...
"Reporting, all clear on this side."
Bira listened to the scout and nodded. He was riding on a war horse alongside a luxurious wagon, surrounded by 100s of fully armed soldiers marching coherently while maintaining their formation. He coordinated and ordered the soldiers effectively as they slowly moved forward.
"You are too vigilant today," a white-haired old man poked his head out of the wagon and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all, Lord Benedikt," Bira politely responded. "It is just that, my lord warned me to be extra careful."
"That brat did. Hmm... then something must be there," Benedikt said while rubbing his chin.
2 days have passed since Bira received the mission from Dickon. He poured his all into the preparation. Soon, the envoys from the capital reached the land of Bali. After a brief greeting, both sides exchanged some sugary words. Lord Dickon hosted the emissaries and prepared a small banquet. After a good night's rest, the group of envoys led by Sir Benedict and protected by 100 royal guards joined with the additional 200 security persons prepared by Dickon and moved out. Bira, with the help of 2 of the most advanced scouting centuria units, monitored the surroundings on their way to Poli. The group of envoys consisting of the 3 most influential nobles of Roge, lord Benedikt, lord Kolin, and lord Slavich, smoothly passed the mountain terrain and safely reached Poli, the destination of the summit.
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Benedict walked out of the wagon and merrily called the man standing in front of him, "Sir Devi Balanon." Devi was one of the survivors of Bali who took part in the offensive military action after the Bali war. Benedict was the supreme commander at that time, and Devi provided some useful information and tactics during the campaign, creating a friendly relationship between the two.
Devi saluted, "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, lord Benedikt." Although he was rewarded for his efforts and promoted to be a lord of Poli, his military habits still kicked in from time to time.
"Ha ha ha... no need for such formalities." Benedikt asked, "So where are the Albanian envoys?"
"They arrived earlier and have been waiting in the city hall for some time now," he answered.
"So what are we waiting for? Lead the way."
The meeting started without any complications. Both sides gave their input throughout the day and argued about the terms of the next treaty. Roge wanted the terms to remain unchanged, while Albania wanted their port back and to stop paying the war compensations. Both sides failed to reach an agreement. The heated arguments continued for 3 days, finally coming to a conclusion after a long and tedious negotiation. Both kingdoms compromised a little, and the peace treaty was finally reached without any major incidents. Albania was exempted from paying any more war penalties; in return, the western port city became a permanent part of Roge. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the negotiation went smoothly. While the surface seemed calm, a massive storm was brewing under the shadows.
