After staying in the capital of King Belvedil's country for one day to rest the soldiers, the allied forces headed to King Evil's country.

　King Belvedil had a very regretful look on his face.
　Well, war is always won or lost. We, Rosais' army, were also defeated.

　The problem is that if we lose, we won't fight the last battle.
　.... and now we are fighting a war that is over if we lose.

　Rezad and Gehenna's infantry stayed behind to keep an eye on King Belvedil.
　I hired Rezad's Germanis cavalry and Alexios and Melia for a lot of money, and I got five hundred good cavalry and a good general staff.

　The good thing about mercenaries is that they are easy to gather for money.
　Well, it's a cautionary tale to handle.

　When it was time to retreat, I sent a letter of intent to all the autonomous cities and clans I'd surrendered to.
　Keep an eye on the other cities and tribes to make sure they don't have any strange ideas. It's to keep an eye on other cities and clans to make sure they don't have any strange ideas.

　I told them to report back to me and I would offer them a reward if they reported back to me.

　Hopefully this will make them suspicious.

　Well, there's no way to start a rebellion, though. King Belvedere, who I'm counting on, will be disarmed.



　"King Loseys!　Ahead, a thousand Rosais troops under Master Raimondo and four thousand Equus cavalry under King Equus!
　All right. I'll join you in a minute. Tell them.

　A scouting cavalryman spotted a friendly force about a kilometer away.
　Since they had been in contact with each other by falcon flight, they knew that they could join us soon.

　.........But I thought that interference from King Evil would definitely be coming.
　What's going on?

　Well, you know more about this than the man I've been fighting.
　You can ask him later.





　It was dark that day, so the two armies took up their positions after they had met up.


　''O king!　Be well!
　Oh, and Raimondo fought well. Let me ask you something. How's King Evil doing?

　In the meantime, we know a little bit about it from the hawk flights and the information from the early horses.
　Raimondo and King Evil's army had been engaged in a series of skirmishes.

　Naturally, it seems that the Rosais Army side, which is small in number, was at a disadvantage and was being pushed back a little bit at a time.
　Even so, by retreating a little bit at a time while continuing to use scorched earth tactics, they had managed to hold back the Evil Army.

　The situation changed as the Equus tribe's reinforcements rushed in.
　It was a good decision to go to Raimondo's place instead of mine. That's the quintessential Muzio.

　As soon as the Evil Army heard that the Equus cavalry was headed this way, they quickly retreated and returned to their home country.
　Unfortunately, they couldn't pursue them.
　Well, if they chased after three thousand in a thousand, there's a good chance they'll be returned.

　So far, so good.
　The problem is that they allowed us to join up with them.

　Now that we've joined forces, our strength is about seven thousand infantry and four thousand five hundred cavalry, for a total of eleven thousand five hundred. Together we have a total of eleven thousand five hundred.
　It's not enough, but it's not an army that King Evil can win.

　Wouldn't he normally be aiming for a solid defeat?

　I'd like to know why they didn't ... or couldn't do it.

　I don't know the details either but it seems that the enemy soldiers have headed west.
　The West........or is that the Zordian Army?

　But according to Ial, Zordias' army only moved after we defeated King Evil.
　What do you mean by that?

　In other words, it's Claudius, sir.
　That guy but I can't get to him.

　If you want to go from King Zoldias' country to King Rosais' country, you have to pass through King Evil's country.
　No way that King Evil, who is currently at war with King Loseys country, will be so kind as to say "please pass by".

　Therefore, it would be impossible to pass through on a fast horse.
　It would be an owl flight or a hawk flight.

　But a prolonged soul ride on an animal would be a heavy burden on the sorcerer.
　Besides, there is a risk of being attacked by wild animals. That's why we can't take them out very often.

　Besides, hawks and owls are animals, so of course they have to eat meat. So they have to hunt on the way.
　The hawk and owl flights are the fastest in terms of covertness and speed, but they become inconvenient at a certain distance.


　In the first place, spellcasters are valuable, so they are not so easy to get out.
　Therefore, he decided not to communicate with Ial unless it was absolutely necessary.


　'Well, good. It's not a bad thing either way, you know. Tomorrow we'll march straight in. King Belvedere's country has to be under the direct control of all of them due to their special governing laws. We need to reap King Evil's lands and set aside some grateful lands.

　I've put a lot of pressure on these people.
　If I go around trying to crush them I'll have no one left to follow me.

　Candy and whip are very important.

　"Hey, my dear friend. Can I ask you a question?
　What?
　Who are these two men and women?　By the looks of it, you're neither Adelnian nor Cilician, are you?

　Muzio asked, pointing to Alexios and Melia, who were standing among the great families.
　I beckoned them over.

　'These two are the general and sorcerer of Rezad. This time, you will be leading the cavalry of Rezad. The male one is called Alexios and the female one is called Melia.
　Thank you for the referral. I'm Alexios. I'm from Pofenia. No last name.
　Also Melia. I'm from Pofenia. I don't have a last name either.

　Muzio raised an eyebrow.
　Apparently, he was interested in the word Pofenia and the lack of a last name.

　'Pofenia is a country on the southern continent, I believe?　What do you mean, no last name? Is that a Pofenian custom?
　No, no. We had it before and then we threw the house away.

　Muzio seemed a little concerned, but he stopped prying further.
　He thought it would be rude. In the first place, there was nothing to be gained by asking about their family home.

　''You are the representative of Rezad. Is that perception acceptable?''
　''No, me and my five hundred cavalrymen are just mercenaries. This time we were hired by King Almus. That's all.

　That's what I mean.
　If Rezad really wants to get deeper into this war, he will bring in more troops and send a senator or two.

　Rezad doesn't want to be involved in this war any more.
　But he wants to sell his debt. So I've lent him my cavalry and Alexios.

　When the time comes, we can say, "They are mercenaries, so our country has nothing to do with them.
　On the other hand, if they were useful, they could say, "We won the war because we lent them mercenaries.

　As expected of a Cilician, they are good at steering the ship.
　They are very good at steering.


　We've already introduced ourselves to each other. Now that we've introduced ourselves, let's have a war council, shall we?

　I said after looking around at the great families, Muzio and Alexios, and then I said that.







　'That's a big win,'
　Well, with this many cavalry, it's easy to win.

　The next day, we invaded King Evil's country.
　We engaged the great tribes that had come out to repel us and won a great victory.

　They were trying to conduct scorched-earth tactics with a thousand troops just like us.
　But we have four thousand five hundred good cavalrymen.

　Our cavalry is faster than the enemy's retreat.
　Moreover, since they are superior in number, they can do whatever they want, including encirclement and flanking attacks.

　There is nothing in particular to say, and we won. It would be more accurate to call it overrun than a battle.

　There were five great clansmen who came out to intercept us this time.
　All of them, including their families, were captured and transported to King Rosais' country.

　The vassals who were under the control of the great families were forgiven. Executing them would make their rule unconscious.
　If you promised them a position, they obeyed without any resistance.

　Well, there were still some loyalists, but we took them captive and shipped them off to King Losey's country.

　I will not kill him. If I kill him, he won't surrender to me.

　I kill traitors from within, but I kill as few as possible of my enemies from the outside.
　That's my policy.

　The former will betray you again if you forgive them, but the latter will do well if you surrender. It's because they want to be treated better for their achievements.

　Well, it depends on the situation and circumstances.

　I've already had some of the wealthiest families under me suck up to me about the distribution of land.　
　It's a good trend. Keep up the good work.

　If you suck up to them, you'll be doing what I tell you to do.

　


　"But doesn't King Evil have any cavalry in his country?
　Muzio gave a strange expression.　
　Apparently, as far as he was concerned, the cavalry didn't show up.

　To Muzio, the mainstay of the war is the cavalry, so it is even more strange.

　''King Evil's country has a lot of mountains. There are many plains near the border with our country. It must be inconvenient to operate cavalry.''

　Besides, cavalry is expensive to begin with.
　As far as I'm concerned, we didn't have any cavalry as far as I'm concerned. That's about it.

　Or rather, if you exclude Equus and Germanic cavalry, our cavalry is only about three hundred, so we can't speak for others.

　''He single-handedly realizes the value of cavalry and organizes them. You are right, King Rosais. I wish I could make the senators of our country drink from a hair-roast.

　Alexios paid me a compliment.
　It's an idiom to roast your hair and make you drink it. It's like giving someone a cup of nail polish to roast.
　But it is an idiom that seems to cure baldness. Whoever thought of it must be a bald man.

　'I suppose cavalry will be the mainstay of war from now on. The heavy infantry will be obsolete. So we might as well start thinking about a new formation while we still have time.

　I like the formation to be a little more flexible than it is now.
　A formation that ends if the cavalry gets around the flanks is dangerous. Well, it's only after this war is over.


　''King Rosais!　A messenger from King Evil!
　Finally.

　Now, I suppose that depends on whether you're willing to surrender or not.






　"Greetings, King Rosais. It is my pleasure to serve as vice-king, Gnaeus Domitius Evil.
　Nice to meet you. My name is Armes as Rosais. May I call you Lord Gnaeus?
　Yes. Yes, of course.

　Gnaeus was a first-generation man.
　A number of wrinkles ran across his face.

　But you could sense a strong will in his eyes. Even from the top of his clothes, you can clearly see his strong muscles moving.
　I'm not sure if I'm still an active warrior.

　I'm sure he was a half-brother of the previous king, if I remember correctly.
　He must have helped King Evil to this day.

　That's Raimondo to me.

　So, what can I do for you this time?　I'm very busy right now.
　'Ha, ha, King Rosais is a bad person. I am here to talk to you about the signing of a peace treaty between your country and mine.

　Gnaeus looks at me with his strong eyes and offers his terms.

　''Our country is currently losing to your country. But our royal city is strong. It will not fall so easily if it is holed up. What your country wants most right now is time. We've drawn our armies, and we're going to call it a painful split.
　That's a funny joke. Is that all you've got to say?

　It's bullshit.
　You can't make such a deal. I have a lot of pride and, more importantly, I have to secure land for the big families.

　And you're wasting your time, too.
　What?　What's the reason for that?

　I show him a little smile.

　'King Zordias is going to attack, isn't he?　I know.
　What do you mean by that, my country and the country of King Zoldiath are friends. This is not true.

　I stare straight into Gnaeus' eyes.
　Gnaeus stares back into my eyes too.

　It was Gnaeus who was broken.

　''Can't you fool me? You can't tell the truth," he said, "the army of King Zoldiers is gathering near the border. We want to concentrate our troops in that area.

　It was half a gamble, though.
　Ial had told me that King Zordias was going to support our country and move his army after our victory.
　But we didn't hear anything from Ial after that.

　"He went in behind me and destroyed my country. I can't just roll over and pretend it never happened.
　I know, sir. And what terms did King Rosais have in mind?

　I've laid out the terms I had discussed with Raimondo and the others.


　1 King Evil shall grant King Rosais control of the lands he executed and ruled over.
　2 King Evil shall make reparations in the sum of one thousand gold pieces. Five hundred of them shall be paid immediately.
　3 Both nations shall enter into an armistice for five years.
　4 The Dauphin, King Evil's successor, will be sent to study in King Rosyth's country.


　'Ha ha ha, you've got to be kidding me!
　I didn't know you could still afford to laugh. That's what a warrior does. Shall we have another round?

　Me and Gnaeus stared at each other for a while.

　As a result of our discussion, the following treaty was signed.


　1 King Evil shall acknowledge control of the lands effectively ruled by King Rosais.
　2 King Evil shall make immediate payment of one hundred gold coins.
　3 Both nations sign a truce of five years.
　4 King Evil's successor, the Dauphin, is sent to study in King Rosais's country for three years.



　It ended without incident.
　There is no reparations, especially for the amount of money that there is.

　Well, we made the truce and got the hostages.
　Well, I guess we should be happy about that.


　Well, King Evil's country has given in. Now all that's left is Roselle!






　'Oh, Gnaeus!　How was it?
　I managed to fool you.
　I see. Now we can drive back the Zordiath army that's right on top of King's Landing.

　Almus expected Zordias' army to be assembled near the border of King Evil's country.
　But the reality was different.
　Zoldias' army had won a great victory over Evil's army and was advancing deep into the country. This was correct.

　Gnaeus's role was to make as favorable a treaty as possible so that he would not be distracted by that fact.

　 Well, I managed to fool them. I'm glad I'm still a young king. ...although he will become a troublesome foe when he grows up.
　'Haha, I'm not going to make enemies like that again!　From now on, we will treat King Rosyth's country with equanimity. ...well, it's just that it didn't end up like Belvedere. Good for you. Well, the young lad from Lossies is out of the picture. Now it's the young Zoldiers' kid. Gnaeus, I give you four thousand men. Go ahead and destroy them!
　'Ha!　I promise!