Gospel of Blood

After meeting with Charlotte, Count Wittray settled in Northport.

As the envoy of Violet, Duke Violet had already granted him considerable authority in the negotiations.

However, any territorial demands made by Charlotte required the Duke’s final decision.

“Oh? She wants the territory of Baron Betel?”

In the guest room of the Count’s mansion, the reflection of Duke Violet appeared in a crystal ball as he asked in a deep voice.

The shadow communication crystal.

This is a magical device similar to the Starfall Kingdom’s communication crystal, but unlike the mass-produced communication crystals of the Starfall Kingdom, this one is a treasured artifact of the Boite-Linte family, bestowed by the Crescent Royal Family.

“Yes, Your Grace. She is unwilling to exchange the Third Prince for Master Victor.”

Count Wittray responded respectfully.

“Which family currently holds the territory of Baron Betel? Is it still that branch of the Veillet family?”

Duke Violet asked again.

“Yes, Your Grace, it’s still the Veillet family’s branch, the Betel-Veillet family.”

Duke Violet squinted his eyes.

“The Betel-Veillet family that has always wanted to revive Veillet’s glory?”

“Yes.”

“If I recall correctly, their family also participated in this war?”

Count Wittray’s expression turned somewhat odd.

“Yes, but… they seem to have disappeared. I did not see them on the list of war captives in Castell, and they have not returned to their territory.”

Duke Violet fell silent.

After a long while, he sighed and said,

“Agree to Count Castell’s terms. The Betel-Veillet family has always been a nuisance to Boite-Linte while in Violet. Giving them to Castell helps erase any traces of Veillet in Violet.”

“Your Grace, considering that Betel-Veillet are still descendants of the Veillet family, what if they truly become vassals of Castell and pose a threat to the Duchy in the future?”

Count Wittray couldn’t help but ask.

Duke Violet glanced at him.

“Wittray, do you know which family the Betel-Veillet family hates the most?”

Count Wittray hesitated, then uncertainly answered.

“Roman? After all, it was Roman who defeated Veillet, causing them to lose everything…”

“No.”

Duke Violet shook his head, speaking meaningfully.

“It’s the Castell family.”

“The Castell family?”

Count Wittray was clearly taken aback, then suddenly realized.

“Oh! I remember now! It was because of Castell that the Veillet family was defeated in the Second Roman campaign!”

He looked at the reflection in the crystal ball, his eyes lighting up slightly.

“The Betel-Veillet family hates Castell, and if Castell expands its territory, it will surely reward its meritorious followers, leading to inevitable conflict between them!”

“So… you mean to use Castell’s strength to eliminate the last branch of Veillet?”

Duke Violet laughed lightly, tacitly agreeing.

Seeing this, Count Wittray became even more respectful.

“Your Grace, your wisdom commands my admiration….”

Then, he hesitated and asked.

“What about the Third Prince…”

“If Castell does not want him, let him return to Borde and fend for himself.”

Duke Violet said indifferently.

Clearly, he had no desire to keep a troublemaker around.

…

With Duke Violet’s consent, Count Wittray redrafted the peace terms according to Charlotte’s demands.

The Violet envoy worked efficiently, and by the afternoon of the next day, Charlotte saw the final version of the peace treaty.

The treaty stipulated:

1. Effective immediately, the Duchy of Violet and the County of Castel will unilaterally cease hostilities, and both parties will withdraw to pre-war borders.

2. The Duchy of Violet acknowledges the independence of the County of Castell and its sovereignty over the Tulip County, promising support for Castell in the noble council and introducing Castell to other kingdom lords.

3. The Duchy of Violet will redeem captured conscripts at the price of 12.5 gold tana per person, extraordinary soldiers at 125 gold tana per person, and will redeem enchanted extraordinary equipments with equivalent extraordinary materials in ten installments.

4. The Duchy of Violet will redeem captured nobles at the rate of 3,600 gold tana per knight, 50,000 gold tana per baron, and 250,000 gold tana per viscount, including 63 knights, 9 barons, and 4 viscounts.

5. The extraordinary equipment of all nobles is to be redeemed by their respective families; equipment that cannot be redeemed will belong to Castell, with no further interference from the Duchy of Violet.

6. The Duchy of Violet must pay a total ransom of 2.43 million gold tana to the County of Castell, as well as extraordinary materials valued at 20 million gold tana, to be paid within three months. All costs of food and lodging for captives during these three months are to be borne by the Duchy of Violet.

7. The Duchy of Violet will exchange Baron Betel’s territory to redeem Victor de Boite-Linte, transferring Baron Betel as a vassal to the Castell family.

…

Charlotte was quite satisfied with this treaty.

The 2.43 million ransom was a small amount, equivalent to four months of tax revenue for Castell County.

The extraordinary materials were the real prize. Even converted to tana, they were worth nearly four years of Castell’s income, and extraordinary materials were invaluable and hard to come by. Their actual value was even higher.

“Although I expected extraordinary equipment to be more valuable than the ransom for captives, I didn’t expect it to be worth this much.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at the list in the treaty.

“Countess, that’s how it is. People can be re-enlisted, and noble families always have people. But extraordinary equipment is the years’ accumulation for each family…”

Viscount Leon-Castell said.

“Viscount is right. In fact, if not for the advancements in magical technology over the years and the increased efficiency of workshops reducing the cost of enchantments, these extraordinary items would be even more expensive.”

On the other side, Vincent de Roman-Four nodded.

Viscount Roman-Four had led the fleet northward with Count Yurst, representing his family alongside Charlotte.

Listening to the two accompanying nobles, Charlotte pondered for a moment.

After a brief pause, she instructed the Old Viscount.

“Viscount, keep a close eye on the implementation of the treaty with Violet.”

“At your command.”

Viscount Leon-Castell replied respectfully.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked.

“Countess, what about the Borde Duchy…”

“I will handle the Borde Duchy personally.”

Charlotte said.

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