Vol. 4 - Ch. 24 - Taria war

The Sleeping Devil

On the plains just at the border between Taria and Orlasteria. This place had been used before when Orlasteria disputed territory with Taria.

Geronamo, the commander of the Taria army division, looked at the Orlasterian army before him, trembling slightly at the prospect of the monumental task about to begin.

"Geronamo-sama, preparations on this side are complete."

"Good, it's finally time..."

A few years ago, the sudden Orlasterian invasion campaign began. It was a ridiculous reason, claiming Orlasteria monopolized the core of magic, yet the elderly who held absolute power in the Senate had pushed it through forcibly.

Despite several setbacks along the way, the greedy nobles had finally come to the point of declaring war.

"Look, Geronamo. They haven't even assembled half our troops. Their arrogance in relying on magic ends today."

The man with a lewd grin and a lascivious manner, the mastermind behind the war, was none other than Duke Cassola himself. Cassola laughed as if already certain of his army's victory, his face creased with deep wrinkles.

Geronamo couldn't understand why he could be so optimistic.

"Your Excellency, are you sure about this? It might still be possible to negotiate a new agreement at the final conference..."

"You're such a persistent man. Can't you see the barbarians clutching our treasure right in front of us? If they were to simply release the barrier, I might consider it."

It was an absurd proposition. There was no basis whatsoever for claiming Orlasteria monopolized magic. Despite the lack of support from Geronamo, Cassola cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"Well, I guess I'll tell you about that person. It was about five years ago. He suddenly appeared in my bedroom, in my well-guarded castle. I thought my heart would stop."

Despite that, he looked ecstatic, his eyes glazed with fever as he continued.

"He was covered in cloth from head to toe, so I couldn't see him. But my instincts told me he was no ordinary person. He told me about Orlasteria's monopoly on magic, and then he bestowed a miracle upon me."

Without giving him a chance to call for his guards, he found himself suddenly transported to the border with Orlasteria. There were no spells, no incantations, just an instant transportation that made him realize this person was not of this world.

The sweet whispers echoing in his ears were like gospel, and he was captivated in an instant. Geronamo could vividly imagine the scene.

"And that person brought with him a small creature, about the size of a hand, from somewhere, claiming it was proof that Orlasteria monopolized magic."

"My lifespan probably shortened by three years there. A small creature, even if it was small, a magical creature? He easily pierced it with his sword, and then he took me across the border."

Cassola glanced at me briefly and chuckled. "Do you understand what happened?" he asked. I wanted to say I had no idea, but instead, I answered quietly, "No."

"A small, wriggling creature emitting a foul odor evaporated as soon as it entered Orlasteria. The miasma and magic are two sides of the same coin. It's obvious that some sort of barrier is in place."

"That... that means..."

Orlasteria has been circulating magic within its borders since ancient times, storing it to prevent leakage. They claim the miasma is thick due to the abundance of magic... That person gave me the opportunity for judgment. To expose the crimes of the enemy nation and bring the blessings of the gods back to Taria."

Cassola, brimming with fighting spirit, couldn't say anything further. Nausea welled up within him at the words that sounded as if they were for the sake of Taria. Has this man ever done anything useful for his own country? He raised taxes in his own domain, monopolized wealth, and turned the Senate into his personal possession---the root of all evil was now instigating war with other countries under the pretext of defending his own.

"It's time for the final conference. Your Excellency, the tent has been prepared, please proceed."

Geronamo's subordinate announced the start of the operation. With a nod, Geronamo and Cassola headed towards the final conference.

Both armies faced each other on the vast plain, with an open space in between. Tents were set up, only providing shade from the sun, on the yet untouched ground.

The representatives from Orlasteria were already seated, their vibrant hair colors indicating their high levels of magical prowess.

The man with long green hair at the nape of his neck was likely the commander of the Orlasterian knights. The one with blue hair next to him was probably the head of the Berialdo family, based on the information from a neighboring country and the people in front of him.

Among the young faces in their thirties, the young redhead stood out. She was Dalia, the head of the magical order. Despite having a moderate level of magical power, she had risen to the position of head of the magical order at a young age, making her famous even within Taria. To the nobles of Taria who lacked magical power compared to Orlasteria, she was a beacon of hope, and they felt a sense of familiarity with her as she resembled their own country.

"Now, let's begin the final conference."

A civil servant from Orlasteria unfolded a piece of paper and read its contents. It succinctly summarized Taria's demands, stating that they were baseless and impossible to address.

Geronamo listened to the ridiculous document, his face reddening with embarrassment.

"I cannot understand on what basis you are making such statements, but if you want war, we'll oblige."

Heinrich Keesling, the supreme commander of the Orlasterian army, let out a mocking laugh. Around the same age as Geronamo, he was a member of the Orlasterian Senate. Although it was a completely different institution from his own country's Senate, he returned Cassola's contemptuous words as if looking down on him just because he was younger.

"Did you say Keesling? Shall I expose your blatant lies? Let's at least do that much before this place is filled with miasma."

"Miasma... pollution, you mean. We also do not wish for pollution to fill the battlefield. However, as stated repeatedly in writing, there is no such barrier to prevent the diffusion of magic."

The negotiations remained at a standstill, and a document proving the failure of the negotiations was drawn up. Originally, this final conference was a place for the invaded party to surrender unconditionally. If both sides were confident of victory, it was nothing more than a formal negotiation.

Cassola signed his intention to invade Orlasteria. He roughly handed the document to Heinrich...

Geronamo grabbed it firmly.

"What are you doing, Geronamo!"

"Duke Cassola, I will arrest you for dragging our country into war for your own selfish desires."

Crash!!

Taria's knights, who had been held back as guards, suddenly pointed their swords at Cassola. In shock at the sudden turn of events, Heinrich widened his eyes, and the commander of the Orlasterian knights instinctively raised his sword.

Sergio sighed discontentedly and stifled a yawn.

"What's going on! Have you lost your mind?! Do you understand the situation right now?!"

"Please forgive us, everyone from Orlasteria, for exposing our country's shame in such a place. Also, could we have a little more time?"

"Um, can I go home now?" Sergio waved his hand casually, to which the knight next to him shouted angrily while still holding his sword. "Lord Sergio! Please stop it! Don't you understand the situation here?!"

While Heinrich was trying to mediate the argument between the two, the attention of everyone in the vicinity turned to Cassola, who was still shouting.

Heinrich instructed the Orlasterian knights to sheathe their weapons and turned to Geronamo, saying, "It seems there is some situation. Would you care to explain?"

"I apologize for not being able to resolve the situation before the declaration of war. Once both kings had decided to march, there was no other choice but to act here."

"Geronamo! Are you betraying us?! How much, how much did Orlasteria's savages pay you?!"

Cassola, now restrained behind his back, shouted with a face that looked like it could erupt at any moment.

Yes, there was no other choice. Geronamo's strategy had turned this negotiation into a battlefield.

"Duke Cassola, you cannot destroy your own country for your selfish desires."

"My selfish desires?! I did it for Taria's prosperity...! It was approved by the Senate and endorsed by the king!"

"The evidence of your buying off the Senate's necessary majority votes and fabricating documents under the guise of royal decrees has been secured. By now, your supporters in our country have been arrested."

Cassola continued to shower Geronamo with curses in his fury. Geronamo stepped back to avoid the flying spittle and calmly began to read out the charges from the documents he took out of his pocket.

"For bribing several sages to fabricate documents that falsely corroborate the existence of an unidentified magical barrier. For fabricating documents to gather noble votes, claiming them to be royal decrees, and for the forgery of royal seals and bribery of civil officials. It has been confirmed that you deceived the tax collection and embezzled funds for personal gain."

When Geronamo paused, Cassola's flushed face turned pale. "Impossible...! Th-this... Do you have evidence?!"

"Yes, all of it."

"This is a conspiracy! It must be a conspiracy! Geronamo, you must have been paid off by Orlasteria to frame me! Seize that traitor!"

Cassola's screams of despair echoed across the plain. From behind Heinrich, Sergio poked his head out.

"Um, is Cassola to be executed, by any chance? Shall I behead him here?"

Sergio looked at Cassola with a grin that was inappropriate for the situation. Whether he understood his own fate from the term "execution," or he sensed imminent death from Sergio, who seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment, Cassola's face turned pale, and his lips trembled.

"Lord Sergio, please refrain! This is not your stage!"

The knight commander with green hair approached from behind and dragged Sergio away. "I apologize..." Heinrich bowed his head, but Geronamo, unfazed, turned to him.

"We apologize for causing great inconvenience to your country. We have received a letter of apology from our king. Could we discuss again, including conscription and the expenses incurred?"

"Yes, indeed. Even if we are told to disband, it is not easy to withdraw the army so easily. We need to have discussions again... but before that, please take the criminals away. They are not suitable to be here."

Geronamo nodded, and the knights escorted the bound Cassola away. Handcuffs to suppress magic were placed on him, and he was led away to a carriage without windows, powerless.

"Now, shall you act as the representative of Taria?"

"Yes, here is the king's approval."

When Heinri confirmed the sealed documents, the real negotiations between Taria and Olastelia began.

Geronamo is still a young aristocrat among the Senate. Although his family has held a seat in the Senate for generations, Geronamo inherited the title along with the seat when his predecessor passed away early, at the age of twenty.

Despite being young, Geronamo has already served as a member of the Senate for over ten years, and he is well aware that today is his most important task.

Representing the country in negotiations accompanied by the military. However, the experience of things being decided smoothly and interestingly, more than deliberating in his own country's parliament, reminded Geronamo of the story of the gentleman whom Cassola admired.

Ah, I see... Everything is in their hands.

Feeling so comfortable that he wanted to surrender himself, Geronamo remembered the tumultuous days that had begun a few days ago.

■ Heinri Keasling (Marquis)

→ Senate

→ The person who went to inquire about Alphonse Olastelia's anger in "Alphonse Olastelia's Outburst"

Next time, I wanted to have a nice story for the 100th episode, but it will be a story from a few days before the Taria war.

Vol. 4 - Ch. 24 - Taria war

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