Chapter 37


    <i>Lansius, Leader of the Banner of the Unknown</i>


    When the question of casus belli was raised, Lansius shifted his posture for the first time, drawing the attention of those around him. “Let’s put that problem aside for now,” he suggested, his tone pleasant and friendly. “What if this has all been a misunderstanding?”


    Robert’s aide looked at him in confusion, and Robert turned to Lansius with a hint of disdain. “A misunderstanding?” he challenged.


    Seatedfortably, Lansius simply nodded. “I want you to continue ruling White Lake as you always have.”


    Surprise flickered briefly across Robert’s face before he countered, “That must be a jest! I’m a defeated noble. Why would you make such an absurd statement?” His response was roundabout, seemingly designed to provoke Lansius into revealing his true intentions.


    “My lord, I assure you I’m not jesting. I am extending an offer for cooperation between us,” Lansius replied resolutely, deliberately addressing Robert as his lord in an attempt to cate him.


    “There’s no cooperation between the victor and the defeated. The rtionship is between the conqueror and the subjugated. Why resort to pleasantries?” Robert retorted.


    “I never intended to conquer you, Lord Robert,” Lansius responded with patience. In truth, he had nothing to offer that would impress Robert, but his ambitionsy elsewhere, and he might still have a chance to achieve them without relinquishing too much of his spoils.


    Taking a deep breath, Robert asked, “Then how do you exin today’s battle?”Lansius paused before answering, “Let’s consider it a mock battle.”


    “A mock battle? For what purpose?”


    “To bring about change,” Lansius dered enigmatically. “The realm south of Mindia has been stagnant for far too long. I wish to change that.”


    <i>Viscount Robert</i>


    Robert was momentarily stunned by Lansius’s deration.


    <i>Does he intend to unite Londia?</i>


    The feuds among the Londian nobles were older than the third Imperium itself. The ambition persisted, but nobody openly expressed it among peers.


    Yet, Robert found it hard to dismiss Lansius’s statement, given the astounding victory his ragtag group had achieved over Robert’srger, seasoned force. Many of his men were veterans Robert had personally recruited, trained, and led for more than two decades.


    A blind bravado had been his undoing, but Robert felt the need to credit Lansius for creating a near-miracle victory. That made him ponder what he could aplish with someone like Lansius serving as his marshal. Perhaps even the unification of Londia was within reach, he mused.


    However, he quickly dismissed that notion and instead asked, “Please indulge me? What exactly is your n?”


    “I wish Lord Robert to continue his rule, with a few beneficial changes for both of us,” Lansius rified.


    Suppressing a mix of skepticism and hope, Robert nodded. “Please, continue.”


    “I propose military protection in exchange for a strategic castle as a base, and a portion of your ie. The funds would be used to purchase food and other supplies from your domain, allowing wealth to circte locally and preventing you from bing any poorer than before.”


    Lansius’s rough use of thenguage suggested ack of noble upbringing, yet his innovative ideas were intriguing.


    “So, a mercenarypany?” Robert ventured.


    “Not quite. A mercenary is hired to fight someone else’s war. That’s not my intent,” Lansius rified.


    “And what about rebuilding my forces? Would you permit it?” Robert asked, half in jest.


    “Certainly, we are not your conquerors. You may do as you please.”


    Robert’s gaze narrowed. “You’re not afraid I might betray you?”


    “There’s always a risk. But I believe in time, you’ll see therger picture and choose to ally with us,” Lansius stated firmly.


    Robert stroked his small goatee. Despite the absurdity, he found himself warming up to Lansius. He wasn’t as polished as many noblemen, but his voice held a note of genuine empathy. Moreover, his demeanor was devoid of ill will and even suggested humility.


    His instincts told him to trust this young man. The decision wasn’t difficult. As a defeated noble, his options were limited: capitte and be sent somewhere remote as a hostage, or take a long journey to the old capital in Centuria, besieged by wars with the western nomads.


    epting Lansius’s n offered a way to retain his position, albeit with reduced power and wealth. It was an enticing proposal.


    “Before the battle, I heard reports from the viges your men visited,” Robert reminisced about the scout’s remarks several days prior. “I fully expected to hear about damage or looting, but to my surprise, there were none. Instead, the vige chiefs reported your men purchasing food at fair prices. Why?”


    Lansius smiled, seemingly flustered. “I may not look the part, but I’m not a robber.”


    The old viscount chuckled for the first time as a hunch dawned on him.


    <i>He purchased those goods to garner public support. He knew he would likely triumph in battle. How audacious!</i>


    Robert was amused, for in a war such a strategy seemed impractical and offered little gain. Yet he admired a war leader who refrained from looting the poor. “Perhaps you’re on to something,” Robert muttered as he considered the offer. “Would you also permit me to run my court?”


    “That’s my intention. Let’s make this into cooperation. I’ll handle military affairs, and my lord shall take care of politics. This way there’s no need for a casus belli.”


    Robert nced at his aide, who nodded in agreement. Even they found the proposition appealing.


    However, propelled by curiosity, Robert asked further, “Why all theplications? Wouldn’t it be more straightforward for you to rule the region yourself?”


    “No, that would invite too many problems. I don’t want to get entangled in court politics,” Lansius dered, his true intentions remaining a mystery.


    The victor and the vanquished set off toward Robert’s domain to orchestrate the transfer of power. Their pace was slow yet steady, their ranks weighed down by the wounded. The baggage train was also heavy with the confiscated armor and weapons from the defeated. They also had prisoners to consider and ransoms to secure, necessitating careful progress to avoid unnecessary risks.


    Sir Justin led the troops while Calub tended to the wounded. In this era, medical care was scarce. The best they could do was to dispatch the gravely wounded to the nearest vige for basic care.


    Lansius wished for moreprehensive care for them, but Robert refused it as the situation hadn’t yet stabilized. The threat of conflict still loomed, as Robert’s allies might attempt to intervene.


    Ironically, they remained on a war footing until they could safely escort Robert to his castle to exercise his authority. This was the very reason Lansius had set up camp deep within Robert’s domain, effectively holding him and hismanders hostage.


    Nevertheless, the transfer of power eventually urred without a hitch. Only then, Lansius sent word to his benefactor, exining his victory and his reasons to ask for Korelia as a base of power in the region.


    In the letter, Lansius expressed his wish for Lord Bengrieve to send him a recementmander and contingent, so he could return to Mindia. However, when Lord Bengrieve replied, Lansius was surprised at his benefactor’s reaction.


    Following Viscount Robert’s disastrous defeat, the Lion of Londia carefully ceded Korelia to the victor, an unusual arrangement that led many to assume a secret agreement had been made.


    Regardless of the truth, Korelia was no longer under Lord Robert’s control. Although a small fief with limited resources, Korelia held strategic importance as a middle ground between the western and eastern parts of Londia.


    The town could serve as a gateway to unify the province under one’s rule, but itsck of arablend posed a problem for supporting arger poption.


    Beyond the small castle town, there were only several viges spread to its eastern side. With little arablend but grasnd, its poption was small and mostlyposed of herders.


    Despite being a humble fief, the transfer of Korelia disrupted the bnce of power in the region. Adding to this tension was the fall of Orniteia Barony to Mindia after a siege. Now, every neighboring lord was plotting their moves. They knew conflict was inevitable.


    <i>Fall of 4424, Korelia. Two Months After Lansius’s Victory</i>


    Lansius, the temporary officer of Korelia, was awed by the sight of the cloudless blue sky above him. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, with a seemingly endless expanse of grass stretching out as far as the eye could see. It felt as if Korelia was the only human settlement in this part of the world, surrounded by the vast emptiness of a nomadic steppe.


    <i>Have I ever visited Mongolia?</i> Lansius asked himself, but his memory offered no answer. While he could remember movies, books, or even games, he had a hard time remembering personal details of his life. He couldn’t even recall his nationality or origin, but that didn’t bother him anymore. Now, this life was all he had.


    Sitting under a rectangr field tent, Lansius contentedly watched the building project he had envisioned for Korelia taking shape. The gray-colored canvas pped in the breeze as the sun rose higher on the eastern horizon.


    Several hundred men dug trenches on the west side, while another hundred worked on the southern side of the town. They were making trenches for city defenses.


    He hated trenches, but there were not enough woods to construct a palisade even for just one side. Topensate for theck of defense, Lansius had ordered his men to make picket fences and stakes using whatever wood was avable.


    Usually, this kind of work was frowned upon by the poption. Unless they were exempted from annual tax. But, instead of the usual forcedbor, Lansius was offering wages, much to people’s delight.


    While Lansius believed in treating people fairly, his real intention was to prevent sabotage or dissidents. Moreover, he theorized that paidbor worked faster and was generally more reliable.


    Just this week, Lansius’s view was vindicated. Aided by Lansius’s goal-oriented payment, the workers managed themselves efficiently. The defense work began to take shape right on schedule.


    Another factor that contributed was the quick harvest time in Korelia. The area didn’t have much farnd, and after the festivities ended, Lansius had the fullbor of the farmers at his disposal as well.


    A billowing cloud of ck smoke caught Lansius’s attention. It was the cksmith Calub had invited from out of town to produce nails and bolt heads for their side project. Though the local smiths couldn’t produce swords or armor, they could handle simple repairs and maintenance.


    Lansius had wanted Calub to head another project to build workshops. They wanted to employ craftsmen, artisans, and volunteers to produce crossbow parts.


    As Lansius watched the project progress, a sudden horse’s neigh drew his attention. He nced up and saw a friendly silhouette approaching.


    “I see that you’re well enough to go outside today.” A hint of a smile was on Audrey’s lips as she approached closer and covered him with a fur coat.


    “Ah, thanks.” Lansius felt the warmth and found it pleasant.


    Audrey noticed how windy it was. “Mm, perhaps you shouldn’t be out here for too long.”


    “Do I look that pale?” he asked.


    “Well, prevention is always wise,” Audrey remarked smugly.


    “You sound like Calub,” he chuckled. “Lemme check your forehead for a fever.”


    His jest was shot down by a cold stare. “Not funny. You’ve been bedridden on and off for almost three weeks. Everybody is terrified.”


    Lansius’s chuckle died down quickly. “I know. I’m sorry to make you worry.”


    Audrey kept staring, and Lansius could only look down.


    She let out a soft sigh before tenderly patting Lansius’s shoulder. He caught her hand with his own, savoring the warmth of her touch.


    After a moment offortable silence, she asked, “I heard about the letters.”


    Lansius exhaled deeply, awash in a mix of emotions. His recent victory had set off a chain of unexpected events, manypletely beyond his control. And nothing could have prepared him for the response from Mindia.


    The triumph he had fought so hard to achieve now seemed to be pulling him further from his desires and closer to the chaos of war. On the other hand, it had also opened the door to great opportunities.