better allies than the Lords of Ozer and Veltava who were refusing to become my subordinates for so long. 」

「I don’t intend to deny that you are justified to think like that, but we are no longer in the positions where such an outcome would be possible since the Artuk Treaty has declared its willingness to confront the Factory Alliance. 」

「Maybe they’re going to be stronger than the Fantasia Union? 」

While looking at the castle built on top of the hill, Marine laughed coldly.

「I think it’s pointless to speculate about it at this point. But there’s no doubt that Theo Cornero is the Lord who should be killed. 」

「Of course, that’s what I intend to do. But before we fight, I’d like to meet with his contracted Mage, Siluca Meletes. 」

「Then, let’s send a messenger to ask them to agree for a meeting. Would it be okay for the message to be in the guise of recommending them to surrender? 」

「Yes, that’s fine. 」
Marine is going to fight against Siluca and her Lord from now on. She wanted to meet with her before that happened, but she knew that it would end up affecting the morale of her allies if she did that without a proper reason.

「I want you to be present at the negotiations, Aubest. I want Layla and Cammy to be there as well. 」

When Marine called out to him, the contracted Mage slowly bowed his head after a moment, and the two maids also looked at each other in awe.

* * *

The castle where Theo Cornero had holed himself up was located in the northeastern part of Veltava.

After he pacified Veltava’s army together with Lassic, he decided to base himself there for the time being, because since The Forest of Eternal Darkness was a territory that was under Vilar’s direct control, staying there openly would be a clear violation of the peerage system.

However, Theo was still staying in close contact with Baron Eugen through his contracted Mage Deadri, and supported their guerrilla warfare against Dartania.

Theo himself had no subordinate Lord or a member of his peerage who could claim the title of the King of Veltava, which was a Viscount territory, but Baron Petr Morba arrived in the castle and agreed to co-rule it together with Theo.

「A messenger from the Margrave of Waldrind has arrived. He says that Marine Kraische wants you to organize a place for negotiations. 」
Theo, who was watching the large army of Waldrind from the window of the fortress, had Siluca whisper that message to him after she stood next to him.

「In this situation? What are we even going to negotiate? 」

Theo asked suspiciously.

「There is no room for negotiation. Waldrind has no choice but to recapture Veltava and Ozer from us, and we cannot surrender this place. Just like it was with the defense of Castle Unicorn, we can only defend this place to the last man standing. 」

If they don’t show their resolve here, the Factory Alliance will gain momentum and invade the territory of the Artuk Treaty.

「It looks like it’s going to be a tough battle. We don’t even know if any reinforcements will come, right? 」

「I am afraid so. 」

Siluca nodded.

Actually, Baron Radovan led about 500 soldiers and entered the castle not that long ago. After the conference during which Artuk Treaty was formed was over, he returned to his own territory in order to gather volunteers who’d want to fight together with him.

It was surprising to Siluca, but when she asked him about it, he said that he had entrusted most of the title to his eldest son, who turned thirteen this year. His intentions were probably that even if he ended up dying in this battle, his eldest son would still inherit his title and estates and become the King of Falvis under the guardianship of Lassic.

It seems that Lassic decided to do so when Natalia Rajo Maudry has been decided as the new Queen of Ozer. Maybe they already had an agreement since then?

If he survives and makes a triumphant return, the people of his territory will welcome him with joy, his rule will become solidified, and Falvis’ influence over the other independent Lords will grow even more.