Follow me!

　Ron kicks his horse in the gut and raises his sword to follow the back of his defeated enemy.
　Following him, 10,000 of Rosais' army follows Ron's back.

　
　The enemy took advantage of the ground and launched a morning rush to destroy the 10,000-strong army with a surprise attack, but as Bartolo taught, they were easily rebuffed by Ron, who had built a strong, fortress-like formation, and was in the process of being cornered.

　'You're the enemy general, aren't you?　Let's go to the vulgarity!

　The king of the enemy country has given up on escaping and confronts Ron.
　Of course, there's no need to accept this one-on-one battle in a situation where he has an overwhelming advantage.

　But Ron accepts the battle.
　He feared that it would affect his morale.

　''Ron Aemilius!''
　Kishuu Manukelos!

　Ron's sword crossed with the sword of the enemy king who called himself Kishuu Manukelos.
　Manukelos' sword tip flew through the air and fresh blood stained the ground.

　''........Splendid.''

　Manukelos sinks into a sea of fresh blood.　
　Ron cut off Manukelos' head and raised it to the sky.

　'The enemy general has been struck down by Ron Aemilius!

　Upon learning of their king's death, the soldiers of the enemy's army slumped their shoulders.　
　Rosais' army, about thirty dead, about fifty wounded.
　Manukelos' army, about three hundred dead, four hundred wounded, and three hundred prisoners.

　Thus, a small country in the Adelian Peninsula disappeared from the map.






　All the adult males of the Manukelos family were imprisoned, and the women and children were escorted back to the capital. The women and children are to be escorted back to the capital.

　Ron is in King Manukelos' kingdom, in the royal capital of a city of three thousand people, giving instructions to his soldiers.
　War is not so much about winning the war as it is about the post-war process.

　Normally this would be the kind of work that Ial and Raimondo would do, but the population of King Manukelos' country is a mere 10,000 or so.
　A small country like this, there's no need for a big-name politician from King Rosais' country to bother with it.

　It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends.

　"Ron, what about the big families, or rather the local authorities?

　Gram asked Ron.
　The reason I went out of my way to rephrase it is because it is not large enough to be considered a powerful family.

　The village chief is a good place to be at best.

　'Shouldn't we preserve it?　It would be more convenient for the regional officer who will be assigned later.

　Local influential people serve as a link between the public and the rulers.
　They're more useful to us if they're preserved than if they're killed.

　Ron, I'm going to be the next in command, okay?
　I know. It's in that order.

　Rosward gives a reminder to Ron.
　Almus ordered the three men to lead the army in turn. The purpose was to make sure that all three men got the same amount of credit and experience.

　Three days' rotation was the promise the three men made.

　'How many more countries were allied with King Zoldias' country?
　''There are still more than thirty of them. All of them are small nations and small sized powerful families.

　Gram unfolds the map and answers Ron's question.
　We still have to continue the war.

　More so, until King Zordias's country sits up.

　'Master Ron Aemilius!　We have a messenger from House Hickegorcey. What should I do?
　Let me through.

　The Hikegosy family is a powerful family to the west of here.　
　It was a country that was allied with the Manukelos family and was the next target of Ron and the other three.

　The messenger man bowed deeply to Ron and the other three and told them that he would surrender to them on their terms.

　"If you will grant us the rule of the House of Hickegosy or allow us to continue as a noble family...
　'I'm sorry, but neither of us is allowed. All the territory of the House of Hikegosy will be confiscated and you will be asked to move to the capital as a vassalage-holding citizen.

　Ron shook his head.
　It was obvious.

　Like the Manukelos, the Hykegossies, like the Manukelos, had a total of about a thousand men. They are not to be feared.
　The future loss of the Hicegorcey family is greater than the loss the Hicegorcey family will incur for Los Angeles.

　Nobles are valuable because they are few in number.
　You can't just hand over your position to them.

　It's going to be a war!
　No problem, it's more than I can hope for.

　Ron replies with a smile.
　The messenger chokes on his words.

　'The threat of 'war' will not work between the overwhelmingly strong and the weak.
　Especially against the predators who intend to prey on them from the start.

　''Yes, yes...''

　Ron chased after the blue-faced messenger.

　'We don't have time for this. "We don't have time to listen to you over and over again. But I will be merciful. I will give you an answer by tomorrow. That way we won't have to deal with any property other than the land, and we won't execute, imprison, or exile the boys.

　The messenger's expression passed blue and turned white.
　He turned on his heel, looking flustered.

　'I will return once.
　I expect a good response.

　Ron called out to the back of the house.



　At noon the next day, a messenger from the House of Hikegosy visited to tell them of the surrender.



　Meanwhile, Ial was visiting a relatively large, powerful family and a small kingdom that claimed to be a king.
　Ial orchestrated the larger houses and Ron and his men destroyed the smaller ones by force.

　That was the basic policy of the Western Conquest.
　What was different from the Southern Conquest was that there was no core power like Rezad.

　On top of that, they were all opponents with no significant economic or military power.
　It's easier to coordinate than in the cities of Cilicia.


　"Lord Miehalis. "My country would be happy to fight you. But people die in war. I think that is something we both want to avoid. It is better to avoid useless battles. And we hope that you are determined to do the right thing.

　Ial urged the largest lords in the southeast of King Zoldias' kingdom to surrender to the head of House Miehalis.
　The total military strength of the House of Miehalis is four thousand.
　They have superior military technology, superior weapons, and superior military strength.

　They fear that the surrounding lords will rally under the house of Michaelis.
　If that were to happen, their numbers would reach ten thousand.

　On the other hand, if the Miehalis family surrendered, the difficulty of conquering the West would be greatly reduced.
　There are only a few houses in the western region that have an army as large as that of the Miehalis family.

　''Hmm, I don't want a fight either, but it depends on the conditions.

　The head of House Mieharris shakes his ample, fat belly and puts a hand to his chin.
　A gleaming jewel gleams in his hand.

　This jewel is the reason why the Miehalis family is the head and most powerful military force around this region, and yet they have not been able to call themselves a nation.

　The people of the Miehalis family have been vain for generations.
　They can't spend the taxes they collect on jewelry and silken clothing to pay for water control and military spending.

　The people are also exhausted because they are heavily taxed for even more luxury.

　Even now, the only thing on his mind is which of the two is more extravagant or more glamorous.

　If Almus were of the House of Miehalis, he would, on the contrary, use the invasion of King Rosais' country to unite the surrounding countries and use it as an excuse to create a country.
　In fact, Almus promotes the threat of Roselle and Pophenia to elevate his own country's status.

　But Miehalis is a small man.
　He does not have the courage to cross over to the great nation of Rosais.

　'I am asking Lord Miehalis to move his entire clan to our nation's capital. I will give you your title as a nobleman. The manor will be of a certain size.

　You can end up as a small country bumpkin, or you can become a nobleman of a country that's gaining momentum like the sun is now rising....
　The answer is clear.

　I understand. From now on, as a nobleman in the land of King Loseys, this House of Miehalis, I pledge my allegiance!

　Thus the House of Miehalis surrendered to the country of King Rosais.
　As a result, the possibility of uniting at least the countries in the southeastern part of Zoldias's country was completely destroyed.

　Three years later, the House of Miehalis became bankrupt due to debts, lost the manor and everything else, and fell into the hands of a commoner, unknown to Almus.




　It had been a month since the first western conquest began.
　Ron and three others had taken down a total of seven lords.

　Three for Ron, two for Gram and two for Rosward, including House Miehalis.
　If Miehalis' house was included, eight of them had been destroyed in a month.

　This is the result of a great power called Rosais coming into a place that had been surrounded by Evil, Belvedere, and Zoldias, and which until now had held its balance as a buffer zone.

　As for the rest, the three families south of the House of Miehalis surrendered unconditionally, which means that the entire area surrounded by Zoldias, Evil, and Lossies became under the direct control of Almus.

　The three men visited the former Miehalis territory in order to extend their reach further south and west.
　The residence of the Miehalis family was, in a manner of speaking, a wealthy family, so it was equipped with adequate defense facilities.

　This is to be renovated and used as a base for future western conquests.

　Hmm, it's a terrible place. The people are very skinny.
　There's a lot of abandoned farmland out there, too.
　The river keeps breaking its banks.

　Ron and the three of them let out their thoughts.
　They grabbed a skinny farmer who was walking nearby and asked him.

　Hey, how much tax did your landlord collect?
　It's 60 percent.

　The three of them looked at each other.

　'Well, I guess the three of us will have to work it out later.

　Ron cowered his shoulders.




　When the three of them arrived at the mansion, Ial was already waiting for them.
　Ial greeted the three of them with a smile.

　''Everyone must be tired, right?　For now, we've prepared a bath and a meal. Would you like a bath or a meal?　Or.....

　Ial took out a piece of paper.

　'Shall this be a directive from General Bartolo?'
　""By directive!!!!"

　The three of them spoke up.
　Ial hands Ron the directive.

　Gram and Rosward look at Ron's hand.

　''What is it........''

　It said.

　'King Zoldias has sat up. "King Zoldias has risen, and in three days' time they will clash. Return to King Evil's lands with all speed.

　Thus, with the First Western Conquest, the First Zordias War was coming to an end.