Balldanis. The Vandimion Estate.
Federigo Vandimion stared gravely at the intelligence spread before him, silent for a long time.
His eldest son, Zuzio, paced the room anxiously, tugging at his goatee. "Those accursed Kushan barbarians! The Vandimion bank in Midland has been completely destroyed by them."
His second son, Paolo, lounged more comfortably on a large sofa, though his brow was furrowed with concern. "How did Windham fall so easily? The capital of Midland?"
"The king dies of plague, a weak princess takes the throne—with internal strife and external threats coinciding, how could it not fall?" Zuzio's voice was laced with anger. As a co-owner of the Vandimion bank, his losses were immense.
"Alas..." Paolo sighed heavily. "The Hundred Years' War finally ends, the people are exhausted, yet they muster heavy forces to hunt for a scapegoat, ignoring the Kushan invasion and the plague ravaging the land. Tsk, tsk..."
Zuzio stopped pacing and sighed as well. "A king like that, even if he were alive, I doubt he could have defended Windham... Is the Kingdom of Midland considered a fallen nation now?"
"Almost, yes?" Paolo said. "Most of its territory is occupied by the Kushan Empire. The nobles, knights, and the regular army are scattered. The irony is that the original Midland rebels are now the ones staging intermittent uprisings."
He was, of course, referring to the "White Hawk" Griffith, who had recently risen to fame again, and the Band of the Hawk under his command—whom the Midland king had hunted as rebels across the entire country.
"I hear they've won every battle, but how can a mere cavalry regiment truly turn the tide? On the contrary, it's the army of the Holy Alliance, under the banner of the Holy See, that stands as the main force against the heathen horde this time," Paolo remarked.
As a High Priest of the Holy See and one of the candidates for the next Pontiff, he naturally considered the matter from the Holy See's perspective as well.
Zuzio nodded. "The Kushan Empire used the Kingdom of Midland as a springboard to continue their invasion westward. And now their galleass warships threaten us here on the Western Sea."
"The heathens may die, but the faith of the Holy Father does not." Paolo shook his head repeatedly.
Federigo remained silent and composed. After reviewing one particular piece of intelligence, he finally settled on the list of allied forces participating in this Holy War.
The Empire of Yoda was mired in civil war. Rumors spoke of a strange plague spreading, followed by calamities raining from the heavens, much like the royal capital mentioned in the Book of Revelation a thousand years ago. The imperial capital of Yoda had been utterly destroyed.
The entire Empire of Yoda seemed thrown into panic by this. The two major families were forced to temporarily cease their hostilities, both actively dispatching heavy knights to participate in the Holy War, seeking atonement from the gods.
It was truly unbelievable that a royal capital could be destroyed... But the priority was that the knights they sent did not submit to one another and could not be gathered into a single force, so their troops would need careful watching.
Next were the knights of the already defeated Kingdom of Midland, who could hardly form a cohesive fighting force.
The leader of the White Tiger Knights, Owen, had fled Windham and arrived here, deeply ashamed.
Following them were the Kingdom of Balduan and the Republic of Randil, which had gained independence from the Kingdom of Balduan.
The former was no less exhausted than the Empire of Yoda, while the latter was fierce and could be used, but they could not be deployed together.
After these came the Principality of Morgar and the Principality of Valladolid, located to the east of the Holy See's domain. Although both were small countries, they possessed rich experience in fighting the Kushan Empire and were worthy of attention.
There was also the northernmost island nation—the Kingdom of Ys.
Previously considered a closed-off country, with the opening of sea trade routes, many had greatly changed their perception of it, and they might be needed in naval battles.
Finally, there was the Balldanis Alliance.
This alliance consisted of four major city-states: Lana, Falis, Nissea, and Balldanis itself. They had formed an alliance due to their weak national power, but still competed over territory and clashed with each other.
As for a standing army, only Lana possessed one. The other three city-states could only rely on mercenaries during times of war.
In any case, due to Balldanis's importance, this location had been chosen as the assembly point for the Holy See's forces participating in the Holy War. Many knights and mercenary bands had flooded in, so for now, there was no need to worry about the question of troops.
However, Federigo still felt a sense of unease.
In particular, this intelligence was coupled with stark or subtle hints that the army of the Kushan Empire might contain terrifying beings such as sorcerers, monsters, and phantom soldiers.
Before, Federigo would have dismissed this as nonsense.
But having witnessed the battle between Niđhöggr and the Fire Dragon, and hearing of the sudden appearance of the Junction and the sudden disappearance of the Empire of Yoda's royal capital, he had to believe in something.
Could such a heathen invading army truly be withstood by this army of the Holy See's alliance, rife with internal contradictions as it was?
Federigo frowned. After pondering for a long time, he took up a quill, swiftly wrote a letter, and handed it to Zuzio, asking him to send someone to deliver it.
Zuzio took it and looked it over, but was stunned.
Paolo noticed something was wrong and stood up to look. The content of the letter surprised him. "Father? The Junction is also a heathen land. How can you invite them to join the army of the Holy See's alliance?"
"They are vastly different from the barbaric Kushan Empire," Federigo said calmly. "Besides, I am asking them to form a mercenary company on behalf of the Vandimion family to reinforce Balldanis. Whyever not?"
"But this..." Paolo was momentarily speechless.
"Go and deliver the letter," Federigo insisted. "You remember that knight named Niđhöggr, don't you? He is now the lord of the Junction and has repelled the invasion of Yoda pirates and Kushan warships."
"A man and an army like that—if they are not on the side of the Holy See's teachings, can you be certain they will remain content to stay in the Western Sea, that is, behind Balldanis?"
Zuzio and Paolo were shocked and immediately understood.
Indeed, although the Junction was a heathen land, it could be engaged with, traded with, and won over.
If they left it unchecked and allowed the Kushan Empire to form an alliance with the Junction, launching an attack from both land and sea, Balldanis would be in real danger.
At that point, they would have no choice but to retreat to the Holy Capital of the Holy See, and the losses would be even heavier.
"Yes, Father." Zuzio and Paolo grasped the crucial point and immediately agreed. Zuzio added, "I will be sure to send reliable people to negotiate and ensure that the Junction is on our side."
Paolo smiled and said, "Our youngest sister hasn't left that Junction yet, so she could be considered a heathen there, right? Speaking of family connections, with Farnese there, it should be easier to talk."
Federigo nodded deeply. For now, this was his only recourse.
He truly could not see through this Niđhöggr and dared not judge with certainty whether the Lord of the Junction would be on their side.