“And…are you really going to take them to Filsand?” Agveil suddenly asked me, frowning a bit as he chewed on a mouthful of Lutz fruit.
“There’s no other choice. It is impossible for them to live on their own. And I have the perfect spell for transporting them.”
“That’s not the issue.”
This was the perfect situation for Forced March. I’d answered confidently, but Agveil shook his head with a bitter look on his face.
“What is it?”
“He’s right. For now, we need to get everyone back to Filsand and ensure their safety,” Balzard piped in.
“Hmph.” His younger brother snorted at that. “May I speak freely, Lord Margilus? I’ll say this to you first…because I don’t want to become your enemy.”
“Hmm?”
Agveil, still crouching on the ground, looked up at me with his dark eyes and continued, “First of all, you and my brother don’t understand the deep hatred between Filsand and the Schultz clan.”
“That’s not—”
“Brother, what did you see in their base? There is no one, Filsand or Schultz, who is as good-hearted a person as you, Brother.”
“Er…”
The sharp voice and accusing eyes left Balzard at a loss for words. The sad expression on his face implied that deep down, he thought his brother was right.
“Look closely at the eyes of those lying flat on the ground before you. They became strong because they were chased from their homes and forced to live in deprivation. Didn’t you start to understand that feeling when you were taken prisoner by them?”
Balzard stayed quiet.
I did, too.
I couldn’t fully appreciate the depth of hatred and resentment held by the Schultz clan. I peered at the exhausted refugees from a distance. I thought it was natural that the mood was dark, since they’d had to run for their lives from a swarm of daemons. I hadn’t imagined that they harbored such a deep hatred in their hearts.
“Perhaps some will submit to life in Filsand if it means saving their lives. But there are definitely some who, once they are within the city border, will be willing to sacrifice their lives just to get some payback for their grudge. Isn’t that right?” This time, Agveil looked not to his brother for confirmation, but to the patriarch.
“Yes,” he admitted quietly. “There are some among us whose families were killed by Filsanders, and then were driven from their homes. It’s only natural that some people would think like that… However, I plan to stop them. The Schultz people must endure. We cannot allow our line to be extinguished. Even if it means bending the knee to Darmund.”
Luthras bitterly spat out that last line. It was unreasonable for the Schultz clan to have to do such a thing, and I felt pity for them. But it was the best choice we had. It was because I believed that there was someone in the Schultz clan who could make such hard, clear-headed decisions that I’d asked the duke to protect the refugees.
After hearing what Luthras had to say, Agveil sighed and turned to me. “The best way to get someone to forget a grudge is to give them a good life. We’ll have to go with Plan B. Plan B is to give them hope, no matter how silly it might seem. I’m sure you can do it, Lord Margilus.”
“Hope?”
I was surprised to hear the word. I never would have imagined Agveil would be the one to utter it.
“That’s right. Everyone here has seen so much of your powers that they’re probably tired of the spectacle. You’re even more powerful than the duke of Filsand, and in my opinion, much more powerful.”
“You say that, but my preference is to form a compact of equals, not a hierarchy.” The anti-daemon alliance discussion was still pending.
“Nominally, that’s fine, but even my father knows that you’re above him,” Agveil advised. “No one will argue if you tell the Schultz clan that you are the one dictating terms.”
Balzard agreed. “I have a hard time believing that anyone in this land is equal to someone who controls dragons and takes down an entire daemonic legion alone. Even if it wasn’t their main army, it’s incredible.”
“Definitely…” Luthras agreed with Agveil’s point, too.
They were right, if we were only discussing power. And the duke especially was someone who based his ideas on power. I wondered if I would be able to get him to listen to me before he realized that my true form was that of a coward with no stomach for smiting people I didn’t like.
“Let’s say that’s true. Is that the wish of the Schultz people?”
This time, Balzard answered my question. “What my brother is trying to say is that if the order to go to Filsand comes from you, Lord Margilus, the Schultz people will listen… Though it would be better if there was some sort of reward for them to look forward to after all of this is over.”
“Mmmm.”
So, if they were confident that they would be able to eventually resolve the anxiety and unease ruling their daily lives, they could temporarily endure their suffering. That didn’t mean that their grudges would disappear completely, but there was something to what he was saying.
“If Beelzebu—or rather, if Lord Margilus is on our side, my true hope…is that you will drive Darmund out and take Filsand back for us. However…” The deep lines in Luthras’s face distorted further. He continued, “If that is not possible…at the very least, I want to make sure my people are no longer pursued by daemons and soldiers.”
I was silent.
Luthras’s words held an important nuance. He said that he wanted his people to be safe—but not that he expected me to ensure their safety. If that was the case, then that meant I was under no obligation to save them, but they would gladly cooperate to achieve our mutual goals.
“Everyone who fights daemons is my ally. If you will help as much as you can with the diplomatic battle to come, I will make sure that the duke of Filsand never touches the Schultz people again. Of course, the condition is that the Schultz clan must likewise suppress their hatred and forswear further reprisals.”
“If you can make good on your promise, we can endure those terms.”
“Now, while I will have to seek the opinion of the others, I do have a plan. If things go well, I think I will be able to provide the Schultz clan with new land.”
“A-are you being serious?” the patriarch swallowed audibly, looking up at me with doubt in his eyes, but I could also see a glimmer of hope.