Chapter 264 - Diplomatic Conditions
"Carlos-sama, thank you for waiting."
"No, you were quicker than we expected. Thank you for defeating Arbalest, Ars."
"I am honored. I think the Arbalest family will be meek for the time being. Gana-dono is still in Paramea, so I don't think we have to worry about being attacked from behind.:
"I see. Then the only problems that remain are the attackers from the front."
"What is the status of the Memento family, Carlos-sama?"
"They are moving north toward us, passing through the territories of other noble families. According to our information, their army is estimated to be about 40,000 strong."
"They still have some distance to go, don't they?"
"Indeed. Due to their massive army, it will probably take them some time to arrive. In the meantime, we need to take measures."
"I understand. Then Barca's army will establish a defensive position."
"Good, that's great to hear."
After the battle with the Arbalests, I had come to Carlos with the Barca forces in tow.
There I gathered information.
Apparently, the Mementos are heading towards us, albeit far away.
We must do what we can in the meantime.
I get a grasp of the terrain while being shown a map by Leon who was at Carlos' location.
The place where we are now is southward from Fort Einrad.
That is where we will be waiting for the approaching Mementos.
In fact, the Fontana Territory is a surprisingly inaccessible place.
It is difficult to move straight south from Fontana City.
If you want to go south, you have to make a detour west or east and then proceed to go south.
The Arbalest Territory, located to the west of Fontana, has rivers flowing in from several noble territories, which can be used for transportation.
Until now, it was difficult for Fontana to use that river because of Fort Paramea, which was called impregnable.
In other words, the influence of the House of Arbalest was a factor in the traffic west of Fontana's land.
Also, to the east is Einrad.
Einrad was also occupied by Uruk until a short time ago.
Many merchants moved south from Einrad Hill, which is located on the border between the Fontana and Uruk territories.
In other words, for a long time, Fontana had to pass through the lands of Uruk and Arbalest in order to trade with the south.
How could such a state of affairs have continued for so long?
Nevertheless, this limitation was effective for defense.
Since there was little worry of invasion from the south, we were able to maintain our territory as long as we were careful about the movements of the two others on both sides.
This time is no time.
If the Memento family, was going to direct its army toward us, it was easy to predict the route they would take.
The Memento family, like the old Uruk territory, also has a territory that exists in the east, bordering the Great Snowy Mountains.
They are located between several noble lands to the south of the former Uruk territory.
In other words, if they were to attack Fontana by the shortest route, they would have to go north from the east, come in the direction of Fort Einrad, and then aim for Fontana City.
Therefore, we decided to set up a new defense base south of Fort Einrad.
This is where we will receive the Memento forces.
"However, is such a strategy going to be alright, Leon?"
"Well, our side only has 7,000 soldiers while our enemy has 40,000."
"My brother has also sent Wagner's Xillian troops to our support while keeping everyone else so that he could prioritize the stabilization of the territory."
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"Yeah. The Xillia family cannot decline this call or else they would have to give up ruling of their lands."
"Even so, there aren't that many of them, are there? What is Carlos-sama going to do? Are we going to play defense?"
"There may be a possibility of going on the offensive. I have been asked if you, who single-handedly destroyed the Arbalest army, might be able to defeat the 40,000 Memento family."
"Oi, oi, oi. Don't be absurd!"
"Haha, I am merely joking. I'm thinking of some other way."
"Don't panic me like that, Leon. So, what's that "other way"?"
"Diplomacy. The most important issue surrounding Fontana today is the existence of the King. In extreme cases, even if we win this battle against the Mementos, the King's presence in Fontana can lead to a similar situation at any time."
"... I see. In the first place, if the King had not come to Fontana, the three noble families would not have been involved with us. But what's this about diplomacy? We can't just talk to the Memento family, can we?"
"This issue was triggered by an internal dispute among the Three Great Noble Alliance that had won over the leading aristocratic family Rizzolte. Therefore, there is no consensus on who should lead the noble families."
".... Isn't that the reason why this whole thing has escalated?"
"Yes, but there is someone who can come between the three nobles and mediate between them.... you know who, right?"
"Getting in between the Three Great Noble families who are disputing over who gets to gain supremacy? ... The top of the royal family has fled all the way this far north, so not them, right? Who are you talking about?"
"It's simple. The Church. There is always one branch in each territory. It is the one that gives the naming to all the inhabitants, bestows magic on the inhabitants, and is respected by all. We rely on that Church greatly."
"I see. Yet, if the Church is reliable, why not turn to them in the start?"
"There was no authentic reason until just a few days ago. After all, it is hard to get the Church involved in political matters of the nobility. However, because of you, there is now a chance."
"Heh, me?"
"Yes, sir. A while ago, to get purified, an Archbishop of the Church was invited by you and in the process, a Holy Sword was created, and you being knighted as a Holy Knight... The Archbishop and Carlos-sama held a meeting the other day. He asked the Church to tell the alliance to cease their senseless quarrels."
"That is shady... I didn't even know he was talking about me... how did it go?"
"... It seems that there are some conditions."
"Conditions? Such as...?"
"The Archbishop said that if the Church is going to interfere between that, then we must pay a reasonable price."
"Reasonable, huh?"
"Um, please don't get angry and listen to me, Ars-sama. The Archbishop says that the condition of arbitration is the dedication of the Holy Sword to the Church."
"What, you mean my Grand Barca, the holy sword?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm... It is okay. Oh, but we don't want them to run away with it. If possible, it might be better to make it a contingency fee to be given after a successful arbitration."
"Are you sure? You're giving up the Holy Sword, aren't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. I don't mind if that solves the problem."
"I am very grateful, Ars-sama! I will immediately tell Carlos-sama so that the Archbishop is informed."
"I'm counting on you, Leon. Make sure you get your negotiations together."
Good, good, good.
What the hell.
I was sure I was going to have to fight with the other side outnumbering me again.
But it seems that Carlos and Leon had other plans.
The way to do that was arbitration by the church.
And as a condition for that, they said, I need to dedicate my Holy Sword, Grand Barca, to the Church.
Maybe some people think this is a waste.
From my point of view, if I can avoid a fight with just one sword, then offering Gran Barca is a very good option.
Thus, Leon, who heard what I said, talked to Carlos, and from there, Carlos went to talk to the Archbishop.
A few days later, the Archbishop was so enthusiastic that he accepted the arbitration case quickly and returned to the south.