CHAPTER 126: THE GREAT GENERAL ARRIVES

After this, they would officially take up the posts of ministers, becoming those who would run the internal administration of Dalmasca.

The entire cabinet of the military government had been dismissed and placed under house arrest.

The investigation of their past work and the crimes tied to their decisions would be judged in the councils to come.

Of course, those who had worked honestly and faithfully would still be brought forward and given positions.

On the side of the Kingdom of Rosaria stood Supreme Commander Quintus, acting as the King’s proxy, and Aaron, the delegate of the Central Magic Association.

Behind them stood several knights, along with the massive red-haired warrior, Louis, who loomed like a living wall.

Jircniv felt again, with sharp clarity, how great the aid of Rosaria had been in reclaiming this government.

The preparations had indeed been carried out for a long time by the House of Dunrossil and Tenby’s Royal Restoration faction, but without the spark provided by Rosaria’s people, none of it could have been set into motion.

And above all, it had been because he himself had been imprisoned.

It was Shiao Yi who had broken into the iron fortress where the one surviving royal had been held captive and it was from that moment that everything began to move.

Around Chelmsford’ mansion, the preparations were completed in a short span of time.

Everything had already been carefully arranged for this day.

Their comrades, who had long worked in secret while blending in with the people, had already laid the groundwork.

They spread rumors quickly, stirring hope for the restoration of the royal power and fanning the flames of resentment toward the current government.

Twenty years of military government rule had brought ruin through sheer neglect of domestic affairs.

To strengthen their factions, they had poured resources recklessly into building up the military.

The army itself was an endless drain on gold.

To sustain it, they had continued to raise taxes and so the hearts of the people had been driven away.

Once, when they toppled the crown, the army, the knights, and even the common people had stood behind Talcott and his allies.

However, after twenty years of arrogance and complacency, that loyalty had turned to rebellion.

They had forgotten that knights, soldiers, and guards were also people of the kingdom, one by one, with their own lives and hopes.

The army, the knights, and the guards—all of them had lost the will to be commanded.

None of them would throw their lives away for Talcott anymore.

The ruin of Talcott and his followers was destruction they had brought upon themselves.

Even so, without Rosaria’s help, the goal could never have been achieved this swiftly, this cleanly, and with so little bloodshed.

It had been Shiao Yi’s power that shook Talcott, forcing him into panic and driving him to abandon even his old ally, Weskham.

Striking at that weakness, Tenby and the Royal Restoration faction surged up the high ground.

It was the men of Rosaria—Aaron and Supreme Commander Quintus’s soldiers—who cut open the way to the High Priest.

Among the troops standing in formation, the three hundred knights who broke through and sealed them down—half of them had secretly been Rosaria’s Second Division of the Knight Order.

It was Shiao Yi’s strange gift that had carried Jircniv behind Chelmsford.

And it had been that man Dominic who crushed the spirit of the guards surrounding them, breaking their will to resist.

If Rosaria had not been there, the entire struggle would have turned into a battlefield where citizens slaughtered each other.

The fact that it had been settled so cleanly and so quickly was a great achievement owed to Rosaria.

But at the same time, it was also true that Rosaria’s forces had advanced shockingly deep into Dalmasca’ capital, Rabanastre.

If the great damage caused to the castle by Dominic’ released magic was recognized as an act of war, it could easily be seen as a show of force against Dalmasca—or worse, a clear sign of invasion.

In reality, if Supreme Commander Quintus now gave the order and the knight squads moved, Dalmasca—just after a regime change and still without firm structure—would fall helplessly before Rosaria.

Even Dominic alone, with his terrifying power, might collapse and seize the castle.

He was a frightening man.

That was why he could not be so easily released from his restraints and allowed to walk free.

The High Priest, refusing to involve himself in politics, had left his seat and was personally interrogating Roaille, who had been bound and thrown into the dungeon.

Along with him should have been the man who claimed to have witnessed from the very beginning the ancient magic circle Roaille had used, as well as the knights who had acted as his guards.

The meeting dragged on for hours.

For the most part, the atmosphere in the chamber was calm and the discussions constructive.

Rosaria’s side stressed that they had no intention to invade, no wish to attack, and every desire to avoid war.

Considering their aid to the Royal Restoration faction, it seemed reasonable to believe them.

The destruction caused by Dominic’ unleashed magic was to be explained away as an accident.

Rosaria intended to insist on that explanation.

The damage had been far too great for an accident, but even so, they offered to pay compensation.

For Dalmasca who is still weak and recovering, the compensation from Rosaria would be more than welcome.

Furthermore, Rosaria proposed that with the restoration of King Jircniv’ royal authority, the tense relationship between the two nations be improved, and a closer, friendlier diplomacy established.

Rosaria had little interest in Dalmasca’ poor lands themselves.

It was Dalmasca, impoverished and weak, that had sought fertile lands and wealth by starting wars.

For Rosaria, it was nothing but a nuisance.

But Jircniv wondered—did Dalmasca even have any goods or produce that could benefit Rosaria in trade?

A one-sided trade, tilted heavily against Dalmasca, would only weaken the nation further.