Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 141

Chapter 141   The King of Ferguson’s Proposal

The Owen Kingdom once effectively controlled both the Ferguson and Sork Kingdoms through military power. Over time, the king of Owen came to rule over both Ferguson and Sork, and thus the Owen Kingdom became known as the Owen Alliance Kingdom.

Duke Chad, originally a vassal of the Owen Alliance Kingdom, had long served as the governor of the Ferguson lands. Because of this, Duke Chad was well-acquainted with Ferguson and employed many descendants of the oppressed Ferguson royal family to solidify his rule.

As a result, his governance after the rebellion went smoothly, and he became a formidable figure, having formed an alliance with the great western nation of Garland. Additionally, he had won a string of recent skirmishes with the royal family, steadily increasing his influence over the region.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

I addressed Duke Chad with the proper respect. He was an elderly man with white hair and a slim build, but tall, with sharp eyes. I felt a little overwhelmed by his commanding presence.

“Haha, Lord Reister, your military achievements in Cade have reached even my ears. I’ll have some tea brought over—please, take a seat.”

“Thank you. I’m honored.”

After seeing me take a seat in the guest chair, he rose from his desk and sat down across from me.

“…So, what is it you want?”

“Well, actually…”

I removed my mask and told him about a force aiming to overthrow the kingdom, asking him to join us in the fight.

“What are the terms? I’ll need something substantial to convince my vassals.”

He maintained his dignity while speaking to me with kindness and care. However, this was the biggest obstacle we faced.

We had not yet won the war against the royal family. We had nothing of real value to offer that would satisfy him.

“In the event of victory, we will open the royal treasury and offer you half of its contents.”

Despite the kingdom’s financial struggles, it was said that vast amounts of gold, silver, and jewels were still stored there.

“Hmm… We’re not after money. What we want is to grant the descendants of the Ferguson royal family land to govern.”

For nobles, the most important things were their ancestral lands and estates. Especially for noble families of high standing, offering money and telling them to become merchants would never suffice.

“Then, when we establish a new royal family, we shall officially grant the Ferguson lands to the Chad family.”

Although the Chad family currently controlled the Ferguson lands, it was only through their position as rebel forces. My offer was to officially cede and recognize the land under the new royal family.

“Lord Reister, are you underestimating me?”

Of course. Viscount Monkton, the steward, had suggested settling with these terms, but…

“No, certainly not.”

“Then let me speak frankly. What we seek is the land of Sork.”

…What? That’s what he wants?

“Then we shall cede the western half of Sork.”

The western half of Souk. That would be a vast territory, amounting to a quarter of the current royal family’s holdings. This was the most we could concede.

“No, I want all of Sork.”

“That would be… quite unreasonable.”

If we were to give both Ferguson and all of Sork to the Chad family, they would control a domain even larger than the new royal family itself. That was something we absolutely had to avoid.

“Then fight the royal family on your own!”

The elderly man closed his eyes and coldly delivered the words. I wanted to reject such an excessive demand, but without the Chad family, we would lack the strength to fight the royal family.

“Could you grant me some time to consider this? And please allow me the use of a vacant room.”

“Very well.”

I left the duke’s office and had a maid show me to one of the guest rooms.

◇◇◇◇◇

In the dimly lit room, I extinguished the flame of the candlestick.

“Spirit of the wind, create a wall of sound around me!”

I quietly cast my spell, stealthily preparing for any potential dangers. Then, I took out a crystal ball for divination from my bag.

The image that appeared in the crystal ball was that of Viscount Monkton, the steward. I had prepared this in advance for the purpose of negotiating the terms.

“Steward, the Duke Chad desires all of Sork.”

Although Viscount Monkton and I held equal ranks, he was my superior due to his seniority as a viscount.

“Ridiculous! If we agree to that, the new royal family’s territory will only consist of the Owen region! If that happens, we won’t have any land left to distribute among the nobles who supported us!”

“I understand, but without the combined strength of the Chad family, our chances of winning a war against the royal family are quite slim.”

“…Hmm, there’s no helping it. For the time being, we have no choice but to accept those terms.”

“Understood. I will proceed with that line of discussion.”

After that, I returned to the Duke Chad’s office. I spread out a large map on a big table, carefully defining the borders to avoid any future disputes.

“Very well, with this, our alliance is established. Let us formalize our pact!”

“Yes!”

Nodding at the elderly man’s words, I inscribed the terms of the pact onto a piece of parchment. While the agreement went smoothly, the divination crystal ball shattered from overuse.