Chapter 3 – Story 87: Seizing the West
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“Oh? It looks like we’re missing that officer today for a change?”
Solon had shown up to play shogi as always, but as he didn’t find Adomius at his usual spot, he was looking around the room, wondering.
“That person won’t come anymore.”
Judging by Mythos’s tone, Solon guessed that they had achieved their desired outcome, but he deliberately didn’t ask any further and started to line up the pieces on the shogi board, just like had done on the previous visits.
And just when Solon informed Mythos that he was ready to start the game after finishing setting up the game, Mythos stopped him.
“Please wait a moment.”
After making such a request, Mythos reached for his game pieces. And as Solon wondered what his opponent was planning, he saw him placing his own pieces on Solon’s side, one-by-one.
A little while later, only an infantry, a tower, and the king piece were left on Mythos’s side of the board. All other pieces were lined up on Solon’s side.
Solon asked Mythos with his eyes, “This is?”
Mythos let his head hang, “Thanks to the moves that hav been played outside the board, these are the only pieces I have left.”
One guard after the other was surrendering to the enemy. Regimental Commander Adomius of the Black Wall, whom he had secretly pinned his hopes on, had announced that he’d abandon his military duties and remained unseen ever since.
Mythos himself was being pressured by the famous and influential people of the city, asking him whether they’d be able to win a fight against such a mighty foe and whether it wouldn’t be wiser to betray Holmea under these circumstances. Some among them even claimed that Luoma might become more prosperous by trading with the revolting slaves.
Moreover, even he himself had understood the overwhelming difference between them thanks to the shogi board and the sugar-based pastry.
And to top it all off, Prince Alexius had escaped.
At this point, the fall of this city was already a foregone conclusion in his eyes.
“It looks like we have finally reached the stage where we can have a talk,” Solon fixed his seating posture and started to talk to Mythos with a serious look on his face, “Our side’s demands are the disarmament of your soldiers and the opening of your gates. Lord Soma is someone who detests pointless bloodshed and slaughter. He guarantees that the soldiers and residents, who surrendered, will keep their lives and assets. This also includes you, Lord Mythos.”
Mythos appeared relieved after hearing those terms. It was an era where it wasn’t strange for a city to be looted with its residence being massacred once a city surrendered. As such, you could rightfully describe these conditions as extraordinary for this era.
“Also, Lord Soma hates slavery, which steals a person’s freedom and treats them like common goods. The slaves inside the city are to be set free. However, because we promised you that we will guarantee your assets, they will be released in the shape of us buying them,” said Solon and then added, “As for those who fell into slavery as punishment, we will judge whether to release or imprison them based on their criminal charges.”
Because this was yet another condition that posed no big problem, Mythos felt a peace of mind. There was the worry that the city would run short on manpower thanks to the loss of the slaves, but if they were compensated with money, it wouldn’t become that much of an issue.
But, hearing the next demand, Mythos’s face screwed up in mortification.
“In addition, Lord Soma objects to inherited rule based on lineage. The nobles can keep their titles, but they will lose all privileges attached to those titles. We would like you to comply with this.”
Although he had resolved himself, the glorious Earl Boron family, which had ruled over Luoma for many generations, would come to an end with his generation. Mythos dropped his head in dejection, feeling terribly sorry towards his ancestors.
Yet, Solon wasn’t done yet.
“However, contrary to Holmea’s shogi, the shogi in Lord Soma’s home country allows one to use the opponent’s pieces as their own.”
Mythos raised his face, wondering what this was supposed to mean.
Solon informed him with a gentle smile, “Lord Soma objects to inherited rule based on lineage, but in exchange, he doesn’t deny a person’s ability just because they were born into a certain family. He has highly appraised your ability to rule the city, seeing how you’re deeply admired by your people. Lord Soma mentioned that he would like you to continue ruling over Luoma, albeit under new laws set by us.
Moreover, we have heard that you have been teaching your son as the next lord by placing him at your side as an aide. If your son’s ability is acknowledged as being sufficient, he will be able to become the next lord, I think.”
An inherited rule based on lineage doesn’t have only bad points. A person’s lifespan was still rather short in this era, making it difficult for a single person to accumulate a broad range of knowledge. Even if you wanted to give someone the freedom to choose their own occupation, the current circumstances didn’t allow for it. Hence, there existed cases where it’d be better to pass on expert knowledge to children early on, right after they became aware of what was going on around them.
Especially the government of a city or country wouldn’t forgive blunders or stagnation. Rather than hoping for someone with an outstanding ability to rule to appear, it was safer to teach someone how to rule from a young age, even if it wasn’t clear whether they’d have the caliber to fill out the position appropriately.
“The part troubling Lord Soma the most is people with lacking ability and preparedness being placed in positions of responsibility just because of their pedigree. Not to even mention that he considers it absurd to alienate someone more talented by using authority out of jealousy.”
Mythos realized what Solon was suggesting. He was clearly referring to King Warius and his son Alexius.
“A nation only exists due to its people. A king solely exists due to his retainers. Having these simple facts misunderstood will ultimately lead to disaster for a country and the retainers. If someone isn’t pleased with retainers who offer such a level of honest advice, they are free to head into the wastelands or mountains and call themselves king over there. If they do, no one will complain, nor will it trouble anyone.”
Mythos was surprised by Solon’s remark.
‘A nation only exists due to its people. A king solely exists due to his retainers.’
Those are words often mentioned by Holmea’s former Great Prime Minister Ponpius – Mythos’s teacher.
As expected, this old man isn’t just some random nobody, this realization made Mythos bow his head naturally.
“What you have said is most certainly true.”
Mythos deeply prostrated himself in front of Solon. And soon after this, Luoma’s city gates were flung open and a messenger headed to Souma to inform him of the city’s surrender.
◆◇◆◇◆
“So, what do you think? Awesome, wasn’t I?”
With Solon proudly cackling in front of her, Shyemul pulled such a sour expression that even a human could tell.
They had shown their difference in power and ability through Marco’s pastries, but that much wouldn’t have been enough to obtain a bloodless capitulation by the lord. Exactly because Solon managed to build a relationship of mutual trust with Mythos during this short period of time, Mythos also approved of Souma as being a man worthy enough to be surrendered to.
Shyemul understood as much. But, honestly praising Solon would irritate her to no end.
“Marco! You did very well. Personally I believe the city surrendered like this thanks to your outstanding efforts!”
Shyemul greatly praised Marco out of spite towards Solon.
“I had lots of fun being allowed to make delicious pastry,” Marco responded, saying something that was completely misaligned with Shyemul’s intention.
Unable to let that pass, Souma interjected, “Shyemul, moderate yourself, okay?”
Shyemul was prone to lose control of herself whenever Solon was involved. She might end up becoming unable to move her own mouth due to her own Blessing, if she went too far, but Shyemul didn’t even mind that possibility. However, as far as Souma was concerned, he didn’t want to expose his closest retainer to the shame of being unable to use her mouth.
Being chided by him, Shyemul closed her mouth, as might be expected, but noticing Solon grinning broadly at herself, she snorted in displeasure and turned her face away. After cackling at that like an old man, Solon used his cane to raise his old bones back up with some effort.
“Now then, I guess I’ll give it a bit more of a push in order to make the little beast lady happy.”
“Where will you be going?”
Solon took a letter out of his pocket and showed it to Souma.
“Lord Mythos wrote up a letter of introduction for me to make it easier to visit the neighboring lords. I plan to make a few stopovers while taking this here with me.”
Solon stated he would persuade the lords of Holmea’s western areas now that he had succeeded with Luoma.
Half in admiration and half in appallment, Souma commented, “Isn’t one bottle of whiskey far too cheap for this much?”
“No, not at all. If I were to ask for any more than that, it’d earn me the animosity of the dwarves. Apart from that――,” he cast a fleeting glance at Shyemul, “――being able to see a certain girl stamp her feet in frustration due to me achieving various accomplishments is a lot more fun.”
Shyemul bitterly stamped her feet at Solon laughing.
◆◇◆◇◆
After this, Solon visited one lord in Holmea’s west after the other. Each of those lords didn’t have any will to fight as they not only feared the Divine Son of Destruction, who had crushed Holmea’s strongest army corps, the Black Wall, but they also knew that governing their fief would become a challenge with the force controlling Luoma being hostile to them.
Moreover, the fact of Luoma’s lord, who was widely known for being a warrior with a backbone, having personally written up a letter of introduction after surrendering to the revolting slaves played a big role as well. The Western lords successively surrendered, claiming that they had no choice, now that Earl Mythos had capitulated.
Just like this, the western region of the major power Holmea became Souma’s. The seriousness of this blow to Holmea was unfathomable. If Holmea had been a person, it’d have likely suffered the same pain and shock as if having a third of its body violently torn off.
But, even that was no more than just the beginning.
Right at this moment the curtain to an even worse tragedy was about to open for Holmea. And the cause for that wasn’t Souma or Holmea’s West.
Instead, big events were starting to take place in the opposite direction ―― Holmea’s east.
◆◇◆◇◆
“Hoh, that’s very good news.”
The one muttering so with a cheerful undertone was the young king of Buljeboa, Cesar. King Cesar had been informed by a spy, whom he had dispatched to Holmea’s west, that they had captured Alexius.
Thinking that he had nothing to lose anyway, he expected that some amusing prey would fall for his trap, like a famous general for example, if he was lucky enough. However, it looked like a much bigger prey than he had anticipated got caught in his trap.
King Cesar placed a hand on his chin, pondering.
“It might be best to pull out the spies whom I’ve stationed in Holmenia’s royal palace.”
King Cesar’s hand was also reaching deep inside the royal palace of Holmea. His subordinates, who had infiltrated the place by becoming maids and soldiers, would assassinate or kidnap any important person of Holmea at a single word of their king.
And currently he had his subordinates focus on Princess Warina whose value had steeply risen after the crushing defeat at the bridgepoint and Alexius’s subsequent, steep drop in evaluation. But, now that he had obtained Alexius, the crown prince of Holmea, it had become unnecessary to expose his subordinates to danger in order to obtain Princess Warina, no matter how much the prince’s evaluation might have fallen.
Rather, it seemed to him like it’d be more interesting to put them to use for another task.
King Cesar released a stifled laugh.
“As might be expected, a tragic princess is definitely an exciting theme for any artist.”
A burning royal castle and a pretty princess sharing its fate. I have no doubt Holmea’s people will feel very sad and enraged. That will become the basis for a new, future painting. And on top of that base I will draw the new power distribution in the West, filled with madness and chaos as it’s currently floating in my mind.
With that scenery lingering in his mind, King Cesar revealed an evil smile, curving the corners of his mouth upwards. It was an inhuman smile reminiscent of a snake being in front of its prey.
“Now then, it’s the beginning of Holmea’s end.”
Ahead of his look was Romania’s army as it was about to cross the big river by crossing a bridge.
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