With the Kingdom of Lota absorbing the entirety of Argonne's forces and the other rebel leaders surrendering, the Royal Family of the Loredin Kingdom is confronted with a choice.
A decision to fight to the end.
or they surrender.
Either way there was no hope, but a choice had to be made.
"What should we do about this matter?"
Hamilton, King of the Kingdom of Loredin, asked his ministers.
"Is this how our Dynasty ends? Does this mean that there is truly no recourse at all for us?"
His advisors could not offer any answers.
Logically speaking, surrendering quickly was beneficial in many ways.
Even if they tried to drag it out, the loss would only increase, and the outcome of the battle would not change.Yet nobody was willing to speak about surrendering for fear of offending the King.
"You treacherous bastards!!!"
King Hamilton's roar of displeasure burst out.
"No one dares speak of fighting to the end! Are you all truly worthy of being called the nobles of this country? Waiting eagerly for words of surrender to come from my mouth!"
King Hamilton's anger was immense.
He tried to ask what they could do, but the answer was already clear.
Fight to the Death.
Hamilton wanted to burn out the last flame of his kingdom, a final spark.
However, when the officials did not readily express their determination to fight to the end, King Hamilton erupted in anger.
"Are you saying that as long as you preserve your positions, you don't care what happens to the Kingdom? Do you say that you don't care who you serve? Where has all your loyalty gone?"
The King's fiery scolding left his subjects completely speechless.
‘Fuck it. It's not like you're going out there and fight.'
‘Might as well surrender cleanly since we've already lost. No need to stubbornly resist.'
‘That day is not far off, Your Majesty.'
But they can't reveal their true feelings.
"Please, advise us!"
"Your Majesty! Of course we will fight to the bitter end!"
The ministers hid their true feelings well, and told King Hamilton what he wanted to hear.
Since it would be the young people that would shed the blood, it didn't really matter to the nobles what the king chose.
They thought that once the capital fell, they could simply flee and surrender.
"Everyone! Prepare for battle! Defend the capital!"
The king even pulled out his sword to show his determination to fight to the end.
Despite the fact that the odds were stacked against him, he would defend his pride until the end.
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That night.
The nobles secretly gathered in a Salon¹ located somewhere in the capital to have confidential discussions.
"This is madness!"
"Stubbornly fighting to the end in a Kingdom already doomed is futile!"
"Isn't this going to get us all killed?"
The nobles were deeply displeased with the king's decision to fight to the bitter end.
They actively pretended to support it to avoid losing their heads, but it was no exaggeration to say that there was no one in favor of the war.
The Kingdom of Loredin had long since fallen into disrepair due to the tyranny that had been passed down from generation to generation.
The loyal subjects had already lost their heads early on, and even the remaining nobles were in a rush to fill their own coffers, having lost their patriotism.
However, pushing for a last stand against the kingdom of Lota, the nobles were understandably reluctant.
"What should we do about this?"
"Anyone say something!"
"Why have you been holding back your words until now? We'll all die at this rate!"
The nobles have come together around one man.
Count Tormund.
The most powerful man in the Loredin Kingdom.
Currently, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Count Tormund practically leads the nobles of the Loredin Kingdom.
He was a very influential figure.
"……."
However, Count Tormund remained silent, keeping his lips tightly sealed.
‘This is the end of this Kingdom.'
Count Tormund's heart was not at ease.
He was never a mere opportunist.
Instead, he was more of a patriot loyal to the Kingdom of Loredin.
However, faced with the tyranny of the reigning royal lineage and the foolishness of the current king, Count Tormund had long since lost hope.
And today.
Count Tormund was deeply conflicted by the fact that he had to send his beloved homeland, Loredin, down the path of obscurity in history..
"I have heard you all."
Count Tormund spoke up.
"As loyal subjects of the Loredin Kingdom, it is our duty to stand and fight against our enemies. If the invaders had unjustly attacked this land, I would have fought to the death. And I would have bravely faced our end alongside this Kingdom. However…"
Count Tormund's eyes blazed.
"There's no longer any dream or hope left in this Kingdom. There's no reason for us, or our youth, to shed blood for this Dynasty anymore. Therefore, I no longer feel the need to pledge allegiance to this dynasty. Because… even if the dynasty changes, we and our people will still remain intact."
In essence, that statement was not much different from declaring an intent of rebellion.
The king wanted to fight, but Count Tormund and his people didn't want to die for nothing.
The same sentiment likely applied to the common people as well.
"For now, everyone please go back. I will reconvene a meeting within a day or two."
Unable to act immediately, Count Tormund decided to take some time to think things through.
No matter how powerful the nobles might be, staging a rebellion, arresting the king, and even deposing him was not as simple as roasting beans in the fire.
At the very least, a rebellion required thorough preparation and planning for several days to swiftly execute.
Acting hastily could likely result in being countered by the King's loyal forces
"Whew."
Count Tormund remained alone in the salon as the nobles departed, drinking to himself.
Unable to contain his conflicted feelings, he sought solace in drinking alone.
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"May I sit down with you for a moment?"
As Count Tormund sat alone, nursing his drink, he furrowed his brow when a stranger approached and spoke to him.
This was a Salon used only by the core nobility of the Kingdom of Loredin, a place whose very existence was a secret.
There was no visible signs, and the people who worked here were all members of Count Tormund's household.
But how did this blond youth know about this salon and manage to find it?
"Have a seat."
Count Tormund, realizing that the blonde young man was a strange character, invited him to sit down.
The strikingly handsome young man appearing in such a secretive salon could only be seen as something out of the ordinary.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"Of course."
Count Tormund poured the blond young man a whiskey.
"Mmm."
The blond youth.
Otto savored the taste of the whiskey, then turned to Count Tormund.
"It is an honor to meet you, Count Tormund."
"You are?"
"My name is Otto de Scuderia."
"If you're Otto de Scuderia… Ah!"
Count Tormund exclaimed, as he recognized Otto's identity.
He never dreamed that the King of the Kingdom invading the Loredin Kingdom would reveal himself before him like this.
"Are you really the King of the Lota Kingdom?"
"Yes."
Otto responded with a smile.
"How did you manage to find this place?"
"I don't think that's important."
Otto said, pouring whiskey into Count Tormund's glass.
"Then what is important?"
"What's important now is to put your thoughts into action."
"What I thought…."
"I'll support you."
"……!"
"I'll supply you with 100 magic swordsmen from the Kuntachi clan. With that force, you should be able to execute your plans smoothly."
"1-100 magic swordsmen from the Kuntachi family?!"
"That's right."
Otto smirked.
"Then, Count you'll be able to accomplish whatever you have in mind with no trouble."
"Hehe."
Count Tormund was so surprised that he could only laugh in disbelief.
It was amazing that the King of an enemy nation would take such a direct step, but Tormund couldn't believe that Otto could see through his inner thoughts.
"Will you do it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Tormund rose from his seat and dropped to one knee in front of Otto.
Having already made up his mind, Tormund decided to recognize Otto as his lord.
"I greet Your Majesty."
"Later."
Otto shook his head.
"I will receive your oath of allegiance in a formal setting and at a suitable location."
"……."
"Count Tormund."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I understand that you are a patriot."
"……!"
"I'm just disappointed in the current king's incompetence."
Otto consoled Tormund with an understanding expression.
"If the current king were competent, you would have prepared for resistance and fought fiercely as well," Otto replied as if understanding Tormund's sentiment.
"Y-Your Majesty."
"You decided on rebellion because you didn't want young lives to be lost in vain, trying to salvage the pride of a doomed Dynasty," Otto responded.
*Sniffle*
In that moment, Tormund was overwhelmed with emotion, on the verge of tears.
To have the King of an enemy Kingdom recognize something that even King Hamilton didn't….
"As you know well, even if the dynasty disappears, it doesn't mean the people of this land will vanish."
"Your Highness…."
"I will not let you regret your surrender."
"Heok."
In the end, Tormund couldn't hold back his tears.
As the loyal subject of a fallen kingdom, Tormund's heart was deeply conflicted as he shed tears and contemplated the rebellion he had to lead.
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Otto was invited to Tormund's mansion.
In truth, it was a very risky move.
If Tormund were to change his mind, Otto would be held hostage, and the Kingdom of Lota would be forced to withdraw its troops.
Nevertheless, Otto came all the way to the Kingdom of Loredin and directly met Torment because he needed to win over his heart.
‘By now, the succession to the throne in the Cherokee Kingdom should be completed, and Kalmar would have become the king. As soon as he ascends to the throne, he will likely try to restrain us first. There's also a high possibility of sparking a war.'
Kalmar is one of the 100 Lords, the main characters in the game Territory Wars.
Moreover, he was the king of a very powerful kingdom, so he was not an easy person to deal with.
Otto judged that Kalmar would not allow the Kingdom of Lota to expand its power, and even considered the prospect of sending people to the Kingdom of Loredin to recruit its nobles.
What if Kalmar approached Tormund and won his heart?
In the worst-case scenario, a disaster could occur where the Kingdom of Loredin might surrender to the Cherokee Kingdom.
If he hadn't wasted time in the Caliphate Kingdom, he wouldn't have had to worry about this. However, since the timing was delayed more than expected, he couldn't help but consider such variables.
So Otto made a direct move to win the heart of Tormund, the focal point of the Loredin aristocracy and it worked.
Tormund treated Otto with great hospitality and the two of them conversed for many hours.
Then dawn broke.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, I urge you to get some sleep."
"Shall I? Alright. Then, I'll see you in the morning."
Otto was shown to the best room in Tormund's mansion and settled into a comfortable bed.
‘Just in case.'
Just before he drifted off to sleep, Otto spied what Tormund was doing in the distance.
Using Calypso's power of clairvoyance, he was able to observe Tormund from afar.
After leveling up a lot, this ability became incredibly powerful enough to be able to see through a couple of walls.
Except that it was a huge mana drain.
Then.
‘Huh?'
Otto was slightly surprised to discover Tormund hastily putting on clothes and heading somewhere in a hurry.
Unless something urgent happened, there wouldn't be a reason to hastily put on clothes and go out at this dawn, would there?
"Wait a minute."
Otto said that to Camille and then quietly sneaked away.
Since Tormund hadn't kept a close watch, it wasn't too difficult to sneak out of the room unnoticed.
Moreover, since Otto had clairvoyant abilities, moving stealthily was even easier for him.
‘Let's see who he's meeting with and listen in on him.'
Otto stealthily crept up to the ceiling of Tormund's room and quietly listened in.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Salon Image for Reference
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