Chapter 69
Chapter 69 – Capitulation
The King of Redgear Wilfred watched as the nation’s trump card, his sister Liliana, was swiftly defeated .
Looking around, he found his vassals were disturbed by this result .
[Her Highness is defeated? I-impossible]
[W-what should we do now? The Arcadia army is just over there]
[No, we still have our soldiers . We will make it somehow, right?]
The vassals were in unrest . It’s obvious that everyone of them was upset .
Wilfred felt his innards boil .
[Hurry up, prepare the formation! The enemy has the momentum now that Liliana is gone . They’ll attack for sure!]
Wilfred tried to rally the troops . But the unrest won’t stop . It was particularly more intense among the soldiers who greatly respected the 『Silver Princess Knight』 .
For the Redgear army, Liliana, who had won many battles for them, was their symbol of power . Now that she’s defeated, the entire army immediately fell into confusion .
[Damn it! Is this what the enemy’s real goal is…]
Wilfred prepared for the attacking Arcadia forces . But nothing happened, even after some time had passed .
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[Please tell me why!?]
Vulcas raised his voice .
[If we attack the enemy forces now, we’ll surely be able to take the King’s head . But why we are not attacking now!?]
Already, the General under Silvia showed some discontent .
Meanwhile in the distance, Redgear army was still in confusion .
[If we attack now, we’ll conquer them in no time]
[Then…]
[But that’s not the result I want . ]
Hearing that answer, Silvia probed further .
[Then tell us . What results are you waiting for that you choose not to claim the victory right away?]
Ares had advised Silvia to forbid the soldiers to go on offense and to order them to wait . But the knights as well as Vulcas wanted to rush in immediately with the gained momentum . Silvia, unable to discern Ares’ real intention, was also curious .
[As I said before, I want to minimize the casualties on both sides . We may be able to take the king’s head if we attack now . But afterward, the Redgear army will turn into desperate forces unafraid of death . We’ll be hard pressed to handle them, as they are actually quite strong . ]
[Also, if we forcefully destroy the troops here, the remaining forces at the two fortresses will continue to resist until the bitter end . ]
[There is also the consideration for future governance . The Redgear clan has their place in the commoners’ hearts, especially princess Liliana . The whole army of Redgear Kingdom practically worships her . If we end this war by killing them, we’ll also have to handle the revolt that will come afterward . ]
Ares laughed before resuming his explanation to Silvia .
[Then why do we capture Liliandono…it was to cut down the enemy’s hope . If she’s still around, the situation will still be manageable for them . Now that their hope has been shattered, we only need to… . ]
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Ares laughed once more . His tone sounded like he’s playing a prank .
[… . . convince them to surrender]
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Wilfred spent the night sleeplessly, afraid that the enemy would attack at any given chances .
That Arcadian silver knight who duelled Liliana . For Wilfred who considers Liliana as godlike being since childhood, her loss was a very heavy shock .
[Reporting!]
A knight entered Wilfred’s tent and bowed respectfully .
[Any movement?]
The knight was evidently panicking when he reported to Wilfred .
[a messenger from Arcadia forces has arrived!]
Wilfred stood up without much thought .
[I see… then, could you tell me why you look so upset?]
[That…well, Your Majesty, the messenger is… the same person who defeated princess Liliana . ]
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[What?!]
Wilfred’s reaction was a bit too much . It obviously caused the surroundings to become more upset .
The demon-like Liliana was Redgear’s symbol of victory . And now the one who defeated her is here…of course it was such a horror for them . After swallowing his saliva, Wilfred told the knight .
[I understand… let us meet him . ]
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[I’m the King of Redgear, Wilfred . ]
[Greetings, Your Majesty . I’m here on behalf of the army commander Princess Silvia . My name is Ares Schwarzer . ]
The meeting started on a calm note .
[Honored messenger-dono, I don’t think we need any pleasantries . Let us get to the point . Liliana was defeated by you so your army should’ve been able to defeat my confused troops with ease . But you didn’t . Why? And what have you come here to tell me?]
Ares observed Wilfred carefully .
His kind and soft figure is rarely seen in royalty, much less being a king . One can see that from how he doesn’t use honorifics on himself . Even so, his eyes are sharp and, as of now, they are trying to probe on what Ares’ real intention is .
(His skill that made Redgear flourish in recent years isn’t only hearsay)
Ares smiled quietly before revealing his intention to Wilfred .
[Surrender . ]
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[And if Wilfred-sama agrees, I will ensure the safety of this Redgear territory and its civilians . ]
What Ares proposed to Wilfred was to pull out the forces defending the 2 fortresses and an unconditional surrender .
Otherwise the Redgear will be history . If the king himself is willing to work for Arcadia Empire, the Redgear would be able to preserve their territory .
[I promise that we will not harm any of Redgear civilians . The whole Redgear territory will be preserved . And I promise that we not interfere further with your governance . As for the aristocrats, the Arcadia empire can promise them the position of baronet . You may also keep them around as mercenaries . ]
[So we’ll still have our autonomy and the only change would be the name of the country…are you telling the truth?]
[Yes, I am . ]
After a while, Wilfred finally said .
[This is too good to be true . ]
Naturally, Wilfred was suspicious . If his army was defeated, the enemy would be able to plunder Fran freely . Moreover, the Arcadia Empire was famous for dealing with the resistance brutally after all .
[Sure it sounds like a reasonable offer . But…]
Ares cut in before he could finish .
[Then would you please believe in me? You may not trust the Arcadia army, but you can put your trust in me, Ares Schwarzer . ]
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Wilfred soon announced his surrender and that marked the end of Redgear Kingdom . And then, Ares’ party entered Redgear capital Fran, waiting for the arrival of Emperor Sephiros .