Chapter 10
“THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE, Master Margilus.”
“Mmm.”
Clara was the first to speak to me after I dismounted from the phantom horse. She normally addressed me as an equal, but in public, she spoke more formally. Nothing appealed to my pride quite like having a beautiful woman appreciate my work. I felt like I finally understood why the presidents of companies both large and small so often hired beautiful secretaries.
Meanwhile, the still-seated duke of Filsand, Elisabel, Diane, and the officials had stiff expressions on their faces for some reason. “Huh?”
“O-oh my…”
“S-somebody help me.”
When I looked over, I saw that nearly all the Filsanders were no longer able to stay upright on their feet. Only the duke seemed unperturbed. Perhaps all the stimulation was a bit much for them. Part of me thought it was silly to be scared at this point.
I addressed the duke again. “As you can see, Your Grace, the daemonic legion is no longer a problem.”
“Erm… Yes…just as we’d hoped.” The duke was uncharacteristically clumsy as he rose.
As he did, the surrounding officials, sorcerers, and knights began to kneel. Elisabel and Diane did so as well.
“You did a wonderful job. Such power…”
“Are you…sure you’re really not Beelzebub?”
“O-our hero!”
“It was like watching a myth come to life!”
I had already gotten used to such reactions. “No…definitely not Beelzebub,” I assured them.
But come to think of it, this was the first time I’d ever used so many flashy, high-level spells at once. I was already numbed to that sensation, but the impact of today’s battle would have completely surpassed what they’d experienced when I showed them the dragon before.
“Anyway, you have eliminated the crisis. Filsand will not forget this service.” There was unmistakable relief on the duke’s face as he wiped sweat off his brow. It was a natural reaction for the leader of a town that had just been saved, but it was the first time I really noticed human feeling in him. I could feel the heat through his gloves when he firmly shook my hand.
However…
There were still many challenges ahead, including with his children—especially Elisabel. The matter of the Schultz clan remained unsettled, to say nothing of war with Velde.
✦ ✦ ✦
I persuaded the duke to meet with me, calling it a “victory banquet.”
This meeting’s purpose was to continue the previously interrupted discussions of the alliance between Castle Getaeus and the duchy of Filsand. The duke’s side was calling it a military alliance, and planned to use it to invade Velde.
The attitudes of not only the duke, but also the prime minister and the court sorcerer, were intense. They wanted me to become one of them, no matter the cost.
“Let’s get started then.” Elisabel stood up first, facing them with a cool countenance. “I would like to address the duchy of Filsand.”
This was the part where we’d been interrupted by Reyha’s postcard last time.
“In addition to the trade relations that have already been agreed upon, the requests of Lord Geo Margilus to the duchy are as follows: First, conclusion of the anti-daemon alliance, in order to suppress the emergence of daemons and the secret maneuvers of the daemonists; second, a ceasefire with the Schultz clan and support for them until their lives are stable; third, development of the Twilight Wastelands as a place where refugees can live, within ten years. That is all.”
There was silence.
From the duke on down, every face on their side of the table stiffened at the “requests” read to them in a lovely but clerical voice. I’d been warned to expect that, but it didn’t make things any less uncomfortable.
“You would truly make such brazenly one-sided demands?! I understand the anti-daemon alliance, but you expect us to support the Schultz clan? And develop the Twilight Wastelands with all the undead just wandering around?! You mock us…ridicule us…! I… You… I can’t…” the prime minister, red in the face, shouted until he broke off coughing. I guess it was natural that their hackles would be raised if I made my suggestions right after showing off so many of my powers. Hmmm… I really can be a loathsome sort of man.
“My sole request is a joint attack on the prosperous east.” The duke of Filsand was clever. He stared me straight in the eye, not cowed in the least. “What say you to that?”
After being ignored, Elisabel spoke again. “With the help of Lord Margilus, it indeed would be easy to conquer Velde. But how would you govern it?”
“Well, I would—” the duke started.
“It’s not possible.” Elisabel cut him off. “The entire Filsand army is less than ten thousand men. Even if that were enough to rule Thanesand, do you really believe you can control the entirety of Velde?”
“Hmm…”
The duke clammed up after Elisabel’s question. It wasn’t that the he’d given insufficient consideration to his conquest of Velde. His original plan had been to take his time, invading only one city at a time. But my powers provided numerous expedients.
“With a wizard’s help, it might be easy to conquer the country of Velde, but Filsand does not have the power to govern it,” Elisabel pointed out.
In the wake of the excitement of the huge spectacle of meteors, dragons, and giants, Elisabel’s cool tongue soothed the leaders of Filsand.
“I’m not happy to say it,” one minister muttered, “but she may be right.”
“D-don’t be ridiculous! Just because we have Lord Margilus, that doesn’t mean we have to go trying to force the takeover of the entire realm, does it?!”
Once they’d cooled down and thought about it calmly, they began to notice the holes in Elisabel’s opinion.
The court sorcerer offered his own take. “This is ridiculous! If you want to form a military alliance and conquer together, then you should bring an equal level of power! Are you all satisfied with only taking land that Margilus conquers for you?!”
That struck a little close to home. The minister recoiled. “Ergh!”
Elisabel turned her scornful gaze to the duke and his officials. This type of emotional persuasion didn’t allow for a lot of calm, empathetic reasoning.
But that couldn’t be helped. I’d decided to play the role of a heroic wizard whom the evil duke should fear, and Elisabel had set the stage admirably.
“I understand your concerns,” I said, “So I’ll be giving you two things: time and an opportunity.”
“What are you talking about?” the duke demanded.
Elisabel made eye contact with me, and I jumped right into it. “It’s simple. I want Filsand to grow stronger. If we were to develop the Twilight Wastelands, you would be able to train more troops and build a stronger army, right? Once you do that, I will help you.”
What Elisabel had proposed to me was a plan to buy time and have the duke concentrate on development for a decade or so. When I naturally asked her what we would do in ten years, she answered, “My father lives an unhealthier life than anyone I know. No one who lives like that could hope to see another ten years. Even if he stays healthy, ten years is plenty of time to come up with another plan.”
If I didn’t appreciate the motives behind her scheme, it would have been disingenuous for me to be involved in it. Basically, we were running a scam.
But looking at it objectively, the conditions weren’t all that bad. The duke didn’t have to declare to the world that he meant to invade Velde. Aside from supporting the Schultz clan, all the conditions were beneficial to Filsand.
“Your offer is predicated on one big question,” the duke said. “And that is: Is it possible? I’m not unaware of the promise of the Twilight Wastelands. If we could claim their riches and develop them fully, we’d become a dominant power. If we pull that off, then I couldn’t care less about what happens to the Schultz. But tell me this, wizard. How? How are you going to get rid of the undead?”
“Well, it won’t be me, exactly. Actually, it’s already begun.”
Everyone looked at me quizzically.