Chapter 85

When Ishmael returned after subjugating the pirates, Fasa was in an uproar.

Because the ships were fully loaded with the treasure the pirates had collected while plundering Urdino and Messina.

I went to the docks with Matriarch Costanza.

I judged that a merchant was better than us swordsmen when it came to talking about money.

However, even Matriarch Costanza clicked her tongue as she examined the treasure being unloaded from the ships.

Even with all of Fasa's laborers mobilized, they were still unloading boxes at the docks all day long.

Even if they had plundered two cities, I never thought they would gather this much in one go.

It would have been a real disaster if this treasure had fallen completely into the pirates' hands.

“The pirate bastards really scraped up a lot. How much is all this? Enough to buy a castle and then some, I bet?”

“Right? More than enough, right?”

“Even I can see it's several years' worth of a national budget. This can't all be the company's share, can it?”

“Not exactly. We have to divide it, and there are things to be returned. But we can claim about half of it as our share.”

It was as if we had snatched away the fruits of the pirates' hard work all at once, but I didn't feel sorry at all.

We each did our jobs.

Still, thanks to the pirates collecting so diligently, a considerable amount of money would be invested in the company, so I'm grateful.

You could call it a virtuous cycle.

The pirates literally gave everything they had, like a giving tree.

They eradicated the pirates, a chronic problem of the Golden Sea (?), provided the spark to cause internal strife among the allied nations, diligently carried out disruption operations in the rear, and donated all their treasure to Fasa.

The fact that I instigated the plunder and raids would have to be buried as a secret forever, but this was a 140 percent overachievement of the target.

“Still, it must be an enormous amount. The talk around town that Saint Leonius, the saint of wealth and mercenaries, is looking after Fasa isn't just for nothing, it seems.”

“Ugh. Don't say things like that.”

“It's just a joke.”

Although Matriarch Costanza said it was a joke, I was genuinely disgusted.

Not only was such a nickname embarrassing, but it was also dangerous.

If words like that reached the ears of the Eastern or Western Churches, I might find myself face to face with an inquisitor in the middle of the night.

I would absolutely refuse to let that happen.

Matriarch Costanza, who had sufficiently enjoyed my reaction, chuckled.

She wasn't serious either, it seemed.

“Ah, I forgot one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If I had known, I should have told the pirates to send my regards to Albe Corsini. I've wanted to say that for a while.”

“……”

I express my condolences to the pirates who are probably burning as classmates with Albe in hell by now.

I looked at Matriarch Costanza with an expression of disbelief before returning to the original topic.

“I've checked the list, and among the items the pirates plundered, there are also the sacred relics of Urdino and Messina.”

“The sacred relic of Pescara was smuggled out last time, right?”

“Yes, the Urdino duchy's army did a good job.”

“Then that's great. With this, we can lead the diplomacy to our advantage. The people of Apennia consider sacred relics as important as their cities.”

They say it's easy to start a war, but difficult to end one.

The card to end that war had come into my hand.

***

In Apennia, there existed a culture of saint veneration.

It was the belief that a saint protected the nation.

Therefore, in Apennia, ‘which saint one served’ was an important issue directly related to the nation's prestige.

The more miracles a saint performed and the closer they were to God, the more one could boast of superiority over other nations.

For reference, Fasa had been so poor until now that it didn't even have a proper sacred relic.

It wasn't for nothing that Albe Corsini tried to make Leon into Saint Leonius.

The core of this saint veneration was the sacred relics, that is, the remains of saints like finger bones or items left behind by them.

But as it happened, during this war, the nations that formed the Anti-Fasa Coalition had the misfortune of having their sacred relics plundered by pirates.

The people of Apennia, who believe that without a sacred relic, the saint's protection leaves the nation, can never give up their sacred relics.

“There might be people who feel repulsed by the fact that we are trading sacred relics, but……”

“Thinking realistically, they will accept it.”

“That's right. Because it's worth that much.”

Suddenly, Matriarch Costanza grinned.

“The winner of this war is certainly not Fasa, but Leon Gryph.”

“You're saying strange things, Matriarch Costanza. Why did you come to think that?”

“Isn't it obvious? With this war, Leon Gryph's fame has risen greatly. On the other hand, the rest who faced Lord Gryph have all been battered.”

“It's not me, but our company that benefited.”

“You're not completely denying it, are you?”

Although Matriarch Costanza gave me a sidelong glance, I put on an innocent expression and feigned ignorance.

Matriarch Costanza looked like she had a lot to say, but in the end, she sighed and turned her head away first.

“Matriarch, for now, ending the war is the priority.”

“I understand, Lord Gryph.”

***

Selvi diligently carried out the tasks Leon had ordered.

In particular, he exaggerated the atrocities of the Urdino duchy's army in all sorts of ways and spread them through the information network.

Like a cold spreading among patients, the rumors spread quickly and soon reached Messina.

The atmosphere in Messina, having heard of Pescara's fall, became very chaotic.

“If the Black Company invades Messina……”

“And even Urdino has turned against us……”

“We can't possibly stop them.”

“Should we just raise the white flag?”

The leadership of Messina calculated that they could not stop the Black Company if they invaded.

They couldn't win even when they attacked with many, and now the other side had one more number.

Moreover, in this war, the Black Company, unlike the participating nations, had remained intact with almost no damage.

It was a natural outcome, as they had outsourced to the pirates and the Urdino regiment while other countries suffered the damages of war.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Messina, unable to hold out any longer, declared its surrender.

This news was quickly relayed to Fasa.

“Extra, extra! Messina has surrendered!”

“What? Really? The war is over?”

“Ugh, finally I can get some rest.”

The majority of Fasa's citizens were happier about the war ending quickly than the fact that they had won an unfavorable war where they had to fight three against one.

The difficulties the war brought to their daily lives had been extraordinary.

But Emilio, newly elected as the mayor of Fasa, was not entirely happy.

In fact, he had a huge headache.

‘If I had known, I should have just stayed in commerce instead of going into public office.’

As a first-term mayor who needed to prove his abilities, Emilio needed to conduct this negotiation successfully.

However, even if he asserted the victor's rights, it seemed difficult to avoid complaints.

The condition of the defeated nations was very poor.

Defeated in war and plundered by pirates, with their national strength exhausted, what demands could they possibly meet?

Far from paying war reparations, they were at a point where they would have to cede territory because they had no money to pay…….

In the first place, if their lands were fertile, they wouldn't have gone out to sea, would they?

‘This is a real mess.’

That wasn't the only mess.

The war itself had proceeded in a truly chaotic manner.

There were five players involved in this one war, and in the middle of it, betrayal, conspiracy, bribery, collusion, and side-switching were rampant, yet the war ended in a flash.

Wasn't this a miracle?

The one who caused that miracle was probably unaware of Emilio's feelings right now.

‘Lord Leon Gryph, what is it that you want? Why are you making me do this?’

Emilio fell into deep thought as he looked at the task Leon Gryph had ordered him to perform in this negotiation.

At least Leon wasn't completely without a conscience, or perhaps he had anticipated that the negotiations would be difficult, so he had prepared a trump card…….

But it was uncertain how effective this would be on the defeated nations.

Anyway, he had to make the negotiations successful to continue his career in public office.

‘Is this even possible?’

***

Emilio was not the only one with a complicated heart.

The diplomatic envoys dispatched from Messina and Pescara were the same.

War reparations typically mean the defeated nation compensating the victorious nation for damages.

However, usually, the side that loses the war suffers greater losses.

There's a reason they're called the defeated nation.

If the losses weren't that great in the first place, they wouldn't have surrendered.

Moreover, it would be a different story if their home country was in good condition, but their capital, the core of the nation, had been plundered.

A situation where nothing was intact.

Therefore, the higher-ups ordered them to reduce the reparation amount as much as possible.

From the person in charge's perspective, it was like being told to buy bread, milk, and the store as well with a single silver coin.

“No, how am I supposed to do this!”

“How about we just seek asylum right now?”

“They made sure I couldn't bring a single penny, in case I did that.”

“It's the same for us.”

“Sigh.”

Unlike Urdino, which had switched sides midway, the envoys from Messina and Pescara had their necks on the line for the post-defeat settlement negotiations.

They could literally be caught by angry citizens upon returning home and have their heads physically separated from their bodies.

As such, the stress the envoys were under was beyond imagination.

“Isn't there any good way?”

“If there was, we would have won the war. However…, how about this method?”

“What is it?”

“Offering the position of monarch to Leon Gryph.”

The diplomatic envoys looked at each other as if they were crazy.

Then, they clapped.

“That…, is good!”

It was not uncommon to bring in a ruler from the outside.

It was a method used only in the worst-case scenario, but wasn't this the worst-case scenario right now?

It couldn't get any worse than this.

Also, there was a calculation that if Leon nominally became the monarch of Pescara and Messina, he wouldn't be able to severely exploit the cities.

They wouldn't know about someone else's property, but no one would burn their own property.

Moreover, Leon Gryph had no proper power base or stronghold.

As a mere company commander, he wouldn't be skilled in ruling, and would eventually need the help of local collaborators.

It was wishful thinking, but if that happened, they might be able to control Leon Gryph in reverse!

The established class never gives up what they have easily.

Even after seeing what happened to Albe Corsini, their thinking did not change.

Albe Corsini died?

Wasn't it because Albe Corsini lacked ability?

We are confident.

“But will Leon Gryph accept? Is it right to entrust this to a mere company commander in the first place?”

“Then shall we go to the Duke of Urdino first?”

“That, absolutely not.”

It was obvious what would happen if they did that.

Already, the public had given Cavaldi the insulting nickname 'Mercenary Duke' for switching sides.

But Cavaldi was so resentful of the betrayal that he didn't care.

In this situation, if they proposed to Cavaldi, ‘Please lead us,’ he would willingly exploit them until they were in ruins.

They wanted to avoid facing the wrath of the Duke of Urdino at all costs.

‘Hoo, I hope Leon Gryph is a reasonable person.’

The diplomatic envoys of the defeated nations attended the negotiation hall with troubled hearts.

However, on the diplomatic stage, not a single opening is allowed.

They presented their conditions first to Fasa's new mayor, Emilio, while pretending there was no problem with expressionless faces.

“Hoho. Your country will want territorial cession and the transfer of rights as compensation, right? Of course, we are willing to accept such demands.”

“No, we don't?”

“What?”

Emilio Signori proved that he was not just a rookie.

He flustered everyone in the negotiation hall with a single word.

“Of course, I don't think what you said is bad, but that would only hurt the good will between neighbors. There's no need to be too cruel, is there?”

“Ahem.”

The envoys from each country just cleared their throats at the remark, which could be interpreted as a criticism of the neighbors who started the war, while also revealing his own generosity.

Of course, no one was ashamed.

Shamelessness is a virtue for a diplomat who must represent the interests of their country on the diplomatic stage.

If the coalition had won, they would have made even greater demands and received compensation.

Although the situation had turned out very differently from what they had expected…….

The diplomatic envoys quickly came to their senses and responded.

“Is there any good way?”

“Of course. There is a very good way. Please look at this. The important things are all written here.”

The envoys were flustered after seeing the documents Emilio handed out one by one.

Because the conditions written on them were so absurd.

“The four nations of Fasa, Urdino, Pescara, and Messina shall enter into a defense contract with the Black Company. They shall pay a fee annually as compensation for employment and in return, delegate the mission of city defense……”

“The decision to renew the contract is made by the commander of the Black Company? You're entrusting everything related to national defense to the company?”

“If I had to give it a name, you could call it the Southern Alliance.”

“What on earth does this mean? Have you forgotten that we were at war just a moment ago?”

“Of course not. But don't they say to share good things? What I'm saying is, we are giving you the opportunity to hire Fasa's pride, the Black Company.”

As he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the venue seemed to have become a little gloomy.

The diplomats could not hide their bewilderment.

Emilio smiled.

Because he was just as bewildered himself.

But what could he do?

That was his job.

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