Story 8: Turning Point
Chapter 75
Lucius the First opened his eyes and found himself on Poliana's bed in her tent. His first thought was that he felt sorry for taking her bed, but the second and the bigger worry was that him spending the night in her tent was going to result in an unsavory rumor.
He hurriedly left the tent, but it was already late in the morning and there were men everywhere. They saw him leave Poliana's tent, but no one doubted that nothing happened between the emperor and the knightess.
Lucius the First said to Poliana, "It looks like no one is talking about us. They aren't even curious."
"Exactly, your highness."
"But… a healthy man and a healthy woman spent the night together…"
"I think it's because everyone trusts us, your highness. It is a good sign."
"I agree, Sir Pol. Everyone knows what a great relationship we have. You don't see me as a man, and I don't see you as a woman, how wonderful."
The emperor smiled proudly.
***
Mongsheim surrendered in the end after losing its final battle. Afterward, it became easier for them to conquer the other two kingdoms of the confederation. Oz struggled to keep its defense up while Kopi tried its best by using their sneaky and cowardly methods.
One day, a messenger from Kopi arrived and requested to meet Lucius the First. The messenger relayed that the Kopi king's mother passed away and requested a temporary truce. The Acreian emperor believed in decency, so he agreed to stop attacking Kopi even though Acreia was very close to taking over the kingdom.
But it was all a lie. When the Acreian army paused its attacks, Kopi began doing their surprise attacks. There was no death in Kopi's royal family. It was just a ruse as their last attempt to survive.
Lucius the First lost his own mother at a young age and using a family member like this was unforgivable. The Acreian men felt the same and they burned with anger. Luckily, the weather suddenly turned freezing. The Kopi army, unused to any cold weather, were weakened while the Acreian men, familiar with the coldest weather on the continent, attacked with incredible viciousness.
And finally, Lucius the First was able to have the king of Kopi kneel in front of him.
Urion the Twelfth, King of Kopi.
Lucius the First grabbed his neck furiously. Using his mother's name in such a cowardly way… It was inexcusable.
Lucius the First had no plans to show any mercy to the king.
"I hate liars."
The story of the Acreian emperor slashing Gali the Third's mouth and hanging him upside down on the castle wall was well-known all around the continent. One would expect Urion the Twelfth to tremble in fear and beg for mercy, but this was not the case. Instead, the Kopi king shouted angrily, "I will never sign the document of surren… GYAA!"
Poliana kicked Urion the Twelfth's crotch. When the king fell to the floor and collapsed, she kicked his chin. The king's mouth began to foam.
"… you… ev... vil… b*tch…"
When Poliana motioned to kick him again, Urion the Twelfth quickly signed the document. He obviously didn't want to be kicked in the crotch twice, especially in front of his own men.
Poliana's men cheered for her.
"Our knightess is the best!"
"Sir Pol has the best crotch-kick in the world!"
Lucius the First congratulated Poliana on her excellent attack. Poliana, looking humble, moved to stand behind her emperor. Secretly, she had a personal reason to attack the Kopi king so viciously. She had never even seen her own mother before, so to see someone use his mother's name in such a vulgar manner… She couldn't let it slide.
Conquering Kopi took much less time than winning over Oz because when the king of Oz heard how Urion the Twelfth was treated by Lucius the First, he immediately sent the document of surrender signed and sealed.
Within a few years, Lucius the First successfully conquered the three-kingdom confederation. The northern and mid-continent belonged to him, and the only area left now was the southern region. The people of the southern kingdoms never expected this young Acreian emperor to make it this far, so when they heard the news of an impending attack, they began to panic.
Quickly, some of the smaller southern nations who were located near the mid-continent confederation surrendered without a fight. Lucius the First accepted them graciously.
The Acreian emperor now owned more than half of the continent. Those who laughed at him for having such an impossible dream now bowed in front of him with fear and awe. Some even began to suggest that he should be now called the emperor of the world.
Lucius the First laughed and replied, "I would rather be called that after I am done with this war."
At this rate, everyone believed that that day would come very soon. Soon… Lucius the First will indeed rule the world.