“Thank you for agreeing to come. Those are… peculiar circumstances, and we apologize for the hiccup,” the priest of Maranor said.

Viv sat back into her comfortable chair, making sure not to look at Selyen to the side or she was liable to throw something at him. The receiving room was pleasant enough. High priests from all the churches stood at the back as witnesses, officially on her side. There were refreshments, but Viv was still pissed off. Not about the attack on her men, not anymore. She was pissed off at herself.

By her side, Sidjin shifted in his seat.

He had chewed the fuck out of her and she was still feeling sore. Mostly because he was right. She’d been stupid by thinking the council wouldn’t stop for something as important as an embassy being attacked by the forces of a sovereign nation. This was the first time in two centuries, and the last one had been a fisticuff. Obviously that took precedence.

She’d also been selfish to leave him behind. This was a team effort. Either he was part of the action or he was not. Sidjin wasn’t a diplomat. He was a war mage and her paramour, so she should have said ‘let’s go’ and that was it. She failed to do so and Sidjin was forced to remain with the other envoys because she’d requested it and because he couldn’t refuse without her losing face. He’d been furious and Viv was now sulking, having been told off.

The Priest of Maranor met her eyes and though he didn’t flinch, he was clearly not relaxed. He was the same guy who had officiated the diplomatic meeting and Viv felt he was doing a good job smoothing feathers despite her misgivings. Selyen crossed his arms in a gesture of pouting dignity she would have mimicked if she didn’t have to look like an Empress.

“I would first like to clarify that I am speaking as the representative of the council and that Selyen acted with Mornyr’s benediction in this instance. He is the current head of the, ah, fast response team with Baran’s approval. His role is to stop conflict by disarming the opponents with overwhelming force. He is perhaps not the most diplomatic person but I will ask you to forgive him as he was playing his role and, more importantly, none of your men were slain. His instructions were to avoid any and all deaths unless absolutely necessary.”

“That last attack of his didn’t look harmless,” Viv said.

“Your men are pretty good,” Selyen said. “Better than I expected from border grunts. I was going to hurt them but I wasn’t going to kill them. If I wanted them dead they would be,” Selyen said with a bored voice.

Viv bristled but he was right. The artifact hanging from his large shoulders would be enough to slice through even runic armor with ease. She wasn’t even sure she could beat him in a straight fight if he were to use it considering the Sword of the Dragonslayer was the most powerful offensive artifact of the continent.

“You should not have attacked them to begin with,” she retorted.

“Just following orders.”

“Empress Viviane, please. I acknowledge that the situation is complex. There will be reparations but Selyen is innocent in this matter. He was merely enforcing the law to the best of his knowledge and abilities.”

The way the priest pointedly said the last part of the sentence made her realize what he actually meant, merely that Selyen was an arrogant bonehead and that he had done his best. The attack had taken place at the fucking front gate of her manor. No one should have thought the Harrakans the attacking party, so the priest was saying Selyen was just a dumbass.

She considered the solution. He acted like he was on her side and wanted her to drop the matter that involved Mornyr directly, and through the city its servant Selyen who was basically a riot cop on steroids. Viv could press the issue but she was more interested in getting even with those who had started it to begin with.

“When you say reparations, I assume you are referring to Luten’s attack on my sovereign territory.”

Viv expected the priest to try and smooth things out but she was completely wrong. He was a priest of the goddess of order, and she applied her wrath with equity.

“Their behavior was utterly unacceptable. The Pure League has gone too far this time, just as I fear they eventually would. The misguided belief they alone stand for the future of mankind has made them arrogant beyond compare. It goes without saying that their entire delegation is expelled from Mornyr effective immediately. The temple guards of various churches are carrying out this order as we speak and they will be further punished by a loss of their voting rights until such a time that they atone for what they have done. Such brazen disrespect of our rules! Utterly scandalous.”

Viv surveyed the man who waited for her judgment. Getting those fuckers expelled was a good start but it was for the insult they’d done to Mornyr and its rules. Not to her. The issue she had was that there was nothing she could demand from Mornyr without them denying responsibility for the fiasco since they would never admit to being wrong. Similarly, there was little she could demand of the Pure League. She didn’t trade with them. She didn’t share a border with them. Hell, they had never really interacted. Seizing sovereign funds from the bank wasn’t a thing that could be enforced on this planet. Maybe…

“I request a recognition of casus belli.”

The atmosphere changed immediately. The priest leaned backward while Selyen let out a little cough of surprise. Even Sidjin seemed surprised.

“The, ah, that would not justify an invasion or anything too drastic. It remains an incident.”

“I want the ability to conduct hostile actions without condemnation from the alliance. There are provisions for that. Attacking an embassy remains an act of war.”

“I am familiar with the code of conduct, thank you, but are you sure? It will only be valid for five years.”

“That’s more than enough time to figure out what I want to do.”

“Viviane, may I call you Viviane?”

“No.”

Viv didn’t care about the assembled priests’ concerned whispers at her outburst. She knew he was going to say something to piss her off. She didn’t let go of her aura but her glare made it obvious she expected some saccharine bullshit. She wasn’t disappointed.

“Very well, Empress. You have so far proven yourself to be a paragon of, ah, restraint and diplomacy. At least since your notable contribution to the defeat of the Nemeti. As good behavior goes a long way towards rehabilitating your image as a reliable partner. Would you consider letting go of the matter? I am sure we can find a way to have Harrak compensated without having to resort to violence.”

Viv crossed her fingers. Sidjin discreetly patted her knee in a gesture of support. She took a deep breath.

They didn’t get it.

She would have to explain.

“You are basing your impression on a false premise. You see me now, calm and composed, and think I have fundamentally changed from the hellion who overthrew Prince Lancer’s puppet in Kazar. Perhaps you think my support of General Jaratalassi is an act of redemption and sacrifice for the common good. In this, you are basing your understanding of me on Loyalist Enorian propaganda. So allow me to dispel any delusions you may have when it comes to the way I conduct politics and diplomacy.

“I am one of the most consistent rulers to have ever joined the alliance. “See, I didn’t go to Lancer. He came to Kazar, violated the free city agreement, enslaved those who didn’t flee, and killed my girlfriend. So I gathered those who mattered to me and led a revolt. And we killed his envoy. Then Lancer came again to finish the job so I rallied my friends and allies and fought back. And we killed him. Elunath tried to enslave me so I rallied allies and laid a trap. And we killed him. The Nemeti threatened Param and old steeltrap Jaratalassi called me for help so I rallied my friends and allies, we came, and we killed the Nemeti. Do you see a pattern? You do, do you not? The reality is quite simple. I would gladly spend days pushing back the deadlands but some shit keeps happening that requires my attention. I’m sure you can see where I am going with this.”

The priests were studiously examining each other’s fingernails so Viv enunciated the next sentence with great care. Just so there wouldn’t be any confusion.

“As long as twats come after the people I care about or myself, I will simply raise the banners and go after them, and since I’m consistent and rather friendly, the number of banners keeps increasing and now we even have wasps throwers. The Pure League insulted me and went after my embassy so I am going to rally my people and fuck them up. I don’t know how yet, or even when, but it is going to happen. Because I am very consistent, very vindictive, and I always, always get even. Always.”

She leaned back against her chair. You could hear a pin drop.

“The council grants you the casus belli clause. Please use it with discernment.”

“Oh don’t worry. Unlike some people, I don’t go after civilians. Anyway, was there something else?”

“You are the offended party, Empress Viviane. If you are satisfied then we can resume the summit.”

***

“I’d like to know why your own nation’s military tried to kill you,” Viv told the ex-councillor securely hiding in her embassy’s guest quarters.

The old northern woman had recovered from her shock, to the extent that she looked perfectly at home in her bedroom and Viv was but a guest instead of the manor’s temporary owner. The witch had left her guards behind. Only Sidjin remained by her side. She was hoping for cooperation with the recent defector.

“What do you know of the Pure League’s drive west across the Kark plains?” the old woman asked.

“I know it’s not going well.”

“That would be an understatement. The Pure League’s original intentions were noble. At first, our enemies were not the Kark but the beastlings and any other species or individuals that prayed to the dark gods. The drive east was based on, shall we say, creative evidence at the start though you will not find a noble alive who will admit to it.”

“Except for you,” Sidjin remarked.

“Behind closed doors. And I believe we are way past appearances. My point is that the drive to turn the steppes into farmland is failing.”

“The soil isn’t fertile enough?” Viv asked.

Marruk had indicated as much. The Kark were not stupid. The steppes were just unsuitable for intensive agriculture the way the humans did it.

“After two harvests, all that remains is cracked dead earth. The first wave of farms has already been abandoned. Meanwhile, the military presses on to free more land for new settlers and those who had to leave theirs behind, but this strategy is just delaying the inevitable.”

“The supply lines keep getting longer,” Sidjin guessed.

“There is that, and the fact that what was steppe land with water spots and some food is now a dry desert, not to mention there are the casualties.”

“The Kark are fighting back.”

“Not as well as before but neither are we. An entire generation of elites has died on Kark spears to slaughter their shamans. Victory was achieved multiple times, but at too high a cost and now the people are weary. Noble houses refuse to sacrifice scions for a cause that they believe is lost. There are two factions right now, the purists and the reformists. The purists want to go all out. They believe that with enough dead Kark and enough free land, they can rotate farms to maintain some measure of productivity. Reformists, meanwhile, believe we should pull out before sinking more resources into a looming disaster.”

“And you are a reformist,” Viv guessed.

“While my fiery colleague represents the purist faction. For now, they hold the advantage but the scales are gradually shifting in our favor. It is making our adversaries desperate, and desperate people are the most dangerous.”

“This does not explain while they would dispose of you,” Sidjin noted.

“I have valuable information that Ambassador Feliserendi would have very much preferred to have kept hidden. Unfortunately, the servant I, ah, convinced to help, had a change of heart and I was forced to leave expeditiously. And by that, I mean I had to jump out of the window. At my age! I would, of course, be willing to share that important piece of information with you provided you could assist me in some matters.”

The lady had courage, Viv would grant her that. Unfortunately, Viv had little patience. These have been trying hours. She progressively released her hold on her aura, first on leadership which Sidjin reinforced with his own aura in a curious mix, as if he was giving her legitimacy. The second layer was more draconic and caused the lady to roll her eyes. At first.

The room grew progressively dimmer and her guest’s condescending smirk faded. Viv wasn’t just bullying her. She was conveying a message that words would take a long time to express.

The woman didn’t matter to Viv, not as a person. She was here at Viv’s sufferance and this manor was now under Harrakan dominion. Viv would get her piece of information or she would get her pound of flesh, and she would harvest either with cold, reptilian detachment. The woman would cooperate or she would die, and then Viv would have dinner. That was it.

A knock on the door. Viv smiled. Solfis’ ghastly head slithered through the opening.

//YOU CALLED?

“You have made your position clear,” the woman said. “There is no need for this aspect of the Old Empire to make a return. I will tell you what I know. In exchange, I ask for asylum until I manage to find my way back.”

“You will have asylum if you are truthful, if I can ascertain that you don’t intend to betray us, and if Lady Azar thinks your skills are worth employing for the duration of your exile.”

“How would you even know that I wouldn’t betray you?”

“You will swear an oath to Neriad which I will have Lady Azar prepare. I have had some people get creative with oath breaking in the past so I am no longer leaving anything to chance.”

“This is acceptable. As for the piece of information, the League intends to secure its flank by making an example out of Zazas. Ambassador Feliserendi knows the city intends to contract you to become the center of the gate network in the north. They want to dispose of the ruling couple. I… am not sure how. This is all I have learned, I swear.”

“This diplomatic summit is growing more and more annoying.”

//Diplomacy can be quite complex, Your Majesty.

//May I offer an alternative?

“No.”The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

***

Solfis’ taunt had been directed at the lady. In reality, the ancient golem strongly favored a peaceful approach for the summit since he cared about the glory of Harrak even more than he cared about the glory of battle, and so Viv returned to the negotiating table along with a mollified Sidjin. As expected, the alliance was eager to stop funding the deadland forts and the vote passed with Viv’s support. It was a bit of a blow since the sentries manning said forts didn’t just provide a buffer for invading necromancers. They were also a good source of trade on their way to and back from the fortresses. Viv took solace in the fact that thanks to her effort, they were now only a minor contribution to Harrakan total trade. She could consider their loss a growing pain.

The afternoon was spent voting on stuff that didn’t concern Viv. The Paramese alliance covered an entire continent, of which Harrak was still just a very small part. Trade disputes, border disagreement, even the responsibility for rampaging monsters were the subject of many arguments, some of them fierce. Viv watched the King of Baran raise his voice for the first time when confronted with the news of a rampaging creature called an ‘earth wyrm’ that had crossed into Helock-controlled territory. Viv had no idea it was such a big deal, even with Lady Azar mentioning it in the past. The earth wyrm had apparently destroyed a valuable small town.

“The sons of Baran have bled to slow the beast down and you have the gall to demand reparations from us? While their widows still weep?” he roared.

It was serious business. Viv voted for whoever was right according to her advisors in order to develop a reputation for impartiality. She voted against Enoria once, but Sangor didn’t seem to care much. His request was shot down by most representatives anyway. The negotiations continued well into late afternoon to make up for the earlier disruption. Once more, it was amazing how high stats made everything easier. People talked faster, points were clearer, people tended to be more precise and presented more structured arguments. The votes were tallied in record speed as well. Viv was starting to think it wasn’t just superhuman abilities that let humans thrive here in a land with liches and dragons. Superhuman bureaucracy could be credited for a lot of successes as well.

Speaking of, there were a few improvements.

Leadership: Intermediate 9