The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

40 – The Way Terosa Ends the War

Rosalía and Handro, seated in chairs with shackles, entered the conference room and gazed at Kanz, the leader of Radvia, who sat there with a defeated air. Even he, once majestic and valiant, now bore the look of a ruler burdened by defeat, worse off than a beggar on the streets.

Rosalia and Handro sat across from him.

Imperial high officials attended as mediators during the negotiations, all at Rosalia’s request.

The audience included individuals closely tied to the royal court, including elders of Terosa’s council, as well as those who came to assist the mediators from the empire, and officials who joined out of curiosity or political calculation.

“Does the queen of a small nation want to boast about winning a war?”

Kans, glancing around, revealed yellowed teeth as he spoke.

“Shut your mouth and sit still.”

“Your Majesty, perhaps you could choose your words more carefully…”

“Ahem… I’m sorry, Handro. I didn’t mean to.”

Despite his savage appearance, Kans was skilled in strategy and tactics.

Rosalia felt that, without her prior experience dealing with him, he would be an unbeatable opponent.

Facing the source of exhaustion and irritation from all the battles fought so far, Rosalia, provoked unintentionally, spat out harsh words.

Kans’ question, however, wasn’t thrown merely for mockery.

In war, if one side won, they could either negotiate an agreement and end the war, or the victorious nation would typically absorb the defeated one, or the parties involved would find a way to settle things on their own. There was no need to conduct peace negotiations with so many witnesses.

“Well… let’s not waste time and proceed. As representative mediator, I will oversee the peace negotiations between Terosa and Latviga, as requested by the queen of Terosa. Our empire will maintain neutrality in this negotiation and will only provide minimal mediation…”

The imperial official serving as the representative mediator continued with his long and tedious declaration.

After his speech concluded, negotiations between the two nations began immediately.

“Now, the victorious Terosa side can make their proposal first.”

Following the mediator’s guidance, Handro stood up and began speaking.

In his hand, he held a paper outlining the conditions.

“I am Handro, the commander of Terosa. Our Terosa…”

“Hahaha!”

Kans, interrupting Handro’s reading of the conditions with a savage laughter, disrupted the calm atmosphere.

“Latviga doesn’t beg for things like our lives. Negotiation? Why don’t you pick sand grains off a camel’s ass and eat them.”

The audience began to murmur at Kans’ high-handed ridicule.

“You defeated Terosa bastards, remember this. If you spare even one of us, someday warriors who haven’t forgotten this defeat will come looking for you with swords. Especially you, sitting there like a green girl.”

“This son of a bitch! I’ll rip his mouth open right now…”

“Handro!”

As Handro, incensed by Kans’ disrespectful remarks, was about to charge forward, Rosalia called his name and restrained him.

Upon hearing Rosalia’s voice, Handro, seething with anger, regained his composure.

Seeing him like that, Kans chuckled.

“Stay calm!”

The mediator belatedly intervened, trying to settle the situation.

“Now, let’s resume negotiations. Kans, can you refrain from coming out like this? We’re trying to conclude the war peacefully and humanely at the request of the Victorious Kingdom. This is a warning.”

With a smirk, Kans nodded in acknowledgment of the mediator’s words.

Handro, the true leader of Handrosa, unfolded the paper again and cleared his throat.

The moment he tried to read the first line, Rosalia’s arm abruptly grabbed Handro’s wrist.

Handro, who stood up as Rosalia, met his eyes, nodded, handed her the paper, and sat back down.

Witnessing this, Kans once again formed an unpleasant smile.

Without hesitation, Rosalia read the paper in her hand with an indifferent voice.

“King of Terosa, Rosalia. We demand the following from the defeated nation, Ratvia:

First, all territories of Ratvia will be annexed to Terosa.

Second, execute Kans and his family, as well as all those who are associated with him.

Third, all the people of Ratvia will now live as citizens of Terosa, and anyone who refuses will be executed.”

In essence, the demands were tantamount to erasing Ratvia from the map, causing a stir among everyone present in the assembly.

“Why bother with peace talks if you’re going to do that…?”

If the intention was to destroy the nation of Ratvia, there was no need to hold such negotiations; it could be settled on the battlefield.

Of course, Rosalia was well aware of this fact.

As the atmosphere in the hall became bewildered, she looked at Kans with eyes that seemed to mock him, feeling extremely satisfied inwardly.

Kans, who had lost the fervor he had moments ago, wore a perplexed expression.

The mediator, also sporting a bewildered expression, asked Rosalia without attempting to restore the chaotic atmosphere.

“…Your Majesty? You created this situation to conduct negotiations, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“So… to conclude the war in a peaceful and humane manner?”

“Me?”

“Yes?”

“When did I do that?”

The mediator still maintained a clueless expression.

His face looked so foolish that Rosalia felt anger welling up for a moment, but soon she regained her composure.

“I wanted to show it to the esteemed figures of the Empire.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This, damn it! What is this nonsense?”

Before the mediator’s question could be concluded, Kans, in a frenzy, rose from his seat.

“They’re just trying to make a fool out of me! In front of everyone like this!”

Despite his wild outburst, for some reason, Rosalia and Handro did not take any action.

As if not caring at all, they only looked at him calmly.

Rosalia shouted loudly, looking at the audience, in response to the mediator’s question.

“Please watch carefully, everyone. See how miserable the end of those hostile to us can be.”

Handro quietly stood up and grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Just before entering the council chamber, Handro recalled the conversation he had with the queen in the corridor.

After hearing her plan, Handro felt a slight chill.

It was a terrible and cruel thing, but there was no doubt that her message could be delivered in a way that left no room for doubt.

Returning to the present, Handro swiftly drew his sword towards the barbaric Kans’s neck.

For a moment, Kans didn’t even realize the fact that he was dead.

His head fell to the ground, and bright red arterial blood sprayed out like a fountain from his body.

Although the blood splattered on Rosalia’s face, she opened her mouth with an indifferent expression.

“Some of our demands have just been fulfilled.”

All the people in the council chamber screamed at the horrifying scene that was beyond their expectations.

The Queen of Terosa, surveying the audience as if gauging reactions, executed the next step of her plan with a dry tone.

“Come in.”

At her command, the door to the council chamber opened.

A single Ratvi woman and a boy who looked about ten were led into the chamber by Terosa soldiers.

They were Kans’s family.

Before they could react to the sight of Kans’s lifeless body on the floor, the queen’s plan was set into motion.

The shocked audience, immersed in repeated massacres, witnessed chaos like never before.

The mediator was no different from them.

People attempting to leave the council chamber, frozen in shock, pretending nonchalance with forced coughs – various reactions emerged, but they all shared a common emotion.

The young girl, who was ignorant of the world and had been bestowed with the crown in her innocent age, was filled with fear as she looked at the emotionless face, perhaps with a sense of satisfaction, of the barbaric ruler who had committed such inhumane acts.

“The one condition that I explicitly demanded has been met. The remaining matters are currently in progress, and when everything is settled, I will send a separate message to the imperial side.”

Her voice was still as dry and brittle as ever.