บท 90: Back to the Capital Pt. 3
Lenard Geldstein, Month 11, Day 19, Year A.F 652. Rosalia, Kingdom of Rosalia.
"THIS IS A BETRAYAL!" A loud shout rings through my ears as I sit down in rumination. I nurse my head as I hear my heart beat from the anger.
The anger in my expression is obvious, a fact I noticed from the frightened expression present in Lord Ivid's face. He looks down in a mixture of fear and anxiety.
I lower my eyes down, now morbidly aware of the great clusterfuck the kingdom has turned into. Even a message form Michael informed of something coming from the east whic showed a fleet carrying an army of twenty thousand men.
"I say we take the battle to them!" Lord Belford shouts in outrage as he slammed his hand upon the table. An undying rage apparent in his expression.
"As much as I agree, the current situation would require a bit more finesse." Lord Mirs spoke back, the situation filled his once calm and genial expression with nothing but anxiety and anger.
"Then what do you suggest? Lord Mirs?" I ask him, knowing that I'm already running out of options.
He taps his chin in thought before looking back up with a grim expression, "We could try to talk with Duke Rivider. I'm sure he wouldn't want foreigners taking pieces of the kingdom's lands."
"Out of the question! We can't just open dialogue with the man that literally got us here in the first place. This would just invite more revolts and result in our support fracturing further." He looks to Lord Mirs with fury as he spat out the Rivider name.
"How about we just retreat?" Ivid whispered, filled with anxiety for the state of the city he was born in.
Mirs looks to the boy, "That could be possible. We could always negotiate with the Arasel Kingdom to at least give us the necessary power to at least take down Duke Rivider."
"And lose anymore of our pride! We've already invited in foreign armies into our lands and where did that get us. Here we are, our kingdom about to be dissolved and annexed by a foreign power!" Belford shouts with utter rage, "When will our concessions end!"
"The moment we consolidate enough of a force to fight back!" Mirs shouts back, the anger getting him. And before he knew it, the two men started a shouting match, with Lord Ivid trying to calm them down.
With the chaos all around me, I only look down in thought and shame. The current situation seems almost unwinnable, though as long as supplies arrive in an orderly manner, we could hold our own.
Though winning remains out of the question and the wealth I've accumulated remains under Eribeth's control. I grit my teeth at the mere thought of my naivete. Why would I be stupid enough to think that she actually cared.
She remains a princess of another kingdom, a princess with her own goals and one who owes her loyalty more to her family than the man she just met and poised to marry. Perhaps father saw this coming, he just didnt think he'd die soon than he expected.
A messenger runs through the door, one disregarded by the screaming men. I gesture him to come forward and with quick movements the messenger arrives at my side with a letter.
They have cut the supply line off from Alton. The only ones left are those that are already en route to us and will leave us in dangerous supplies. I look down in thought as a headache comes in full force.
Then more grave news follows. A ten thousand army marches through the west, intent on sieging down the undefended cities. Though with our garrisons there, that should be enough to hold them off. But how could we proceed?
Before another bout of shouting rings through my ears and my anger surges at the noise. I give the loudest shout I could, "ENOUGH!" one that silences them both.
"We have limited information and the recent reports from our east do not bode well." I comb my hair up in frustration.
I throw the letter at the table. "Then there's this. Recent news now indicates the fact that Alton has cut out our supplies and that the ten thousand men have been inching closer to Avern."
Lord Ivid widens his eyes in a mix of surprise and horror. "I-I need to go back." He mutters as he stood up shakily.
"Stop." I said to him as he looks back in hesitation. I knew that he plans on returning to his home and I can't begrudge him of that, but I cannot lose more men.
I hold my head, "I have a plan to change our fortunes." The three men look at me in curiousity before I raise my hand, stopping their questions, "I can send men to defend your home or even destroy them altogether. All I need is your approval."
Lord Mirs spoke, "What would you require us to sign?"
"Confirmation of nobility." I spoke with a grave expression, one they shared the moment they heard my words.
"Who is it?" Lord Ivid spoke quickly, knowing that time was running out.
Lord Belford sighs. "Just a title, right? Who is it?"
"A human by the name Michael." I said to them with seriousness.
They look at me in confusion before it changes into an expression of disdain before turning back to resignation. It is understandable, even with the immense wealth some humans can have, it remains apparent that no normal demon capable of magic would ever lower themselves to be ordered around by a human.
"How are we even sure Michael could take on a professional force from the Arasel Kingdom." Lord Mirs spoke as his expression turns passive.
"Forget about that. There's never been a human noble ever since the fall of the Magna Imperium. We'll be setting another precedent which could make the other countries look at us unfavourably."
"C-can't we just strip it off him after the war?" Ivid supplies, uncaring of such consequences perhaps due to the urgency required.
"That is true, we need his help now and thinking of the future if we aren't even sure we'll survive long enough to see it is utterly foolish." Lord Mirs nods as he replied, acceding to my offer.
Belford meanwhile massages his forehead before looking back up, "I guess we could use all the help we can take, especially something of this scale."
With their acceptance, I take the royal seal of Rosalia underneath the table, one used to issue decrees along with the letter I have prepared. "Then with your acceptance, I'll have you sign this."
They take a look at the letter, whereupon it is written that, "I shall anoint Michael as the Lord of Castor. He and his descendant will henceforth rule such lands. Under the condition where he shall protect Western rosalia in the name of King Lenard."
They all signed such the document, I take one look at it and along with another letter explaining the situation and the need for his support.
Though as the letter leaves, I can't help but feel something was wrong. I shake the thought away as the messenger leaves through the door.
"Then gentlemen, let us discuss our next movements." I spoke to them as the door closes.
"If what you say about that man are to be believed then our flanks should be covered. Or he could at least buy us enough time to win battles." said Belford.
"That is correct, yet I bring more news." I said to them with a grim tone.
The three men look at me in shock before a sigh of resignation. We're too far now to back down and I think they know that leaving me now would only leaver them isolated.
"Latest information shows that twenty thousand men is heading towards the City of Aster. I believe this to be the reinforcements they'll need to take the City."
With such information, the three men look down in thought before Lord Mirs spoke once more.
"If we aren't opening diplomatic channels with Duke Rivider, I say that we instead take care of Aster. With problems springing up around us, the best we could do is catch our enemies off guard."
"But will our supplies last that long?" I ask him.
He nods. "Yes, we currently have a supply for the next week. One which we can take full advantage of. By taking out the loser of the two armies at Aster once they come to blows."
"What is this army made of, anyway? Are they the reinforcements we were expecting? Then there shouldn't be a point to us holding this city." Lord Belford asks me.
I tap my chin in thought as I once more raise it to my face for inspection. "No, I don't believe it is."
"I see. Then shall we ride at dawn? My Prince?" Lord Belfor asks.
I give them a nod and they all nod back as I spoke, "This could be our chance to win this war. Hopefully, we make full us of it."
"We shall." They all reply back.
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