Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Peace Treaty
A little while after Steve had entered the Kingdom of Merda, King William of the Kingdom of Cascade and Chancellor Cunningham were worried.
When they received news from Margrave Remington that he had prevented the Kingdom of Merda's schemes beforehand and started a war as retaliation, and learned that Steve was involved, they thought he would achieve another great victory this time as well.
In that case, they couldn't decide what kind of reward should be given this time.
The Chancellor proposed to the King.
"Your Majesty, since this time is across the sea, how about giving the increased territory to House Archibalt? Overseas, management would be difficult, and I think they won't easily gain power."
"Don't you think it's more troublesome if they are out of sight? Right now, Airheart's son is stationed here, and information on new inventions comes to us, but if a groundbreaking invention is made overseas, we will notice it late. If they develop new weapons, even if we notice when deployment is finished, it will be too late. We will fall far behind in military power."
The King was wary not only of Steve's magic but also of his intellect. Carriage suspensions and steam engines. And lathes and clothespins, things that don't directly kill people, but Steve hadn't invented those either, yet the King felt a sense of incongruity about that.
He thought Steve was intentionally not developing weapons. And that was true. If Steve wanted to, he could make gunpowder. But since he knew doing so would cause many people to die, he deliberately did not do it.
"Indeed, that danger exists."
The Chancellor also agreed, and that proposal was discarded. However, no alternative came up.
"Nor do we have any other brilliant ideas."
"It would be nice if he became lovers with a princess of the Kingdom of Merda like last time."
"There shouldn't have been a princess there."
"Then, a queen?"
"The possibility is infinitely low. If that's the case, it would be better to send something related to the royal family."
Items related to the royal family are symbols of succession, and doing so would mean giving Steve the right of succession as well. However, if asked what else could be given beyond this, that was all there was.
While this was happening, a request for support from Margrave Remington arrived, saying there were too many prisoners of war and supplies were insufficient.
It was said that key figures of the Kingdom of Merda were escaping, and Steve was going around subduing enemy nobles' territories one by one. The King and Chancellor understood it would become the greatest achievement in history.
The King furrowed his brow and spoke to the Chancellor.
"We must prepare for the victory ceremony soon."
"Your Majesty, since it is already the third time, wouldn't a simplified ceremony be fine?"
"Then wouldn't Lord Remington hold a grudge? The difference in treatment between Lord Sowell and Lord Macintosh is large."
"That is true, but considering the burden on nobles gathering in the Royal Capital every time..."
"Everyone except the East has seen their income increase."
"That is so."
If they won this time, it was clear that nobles in the South would also receive that benefit. Even if expenses piled up from participating in victory ceremonies held at high frequency, it was a benefit enough to cover that.
Except for the nobles in the East who were kept out of the loop, everyone else had been celebrated for their victories last time, so they would feel it was fine to celebrate the South this time.
"However, expanding territory all at once is also a concern. If the number of nobles increases, quality drops. Since this time it is said almost all of the enemy country is occupied, no matter how much land becomes royal property, we must create quite a few new noble families."
"Even if it is royal property, officials to manage it are necessary. Talent cannot be easily increased. If the territory becomes wide and management is neglected, national power might weaken instead."
The King and Chancellor were troubled by the rapidly increasing territory as well.
Shortly after, news came that the King of the Kingdom of Merda appeared and showed intent to surrender. He was staying at Margrave Remington's place, waiting for a meeting with King William, so other work was hurriedly adjusted, leading to peace talks.
Margrave Remington said he absolutely wanted to meet before William met the King and Prince of the Kingdom of Merda, so permission was granted.
When William, Cunningham, and Margrave Remington gathered, Margrave Remington conveyed the reason for the meeting.
"Your Majesty, actually, the real sister of Lord Archibalt, Dragon Head Medal, is in love with Prince Abel of the Kingdom of Merda."
"What!"
Sherry and Prince Abel's relationship had, of course, reached Margrave Remington's ears. And knowing that, Margrave Remington thought he must convey this fact to His Majesty the King before the peace talks.
If the King declared the execution of Prince Abel, overturning it would be difficult.
If that happened, how Steve would move was unknown.
As for Margrave Remington, he did not want to let go of the profit he had gained in vain, and he petitioned the King not to provoke Steve.
"Your Majesty, this has become a bad situation."
Cunningham peeked at the King's face. However, at this time William's brain was running at full capacity, trying to utilize this situation well. After thinking for a while, he came up with one idea.
"Lord Remington, do you have no complaints even if we don't get all of the Kingdom of Merda's land?"
"Yes. If the land is too vast, management will be difficult for us as well."
"Hmm. Then let's give up on everything. Well, I'll leave some good spots for you. But, considering Lord Archibalt as well, that's just why we can't take everything."
"Everything shall be as Your Majesty commands."
Margrave Remington decided to entrust everything to the King. From Margrave Remington's perspective, the damage was only the cost of supplies given to prisoners. If it was this much, taking Viscount Cameron's territory would balance the books.
In that case, even if the King set conditions Steve wouldn't accept, there was a calculation that the responsibility was not Margrave Remington's, and it wouldn't be a minus.
However, he understood fully that letting go of the acquired territory was a pity, but forcing it and fighting with Steve there was not a good strategy.
Thus, the peace talks came to begin.
At that time, Steve and others were at the Archibalt family's townhouse in the Royal Capital.
Sherry's face, worried about Prince Abel, was pale, and her body was trembling slightly.
Steve, worried about Sherry, had brewed warm tea and brought it.
"Onee-sama, here is tea."
"Thank you."
Sherry thanked him but didn't touch the tea. She stared towards the direction of the castle and sighed. Incidentally, the castle cannot be seen because the walls are in the way.
"Hey, Steve. Is Prince Abel okay?"
"I think he's okay."
"What's the basis?"
"Hmm, intuition."
To Sherry's question, Steve couldn't answer the reason why he thought he was okay, and the word that came out involuntarily was intuition. That fanned Sherry's anxiety.
"Go see."
"That's impossible. I don't have permission to enter the castle."
The reason Steve didn't have permission to enter the castle was because Steve declined it. Although he was the main contributor to the victory, he disliked troublesome things, so he had declined attendance at the peace talks.
"If it's Steve, you can get in even without permission, right?"
"I can, but if I'm found, it will be a big commotion."
"But what if Prince Abel gets killed right there?"
"It won't happen like that. If a prince of the opposing country is killed at the peace talks, there will be no country left to negotiate with the Kingdom of Cascade."
"But there's no guarantee that absolutely won't happen, right?"
"Well..."
Christina, seeing Steve unable to persuade Sherry, spoke to Sherry.
"Onee-sama, His Majesty is not one to act with such short-sightedness. He will surely make a good conclusion for both countries. Isn't Nancy here like this? Then, it wouldn't be strange if Prince Abel stood here tomorrow."
"That's right. If it's His Majesty, it will surely be a good result."
"Yes."
Sherry regained composure due to Christina's persuasion, but still turned towards the castle and joined her hands to pray to God.
The tea Steve brewed had gone cold.
Meanwhile, at the castle, William was presenting peace terms to the King of the Kingdom of Merda. On the table, a detailed map of the Kingdom of Merda that Steve had obtained was spread out.
"The Kingdom of Merda's territory will cede 1/3 to us."
William traced the area to be ceded with his hand. It meant the Kingdom of Cascade would receive most of the Kingdom of Merda's ports, but one place was excluded. The King and Prince of the Kingdom of Merda found that strange.
Despite being occupied by all territory, they were told 2/3 would be returned. Furthermore, not all ports that generate money would be taken away.
"Understood."
The King of the Kingdom of Merda replied.
"Also, the King must abdicate and spend a life of confinement here. This is the form of taking responsibility for this incident. And, the Prince must marry someone from our country and inherit the throne. We want to strengthen the relationship between the two countries by putting our country's blood into the Kingdom of Merda's royal family, and making the marriage partners of their children also our country's royalty or nobles."
What William proposed was the takeover of the Kingdom of Merda through blood ties. The fact that the Kingdom of Merda's royalty has blood of the Kingdom of Cascade's royalty or nobles means it will become a reason to obtain the Kingdom of Merda's throne in the Kingdom of Cascade later on.
However, what was strange was that normally in such cases it is royalty, but for some reason this time the condition was nobles.
There was an explanation from William about that.
"Normally, a prince would be handed over as a hostage, but this time there is someone we absolutely want the Prince to marry, and if that marriage does not become a happy one, there is a risk of disaster befalling our country. We will also talk about compensation after this, so the road ahead will be difficult, but won't you please become happy?"
Hearing this, Prince Abel understood that King William was talking about Sherry. And, as the King of the Kingdom of Cascade who supports Steve, he also understood that Steve was a very troublesome existence.
"Since the brother-in-law-to-be is scary, I will strive not to make the wife-to-be sad. No, regardless of the brother-in-law, I want to make my wife happy."
Although there remained the possibility of being taken over by the Kingdom of Cascade in the future, in the current situation it was the best condition where the royal family would survive and he could marry Sherry.
The King of the Kingdom of Merda had no objection to this. Of course, he was a carp on a cutting board and could not refuse any conditions.
After that, the topic of compensation came up, and William also had the expectation that Steve would shoulder the burden for his sister. The fact that House Archibalt's assets would decrease greatly here was good for the Kingdom of Cascade's royal family. Instead of giving up territory significantly, setting a high compensation fee suppressed domestic dissatisfaction, and at the same time was a secret strategy to cut House Archibalt's assets.
Margrave Remington, who was present, admired the King's management.
By securing many ports and territory, there is a great benefit for southern nobles. And yet, stopping at a moderate increase instead of taking too much and struggling to manage that overly large territory is a judgment impossible for a king driven by greed.
Furthermore, recognizing Sherry and Prince Abel's marriage creates the possibility of incorporating the Kingdom of Merda through blood ties in the future, and at the same time, changing House Archibalt's assets into the form of compensation fees and paying them into the treasury.
Regarding the shoulder of compensation fees, it was unknown, but he had a premonition that it would happen.
In the end, it became a wonderful compromise that removed the threat of the Kingdom of Merda and lowered the domestic threat at the same time.
And, this time it was decided that there were no more slaves needed domestically, so all prisoners of war were to be returned to the Kingdom of Merda. So, Steve would not receive slave sale profits either.
Steve gained nothing from this war, but Steve was satisfied that it was decided his sister could marry Prince Abel, and he did not voice any dissatisfaction.