“Needless to say, I find it only natural that our kingdom should pay for the expenses of the citizens you’ve mobilized,” Princess Anastasia said. “You’ve got thirty this time, I believe. Furthermore, should you successfully sign a peace treaty with Villendorf, we shall provide a suitable reward as well.”
“Oh?” I asked.
I hooted like a foolish owl, feigning interest while internally intent on not giving her the time of day. And how much will I receive? There was a part of me that refused to act no matter the price, but I could hear her out.
“Here,” Princess Anastasia said. “Anhalt may be infamous for its stinginess, but we’re willing to pay if the occasion calls for it.”
Duke Astarte handed me a parchment, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. No matter how many times I checked the numbers, it was clear I’d receive an extra digit more than the reward I was given following Caroline’s Revolt.
“Hmm…” I groaned.
The reward was tempting. I’d planned to reduce the taxes of my citizens for the next decade, but with this much money, I could reduce taxes over my entire generation. But if I did that and the citizens expected low taxes forever, I’d only cause trouble for the next lord. Still, this amount was dazzling—so much so that my erection went down, and my dick was no longer in pain. This was excellent news for me, but now wasn’t the time to be bothered by silly topics like that. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. This price implied that I’d be forced to undertake an impossibly troublesome task. I couldn’t forget that.
“How did Villendorf respond to the Nobles of the Robe when initial negotiations were conducted?” I inquired. I had to maintain my cool before I gave my response.
“Villendorf said, ‘We cannot trust the words of the weak. Leave our land at once,’” Princess Anastasia replied. “The Nobles of the Robe were given no time to negotiate. In short, not a single step has been taken.”
I’d expected as much. Villendorf was in an advantageous position, and they had no reason to withdraw. Even if Princess Anastasia, Duke Astarte, and I all pushed back against them, their army of a thousand was double the size of our forces. Our last battle had been nothing short of a miracle—a fluke that was only possible because all three of us managed to combine our powers during those dire times. My impeccably timed defeat of Knight Captain Reckenbell, who commanded their front lines, was the only reason we managed to clinch a victory. That feat could never be repeated.
We’ll probably—no, we’ll definitely lose if we’re forced into the same situation again. Only when Duke Astarte took the initiative to launch a counterinvasion had the Villendorfians finally thrown in the towel and signed a truce. The truce was still in effect, but we didn’t have much time remaining. It’ll expire soon. I think we’ve only got like half a year left.
And unfortunately, I wasn’t a fool. I fully understood the state that my kingdom was in, along with the situation of my fief, which stood near Villendorf’s borders. I knew that I’d corner myself if I stayed the course and spent forever silently weighing my options. At this rate, my fief will be invaded by those Villendorf savages. Her Grace’s army of five hundred and Queen Liesenlotte’s army will honor the contract with House Polidoro and fight against Villendorf. However… I knew that this time around, the odds weren’t in our favor, and my fief would fall to the enemy. The three of us could already predict as much. We’d only managed to win against Villendorf back then by sheer coincidence, and if any one of us three hadn’t been in that battle, we would’ve surely lost. It was a hellish fight.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked. I closed my eyes, my annoyance apparent in my tone.
“As I’ve said, I’d like for you to go to Villendorf and negotiate a peace treaty,” Princess Anastasia replied. “I’d like for the treaty to last at least a decade.”
“A decade… Are there any concessions we can make?”
“They were the ones who invaded us, and we counterinvaded to attain victory. Only then were we able to sign a truce. We have almost nothing we can concede other than the goods that Astarte seized when she invaded. We can return those if they wish, but that’s about all we have.”
And you’re telling me to negotiate with these conditions? This is gonna be tough… Since we were the victors, it was difficult for us to make any huge concessions. What a pain… But I probably have to accept this role. And I guess I’m the best one for the job—no one else in Anhalt has the sort of weird hero-worship I’ve got in Villendorf. I guess I’ve gotta be the one to negotiate here.
It was most unfortunate that I could understand the situation and position that I was in. I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
“Very well,” I relented. “I suppose we’ve got no other choice. That’s why you called for me, I presume.”
“Then you’ll accept my request?” Princess Anastasia asked.
She breathed a sigh of relief and placed a hand over her chest. Don’t touch your round titties from above that veil. You’ll make me hard.
“I’ll accept,” I said. “However, I shall hold you to the reward that you offered. I also cannot guarantee that negotiations will go well. Should matters go awry, I ask that you have a plan against Villendorf.”
“Of course,” Her Highness replied. “I understand what needs to be done. Had those cursed nomads not been around, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
Villendorf was also at war with the nomads in the north. But from what I’ve heard, Knight Captain Reckenbell—the one I killed in a duel—absolutely clobbered the nomads like pieces of trash, and that gave their kingdom more breathing room. As a result, they possessed enough manpower to invade Anhalt, which led to the Campaign of Villendorf. Perhaps the enemy had other plots in mind as well, but all it meant for us was more trouble.
“Will I be the only envoy sent to Villendorf?” I asked.
“I’d love to go if I could, but…” Princess Anastasia trailed off.
“But you mustn’t.”
The crown princess and heir to the throne couldn’t possibly set foot in enemy territory. Even the mere suggestion would be some sort of sick joke. However, my name alone wasn’t enough—I might have been renowned as the strongest knight in Anhalt, but I was a humble lord knight with only three hundred citizens. My social standing was too weak. Duke Astarte had run rampant when she invaded Villendorf, earning her the infamous sobriquet of Astarte the Annihilator. She couldn’t possibly negotiate peace. I need someone else…
“Then I’ll nominate myself,” Princess Valiele said. “I don’t want to. Really, I don’t. But I was brought here for precisely this reason, wasn’t I?”
She raised her hand from her place beside me. Ah, no wonder she was called here. It all made sense to me. As heir to the throne, Princess Anastasia couldn’t risk her life here, but Anhalt wouldn’t bat an eye if Princess Valiele died in these negotiations. Hence, she was here to accompany me. The royal family were making the correct choice, but the implications were nothing short of cold-hearted and cruel.
“Indeed, it’s the only choice we have,” Princess Anastasia said. “I believe your current self, princess, is capable of fulfilling that role.”
Duke Astarte sighed. Princess Valiele would be the chief of our delegation, while I would serve as her assistant. This would help maintain appearances.
“But please don’t forget that I’m still against this endeavor,” Duke Astarte said. “I find it foolish to send Faust into enemy territory.”
“I understand your stance very well,” Princess Anastasia replied. “Truth be told, I’m not pleased about this either. Unfortunately, we’ve got no other way.”
The crown princess insisted that this was the only method we had.
Yeah, she does have a point. I internally agreed with her, but I desperately wished to stay back. I wasn’t keen on becoming an assistant to this delegation, but I could only agree with Princess Anastasia’s decisions.
Ugh, I don’t wanna go to Villendorf. All I could do was mentally voice my woes.