Rebirth of the Phoenix God

"And that's generally the gist of it. So, what do you think guys?"

Once the preliminary agreement was reached, it took only a few moments for both Victor and Orsha to appear. Just to make sure, Fen had the lord's party remain in the vincity, officially for the sake of hastening the entire process of negotiations while in reality, it was just a simple protective move. After all, if the entire command of the army were to gather up all the while allowing the lord to carry that message back to his forces… 

In that kind of specific situation, no one could be certain that the lord of the province that the fight was about wouldn't roll the dice by ordering a massive attack all in the direction. With the command of the mercenaries stuck in one place, this kind of play could potentially win him the entire battle, without all that much bloodshed.

"First thing first, how did you come up with that idea? How can you know that he is someone who could do the job? Given how little we openly know about the guy, I won't dare to grant him this vital spot in our country. Not without knowing your reasons first."

Sitting on a small, wooden bench that some of the more crafting-oriented mercenaries prepared, Victor extended his hands towards the blaze of a small campfire beside. Even though everyone around it was capable of wielding arcana, using one's own fire to cast the coldness of the evening away felt crude when compared to the comforting warmth of the normal flame.

"Well, if you are that curious… It all started when I noticed how meticulous the guy was with his actions. Any normal lord of our former employer calibre would either take all the riches and escape to another country to live like a king there for a while, before selling himself on the basis of land claims to another monarch. That's the easiest way to sustain their high-level of lives… But this one particular guy, instead of escaping, decided to face us head-on, and right after his main army was devastated. That was the first point that caught my attention."

Holding a cup of strong mean in his hands, Fen allowed a small fire to trickle between his fingers, slowly heating the liquor up. For some reason, no matter whether it was booze, beer or wine, it would taste the best when cooled down. But that wasn't the case for this rich, aromatic mead that the locals like the drink. 

'This could be one of the greatest selling points of those lands…'

Taking a small sip of the mature content of his cup, Fen leaned his head backwards when the rich aroma of various herbs hit his throat and overwhelmed his mind with a strange sense of coolness. With the heat of the hot drink spreading through his insides, the relaxing effect that those herbs apparently had made the young man a little sleepy, creating a perfect dissonance between soberness and a state of improved mood.

"There could be only two reasons for that behaviour. Either he was someone really ambitious and unwilling to give up his lands without a fight, or he knew that he has no value for other monarchs, making him unable to sell himself for a good price, nor secure if he were to escape with riches. When we were passing by Khola, I made sure to send some men to ask about their former lord, and their reports confirmed that he wasn't a proper lord in the first place, but… hear me out…"

Noticing the visible tension in both of his co-commanders, Fen couldn't stop himself from enjoying it for a moment, before a cold stare from Orsha brought him back to earth from his dramatic moment. Who could've thought that a strong woman like the female mercenary would have such a huge effect on the young man…

"... actually, he is no one but a local governor sent here by the Heptarchy after the untimely passage of the original lord of this place. One that died just two months ago during one of his raids. Victor, if you remember the clash at Ofmase… who could've known that little skirmish would have such long-lasting effects!"

Exclaiming with passion before drowning this emotion with a huge mouthful of this insane mead, Fen drank for as long as it took for the colder part of the drink to start flowing down his mouth. 

"Either way, being a governor, once he would lose the province, he would be left with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Return to the capital would mean punishment for losing the province, while in any other country he would be just a normal man. That's why I believe he was doing everything in his power to preserve a good negotiating position with us. Look at how he placed his people around the city. While desperate to remain in power, he made sure that he won't spend the rest of his days troubled by the sea of blood of the innocent people. If the fight were to start, I don't think he would have any qualms against entire heaps of his forced deserting without clashing the swords even once."

While everything that Fen said has been nothing but a conjecture to a point, having this kind of outlook at the opposing general was better than nothing. Especially with how they were basically about to decide whether they wanted to feel his breath on their necks for the foreseeable future.

Yet, it would be a small price to pay to avoid a needless massacre. 

"So, what are we doing guys. Should we make the deal?"

Finally stepping up and taking back the lead of the conversation, Victor even went as far as standing up from his comfortable spot on the bench.

"Given how I was the one to come up with the proposition, I'm up for it. But unless we can be unanimous on this, I don't think it will work in the long term."

This was something quite obvious. Even if that man's abilities could prove him worthy in the long run, as long as one of the three main figures behind the entire country were to be on odds with him, then their newly-created nation would be nearly impossible to maintain early on. With this kind of conflict brewing right in the core of their power, it would be only a matter of time before one or both sides of the said conflict would use external forces to force their agenda.

"If you say that he might be a good pick, then I'm down for his candidature. It's not like we can find a good governor from the masses."

Shaking her shoulders without a care in the world, Orsha backed Fen's position.

"Why do I have a feeling that with each passing day, less and less depends on me in this camp?"

For the change, Victor didn't shake his arms but his head, and not with laid-back attitude but with a slight annoyance. 

"With both of you happy to make him a part of our new government, I feel like disagreeing now would be taken on a bad note. Let's say it's decided. Now, what would be your plan for our next steps?"

With a look of resignation on his face, Victor turned to Fen. Even though this young mercenary's plans turned him from a commander of a respectable mercenary unit to an overlord of a huge chunk of land with self-proclaimed nobility to his chest, it was clear that he was taking all Fen's scheming with a heavy heart.

"First, we announce our decision as soon as possible. Look at them, they are about to run if we were to shout a little louder…"

Pointing at the group of their already formerly opposing forces with his chin, Fen shook his head.

"We need to announce this decision as publicly as possible, preferably turning it into a huge event that would give our new nation a meaning. Something along the lines, while other's are killing each other for a pitiful loot that they could rob out of serfs, the two sides with sworn enmity comes to terms with each other and joins the hands in order to preserve their lives? That would turn both us and him into good fathers of the populace… And I don't think I need to mention how much we will need this kind of teary and naive story to stabilise the lands…"

Explaining his ideas, Fen decisively stood up from his place before moving a few paces away from the campfire and waving at the lord's group in the distance.

"Now, let's make him bring out his entire force on the field before the city, while we will form in a proper formation as well. We will meet in the middle of the open field between us so that everyone in both armies and the city alike will be able to see us shaking hands. How about it?"