One month ago, the Redford Kingdom was turned upside down.
“We need to help Roman Dmitry.”
“Valhalla and Kronos are working together to assassinate Roman Dmitry. This is something that shouldn’t be ignored. Roman Dmitry is the hero who saved our kingdom. And the life of such a being is in danger, so the people will criticize us if Redford ignores it.”
“Right!”
All the key people raised their voices, and in fact, the rumors about Roman Dmitry were more heated than before.
It was a tragic event. After the suicide of their King and the death of the Prince, Count London took the throne, and people knew how Roman Dmitry helped with that.
If it wasn’t for Roman Dmitry, the Redford Kingdom would have lost its meaning as a kingdom. So the people went out into the streets. The crowd raised their voices to help Roman Dmitry.
And the King of Redford said,
“I also think the same. Redford, which was on the path to ruin, got a chance because of Roman’s help. What he has gifted us isn’t simply money to pay off our debts. Roman Dmitry has taught us what the right way to set the nation is, and from now on, we will face the reality right in front of us and do what we think is right. Therefore, declare the convocation order. I will form an army, and when the time comes, I will raise an army for Dmitry.”
All this time, they were already preparing for war. He actually moved the troops, but the Hector Kingdom contacted him to solve this problem first and cross the borders.
Redford’s departure was a sensitive matter. There was a legitimate reason for Hector and Valhalla to step out on the border, but Redford was prepared to go to war with Valhalla.
His thoughts weren’t much different at that time and now. Against those who said to think of the reality, the King of Redford showed an angry expression.
The King of Redford said,
“You are taking the essence of this problem lightly. The Kronos Empire launched the attack without a reason. Even before that, it wasn’t that there hadn’t been any attacks on the borders without notice, but this time the attack was centered around Dmitry using the Warp Gate. A nation could have fallen. It isn’t just a matter of how many would have died, but the fate of a nation.”
The Kingdoms’ Alliance said.
They understood it. They knew all too well what he was worried about, and he knew what they were worried about too, but the King of Redford wasn’t going to let this happen.
“This incident was a series of injustices from the beginning to the end. Valhalla openly stood by as an assassination attempt was made in Valhalla’s land. What does this mean? In the future, if there is something that is offensive to Kronos and Valhalla, they will use the simple assassination method, regardless of the time and place. It means that no one in this room is safe from the empires either.”
“We know. However, that doesn’t mean we can wage an all-out war with the empire, right?”
It was King Odelia. War was such a creepy word. Knowing that they had been wronged, they truly wanted to take revenge. The problem was the price to pay for acting out emotionally.
Even without comparing and analyzing the strength of the opponent, the ranking indicator showed the gap between the empires and the kingdoms.
Except for Roman Dmitry, there wasn’t a single ranker above 50. And most of the Magic Towers that existed on the continent were based in the empire.
The difference in power wasn’t so light for one not to care, so how the hell could they get revenge on such beings?
It was a real problem. Just because a lion attacked its prey doesn’t mean the prey could fight back against the lion. If they stick their faces in places they don’t have the right to, their teeth and jaws could be ripped out.
But even so, the King of Redford didn’t back down.
“What if there is an all-out war? When we turn away from the reality in front of us, the problem doesn’t disappear. It will only grow so large that we can’t solve it again. One year from now, maybe two or maybe ten. Is there a way to change this current situation? None. In the meantime, the Kronos Empire will surely work to widen the gap between us and them, and perhaps some of the people in the kingdom will leave for the empire.”
“What are you saying?”
“They are such absurd words!”
Kwaang!
The face of the King of Redford was red. He glanced at the people who insisted on compromise and vented his anger.
“If you had been attacked by the empire, would you have said such a thing? Because you aren’t a member of the alliance and because you didn’t suffer. You can spit out the words that revenge is a risky option. Redford has no plan to stand like this in the future. If the Dmitry Duchy wants revenge through war, even if it is a path to destruction, Redford will gladly follow them.”
Tak.
He got up since he had nothing more to say. The King of Redford’s remarks were a message and not a compromise, and if that were the case, the Kingdoms’ Alliance would have no choice but to leave their meaning.
“As of the present time, the Redford Kingdom will withdraw from the alliance. We will watch the situation, as always, from afar. And when the blades of the empire are pointed at you, let’s see if you will say the same thing as now.”
And he ended with that. Then the King of Redford stormed out of the room.
The room was in shock. Leaving behind the people who were still holding back their emotions, the one who had been silent said,
“When I heard there would be a conference, I had a different expectation from before.”
It was Edwin Hector. In the presence of the Kings of each nation, he accepted the invitation on behalf of Hector.
“I don’t know if the Kings remember the contents of the previous conference, but the first one I attended had been a humble one. And a similar incident happened. Obviously, the Kronos Empire did a bad thing, but our agenda wasn’t to make them pay the right price but to think about how to solve the problem in a good manner for all nations. I do understand it. Hector knows what happens when you go against the empire, as we have been going up against Valhalla. But things are different now.”
Their point was different from Redford. If Redford was emotional, Edwin’s judgment was pragmatic.
“At that time, the Kingdoms’ Alliance was powerless against the empire. Even now, I will not say we are much different, but what is certain is that we have Roman Dmitry, who can destroy the plans of the empire completely. The rebellion of Marquis Benedict that Kronos intervened in got resolved by Roman Dmitry. Even the invitation to Valhalla clearly showed their intention to kill him, but he showed his strength by cutting the head of Barbossa, one of the Twelve Swords of the Continent. And that isn’t all. What happened to the surprise attack by Kronos? They brought their own men and a 6-star swordsman, but they couldn’t capture Dmitry.”
It was game-changing. In a world where hope was little to none, a new counter-attacking demon appeared.
“Roman Dmitry is beyond the expectations of the empire. The empire did everything it could to take him down, but not a single plan worked. This is why this meeting is disappointing. There is no guarantee that the perfect chance to take revenge will come, and the reality we are facing is a lot more perfect than in the past because of Roman Dmitry. And what are the kings here talking about? Even when the situation is better than in the past, aren’t you showing the same attitude?”
Hector said. After receiving Dmitry’s aid, they became a community. But apart from their relationship, he was convinced that Roman would be the one leading the weaker nations.
Edwin Hector also got up. The moment the King of Redford left, he had no reason to stay.
“Hector wasn’t a member of this alliance in the first place, but from now on, we will deal with the issue separately from the Kingdoms’ Alliance. One last thing. If time passes and the day comes to look back on today, you will all regret the choice you made. Just as the history of nations recorded the empire as the winner.”
The international conference ended in disaster.
The conference room was now empty. Only two people went out, but King Odelia showed a sad smile.
“Everyone seems to be out of their minds. A perfect antagonist. No matter how desperate Roman Dmitry may be, he is nothing compared to the empire.”
In the distant past, there was a time when all the Kings were strong. And the brutal attack that happened at that time showed the strength and place of the Kingdoms and the Empires.
The Umberto King said,
“It’s not that I can’t relate to the King of Redford and Prince Hector’s remarks. But historically, the nation that shed the most blood against Kronos was Umberto. Do you think Roman Dmitry can turn the tide against the battle with them if he becomes the greatest swordsman on the continent? Impossible. Even if he alone can slaughter tens of thousands of enemies, the empire will mobilize hundreds of troops to crush us. That is the reality of the continent, which has continued to work in the same way.”
For generations, history spoke of what happened in the past. In a history marked by defeat, the ancestors of the Kingdoms’ Alliance left a warning about the empire. It wasn’t that they were cowards.
The fact that grass-eating animals showed their teeth against lions wasn’t courage but rather ignorance, and it was a stupid move.
Umberto and the people of the alliance knew too well what Kronos was like, so they couldn’t help but make a realistic choice.
As the King of Redford said, the blade may be pointed at them at any moment. However, ever since the past, it has been natural for the weak to live a trampled life. That was how the weak lived.
And King Odelia showed a worried look.
“…this wouldn’t turn into a real war, right?”
“That won’t happen. Roman Dmitry might be violent, but he is also smart. An all-out war with Kronos will plunge Dmitry into the abyss of destruction, but would he make that choice? Redford and Hector will follow Dmitry, but no matter how extreme they go, the best they can do is shout against the Kronos Empire. And if Kronos gets angry, they will have to bow their heads.”
“I don’t know why everyone is ignoring the reality. Even if they resent us, the reality of the weak nations is like this.”
They were sure of it. Without their help, the options Dmitry had were limited. Even with all their efforts, there is nothing Dmitry could do with just Redford and Hector.
But just after a few days, the second conference was urgently put together.
It couldn’t be helped. Without any notice, the Dmitry Duchy first declared war against the Kronos Empire.
