“…I will give up on the prisoner negotiations.”
Kalmar boldly gave up on the negotiations when Otto refused to lower the ransom.
“Our country does not negotiate against the enemy. Instead."
Kalmar added with a look of determination.
“After the autumn harvest, I will personally lead the army and march to rescue our soldiers.”
It was a bold move.
Marching personally.
The act of a king personally going to war and leading his troops.
It was an expression of the king's willingness to take responsibility for previous defeats and to take matters into his own hands.
Moreover, by declaring that the king would personally rescue the prisoners, the dissatisfaction of the people could be somewhat alleviated even without immediately paying the ransom.Of course, if he failed in this endeavor, not only would his royal power fall, but the very foundations of the kingdom would be shaken to the core.
“Inform the Lota Kingdom. Either agree to a sum approximately one-fifth of the amount previously proposed, or there will be no negotiations.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Having made the decision, Kalmar immediately began preparing for the next war.
He issued a conscription order to gather troops, while also producing military supplies and conducting military training, preparing to invade the Iota Kingdom once again.
The news quickly reached the Lota Kingdom.
“The Cherokee Kingdom has refused the negotiations.”
Camille reported to Otto.
“They say they will not agree unless it is one-fifth of the proposed amount.”
“Is that so? Then let it be.”
“Huh?”
“If they won't negotiate, it's fine by me.”
"….?"
“Kalmar is like a long-handled scratcher, a real lifesaver. He scratches the places that are itchy.¹
“What do you mean by that?”
“Honestly, right now, we need labor more than money.”
“Eh…?”
“Tell them to put all the prisoners from the Cherokee Kingdom into construction work. It’s better than taking our own people and making them work.”
“Ah!”
Camille suddenly understood Otto's intentions and was impressed.
Deploying prisoners for the construction work would be much cheaper than using the citizens, and it would also significantly reduce dissatisfaction.
“And what about our troops?”
Camille asked Otto.
“Do we increase the intensity of training for war for the time being?”
“No.”
Otto shook his head.
“We're not going to fight the Cherokee Kingdom army.”
“What?”
“And Drake will handle the training portion, so you can forget about it. For now, we'll focus on our personal training.”
“Your Highness.”
Camille asked Otto in a low voice.
“I already know that His Majesty has many secrets from experience, but at least you should tell me what’s going on.”
“Secrets….”
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“If you look at the history books…”
Otto replied.
“Every 278 years, there are immense rains in the western part of the continent.”
“What?”
“There are massive floods every 278 years. If you don’t believe me, look through the historical records of this region.”
That statement was true.
The upcoming great flood was a frequent subject in various historical records.
But for one reason or another, the fact that they occur on a 278-year cycle was still not well understood.
The cycle is so long, and due to various historical events, accidents, and loss of records, there’s no one who notices and prepares for the anticipated catastrophe.
‘It’s also an event featured in Kalmar’s scenario.'
Kalmar is among the 100 Lords characters, so it's only natural that he would have a holy relic in his scenario.
One of them was a Holy Relic related to the Great Flood.
“I'm preparing for that Great Flood.”
“Ah.”
“Not just us, but the Cherokee Kingdom will be submerged as well, and many people will die. When the great flood comes, epidemics will also break out.”
“So you're preparing for that Catastrophe?”²
“Yes.”
Otto nodded his head.
“That's also why we need Drake. We won't be fighting the Cherokee Kingdom's army. Our opponent this time is water, so we'll need a Navy, right?”
“…My God.”
Camille found it hard to believe Otto’s words.
However, considering that Otto had presented evidence and had never once lied so far…
“I understand.”
Camille decided to trust Otto.
“Your orders, I will faithfully carry them out.”
“Good, that's good.”
Otto smiled at Camille.
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The Lota Kingdom immediately embarked on a large-scale construction endeavor.
The Lota Kingdom began constructing levees along rivers, lakes, and low-lying areas.
In addition, they produced lifeboats and also made life jackets.
Furthermore, they even stockpiled a massive amount of medical supplies.
Needless to say, all of this was done with labor provided by Cherokee war prisoners.
And the news reached the ears of Kalmar, King of the Cherokee Kingdom.
The Cherokee Kingdom, not being foolish, had placed spies throughout various areas of the Iota Kingdom.
“…What the hell.”
After reading the report, Kalmar could not make sense of the Lota Kingdom's movements.
The war was not over yet.
It was just a temporary lull.
It was already a foregone conclusion that the Cherokee Kingdom would invade the Lota Kingdom again once they had finished their reorganization.
‘The Lota Kingdom ought to prepare for war.'
That was a rational and logical move.
‘Even if they issue a conscription order and conduct military training, it would still be insufficient. Yet, they are carrying out large-scale construction projects and building levees.'
Of course, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It’s not unusual for natural disasters to occur at any time in the world.
A Lord should always invest in national infrastructure to prepare for natural disasters.
It never hurts to be prepared for anything in advance.
However, this was not the time for massive civil works to prepare for potential flooding.
Given the imminent war, it was imprudent to be depleting Kingdom resources on large-scale construction projects. Preparing for the flood while facing an approaching conflict seemed like a misallocation of resources and effort.
‘How dare he disregard me and my kingdom?'
For Kalmar, that was the only way to interpret it.
Because common sense dictates that they wouldn't do it otherwise.
‘Indeed, it makes sense. They have achieved such great victories from the very beginning of the conflict. It’s understandable for them to disregard me and my country. It’s not a bad thing for me, though.'
If the enemy is letting their guard down on their own, Kalmar had no reason to refuse such an opportunity.
Although it was unpleasant.
‘Otto de Scuderia. The price of your recklessness will not be small.'
Kalmar gritted his teeth and vowed revenge.
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Meanwhile, Drake, who had been summoned to the Iota Kingdom, was officially knighted.
“I, Otto de Scuderia, King of the Kingdom of Lota.”
Otto said, tapping his sword lightly against Drake's shoulder and head.
“I appoint Francis Drake Lord of the Gurling Archipelago, and I grant him the title of Marquis. I also appoint Francis Drake as Admiral of the Navy and grant him the rank of Fleet Admiral.”
“Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.”
As promised, Otto held a grand inauguration ceremony for Drake.
Given the circumstances in the Gurling Archipelago, where the previous ceremony had been conducted in a simplified manner, Otto organized a proper and elaborate inauguration ceremony for Drake.
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
Drake, finally achieving a dream he thought was unattainable, had tears welling up in his eyes…
*Drip*
Blood flowed from the crown of Drake’s head.
“…Huh?”
Drake was startled to see the bright red blood running down his nose.
“Oops.”
Otto scratched the back of his head, as if he had forgotten about it.
“I forgot that it’s not a ceremonial sword and that it’s sharp. Haha. Hahaha."
“…….”
“Oh well. It's not like you're going to die. We can stitch it up, we'll patch it up.”
Thus, Drake unintentionally had a "bloody" inauguration ceremony and officially became a noble of the Lota Kingdom.
“Everything's okay in the Gurling Archipelago?“”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then stay here for a while and teach our soldiers how to swim.”
“Huh?”
“Teach them basic swimming techniques and how to rescue people from the water. Provide some fundamental training.”
“You want me to train them up?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
It was no exaggeration to say that there was no one better than Drake to serve as an instructor for training in aquatic operations.
Drake and his men were all familiar with the vast expanse of the ocean, and they were the perfect people to teach them to swim.
Thus, the soldiers of Lhe Iota Kingdom began learning how to swim from Drake and his subordinates in the Royal Navy.
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“T-This!”
Meanwhile, Sullivan, the astronomer and meteorologist of the Cherokee Kingdom, discovered something peculiar while analyzing ancient documents during his research.
By analyzing various historical records, he realized that the western region of the continent experienced heavy rainfall every 278 years.
Sullivan, driven by curiosity, sought out more data, and the results were indeed astounding.
The rainfall every 278 years was so immense that it could flood the entire western region of the continent, turning it into a sea.
“A great flood… a great flood is coming.”
The descriptions of the great flood in the historical records were truly catastrophic.
It was incomprehensible how such a massive catastrophe had not been known or noticed by anyone until now.
‘Why did no one notice? Even if the cycle is long, if such a great flood has occurred repeatedly, there should have been many who would have been aware.'
Meanwhile, Sullivan discovered the existence of a very mysterious relic in some of the ancient texts.
‘I can't believe such a mysterious relic existed!' he thought.
The details about the relic were simply unbelievable.
The stone column, called “Varuna's Water Pillar,” was said to always regulate the weather and climate of a particular region.
It was also said to protect against floods, so there would be no weather-related natural disasters or catastrophes in the region where it was located.
Coincidentally, the supposed location of Varuna's water pillar is…….
‘Twisted Wilderness!'
Sullivan was convinced that the Varuna's Water Pillar was located in an area on the border of what is now the Lota and Cherokee Kingdoms.
Ancient texts indicate that an ancient city-state that thrived in the area was once home to the Varuna's Water Pillar.
‘I must quickly inform His Majesty of this matter!'
Sullivan used all his connections to find a way to meet with the current king, Kalmar.
Since it was not easy for an astronomer and meteorologist to meet the king, Sullivan requested an audience through the nobles who had supported him.
A few days later.
“I see, Your Majesty.”
Sullivan was granted an audience with Kalmar, who had recently ascended to the throne.
“I heard that you wished to have a direct audience with me.”
While preparing for the reinvasion of the Iota Kingdom, Kalmar heard that a scholar named Sullivan was requesting an audience and readily made time for him.
Kalmar had already been uneasy upon hearing that the Lota Kingdom was preparing for a flood, so he granted the audience, hoping it might shed some light on the situation.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sullivan bowed his head to Kalmar.
“I requested this audience because I have urgent matters to discuss with Your Majesty.”
“What is it? You may speak at your ease.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sullivan said cautiously.
“A tremendous flood is about to happen.”
“What do you mean by that?"
"That is…."
Sullivan shared with Kalmar the results of his research that he had been working on for the past few months.
Including the story about the Varuna's Water Pillar.
"I-Is that really true?!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sullivan bowed his head.
“There is a high probability that heavy rain will fall in October, leading to a great flood. We must prepare immediately.”
“And that preparation is….”
“Send the knights to the Twisted Wilderness to find the Column of Varuna. If we have that mysterious artifact, we will be able to overcome the impending catastrophe safely.”
In all honesty, Kalmar didn't trust Sullivan 100 percent.
However, it was undeniable that the situation was too unsettling to ignore.
‘Perhaps the reason the Lota Kingdom is preparing for a flood is because they might already know that a great flood is coming.'
Thinking this way, a sudden sense of urgency and crisis arose.
“Very well. I will urgently dispatch my knights to search for that mysterious artifact.”
Kalmar trusted Sullivan’s words and dispatched his knights to the Twisted Wilderness.
*Tacata!* *Tacata!* *Tacata!*
As the Cherokee Kingdom's knights made their way through the Twisted Wilderness.
“Be careful!”
“Slowly!”
A massive column, nearly 20 meters tall, was being transported into the Lota Royal Palace.
“Whoa. It's huge.”
A smile tugged at Otto's lips as he watched the process.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Metaphor to describe Kalmar as someone who helps relieve discomfort or solve problems, much like a back-scratcher relieves an itch.
2. A Great Flood can be considered as both a Catastrophe and a Disaster depending on the scope of damage. Used Catastrophe instead since it's large in scale.
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