Territory War (1)
The grand council chamber of the Rodriguez County.
The territory's key figures had gathered.
Duke Randolph's envoy was not present. This was an internal meeting, held before they sat down with the messenger.
"Why do you think the envoy has come?"
Illys asked, and the Administrator answered.
"Surely to demand food."
"That would be the obvious guess…"
Another official spoke up.
"Word of our territory has spread through the merchants who come and go."
"It was always going to be hard to completely hide how well we eat."
"The rumors aren't just among merchants either. They're spreading among the common people as well."
"A place as abundant in food and water as ours is rare."
"And the food is simply too delicious. The rumors may have traveled faster than we expected."
"If they keep spreading, refugees from across the continent could pour into our territory."
"Refugees from far away wouldn't be a problem. But if they turn out to be peasants from the duchy, that could get complicated."
The Knight Commander put in his own concern.
"They might not stop at food aid. They could ask us to send troops as well."
Illys frowned.
"That we refuse."
"Agreed. If we send soldiers, the work the Constellation has set for us will fall behind."
"But can we simply refuse? The duchy's population is ten times ours."
"Minimal food support, refuse the troops. We should try to settle it around there."
"That's right. If our population shrinks, we can't complete the Constellation's tasks. That would shake the very foundation of the territory."
"Exactly."
One official asked,
"Would it be difficult to request help from the Constellation?"
Most of the officials looked doubtful.
"Hmm… best to keep that as a last resort."
"From the Constellation's point of view, this may not even register as a real problem. Something this small might only annoy Him."
"Annoy… Him?"
"It could come across as whining."
"Whining…?"
"There's a chance of that. We can't know the Constellation's mind. But if you keep asking for help over every little thing, you risk souring the other party's mood."
The Knight Commander added,
"You know how it is with couples, right? Oppa, do this for me, do that for me, and this too… Sure, the guy might play along at first. But if it keeps happening, there comes a moment when he hits a wall."
"Ah……"
"And then one day he just says, We're done. I'm tired of this."
"Ah… I get it."
"Exactly. By the time you're saying Oppa, I'm sorry, it's already too late."
Illys nodded.
"We'll handle this ourselves for now. Even the duchy will have trouble making truly outrageous demands. We hold the food, and they're the ones in need. A modest food aid package… we'll use that as our baseline for negotiation."
The meeting with the ducal envoy.
A peculiar tension hung over the grand council chamber.
Illys sat in the seat of honor, wearing a solemn, serious expression—one that suggested a touch of private worry.
Across from her sat the duke's envoy.
Viscount Niron bowed his head, then lifted his gaze to face them squarely.
A low, firm voice filled the chamber.
"I bring the will of Duke Randolph. The continental drought is now in its third year. Because of it, the lives of the common folk have been reduced to ruin. Foreign races and monsters run rampant, and the peace of the Jeron Kingdom itself is under threat."
A long drought. Suffering people. Peace under siege. So far, that was only the preamble.
"Under the prolonged drought, former farmers have turned to banditry, and small-scale plunder and skirmishes break out everywhere. The movements of monsters and foreign races are also far from ordinary."
Illys inclined her head.
The envoy continued.
"Therefore His Grace Duke Randolph proposes an alliance with House Rodriguez. He asks that we join forces and face the continent's chaos together."
Illys rested her chin on her hand.
An alliance.
She had expected a one-sided demand for aid. If what they wanted was a mutually complementary relationship, there was no particular reason for the county to snub the duchy.
"If it's an alliance, please explain the specific terms."
The corner of the envoy's mouth curled, ever so slightly.
"I understand that the Rodriguez territory prospers under the Constellation's blessing. To have a Constellation who sponsors you so generously… House Rodriguez is truly fortunate."
The moment the Constellation and their abundance entered the conversation, Illys's expression said it all: There it is.
The officials beside her thought the same—now would come the demand for food.
But the envoy's next words took a different turn.
"An alliance requires a token of good faith. Rodriguez has a Holy Relic through which you communicate with the Constellation, does it not? We request that the Holy Relic be lent to us."
"Excuse me?"
Illys even asked again, certain for a moment that she had misheard.
But no—he had, in fact, asked to borrow the Holy Relic.
The artifact through which they spoke with the Constellation and received sponsorships. On loan.
Illys made no effort to hide her displeasure, and the air in the chamber went cold in an instant.
Without the Holy Relic, they could neither contact the Constellation nor receive sponsorships.
Grind.
That was the sound of the Knight Commander clenching his teeth.
Illys fixed the envoy with a chill gaze.
"The Holy Relic……"
This was no different from demanding they hand over the Constellation itself.
She had expected a request for food or military cooperation. That they would ask for the Holy Relic—for the sponsorship relationship with the Constellation itself—had never crossed her mind.
Ignoring the stunned faces of Illys and her officials, the envoy pressed on.
"Consider it from the Constellation's perspective. The duchy would also become part of the Constellation's domain—one hundred thousand additional believers. Would the Constellation object to that? And we are not asking you to give the Holy Relic away. The Rodriguez territory would continue to enjoy the Constellation's patronage as always. We only ask to borrow it for a short while."
The Knight Commander caught Illys's eye.
Shall I take his head?
Illys shook her head.
She would have loved nothing more than to punish the envoy, but she could not deny the sheer difference in size between a county and a duchy.
And killing an envoy was the same as declaring war.
Punishing him had to remain a last resort.
Illys kept her temper and spoke calmly.
"Handing over the Holy Relic is unacceptable."
"Ahem… I did not say hand it over. I said lend it. We would send it back and forth. Would the Constellation not prefer one hundred and ten thousand believers to a mere ten thousand? Think of it from His perspective."
"There is nothing to discuss. I refuse."
Illys was furious, but she mastered herself and spoke again.
"Hah… Let's take a short recess and reconvene."
A brief break.
Several officials were so angry their faces had gone blotchy red and white.
The Administrator approached Illys.
"My lord. Don't worry too much. This is almost certainly a bluff."
"A bluff?"
"Yes. You open with an outrageous demand, then later reveal what you actually want. Once the first number is huge, whatever comes next feels small by comparison. Their real objective is something else—they just haven't named it yet. This was a test swing, meant to make us swallow the true demand more easily."
"Hmm. That could be. But demanding the Holy Relic… it's absurd."
"It may also be a scheme of the duke's. He orders the envoy to make an impossible demand. If we accept, excellent. If we lose our temper and punish the envoy, he can use that as a pretext and seize the high ground."
"Haa… Even a single demand has layers of maneuvering. Politics is no joke."
Illys had become lord without ever receiving proper training for the role, and even that elevation had been recent. Diplomatic sparring of this kind still felt foreign to her.
"You're handling it well, my lord. We have food, and they're hungry. Yes, they're larger than we are—but a little careful handling will be enough."
"Understood."
When the negotiation resumed, the envoy was a little more honest.
"We demand one thousand cartloads of grain."
"That's far too much. Fifty cartloads."
"What good is that to anyone? We have a population of one hundred thousand."
"Who held a sword to your throat and ordered you to have a large population? Raise only two children, boy or girl, and raise them well—your numbers would drop nicely."
"Only two children? Is that something you say to someone's face?"
"You were the one complaining about how many people you have. One hundred cartloads. Any more than that is impossible."
"Do you not know how restless the monsters have become? It's the duchy holding them back that keeps Rodriguez peaceful. Shall we step aside? Shall we spread word that this direction is rich in food? Just three hundred cartloads of grain, if you please."
"One hundred."
"Among the refugees heading this way are people from the duchy's own lands. Mistreating them could amount to unlawful detention. Let's keep this friendly. Two hundred cartloads."
"One hundred and fifty."
"Done!"
The moment the deal closed, the envoy who had been shouting himself red-faced a moment before put on the mildest expression imaginable.
"I thank Count Rodriguez for such generous magnanimity. We shall take the one hundred and fifty cartloads of grain as a token of our military alliance with Duke Randolph."
"As you like."
Signatures were exchanged on the documents.
Soon the food aid was prepared.
"My thanks. His Grace will be most pleased. Farewell."
The envoy departed.
From the county's point of view, it amounted to a one-sided tribute of grain—but the Rodriguez and Randolph territories were immediate neighbors.
The Randolph lands stretched from the north of Rodriguez all the way around to the east.
The duchy wrapped the Rodriguez territory in an L-shape. To reach the capital in the northeast, one always had to pass through Randolph land.
In scale, rank, and geography, they were an awkward opponent to antagonize.
Once the envoy was gone, Illys spoke with her officials.
"Knight Commander."
"Yes, my lord."
"Keep a close watch on the duchy's movements from now on. They talk of alliance, but it's only words. We have no idea when they might turn on us."
"As you command."
With the envoy gone, the heavy atmosphere eased a little—but no one could truly relax.
"And is it true that refugees are heading toward our territory?"
The Administrator answered.
"It is. Some have already begun to settle near the villages outside the outer walls. It seems they came after hearing of our food situation."
"Then more will come, won't they?"
"They will. As long as the drought continues, people will gather the way travelers seek an oasis in the desert."
"Hmm… We'll need to prepare. Administrator."
"Yes."
"Compile the current number of incoming refugees and a plan for how to handle them."
"Understood."
"Commander."
"Yes."
"I need you watching not only the duchy but our outer borders as well. Assume both refugees and monsters will try to come in."
"Understood."
Illys clenched her fist.
"If there's an oasis in the desert, we can't very well let someone take it from us."
A mountain road leading toward Rodriguez.
About twenty people were trudging along the path.
Thud. Thud.
Their steps had no strength left in them.
Among the group were men, women, and children. One child looked under ten, walking the mountain road barefoot.
"Mama… I'm hungry……"
A small hand clamped tight around her mother's rough, cracked palm.
The mother soothed the child.
"Just a little farther. They say there's still food in the Rodriguez territory."
"Really?"
"Mm-hm. They say it has the Constellation's blessing. Even the dogs by the roadside walk around with bread in their mouths."
"Dogs carry bread around?"
"That's right."
"Lucky… I want bread too."
"I know. Just a little more… just a little farther and we'll get there. There'll be something to eat once we arrive."
Hunger. A long march.
For a woman and a child, such a trek could never be easy.
But the child believed her mother's words and set her feet moving again.
Far ahead of the group on the mountain road, and far behind as well, there were other refugees. Across the barren path, the lines of displaced people stretched on and on.
Then the man who seemed to lead the group shouted.
"Hold on!"
He put a finger to his lips and silenced them all.
At their leader's sudden reaction, the party held its breath.
—Grrrrrrr.
A grotesque sound rode in on the wind.
The first to flinch was the small child.
Holding her mother's hand, she looked back—and there, on the ridge above, something of enormous bulk was moving.
"Grok… grok……"
Several of the refugees drew in sharp breaths.
A cry that set the teeth on edge.
"It can't be… a monster?"
Someone muttered in a trembling voice.
In that same instant, a scream tore out from the rear of the column.
"Aaaaah!"
"A monster!"
"Run!"
People shoved one another and bolted forward.
The faces of the starving refugees went even paler, and the child who had already been stumbling sat down hard on the ground.
People with empty bellies and no strength left, traveling a long road in search of a place said to be abundant.
But humans were not the only ones who were hungry.
Starving monsters were trailing the refugee column as if following a scent.
"Kwaaaang!"
The refugees ran without looking back.
"Kyaaaak!"
Even when someone's scream rang out, they kept running.
In the distance, the walls of Rodriguez came into view.
Atop the walls.
A soldier spotted something.
He stared for a long time, trying to make it out, then spoke to the senior beside him.
"Hey, something's coming."
"Huh? Coming? What's coming?"
"Looks like people…?"
"People?"
"Wait—it's not just people."
"People… and monsters!"
"Refugees and monsters are charging this way!"
A mother clutching her child, people supporting one another, souls driven by hunger and terror—all of them were racing toward Rodriguez Castle with everything they had left.
And behind them, the shadow of a monster pack howling as it closed the distance grew larger and larger.
"At least a thousand refugees! Monsters number around a hundred!"
On the wall, the soldiers' eyes met.
Among them was a commander of fifty.
He shouted.
"Sound the alarm!"
Clang-clang-clang!
The alarm bell announcing an enemy attack pealed out.
"Report to the knights and the lord at once! Run!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thud-thud-thud!
The bell had been rung and a runner sent; the knights would arrive soon.
The soldier in charge of the gate asked,
"What about the gate?"
Far off, refugees and monsters were both racing toward them.
If they left the gate open, both groups could pour into the city.
The refugees were pitiable, but in the commander's judgment the castle came first.
"Close the gate! Close it now!"
Iron chains rattled with a harsh clamor, and the massive gate began to groan shut.