On the western parts of the Enosh continent, located a few kilometres away from the kingdom of Watanabe, there was a large kingdom spreading across, measuring roughly 12,523 in meter. The entire country was surrounded by a thin green barrier that was slightly transparent. The thinness of the barrier could barely be seen with the naked eye; one would have to squint their eyes to even be able to notice it.
Though the thinness of the barrier wasn't feeble by any means, even if it was hit by a high-level, wide-scale magic barrage, the barrier wouldn't even shudder from the impact. It was a barrier that was the nation's pride.
The kingdom of Alberta was filled with an air of liveliness from the common people, the sidewalk was filled with shops, stalls and stores, the building was thoroughly maintained, the sidewalks were extremely clean, not even a speck of dirt could be seen, and there were knights scattered all over the public area.
The civilians were all in high spirits, and tension could also be seen on their faces. The reason was because of the recent assassination attempt on the king, the one who reigns over the entire country, but also the news about the kingdom of Zestril declaring war on the kingdom. It was no wonder everyone was filled with worry.
In the centre of the Alberta kingdom, there was a majestic castle with a large crenellated wall standing before it, with an open field as wide as a public park before the castle gate. There was a grassy field that spread across with huge trees with fresh green leaves attached to their branches, growing around the back with a silver fountain spraying clear water. Two knights were standing guard on either side of the two-sided castle gate.
"Yawn, it's so dull. When can we have a break already?"
The knight, who seems to be in his late twenties, asked tiredly while stretching his hands, which had gotten lazy from being at his waist for so long.
"Will you stop complaining? Our job is to protect the royal family. Now keep your guard up in case something unexpected happens."
The knight, who seems to be in his mid-thirties, said with a sigh. Though he had a frown on his brow bothered by the words of his junior. However, towards his words, the knight standing on the left side shrugged his shoulders in exasperation.
"Come on, who in their right mind would actually attack our country? Only a fool who wishes to die would do such a thing."
He said confidently, The Alberta Kingdom is the strongest and most advanced nation on the continent, so he didn't believe someone would actually do such a thing; such a thing could only be called 'suicide.'
"We are indeed the most advanced nation in these parts; however, it's best not to underestimate the adversary, especially since we don't know anything about their strength."
The knight in his thirties retorted to the words of his junior. They both went silent after that and focused on their duties.
Inside a luxurious room inside the royal castle, there was a beautiful girl who seemed to be in her mid-teens, seated around a wooden table while drinking freshly made milk tea, with elegance she slowly brought the tea to her mouth while smiling as the taste spread inside her mouth.
"Fuh... it seems it's going to be a while before things calm down."
She said, sighing. Her long silver hair flowed gently in the wind blowing through the window, and her beautiful blue eyes had a bit of gloominess to them.
"Your Highness, maybe you should rest a little. I'm sure you must be exhausted from overworking."
A beautiful maid who seemed to be in her early twenties said, while standing behind the silver-haired girl, calmly.
"No, I'm still not done; father and big brother have been working day and night to solve the current issues. What kind of Princess would I be to leave all the work to them while I slack off?"
She replied while standing up from her chair and turned around. She then showed a small smile towards her maid, who was worried about her. Her dress, which was a bit above her knees, fluttered by the rotation of her twirl. With that, she quickly fixed the strands of her silver hair, which were slightly dishevelled by the wind.
(I won't waste time while my family takes care of everything on their own, as the Princess of this country, it's my job to help solve the problems which are troubling the kingdom)
She thought as determination filled her sky-blue eyes, Adriana Alberta, she is the princess of this country, and is currently 17 years of age; she is deeply loved by her people for not only her lovely appearance but also because, unlike most royals, she doesn't show any disdain towards commoners and is quite respectful towards everyone she meets. Naturally, the entire nation favours her highly.
"Well, Lora, I'll be counting on you, okay."
Adriana said while facing her maid, who was standing gracefully.
"As you wish."
Hearing the words of the Princess, the maid named Lora naturally held the hem of her maid attire and then bowed her head with elegance.
***
In another place located inside the royal castle, the King was seated inside the throne room, boasting of its high ceiling as well as its first-class furniture. The Queen was also seated beside him in a cross-legged posture. They both had a serious look on their faces; those also present were the knight captain who was in charge of guarding the royal family, this unit was called 'imperial guard', a special squad that is the strongest in terms of combat.
The captain was a man in his late thirties wearing his knight attire with a well-trimmed beard. He had been serving the royal family for many years now. His skills and his loyalty are what gave him his position in the royal castle, even though he started at the bottom like everyone else. His skills were all respected by the King himself, naturally they held him in the highest esteem.
There were two others also present; they were both nobles who held great power and influence in the Alberta Kingdom. One was a man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties and had smooth dark green hair and jade-coloured eyes which were quite sharp; he had dark coloured skin and was dressed in a well-made black suit. There was an unusual aura around him that was slightly intimidating. As for the other, he is the duke of this Kingdom, a handsome man with short, neatly refined blond hair and grey coloured eyes, dressed in a blue suit.
"Thank you for coming today. We have some pressing things to discuss."
The King said while observing the faces of those present. There was an air of majesty that would make anyone who witnessed it instinctively lower their head, surrounding him. Naturally, those present were filled with tension, feeling the pressure coming from the King; the man dressed in black had a merry smile on his face even while being under such pressure.
"Sir Matthew, make your report."
The King ordered while glancing at the person he had just called. Hearing his name, the man dressed in knightly attire walked towards the front and lowered his head before speaking.
"Yes, my King. My men and I travelled north, where we were sent as messengers and delivered your majesty's message towards the king of Zestril. He didn't even want to read the message sent by your majesty; it seems he is determined to go to war with our nation."
Matthew said with a frown on his face, remembering the event that took place. He actually wanted to cut down the adversary at that time; however, things would have been completely unpleasant if he had acted on impulse and allowed his emotions to compel him. He wasn't a naïve person by nature; however, hearing his King, whom he had undying loyalty towards, get insulted by the other side greatly angered him. Hearing his report, the King frowned.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. May I speak?"
The noble man wearing a black suit suddenly said while raising his hand. The King nodded to his word, permitting him to speak.
"If the opposer wishes to go to war with our country, wouldn't it be best to give them what they want?"
He said, tilting his head, it's not like their Kingdom was weak and couldn't defend itself; if someone wanted to go to war, naturally, they should return the favour in kind. Is what he was trying to say. Hearing that, the room became silent for a moment. The King made a gesture as though he was pondering something. The Queen seated beside him had a grim expression.
"Now hold on, Sir Adelio, isn't that going a bit too fast? There might be a chance that a war won't happen, you know, starting a war where we won't receive anything in return, I don't see why we should."
The blond-haired nobleman retorted to Adelio's earlier statement. In a fluster.
"We don't get anything in return, huh... you're right, this is a battle where we have no benefit, but running away would only bring shame to our nation, right?"
He said, shrugging his shoulders, while sending him a single glance. The blond-haired noble face twitched. As a duke, he wasn't the type of person who liked making unnecessary sacrifices; he didn't want to do something that he couldn't benefit from. It was completely idiotic to start a war where there would definitely be unnecessary sacrifice. Even if they had to lower their heads to their enemies, he finds that to be a much safer option than an all-out war.
"But even so, starting a war would definitely bring unfortunate casualties."
The blonde-haired noble said, pointing out the problem in Adelio's suggestion. Matthew also nodded his head, hearing that, it definitely would bring casualties; many would lose their life in a war that had no meaning. Naturally, it would be best to go with a safer option available.
"Will try sending a peace talk once again; however, if that doesn't work, then we will be going to war."
The King declared after thinking about it calmly. Naturally, as King, he wanted to choose the path with fewer casualties, however. Even if he doesn't want to start a war, it doesn't mean the Kingdom of Zestril will leave them alone. So, with no other choice, if they once again ignore their peace treaty, then. They will have to go to war, it seems. The King thought with a sigh. He still didn't know what the Kingdom of Zestril's true intention were; the assassins all committed suicide as soon as they were captured, preventing them from learning anything useful.
The King was naturally angered at that time for those spies breaking into his country and targeting his life; his family members were also targeted as well; he wanted those responsible to pay for their crimes against his nation. No matter how many messages he sent, the answer coming from the King of the Zestril Kingdom was the same: "Surrender your nation, your people will now be serving our own country. Any who opposed shall be executed" was what they said.
"Bu-but your majesty, surely there are other options, right? We don't have to take such extreme measures. On a war where we won't be able to gain anything but losses."
The blonde-haired noble said with a frown on his face. Seeing him, the King sighed once more.
"Sir Henry, I understand your feelings. I also feel the same way, however. I can't see any other options that don't involve a war right now. I'm sure you're aware sometimes it's best to make a little sacrifice for a greater cause."
The King said calmly, thinking about it logically, if they win this war, the threat of the Zestril will be over; it's better than running away in shame and letting the other side look down on our country, the king thought.
"But…"
"Enough, my decision is final; I'll be counting on you all to start preparations."
The King said, letting out a tired sigh.
The others present had a stern look on their faces; however, Adelio had a small grin on his face everything was going exactly how he wanted it.
(Fufufufu.... I can't wait for the bloodbath; it's been so long since I last saw a war. I'll just leave everything in Alister's hand)
He thought with a gleeful face.