Translator: Cinder Translations
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In fact, as soon as the outcome of the Battle of Hestia was clear, discussions about post-war arrangements began. Diplomats from various countries in the New Faith Alliance frequently visited one another, raising their demands and eagerly seeking to secure their own interests.
For Lion's Port, the initial goal of joining the war was to protect its lands, assets, and the lives of its citizens in the Horns Bay. The greatest demand that emerged from this was that no hostile forces should be allowed to threaten Lion's Port in the future. Undoubtedly, one effective way to achieve this would be to install a "friendly" ruler in the inland powerhouse, Collins.
The course of the war was largely changed by Lion's Port. At the brink of defeat, it was Lion's Port's entry into the New Faith Alliance that tipped the scales in their favor, turning the tide and securing victory. Without Lion's Port, the coastal countries in the Horns Bay would have been ravaged by the Horns Bay Church and its protective military.
The Horns Bay Volunteer Army demonstrated impressive combat abilities during the war, and the wealth behind that strength made other nations take notice. In fact, as a seafaring people dependent on maritime trade, no one now believes that the Northwest Bay is poor in wealth.
For various reasons, everyone respected Lion's Port's interests, and there was unanimous agreement that the future ruler of Collins should be appointed by Lion's Port. Of course, everyone knew that this meant following the arrangement of Alden Town, the hidden power behind Lion's Port.
As for the Horns Bay Alliance, in addition to a large indemnity, they sought to relocate the Horns Bay Church's headquarters to Niceport. The new Archbishop of the Horns Bay would be chosen by the Alliance.
The demands of the Horns Bay Alliance caused some discontent, especially regarding the selection of the Archbishop. It was widely understood that this was a tool to control thought. If Niceport were allowed to make the decision, would not the entire Horns Bay be compelled to follow the will of the Alliance?
Had the Horns Bay Alliance managed to withstand the protective military's attacks and repelled them, their position as the most powerful nation in the New Faith Alliance would have made it easy to have other countries recognize their demands. Unfortunately, the Horns Bay was nearly destroyed during the war, only saved by Lion's Port's intervention that allowed them to recover their territory.
Due to the Alliance's poor performance in the war, many countries felt dissatisfied and opposed the aforementioned demands.
During this ongoing debate, Liszt, the mayor of Lion's Port, quickly stepped in to mediate. After much effort, all parties agreed to a new deal:
The Horns Bay Church headquarters would still be relocated to Niceport, but the new Archbishop would be chosen by a vote of senior clergy from each country. Additionally, the heads of the dioceses would be appointed by the countries themselves. The new Horns Bay Church would abolish the tithe tax, and all parties would contribute money to maintain the Church, ensuring that the funds were publicly transparent and subject to review by each contributor.
Another important country in the New Faith Alliance, the Duchy of Eaton, had a rather romantic request. Duke Cabre requested a small indemnity to compensate the families of fallen soldiers, just enough to suffice. However, he hoped that all Horns Bay nations would acknowledge the existence of magic users and guarantee that they would have the same rights as ordinary people.
Upon hearing that someone was asking for less money, everyone was happy to agree to Duke Cabre's request about magic users. In fact, over 90% of the countries in the New Faith Alliance had already recognized the rights of magic users as equal to those of ordinary citizens. The challenge was to get the inland countries to do the same, but since they were the losing side, they had no choice but to comply.
As for other countries, most of them were small city-states with very practical demands—namely, to receive a larger share of the indemnity.
When Liszt entered Collins City and presented the post-war treaty, which was unanimously signed by the representatives of all the countries, to the generals, he would have the power to make decisions at will.
Liszt's purpose for coming was to select a new King of Collins. He had done a great deal of work to study Collins' history and the information about all the secular powers he could access.
After much consideration, Liszt finally chose Earl Bridges, who had once entertained him long ago.
When Liszt was still a merchant, he had realized that Earl Bridges was not someone with strong principles. The Earl was able to talk happily with him and would set aside religious differences for the sake of real-world interests. Most importantly, Earl Bridges and Liszt had a good personal relationship.
It was decided. With the support of Lion's Port, Earl Bridges officially ascended to the throne of Collins, and the over 40,000 New Faith soldiers stationed in the city gave their endorsement to the new king.
When this news reached the imprisoned former King Garrett II of Collins, he almost went mad.
When Collins fell, Garrett had planned to escape in disguise but was unfortunately caught.
The king's status still held significant power over the soldiers of the time, and Garrett, one of the main instigators of the Horns Bay War, was not executed but was instead imprisoned, awaiting the decision of the protective military's leadership.
He slammed on the door, demanding to meet with Liszt, shouting that whatever Bridges could offer, he could too, and questioning why he was not allowed to continue ruling his country.
Whenever Garrett II pounded on the door, Webster, who was also imprisoned nearby, would mock him ruthlessly.
"Such delusions!"
"You're a useless piece of trash! What will those heretics do with trash like you?"
Webster had been organizing defenses on the city walls but, unfortunately, the artillery of the Alden Army made all of his defensive strategies obsolete. When the city walls were shattered by that barbaric force, even Webster could do nothing to stop it.
He had considered ending his own life, but his subordinates stopped him. During the ensuing argument, the New Faith soldiers stormed in, and Webster became a prisoner.
As for Webster's fate, it had already been decided—he was to lead a group of prisoners, including those from the papal reinforcements, back to the Holy City.
Considering that the Church still had great power, this was also a gesture of goodwill toward them.
Not long after, Webster and his subordinates were released and sailed back to the papal headquarters across the sea on their oar-powered ships.
Their return pleased the Church, as they were planning a new war. Webster and his subordinates, with their extensive war experience, would play a major role in the upcoming conflict.
This new war would be—a punitive campaign against the Gabella Empire.
(End of the Chapter)
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