Someone began to laugh, but then added, “Oh, forgive me.” It was Kien. Our little exchange must’ve appealed to his sense of humor.
With another click, the door opened again.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The maid placed a tray on the table containing everything we’d need.
“Thank you.”
“It’s n-nothing.” She bowed her head, then left the room again.
“I’ll write it,” I said.
✧✧✧
Request for Discussions
We propose a meeting to discuss the future of the Noza family in addition to other matters.
1. Meeting Location
To be stipulated by the Noza family. However, the location must be on the provincial border, rather than within Noza Province.
We will not agree to meet at any location that requires us to enter Noza Province accompanied by only a small force, or anywhere that presents a danger to us.
In the interests of common sense, we would also like to avoid any precipitous mountain peaks.
2. Response Deadline
Since we are making urgent preparations to defend against the next crusade, we can only allow you until the end of April to dispatch a response to the Ho family via eagle.
We will allow time for the letter to reach us, but if we receive nothing by May 3, then you may treat this letter as a declaration of war and anticipate our invasion.
Upon receipt of a response, the war will be postponed until the date of our discussion.
3. Meeting Date
To be stipulated by the Noza family. Please choose a time between April 25 and May 7.
Since we are making urgent preparations to defend against the next crusade, we cannot accept any request to delay this discussion.
Given the pressing nature of the situation, we hope you will understand why we are forced to make these demands.
4. The Witches’ Written Pledge and Treatment of the Noza Family
After coming into possession of a written pledge hidden by witch families, we learned of their secret pact with the Noza family. We have concluded that the Noza family can no longer hold the title of lord-supreme and must be stripped of power.
However, we have no intention of taking Bolafra Noza’s head or punishing other family members for this betrayal in the event of a surrender. We will merely strip the family of the title lord-supreme and its territory.
We wish to avoid a war and the expenditure of lives, supplies, and, most importantly, the time it would entail. The reason for this is simple—your surrender will allow us to take resources that would otherwise be squandered and use them against the coming crusade force.
If the matter reaches a swift resolution, and if you disarm and relinquish your territory, then we will not only pardon you, but also ensure that your family is treated well.
Signed by the following,
I added my own signature at the bottom.
I handed the letter to Kien. “How’s this look?”
Kien skimmed through it, then signed it before handing it back. “As I expected. This is why they said excellence of your sort was seldom seen at the Knight Academy.”
“Tigris, what about you?”
Tigris looked back at me. “But I...”
“I’m not asking you to represent the Bof family. It’ll just give the letter some extra weight if you’ve signed it. At least read it. You don’t have to sign if you don’t like what it says.”
“Very well.” Tigris walked over to me from the very bottom of the long table—she’d left chairs empty in order to sit there.
Tillet must not have trusted her, because she left her spot by the wall to stand closer to me. She looked ready to kill Tigris the moment she made any sudden movements.
I didn’t trust Tigris either, but I knew I could draw my dagger quick enough to block an attack, even if she tried to draw her sword and attack me in one swift movement like when she’d killed Einora. However, Tigris merely took the letter and returned to the bottom of the table.
“Where’d you hear that?” I asked Kien in response to what he’d said a moment ago.
“My cousin is the Knight Academy’s director.”
“Ah... Revelo Rube? We’ve barely spoken.” So they’re cousins.
“Apparently, you gained more credits through exemptions than any other student in history.”
“I did? I had no idea.” Wow. I didn’t know I set the record.
“Not long after you’d entered the academy, you had nothing left to do.”
“I had so much free time that I started Ho Company. I wonder what would’ve happened if they didn’t have the exemption system.”
If I’d been as busy as everyone else, the idea of starting a business wouldn’t have crossed my mind. I wouldn’t have acquired ships, developed celestial navigation, found the new continent, invented fire bottles, or developed printing technology.
“So you truly did it all independently from the Ho family?”
“Not quite. The witches got in the way as the business grew bigger. In the end, we had to operate under my family’s protection. It was unfortunate, because I’d avoided relying on my father until then.”
It was a shame. I’d always told myself it was fair because we paid our taxes and covered our own security costs, but I’d still hated to rely on my parents.
“Hmmm... Nonetheless, it’s impressive that you did so much with just your own money.”
“The company made it possible to distribute flyers and make fire bottles. And all the profit I made is going to be used to fund the war effort. It’s hard to predict what you might find useful in the future.”
Tigris stood up and walked over. She must’ve finished reading while I was chatting with Kien. She placed the letter on the table, picked up a quill, signed her name below Kien’s, and slid the letter toward me.