BXBX NOVEL 171 - - Art. 171 Drops
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he opens them. I see Riko breastfeeding Eryl in front of me. It is truly a divine sight.
"Good morning, Rico. Eril."
"Good morning. Linos."
The two of us smile at each other, and we both look at Eryl, who is drinking her mother\'s milk with all her heart. Riko and I both smile naturally. It\'s a happy moment.
We get dressed and go downstairs to the dining room to have breakfast. Today\'s menu consists of bread, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, salad, tuna fries, and dessert. The potatoes are delicious. As always, I was impressed by Perris\' skill.
After everyone finishes breakfast, everyone leaves for work. I transfer to the city of Garbee.
When I arrive, Rafaience and Knogen are waiting for me.
"Oh, Mr. Linos! You\'ve come to the right place."
What is it, General?
"A few minutes ago, a messenger arrived from the Imperial City of Lamaron, offering to discuss a cease-fire agreement at noon today."
"Okay. I\'ll take you up on your offer. Where\'s the messenger?
Yeah, I\'ll get him now.
I told the messenger that I would accept the cease-fire agreement and set the meeting place for Garbee.
In the afternoon, some cavalrymen from the capital came to Garbee. And they came to the meeting place, the reception room in my office, without any serious problems.
"This is Khaleesi Sima, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army of Ramallon.
I am Bertham Darke Rinos, King of Agartha.
Are you the King of Agartha yourself?
I nod silently.
"...You are younger than I thought. I have been entrusted by the Emperor with full authority in these negotiations. You may assume that my words are the Emperor\'s words."
Our ceasefire negotiations began with such a conversation, and ended like this.
The Kingdom of Agartha and the Kingdom of Ramallon, in concluding this ceasefire agreement, hereby stipulate the following
Agartha and Lamarron shall ceasefire semi-permanently.
In the event of food shortages in either country, the two countries shall mutually assist each other.
The borders and areas controlled by the two countries are defined as follows.
1. The territory of Agartha shall extend from Mount Banzavi along the Irbezi River to Garbee.
2. The village of Deitas shall be claimed by Agartha.
3. The fortified city of Garbee is claimed by Agartha.
There are many more details, but this is a rough idea. As for Garbee, I tried to negotiate with them very aggressively. I thought the probability was low, but I was allowed to keep it on the condition that all the captured soldiers would be released. I\'ll tell you what.
It seems that Lamaron really wants Agartha\'s technological prowess in the agricultural lands. Even if they lost some of their territory, they chose to increase the efficiency of production. It seems that they share the same mindset of feeding their people. We will send a group of technicians led by Sidi as soon as possible.
When most of the talks were over, General Caries made this remark.
"If you don\'t mind my asking, can you tell me how you managed to bring down this fortress city?"
"Very well. It would be easier to see it in person. Please come this way."
I lead them to the Irbezi River, which flows beneath the precipice. There were many rafts tied to the river.
"We rode them all the way to Garbee in the shadows of the night.
"...I see. If the Irbezi River is swollen, they can reach Garbee quite quickly. But why didn\'t the imperial soldiers find so many rafts?"
"Oh, the village of Daitas on Mount Banzavi was cooperating with us. Now that they are in our camp, the Irbezi River is almost impossible to see from the Lamarong side."
"I see. No wonder we didn\'t know how Agartha\'s army was moving. The village of Dytas. We had no idea. Oh, there was one... Almond\'s intuition was right.
General Caries laughs emphatically.
"The raft was originally built to bring food to the village of Ditas, and we had made too much of it, but it turned out to be useful in an unexpected way. Whether or not they found value in the village of Dytas, plus the fact that they used the excess of this raft, it would have made a big difference."
"...I agree. However, I didn\'t realize that they didn\'t request reinforcements from Heedata ... that was another miscalculation."
"Yes. I forgot to call for reinforcements. So, if they attacked us with a large army, we would not be able to defend ourselves, so I was planning to retreat at that time.
"...If the troops you sent to Agartha could be applied to the attack on Garbee, perhaps..."
"Yes. If that had been the case, we would have definitely retreated.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph.... I guess my military acumen was not so bad after all.
General Caries continued to stare blankly at the rafts floating on the Irbezi River as dusk fell.
Meanwhile, the Agartha dispatched forces that had arrived in Rainy received a shocking report and order.
"No...this is ridiculous. The Dowager Empress is the Great Demon King?
The one who is trembling with his eyes wide open is Duke Koenig, Commander-in-Chief of the Agartha dispatched forces.
"This is treason! It\'s mutiny! It\'s General Caries\'s rebellion! That... old bastard! Gather the commanders!"
Soon after, Koenig gave an order to the assembled commanders.
"Attention all generals! All troops, head for the Imperial City. We must avenge the traitor Callies!
Several soldiers approach Koenig, who is furious. He stares at them with bloodshot eyes.
What are you people!
The soldiers remain expressionless. One of them takes out a piece of paper from his pocket and reads it out loud.
"Duke of Lamarone, Koenig Lafente. On suspicion of treason, you are hereby taken into custody and escorted to the capital. ...Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of Lamaron, Khaleesi Seema."
"Hey... What? What the hell are you talking about! Who authorized that! Who do you think I am! The Lamaronic Empire... Stop! Don\'t touch me! Rude! Stop! AUGH!"
The soldiers silently seize Koenig and take him away. The assembled commanders are all on their feet, watching with bated breath as the situation unfolds. The soldier who read out the order to capture Koenig looks at them with a sideways glance and opens his mouth.
"This is the trial of the commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Lamaronic Army. Duke Koenig is very likely to have been inspired by the Great Satan who was disguised as the Empress Dowager, so he had no choice but to take this form. This operation was also planned and carried out by the Duke who was inspired by the Daimaou. For this reason, the area from Mt. Banzavi to Garbee has been occupied by Agartha. We are at a critical juncture as a nation, but first we will conclude a ceasefire agreement with Agartha. After that, the Imperial Kingdom will do its utmost to strengthen its national power and make a comeback. The lords assembled here have been ordered by General Caries to return to the capital for a time. Please stay here in Rainey today and return to the capital tomorrow morning. Rest assured. The Demon Lord who was hiding in the Imperial Palace has been defeated!
The corps commanders do not move. After a moment of silence, one of the corps leaders claps his hands. As if caught by the clapping, the crowd began to applaud one after another, and soon the place was filled with loud cheers.
At the same time, Almond, who was camped at the foot of Mount Banzavi, received orders to retreat.
"...Garvey has fallen. We should have attacked the village of Dytas even if we had to..."
Almond bit his lip and kept his eyes fixed on the citadel far to the west.
Soft sunlight shone brightly on a room with a pure white marble archway. Inside the room, there was an old man, a young girl, and a child. The old man is facing the ceiling praying to something, while the daughter and the child are kneeling down and listening solemnly to his voice.
The voices of prayer stop. The old man sighs loudly. As if on cue, the two men and women slowly look up.
"Vieille!"
"Yes."
The old man\'s gentle voice. The girl replies in a dignified voice.
You will help your companion and guide her to the Way of Heaven. Do you understand?
Yes. I will surely lead you to the Way of Heaven.
The old man smiles a gentle, satisfied smile. Then he smiles gently at the boy next to him.
Cassel. You will help Vieille, you will help your new father and grandmother, and you will guide them to the Way of Heaven, won\'t you?
"Yes, sir."
The boy replies in a beautiful, clear voice. The old man smiles with satisfaction. At that moment, a woman quietly comes up to the old man and quietly talks to him. The old man looks away for a moment, but then smiles softly,
"Thank you for your hard work."
He says a few words of thanks. The woman keeps her head bowed and moves slowly away.
"Vieille, Cassel. I will postpone the trip to the Kingdom of Lamaron.
The old man opens his mouth with a happy, kind smile. Both the girl and the boy bow their heads reverently.
"I was surprised that a political upheaval would occur in the Lamaron Kingdom. Agartha... a new country... A new country called Agartha... a country that follows the path of the heavens or a country that rebels against it... I think we need to check once and for all.
It is Pope Jouvancel of Crimiana who murmurs without losing his soft smile. The gentle eyes of the man who is also known as "the smiling monster" looked far ahead to the capital of Agartha.