"And I apologize for that, Lord Arderlard. You see, we were in the middle of a meeting, discussing how and when we should return the imperial princess to your empire," Artemis replied before asking curiously, "Have you contacted us to share more details about that?"
"Not exactly, Lord Artemis," Baron Arderlard shook his head before mentioning, "We've known each other for years and worked together to survive despite the tension between our two countries. So, as a friend, I want to give you three a chance at life."
"A chance at life?" Artemis and the other two border lords beside her frowned before she asked, "What do you mean by that, Lord Arderlard?"
"I'm asking the three of you to join our empire, Lord Artemis," Baron Arderlard firmly stated.
"If you swear to serve our empire, I can guarantee you will live. Otherwise, once the empire wages war on your kingdom with its full might, your territories will be the first to burn. Please don't take my words as an empty threat; this will definitely happen unless you join our empire's cause."
"Even as we speak, the empire has already gathered over four hundred thousand soldiers at the borders, with more still on the way. Each soldier is armed with at least Peak-Rank 3 to Low-Rank 4 equipment."
"As such, you can expect at least forty-thousand elite soldiers with the combat strength of Rank 4 beings. And as I said, more are still on the way. Your fortified walls and magic won't be able to stop our army's advance."
"Please consider my words seriously, Lord Artemis, Lord Agatha, and Lord Mesulina," Baron Arderlard pleaded solemnly.
What—!?
Artemis, Agatha, and Mesulina were visibly shaken and shocked by Baron Arderlard's information.
"Now, hold on just a moment, Lord Arderlard! What do you mean by starting a war? Does the empire really intend to wage war on our kingdom?" Agatha asked urgently.
"That's right, Lord Arderlard. What about the empire's demand? This matter won't end with handing over the imperial princess?" Mesulina quickly added.
"I'm afraid not," Baron Arderlard shook his head again, seemingly regretfully, before saying, "The empire has always been interested in expanding their domain and influence, and it just so happens that Queen Sybil provided the perfect opportunity for the empire."
"The Kingdom of Black Rose will not receive any help from the other witch kingdoms. Even your ruler, Queen Henrietta, will not be around to lead your kingdom. Therefore, you are alone in this war once its starts. Dragontail, Whitebridge, and Ironhaven will turn into a battlefield of death."
"However, that can be avoided if you join our empire," Baron Aderlard stated.
"Even if what you say is true, how can you guarantee we won't be persecuted once we join your empire?" Artemis asked doubtfully.
"If we openly betray our kingdom, no one will respect or trust us. It'll be difficult for us to conduct any kind of business—no, it'll be difficult live from then onward in general."
"Be that as it may, it's still better than dying, right?" Baroon Arderlard replied before suddenly adding, "Moreover, what you said isn't exactly true. I'm sure your people wouldn't want to die in the war. Thus, they would be grateful to you for saving their lives."
"Furthermore, there is one way I guarantee your livelihood in the empire; our bond through marriage will grant you both the status and wealth to live in the empire without a problem."
"Is that what you are after from the start?" Artemis asked suspiciously before saying, "Your information is too much for us to digest at once. I hope you don't mind giving us some time to think it over before we give you a definite answer."
After all, they couldn't just believe everything Baron Arderlard said to them, even when they had established a long-standing trust between them.
The matter was too huge. They had to confirm Queen Henrietta's absence, at the very least.
"That's fine," Baron Arderlard nodded, understanding Artemis's misgivings, as he mentioned, "I was prepared to give you until the deadline of seven days."
He anticipated Artemis and the other two wouldn't agree immediately. In fact, it would be strange if they readily agreed without fact-checking for themselves.
"However, back on the topic of your meeting, is it safe to assume our imperial princess Dorothy is currently with you?" Baron Arderlard enquired shortly after.
"No," Artemis shook her head and said, "However, we have already notified central about this matter. We should be expecting news about the imperial princess soon."
"In that case, I would like to strike another deal with you, Lord Artemis. We want to send some troops into your country secretly. As such, we would like you to ease the border security and grant them passage," Baron Arderlard stated.
"You want me to sneak your troops through my territory? That's more demanding than any information you've requested in the past years, Lord Arderlard," Artemis said solemnly. "If I get caught, it won't be as simple as a swift execution for me. You know that, right?"
"Of course, that's why it must be carried out in secret," Baron Arderlard acknowledged.
"More importantly, we are prepared to pay a reasonable price for the risk; a Rank 4 Mental Strength Potion from the Wizard Tower. Supposedly, it can boost your mental strength and increase the success of forming the third mana circle by fifty percent."
"What do you think, Lord Artemis? Do you agree?" Baron Arderlard asked shortly after.
However, before Artemis could reply, Agatha mentioned, "You're not really thinking you can strike this deal with Lord Artemis and not include us, are you? Lord Arderlard?"
"Of course not, Lord Agatha," Baron Arderlard acknowledged before adding, "We've prepared a total of three Rank 4 Mental Strength Potions. But, of course, we'll have to increase the number of troops we can send over."
"That's fine with us as long as the number isn't too great," Artemis and the others agreed.
Eventually, the deal was settled.
After going over a few more details, Baron Arderlard cut off his side of the communication, ending the call.
From start to end, Artemis, Agatha, and Mesulina had been reading from a script Vaan made on the go, mixed with their genuine emotions, as the conversation with Baron Arderlard progressed.
At the same time, Vaan and Aeliana had been standing on the blindside of the communicator. Thus, Baron Arderlard had no idea of their presence.
A few moments after Artemis, Agatha, and Mesulina recovered from their temporary memory loss, they couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation.
Just like they were previously told, the empire truly wanted to start a war.
"It seems the empire wants to send troops to infiltrate the kingdom and retrieve Dorothy secretly. I was expecting them to do it at some point, but I didn't expect them to be this bold about it. They were really confident in convincing you three to join them, huh?" Vaan commented.
For three Rank 4 Mental Strength Potions, Artemis and the other two were required to secretly admit three hundred empire soldiers into their kingdom.
Undoubtedly, the empire soldiers would also be the elites of the elites, considering the importance of their mission.
After all, the empire's justification for initiating the war rode on their success.
Even so, three hundred empire soldiers weren't a small number. Most likely, they also had a secondary objective, such as gathering information.
"My Lord, we have already sworn the Oath of Magic. We wouldn't dare think about betraying you and the kingdom!" Artemis and the other two said fearfully.
ραпdǎ Йᴏνêl(сòm) "I know. So don't worry about it," Vaan calmly acknowledged.
He wasn't concerned about that in the least.
At the same time, Artemis, Agatha, and Mesulina felt immediate relief when they realized Vaan was reasonable.
"Baron Arderlard's offer was truly irresistible and tempting, though. But, unfortunately, I doubt I will get a chance to use one," Artemis commented with regret, knowing she wouldn't get a chance to use it even if it was given to her.
"Correct," Vaan nodded.
"If the effects of the empire's Rank 4 Mental Strength Potions are as they claimed, they are far too valuable to be consumed without studying them first."
"However, you don't have to worry. Even without the Rank 4 Mental Strength Potions, I will give the three of you the opportunity to advance to the High Witch rank after we receive the potions from the empire," Vaan assured.
To prove his claim, he picked out a few talented battle witches who had already sworn the Oath of Magic and helped them advance to Early-stage High Witches.
After Artemis, Agatha, Mesulina, and as well as the rest of the battle witches in Fort Whitebridge witnessed it, they were all shocked and impressed.
They began to develop genuine respect and reverence for Vaan.
At the same time, the battle witches became highly motivated to complete the training regime, even if they had to grit through all the pain and suffering.
They wanted to be like the lucky few that advanced to the High Witch rank.
Artemis and the other border lords felt a little regretful since they couldn't receive the opportunity right away. Instead, they were required to remain at the Peak-stage Senior Witch rank until they completed their exchange with the empire to avoid raising suspicions regarding their power.
Nevertheless, the exchange would occur at night when the empire sent its troops through the territory.
The empire's group leader would rendezvous with them at the designated location and hand them the three Rank 4 Mental Strength Potions.
As such, they could afford to wait.
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