528 - 536

Rather Miss Than Meet

"Love is eternal, but so, too, is the hatred born from it."

Lorist focused intensely. A large piece of snow-white paper sat on the desk in front of his, aptly called 'snow paper'. Physical training stopped being worth it once he became a swordsaint.

The largest difference between him and other swordsaints was that he didn't train in battleforce. He had his own path. He had reached the fourth stage of the Aquametal Technique, the limit of what he knew of the technique. Any further growth would come not from training his body and swordsmanship, but from polishing this technique.

He'd only trained it because he had been desperate. No one else had ever walked this path in this world, besides for him, this path didn't even exist in this world. He could not turn to anyone for guidance. He was forging a whole new path of cultivation, but he did not think he had the genius to really do it. He had no choice but to trudge on blindly now that he'd reached the limits of his understanding. He hoped to pass this on to his disciples or descendants eventually so his family's legacy could continue.

He used to be an avid xianxia webnovel reader. In many of them the great characters could cut through space and time and destroy things from worlds away. His luck, of course, was to be born in a place with an ailing martial tradition where a few meters was the best possible, and only for the people at the very pinnacle of what still existed of the martial path. Not even magi existed anymore, and he didn't know if immortals were even possible in this world.

Even if he lived for several centuries, maybe a thousand years if he had heaven's blessing and stepped beyond swordsaint, he was doomed to die, eventually. He had no chance to gain immortality. His fated demise was not what saddened him most though. It was actually his long lifespan itself. Not because he despised living long, but because he despised the idea of living long when everyone else he knew would not. The thought of having to watch all his friends and loved ones grow old, decay, and eventually die, of having to attend their funerals, and then watch their descendants walk the same path, irked him. With all the ones close to him dead, in his dying days he would have no one to stand by him as he died. His descendents living in his final days would not be close to him, he would be an old monster to them. A shadow of which they could not get rid quickly enough.

If this was to be his end, what was the point of it all? People built up fortunes and glory so they could enjoy it with their loved ones, and then die when everything was at its peak, surrounded by the ones for whom they cared, not to watch it wilt away or be passed into the hands of others and die alone.

He'd been in this world for twenty years now, his body nearing 40. He'd climbed from an abandoned third son to a duke more powerful than most kings, able to rival even the emperors of old, and a swordsaint, an entity that stood at the pinnacle of mankind's current power. The entire species knew his name. Only one man had more authority than him, and stood above him, but it was more accurate to say that Lorist was humoring the man out of his respect for House Norton's heritage than to say that the man was an overpowering ruler Lorist had to obey.

He didn't have to commit treason to become king, his power, both his own and that of his domain, made that possible. The Krissen Empire was weakened by long periods of conflict and was severely wounded before it finally collapsed. Auguslo had saved it from complete death, but the kingdom was only just barely holding on. At best it was still in a coma and it would take decades, if not centuries, for it to return to its former glory. Lorist had no interest in playing doctor, definitely not for that long. As the saying went, 'first build walls, then gather food, and finally claim the throne'. The kingdom possesses all 29 provinces of the former Empire, and Lorist ruled over a quarter of them. He should first develop them before growing his branches into the rest. The royal family was rotten beyond any hope of saving, it was already hollow. Lorist just had to wait for that rot to cause the bark and reveal everything. The royal family would collapse and, if Lorist worked hard at building up his lands, he would be in the perfect position to take the throne.

This was the biggest reason for his interest in the king's little scandal. If this wasn't handled well, it might be the very crack he was waiting for. It certainly would be a brilliant crack. Lorist's biggest competition for the throne would be Duke Fisablen, and if this scandal was the crack, it would crack him as well and make it much easier for Lorist to take the throne. It was not unheard of for kings and queens to have affairs. But that didn't mean it did not reflect badly on the family from which the queen hailed. Especially not since the first child to be born from her womb was as a result of the affair rather than being an heir. This was enough to potential make any future children she bore unworthy as heir regardless of whether their father was indeed the king. Her womb was sullied and could thus not dam heirs.

Lorist was very interested in seeing how the king would deal with this. If the rumors were true, then his queen had had an affair with his bastard. The rumors being true, though dubious, the child did have the imperial bloodline. It was truly strange, though, for his wife's eldest -- should she have any other children -- to be his grandchild rather than his child.

He could spend more time on this affair because he didn't have anything to do in Morante, his subordinates were dealing with everything. The only reason he was still here was to intimidate the Union. He couldn't leave before he'd faced and ended their swordsaint. He thus spent all his time on his disciples and his contemplations.

He'd taken up painting. He'd meditate using that. He suspected his choice was influenced by the fact that his grandfather had used it to contemplate his cultivation. He remembered seeing the old man practise calligraphy and ink painting stroke by stroke often. He didn't understand how it was done, but he recalled his grandfather saying one had to write and draw with a calm mind. Only then would the strokes be infused with one's soul and essence. So, Lorist chose the same method.

However, Lorist had forgotten one thing. There was a developed art culture on Grindia, it resembled the dominant Renaissance style of realism. Even their tools were similar.

Fortunately, he could use his dominion's paper. He started with a mountain by the sea.

Charade came rushing over the moment he heard Lorist was painting. He thought he had finally begun to appreciate art and joined him in his passion. He took just one glance at the what Lorist was trying to do and left. Outside, he complained to Reidy that whatever it was Lorist was doing, it certainly wasn't painting. He had expected a swordsaint would have at least some talent for painting, but Lorist was worse than a 2-year-old slapping paint on their faces and slamming them into the paper.

Charade completely forgot that a swordsaint could hear what he was saying.

Two days later, when Charade finally finished his tasks and was about to take a breather, Lorist called him in. Lorist told him he had neglected his training after breaking through so he was going to spar with him a little.

His suffering had begun.

"Forgive me, Your Grace... I have more than enough guards... The kinds of people that can fight through them to me so that I'd have to face them are too strong for me to overpower regardless of how much I train..." begged Charade.

"No. None of my gold-ranked knights can be this weak, it's embarrassing. You have free time, so I'll train you. You should be happy, very few have the privilege of being trained by a swordsaint. Since you're ungrateful, I'll teach you how blessed you are, come, three more rounds!"

"Just kill me already! I'll die if I have to go three more rounds!" Charade lay on the ground, refusing to get up. He finally realized something was off.

"Did I offend you?"

"Of course not. I'm just worried for your safety. What if you encounter a gold-ranked assassin when you least expect it? You have to have the strength to fend off a couple of strikes so your guards have time to reach you. You occupy an important position under me, so you're a big target. Take the Union, they might send assassins after you if they learn that you're the one managing everything."

"Impossible," Charade denied, "Even the Union wouldn't go that far. They won't offend you for me. And killing me wouldn't do them any good. I'm just the chief administrator, not the head of the house. Would it be worth paying such a huge price?"

"Didn't I say just in case? Don't you know prevention is better than cure?"

Reidy, standing nearby, couldn't hold back anymore and made some brush stroke movements with his hands. Charade instantly understood. He breathed in deeply and apologized.

"I apologize, Your Grace. I shouldn't have commented on your painting. But being offended at my comments won't change the facts. You have no skill at painting."

"Your evaluation is honest, but you don't have to apologize. I would not be offended by something so trivial. Now get up and let's get back to training. I won't stop until your stomach is gone."

Jinolio came to Charade's rescue a few moments later.

"A merchant vessel has entered the bay. It's one of the people we captured during our fight with Invincible. The captain wants to buy goods. He's also brought a few nobles with him. One is Duchess Prinna. She's asked to see you."

Charade struggled up from the ground. Now it was his turn to watch a show.

Should I meet her? Lorist's mind raced.

She used to be the love of his life, the first in two lifetimes. She was also the first to utterly shatter his heart. And now she'd returned to him not to apologize for what she'd done to him, but to open the old wound and slam the knife back in. She was here to ransom her husband, the man for whom she'd left Lorist. The man had taken her from him, and now it was her turn to take him from Lorist.

"You should at least meet her. She's an old friend, after all. Your history has been clean for 20 years. It is time to move on," Charade smiled. He was there to watch a show, and by the gods he was not going to let Lorist not give him one.

"I won't meet her. I'd rather miss her than meet her. You will deal with her, Charade." Lorist suddenly realized something. "Why didn't Kaet negotiate for that duke and his legion? Aren't they allies?"

"I've asked. He says the Duke never actually fought, not even when we clashed on the sea, he surrendered without upholding his end of the agreement, so they have no interest in ransoming him."

Charade knew there was more going on, and Viscount Penelope supplied him with the answer. The Union was either preparing to betray their alliance, or they had completely incompetent officials. If the latter, they must have thought of their allies as just mere subordinates, and didn't want to put in the effort to free incompetent trash.

"Are they still on Silowas?" asked Lorist.

"Yes," Charade answered, "Duke Lorf probably knows he lost the Union's favor. He asked to be left on Silowas. He must have sent a message back home with the merchants. I didn't think his wife would respond so quickly. I'm sure Wenna is here to beg you to let her husband and his men go.

"Then take her to her husband. I'll leave everything to you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since the Union has already scrapped their alliance, we ought to stir up conflict between the two."

"By your command."

Merciless

"Any cruelty must be dispensed at once, so that it is tasted as little and possible and hated as little as possible."

Charade accompanied Madam Windsor Prinna to Silowas and negotiated her husband, and his men's ransom. The whole thing took almost a month. Fortunately, he could delegate his duties to Morante's new government before he left.

Lorist chose to meet the merchant captain. He was curious why the man had returned to quickly. His trip should have taken a month. He'd also had a full load of good that he would have had to sell before he could sail again. He didn't expect any merchants would be returning for at least another month, perhaps even longer sales weren't great.

The captain's name was Fodris a third-generation seafarer. He had worked with other captains to capture Invincible's men when they were ordered to burn his ship and other ships when the fleet surrendered. Senbaud had even given him a commendation for it.

The meeting both excited and unnerved the captain. He presented Lorist with the most expensive thing his family owned: a foot-long deep crimson coral. His father had found it while stranded out at sea. Many believed such corals were good luck charms, and the larger the coral, the greater the luck.

The piece of dead sea creatures fascinated Lorist. Fodris was very happy to answer the duke's questions, whether regarding the coral of other matters. It turned out he was a Jigdan. His ship was called the Mermaid's Song -- his family's first large ship. The ship's name gave him the boost he needed to secure a contract with the kingdom's largest guild, Mermaid, and they were his most frequent employers, even now.

The guild's backer was House Fustat, which was why he'd been the one to bring the duchess to Morante. The guild started with trade in luxury goods and clothing, mostly dresses and gowns. Recently, however, mostly over the last two decades, it had branched out to other industries as it rose to prominence alongside its backer, Duke Fustat.

Fodris had nothing but praise for the duchess. She was the entire kingdom's angel. A beautiful, gentle, and kind women of rare composure. She often donated vast sums of money to the poor and could even be found working in soup kitchens on occasion. She also chaired a number of charities alongside local religious groups. She was more beloved and well-known than even the queen.

A storm burst into being when he delivered the duke's letter, and the duke's house stood on the brink of being annihilated as new and old rivals alike took the chance to lash out. But the duchess took the reigns and beat back the attacks. Once everyone was on their back foot, she moved funds onto Captain Fordis's ship and the two left secretly to go get her husband.

The captain could leave so quickly because the guild, Mermaid, bought everything he'd brought with him wholesale. He left as soon as everything was offloaded. The products were bought at ludicrous prices so the duchess's funds could be smuggled on board and they set sail immediately.

Regarding the trade he was to do here, the guild had given him an interest free loan to buy stuffs from Lorist, specifically glassware and snow paper. The captain was certain they would sell for a great profit. He might even have enough to buy a second ship.

Even the most obscure products sold very well. Everything not produced in the south of the continent was in severe short supply. Romon mostly produced green glue and Khawistan herded horses and sheep. These were exported and traded for everything else the two empires needed, mainly with the midsouthern countries. Teribo provided mostly glass, the duchy of Pitlin gave wine, the kingdom of Abossen porcelain, and the duchy of Zikthor gold and silverware.

When the Union rose to prominence, everything shifted gear. Rather than direct trade between the countries, small, local trade aside, most bulk trade was done with the Union either as the middle-man, or just with the merchants from the countries operating there. The Union won most of the competitions for the markets where its products competed with other countries as well. Pitlin, for example, lost its share of the wine market, as did Abossen with gold and silverware.

The War of Glass was really just a good excuse, an excuse the midsouthern countries had been waiting for, for years, to cut the Union out. But the Union's control of the seas in the south made it almost impossible for large scale trade to take place.

However, whilst the countries couldn't trade their resources directly with the empires because of the Union's blockades, the Union, having lost its access to the raw resources with which to produce its products, sat with sea trade routes along which it had nothing to trade.

The war ravaged both sides, especially their industries, and everyone's economy was in shambles. It also didn't help that, with the Union's guilds moving everything to their dominions, what little they did produce were of very low quality.

This made House Norton's high-quality products a massive hit, they were exactly what the market was craving.

Lorist finally understood why Peterson and Chikdor were so strict with his products. They couldn't let him get even the tip of a toenail into the market because there was a vacuum they could not fill, and he'd immediately take over everything. They could do this, and keep anyone from bypassing them because they controlled the seas and its trade routes.

That, however, was no longer the case. Merchants could now trade as much as they could afford with House Norton and a flood was starting to form. It would probably take no more than six months before it roared over the seas and Lorist was drowned in orders.

He praised and rewarded Fodris lavishly. He even gave him a telescope. The captain almost jumped out the window when he realized what it could do.

"You should work and coordinate closely with the merchants. If you play your cards right, you can use them to gather information from the south and we won't have to risk agents there. You also won't have the risk of an incident when an agent is discovered, since they won't be directly related to the house, just good friends who talk about what they hear and see," Lorist whispered to Tarkel as they watched the merchant leave.

"I will make the arrangements."

Few people were as great gossips as merchants. If everything went well, Tarkel might soon even have a catalogue of all the queens, concubines, and daughters' taste in underwear.

Lorist now knew that the wide-eyed girl he had loved all those years ago was now a graceful duchess. He hated it. She'd been a pitiful girl, helpless when her family was in trouble. She'd tried to end her life, but he'd saved her. She depended on him from then on, but abandoned him when someone better came along.

She was supposed to have fallen into despair. She should have become a toy for the duke he'd abandon after he took everything from her. She was supposed to come back to Lorist, begging for his forgiveness and a second chance. She was supposed to cry snot and blood as he shoved her out of the castle and told her to stick it where the sun never shone and then die a lonely death in a brother, a marsh, or some other shithole.

But instead she'd become a dignified duchess, a noble of renown. Her backstabbing had paid off, and she was now an entire kingdom's idol. She had won happiness, love, riches, and recognition with her treachery. It was even worse that it seemed she wasn't hiding a dark, vile personality; she'd become a genuinely good person.

Lorist might have been able to take it if she'd become a vile bitch that would eventually fall from grace and tumble into hell. He could at least sooth the scar in his heart. But that was not to be, and it hurt. It hurt so bad he wanted to tear the nearest building apart. He wanted to run down the roads and avenues of the city and scream his dissatisfaction at the heavens. Was this justice? Where was the world's karma? Where was the heaven's righteousness?

"Sigh."

He shook his head and pushed his feelings into the back of his mind. He did not regret not meeting the woman. He would not have been able to contain himself if he saw her face, regardless of the look on it.

His thoughts came back just in time to hear Tarkel finish a shocking report.

"Hold on, say that again! The queen's dead?! She died of a sudden, mysterious illness?!"

"That is what I just said, You Grace. She passed on the 32nd of the 8th. Hd rushed to the capital that afternoon. He stayed there for the night and the next day it was announced the queen was dead."

That's two for one! What's wrong with Auguslo?

It had been just a month since the world learnt of the queen's affair and pregnancy, and now she was dead, just a month from the child's due birth.

The king had not given any ordered besides ordering silence on the queen's affair, and now suddenly she and her child was dead. Lorist had thought he'd only make his moves once the child was born, he did not think he and Duke Fisablen would send the unborn to its grave.

There was no way the duke was not involved. The two must have made a secret pact and immediately executed their plan.

"What about Knight Wecksas? Has he been punished?"

"No, but he's still being kept in the palace. There's been no word of him since his imprisonment."

Loan Problems

"A man buys a slave not to sit in the closet for the rest of his life, but to work for him and earn him money. Why, then, do men hide their money in their chests? Should money not, like the slave, work for its owner?"

Lorist got a message from Silowas on the 21st of the 9th. Charade and Duke Fustat had come to an agreement. House Fustat would pay a million gold Fordes for the duke and his legion. House Norton would send them back with Northsea.

Each soldier's ransom was ten gold. Five hundred thousand in all. Fustat, the gold, and the silver knights combined were a million. Charade didn't hold back at all. Windsor Prinna didn't get much of a discount.

Duke Fustat made a tempting proposal when he was released. The legion was stripped of its weapons and armor when it surrendered. He wanted to buy equipment from Lorist before he returned home. Charade was all too happy to oblige the duke -- this was no small deal, at least 60 gold per soldier, three million in all. Unfortunately, Charade did not have the authority to sell equipment to technical enemies, so they had to talk to Lorist himself.

Charade also passed along news he got from Sylvia and the rest. They were heading to Silowas. They would all leave for Morante in a couple of days.

Why is Sylvia coming to Morante? Don't tell me she heard about Wenna and wants to keep an eye on me. No, surely not... Didn't Charade tell her I refused to see the woman? I haven't done anything to give her a reason to come...

Whatever. Those women are a force of nature. I'll worry about them when they arrive, no point in losing sleep before then.

If only she wasn't that young and Lorist wasn't always out on campaign. She missed him very much and worried incessantly. Perhaps he should treat this as a vacation and spend some time with them and show them around the city which was his hometown for over a decade.

Spiel requested an audience two days later. He had been given charge of the prison camp near the docks and had been trying his best to empty the inhabitants' wallets. This had been settled since Charade and Kaet made their agreement two months earlier. The second last group of 10 thousand were now being moved to Mauvlin, completely broke. In total, Spiel had brought in seven million gold, mostly in jewelry and other valuables.

He had come to complain because the last ten thousand refused to part with their money. They'd been living off the free food and weren't doing anything to spend their money. Lorist gave up, he couldn't get the people to let go of their money, and his patience was running thin with Kaet, who kept sending him letters of protest almost daily, so he ordered Spiel to just let them

"I need just one more month. I'll get their money if I have just another month," Spiel begged.

"Let them go. One more month would have been worth it for 20 thousand, but we'll lose more than we'll make for just 10 thousand people."

The money wasn't the only problem. Tarkel had done his best to put up their facade of struggle, but it was only a matter of time before their real situation leaked, and that became more likely with every passing day. For one, the Union had gotten sniff in the nose that something was off with the constant requests for more agents and had stopped sending them.

Morante was also starting to improve enough that a keen eye could see it even from outside the city walls. The factories were getting back up to speed and the merchants would soon come from the south to begin large scale trading again. Even if Lorist could keep up the facade until then, it would crumble the moment the merchant ships sailed into the harbor.

There was also the problem of Kaet noticing the livelier atmosphere and sending word back to the Union directly. He was being kept separate from the main population, but once things got really lively, he'd hear it. What city's people laughed and cheered whilst in the midst of constant uprisings and bloody street fighting?

No, it was time to wrap things up and pull out.

"The new government's made a request. They want to borrow ten million gold. Everything will be invested in the city and the surrounding areas, so I've agreed. I just need you to iron out the detail. Deal with it as soon as you're done with the final arrangements for the camp," commanded Lorist.

Such loans were usually issued at high interest rates. The shrine of the Goddess of Wealth and Trade's, Zejin's, primary income was from high-interest loans, though they also had a stake in the Forde bills industry. The guilds would deposit money with the shrine and get a bill of equal value which they could turn in at any other shrine for the money, for a fee, of course. The money was safe, both for storage and for transport since no one acted against the shrine.

It was much like the Catholic Church from Lorist's previous life. The shrine was as much a bank as it was a religious organisation. The Union had paid his ransoms completely in bills as well. They might have thought he'd ransack the shrines anyway, so they'd pay him in a way so he wouldn't get anything more, anyway. If he really did ransack the shrines, the bills would be worthless, anyway.

The shrine begged that they not cash all the bills at once when Charade and Spiel took them to the shrine. The shrine's entire vault came from the Union, so if everything was paid out, they'd be bankrupt.

Spiel jumped like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"No, Your Grace! How can you agree to this? They already owe us four million! If we give them this as well, they'll owe us fourteen million! They can't service this loan, and even if they do, it'll take decades, maybe even a century for them to pay it back!"

If this was anyone else, Spiel would gladly have made the loan, but this was too risky. The new government didn't even have anything to put up as security!

Lorist had agreed, however, despite knowing how horrible a deal this was.

"Think about all of our people that've died in this war. We've gotten just barely more than nothing from this and now you want to piss millions away? You're pissing away everything we've worked decades to build!"

"Oh, tell me how much we made, then," said Lorist coldly.

"We got ten million from the city in gold and goods. We got ten million in basic material from the outskirts of the city, but it's all completely useless and there isn't a market for the stuff. The ransoms also got us just over six million, and we got just over seven from the prisoners."

"In all we made 23 million, but four of that's already been lent to the new government. If you take away the money we spent on food, we have just over fifteen million left. If you give them another ten, we'll have just three million!

"You said logistics is the key to war. Just the last three months of campaign have cost us one and a half million, and then you put aside another five for Northsea's retrofit. And then there're all the pensions for the wounded and the compensation for the dead, which is another half a million."

"Enough. I understand. This loan would put us in the red, yes? But what would you do with the ten if we kept it? You're just going to ship it back to the dominion and shove it into our vaults to rot. You remembered my comment about logistics, but it seems you forgot what I said about money. Money is worthless unless it's flowing in the economy.

"Besides, you forgot a lot of benefits. What about the money we got from selling food in the city? What about the money we got from the trade with the merchants? The four million we lent will earn us interest, and it'll help get the economy here back up and running and we can sell stuff here as a result.

"I trust your loyalty, but your eyes disappoint me. You know what we plan to do here. But the new government isn't yet sure if we'll be any better than the old Union. I bet you this loan is less about them lacking funds, though they no doubt do, and more about testing our commitment to supporting them. Loaning them this money is us guaranteeing them that we will stand by them and guarantee their independence. You talk about security on the loan, this loan itself is their security on our support.

"Stop questioning my financial decisions and just do what I say. This loan will let them form a decent military, which means we can pull out and send out people home. The rest will speed up their development and let us start selling into the market in larger volumes faster.

"This is a great deal for us, actually. Ten million now will get us a great buffer against the old Union, a decent ally, and a good share in a market that will earn us hundreds of millions over the coming decades."

"...I understand. I shall do as you wish, Your Grace."

Two Letters

Though Lorist was only a relatively skilled workshop owner in his past life, the influence of mass media and basic economic knowledge made him keenly aware that the four million gold Fordes he lent the new Morantian government was far from enough to kickstart an independent economy.

According to Charade, they had money; they were just forced to keep it for emergency use thanks to the years of monopoly under the various merchant guilds. Lorist had to instill confidence in the people for the market so they would take their money out and spend it.

While four million gold Fordes was a lot, it was nowhere near a lot in the long term. The two divisions' training and the establishment of institutions and facilities to encourage economic participation, as well as the cost of feeding the people until they became self-sufficient again, would dry up the four million in just a couple of months. They needed more money, and Lorist was their only option.

No other faction or party was rich enough to lend that kind of money. Even the high-interest loaners from Zejin's shrine were powerless. The newly formed government didn't lack talent. Had they not been staunch believers in individual freedoms, Lorist would've recruited them.

Jindoz, for example, and the various shrine leaders, and a few old scholars, would all have made great officials. While they grasped power, they were willing to help House Norton form the Free Union to escape the Trade Union's rulers. They were weary of him, though, which was half the reason for their new loan application.

Lorist knew exactly what was going on in the market. The only reason it still existed was thanks to his support. Apart from a group of risk-taking pioneers that took the first step, most were still hiding their money and watching to see if the situation would change. Lorist had to continue investing, to assure them that he would keep the market stable.

His words to Spiel were his honest thoughts. He didn't care about being paid back the loan directly from the government. The indirect benefits he'd gain through the market would more than cover it even if not a penny was returned by the government.

The transport ships returned to Morante from Silowas, escorted by Northsea on the 20th of the 9th. Sylvia had come as well, so Lorist had little choice but to go down to the dock to meet her and risk seeing his old lover. He was shocked and utterly crushed to see his wife and the woman getting along well, even like sisters.

The hell is going on?

A sense of foreboding washed over Lorist the moment he saw the two disembark holding hands. He ignored Charade and Duke Fustat's greetings and rushed to hold Sylvia's right hand before she stepped off the board.

"Your Grace..." Sylvia hurriedly let go of Prinna's hand and curtsied.

"Why did you come without notice? It's still dangerous here," reprimanded Lorist in a low voice.

"I missed you," answered Sylvia coquettishly, stepping in for a hug.

"You..." Lorist laughed helplessly before turning to Prinna.

"My humble thanks, Revered Duke," Prinna said, taking a step back and curtsying.

There was nothing about her posture anyone could pick at.

Lorist returned her curtsy with a nod. it had been two decades. Time had flown. Nobody expected their reunion to happen like this.

Her eyes were still just as big, but her gaze had a trace of maturity. She had an air of grace her younger self had lacked. She had become an exemplary noblewoman. All trace of the fairy in her youth had vanished.

Time flies and people change, huh... Lorist sighed.

"Welcome, Lady Windsor. This visit must be a nostalgic visit for you," said he.

"Indeed. My most precious memories are rooted here. I treasure them dearly. It is a most glorious occasion to return to this great city and see the old friends from my youth," replied Prinna, gazing at Lorist.

Lorist averted his gaze slightly.

"Indeed? I can only wish you a joyous visit, then. I've arranged a residence worthy of you and your husband's grace. The two of you must be worn out. Please make use of the carriage I've prepared. Baron Charade will accompany you. I am hosting a banquet in two days. I hope you will attend."

"I am honored. We shall attend," said Duke Lorf, stepping forward.

Lorist nodded. "Then we shall see each other at the banquet."

Fennazali and Daisy came closer to greet Lorist when the foreign nobles left.

"Sheesh, you two came as well? I don't know what to say. Where's Anderbael?"

"I didn't bring him because Maria went home to deliver her child. Anna went back to her barony as well and Anderbael decided to tag along. He sticks to his elder brother like glue. Xanthi's with them as well. I got Cacanne's letter and wanted to stop by the capital on the way, I then that whole debacle happened and I decided to steer clear..."

Anderbael was five, the most rambunctious age for boys. His first older brother was Dilianna's son, Slophenk, three years his senior. The two got along pretty well.

Oh, right, Cacanne is Sylvia's cousin.

Why would she want to go see her, though, weren't they pretty antagonistic towards one another?

"I thought you didn't get along with her. Why would you suddenly want to go see her?"

"We may not have seen eye to eye, but she was still my cousin. Her message was a plea for help. I couldn't just ignore it. I didn't think she'd die like this. Her child was due soon."

Sylvia teared up. It took quite some work to get her in the carriage.

...

Two letters lay on Lorist's desk. One was the queen's letter. She'd written about her affair and her pregnancy. She said it was related to Lorist. Wecksas had saved her life when the blademasters attacked to kill Lorist and she fell in love.

She didn't mention his identity, so Lorist suspected she didn't know. She'd even seriously considered eloping with him.

Of course, Lorist was blamed for her not getting to elope. He chose to help the king, which allowed him to return before she could deliver the child. She'd hoped to use the child as leverage against Wecksas, who refused to run away, to convince him to do it.

If she'd not been as far pregnant when she heard Auguslo was returning, she could have run away, but she was seven months along and couldn't travel easily. She believed only Sylvia, duchess of the kingdom's largest duchy and wife to its strongest duke and only swordsaint, could save her, so she wrote to her. If Sylvia could drag her husband's name into the middle of the whole affair, then her grandfather and husband would have to tread lightly.

If she could hold out until she gave birth, she'd annul the marriage and go live in some small, isolated town. She no longer cared about title and prestige, she just wanted to live happily with her child and lover.

The messenger had left the capital three days before the king's return and had traveled with only a few hours rest a day for almost a month to deliver the message, Sylvia, a mother herself, was moved and immediately set out to help her estranged cousin. She would be heading into dangerous territory, so she chose to leave her son with Xanthi and Dilianna.

She planned to head to Morante to meet up with her husband either when the matter was resolved, or with her cousin, but learned of her death on the way to Silowas. She knew she could not show weakness in front of another noble, she had to maintain her appearance as a strong, noble wife to her swordsaint-duke husband, so she'd been bottling up her sorrow.

Now together with her beloved husband, and away from prying eyes, she broke down completely. She cried herself to sleep that night and continued even in her sleep.

Lorist shook his head as he thought of the scene. His wife was way too free with her emotions. She cried for a woman who'd done nothing but bully her her whole life because she sent a single message and then died.

She second letter was from Glacia. Lorist opened it slowly. It confirmed his suspicion that Wecksas was Auguslo's bastard. The knight's mother was the maidservant that had raised the now-king after his mother died. He had bedded her, then ten years his senior, on his 16th birthday. Wecksas was born nine months later.

She was, however, one of his father's concubines. Andinaq was so furious he killed the maid in front of his son by strangling her to death, beheading her corpse, feeding her body to the pigs, and mounting her head above his son's bed for three weeks. He also gave the bastard child to a random knight. It was the biggest reason his father also put him in the bottom of the line of succession. If not for the ongoing civil war, he'd have disowned him entirely.

Glacia had been his lover for decades. She knew his heart better than anyone else, even his now-late queen. The dead maid was a black hole in his heart. She was the reason he never took Glacia as his queen. For her part, Glacia refused to live in that long-dead woman's shadow any longer and left him.

Agreement and Rumors

The banquet continued as planned two days later. Duke Fustat and his wife attended as promised. During the proceedings, they brought up the duke's request for military equipment and Lorist agreed.

Sylvia, Fennazali, and Daisy attended as well, which saved Lorist from having to alone with Prinna. The best she could do was shoot him a begrudging glance to him from time to time. He, of course, never saw anything even when he was practically looking right at her. He instead discussed how Jigda took advantage of the Union and swallowed six kingdoms with the duke.

The duke casually admitted it was all part of his plan. Jigda had no choice but to borrow the Union's tactics and absorb nations once they started applying pressure on the alliance. Romon was threatening to invade and Khawistan was not far behind. The kingdom had to grow rapidly and become a force capable of giving the two empires enough of a fight to make them hesitate and think twice. Lorist's interference with the was between Andinaq and the Union ruined the alliance, however.

Luckily Fustat had been leading the kingdom's forces accompanying the navy, another commander might have chosen to go to war rather than surrender. Now his family had paid the ransom, the two sides could part amicably, and the kingdom didn't have to worry about a war with Lorist and his frightening armies. Despite their friendly conversations, neither was willing to ally with the other. Their lands were just too far apart. They could not offer each other effective support, and would instead just get dragged into a war in name in which they could do no actual fighting.

The banquet continued late into the night. Lorist's women only left for their bedrooms once they had promised to accompany Prinna around the city the next day. The group spent most of their trip talking about the duchess' business endeavors in her youth. Lorist had Reidy accompany them.

Charade and Duke Fustat concluded their negotiations several days later. The deal was for 100 thousand sets of armor and weaponry and two brigades' worth of catapults and carroballistae. The latter two would make Jigda the strongest military force where siege was concerned on their half of the continent.

Duke Fustat was damn rich if he could throw away that much money so easily. Either that or he was in a very difficult situation.

Charade said that according to Duke Fustat, Wessia Merchant Guild, which he had recently exterminated, had monopolized the arms trade in the region. No one in the region had the mineral wealth to compete with them.

Wessia insisted on taking the old empire's territory as its dominion. It wanted all the mines there. They not only took all the mines, they also kept an iron grip on forging techniques and talents. They recruited or abducted every promising smith in their sphere of influence, and killed those they couldn't get.

Firebird's equipment came from Wessia and had cost the duke four million gold Fordes. With with Wessia gone, Lorist was the only major arms dealer left on the continent.

Lorist had always wondered why he could never sell his clearly superior equipment, now he knew. He had tried to work through Peterson, but Wessia vetoed the deal. They would never let any competitor, much less such a major one, get a foothold in the market.

Charade realized this as well, and understood his lord's intentions immediately, which was why he had pushed to sell them everything they needed at a reasonable price. This was their ticket, their chance to get a foot in the now empty market and swallow everything up.

The Union was already moving to get back into the market, but with how secretive Wessia had been, and how utterly they'd been wiped out, it would take years, even decades, before they had a comparable guild up and running, and by then the entire market would belong to Lorist.

Prinna had Sylvia tell Lorist she wanted to meet him. She had noticed a business opportunity in Morante and wanted him to give sole distribution rights of Norton goods in the southern half of the continent to Mermaid.

Lorist refused. He was fine with the arrangement in principle, though only for Jigda, but would not see that woman no matter what. He instead sent Charade to deal with her in his stead.

Northsea only had enough strength to control down to the southern seas, it could not take control of Sunshine Seas or the Golden Coast, so he had to allow free trade there, at least for the time being. Lorist had every intention of shutting such trade down as soon as he had the power, however. He would not let anyone do any trade that was not regulated and taxed by him.

Besides, letting trade run rampant had its benefits. For one, it would help speed up Morante's recovery. He would also not go as far as to monopolize the actual trading itself. He had no trouble with letting independent merchants have their share, but they could not be allowed to trade where he could not regulate and tax it.

For another, he could use a healthy independent merchant industry to further his spy network and also cut the Union out of their old home turf. The Union's guilds were not settled enough as land barons yet, they had to rely on trade, so without it, he could starve them without having to go to war.

Prinna's gotten sharp over the years. She saw the market immediately. She doesn't understand that monopolizing this will make her guild a public enemy.

Charade refused to budge, he could be really stubborn when it came to money and wealth. Prinna eventually gave up and settled on just the Jigda market.

The duchess handed Charade a half-book of a letter before she left with her husband, making him promise to hand it to Lorist personally and make sure he read it.

It turned out to be a complaint about his distance to her. Her age showed as she nostalgically recounted their love affair like an old maid on her deathbed telling her great grandchildren about her wild, long-forgotten youth. One of the worst things she said in her letter, was that she'd have stayed by Lorist's side if she could do everything over, even if it meant she'd have lost her home. She wrote an extensive allusion to Lorist's marriage, talking about the happiness she saw in her replacement, she even hinted at being jealous of her once or twice.

She didn't forget to gripe about Lorist's refusal to give her a good deal despite being an ex-lover of hers, her only one, in fact.

From there she launched into a long fantasy about opening up her old shop in Morante and a branch of the guild. At the very end, she spoke of her various ideas for opening a second branch in his lands to the far north.

Women...

Lorist dropped each page into the fireplace in his office as he finished reading it. If a druid or apothecary ever invented medicine for regret, the women in a single city would give him enough business to retire.

No matter how much Lorist might want to deny it, that little fairy in his memories, the little witch that had danced on his heart, his first love, would always have the sweetest place in his heart, even if it was now vacant. Even Sylvia, for all her charm and love, even if they were to be together happily for several centuries, could never take over that place, could never match this woman in his heart. And it made him furious.

The merchants started pouring into the docks a few days after the duke and duchess left. Soon businesses -- some buying and selling the merchant's goods, some serving the sailors, and others serving the workers working in the new businesses in, around, and near the docks -- sprung up almost daily. The city slowly came back to life, nightlights grew outward from the docks like long tendrils, like a glowing plant slowly extending its roots into the surrounding city.

A letter arrived from Cape Romani as well, from Howard. Three months had passed since he'd been left with the indentured workforce and things were finally coming together. The reef had been filled and had had enough time to set and dry. It was not finally time to start construction on the castle-port-town proper.

Most of the letter was a list of the materials the next phase of the project required. Lorist felt the boy's enthusiasm ooze out of his every pen stroke. He clearly wanted to build a grand citadel. Lorist was willing to indulge his second disciple a little -- a reward of sorts for all his hard work over the years, especially since they'd gotten involved in Auguslo's war again. He even decided to let him leave his name on his first great project as his disciple. He crossed out Howard's suggested name, 'Fort Romani', and wrote in 'Fort Howard'.

The next three months passed quickly. Falik Plains saw no conflict in that time, it was completely peaceful. The Union had not made any effort towards making peace, but they also didn't launch any offensives, not even skirmishes. An eerie peace reigned over the continent.

The front-lines may have been free of conflict for the last three months, but they were far from quiet. Pickaxes, axes, saws, shovels, and hammers clanged away day and night on the Trade Union's side of no-man's-land. Long, zigzagging lines were slowly criss-crossing the entire front, just like it had in Mauvlin several years earlier. The Free Union's side, on the other hand, was completely open. One could walk without paying attention to the ground from the citadels to the enemy front. Nothing but open, flat plains ran from horizon to horizon there. The only places evidence of military activity could be seen was on the various citadels' walls, where heads constantly moved back and forth across the crenels between the merlons, and in the barracks, training yards, and muster fields where men constantly shouted as they trained.

Lorist had no interest in the enemy's plots and plans, however. He just did what was necessary to keep his men fit and alert, and left the rest up to fate.

The Trade Union had started spreading rumors of the violence they believed was going on in Morante two months earlier, probably to drum up support from their subjects and from the remaining kingdoms, principalities, and duchies from the old alliance. Rumors spread like wildfires, and soon the entire continent was ablaze. House Norton was soon known to be killing tens of thousands of Morantians every week. Drinking babies' blood and eating young ladies' flesh after taking their innocence. They were crucifying anyone they didn't like and stoning whores who dissatisfied them. The city was always burning, and the entire plain in which it stood was constantly covered in a haze of smoke and the sickly sweet stench of death and rotting human flesh. A few even claim to have family members who'd seen Norton soldier do despicable, vile things to the corpses of young boys and girls, defiling them so badly that even the gods, even with their infinite mercy, could not accept their scarred, deformed souls into the heavens and they were left to haunt the city and the surrounding plains for all eternity.

The guilds owned all of the city's newspapers. They had closed when the city fell so no one had news directly from within the city. Similarly everyone in the camps had been kept in the dark about what was really going on in the city. They also hated House Norton for robbing them of their wealth and were all too happy to believe and spread, even exaggerate the rumors as they heard them.

As oblivious as the outside world was to the truth of what was going on within the city, so were its inhabitants to what was going on in the outside world. The first news of this came through the merchants sailing into and out of the city's harbor by the dozen every day now. House Norton didn't even lift a finger to counter the rumors. The Merchants, having a vested interest in people wanting to trade with the city and buy House Norton's goods, fought the rumors at every chance they got.

Even Duke Fustat did his bit. He wrote to every noble he knew and every merchant his wife knew to tell them what was really going on. Whilst this curbed the rumor's spread, people loved gossip and a new story made the rounds every couple of weeks. Luckily, people grew bored with a rumor just as quickly as they got excited by it, and they quickly vanished again, to be replaced by a new rumor a few weeks later.

Knowing all this, Lorist decided to just let whatever was destined to happen, happen, and instead focused his energy on helping to get the city back on its feet. He was training the city's new guard in policing and law-enforcement when he received news of Auguslo's impending arrival.

It was a surprise, but nothing really worth worrying about, only, he had come practically alone.

Two Conditions

"Suffer not a harlot to live."

"I will not be at the king's reception! He's a murderer!"

Sylvia was near thirty, just a few weeks off, in fact, but she still behaved like a little child. She threw a tantrum when she was told she was expected to attend the banquet and refused to go.

"Fine, you don't have to go. Fennazali is struggling with her pregnancy, so go look after her," Lorist said, finally giving up.

He'd been kept up every night for nearly three months and had only gotten rid of one of his women. Sylvia and Daisy were still pestering him nightly.

"Where's His Majesty currently?"

"I don't know," Jinolio replied, "His Majesty came to Morante disguised as a messenger. He didn't stop in any of the towns or cities along the way. We wouldn't have known he'd arrived even now if Reidy hadn't bumped into him. He should be bringing the king around soon."

Falik Plains was nothing but ruins. Mostly abandoned for three years now, it was rife with pests. One was stray dogs, which roamed the abandoned farmlands and villages looking for mice, rats, cats, and even human corpses, anything meat-like to eat. It had gotten so bad in and around Mass and Gypsy that Reidy had to go clear the packs out.

"Fine. I'll go look for them along the road. I hope I can bump into him quickly and get things over with."

Auguslo was inspecting the largest of the city Markets when Lorist found him. Reidy stood beside him. Twenty royal guards dragged horses along not too far away.

Lorist dismounted and greeted the king with a shallow bow.

"What brings Your Majesty here?"

"Oh, Locke, brother, you're here!" the king said, turning around, "I didn't think you'd get Morante back into shape in just half a year. It's nothing like when I was here last. No wonder you're so often called the kingdom's interior minister. What do you think about becoming the empire's first chancellor? I'll hand all internal affairs to you. I know you won't disappoint."

Lorist laughed bitterly.

"Please stop joking, Your Majesty. Do you know how much money House Norton had to invest to get it to where it is now? I've put 14 million in so far and I'll probably have to put in more over the next two or three years! My treasury is empty and I have to sleep with my sword under my bed otherwise my financial advisor will kill me in my sleep."

Auguslo almost slipped.

"How much?! 14 million?! Are you that rich?! You should lend me that money instead!"

"Rich my ass. I was forced! This whole campaign's been nothing but a massive loss! My fleet was ravaged, and I made nothing from Morante either. I had to bring everything I got from Invincible here to feed the people. I basically had to lend everything I made from Morante right back to it, as well as everything I made from the Union in the ransoms."

"I don't understand… Locke, I thought you were going to force the Union to negotiate for the city. Why are you investing in the city if it'll be back in their hands in a year or so? Do you plan to keep everything?"

Auguslo had to know. He could not allow Lorist to take Morante and Falik Plains. The duke would then have more land than he and all the other noble under him had! He could still exercise some measure of control over Lorist as long as he was based in the Northlands. While it was a great defensive location, it was also easy to cut off from the rest of the world if need be. It also helped that it was close by and he could thus quickly respond to anything happening there. If, however, Lorist made his primary title one based in Morante, and moved his family and headquarters here, the king would have no control over him. The duke could easily seceded and declare his independence and Auguslo would be unable to anything about it.

"You're Majesty's over-thinking," Lorist waved his hand, "How did you get the impression that Morante's people would accept being ruled by a foreigner, and a noble at that, much less the man that took their city from them? Even if we could maintain control, we'd never have any peace. I have no intention of taking such a troublesome place.

"As for our investment. It wasn't really by choice, but that's something to discuss in private."

The group returned to Lorist's study where he explained everything.

"What?!" Auguslo cried, "You're forming a new Union?!"

"It's not that simple, Your Majesty. We're forming a Free Union. Unlike the Trade Union, the Free Union has no large merchant guilds, and none have any say in its governance. It governed by a body the people will choose themselves periodically. They won't let another monopoly form. SO we can expect a competitive, high-profit market to emerge in the next decade," explained Lorist.

"What good is this to you?"

"Don't forget the old Union is still watching from the sidelines. They refuse to surrender. Even when we offered a mutual peace, they continued to be obstinate. They made demands we could never accept. When negotiations failed, they declared they'd fight us to the last man, that this war would not end until every last one of them was a corpse.

"I have no confidence in securing a peace deal. So, I decided to make Morante and the plains into a new Union that will be a buffer between us and the old Union, deny them access to the markets and trade routes, and be our ally and give us access to these markets and trade routes. The 14 million is to get the new Union on its feet so the old one can't just stomp it as soon as we withdraw.

"Isn't Morante and the plains mankind's bastion of freedom? I don't think they'd fight against the Union at the behest of a foreign noble," Auguslo interjected.

"That Union stopped being the government of freedom when they became nobles. The new Union is now the bastion of freedom and the people won't let the old one get control again," Lorist countered.

"But why would the Union refuse to come a reasonable agreement?"

"Simple. They have money and a monopoly of most of the market in the Alliance. They believe they can hold out until we collapse. They want us to beg them to take back Morante and the plains. They'll march in and take back everything, demand we return the provinces we took back, and demand complete monopoly of our entire economy.

"This war is not just kill or be killed for our soldiers. It's kill or be killed for our kingdom as well. We're in at least as bad shape as they are, but we cut them off from their maritime routes, so they have to move their goods by land, which is prohibitively expensive.

"We're willing to invest in Morante so that we can get a harbor and a market halfway down the coast. This will give us access to the southern half of the continent. It'll also destroy the old Union's monopoly. We just have to keep them out of Morant and away from the coast for a couple of years and they'll wither away on their own."

"I'm grateful for your service," the king said as he leaned forward on his chair, his elbow digging into the table, his chin rested on his hands, a serious expression on his face, "Few sovereigns could ask for a better vasal. If you can make things go as you have described to me now, you will be the greatest man in the empire's history besides its emperors, and your house the greatest besides the royal family. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Auguslo wanted part of the credit. He, as the king, could not be just a bystander in this historic moment. If that really happened, there might actually be calls for Lorist to become the new empire's emperor rather than him.

"We hope Your Majesty can help." Lorist had given his explanation precisely for this. "I know the kingdom is in bad shape right now, so I will not ask for what it cannot give. I ask only that Your Majesty send a light legion to Malivia in support of the new Union's forces--"

"That is reasonable. It shall be done," Auguslo quickly agreed. This was exactly what he hoped. This way he could claim an active role in the victory without having to make any actual sacrifices.

"... And I hope you can give me Jillin Harbor."

"Jillin Harbor? For what?" the king asked, his guard rising.

This was to be expected. Jillin Harbor was not far from the capital. If Lorist was given control of the city, he could land forces right in the king's backyard without any resistance, and, before anyone could react, he'd be in the capital. It could not be so he'd have a staging ground for trade and force transport further south, he already had Silowas and its harbors."

"You're Majesty's overthinking things again. I don't want the title, I just want the governorship."

"What governorship?"

"Governorship would be similar to the honorary titles you gave me before. I get to govern the land as if it were my own, but, unlike with honorary titles, the title dead for the city and the surrounding land remains with you. Think of it like me renting the harbor and the city from you. I will pay a fixed tax to you every year as well, regardless of how profitable I make the city or not."

Auguslo moved to the map on the wall and stared at the city for a long time.

"I cannot see the shop no matter how much I stare," he finally said, "Tell me, Locke, what do you plan to do with the city?"

"I want to make the city, specifically its harbor, the biggest, busiest, and most prosperous this side of the Golden Bay. I want to make it the first stop for any goods coming from the south. Everything will come here from the south, then from here it will go wherever else it wants in the kingdom and eventual empire."

"I can give you the governorship on two conditions," the king said, slowly, "You may not move any of your men into the city. Any disembarkation or travel through has to get my approval beforehand, like it would be if you had nothing to do with the place. I will provide the city guard, which will be independent of you but will cooperate to keep the peace. And I don't want a fixed tax for the city. If you're going to develop the city, it means it will become far more profitable than it is now. My tax will be half of the profits."

Lorist smiled bitterly, but nodded.

"Deal."

The big topics covered, Lorist poured them fruit wine.

"I heard you were going to survey the provinces. Why are you here?"

Auguslo downed his cup and held it out for Lorist to refill.

"I'm here to explain the scandal. I know you know of what I speak."

Lorist handed Auguslo the bottle.

"It is not my place as your vassal to comment on your personal affairs. It would certainly be hypocritical of me since I demand my vassals not comment on my personal affairs. However, my wife is Her Late Majesty's cousin, so I must speak and ask on her behalf. Your Majesty neglected the queen. Even with the scandal, did you and Duke Fisablen not go too far? Is the queen's paramour not your son? Her child, though not your offspring, is still of your bloodline. Could you not spare the queen 'till she birthed the child and punish her appropriately thereafter?"

Auguslo downed the bottle.

"It is not that simple, Locke. Were I certain the child was Wecksas', I would have let it come into the world, but the queen had two other lovers -- of which we know, at least. There was no certainty who's bastard it was. I had to preserve my bloodline's purity. I could not risk the possibility of someone from a bastard bloodline climbing into my family tree."

Lorist broke.

This... queen… deserved everything she got.

"If I may ask then, Your Majesty, what agreement did you reach with Duke Fisablen?"

"He apologized personally and was the one who sent that woman on her way. I will do my survey later this year and the duke promised to have a new wife ready when I pass by there. He'll adopt his choice as his daughter before I take her as my wife."

Callisto Hills

"For the common man the saying goes: 'Let no matter keep you from your bed'. But for the noble man, the saying goes: 'Let no bed keep you from important matters'."

"You understand now, right? Your cousin hid a lot from you. She told you about her love for one of her lovers because she knew it would move you. She had no clue who the baby's father was," Lorist said finally, still stroking Sylvia's long hair as she lay in his chest.

Sylvia gazed at him with teary eyes. Cacanne having multiple lovers didn't change how cruel their deaths were. She didn't lament the killing of her cousin, she lamented the killing of her cousin.

"I hate Grandfather... How could he kill her? Cacanne was his granddaughter, and the child was just a month away..."

"Stop grieving, dear. Let bygones be bygones. It wasn't that His Majesty didn't know about her promiscuity, he just didn't care. He wedded her solely for political gain. He needed a queen from your grandfather's bloodline, he didn't care whom.

"If Cacanne had had a better sense of propriety and had been better at keeping secrets, the king wouldn't have cared how many lovers she had. But she shouldn't have seduced Wecksas and she most certainly shouldn't have gotten pregnant. You know Wecksas is His Majesty's bastard and the one he intends to make his heir. Why would Cacanne seduce him despite having so many lovers? She even let herself get pregnant! There is no way she did not know she'd get the guillotine if the king ever found out.

"The king told me he had no choice but to kill her before the bastard was born. He could not let his queen's womb bear a bastard, especially not when it would be her first. I'm not sure whether it would be worse or better if the child was known to be Wecksas's or not. But as things stood no one knew, and he could not have an heir that could become his enemies' pawn. Yes, it's cruel, but given what the king had to preserve, there was no other option. Your grandfather knew exactly how things stood. We are nobles, not commoners. We cannot allow cracks in our visage which other will use to ridicule us. We stand as the rulers of men as much because we have their respect as that we are better at ruling and fighting than they are. If we lose their respect, half our foundations will be gone and the slightest breeze could topple us."

Sylvia was overcome with grief, but she had not lost her reason. She nuzzled into her husband's chest and fell asleep. Lorist held her for a while before he lifted her off him gently. He rolled to the edge of the bed to think more comfortably.

Auguslo left as quickly as he had come. He had only come to inform Lorist about the goings-on in the capital. Lorist was his only swordsaint. Auguslo needed his support to steady his throne, and he certainly could not afford to have him possibly turn on him. His other wish was to have the man take his bastard as his disciple. His bastard lacked legitimacy by birth, so he had to make up for it by molding him into the perfect heir in every other right.

Lorist turned him down. His disciples could be no older than sixteen when the process began and had to be his attendant for two years before they stood a chance at becoming his disciples. Even then it was not guaranteed. During the two years Lorist would carefully watch them and put them through countless trials and tribulations. Only if they passed, and were deemed worthy, would they be accepted. Wecksas had missed his chance. He was too old. It didn't matter how good he was, he could not become Lorist's disciple.

He'd also come to invite Lorist to attend his ascension ceremony. He planned to take the name 'Auguslo the Restorer' with his ascension and become the first emperor of the restored empire. He had originally planned to hold the ceremony a few months after his return, but that was stopped by his former wife's improprieties.

He did not have the gall to hold the ceremony so quickly after the scandal, and certainly not without a woman to sit next to him as empress. His inspection tour was an excuse to get out of the city and go get his new wife. He would marry the woman Duke Fisablen gave him and then ascend.

With that in mind, he'd hoped Lorist could end the war in less than two years. It was inauspicious to ascend to the throne during wartime, and he had no desire to have the Union barge into the ceremony. There was no such hope, however. It could only happen if he killed them all himself.

Tonight, Lorist lay contemplating a request the new government had made. They'd passed a motion in the council to ask and allow him to deploy a force to Callisto Hills. They hoped he could seize it for them. It was a historic part of the Morante governed Union, and was crucial to the city's functioning as it provided them with most of their key daily resources such as charcoal, pigs, dogs, cows, sheep, potatoes, wheat amongst other things. Most importantly, any trade route to the Tedanini Mountains needed to pass through it. They had to control the region if they were to trade with the dwarves, trade vital to the city's economy.

Change was forever faster than plans. He'd only formed the Free Union out of necessity to keep the Trade Union in check. He'd chosen people that could effectively govern the new country and keep it going, but as a result they were also good enough to exploit him. They knew they did not have the might to stand against the Union on their own, and they knew they could not keep Lorist and his forces here forever, so they were hellbent on making the best use of him while they could. They would not let him leave until they were in a good enough position to feel comfortable standing on their own without him present. Callisto Hills was no doubt just the first of several moves they'd have him make.

He was becoming the buffer between the two Unions, rather than the Free Union becoming the buffer between him and the other Union. They were no doubt hoping this little excursion would boil over into another full-blown campaign would tie him and his forces down and keep him from withdrawing, thus giving them time to build up their forces.

Why do they have to be smart people? Can't they just be decent administrators and governors but bad at strategy?

Lorist smiled bitterly. They were sending three of their divisions to help him, but even in where they stationed the three they were holding back, they were shoving him in front of the Trade Union. Mass and Gypsy were the two cities closest to Morante. The surrounding land had been prepared for agriculture. They would soon be sold to farmers. They were the safest, and that was where Morante was putting its divisions. They, instead, shoved his Firmrock into the four cities closest to the front-lines and the ones most likely to be attacked.

Besides, there was no need to send him to retake the region. The people who'd been given the land were very loyal to Morante. They weren't members of the guilds, but were instead independent entrepreneurs and specialists from the city. Few had even bothered to find out where their lands were, a couple had even burned the deeds and had refused to leave the city.

They also didn't see the point to trying to manage such a backwater. The entire region was completely undeveloped. It had no infrastructure, even the biggest roads were just small dirt cart trails.

The region was so poorly defended they could take it with just a division. The trouble was holding on to it. The complete lack of infrastructure meant it would be near impossible to supply the necessary occupation forces. It didn't help that the only port in the region, Einiba, had been crisped.

If he agreed to the request, he'd be in the quagmire and would likely be stuck here fighting for years to come. He couldn't just say no either. The request was not obviously outlandish, so he'd seem like the untrustworthy one if he turned it down. He could also possibly lose his currently guaranteed unfettered access to the market in Morante. The Free Union needed his assistance and support to establish itself on the continent, and he'd promised it to them -- in return for unfettered access to their market. If he turned down such a reasonable request, they might have legitimate cause to renege on their guarantee of access.

He spent most of the night reasoning his way through the possible outcomes time and again, and finally decided to reject their request partially. He would send a small force out to take Callisto Hills, but he would not deploy a large force, nor would take over the defense of any of the surrounding cities.

He decided to lend them Els while they trained their commanders. He would take over the city's defense. He was a native and had many connections to the new government through his acquaintances and former subordinates in the syndicates. He could most easily fit into the new system.

The plan was put into motion on the 21st of the 11th of Year 1779. A small contingent from Tigersoar marched into Callisto Hills, drove out the minimal Trade Union forces there, and occupied it. The Trade Union did not respond.

War Discussion

"In war there is only one certainty: you will not come out unscathed, if at all."

"Our dominion's production rate of daily necessities in the 10th and 11th months have doubled. Perhaps the south's private traders know this will be their last chance for the year. Either way, they've been buying like crazy, even our luxury products have grown wings. We've made three million's profit in these two months alone.

"The 400 thousand units of magic beast fur winter clothing sold out in fifteen days. Morantians were scrambling to buy them. The only thing is, the local tailors have been complaining. They're dissatisfied that we'd make bland winter clothing with magic beast fur. They've had to painstakingly remake the clothes to be at least somewhat decent. They want us to give them the loose fur itself next time and let them make clothes from scratch."

Spiel's face was positively glowing. He was the picture of bliss. He finally understood why Lorist insisted on investing in Morante. Other things aside, almost 60 percent of all their goods and materials were already sold. Three million had been made from daily necessities, and a further two million from more luxury items. Five million all-in-all in just two months.

And that was just in trade. They'd also been reaping benefits in industries as well. All their workshops were at full capacity and a few had even switched to 24 hour operations to keep up with demand. This investment's knock-on effects were reaching all the way back to the Northlands. Next year would see him collecting a lot more in taxes as well.

Lorist didn't have much to say. He had instructed Spiel to monitor the goods prices so a single bad apple didn't ruin the whole batch. He had also prepared to build new factories to keep up had introduced new regulations for entry to the market to steer clear of over supplying.

All the necessary arrangements made, Spiel left.

Senbaud was next. He'd come to bid his farewells before he left with for Jigda with the convoy. It carried the first shipment in Lorist's deal with his former lover. He did not expect to be back before the middle of the next year, but he hoped to return with products and good news from their new market in the south.

The southern seas had relatively good weather, but was rife with pirates. Half of his trip was to escort the convoy, the other half was to begin cleaning out the region. He would be accompanied by 11 Blitzes, besides his flagship, and a hundred Dams. This would be the first time a Norton ship crossed into the southern seas.

Charade was next. Sylvia interrupted their meeting by storming in unceremoniously. She had two pieces of good news. First was that Lorist's youngest children had been born. Maria had birthed a son on the 21st of the 10th back in the north, and Dilianna a girl on the 27th.

Lorist's family was becoming almost cumbersomely large. He now had three sons and three daughters, his dead bastard and the boy's abandoned younger brother, and the other unregistered children -- Arriotoli's two children, excluded. He had single-handedly turned around his family's slow decline. The only disappointment was that all but one of his children were legitimised bastards, and were thus, at best, half-Norton. So, while he had reversed his family's decline, he had only partially restored the bloodline. He had to have more legitimate children, children with Sylvia, to truly right his family's fortunes. Regardless, this was something worth celebrating. He finished two bottles of fine wine with Charade.

Charade was there to discuss Mass and Gypsy's agriculture. Thirty thousand households, 140 thousand Morantians, used cash or loans to buy the farmland. Half was profit. Together with the loan the government had secured from Lorist, they now had all the money they needed.

"They've asked for help expanding the military even further. They want to form four more divisions, two for Morante and one for Callisto Hills and Einiba each, and several cavalry divisions," explained Charade.

"Aren't they being too hasty?" Lorist asked, "Everyone knows Einiba is a wreck. Didn't Loze complain his men were being used to help build new homes for the city's inhabitants and to get them supplies? It hardly seems worth a division."

"That's exactly why they want to send a division there. They want to officiate their declaration of independence next year. You know the old Union will respond in force. They cannot allow this to happen.

"That said, they don't have the forces to attack everything the new Union controls, so they'll focus on the strategically important targets, which is neither Callisto Hills, nor Einiba. Those buggers plan to put us on the plains, where the old Union will no doubt strike first and most aggressively, and sequester themselves in the unimportant places, Callisto Hills and Einiba."

Lorist shook his head.

"Tell them there is no need for a further expansion. As long as I'm still present, everyone will focus their attention on me, and since I'm too powerful for them to face head-on, they won't attack in force."

"You mean..."

"The windstorm swordsaint. The old Union is waiting for him to recover. They won't attack until he is ready to keep me busy again. I suspect he'll challenge me to a duel sometime late next year."

The plains' cities were now held by just a few new Union divisions. Lorist's Firmrock had returned home, and Tigersoar was in Callisto Hills. There was no way the Trade Union did not know his current disposition. They quite possible already knew of the Free Union. His men had killed all the spies they'd sent, but they had occupied the city for decades, they could not be so easily cut out of the city.

If they really knew about everything, but had yet to respond, it could only be that they were waiting for their swordsaint to recover. They needed a counter to Lorist, they would attack the moment they had it.

"I see... So once again, Your Grace is the key to our victory or defeat."

"No, My duel is unimportant. The windstorm swordsaint can keep me busy, but he cannot defeat me. Which means the deciding factor will be our two armies. All the windstorm swordsaint can do for the old Union is assuage their concerns that I will go on a rampage and wipe their army out. He cannot win victory for them, that they have to do on their own. The same goes for us. In this upcoming war, I can only keep their swordsaint from rampaging, you must claw victory from the old Union yourselves. With us out of the picture, the next most powerful people, the blademasters, will be the greatest deciding factor. No matter how strong our ranged weapons, they will struggle against dozens of blademasters."

So that's the problem! If they entrenched themselves, they could fight off the rank-and-file soldiers, but they'd be vulnerable to teams of blademasters striking from the shadows, and the Trade Union was certain to do this, they'd already used this tactic to great effect during the War of Glass.

"I knew we shouldn't have let them ransom the blademasters and gold ranks," complained Charade.

House Norton had barely 20 gold-ranked knights. Apart from the initial 16, only Patt and Pete had joined their ranks. Even if one was to count Glacia and Sylvia, they had twenty, but Lorist would never let his wife take the field, nor, he suspected, would any of the generals. And they could only truly count on Lorist's disciples, Reidy and Shuss. His father, Engelich, would not take the field, and Xanthi would only act to protect her adopted daughter.

"Tarkel's report," Lorist said, dripping a thick stack of paper onto the desk, "The old Union has been busy. They've built up their forces and repaired their relationship with what's left of the alliance. They've also been running an intense propaganda campaign against us. We've been painted as the 'great northern threat', and they've been painted as the south's defender. They are the guardians of civilization and we the barbarians from the north."

Charade chuckled. "Has it been effective?"

"Can't be sure. They've salvaged their economy, at least. They've also gained permission to recruit in several nations' lands. They've also reformed Wessia and plopped it in Kamott near Tedanini. They've set up several new factories there and are pumping out as much equipment as they can. They've even dared to begin using the technology they stole from us."

"Those shameless bastards!"

"With all the effort they're putting in, they must be betting everything on this one clash. It's clear they can't stay afloat as they are now, if they don't win this with the next clash, they'll crumble. If they do win, however, they'll wipe out most of our forces and cripple us for years."

"Are you confident?"

"Honestly? No. This could go our way just as easily as not. We cannot pull out, however. We have to fight this. If we withdraw we lose this war, or at the very least we go back to where we were before we sacrificed so many men and all their deaths will have been in vain. I cannot shame my men like that. We have to fight this battle, and we have to win. Besides, it's not like we don't have any tricks cards still up our sleeve."

Approaching Battle

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

1780 was destined to be a tumultuous year. Senbaud's flotilla was attacked on the 3rd of the 4th on their way back from Jigda. Their attackers were a pirate fleet led by what was left of Chikdor's ships. They attacked under the cover of night, sneaking up to the fleet and setting fire to as many ships as they could.

Only forty ships were left by sunrise. The remaining 50 were sunk or sinking. Most of the ships were now also under-manned. Senbaud slammed his head so hard against the nearest mast he nearly cracked his skull. He chased down the fleet and sunk every ship, then sailed up and down the coast of Chikdor's domain and flattened every building, town, and city he could find, as well as every ship, fisher, merchant or driftwood, flying their flag.

His cannons were still bellowing fire over the ocean while Morant held the signing ceremony. They signed their declaration of independence, thus officially establishing the Free Union. The day was filled with pomp and circumstance, the government made a point of holding a lavish parade to show of their military and declared the day 'Declaration Day'.

They claimed Morante, Falik Plains and all its cities and settlements, Callisto Hills and all its settlements, and Einiba as their territory. Their first act as an established country was to extend formal invitations to all foreign nations, the Trade Union excluded, to come trade freely in their territory, especially Morante. The government declared that they'd be a representative parliamentary democracy. The citizens could vote and choose representatives for a national parliament, called the Council, which would make the laws and appoint ministers and a premier who would govern the country.

Jindoz was the current premier. He used his inaugural speech to declare that the Free Union would stand firmly alongside Andinaq. Andinaq's king had also guaranteed the Union's independence. Morante's merchants were free to travel to the kingdom and to trade. As long as they respected the regulations, they would be welcome.

The new trading guilds rejoiced at the news. Now they could expand northward. They knew the kingdom had been ravaged by war, but it was still a massive market and would only grow in the coming years.

Word of the Free Union's founding soon spread to the Trade Union. Duke, and President of Twinhead Dragon, Cobleit made an angry statement about it, declaring the Free Union traitors, along a slur of other swears.

The Alliance refused to acknowledge the Free Union, and the Trade Union put out a bounty on everyone in the upper echelon's of the Free Union's government. Jindoz, as the head of government and the nation, had the highest bounty: 100 thousand gold Fordes. Lorist had no choice but to make Reidy his bodyguard.

The Free Union didn't let the Trade Union's accusations go unanswered. They scrutinized Duke Cobleit's arguments in their new newspaper, the Daily Liberty. Their main argument was that their forefathers sacrificed themselves so they could live freely, as equals, not as subjects under nobles, even if said nobles were from the Trade Union.

The Trade Union, in their estimation, was not what its founders desired it to be. It had become a tyrannical, imperial force that had even become exactly what the founders had rebelled against: an aristocracy. The Free Union, they argued, were not the traitors. They were the ones restoring the ideals, the government, the country the founders had dreamt of when they first founded the Union. The Trade Union, instead, were the traitors.

Lorist joined in the response and declared that he'd kill every one of the guild-presidents-now-nobles and their families if any of the Free Union's officials were assassinated. This was the first time any swordsaint had proactively declared their support for a nation, their own or otherwise. It shocked the entire Alliance.

Cobleit shot back that the Union was not like Teribo. The traitors would be captured during the upcoming war, not their killing. They were to be tried and executed properly for their treason. He also hinted at Lorist that making such a bold, proactive, public declaration was unfitting of a swordsaint, individuals who were supposed to be aloof to worldly concerns and only acted to protect their own country, and suggested he should reconsider his shameful actions.

Lorist responded in the Daily Liberty's next issue. He declared that he was above sophistry. He had made his declaration to protect the integrity of the Union's dream, which was rightly inherited by the Free Union after the Trade Union betrayed its founders' ideals, and that he would stand by his oath.

He soon after sent his three women home, each finally pregnant.

A few days after their departure, Tarkel reported the windstorm swordsaint had completed his recovery. Surprisingly, he'd refused to take the field for the Trade Union, however. One of Tarkel's top informers had told him the swordsaint had turned down their offers and made demands they could not meet. It took several more months for them to finally come to an agreement and the windstorm swordsaint issued a challenge to Lorist. He demanded they fight on the 10th of the 10th.

The date surprised Lorist. Was the Union not anxious to chase him and his people out of their ancestral homeland? Why set the date so far in the future?

Charade believed it was to give the swordsaint more time to get back into shape. Lorist didn't really buy it.

Everything became clear, however, when the Trade Union mobilized in the middle of the 8th month. The enemy marched on the plains and Bluwek. They had the advantage of numbers, 300 thousand stood against just 190 thousand, Free Union included.

"Their legions are 48 thousand strong each. Each of the seven guilds have sent their strongest forces, and the eighth is made up mostly of Invincible's survivors," Yuriy reported, "They've split their army in two. And are moving in two groups five kilometers apart. They've been countering our scouts quite effectively so I'm afraid I don't have anymore details than that."

"They've been moving very slowly and deliberately. We won't be able to catch them off guard. They also have a large contingent of siege equipment."

"We do not have the numbers to face them on the field, so it'd be best to hunker down in Bluwek." Loze suggested, "We can use the new Union's divisions to harass them as they move and whittle away their numbers. We can strike once they're at their weakest and do what damage we can."

It was a decent idea. But Lorist could not agree. He could not fight another protracted war. He needed a decisive victory that would completely incapacitate the old Union.

"No. We must face them on the field of battle. We must win a decisive victory and end this in one fell swoop. We must wipe their force off the map so we can return home and leave everything to the new Union."

"But, Your Grace, we do not have the numbers to face them on the field. They outnumber us at every level save that of swordsaint," Charade interjected.

"We cannot let the thought of defenses bog us down. We must focus solely on attack. The Ragebear Knights will arrive in a few days. They bring with them 500 bronze cannons. We will use them alongside our ballistae to end this swiftly. They will all die before they reach our lines. Then, when they break, we will run them down like the dogs they are!"

The knights cheered.

"Freiyar, Josk, Yuriy, Waxima, the four of you will move with Jaeger and harass the enemy. Intercept their scouts and informants, but don't face the main force. Strike quickly and precisely only if you can be certain of a quick and safe retreat. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Els, Ovidis, take the sentry legion to Bluwek. Charade, tell Jindoz to mobilize his forces to Bluwek as well, the cavalry division in Callisto too. We don't need them for the main battle, but they should gain some experience fighting against the old Union, they'll have to do it on their own in the future, after all."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Tigersoar will stay with me for the time being. We'll escort the Ragebear knights and the cannons to the front."