Ultimatum
"Greetings, Three Dukes. Though it may be unnecessary, let me introduce myself. I am the 14th King of Elfrieden, King Souma."
The meeting began quite bluntly, and in his mind, clumsily. But to others, it was at least a start. However, the reaction from the others weren't anywhere near as smooth.
"…You're so young…"
Excel may have well pointed a dagger at him if she were in the same room. "Castor!"
"Oh. Right." Clearing his throat, he continued, "I am Duke Castor Vargas, Air General."
The reason for Castor's minor slipup wasn't completely unwarranted, but definitely unprofessional. Humans age, at least in their youth to adulthood, very much in the same way most other races do. This being that from their young years, they would grow up to be adults, meaning their body stopped growing, and from there, would continue to age. The main difference, of course, is that certain races, like dragonewts, elves, sirens, and dragons, will keep their looks well past their years, whereas humans and beastkin often show their age just based off their looks. An example of this is Excel Walter, someone who looks no older than 25, is actually 512 years old. Of course, bringing this up to her is a good way to earn her ire. Though Castor never knew how old she was, he did make the grave mistake of guessing.
Nonetheless, after his introduction, the other two followed suit. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness. I am Navy General Duchess Excel Walter."
From her greeting alone, Souma felt that he should take notes from her. She was certainly experienced in this regard and, at least in his eyes, was easier to talk to than Testa. While Testa certainly had a wealth of experience to draw from, despite being acquainted with each other for over half a year, he still felt awkward to ask her for favors.
Soon after came the last man's introduction. "I am George Carmine, Army General."
The response was quite curt and to the point, which Souma felt was almost a dismissal of the situation. For Duke Carmine, all of this was nothing more than a glorified formality. He already had his heart set on fighting the king and was not going to back down in the slightest. Souma understood this perfectly, and so, despite the veiled pained look on Liscia's face, largely ignored him for the beginning of his opening statement.
"Today marks my ultimatum. Since the moment I came to the throne, I have given you each plenty of time to respond to my multiple requests for your assistance, and you have each refused. Due to the sudden nature of my ascension to the throne, I will not hold any of you responsible for any wrongdoing on that end should you choose to ally with me. However, right now is your last chance. Should you continue to defy my orders, then I will be forced to declare you as traitors." He paused for a moment. "I would like to hear your opinions on this."
Excel was the first to speak up. "I have something to ask, sire."
"Continue."
"What are your plans for the three duchies?"
This was something important to her, and something that he had to have a good response to as well. Even though they have shown opposition to him, the fact of the matter is that throughout the history of the country, they have loyally served as long as they have been around. Doing something like taking away their land would be nothing short of foolish. Essentially, she was asking if they would be granted the same level of independence that they were previously able to enjoy under King Albert.
"Should you join me, I will not lay a hand on the duchies that you preside over. However, the ducal armies will be unified into the Royal Army to serve directly under the King. Additionally, outside of security, nobility will be forbidden to have any private armed forces."
"I see…" came the reserved response. Certainly, this was asking for quite a bit, and no doubt he knew that, but she could also see the reason for such a stance against this. Castor, however, saw the very clear flaw that this would create.
"…Do you understand what this would mean? What it would create? The whole reason for the ducal armies was to prevent the centralization of power. This country is homogenous in race, but the royal family is human. If someone were to ascend the throne and start implementing human supremacy policies, we would have the ability to overthrow them. Now tell me, sire, why would you ever think to remove this failsafe?!"
This was something that Souma knew would come up sooner or later in the discussion. Castor was quite livid, and it was for a good reason. After all, by centralizing power, there wouldn't be many people who could stop him if he wound up becoming a tyrant, since the armies would all be under him. Still, he addressed it in its entirety.
"Yes, I fully understand what I am doing. However, let me explain my reasoning. The three ducal armies are great for when the times are peaceful. This system of checks and balances works splendidly when there are little to no external threats. However, this isn't the case anymore. With the rampant instability this world is experiencing, it isn't an exaggeration to say that this country's future is on the line. Having a divided force only adds to that instability when action is needed, especially with Amidonia knocking on our door and with no one knowing what the Demon Lord's Domain is doing. And that is just our most present threats to this country. I'm sure you know of plenty more that threaten us."
While Castor certainly understood this reason, he still wasn't fully convinced. "And if you were to turn tyrannical, who, exactly, would hold you accountable? Especially if you have the entire force of the military on your side?"
Souma had to hold himself back from scoffing at the notion. "I doubt you will believe me, but I have absolutely no interest in becoming a tyrant. Should the people no longer see me fit as king, I will happily abdicate the throne."
"Hmph. Talk is easy, but if the time comes, would you still be willing?"
"Then if I refuse, stage a revolution and take my head! Without the people on my side, there would be very little I could actually do to retain power. Resorting to tyrannical means would only ensure my death."
While Castor looked quite miffed at his words, he offered no other response for the time being. Whether or not this was because he was mulling over Souma's previous words, or simply coming up with other arguments is known only to him.
Taking this opportunity, Excel spoke up.
In truth, the whole exchange between Excel and Souma was all just formalities, similar to Duke Carmine. The difference is that Excel has long sworn allegiance to Souma, just in secret. The whole reason as to why she has not made it public is for a few reasons. One, is to try and convince Castor to join her, and two, is to smoke out anyone who is still undecided. If nobles decided to join the king's side just because Excel joined, rather than coming up with their own reason to join, that would make them nothing more than opportunists, and also much more difficult to remove from the kingdom.
"I hear that you are making a new port city. What, may I ask, is going to be the fate of Lagoon City?"
The answer she got was in line with what she expected. "The new city is mainly going to be a tourist destination. I wished to remove the tourist aspect from Lagoon City simply because it acts as our only naval base, and that creates a huge conflict of interest. What I wish to have Lagoon City do is continue to act as our naval base. This includes all the duties that it has done prior."
"Hmm. That is a relief to my ears. Then, sire, I declare that I, Duchess Excel Walter, and the Elfrieden Navy, are yours to command from this moment onwards."
With that public declaration, the meeting seemed to halt for several moments, though in reality was less than a couple seconds. Duke Carmine showed no change in emotion, outside of his guarded look with his arms crossed, and Duke Vargas simply showed a resigned look at the news. Trying to capitalize on this, Souma extended his hand once again.
"Duke Vargas, I'll ask for your support once more."
Even though Castor looked like he was at his wits end, he still didn't even hesitate to refuse. "I cannot. I'm sure there is merit in what you said since Duchess Excel has sided with you, but I refuse to believe that Duke Carmine has opposed you without a good reason." He paused, though mainly to set his thoughts in order. "I have fought for this country for over 200 years, since the king before King Albert. I would like to believe that we are on good terms, or at least enough to tell us about important decisions. And yet, without any consultation or warning, he hands the crown over to someone who just appeared out of nowhere. I can't wrap my head around that."
Souma deeply empathized with the man. So much that he also let out from under his breath, "Yeah, I'd like to know the answer to that one, too."
Seeing as not even Souma knew what was going on, Castor turned his attention to Liscia. "Have your parents told you anything? As to why he was given more special treatment than the other two?"
"Forgive me, Duke Vargas, but my parents are adamant about remaining indifferent throughout this whole process. They've also not told me anything about their decision regarding Souma as being king, only asking that I support him."
Castor looked directly at Liscia for the entirety of her explanation and came to the conclusion that she was telling the truth. Which just confused him more than anything else and left him with more questions. Why wouldn't you inform your own daughter about a decision that would affect the rest of her life? Even if Souma is as every bit as capable as his staunchest supporters believe him to be, why couldn't he have been placed in the same position as Rimuru or Testa, and then earn the right to the throne after a few great years of service? Sure, it would go against the monarchy, but at least people would know exactly what kind of person would ascend the throne.
"I see…" Castor could only exclaim at the immense oddity of the situation.
Seeing that Castor was done speaking, Souma moved on to the third person in the meeting, who was one of the sources for all his headaches. George Carmine was someone who, quite honestly, he was scared of. His entire demeanor, the sort of energy that he was radiating, was akin to that of a time bomb that was self-controlled. Nonetheless, he still addressed him.
"Duke Carmine," Souma began, and instantly the duke's eyes were on him, giving an almost eerie feeling of looking through the screen. "Given that you are sheltering the nobles that are either convicted of or under investigation of corruption, I won't even try to persuade you against me."
Taking a breath to steel himself, he then said, "My only question is, why?"
In response, George simply scoffed, and said, "Pride. Every warrior has a dream to leave behind a legacy that people will look back on. And now that one of the greatest opportunities has presented itself to me, I would be foolish not to take it, especially with my aging body."
Souma didn't really know what to expect from the prideful duke, but that answer was something completely outside anything he even envisioned. He would be willing to turn as a traitor for something as stupid as pride?
"I… can't even begin to imagine how someone would do something that stupid just for their pride. That is just… foolish."
"Hmph. A fool I may be, but that is what it takes to be a warrior. To be able to charge into the battlefield with the threat of death constantly by your side is a path only a foolish man would take. To be able to win, even snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, is the glory that all fools aspire towards."
Somewhere, somehow, Souma understood such a ridiculous statement. Definitely not from any logical point of view, but it was still a resonating statement to him. At the very least, enough for him to show resolve.
In a grim, yet confident voice, Souma declared, "If that's the path that you've chosen, then I will trample over you."
For a brief second, so short that he felt he imagined it, he could see a slight smile on the beastkin's face, before it changed back to continue its stony persona. "You will not trample over me with half-hearted resolve." He said gravely.
Souma stood up at the rebuttal and said, "And I have plenty of it!" Taking a couple breaths to cool him down, he then said, "But, to make sure that there is no needless casualties, let's make an agreement. If any one of us is captured, their respective troops will aid the victor. I hope that is fair enough treatment for all of us."
"If that's the case, then when the time comes, please take care of my troops." Castor said after nodding. Souma thought it was quite strange how he would still choose to go against him if he believed that he would lose. After all, his very life was on the line. Souma, once again, felt that he would never understand these warrior types. As for George, he simply 'hmphed' and nodded his head in approval.
"Well, I see no reason to stay here any longer. I have my own matters to attend to now." Just as George was about to dismiss himself, Liscia spoke up.
"Wait! Duke Carmine!"
The duke's head snapped back to look at Liscia, who was staring at him with a fiery gaze. Taking out her rapier, she, in an act of defiance, or perhaps determination, cut off her hair at her shoulders, shocking everyone present, including the dukes. Following this seemingly bizarre act, she boldly stated, "This is my resolve, Duke Carmine. I will trample you alongside Souma."
While he was certainly shocked by her actions, her words brought him back to his senses. Gaining a ferocious grin, almost like he was looking at big game, he said, "You can show your resolve here, princess, but true resolve is shown on the battlefield." With those words, he promptly walked out of the room. The meeting didn't really go anywhere after that, and so it was ended soon after.
"What was the whole cutting your hair about?" Souma asked.
"I mean, it was more of a statement to declare that I've changed with a new look…" Truth be told, Liscia didn't really have a massive statement in mind when she cut her hair, and it was evident when her words grew more silent towards the end of her sentence. Hoping to gain at least something out of it, she asked, "Why? Don't like it?"
Souma realized the hidden meaning behind her words. "I mean… you kind of have the natural beauty to pull off any look, so just about anything works on you."
"Aww…" Liscia was touched by his comment, but then ruined the moment by saying, "You're spending too much time with Rimuru."
"What?!" To him, that almost felt like an insult. He certainly respected Rimuru in his own right, but he couldn't help but feel that his extremely carefree attitude was directly perpendicular to his own.
Of course, what she was actually referring to was more of his way of giving a noncommittal answer to certain questions, but it seemed he was still too inexperienced to figure that out.
In any case, the two left the broadcasting room to meet with the people waiting outside. Once they saw Liscia's new look, that was the main talk between all of them, which helped lighten the mood from what was the inevitable outcome. Soon after, however, the issue was brought to light when Testa asked, "Well? How did it go?"
Souma's face, initially joyful, transformed into a grimmer and more dutiful look. "Things went in the worst possible way for us. Now, instead of fighting a war on two fronts, we are looking to fight a war on three fronts due to Duke Vargas also siding with Duke Carmine."
She nodded her head at this. Though Testa often spent her time more with Rimuru and Hinata, she was still an expert when it came to politics, and especially war. Therefore, she was well ingratiated in the planning aspect along with Souma and Hakuya. Together, the three of them developed plenty of different strategies as to outcomes that were probable to even the outcomes that were completely unexpected, such as Amidonia making ties with another country and invading Elfrieden. Currently, while Souma was wrong in saying that it was the worst possible outcome, it was certainly going to be an uphill battle for them, as they were relying on the air force to quickly subjugate Duke Carmine's forces, assimilate the land army into the forbidden army, and then with their larger force, tackle the Amidonian army.
However, with things going as they are now, they first needed to deal with Duke Vargas first. Thankfully, there was a plan in place for that, but that meant Souma's trump card that was Testa would be used in full force against Castor. Initially, he wanted to save it for Amidonia, but Testa convinced him that in this situation, it would be best to use her against Castor, as it would be unlikely that there was an Amidonian spy in their forces, and therefore prevent an information leak before they were ready to fight Amidonia.
Unfortunately, that still meant that they would have to divert extra recourses to dealing with Castor, and since Testa couldn't just go in there alone, at least if she wanted to keep her identity a secret, that meant a few extras would need to support her. As Souma was brainstorming ideas, Rimuru went and said, "How about I go with Testa and Hinata?"
Everyone, sans the other two, looked at him like he was crazy.
"Umm, Rimuru," Liscia began, "I hope you seriously don't mean to storm a fortress with just three people. Especially one that houses one of the greatest soldiers known to the country. I know you're strong and all, but that's just…"
Hakuya continued where she left off. "If you three could even do such a thing, there would hardly need to be point for any sort of tactics with that level of strength. It's one thing to break it down from the inside, but we're talking about a full-on assault here."
"Ehh? But with Hinata's lightning, we could just smoke them out from inside and then have a much more open playing field."
What Rimuru was thinking, albeit very impromptu, was to get them out from the castle into the open skies. From there, Hinata and Testa would be able to use lightning magic to essentially snipe them from a safe distance.
"Umm, I know that Duke Vargas seems to be quite hot-headed, but I highly doubt he would take the initiative in a defensive battle. The more likely outcome is that he will just wait until Hinata and Lady Testa are exhausted of their magic."
Jesus. Even Aisha is using her brain. Still, I think that this strategy holds some merit.
Just as he was about to defend himself, Souma spoke up. "Actually, Rimuru's strategy, as stupid as it is, is one of our better ones. We can't devote too many resources to dealing with Castor. That being said," he announced just as opposition was about to be raised from Hakuya and Liscia, "I don't want you three going alone. It's far too dangerous by yourselves, so I want to come with you as well, followed by some elite soldiers."
This created a whole new set of issues. First and foremost, was the fact that some of the most valuable people in the kingdom were congregated on one attack with minimal backup. Secondly, this was in direct contrast to what Rimuru had planned. While he did plan to smoke them out, while they were busy fighting, he would be able to sneak inside and take out Castor without much of a problem. This did involve making Testa and Hinata as bait, but now, that bait would also include Souma, and he was sure that the man himself would have more than a few choice words to say.
Fortunately, that idea was immediately shot down. "Forgive me, your highness, but there is no way you are participating in a subjugation force with such few people. Especially with one of our best people specializing in crowd control, there would simply be too much quality dedicated to Castor."
Hakuya figured that Souma would be much better off either dealing with Duke Carmine or sitting in the castle, letting his puppets to the work for him through his ability. After all, it was a much safer bet than whatever the hell he was thinking. And besides, Souma, by himself, was no fighter.
In the end, it was decided that Rimuru would go with Hinata, Testa, and a group of veteran soldiers. Souma would have much rather had Hinata help with Duke Carmine, but Rimuru was able to sweet talk/bullshit his way into convincing everyone else that this was for the best.
He was sometimes loathed to admit it, but he picked this up from Veldora, who, through his sheer confidence alone, was often able to make people believe, or at the very least spare some thought for some of the most ridiculous ideas.
Now it was just a matter of picking who would go with them.
"Do you know what this is about?"
"I'm guessing," began a man through a sigh, "that this is related to the war. If you actually used that head of yours, you might know that."
The other man he was talking to was quite offended at that statement. Normally, he would try and fight him right then and there, but as they were on a tight schedule, such things would have to wait. "Well, obviously. I'm asking why it was Lord Ludwin himself who came to us. Normally, he just gets a squire to do it."
"Well, Mitch, it probably means that someone pretty high up called for us. If I'm guessing, it was probably the king, the queen, or that black robed minister."
"Or maybe it was Lady Hinata…"
Hinata.
She has grown quite the following ever since training the princess and Aisha, even to the point that some, like Mitch, would refer to her with honorifics. However, there was a growing divide amongst the soldiers as to whether she should use her skills to train them or not. On one hand, many of them recognized that it wasn't her job, as her job was primarily to be a bodyguard. The other group saw her insane talent and wanted it to be shared to strengthen the army, as they personally were able to witness the growth of Aisha and Liscia.
In either case, none would ever turn down tutelage from Hinata, and so, with a faint hope, Mitch wondered if that was the case.
"Of course not, you idiot. Why would someone who specializes in speed want to train a big oaf like you? If anything, she would train me."
Seeing the smug grin on his compatriot's face, Mitch went red in the face. "You know what, Cane?! How about I smash your head into these walls?!"
"Bring it on, fat boy! Though that's only if you can actually catch me!"
Holding no regard for the rules, the two were about to duke it out before a very familiar figure appeared into view.
"Soldiers! Where are your manners?!" Ludwin barked. "Seriously. You two can't be left alone for even five seconds."
Mitch was quick to point fingers. "He started it."
"I don't care who started it." Ludwin angrily stated. "Your king summoned you. At the very least, show a modicum of respect."
Upon hearing Ludwin's words, the two immediately straightened up and saluted. At this point, Ludwin could only sigh and shake his head. The two men, Cane and Mitch, actually were quite the fighters in their own right. Mitch was a fit for the stereotypical oaf, that being strong and a bit slow in the head. As a tall man who was only a few centimeters shorter than Hal, and with a bulkier build than Hal, he had a colossal amount of strength. In the royal army, he was actually one of the strongest people there was until he was humbled by Aisha. Add his affinity to earth magic and he was quite the force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Cane, on the other hand, was almost diametrically opposed to mitch in almost every physical aspect. Not only was he quite a bit smarter than Mitch, but he relied much more on speed and agility than just raw strength. After all, being almost a head shorter than Mitch, his reach and strength were considerably less than his comrade's. However, his affinity for wind magic made him an excellent fighter able to weave throughout the battlefield and excel at one-on-one fights.
After their scolding from Ludwin, the two quickly hurried up to where Souma was, and were briefed by Souma and Hakuya as to what they were going to do. If they were allowed to speak, they would have said that it was nothing short of a suicide mission, and that attacking Duke Vargas's fortress with so few people is absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, Ludwin's gaze silenced any thoughts they had of voicing those opinions.
What was even more ridiculous is that this plan was being put in motion today, and they were to report at their departure point in 45 minutes. Since the necessities like food and clothing had been prepared for them, they didn't have much else to pack other than their weapons and armor. Additionally, they were all using a modified carriage pulled by a rhino courtesy of Tomoe.
This did give them extended time to talk with the twenty or so extra people joining them, as well as the main stars who were helping them, primarily being Testa, Hinata, and Rimuru. Fortunately, the trio's lackadaisical confidence was quite infectious, and rather than everyone thinking that they have been sent off to complete an impossible mission, they trusted in the summoned people's powers. After all, they had an incredible healer on their team, someone who specialized in lighting, and, if the rumors were true, someone who was able to match Hinata in swordsmanship.
After a surprisingly little amount of time, the group arrived near the border of Duke Vargas's territory, and in the night sky, the fortress loomed over the horizon, almost taunting them to try and attack. Thankfully, as it was nighttime, the group was able to get some rest with Hinata and Rimuru opting to stand guard for the first rotation.
Come morning, the attack on Red Dragon