Chapter 2

First, I must clarify that this chapter was not written by Baozi. It is being published to provide readers with a better understanding of the background of the story.

Prologue: My child, I am old and can no longer hold my sword, but I must tell you that we must never lose the honor of the Calrad Empire's nobility. We must continue to strive for the restoration of peace in the Calradia continent, fighting until the last man falls and the last drop of blood is shed. Now, as I prepare to depart, I will write down the events that have transpired in the Calrad Empire over the past forty years, hoping that you will gain spiritual elevation from my writings.

Chapter 1: Besieged on All Sides

We are descendants of the old king of Calrad, but not direct descendants, rather close relatives. I grew up in Parvus, enjoying a wonderful childhood during the most glorious period of the Calrad Empire. At that time, Parvus was the most prosperous town in the entire empire, with streets lined with a variety of goods, bustling with people and traffic. Nobles rode in splendid palanquins to various banquets, indulging in music, gambling, and visiting the arena and women. I was fortunate enough to meet the old king a few times; he was a very kind old man, with white hair and a deep gaze, not much of a talker, but sincere. Standing before him always made me feel like standing at the foot of a mountain, making me feel unworthy. Once, as he passed by the palace, he saw us playing with an injured bird. He slowly walked over and told us to be compassionate and not to harm the innocent. The expression and tone of his words have always been unforgettable to me. Watching him leave, his brows furrowed and his steps heavy, as if he carried a thousand mountains on his back, I had no idea what was happening until later, when I learned that the Nords had begun attacking Jiva.

The despicable Nords, hated by all the people of the Calradia continent, were brave and loyal but also incredibly greedy. They did not belong here, yet they sailed in small boats, seeking to establish a foothold in the Calradia continent. The old king was a kind man, treating outsiders with a conciliatory attitude, allocating specific areas for them to live in, as with the Khuzaits, Sarranids, and Vlandians, thus earning their respect. However, the Nords adopted a brutal offensive strategy from the beginning, rather than requesting the same treatment as other outsiders. In this situation, the nobles could no longer tolerate the old king's policy of appeasement and began to request permission to attack the Nords.

The war began in Jiva, a fortress in the northern part of the Calradia continent. If Jiva fell, the Nords would advance unimpeded. The war finally broke out, with the Nords continuously arriving from the sea, dying in waves on the beach. At that time, I had just come of age and joined the army, witnessing the cruelty of the war firsthand. It is worth noting the fearless spirit of the Nords; they spared no effort to capture Jiva, but were repeatedly thwarted. However, our losses were even more severe. Whenever the war horns sounded, it meant a life-and-death gamble. During this time, I met a young man named Bandak, a Rhodok, who was an excellent crossbowman, humble despite his youth. I also met another person, whose name I have forgotten, but we corresponded after he retired. In his letters, he mentioned the death of his wife, leaving behind a son named Aileen.

The war in Jiva remained at a stalemate. Our kind old king finally decided to negotiate a ceasefire with the Nords, who agreed. At that time, our imperial commander, Istreich, ordered me to receive the Nords. It was then that I finally met the leader of the Nords, Gounding. Hrebreks, a leader deeply respected and loved by the Nords. When I first met Gounding. Hrebreks, he seemed like a pirate chief, with messy hair, disheveled clothes, and a domineering attitude, ignoring others. However, he possessed outstanding leadership and military skills and was a warmonger and an ambitious man. His harsh demands during negotiations often infuriated us, and we always felt a sense of being the host in our own home. However, our commander, Istreich, was also a wise man. Although the negotiations were difficult, they eventually reached an agreement. The conditions were: the Calrad Kingdom would treat the Nords as it did the Khuzaits, Sarranids, and Vlandians, allocating the coastal areas of Jiva to the Nords. In return, the Nords were required to live peacefully, avoid trouble, and maintain the stability of the Calradia continent, acknowledging the rule of the Calrad Kingdom. If they failed to comply, the old king would gather forces from all regions of the empire to eliminate the Nords. Under these conditions, a peace agreement was finally reached.

In fact, the imperial commander, Istreich, had always been dissatisfied with the old king's policy of appeasement and avoiding war, especially after seeing the Nords' ambitions. Initially, the entire Calrad Empire, except for the Rhodoks, had no other outsiders. However, with the migration of the Khuzaits, Vlandians, and Sarranids, conflicts frequently arose, and disputes over borders between ethnic groups were common. Now, allowing the restless Nords to enter the Calradia continent was clearly inviting wolves into the fold, leading to self-destruction. If other outsiders were to migrate, the entire continent would be divided among them. Every time Istreich thought about this, he felt deeply uneasy and sighed.

However, it was gratifying that the entire continent finally returned to peace. Gradually, banquets became more frequent, and we spent most of our free time at these events, attracting beautiful noble daughters. During this time, I met Istreich's daughter, Aisul, a very beautiful and dignified woman, different from other noble daughters, which made us all admire her. At the end of the year, a grand celebration was held, and lords from all regions came to Parvus. I saw the Sarranid chieftain, Ezar, and his beautiful wife, Alva, as well as Jelak and his two sons, and many chieftains from Vlandia and Rhodoks. This celebration was to celebrate the return of peace to Calradia, so the controversial Nord leader, Gounding. Hrebreks, did not attend, sending his subordinate, Hakrim, instead. Hakrim brought his son, Levins, who was a child at the time, smart and lively, and very likable.

Life passed peacefully, with little work beyond border patrols. During this time, I went to the western fortress of Kherma in Calradia, passing through Chandar and heading to Vizcar. When I passed through Chandar, I had the opportunity to visit this historic castle. However, what surprised me was the thriving slave trade there, especially a slave trader named Ramon, who was the most famous. Interestingly, regardless of the quality of the slaves, he bought them all for 50 dinars, and many people called him stupid, as did I at the time.

However, things soon went wrong, and the incident occurred in Chandar. It turned out that Ramon was a Nord, gathering intelligence and constantly buying slaves. First, the Nords, being newcomers, had a small population and lacked labor for their fields, so they needed a large workforce. Second, they were expanding their military forces. The border city was once again engulfed in war, and the news was quickly sent to Parvus.

At this time, the old king was gravely ill, unconscious, and on the verge of death. The nobles convened an emergency meeting, appointing Istreich as the commander to attack the Nords again, heading for Jiva. However, it was tragic that the Nords' defense was too strong, and the imperial army suffered heavy casualties from the rain of arrows. They had no choice but to besiege the city from all sides. Under these circumstances, Jiva's food and water supplies were gradually depleted, and they finally requested a ceasefire. Istreich was in a dilemma, knowing the Nords' greed and bloodlust, and that a ceasefire would bring endless trouble. However, just as he was deeply troubled, a huge tragedy struck—the old king passed away, leaving the empire without a center.

Istreich was extremely angry. With the king's death, the empire lost its center, and the country could not be without a leader for a day. They had to return to Parvus to determine the successor and ensure the continuity of the empire. Therefore, he reluctantly agreed to the Nords' request for a ceasefire and led the army westward back to Parvus.

With the old king's death, who would be the successor was a difficult decision for the nobles. At this time, news came that the Vlandians and Khuzaits were at war, with the Khuzaits occupying large areas of Vlandian forests, and the war was ongoing. This undoubtedly added to the instability of the empire, making the situation even worse. The country could not be without a leader for a day, and determining a new king was the most important task. Therefore, it was decided to hold a council meeting on the third day after the king's death to select a new king.

On the third day, all the lords gathered in the great hall of Parvus. However, these lords did not include any of the foreign lords. Why were the foreign lords not invited? In fact, this was the intention of Commander Istreich. Additionally, according to the long-standing tradition of the Calradia continent, if the king had children, one of them would be chosen. If not, the king's closest relative would be chosen.

The meeting began, and Istreich stood in the center of the hall, delivering the following speech:

"Lords of the Calrad Empire:

Under the wise leadership of the old king, we have ruled the Calradia continent and the outsiders, making them dare not challenge our authority. However, with the death of the old king, the outsiders have begun to lower their loyalty to us. The war between the Khuzaits and the Vlandians, ignoring the sacred laws of the empire, is clear evidence of this. They believe we are no longer capable of ruling them, challenging the authority of the empire. We must not allow such things to happen; we must stop this despicable behavior.

We must acknowledge the old king's kindness. He designated strict autonomous regions for each outsider, allowing them to share in the civilization of the Calrad Empire. However, these outsiders have betrayed the old king's kindness, thinking we are weak, and have continuously expanded their territories, threatening our rule. The Nords are the best example.

Lords, the glory of the Calrad Empire has dimmed, and the outsiders are growing stronger, infiltrating our homeland and challenging us. I believe that soon the outsiders will replace us as the new rulers of Calradia, and we may become their slaves, even driven to the snowy mountains and out of Calradia. What will become of us?

Lords, we cannot ignore the expansion of the outsiders. We must either drive them out of Calradia or crush their power in its infancy. We must make a choice, or we will surely be replaced."

...

Istreich's speech pierced the hearts of each lord like sharp knives. During the speech, some were indignant, some sighed, some clenched their fists, and some gnashed their teeth. Indeed, the continuous infiltration of the outsiders had caused many conflicts, and they ignored the empire's prohibitions, continuously eroding and weakening the empire, even affecting the interests of many lords present at the meeting.

Originally, this meeting was to elect a new king, but the topic was extended to a deeper level. The enthusiasm for electing a new king was completely overshadowed by Istreich's words. However, the meeting ultimately had to elect a new king. In fact, the old king's several sons were not much different in ability. If the old king's kindness was seen as weakness, then his sons were even more so. Everyone seemed to realize that the long-standing tradition of the Calradia continent could no longer meet the current needs. The internal contradictions of the empire were intensifying, and the crisis was everywhere. Without an excellent king, the entire empire would inevitably perish.

All eyes turned to Istreich, the commander of the empire. Everyone understood that Istreich, deeply trusted by the old king and with the highest prestige, was the only one capable of shouldering the responsibility of the empire in times of crisis. However, according to the long-standing tradition, Istreich could not become the king of the Calrad Empire. When all the lords were at a loss, Istreich proposed a candidate, the old king's eldest son, and announced that he would continue to serve as the commander of the empire to resist the infiltration of the outsiders and stop the conflicts.

At this moment, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, but this sigh was not because a new king had been chosen, but because Istreich had become everyone's support. Many people thought that the long-standing laws of royal succession needed to be revised.

Chapter 2: A Difficult Mission

On the fourth day after the old king's death, the Calrad Empire announced that the old king's eldest son, Ancus, would be the new king. A state funeral was held, and preparations were made for the coronation ceremony.

At this time, the war between the Khuzaits and the Vlandians had not ended. The Khuzaits, after occupying most of the Vlandian forests, continued to advance northeast into the snowy regions. The Vlandians had to request Ancus to mediate. After receiving the Vlandians' urgent appeal, Ancus hastily convened a meeting of the lords to discuss the matter.

In fact, Ancus's intention was to mediate and maintain the status quo of the designated autonomous regions. However, all the lords disagreed. The Khuzaits were growing stronger and would not easily return the forests they had occupied. Moreover, the imperial army had just returned from Jiva and needed to rest. The lords' opinions were clearly influenced by Istreich's previous words. The large-scale conflict between the outsiders was a rare opportunity for them to weaken each other. When both sides were sufficiently weakened, the empire could launch a decisive attack to eliminate both.

The meeting proceeded in a heated atmosphere but reached no conclusion. Ancus was hesitant. In fact, his concerns were not unfounded. The Khuzaits and Vlandians were part of the empire, and the reasons for their conflict were still unknown. Relying solely on the Vlandians' request for mediation was insufficient to determine who was at fault, so he could not rashly send troops. Ancus had to step down from the dais to seek Istreich's advice. Throughout the discussion, Istreich remained silent, which surprised me.

Hearing Ancus's words, Istreich said the following:

"Respected King, respected lords, I believe it is not appropriate to send troops at this time. The previous battle with the Nords caused significant damage, and the army has not yet fully recovered. We do not know why the Vlandians and Khuzaits are fighting, so we should send a mediator to investigate the cause of the conflict. Only then can we mediate. If mediation fails, we can consider sending troops."

Hearing Istreich's words, the lords understood. Istreich recommended Count Mijod to mediate, and Ancus was delighted. I was also ordered to accompany him.

On the way to Vlandia, I asked Count Mijod why Istreich remained silent until Ancus asked him. Mijod's face showed a conflicted expression, as if he had many grievances. We all knew that Mijod was Istreich's protégé, having participated in many battles together, making him Istreich's confidant. I realized I had asked a foolish question and did not press further. Mijod also remained silent, and the world seemed unusually quiet except for the sound of hooves.

We soon arrived at Dremag, where the front line had shifted to Sajicher. Without resting, we traveled day and night and finally reached the border region between Vlandia and Khuzaits—Sajicher.

We were greeted by Belerek, the brother of the Vlandian chieftain, Karuchia. We arrived at the camp and saw injured soldiers and heard groans, a scene that was truly heartbreaking. Belerek walked us through the conflict, and we were most concerned about why the Vlandians and Khuzaits were fighting.

Finally, Belerek said the following:

"Do you know what kind of people the Khuzaits are? They are