1. A maximum of two thousand people affiliated with the Bof family will be given rights equivalent to those of Kulati people.
2. The head of the Bof family will be given the title of Duke.
3. The Bof family will maintain ownership of its territory after it has been conquered by the crusade force.
4. The Bof family will retain the right to bear arms and defend itself.
The items above constitute a contract between the seven witches and the Bof family.
Signed
Orone Bof, representative of the Bof family
Six representatives of the Witch Collective
“How could they...” Kien’s eyes burned with rage. This offended him far more than the news of the witches’ betrayal because the two families were neighbors.
“They’re scum, as you can see,” I said. “I’ll summon the head of the family to the royal castle and kill him myself.”
“But then what’ll happen to his army?”
“We’ve got a few months to rebuild it somehow, though we’ll have to move fast.”
“Ugh, but...” Kien showed no enthusiasm toward a fight between chieftain families.
“We can’t rely on an army commanded by someone who’d rather sign this contract than fight. Do you want to face eighty thousand crusaders with a man like Orone Bof in a position of strategic importance? We’ll have no way to know whether he’ll stand his ground or just step aside.”
The Bof family had been so pessimistic in the past war that their army had barely fought at all. Right now, their soldiers were useless to us. If we spared Orone Bof, there was also the issue of what might come after our victory in the war. We wouldn’t be able to put him on trial because we’d be offering him awards for his service. If he was no use to us, then the sooner we killed him, the better.
“They won’t go down without a fight,” Kien warned.
“We’ll distribute flyers. After Orone Bof comes to the royal capital, that is. The Bof family will be under threat from the Ho family to the south and the Rube family to the north. I doubt they’ll show much resistance.”
“Hmm...”
“The bigger problem is the Noza family. Bolafra Noza’s a smart man. He made a similar deal, except in his case, there’s only a written pledge full of one-sided assurances from the witches. He didn’t put his seal or signature on anything.”
Bolafra Noza must’ve understood the danger of signing a bilateral agreement with a group like the witches. The document could easily have been used to blackmail him later, and he’d lose everything once it came to light. Accepting a written pledge that he didn’t have to sign meant that everything could be blamed on the witches. If the document ever came to light, he could claim it was a forgery that the witches had prepared without his knowledge. Once he’d burned his own copy of the pledge, there’d be no way to prove that he wasn’t another victim of the witches’ conspiracies.
“Yes, I know that all too well,” Kien agreed. “He’s a nervous man. He was never worthy of leading an army.”
“If I summon Orone Bof, he’ll come right to me, but I doubt Bolafra would answer the summons.”
“Indeed. A clever little coward like him won’t leave his home.” Kien’s opinion matched my own.
“Well, we have options. We’ll discuss them after I’ve killed Orone Bof. Bolafra should be easier to convince once he sees that he has no friends left.”
It would be simpler to deal with Bolafra after we’d taken down his partner in crime, Orone. In any case, we had overwhelming military superiority. If we wanted both men removed, we’d find a way.
The real problem was the crusade force we’d have to fight afterward. For that, I was going to need Kien’s cooperation.
“The crusaders will arrive soon after, and I’d like to ensure we’ll win, even if they invade with an army of a hundred thousand. If we lose this war, it’ll be the end of us.”
It wouldn’t just be the end of the kingdom—it would be the end of the Shanti people entirely. A few members of our kind would still exist on the new continent, but that meant little. Even without considering the resources and technology they’d need while building a nation, their population of just over two thousand would take over a hundred and fifty years to grow to a hundred thousand—and that was an optimistic estimate that assumed a constant baby boom. Even a population of a hundred thousand would be a lot smaller than Sibiak alone. The Kulati would probably discover the new continent and slaughter what was left of the Shanti people before they could build a strong nation.
“That’s what any commander wishes for, but there’s rarely a sure way to win. Do you have a plan, Sir Yuri?”
Kien’s experience taking command in actual wars gave him enough reason to doubt me. I knew that the armies I’d witnessed in Kilhina had been just as desperate for a means to save their kingdom, but no amount of thinking or strategizing had been enough to prevent its fall.
“I want the decisive battle to occur north of the royal capital. I’d like you to allow the crusaders to pass through Rube Province without a fight.”
“What?” As expected, Kien was offended by the idea.
“Your people can take refuge in the south. We have at least two months to prepare. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“But...the villages they pass through will be torched and the cities plundered. I can’t sit back while they lay waste to Mital.”
Losing a city wouldn’t be too bad if no one lived there. The city’s fall would be little more than a mass looting.
“I’m not asking your citizens to flee with nothing but what they can carry. There’s enough time to move valuable items south. Besides, it would take considerable effort for the crusaders to reduce a city like Mital to rubble. Whatever damage they do can be repaired when people return. I intend to fund the process.”
“This is ridiculous!” Liao interrupted. “The city of Mital has been protected by the Rube family for generations. You’re telling us to let the enemy burn it down?”
“You can remain there if you please,” I replied. “As long as you allow the Ho family to stand back, you can fight where you will.”
“What?”
“You can’t be...”
Father and son were both shocked. It was a natural reaction. I knew there’d be a psychological barrier for them to overcome. Even my own retainers were going to have a hard time accepting my plan, but it was the only way.