Chapter 246

Valenciaunos felt his heart racing with excitement and fear as he gazed at the army lined up in front of him.

“Huuhhh.”

Even with the same skills, the gap between a knight wearing magic-etched armor and a swordsman wielding a single blade was immense.

‘The reason Ensis was able to hold out for so long within my flames is the same. That guy also had tremendous physical ability and magical resistance, but he significantly benefited from the fireproof magic circuits and defensive magic circuits in the armor.’

He supported Tenitia and slowly took a step back.

‘A misstep could mean getting stabbed from behind. If I were to fight, I must employ a strategy of constant movement and hit-and-run. Perhaps I should leave Tenitia to either Sererassie or the mechanical knight and go in first?’

He felt the power flowing through his veins vividly and rejoiced.

It was power he inherently possessed, but now he could use it freely without worrying about his body collapsing.

‘At least I won’t need the red and blue pills anymore. Those had serious side effects, anyway.’

He could see knights and magicians moving ahead.

Valenciaunos smiled with excitement, his vertically slit pupils gleaming.

Shaaah!

Sparks drifted, sparks blossomed into flames, flames turned into an inferno, and the inferno formed a wall of fire.

A massive wave of flames surged behind the young duke.

It was taller than the swordmaster and soldiers’ charges combined.

His white hair blazed like a sunset under the red light, and the golden decorations on his uniform shimmered with a flickering red pattern.

‘Is he planning to counteract with water magic and then charge the knights? Fine. Come at me. But your soldiers will be annihilated. After that, the mages will be next. I’ll spring out of the flames and stab them with Black Tear.’

At that moment, a rider dashed out from the army.

It was a knight carrying a white flag and the royal banner.

“Valenciaunos Solletaraon, the plenipotentiary ambassador of the Solletarass Empire, commands your attention!”

The messenger bit his lip and looked up at the sky as he shouted.

‘Insane, absolutely insane. Is he really casting that level of magic on the spot?’

Those bloodshot eyes and red lips, resembling the horns of a massive dragon, instilled immense fear.

But he was the messenger.

If he delivered the message properly, that wave of fire would not engulf his friends.

“Philius, the Crown Prince of the Doroysen Kingdom and the next king, requests a meeting with you!”

Valenciaunos doubted his ears.

‘Now of all times?’

Before leading his army to step onto imperial lands, before unleashing a wave of flames, before his father’s death.

He was barreling straight toward catastrophe, and now that he saw the cliff, he was desperately trying to stop. It was utterly laughable.

But.

‘It seems I’m not the only one in a desperate situation.’

Valenciaunos couldn’t bring himself to hate someone trying desperately to stop everything, trying to protect.

‘I’d always just been smashing the heads of those who rushed to take what they wanted.’

There was a certain joy in his earnest attempt to fulfill his duty as a prince.

‘Very well. I’ll grant you this opportunity. Let’s hear you out.’

Valenciaunos shouted to the messenger.

“One. Cease hostilities. Two. Withdraw the knights back to 700 paces. Three. Start treatments for the wounded, but leaving the battlefield is not permitted. Ask if they accept these conditions!”

‘They might mix in with the wounded and pull back, then circle around to target Sererassie.’

The messenger turned and returned to his ranks.

‘Is that fool really going to accept this? For real?’

As soon as the knights heard the news, they clung to Philius’s limbs.

“It’s a trap, no doubt.”

“He’s planning to roast the Crown Prince and initiate a large-scale invasion.”

“You absolutely must not go out there.”

Philius looked momentarily at the flickering wave of flames in the distance.

“We can run faster than that wave, and we can deal with the fire spirits, so escaping shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Yes, but…”

“However, if we do that, my trained soldiers and those that Father brought along will all die in flames. These elite soldiers are not easily replaced.”

“Your Highness!”

The white-haired duke beneath also looked concerned.

“Rational rather than reckless, but sinister rather than noble—does that make him the Bandit Duke?”

Philius issued his command with gravitas.

“Convey that I will gladly accept all demands.”

The knights squeezed their eyes shut and obeyed the orders.

* * *

I accepted the request for a meeting, and Philius sent a healing priest for Tenitia.

Tenitia recovered with healing potions and divine power, changed into the platinum armor brought by the mechanical knight, and tried to accompany me.

I shook my head firmly.

“No. You must go up and protect Lady Sorelazie.”

Tenitia widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Your Highness!”

I lowered my voice, and after a moment she nodded.

“It was I who requested the knights be withdrawn back to 700 paces. …And if they think otherwise, they won’t target me.”

“They might either try to retreat and rescue Yulia or kidnap Princess Sererassie for negotiations. Understood, Your Highness. I, Tenitia, will do everything in my power to ensure your negotiations proceed without interference.”

Even though she had healed with divine power and potions, a mana road that had been ruptured once wouldn’t return immediately.

While she still appeared strong outwardly, she would surely need considerable rest.

I wanted to plead with her not to overexert herself.

Sighing inwardly, I stepped onto the charred plains.

“I hadn’t expected to face you like this again.”

“Neither did I, Your Highness.”

Philius’s attendants had set up a wall-less tent and brought in a table and tea, while administrative officers began writing documents with fine parchment and magical ink.

This was a dirty, awkward, and uncomfortable point of contention, whether big or small.

When we had fought to the death before, now we had to maintain decorum and engage in conversation face-to-face.

From his expression, it seemed Philius too was somewhat abashed.

With a strong image and a rough beard, he was trying to force a smile while inadvertently using honorific language toward me, who was much younger even including my previous life at 20 years of age. It was quite amusing.

Yet I didn’t want to mock him.

Regardless of how awkward, embarrassing, filthy, or uncomfortable it was, negotiations were better than war.

So.

Let’s see the awkward, embarrassing, filthy, and uncomfortable sight.

“Congratulations on ascending to the throne. First, I will convey the Empire’s official stance regarding this incident.”

At those words, a fleeting ‘Have I ever seen such a bastard?’ expression passed across Philius’s face.

He worked to suppress his irritation as he replied.

“Understood, Your Grace.”

I continued shamelessly.

“First, I demand an immediate withdrawal. The Doroysen army must be evacuated from imperial territory within 10 days from the end of negotiations.”

Philius nodded as if it were a matter of course.

A bit of color returned to his face.

“Is there any need to discuss that?”

This also implied that I would allow them to leave alive, which was obvious.

“And I also want an official apology, as well as compensation and measures to prevent a recurrence.”

“Yes. Certainly something that needs to be addressed. But when you mention measures, what specific actions are you requesting?”

I smirked and flicked my tongue.

“Naturally, we should strengthen the friendship between our two nations and restore relations to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening again.”

It was a moment to set my conscience aside for national interest.

This was undoubtedly a deeply painful affair.

But I was a duke of the Empire, not Doroysen, and in this world, might does not heed the words of the weak. Doroysen had enough strength to stab the Empire in the back, so it was better to inflict sorrow than endure sorrow.

If my own misdeeds could fill the bellies of Imperial citizens, would that not be quite acceptable?

Of course, the Church of Light would say otherwise, but I was now a kidnapper of saints.

“If the Empire and Doroysen grow even closer so that losses in war become greater for both, wouldn’t that mean we would refrain from going to war again?”

“That is correct.”

His voice began to tremble slightly, and I refined my tone further.

“The first is a person. I would choose Duke Philippe. He is just the right age to enter the Academy, isn’t he?”

Philius’s face twitched.

Philippe was the name of his most cherished younger brother.

It was clear I intended to take him as a hostage.

“If he comes to the Solletaraon Academy and learns the Empire’s swordsmanship, it could demonstrate deep trust between our two nations. If the knightly swordsmanship created by Your Highness is combined with the swordsmanship already known by Duke Philippe, a completely new style of swordsmanship might be born.”

I finished my diplomatic rhetoric as if I knew nothing.

“The second is gold. Let us adjust the tariffs between the Empire and the Kingdom. As the Kingdom imports swords and armor made from its superb metallurgy, and the Empire’s magic tools and potions enter the Kingdom, it would undoubtedly create beneficial trade for both.”

Philius’s face twitched again.

“It feels quite precarious for the Empire to give away too much when finishing the war that Doroysen started.”

As a talent who had been trained as a ruler for decades, he seemed to fully grasp the essence of my words.

“Haha. There’s no need to think that way. We are also coveting the Kingdom’s swords and armor.”

This meant that the Empire would deeply exploit the wealth of Doroysen.

Regardless, Solletarass was a magic empire.

It had the great Ivory Tower by the capital, and the Imperial Magic Guild had been fervently honing its skills competing with that tower, with every academy boasting magical departments that produced outstanding graduates every year.

With various magical tools for daily life, such as slime from underground waterways, tobacco, lighters for igniting firewood, and potions, it was not hard to see how much could be imported from Doroysen.

In practical terms, how significantly would the Empire import swords and armor from Doroysen?

After all, the circuit work would need to be done in the Empire.

Conversely, the various civilian magical tools from the Empire would likely be sold like hotcakes.

Since they were not particularly advanced magical tools, there would be no concern about technology leaks.

The market was oversaturated, and wealth would pour in, translating to greater imperial revenue, which would lead to an increase in national power.

That is why most normal countries tried to block the outflow of national wealth through tariff barriers.

“I will await a positive response.”

I declared that I would dismantle that barrier.

Philius’s face turned pale.

Of course, my demands had only just begun.

* * *

Valenciaunos continued to make demands that were downright bandit-like.

These were demands that would bring vast wealth to the Empire and the Imperial Court, and they would pose a significant long-term detriment to Doroysen’s future.

“How about dismantling the border fortresses between our two nations? With many merchants set to cross, I imagine gloomy scenarios will unfold otherwise.”

Philius gnawed at his lip.

If border fortresses were removed, in case a war broke out, the Empire, which could mobilize a number of wyvern knights, would have a distinct advantage.

“Damn those mountains that hinder our exchanges. Let us pave our road. There are many excellent earth mages in the Empire; the construction should be handled by them. Don’t worry, the Empire won’t charge for construction. However, the toll… I believe you are well aware?”

Valenciaunos grinned joyfully.

It was an opportunity to create jobs for graduates from the Academy’s magical studies.

It was also a way to deploy a formidable army if war broke out again.

At the same time, it was part of his plan to revitalize his own territory.

‘There will be many expenses in the future, so I need to pocket some coins.’

One-third of Instrumentum was his territory.

As logistics increased, money would flow in, and with money, the population would grow, cities would develop, and as the cities developed, tax revenue would rise.

The more inflow increases, the weaker Marcus’s influence remaining in Instrumentum would become.

‘I need to snag about three chunks of meat in one go.’

Of course, it would be maddening for Philius.

‘Valenciaunos. Are you trying to make us a vassal state?’

He realized how the reputation of being a Bandit came to be.

It was not merely for indulging in pleasures, being cruel with his hands, or being greedy.

“The third is an alliance. We are always at war. We have been at war for the past thousand years. With those old ones beyond the sky. This latest conflict was essentially caused by those old ones as well.”

The young duke beamed with an exhilarating smile, possessing both the bravado of youth and the experience of a veteran.

“The late king’s corpse has been severely contaminated by the aura of the old ones, so Saint Matheos himself shall purify it and return it.”

Of course, no one knew whether Ensis’ remains would actually return or whether they would merely throw back a random pile of dirt.

“Moreover, interrogating Ezra, the head mage of the Imperial Palace, who is strongly suspected to be a high-ranking infiltrator, will also be overseen by Saint Matheos.”

“Your Grace, matters of the Kingdom should be handled within the Kingdom—”

“The best inquisitors from the Church of Light will be dispatched to help eradicate infiltrators within the Kingdom.”

Valenciaunos smiled brightly.

His slightly elongated canines peeked out from behind his red lips.

“How the Kingdom receives this as interference or assistance is the Kingdom’s freedom.”

His golden eyes weren’t slit vertically but were greedily restless.

“However, the Empire will not hesitate to drive out the infiltrators and restore friendship between our two nations, and it will be very decisive.”

Philius wanted to slap him across the face.