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Brought out of his revelry, Fadelio looked at his host with a worried look. On the outside, nothing about Lord Nasica of Rumas had changed since their first meeting. Just like back then, the middle-aged lord dressed in simple robes and kept his head shorn. Only his blue eyes had shed their constant waver, which had been replaced by firmness. This was a man reaffirmed in his beliefs. Fadelio was glad he was on their side.

"If nothing is done and King Corco loses the war, my trouble will be no less," Nasica answered. "Last year, when I listened to King Corco’s music on top of Mount Urquna, I made the decision to welcome change. Not only would I change myself, but also the fate that lay upon our empire so heavily. Now I see that this change is unavoidable, but it should at least be as chosen by ourselves, not by some outside entity. For that purpose, I will do whatever is necessary. Not to mention..."

A hint of a smile on his lips, the lord looked at all the uniformed warriors before him. The first among them carried before them the new banner of the south. Even though most were Nasica’s own men, they looked just like Corco’s soldiers. "I fail to see any of my troops here, so I wonder what crimes I could have committed in the eyes of King Pacha."

"Yeah, all of those are ours, aren’t they?" Fadelio grinned in response. "I wonder how they all managed to sneak inside your borders without your knowledge, Lord Nasica?"

"Indeed. We must have been too lenient with the control of our visitors. But what can we do? We are a site of pilgrimage after all. If we are too strict with the people we let in, we might even get into trouble with the priesthood. After all, who dare stand in the way of a divine pilgrimage?"

Now that he was convinced of Nasica’s safety, Fadelio breathed a sigh of relief. Since Pacha was dependent on support from other lords, he couldn’t just break the common rules of conduct. That was the reason Pacha had disguised his men as robbers to stop them. So long as the king of the center couldn’t prove any traitorous behavior on Nasica’s side, he couldn’t attack with his army. Even the robbers should lose their value now. After all, who would believe that a bunch of bandits managed to stop hundreds of organized warriors? This was no longer an excuse Pacha could hide behind.

"Either way, the south will not forget this gift. Once the war is over, the king will be sure to repay Lord Nasica handsomely."

"There is no need to repay anything." The lord waved his hands in rejection, still that small smile on his face. "After all, I was saved by Corco when I was at my lowest. It is only good and proper I return the favor."

"Even so..." In the face of Nasica’s humility, Fadelio struggled with his words. There really was nothing good he could offer to the lord, but he didn’t want to leave just like this. In the end, he came up with an idea, even though it was a bit sly. "How about Lord Nasica join the southern kingdom then?"

"That seems more like a benefit for the south, not me. Rather, Rumas would be exposed to King Pacha’s wrath, and surrounded by enemies."

When Nasica called Fadelio out on his poisoned chalice, he insisted on his honesty.

"At the same time, the south would also be committed to defend Rumas from any attacks. Although the commitment would be a great burden to the southern kingdom, King Corco would surely be willing to carry it."

"No doubt. However, the distances are too large. Rumas lies too close to the capital, and there is too much land between here and Qarasi Castle. If King Pacha decides to be vengeful, your men will never be able to defend this land before it gets razed. No, for now, the best choice for Rumas is to stay low and wait out the wars."

Although he was unwilling to give up, Fadelio had to relent with a frown.

"Well, at least we can offer a discount on Saniya’s newest products. Like this, Lord Nasica should be able to gain great wealth."

Considering the rich Cinnabar resources of Rumas as well as their pilgrimage industry, this offer was nothing more than an empty gesture, but Fadelio wouldn’t feel right if he didn’t offer at least something in return for Nasica’s help.

"Ahaha, then I thank Official Fadelio for his consideration." The lord accepted with the same indifferent joy he had shown in his previous rejection.

*He truly seems incorruptible. A better priest than most priests.*

"In that case, we will be on our way." Fadelio said.

"May the stars shine upon you, brave warrior."

"Yeah, upon us all." Fadelio nodded and shook Nasica’s outstretched hand, before he turned to his men. They still had a long way to go.

__________________________

Ever since the arrival of the great lords of the south, the great hall in Qarasi Castle had been filled with endless chatter. Although no food or drink had been presented by the host yet, the lords had taken the liberty to bring their own, and so they sat among themselves and organized a spontaneous banquet. Meanwhile, the man who had called them here stood at the end of the room and was being ignored.

"Damn noble bastards. Same shit, different continent," Dedrick groaned. Ever since he had lost his knighthood, he was very much used to this kind of dismissal from others. This time however, the survival of their very king was at stake. How could these lords prove this inconsiderate and selfish in a time of need for their own kingdom? Dedrick tried hard to come up with some words that would calm them down and force them to listen to his plan, but so far every attempt had been ignored. He really wasn’t made for this ’talking’ crap in the first place. So he decided to go with a more familiar method.

"Bring me my gun," he said to the wolf next to him.

"Commander, you don’t want to shoot them, do you? Wouldn’t that be trouble?"

Of course the man was terrified, especially after what had happened to Nahlen and Mason. Dedrick’s thoughts on their fate would have surprised the mercenary. The commander was just glad he hadn’t been forced to take them out himself. As someone who was familiar with the inner workings of the wolf mercenaries, he had long seen the troublesome tendencies shown by those two.

However, he hadn’t thought they would be stupid enough to try their hands at an outright rebellion. If Tamaya’s spies were to be believed, they had made a deal with Herak in place to make the long journey back home. Although he didn’t like the vicious method in which the men had been trapped and then taken out before they could reach him, it was not something Dedrick was eager to tell anyone, even if it was justified. They really couldn’t afford any more suspicion if they wanted to finish their job and return home with honor and wealth. For the same reason, he didn’t intend to kill any of the annoying nobles who refused to listen to his words.

"Don’t worry, I’m just gonna scare them a bit to get their attention. If a stray ball hits one of them in the knee though, it can’t be considered my fault. They’re running all over the place, so it’s hard to miss them. I’m sure the boss will understand."

Although his subordinate’s worried look went back and forth between him and the lords in question, he still fulfilled his commands without further complaints. Now that Mason and Nahlen were out of the way, there really wasn’t anyone left to stand up to Dedrick’s authority within the wolves, so the men would be much better behaved. However, before the wolf could return with the gun, a fight broke out among the backbenches of the hall.

By the time Dedrick approached the ruckus, a huddle had already formed around two of the great, noble lords, and the battle was over. On the ground lay a middle-aged man with an expensive, blue robe and a snide look. This was Lord Vareo, the same man whose city of Port Ulta Mason had attacked with surprise cannon fire, his first act of insubordination. Right now, the lord wiped the blood from his nose off his face, as his vicious eyes stared up at his opponent.

Posed before his downed foe like a great master was another lord Dedrick was familiar with. Lord Huaman Queru was one of Corco’s first allies in the south, and someone his boss valued quite a bit. Since their guy was winning, there was no reason for Dedrick to get involved for now.

"Do you dare hit me?" Vareo barked. "Worst of all on the king’s grounds, when we are here as his guests? Do you want to risk a war against the combined forces of Port Ulta and Saniya with this disrespect to both houses?"

"Who’s disrespectful, you cowardly bastard?" Even though both were Medalan nobles, the rough Huaman didn’t mince his words one bit. Dedrick liked him right away. "You’ve been invited into Qarasi Castle for a strategic meeting, but all of you clamor on as if you’re in a whorehouse. Horny bastards, if you don’t have the stomach for war, the door’s over there." He pointed at the exit from the hall. Although many of the surrounding lords seemed unhappy, they didn’t dare speak up against the bear-like southern lord.

"Since Port Ulta hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks, there should be no problem in indulging a bit here, should there?"

This might have been the main reason for the conflict: Before Corco had established the trade route to the Verdant Isles, they had been low on grain. As a result, they were forced to prioritize where they would send their surplus grain. For various reasons, Port Ulta had gotten the short end of the straw. No wonder Vareo was angry.

"When he visited Qarasi after his return, King Corco already told us that he’ll bring enough food for everyone within weeks or days. You already get cheaper food from another lord who has no obligation to feed your people. What more do you want?"

Before another brawl could break out, Dedrick decided to step between the combatants.

"Thanks for your help, Lord Huaman. Still, I don’t think beating each other up is gonna do any good. Better leave that anger for the northerners, huh?" he winked.

"What do you know, foreigner?" Still happy to confront them, Vareo bit back as he stood up and dusted off his untidy robes.

"And how is that a problem?" Huaman asked with narrowed eyes. Dedrick really had no idea what he was doing in between them.

"We will not be subservient to some commoner bastard from nowhere. Who would leave their warriors under his control?" Vareo screamed back.

"Yeah!"

"That’s right!"

"Where would our honor be?"

Several lords hid in the crowd to shout out their cowardly thoughts.

"Fine, then don’t go," Huaman replied. "Whoever wants to follow along with the king’s plan, under command of the king’s general Dedrick di Pluritac, may do so, but he must show the respect such an office deserves. Whoever wants to leave is free to go. Especially you, Vareo. I hear that some foreign ships have docked in Port Ulta these days. Maybe those foreigners are more to your liking than this one."

Anger in his heart, Dedrick looked around the unwelcoming faces in the hall. Weren’t these bastards just provoking a conflict? He really had no mind for this crap. Just in time, his subordinate came back and handed him his musket.

"Yeah, well said. How about this: I’m gonna take my time and slowly load this gun of mine. If you have a problem with me, or my command, or my men, or the boss’s plan, you can fuck right off and leave the room until I’m done loading. If anyone still has a problem after that, they’ll get a bullet to the head."

"Outrageous!"

"How dare a simple warrior..."

"...a foreigner no less."

"I hear a lot of talking and not enough walking," Dedrick grinned, as he continued to load his gun. At the same time, several of his mercenaries closed in from all corners of the room, the same weapons as his in their hands. In several demonstrations in their camps, and back in Arguna, the lords had already seen the power of their muskets. Even though they looked like awkward clubs, the nobles wouldn’t underestimate the power aimed at them. After they shared a few uncomfortable looks, three of the lords turned and left. Yes, this was a much better method than Corco’s long-winded speeches, Dedrick thought.

"King Corco will hear of this!" Halfway to the door, Vareo turned around and tried one final time to intimidate the mercenary.

"Yeah, yeah. I’m sure he will." Dedrick’s head was still lowered, focused on his gun.

After a few seconds in which the silence was only interrupted by the sound of the ramrod in the musket’s barrel, Vareo snorted and followed his fellow lords.

"That could have ended better," Huaman said to Dedrick, who gave his musket back to a relieved subordinate.

"It’s not a problem. We don’t need those honorable nobles to make our way north. They’re just greedy for all the loot on our way, so it’s best they’re not around. I mean, that loot’s all mine, so I can’t have any other greedy bastards there to steal my coin."

The southern lord seemed to not share Dedrick’s sense of humor.

"With so few men, it was already hard to take the encampment in the north. Now we’re short three lords, so our attack would only be more difficult."

"How did you find out about our attack plan?" The mercenary narrowed his eyes.

"It was a guess, and an easy one." Confronted with Dedrick’s suspicion, Huaman showed no fear. "Since you called the meeting, it’s obvious you planned a big military operation, and there are not many places to attack from Qarasi Castle."

For now, Dedrick decided to remember the lord’s name. This one seemed quite good when it came to warfare.

"Either way, we’re not gonna need those turncoats. With me at the helm, we’ve got more than enough people as is, and we also have a trump card or two."

With his trademark roguish grin, Dedrick looked over to two groups of lords and servants who had remained isolated all day. Now, both were closing in on him from different directions.

"It seems like the south-west centered on Saniya is a lot less united than I thought, huh?" Uchu Villca said. As the second oldest son of the late Lord Villca, he was one of the main contenders for the lands south of Qarasi, and also the shameless bandit chief who had crashed Corco’s banquet in the fall.

"Yeah, well, you’re not doing too hot either," Dedrick replied. After months of siege, Uchu and his brother Pahuac were still stuck outside of Cashan, where there eldest brother had managed to hide out with the support of a few loyalists.

"Give me a reason why I shouldn’t just follow hose deserters out the door after that insult." His head lowered, the bandit looked like he was only waiting for Dedrick to provoke a fight.

However, Dedrick chose to go for diplomacy for once since he had already given away his musket. At least Uchu’s problem was related to his military position, something the mercenary understood well.

"Although you can’t crack the walls, your troops have secured the area around Cashan pretty well, so most of your army is just sitting around with nothing to do anyways. You’re running out of supplies though, now that the north has closed off the borders."

"That’s not-"

"Don’t bother with the bullshit, I don’t like to play games. We all got spies, and ours have found out that you’re running low. Here’s the deal: You help us take over the northern encampment, and we’ll help you take Cashan in turn. We can get started as soon as Corco’s back."

"War with the northerners? Sounds like fun." From the side, Pahuac Villca barged into the conversation and shook Dedrick’s hand, as if he had received the offer. In truth, there wasn’t much difference between the two as far as Dedrick was concerned.

"Which one?" a quiet voice asked from being Uchu.

"Huh?"

"Which one of the Villca sons will be given the city once it is retaken?" Half hidden in the shadow, Guachimine Villca spoke up. This was someone Dedrick had been warned about by Tamaya. It seemed like he was the brains behind Uchu’s mindless brawn. However, for this time, the mercenary captain wouldn’t have to deal with the rat.

"Isn’t that your own problem?" Dedrick grinned. "As always, the great and wise king Corco remains neutral on internal family matters."

"Who cares about later!?" Pahuac shouted and cracked his knuckles. "I’ve always wanted to invade up north, repay those northerners for all their visits over the years. Let’s just have some fun with this."

"...fine. I’m sure we will be able to find a solution later." Unwilling to fall behind and be left without an ally, Uchu had to agree as well.

Still, the bandit and the rat eyed their enemy with great care. Pahuac, on the other hand, really didn’t care and swung his arms around as if to warm up for a fight. Although Dedrick had assembled his attack force for now, he could already feel a headache coming on.