The Story of Hero Among Heroes ~The Founding Chronicles of Arestia Chapter 69

Weekly chapters (1/2)

Captured the Hime Kis.h.i.+ and taken down the kingdom.
One stone for two birds~ Not bad!

Enjoy~

Translator: Raizu
Editor: s.h.i.+rayuki

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 va.s.sals 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 va.s.sals 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.

[d.a.m.n 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 pa.s.sed.

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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 wors.h.i.+ps 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….]

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 G.o.dlike 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.]

[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.]

[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.