Day 176 of the Otherworld Summoning [Decisive Battle] Part 5:

Therefore, His Excellency Prince Gerhardt has decided to show his respect for Princess Lupis and as a sign of that, I have come as a negotiator to return to you, Herr Mikhail Bannasz, who is currently under my protection in Iraklion.

Hearing Sudo's words, a heavy air was dominating the atmosphere in the tent.
Everyone was at a loss for words at Sudo's proposal.
No, it would be more accurate to say that his proposal was so outlandish that their thought processes were unable to work properly.
That's how unexpected it is that the ringleader of a civil war would come to reverence before a decisive battle.

''Sister........this is.......tasteless, isn't it?

Saara gave an earful to Laura in a whisper that didn't leak out to those around her.

''It's not good.......it could affect Ryoma-sama's plans.......''

Laura's gaze disappears from her face and goes to Ryoma, who hears Sudo's words.

There are sixteen people in this place.
Aside from Princess Lupis, Mertina, Elena, and Ryoma, of course, Laura, Saara, Rionne, and Bolz, the powerful nobles under the Earl of Bergston, and the main members of the princess faction are literally gathered in one place.
In the center of the tent, Den! Each member of the team sat around the round table where Sudo's words were placed and listened to them.

'Will it still affect us?'

'Yeah I think it's going to be pretty big...'

The sisters' whispers were drowned out by the buzzing around them and did not leak out to the others.
Rionne and Lupis were discussing something in a whisper with Bortz and Mertina, respectively, and the nobles were aristocrats, overhearing each other next to each other.
The only two who remain silent are Ryoma and Elena.

''Ryoma-sama.......what do you plan to do?''

Laura was at a loss for an answer when Saara asked her.
Eventually she turned her gaze silently to Ryoma.
It doesn't matter to the sisters what conclusion is reached.
You just have to move for the man Mikoshiba Ryoma.


Ryoma closed his eyes and sat back in his chair comfortably.
In doing so, he suppressed his rising emotions so they wouldn't come to the surface.
Then, he had to sort out the situation in his head and think of the right response.
That was the only way to get out of the situation.

(I've got a headache...)
This was Ryouma's true feelings.
He understood that although he could trust her humanly, he couldn't trust her in terms of her abilities at all, but Ryoma had never imagined that Princess Lupis would be so stupid.
You want to be reverent because you're outrageous and because Hodram has turned on you and because he's plotted to rebel against the royal family and because you can't forgive him as a vassal of the kingdom. Do you think I'm an idiot? ........)
That's the frank feeling that Ryoma thought after hearing Sudo's argument.
Gerhardt is going to slip out by saying that he was only following the former king's will for fighting Princess Lupis.
Moreover, while turning Hodram over, he said he wanted to show his loyalty to the kingdom by being reverent because Hodram is planning a rebellion against the royal family and he can't forgive him.
He wants to put all the stigma of a traitor on Hodram.
And he's going to gather people to tell that story to Sudo.
I'd say that's the worst.

I don't have a problem with the fact that he gathered people together.
I don't know if it's a good idea to consider him as a ruler, but Ryoma doesn't trust Princess Lupis' political abilities from the start.
That's why it's much better than the princess making decisions on her own.
The fact that she was aware of her own inadequacies means that it's only right to praise her.
You can only praise her decision if the topic of discussion is not the reverence of Lord Gerhardt with regard to the return of Mikhail.
As far as this topic is concerned, it's a terrible idea to gather people together.
Why?
Because the conclusion has been reached.
(So Princess Lupis doesn't want to kill Mikhail after all...)
Liang Shin's heart turns cold.

It is true that Mikhail is a loyal and martial man.
He's one of the princess's most trustworthy loyal subjects.
The fact that the princess does not want to kill him is in itself normal for a human being.
That in itself is not something that Ryoushin intends to blame.
But.
But a ruler has to kill a person's heart.
They must be repressed.
It's not a matter of Mikhail being a trustworthy loyal vassal or anything like that.
Even the most valued loyal vassal can't compare to Gerhardt's life.
Gerhardt was a rebel who revolted against Princess Lupis.
His life, even though he is a loyal vassal, he would not trade his life for the life of a vassal....

It's true that Princess Lupis hasn't made her feelings public yet.
So it was only Liangma's guess that Princess Lupis wanted to help Mikhail.
But Ryouma was sure that his speculation was true.
If he didn't want that, there was no way he would let Sudo live.
He had snuck into the princess's tent without permission.
You can't complain if you receive any punishment.
I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I've saved your life and gathered everyone together to listen to Sudo's words.
This is enough to reveal the heart of Princess Lupis.

(I don't want to kill Mikhail, so I want to do what Gerhardt asks. But I'm aware that it's not legitimate. (That's why I gathered them all together, so that I wouldn't be covered in mud)
If the princess received this story on her own accord, there would naturally be a backlash.
It's only natural, since it will save the life of Gerhardt, the rebel.
That's why Lupis held a meeting.
It was to obscure the place of responsibility.

''Then I want to hear everyone's opinion.

At Lupis' words, Ryoma couldn't bear to click his tongue.
But no matter how angry he is, he can't just vent his anger here and now.

''Doesn't anyone have an opinion?

Everyone fell silent at Princess Lupis' words.
Her gaze looked at the humans around the round table in turn.
But no one wants to pull the baba.
Everyone here could see through Princess Lupis' heart.

It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's in your heart.
It is wrong to weigh the life of a mere knight against the life of the mastermind of the rebellion.
But as long as Lupis wants to save Mikhail, nothing can be said.
If you advise him to forsake Mikhail's life here, after this meeting, he will definitely be able to do so.
You're letting Mikhail die!
"If you don't help your loyal subjects, why should you?
'What are you talking about, newcomer!
And it was obvious that Mikhail's fellow knights would make a fuss about it.
And even if Ryoma advised him to abandon Mikhail here, Lupis would not accept it.
If that happens, only Ryoma will be the bad guy.
And even though this is the result of Mikhail's outburst, he is still a prisoner under Ryoma's command.
If I advised him to leave them to die, he might have misinterpreted it as Ryojin wanting to kill Mikhail.

Righteousness sometimes comes at the expense of humanity.
And if a ruler is consumed by humanity, there will always be a distortion somewhere.
If the ruler who listens to you no matter how many good arguments Ryoma makes, if he doesn't have an ear for you, it's better not to say it.


Ryoma felt Elena's clinging gaze.

''It's useless...''

Ryoma whispered to Elena and shook his head.
From her gaze, he could tell what she wanted to say.
But if he said that, it would definitely make him a bad person, even if he was Elena.

''Then I'll........''

Please don't do this. If the princess mistrusts you now, it will be even harder for her to rebuild in the future...

She immediately rejects Elena's proposal.
Even she doesn't have Princess Lupis' trust as much as Mikhail and Mertina.
It would be better than what Ryouma says because she has the name [Roselia's White War God], but I didn't think the princess would give up Mikhail's life.

''Then what will you do? Don't let this go....

Elena understood the danger of the current situation as well as Ryoma.
In exchange for Mikhail's life, Duke Gerhardt, the Kingdom of Roselia, would have to let the insect in the lion's body survive.
Furthermore, if Princess Ladine was to be recognized as royalty, she would be given the right to succeed to the second place.
Princess Lupis was about to put herself in a dangerous position.
This was inevitable as long as she accepted Gerhardt's reverence.
The ringleader of the rebellion should be beheaded.
This is the common understanding of the "Earth" world.
If I were to spare Gerhardt's life, I would have no choice but to take the position that the civil war that he had caused was not a rebellion.
If this is the case, then Gerhardt's argument that he carried the former king's orphaned son cannot be completely denied.
In other words, he was only following the former king's will, not trying to rebel against the Roselia Kingdom! I have no choice but to accept Gerhardt's argument that
Even if you know it's a technicality, there's nothing you can do.
(If anyone can break the ice, it's Mertina...)

Ryoma's gaze is directed at Mertina, who is sitting next to Princess Lupis.


Giving up on Mertina, who is simply smiling, Ryoma desperately tries to come up with a solution to the problem.
You can't beat Gerhardt by temporarily stripping him of his power, but at some point it will come back to bite you in the ass and that's it. What time.........)

A cold thought flashed through Ryouma's mind.
Yes, there was no need for Ryoma to force himself to kill Gerhardt in any way.
(I'll let anyone who wants to die die........)

Ryouma had abandoned Lupis.
To be precise, he cut off her future.
(Don't worry, Your Highness, I won't betray you. But if you don't, you're going to die for sure. I don't know how many years it will be, but I can see that day in my mind's eye and that's why I'm going to give Elena and the others a piece of advice. But I don't intend to help you anymore. The rest is up to the people of Roselia to take care of. Keep an eye out for Gerhardt's movements.
Muttering this in his mind, Ryoma raised his hand to ask permission to speak.

''Then! May I be presumptuous, sir?

Lupis' eyes took on a threatening color for a moment.
She didn't believe that her decision was right either.
But humanity, her gentleness refuses to choose to forsake Mikhail's life.

'Go ahead, Ryoma.'

Bye!

Ryouma stands up from his chair after receiving Lupis' words.

''I think we should accept Lord Sudo's arguments and accept Lord Gerhardt's reverence!

The tent trembled at Ryouma's words.

''Nah! Are you serious? Mikoshiba-dono!

Yes, Earl Bergston, I'm serious.

Although he was also a nobleman, he also knew a lot about military affairs.
He also has experience in diplomacy and court battles, so he dimly understands how dangerous Sudo's proposal is to Princess Lupis.

''What........is your aim.......?''

Ryoma's words were only surprising to the Count, as he couldn't help but ask that in the presence of Sudo, the enemy's messenger.

''No? But I can't abandon the loyal Lord Mikhail. Besides, you could say that Lord Gerhardt has a point. It would be better if there were no war. The area around Heraklion is a breadbasket, and if we clash our armies against each other there, it will have a negative impact on our future earnings. If Lord Gerhardt is beholden to Her Highness, it would be better, wouldn't it?

Liang Shin's words don't lie.
It's true that if you clash with the Duke's army, your future tax revenue will suffer greatly.
But the count didn't seem to be at ease after hearing Ryoma's words.
Originally, when he marched into Iraklion, he had already factored in the impact on future tax revenues.

''But, Your Highness! I think we should make some conditions for you to accept the Duke's reverence.

What do you mean?

Restitution from Mikhail-dono is not enough to compensate for the loss. How about ordering the Duke to vacate his title and pay compensation?

Ryoma's words made Lupis ponder.
She herself was aware that the story Sudo brought to her was against them.
If it wasn't for the condition of Mikhail's return, it wouldn't even be worth considering.
So Ryoma's argument is easy for her to understand.
But if they negotiate poorly and break down, Mikhail's life is gone.
Once I gave up on him as dead, but if he's alive, I can't help but want to help him.
Lupis's heart swings between righteousness and humanity.

''Very well. I have been delegated by His Excellency Gerhardt to accept such a condition with one hand I will pay the duke, the title, the return of the title, and a compensation of 500 million baht.

"'Five hundred million'?

At Sudo's words, the inside of the tent was filled with a thud again.
The amount of money that Sudo offered could fully cover the cost of the war this time.
There was a sense of relief among the nobles.
At least they would be able to offer their men an indebtedness and secure enough stuff to bring extra income into their own homes.

'No. Along with that, I'll need you to promise not to hold any position in the court for the next five years.

Sudo's face distorts at Ryoma's words.

But that's a condition that Ryojin can never pull off.
If it wasn't for this, Princess Lupis, with her inferior political skills, would be a prey to Gerhardt.
So five years.
With five years, the nobles who support the princess should be able to run the country and get rid of Gerhardt's evil hand.

All right I agree to your terms on behalf of His Highness Prince Gerhardt. Is that all right? Your Highness.

Sudo spoke to Princess Lupis, who stood stunned.

''Yes that's fine...''

As for her, she had to nod.

'Very well. I will now return to Heraklion to inform Lord Gerhardt, and then bring Lord Mikhail to you.

After saying that, Sudo bowed to the princess and left the tent.


Sudo walked away and the meeting was over.
There are only five people left here, Ryoma and the Voltz-Rionne Malfist sisters.

'Are you sure? Are you sure about that?

Ryoma could only nod in response to Rionne's question.

'It's not the best but I've taken all the steps I could in that situation so I can't go any further than that.

In fact, Ryoma is proud to say that he did his best.
He even wanted to pat himself on the back for being able to get away with that much damage under the humanity-bound Princess Lupis.

''Will you be able to manage in five years?''

You know? I can't take care of that much, to be honest.

Ryoma cowered at Saara's question.
What Ryoma did this time was only a life-prolonging measure.
If you compare this story to a disease, Gerhardt and Hodram are both sick in the kingdom of Roselia.
Ryoma tried to cure the disease through an operation called warfare.
But the patient who wanted the surgery, Lupis, refused to remove Gerhardt.
Then Ryoma had no choice but to take the next best step.
Contain the pathogen, Gerhardt, for five years, during which time the patient's physical strength will be restored and he will be able to fight it.
There was no other choice.
The only thing left to do is to hope that Princess Lupis will use the five years that Ryoma gave her.
And that's what the people living in the Kingdom of Roselia will do.
It's not something that Ryoma, who was accidentally caught up in this war, should think about.

''Well, that leaves only Hodram and his knights 2000 under him...''

Rionne and the others nodded at Ryoma's words.
All that's left is to take care of Hodram and everything will be done.

''Maybe tomorrow or the day after...''

You're going to invade Heraklion, aren't you?

Oh. The last battle there!

Ryoma nodded at Laura's words.
All that remained was a decisive battle with Hodram.
The civil war in the Roselia Kingdom would finally reach its final phase.