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–––Magna’s viewpoint

The terrible news of Lumielle’s destruction by Leble arrived. The messenger arrived drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, and had switched horses many times to bring that information to me as soon as possible. All the ministers in the audience hall heard what he said, which obviously caused a stir.

Exactly what was the degree of destruction there? Were they making them a vassal nation, or were they taking more extreme measures and eradicating all the civilians to repopulate the country? How strong was the army Leble employed? There were too many questions and too little information, and the audience hall was about to be plunged into chaos.

“Silence! We gain nothing from senseless speculation! We should be focusing on how to deal with whatever situation might arise on our borders.”

I shouted as loud as I could, but everyone still looked worried and unsure.

“Tannux.”
“Yessir!”

A knight raised his voice behind me. Many people grimaced and frowned hearing that voice, and I was sure he would have liked to do the same, but he did not show his displeasure. He silently endured through. During the civil war we had earlier he had been both an enemy and an ally, not opposing Stied’s rule at the start. He was the commander of the knights, and there were few other people with his leadership and capabilities, so I let him retain his position, without punishing him for serving Stied.

“Prepare emergency measures for war all over the country. Send scouts to every territory and establish a fast network of information. Also increase the efforts of finding and capturing spies. We never know where Leble will start their attack.”
“Understood.”
“Also send the first and second knight battalions to the border with Lumielle and Leble.”
“As you wish.”

The knights had suffered grave losses during the civil war, but now they had restructured into the first and second battalions. We also increased our recruitment efforts to replenish the men we lost, while older knights took a teaching role. Somehow we managed to bring the numbers back up that way, but they still had some ways to go before they became as strong as before. I was also aware that new recruits are usually the first to die in combat, so I did not want them to be too exposed yet. If they died as well, there would be no force left to protect our country.

“Also relay this information to all the governors of our territories, and tell them to make preparations for war as well. I realize they’re busy hunting monsters as well, but it’s exactly in times like these that we are the most vulnerable against spies.”

I gave orders one after another, and those in charge of each matter left the audience hall when I was done. I really thought we could finally calm down, but then a soldier rushed in with an urgent message.

“What..? Did you say Lady Freya?”
“Y-yes, she’s badly hurt so she’s resting while we treat her. What should we do with her once she’s in better shape though?”
“I’ll go see her myself. Take me there.”

Freya was the hero of Lumielle, and she had survived the attack and made her way to my palace. I was glad someone so important was still alive, but as the acting king I was not quite as pleased. I already had a good idea of why she came here.

§　§　§

“Oh, Your Majesty. I’m sorry you have to see me in such a state.”
“Don’t worry about that, Lady Freya. Also I haven’t properly inherited the throne yet, it’s too soon to refer to me in that way.”
“My apologies, Your Highness.”

Freya roused her body from the bed, her face looked pale, but I could not see any serious injuries on her. A priest had been healing her, but her clothes were still tattered, making it easy to imagine how violent the battle had been. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever she would say next.

“I’ve already heard the news that Lumielle was taken by Leble. I’m sure there’s a lot in your mind right now, but you should try to rest for now.”
“Thank you… but I can’t afford to rest right now, Your Highness. I realize I might be a bit too forthcoming about this, but I’d like to ask for a favor to reclaim my country.”
“…Tell me what it is.”

Freya swallowed loudly before she spoke, letting each word sound clearly.

“I’d like your help to liberate Lumielle. Leble received help from demons to invade my country, and I’m sure they won’t stop there. It’s only a matter of time before they decide to move from Lumielle into Bordaule. I need your help to stop their ambitions and to help my people who are in a horrible situation.”
“…”

Freya bowed, her trembling hands firmly grasping the sheets of the bed. I had expected that much, and I knew that if I refused to help, she would still go fight on her own. I did not want that to happen, and I also wanted to help her. But as the acting ruler of the country I carried too much responsibility to base my decisions on emotions. If I lent her soldiers, some of them would die, and I would be spending money on something that did not benefit our country.

“…Let’s be a bit more realistic.”

I looked back and made everyone leave the room. Then I sat down next to her and looked into her eyes.

“I don’t condone any of Leble’s actions, and I believe we need to put an end to their ambitions.”
“Then..!”
“Let me finish first.”

Freya moved forward, looking extremely happy to hear that, but I raised my hand, and she froze in place.

“Bordaule can’t just hand you everything you need to reclaim Lumielle. Going to war means there will be casualties, and either way it’ll end up costing me a lot of money. It’s my duty as acting king to stop something like that from happening to my people.”
“…So you want me to give you something in return?”

I really like it when someone catches on so quickly. She already understood what I was getting at before I explained everything.

“To be completely frank, yes. Is there anything Lumielle can offer in exchange for my troops?”
“…”

Freya fell silent and closed her eyes, thinking about it. I had no reason to rush, so I waited for her to find an answer. Even if I did not help her, Leble would eventually attempt to invade Bordaule. That was unavoidable unless they desisted from their ideas of expansion, and Freya had to know that.

So it was just a matter of time before we inevitably would need to fight together… That was a simple conclusion to come to. But what if I chose to take a purely defensive stance? There was the possibility of focusing our efforts on strengthening our borders and fending off the attacks, leaving no troops to possibly fight for Lumielle. Freya also understood that, and that was why she needed to think this through. Her next idea would be…

“Would you like a… portion of our country then?”
“I don’t want that. A territory so far away is just a hassle to manage.”

Freya looked perplexed hearing my instant answer. Some might think that more territories means more tax money, but sometimes it could end up costing more money instead. Things like mines or farmlands that produced large amounts of revenue were different, but Lumielle did not have such locations. In other words, there was little value in Lumielle’s land. Something like that was better left to be managed by its original owners.

“Then… you’d prefer reparation money?”
“I don’t think that’s the exact term. In this situation it’d be more like… cooperation fees? Once Lumielle is rebuilt, they’ll have to pay a certain amount of money back every year. The amount will grow with each year, for ten years. Does that sound good?”
“…”

There was still the fact that taking land away from Lumielle, the home country of Lumiere’s temple, would be seen as a wicked act by other countries. That religion had countless followers in Bordaule as well, so I did not want to deal with their complaints. Freya frowned as she thought about my suggestion. Once they were freed from Leble, they would be affected by that debt to Bordaule. She needed to think this through as the future of her country relied on it, but eventually she looked at me with strong determination.

“…I understand. As the hero of Lumielle I vow to meet those terms. We’ll start paying once Lumielle has been reclaimed and is at peace.”
“Alright, I’ll go write up a written contract then.”

I softly shake her hand too. Lumielle and Bordaule might have different ideals, but now we could both benefit from this. Freya would reclaim her country, and I had a proper reason to fight Leble.

Lapis and her friends are still nowhere to be found, but the world keeps turning.