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“What the hell do you want, traitor?”

As expected, there was no point in expecting the lord to keep up the pleasantries now that Saulus had revealed his cards. But just the fact that he came out to the top of the walls in order to talk with Saulus, instead of throwing his heaviest spells from behind cover spoke wonders about his intentions.

In reality, the exchange of curses right now was nothing more than a way for both Rena and Saulus to prove their dedication to the case, before dropping the pretense and actually making a deal that would be unsuitable for either of their agendas.

“Is it really that hard to guess? I came to receive your surrender.”

Ignoring the aspect of Rena’s pride was a risky tactic, but Saulus didn’t really have that much of a choice. With his troops still dirty with blood from fighting, they had to receive some kind of satisfaction. After all, it wasn’t the first legion that the young general commanded, but the second one. Unless he could keep his troops happy over the period of time that it would take Saulus to turn them from greenhorn to veteran soldiers, there would be no telling whether they would decide to stick with him throughout the entire campaign.

“Surrender? Are you out of your mind? I still have more than enough troops to defend this place! Heck, just my magic alone will be enough to keep peasants like you away from this fortress! What reason do I have for surrender?!”

There were only three options. First, Rena was simply too stupid to realize how bad his situation was. Holding on to the fortress even with all its food supplies was currently the only thing that the old lord could do. With the fortress enclosed in the city wall, its only real purpose would be to hold off the enemies for long enough for a relief force to appear. And that was the second possibility.

Rena could still count on some force to help him. Saulus was nowhere near done with conquering the lands of the former Burn household. The western flank was secured, be it by the temporary peace-treaty offered by the local lords, or just thanks to Istoa guarding the passage. But the south, with its wide-open plains and steppes, was still open.

And there was no telling when the two highly patriotic lords stationed in the southern cities would make their move.

But there was still a possibility that Rena was counting on playing out according to the rules of the third scenario. One where he was perfectly aware of how awful his situation was, limiting his actions right now to attempting to negotiate better terms.

And this was the option that Saulus was willing to put his cards on.

“I will cut the crap, and I expect you to do the same. This is a one-time, non-negotiable offer. Leave this place. You can take your personal retinue with you and as many rations as you guys can carry. What’s more, I will even allow you to carry as much gold as you personally will be able. Finally, I will give you my word as a general that no harm will come your way from my troops. What do you…”

Before Saulus could even finish, a gentle tap on his shoulder alerted him that something else was about to happen. Noticing who was responsible for this touch, Saulus could feel his heart freezing.

“You will get a royal pardon. While you might not know me, I do know you. And I cannot ignore the fact that you were the only one who ever spared my brethren.”

Stepping up, Venna made her official appearance. Dressed in her insane, white dress, she looked so out of place that no one could have any doubts about who she really was.

“…”

This situation had to be surprising for the lord in the fortress as well. For a moment, not a single person dared to intrude on the tense atmosphere that enveloped everyone near the walls.

“You heard her, Rena. Don’t try to be a hero. You should know well that you lost already. Isn’t it just less hassle for both of us to each go our own way?”

This time, Saulus appeared in the same way that he would usually appear back in the royal chambers of the old patriarch. Full of confidence, calmly speaking about matters that were too basic for anyone to not understand. Taking just his words into account, one could only ponder how stupid he or she has to be to not see the reality as clearly as he laid it out.

“Spare me? Royal pardon? Big words for someone I could kill with a single snap of my fingers right now…”

The voice from the wall didn’t sound nice at all. In fact, in this moment, Saulus’ mind broke into a myriad of pieces, only to assemble back in a combat mode. As soon as it dawned on him that Rena could truly do what he claimed, Saulus prepared himself to jump right into the path of his potential attack.

“But that would be utterly stupid of me. You are right, there is no point in any further bloodshed. But before I make any decision, let me bring something up. You conveniently happened to forget about the matter of my troops…”

Calming down the situation a bit with his next sentence, Rena proved to be a rather reasonable man. Worried about his impulsivity, seeing how there was some foundation of an agreement with the former lord of the city, Saulus could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“They will have three options. If they are from old Retesia, they will be given the right to return to their homeland and families, but I don’t think they will be happy to do so once learning about the state of events there.”

The rest of the talk went exactly as Saulus expected. Known for how greedy and careful he was with his troops, it was only natural for Rena to bring the matter of them up. With how he treasured them, there was no way he would just cast them aside.

“Those who were recruited locally will be able to either join my own army or settle in the lands that I will provide for them. They will be given all the necessary help to establish themselves in a particular location, and with the blessing of Firstborns, they will be able to either remain there or return to their own families once this bloody mess comes to an end.”

The idea of creating a single, secluded location where Rena’s former troops could be stationed was an idea both dangerous and brilliant. With enough help provided, they could easily turn any given place into a prosperous settlement, creating a new tax base for the young household.

And just in case of any attempts at rebelling, Saulus would know where his entire opposition would originate from!

“I see… Those are terms I’m willing to accept your surrender under.”