Chapter 11: The Rise of the Frontier Towns

　　The citizens of Salostini still longed to return to the embrace of the Urban Alliance. They remembered all too well how the tyrannical lords had used every cruel means to drive them into a corner, and how their brothers in the League had shed their lifeblood in an attempt to liberate them.

　　Under the post-war peace treaty, Salostini was designated a neutral city. However, upon their withdrawal, the lords had stripped the city of its wealth as an act of petty vengeance. The newly appointed administrator, Wilhelm, was himself a magistrate in service to Sirleid. While his personal loyalties leaned toward his liege, he did not allow these sentiments to cloud his governance. Prioritizing personal security and the public interest, Wilhelm established contact with the Highland League to garner their favor; he enacted moderate decrees, allowing the scarred city a desperate chance to heal and recover.

　　Simultaneously, he dispatched eloquent subordinates to navigate the treacherous political waters between the camps of the lords and the League. Though the harsh reality of the times would eventually force Salostini to submit to whoever emerged victorious, the administrator did everything in his power to shield the city from further slaughter. Consequently, while the citizenry met this lord-appointed official with cold indifference, no overt hostility took root.

　　Meanwhile, Marquis Stiam of Sirleid was consumed by a singular desire: to wash away the stain of his defeat and restore the prestige of both his house and his domain. Wise counsel was offered to dissuade him, but the Marquis ignored it entirely. His envoys, employing silver-tongued persuasion and alternating between moral high ground and material gain, managed only to rally a handful of minor lords to his banner. In the end, it was only by promising the fertile lands of Cosness to Ral that he scraped together a force and began a march toward Salostini.

　　Wilhelm, the administrator of Salostini, received a secret missive demanding his covert assistance. Unwilling to see his city and its people cast once more into the maw of bloody conflict, Wilhelm secretly sent a war warning to the League. To ensure his city's safety, he also leaked news of the impending conflict to the eastern lords. His envoys in the eastern halls used every ounce of their wit to argue that the eastern armies could strike once both sides were exhausted, launching an operation under the pretext of "supporting allies" to reap both fame and profit.

　　As the forces of Sirleid neared Salostini, Wilhelm sent a secret messenger to inform the Marquis that the League had been alerted and was already massing troops. Furthermore, he warned that the eastern lords were watching the situation with predatory intent, poised to seize the spoils for themselves. Faced with these grim prospects, Sirleid ultimately turned back in a fruitless retreat, and Ral never received the lands he had been promised.

　　In the period that followed, the prestige of the royal house was further dragged through the dust by a series of internecine feuds. Lord Ral had once boasted to outsiders of his four sons; yet, the betrayal between these brothers would eventually tarnish his legacy and bring calamity upon their domain. After being ousted from his seat, the eldest son, Slim, appeared in a wretched state before the Marquis of Sirleid, decrying his brother's act of usurpation.

　　The usurper, Codris, had first driven his elder brother away and then placed his other two brothers under house arrest within the manor. Although Codris tried desperately to mask his deeds, he was met with the suspicion of the populace. Opposing courtiers secretly dispatched agents to assassinate Codris’s messengers, severing his contact with the outside world. Hemmed in by the Marquis’s condemnations and the opposition of other lords, the usurper was forced to entrust his safety to Bado, a servant of barbarian origin. This attendant, employing his own brand of cunning, established contact with the lords of the Frontier Alliance.

　　The Frontier Alliance played their old games once more. While publicly denouncing the usurpation, they whispered secret promises to keep Codris’s hopes alive, though their true course of action remained entirely dependent on how the winds shifted. They used heavy bribes to win over the servant Bado, hinting that the frontier would not sit idly by while their security was threatened—all to embolden the servant to manipulate his master’s strategy.

　　By now, Codris was besieged by a storm of conflicting reports, both true and false: that the exiled Slim was approaching the border with troops, that angry citizens were gathering into a formidable mob, and that the courtiers were in league with the rabble to storm the manor gates.

　　The Marquis of Sirleid, leading the forces of several minor lords, took advantage of the chaos and entered Ral’s territory without resistance. However, the minor lords following him were driven solely by the desire for pillage and profit, holding neither morals nor military discipline in any regard. Their commanders allowed the troops to run wild, victimizing the local populace and inciting a fierce backlash from the people.

　　The magistrate of Berisrigs stood firmly with the local people. He threw open the city gates to welcome his fleeing compatriots and sounded the alarm for battle. The army of Sirleid was routed by the incensed populace and pursued for a vast distance. This humiliating defeat left the Marquis in a state of disgrace once more, much to the mockery of other lords.

　　Meanwhile, the frontier lords massed their armies near Kenor in the Hemira Corridor, waiting for the moment to strike. Their envoys and spies moved through Ral and Sirleid, gathering intelligence and sowing influence. Codris, firmly believing he would receive aid from the frontier, gathered what troops he could and marched toward Sirleid under the Lord's banner, claiming the defense of his land.

　　The route from the frontier into Ral necessitated passing through Sirleid. Thus, the well-prepared frontier army surged into the Sibilis region of Sirleid. Without issuing a single proclamation of support or opposition, they appeared beneath the walls of Dammu. This frontier host was a formidable sight: it contained not only well-trained southern soldiers but also steppe tribes who had been integrated and settled in the south—men who accepted the constraints of Limidian law and military discipline without complaint.

　　The castellan of Dammu, unwilling to wait for orders from his lord, made haste to open the gates, and other regions soon followed suit. After passing through northern Sibilis unopposed, the frontier lords suddenly condemned the usurper's deeds and claimed they were acting to uphold justice, effectively trapping Ral between two enemies.

　　Slim, following the army of Sirleid, established a camp near Kagara. The loose, disorganized forces of Ral scattered before a single blow was struck, and the trembling usurper, Codris, was hauled before Slim by Bado. The wretched servant, still harboring his own schemes, actually expected to be rewarded by the master he had just helped to restore.

　　"Look at you now, my brother Codris," Slim said. "You are so utterly forsaken that even a lowly servant dares to strip away what little remains of your dignity. You defied our father’s dying wish—he who personally bestowed upon me the robes and sash of the succession—and then you betrayed your liege, driving him from his lands and leaving his family to tremble in fear.

　　"Yet, I still intend to pardon your crimes. I have no wish to see our aged mother lose a son, nor do I want your suffering wife and children to lose a husband and a father. Dry your tears, brother, whether they flow from terror, remorse, gratitude, or deceit. Besides, Codris, you have now learned the bitter taste of betrayal from that loathsome and wretched servant."

　　Then, pointing to the pale and trembling attendants, Slim commanded: "This is the last time you shall serve this master. Assist my brother to his seat; he has no need to beg for a sovereign’s mercy. Groom him and dress him properly; his station and identity must remain distinct from the common nobility."

　　Despite this show of mercy, the two brothers of Codris’s wife perished in the darkness of the dungeons, victims of the sovereign’s lingering suspicion. Meanwhile, the Frontier Alliance dispatched a representative to follow in the wake of Marquis Stiam and the other lords. Their deferential posture and polished words provided a great sense of satisfaction to these royal descendants.

　　However, Stiam of Sirleid soon felt the creeping pressure of the frontier forces. Under the pretext of "maintaining security," they remained entrenched in Sibilis rather than withdrawing completely. This vast, open region—teeming with farmlands and orchards—sat at a strategic crossroads, bordering the southeastern corner of the frontier, northwestern Ral, and western Feren.

　　Simultaneously, the frontier lords began constructing fortifications along the border, placing them so close that bolts from their crossbowmen could land directly on Sibilian soil. The vital supply lines to Lungedis in northern Sibilis faced the constant threat of being severed by these frontier garrisons.

　　Fortunately, Lungedis remained staunchly loyal to Sirleid. The defenders stayed on high alert, reinforcing walls and erecting new works. The local populace spent every available moment honing their combat skills and mastering complex maneuvers. Their storehouses were packed with enough supplies to withstand a two-year siege in total isolation.

　　At the same time, Slim of Ral utilized cautious diplomacy and meticulous planning to ensure he did not fall into a fatal trap. To this end, the Count went so far as to humble himself, according Stiam the deference due to an elder—a move that stroked the Marquis’s vanity and won his favor. His chosen messengers and spies moved through both the light and the shadows, gathering intelligence within the frontier to anticipate any move.

　　These envoys were hand-picked for their sharp wits and silver tongues, tirelessly traveling between domains. Through their efforts, the lords maintained a close-knit front, deterring the Frontier Alliance from making a move on the east. During this era, the eastern lords remained indifferent observers of western affairs, entirely blind to the frontier's eastward ambitions.

　　Slim’s domestic governance also earned him widespread acclaim. He restored the traditional etiquettes of the Willem era while listening to the grievances of the people, enacting practical laws that allowed his subjects to live undisturbed lives under a veil of courtesy and impartial justice.

　　However, when Count Slim passed away, the region's fleeting fortune died with him. His successor, Surlos, was either too arrogant or too ignorant to see the truth. In his haste to escape the influence of others, he abandoned the very measures that ensured public devotion and national security.

　　Blinded by a thirst for hollow prestige, Surlos refused to take a subordinate role before the Marquis of Sirleid, nor did he possess the skill to play the lords against one another. Previously, his father had persuaded the Marquis to allow the weaker forces of Count Colasur to replace the frontier garrison in Sibilis. In exchange, Stiam had moved those frontier troops to Defa to "maintain order," claiming a magistrate named Latimos was conspiring with bandits and defying orders.

　　Upon arrival, however, the frontier troops found their supply lines overextended and harassed by Sirleid’s patrols, eventually forcing them to withdraw quietly. A delighted Stiam then followed the advice of a Ralian envoy and moved his troops from the shores of Lake Danret to the walls of Kemoris to bolster the northwest. This move also allowed the quiet lake to return to the domain of Susales.

　　The Baron of Susales, mindful of the kindness shown by the late Count of Ral, maintained his respect for the successor, Count Surlos. This relationship served as a natural defensive line for Ral, yet Surlos remained indifferent to its value.

　　The actions of Sirleid were equally unsettling. While Stiam had used a mask of friendship to hide his military preparations, his successor, Marquis Coris, adopted a more aggressive stance. He frequently massed troops in Sibilis for drills and maneuvers. Frontier envoys appeared respectfully in his Great Hall, accompanied by spies who scrutinized everything; they ultimately concluded that this Marquis was nothing more than an arrogant incompetent.

　　For a long time, the frontier spies and envoys moved among these royal descendants, looking for any spark that could turn this loose coalition against itself. Marquis Coris of Sirleid used extravagant displays and ornate finery to boast of his status, far exceeding the vanity of his father. At a festive ceremony in his magnificent hall, Coris flaunted barbarian sabers, exotic crests, and fur garments—all gifts from the frontier lords—to his assembled courtiers and magistrates.

　　The envoys of the frontier lords seized this opening to initiate their clandestine activities. They funneled bribes and favors to certain courtiers within Coris's inner circle, prompting them to whisper deceptive counsel into the Marquis's ear. They urged him to redeploy the armies stationed in the northwest back to the shores of Lake Danret, hoisting his domain's banners there to assert a hollow sovereignty.

　　Though a few voices rose in doubt and opposition, these lonely cries of reason were drowned out by a deafening chorus of sycophancy and orchestrated praise. Meanwhile, on the Sibilis frontier, a frontier host began to mass silently around their border fortifications, poised to strike the moment the situation ripened.

　　The roads leading toward the enemy's borders had been meticulously refurbished; their broad, level surfaces were now capable of facilitating the rapid deployment of frontier troops and supply wagons at a moment's notice. Within the fortresses, storehouses groaned under the weight of vast stockpiles of grain, fodder, and construction materials, all reserved for the coming conflict. Day after day, the garrisoned soldiers underwent rigorous drills to maintain a razor-sharp sense of discipline and combat readiness.

　　And yet, through all of this, Marquis Coris remained fixated on that shimmering expanse of water known as Danret within the territory of Susales. He boasted with insufferable pride, declaring to all who would listen that he was finally on the verge of resolving a territorial dispute that had eluded his forefathers for generations.