Volume 9 Chapter 1 Part 2

「Lassic and I have fought with all our might against Waldrind. We lost many lives in the process, including the brave Neman Maudri, several subordinate Lords, the independent Lords of Selvis who decided to side with us, and a large number of soldiers. I was even about to be defeated in that castle when Waldrind invaded us, but then Lord Vilar saved me, which was all a part of his plan. What’s more, he wanted to take Siluca away from me, so in a way, I guess you can say that I’ve lost not only to Waldrind, but I was completely defeated by Lord Vilar as well. At that point, I realized that there was no pint in me becoming the King of Selvis since I’ve lost so thoroughly. But more than anything, I still needed Siluca in order to fulfill my ambitions. That’s why I offered to serve Lord Vilar. I… I guess I can also say that it turned out this way because I was being more than a little stubborn… but more than that, I wanted to serve Lord Vilar and get closer to him. He was the only Lord to whom I have ever submitted myself. I will always have that image in my heart, and I can still hear his voice calling out to me, telling me that I should always think carefully about what I was thinking when I started my journey and what is it that I want to aim for. I don’t think I’m completely the same person as I was back then, but at the same time, I don’t think that I’ve changed too much either. 」

Theo continued with his train of thought, slowly but without interruption, as if he was counting and sorting his thoughts out loud. Everyone else just stayed silent and listened to the story he was recounting.

It wasn’t often that Theo spoke his mind openly to others like that. It was the first time that even Siluca had heard about Theo’s feelings at that time.

Then Theo looked back at his now masterless throne.

He does not sit there unless he is giving an official audience as the leader of the Artuk Treaty, and he comes to the throne room every morning without fail to pay his respects to the deceased Earl of Artuk.

Of course, Siluca was there with him too. She is just as indebted to Vilar as Theo is, and she has caused him a great deal of trouble with her selfishness.

「Whenever my brother Vilar was talking about Lord Theo or Lady Siluca, he always seemed to be really enjoying himself. My brother was a person who loved talent above all else, so he probably had high expectations for the two of you, and the two of you have responded to those expectations splendidly. It’s thanks to the two of you that we were able to recapture Artuk. 」

Igor turned to Theo and bowed deeply.

「In the battle against Milza, all the Lords of the Artuk Treaty had their own roles to play, and they played them all to perfection. So more than anything else, the recapture of Artuk was not my own victory, but rather the people of Artuk’s. 」

Theo shook his head and corrected Igor.

「I believe that the strength of the Artuk Treaty lies in the unity of the Lords who’re a part of it. It was built by Lord Vilar, and he protected it at the cost of his life. That’s why I would like to ask you to continue the cooperation with Lord Theo, so that we can properly honor Lord Vilar’s sacrifice. 」

When Siluca asked them that to summarize the current discussion, the four subordinate Lords nodded their heads vigorously.
「However, no matter how solid we are and how strong our foundation might be, there are times when nothing can be done about certain issues. 」

Radovan got up from his seat and walked to the window that was facing east. Normally, the sea could be clearly seen from there, however, it was already dark outside, and now the scene looked like a theatre of shadows.

「The threat of the Nords, huh? 」

Juzel muttered under his breath.

Stark, where he was infiltrating, became a Nord colony, and the local Lords were either killed or deprived of their Crests and exiled. And as for the common folk of Stark, they were reduced to nothing more than slaves.

Around the time Artuk was liberated, the residents rose up and the Nords were driven out of Stark, but the damage Stark suffered was still immeasurable, and it was not something that could be easily healed in a short amount of time.

「The Nords have finished conquering the small continent of Bretland and have already begun raiding the territories belonging to the Fantasia Union, causing considerable damage to the cities and settlements near the shore. 」

Siluca stood up and reported the situation in the northern part of the continent.

That was a report from the Diplomatic Mage Sefaud Latkis who was now stationed in Elam. Information from all over the continent is gathered in Elam, so having him stay there to gather intel was a natural thing to do.

「The number of their ships alone is 5,000, and the number of warriors is over 100,000. 」

Ender sighed.

「Most of the Norse men are warriors enlisted into their army. However, since they have just finished conquering Bretland, I don’t think all of them will be able to move as soon as possible. But still, who would’ve thought that they’d try to defeat the Fantasia Union with the might of their naval power alone? And what’s worse is that at this rate, they might actually end up succeeding. 」

Siluca then informed them that the Lords of the Fantasia Union were gathering in Palmas, the capital of Halusia, to discuss how to deal with the possibility of the incoming Nord invasion.

The Artuk Treaty was staying in contact with the Union through their respective Diplomatic Mages, and the Diplomatic Mage currently working for the Fantasia Union was Kato Meletes, who’s hailing from the same family as Siluca, except that he was about five years older than her.

「They won’t fight at the sea against the Ocean King. That’d be tantamount to suicide. 」

Igor said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

「No, I don’t think Lord Alexis would even consider using the Fantasia Union’s territory as a battlefield. However, if they don’t engage him and the Nords at the sea, the Nord attacks on the coastal territories of the Union will simply continue uninterrupted. 」

「Yes, that’s true. 」

Siluca nodded. Alexis has a kind personality. You could even say that he is too kind for his own good.

「However, if we fight them sea, then both the Fantasia Union and Artuk Treaty would definitely lose. 」

Siluca also learned about naval warfare during her time at the Magic University. Every year, a mock naval battle was being held on the lake near Elam, and many citizens were coming to watch it. Siluca didn’t like ships, so she didn’t want to participate in those exercises, but she understood how to fight at sea. You need to approach the enemy ship, boards it, and the rest is just boiling down to pure close-quarters combat. In other words, the number of soldiers and their fighting power. When it came to both of these things… the Nords had an overwhelming advantage with them.

「If that happens, the situation of the Artuk Treaty will become even more difficult than it is now. 」

Radovan smiled bitterly, and he moved away from the window, as if he had grown tired of looking at the sea already.

「Not only it’s going to be difficult, but we’re going to straight up lose the war, in which case we’re going to have to surrender ourselves to the Margrave of Waldrind until the Nords come to our doorstep to attack. 」

Theo said flatly.

「You would willingly surrender yourself to Marine Kraische without even trying to put up a fight? 」

Igor was surprised to hear that.

「Yes, because fighting Waldrind would only serve to benefit the Nords.

The territories and titles of the Treaty would be given to the Margrave of Waldrind, because even if her rule is strict, it must be said that it’s also fair, so the people of our territories shouldn’t be unhappy with that outcome if it ever comes to that. 」

Theo said calmly, but in that case, he was even prepared to give his life for the safety of his subjects. Of course, Siluca was also prepared to die, but their condition for that to happen was that the lives of the other Lords would need to be spared. If Marine Kraische is not going to be ready to accept that condition, they’d have no choice left but to fight.