Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Betrayed Marshal Betrays
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I gathered the officers and relayed the news from the south.
"The south is in danger..."
"The elves may be a bit unhinged, but I never thought they'd declare war on us."
"Is Lord Gerhard alright?"
"Considering the time it took for the letter to reach us, the battle might already be underway."
"This is bad..."
The ones who reacted most strongly to the news were the officers from Gerhard's 10th Legion.
"...So, does that mean we have to pull back here?"
"We could take Ordova Castle, but if they abandon it and flee, we won't have time to chase them."
"..."
I felt the same regret, but there was no helping it.
The Esperia Kingdom, having lost its strength and holed up in the capital, would take a long time to rebuild its forces. But the 'Black Dragon' could absorb the factions it had personally crushed, allowing it to grow its power at an astonishing speed.
On top of that, we were facing orcs of a higher caliber and elves who wielded magic aggressively. It would be tough for our soldiers, who hadn't yet been issued firearms.
"It might be best to consider negotiations."
For now, striking them down before they grew any larger was the optimal choice.
"...Understood."
"We'll follow the legion commander's will."
The officers acquiesced to my opinion, though they couldn't fully hide their disappointment.
So,
"Of course, the Esperia Kingdom will have to pay an appropriate price."
The Esperia Kingdom would need to prepare compensation ample enough to soothe our regrets.
"Exactly. At the very least, they should hand over the occupied territories to us for certain."
"Shouldn't we secure up to the southern border?"
We would decide if their offered price was sufficient.
I discussed the negotiations with the Esperia Kingdom alongside the officers.
The two days promised with the Esperia Kingdom had passed, and
"I have brought His Majesty's proposal."
Emilio returned, holding the king's letter.
"...Please, only Legion Commander Victor should read this."
He handed me the letter with a strange whisper.
Curious about what it contained to warrant such words, I silently read it, but
"...Haha."
The proposal within was so laughable just from glancing at it.
"This isn't something I can decide alone, so I'll read it aloud."
"...!"
After skimming it once, I stood and began reciting the letter.
Emilio's face drained of color.
"First, we express deep regret over the series of military frictions with the Dragonia Empire. The unilateral actions of the kingdom's nobles led to this situation, so I hope to end this conflict no further."
"Unilateral?"
"Hah..."
The letter opened with excuses, souring the officers' reactions.
Even if it admitted responsibility and promised best efforts, it held little meaning in the current circumstances.
"...Thus, as war reparations, we will pay 13% of our annual revenue for five years, and hand over the primary culprits responsible for inciting this incident to the Dragonia Empire, leaving judgment to your nation."
I skipped the florid praises and sycophantic phrases meant to flatter me, reading only the key treaty terms.
"...We recognize the occupied territories up to Al Kante and the Vitabeya Plains, as well as La Tredo in the kingdom's south, as Dragonia Empire territory, and fully relinquish all claims thereto."
"..."
"...That seems to be the king's official proposal."
Pausing the recitation briefly, I noted Emilio's face brighten as he looked at me, but
"There's more below."
Mentioning the additional note drew his features into pallor once more.
"...We will pay 13% of revenue, but if Legion Commander Victor desires, the official document will state 12% annual revenue. The delivery process and method will be arranged later. ...Or so it says."
"!"
The officers' eyes widened at the blatant bribe, while Emilio bowed his head and wiped his face.
"If you want to read it later, just say so. Doesn't seem to have anything useful."
"..."
"What do you think?"
I set the letter on the desk and surveyed the officers.
"...This is an insult to Legion Commander Victor."
Unexpectedly, Anna spoke first.
"The very idea that Legion Commander Victor would consider a bribe is repulsive. To dare make such a proposal, to dare..."
Her hand trembled as it gripped the pen.
"Exactly! To think they can sway the general with mere money—do they even know how many such offers the general has rejected so far?!"
"Have some shame. It might work on the kingdom's nobles, but Legion Commander Victor is not some lightweight like them."
"..."
Even the officers who had come with me from the Ruth Kingdom reacted fiercely in ways I hadn't anticipated.
As their words, bordering on condemnation, dragged on, Emilio's head sank lower.
"It just means the Esperia Kingdom is desperate for negotiations."
"Even so..."
"Well, General Volker might have accepted. Their thinking isn't entirely incomprehensible."
"Hahaha!"
Not intending to reject negotiations outright, I mediated at a moderate level.
"...Setting aside the insolence, the proposal itself is reasonable."
"La Tredo's inclusion is suspicious, though..."
Handing over La Tredo, which we hadn't even occupied, and paying 13% annual revenue was quite generous, so the other officers focused on that, but
"Count Silva."
"...Yes."
"Who are these 'primary culprits'?"
I was curious about those vaguely lumped under that term.
Emilio, who had looked utterly defeated, snapped his head up.
"They are those who incited conflict at the border or advocated for war at court..."
"No need for explanations."
"...No list has been finalized yet."
"Oh?"
That the list wasn't set in stone pleased me greatly.
"So, we can negotiate the list?"
"...Pardon?"
"I have some candidates in mind."
"..."
Emilio appeared deeply conflicted.
At least he wasn't outright refusing, so
"Is Duke Francisco Casas on the list?"
"He mediated between the war and peace factions at court..."
I recited names of Esperia nobles from memory, watching Emilio's expressions and subtle movements closely.
After several tests, I roughly grasped his tells.
"So, he's not. What about Count Fernando Nash?"
"He..."
His eyebrows twitched faintly when mentioning nobles still in power,
"How about Baron Alejo Vanderas? The name rings a bell."
"His name is on the list. From the beginning..."
And he consciously downturned his mouth for those disposable.
To loosen his tension, I named several low-ranking nobles first.
"...Then, what about Count Sancho Gonzalez?"
"!"
I mentioned the Sancho who had troubled me most.
"He is a trusted commander of our kingdom. He merely followed His Majesty's orders to the battlefield..."
Emilio hurriedly defended, but I caught his mouth twitch downward before speaking.
Handing them over for our judgment was tantamount to offering them as sacrifices.
His lack of intent to include Sancho on that list felt oddly satisfying—whether from personal grudges, practical reasons, or some familiar sense of the situation,
"...In the previous court, he..."
"I get it."
"...?"
It didn't feel entirely bad.
I smiled faintly.
Emilio was just the messenger, so I'd need to speak with those in real power to confirm, but
"If you're open to negotiating the list of nobles to hand over, send your negotiation team to our camp tomorrow morning."
"...! Understood!"
This time, my instincts were positive.
"...How did they react?"
"Positively. They're willing to negotiate tomorrow."
"Oh, that's a relief."
With Sancho voluntarily secluding himself, the voices pushing for battle among the nobles had fallen silent.
Hulio, whose goal was to somehow preserve the nation, sighed visibly in relief.
"Any peculiarities?"
"...It might have been better not to include the final proposal. Victor read our offer point by point in front of his officers, and they reacted strongly."
"...Tch. But they responded positively, right?"
"Yes."
Emilio recalled his conversation with Victor and his demeanor, choosing his words carefully.
"He said he wants to negotiate the list of primary culprits. Specifically..."
"Hm?"
Glancing around briefly,
"He seemed particularly interested in Count Gonzalez."
"...Count Gonzalez?"
"He said if we hand him over, they won't press other matters."
Basing it on the one time Victor smiled, he embellished appropriately.
"Hah..."
"No! Handing over a general who gave his all for the nation to the enemy— what kind of...!"
"What's wrong with that? If it were me, I'd sacrifice one body for the nation."
"He's a defeated commander in the end. He must bear the responsibility for defeat."
"You bastards..."
Francisco, who had bet on Sancho's victory to the end, spoke softly, while the nobles still clutching money and power dominated.
Had Sancho been present, he might have had some supporters, but he was holed up in his modest residence.
"Count Gonzalez will step forward voluntarily!"
"Anything's better than shells falling on the castle right now!"
"Hm..."
Hulio's scales tipped as he gripped the throne's armrest in thought.
"...Prepare a letter."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In the end, Hulio ordered a letter sent to Sancho.
Francisco despaired, but he had no way to reverse the nobles' momentum.