āWhen do you think the accession will take place?ā
āWellā¦ Iām hoping for a month or two. Our first priority is to stabilize the country.ā
After that, we discussed the specific schedule for the accession.
This does not mean that the decision is made, but it is better to have an approximate time.
After the topic of the accession, which was half small talk, we finally got down to business.
ā Can you lend Prince Aldo to us?ā
āā¦Prince Aldo? Why?ā
āTo let Alice kill him.ā
First, we have to free Alice from Aldoās spell. If she kills Aldo with her own hands she should be able to realize that there is nothing binding her anymore.
āUmmā¦ why for such a slave womanā¦ ah, I see!ā
Carlo made a strange face, but then he resolved something on his own and made a satisfied expression.
He grinned and then began talking.
āIām not afraid to cooperate if thatās the case. ā¦However, public executions are a popular pastime. A lot of people want Aldo to be publicly executed.ā
Public executions are like a festival.
In France, the citizens of Paris used to gather in the square to watch the guillotine execution, and all the rooms in the surrounding buildings were rented out just for the execution.
Then, to provide food and entertainment for the people gathered there, approval was given to set up food stalls, and it became a festival.
Then, people who were not interested in the execution but wanted to have fun at the festival gathered and it became a big event.
So, it will be a great event, huh.
Such is the case on the Adernia Peninsula.
Moreover, Aldo, the condemned criminal, is a member of the royal family and a war criminal who brought the Kingdom of Rozel into this country.
The people would love to see his public execution.
āHow about something like this then?ā
Hearing my suggestion, a smile appeared on Carloās face.
āThatās a good idea, it would be very profitable. Letās do it, King Rosyth.ā
Now weāve taken care of Aliceās case.
Next is the prisonersā case.
I could negotiate, but I thinkā¦ Lulu is better at that.
āIāll leave it to Lulu.ā
Carlo also seemed to have similar thoughts as he also let his subordinate do the negotiation. A civil servant who was standing behind him took a step forward.
The civil servant and Lulu started a heated discussion.
The civil servantās face got paler and paler.
His color changed like a traffic light, from red with anger to blue.
āThen, 90% for us whereas 10% for you. Is that okay?ā
I suddenly spoke up and lowered Luluās head.
The civil servant and Prince Carlo looked confused.
āIt is true that our country played the larger role in this war and it is also no mistake that most of the battle results were achieved by our soldiers and generals. However, our soldiers were able to fight in an unfamiliar foreign country because of Prince Carloās guidance. It is thanks to the people of this country who gladly provided us with a place to sleep that we could fight. They did us a great favor. I think seven to three is a good ratio.ā
Of course, my country is seven, and Prince Carloās country is three.
The civil servant and Prince Carlo were shocked because I reduced my share from 90% to 70% willingly.
Are you okay with that?Ā King Rosyth. As for me, I owe a debt to your country. You didnāt get your territory from the Kingdom of Rozel. The land we are ceding to you is not very large. The compensation is also small. If you want all the prisoners, I am willing to acceptā¦ā
āNo thanks. I didnāt save you for profit. I started the war in order to fulfill my righteousness. As a result, we fought against the Kingdom of Rozel and other neighboring countries, and sacrificed a lot, but we were able to fulfill our duty too. Thatās enough for me.ā
Carloās eyes welled up as if he was moved by my words.
He grasped my hand firmly.
āKing Rosyth,Ā what a great man you are. I suppose a man like you is a true King.ā
āYouāre praising too much.ā
I canāt tell you that Rozel gave me a thousand turrants as ransom.
āBut this doesnāt make me feel any better. Letās make this convenient for you. Are there any prisoners of war that you would like to have?ā
āWell, I would like someone with blacksmithing skills and someone with wool weaving skills.ā
When I said that, Carlo looked at the civil servant.
It seems that it is manageable.
Itās a win-win situation.
āButā¦ King Rosyth, just 70%?ā
āItās nothing. Weāve already won enough.ā
Diplomacy is not just about picking off the other side. Especially when the other party is a friendly country.
Even if I make a profit now, if that means having a bad relationship with a friendly country it will ultimately be a loss.
āBut Prince Carlo said it was okay, didnāt he?ā
āEven if Prince Carlo thinks itās a good idea and agrees with it, it doesnāt mean the nobles and people will agree with it. Some of them may not even be willing to pay a small amount of land to our country.ā
A country is not run by one person. We need to make all the upper echelon happy.
āI see. So, itās not just a matter of talking down the other side?
āThatās how it is.ā