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I was at my wits’ end in Vilheim, the last city of the Northern Alliance and an agricultural hub.
The city’s governor, Kurst, is a gentle man with excellent administrative skills.
He also has deep ties with Veiria, the craft city of the Southern Federation, so negotiations were going smoothly… or so I thought.

“I never imagined the Northern Alliance would collapse this quickly,”

Forne, the governor of Veiria, sighed wistfully.
To be honest, I, too, had underestimated Princess Eleora’s speed.
Her influence had likely been seeping into the Northern Alliance long before we even realized it.
We sat in the reception room of the governor’s mansion, sipping tea and wringing our hands.

It seemed an envoy from the Miraldia Liberation Army had arrived in another room.
Envoys had been coming almost every day since the day after the fall of Worngang, so Governor Krust, at his wits’ end, had called us in.

*“I had been preparing to join the Southern Federation, so I really don’t know what to do either.”*

Recalling the distressed expression on the governor’s face—he looked like such a decent man—I started to feel a little sorry for him.
That governor was pretty nervous around me, after all.

“Its end was surprisingly anticlimactic, wasn’t it, the Senate? If you’d stormed in first, Princess Eleora might not have had a chance to step in.”
“That’s impossible. The people of the North fear the Demon Lord’s Army more than the people of the South realize. I don’t think they’d agree to negotiate.”

If the goal were simply to slaughter the Senate and all their troops, it would be possible if the Demon Lord’s Army mobilized its full strength.
The problem is what comes after. The people won’t follow us.
Because of the blunder the Second Division committed in places like Bachen in the northwest, the Demon Lord’s Army is still deeply resented in that region.
The bitterness of losing one’s home and family isn’t something that fades so easily.

Forne seems to understand this as well, muttering to himself while helpingly pouring himself cup after cup of tea.

“That’s true… We can’t exactly raze the area to the ground and let people from the south settle there, can we?”

Forne casually voices this terrifying idea.
I had never even considered such a thing.
Is this the difference between commoners and nobles…?

Just as I was inwardly shuddering, there was a knock at the door and Kurst, the Governor of Vilheim, entered.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I’m sorry for putting you in the middle of this.”

Forne and Kurst have known each other for a long time.
Since he’s an important contact for Forne, I should apologize to him as well.

“I made that proposal with the best of intentions, I’m sorry it turned out this way.”
“N-no, no!? P-please, have mercy…”

Why is he so scared?

Krust showed me a letter from the Liberation Army, and its contents were more than enough to cause the Governor anguish.

*“We, the Liberation Army, do not wish for unnecessary bloodshed, and we believe that further fighting would harm Miraldia’s national interests. If Vilheim shares this view, we ask that you prepare to join us. We will grant you ample time.”*

That was the gist of it.
At first glance, it seems like a very reasonable proposal, but it doesn’t offer the option of “turning to the Southern Federation.”
Submit to the Liberation Army, or face war if you refuse.
That’s the underlying meaning.

Still, it’s interesting that they’re offering a generous grace period.
After all this time of unstoppable advancement, they’ve suddenly started taking their time.
With the Liberation Army’s current strength, they could easily take down a place like Vilheim, which has no proper military.

Logically, the more time spent on negotiations, the higher the war costs should become.
Citizen militias will defend their own cities for free, but it’s a different story when it comes to deploying troops. Their livelihoods must be guaranteed.
For example, if you were to pay five thousand soldiers two silver coins each day, the daily war costs would amount to ten thousand silver coins.
It is incredibly expensive to field a human army without resorting to looting.

Furthermore, the productivity of a city left without its workforce plummets. Naturally, tax revenue also declines.
It appears that the Liberation Army’s funds are contributed by the provincial governors, but if tax revenue falls, that will become difficult as well.
That is why Princess Eleora opts for a decisive, short-term battle whenever she deploys her army.

Perhaps Forne had the same thought; he gave me a wry smile.

“Could it be that the Liberation Army’s forces have been significantly reduced?”
“Yeah, maybe they sent the militiamen back to their own towns. If they were stationed in Worngang, they’d be pressing the issue much harder.”

Governor Krust nodded, letting out a sigh.

“Vilheim lacks the strength to fight a full-scale army. They don’t need thousands of militiamen to take the city.”

Given the situation, there’s no way Vilheim would make a fuss here. Resistance would serve no purpose.
So they won’t see a situation where even the militia is mobilized again. Mercenaries and surrendered knights are more than enough.
The militia should be sent home unharmed and used to spread the word of Princess Eleora’s glorious exploits. Stories of the battlefield are always a surefire hit at drinking parties.
It seems a significant number of troops directly under the Senate have defected to Princess Eleora as well, so she has more than enough pawns at her disposal.

Having somewhat grasped Princess Eleora’s intentions, I ponder.
For Vilheim to join the Southern Federation at this point would be suicide.
Even if the Southern Federation were to send reinforcements in an emergency, the vast buffer zone known as the Conflicting Wasteland would block them. They wouldn’t stand a chance of arriving in time.
That said, the Federation Army can’t stay stationed here indefinitely. There are plenty of other cities they need to defend.
No matter how I look at it, we can’t hold this position.

It’s dangerous to try to forcefully take something that’s out of reach.
In fact, letting go of it gracefully might actually increase the chances of getting it later.

“Lord Krust, is the Liberation Army’s messenger still here?”
“Y-yes. He’s here to receive a reply to this letter.”

All right, it’s decided.

“Lord Krust.”
“What is it?”
“You’d best surrender to the Liberation Army.”
“Huh!?”

I spoke to Krust, who was staring at me wide-eyed, in as sincere a tone as I could manage.

“The Southern Federation recognizes Vilheim as an ally. However, if you’ve come under attack from the Liberation Army, it will be difficult for us to defend Vilheim.”

Krust understood this all too well. He nodded silently.

So I continued:

“All the cities belonging to the Liberation Army are allies of the Northern Alliance as far as Vilheim is concerned. They certainly won’t be treated badly.”
“That may be true… but wouldn’t the Southern Federation find that unacceptable?”

Of course.
Someday, I’ll make that terrifying princess pay back for everything.

That said, I let out a wry smile.

“I’m not thick-skinned enough to pretend to be an ally while putting Vilheim in danger. I’m just a coward.”

That’s true.
If I were bolder, I wouldn’t be struggling this much.

But Krust didn’t know how to take my words and was staring at me with wide eyes.
He doesn’t think I’m being sarcastic or joking, does he?
Forne quickly stepped in to back me up.

“People call him the Black Wolf, but Lord Veit is more human than most people. That was his true feeling. I guarantee it.”
“……I see.”

Kurst nodded at Forne’s words and looked straight at me.

“Lord Veit.”
“Yes?”
“Perhaps, I’ve misunderstood you… no, the Demon Lord’s Army.”

Crust smiled gently and wiped the corners of his eyes. He seemed to be the type who cries easily.

“Although Vilheim will surrender to the Liberation Army, we will never forget the kindness of the Southern Federation, which took care to ensure we were not caught in the crossfire. I swear by the name of Kurst van Honenbaum, Governor of Vilheim, that I will repay this debt of gratitude someday.”

With that, he bowed deeply to me.
Thank you. Now, just make sure everything goes smoothly from here on out.