In the west of Albion, there were three major countries. The first was the Aurelion Republic, which could be considered the France of this world. It was a country with a secular and centralized governance style.
It was governed by the eight mayor heads known as the Council and the Prime Minister’s cabinet.
Despite being called a republic, it was ruled by a single party. A party leader was elected every five years, and the candidates for party leader were individuals who managed to receive 100,000 votes from the public.
Its history was famous. They were once a single country 130 years ago, during the time when the current king’s father, Edward, was a prince. The Aurelia Kingdom experienced a great civil war led by the Great Lorenzo, which was initiated by a popular uprising.
The winner of this war was Lorenzo, who shortly after declared the Republic, revolted against the Church, and abolished the faith in the Light Goddess as the legal religion in the country, choosing secularism instead.
This also meant the execution of the nobles in the country. While king and some nobles were executed, most of the nobles fled to a plain called Harmonia.
The series of events drew the Church’s ire, leading to a war between the two countries. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Great Lorenzo defeated the Holy Mary Kingdom in rapid succession, nearly causing the Church to lose its authority.
Yet, the Great Lorenzo was ultimately defeated in the Battle of the Yellow Plains and was executed, leading to the fragmentation of his country, no longer a threat to the Church and the Holy Mary Kingdom.
Now, there is a generally fragmented West that is starting to recover.
The west of the Albion continent was filled with good seasons, geography, and plains. Unlike the Holy Mary Kingdom, it had proximity to the sea and possessed nearly all fish production.
In addition, the Dragon Kingdom, known as Drachenreich in their language, owned the majority of the southern and eastern territories of the West. Despite having a population exceeding 40 million, it was in a poor economic situation.
Three peoples lived here. The first was the Wellen people, who were conservatives predominantly made up of couples and had long sought to maintain the traditions of the Drachenreich.
The other was the Wellen-Hohen, a mixed race of the Wellen people and the foreigners who came to the island with Vortigern. The Wellen-Hohen were typically merchants and one of the few races in the west from rural areas.
Lastly, the other race was the Nord, known to be descendants of the barbaric Wargen from the north. This group consisted of the country’s nobles.
During the short reign of the Great Aurelian Republic, some agreements made by the Great Lorenzo with certain warrior tribes in Wargan in exchange for nobility and land had been granted to the Wargan people.
Although the Wellen and Wellen-Hohen protested, the Great Lorenzo suppressed the dissent with the sword. Eventually, the Wargan people assimilated by marrying the popular local girls, taking on the name Nord over time.
Furthermore, the north of the West was inhabited by nobles who had fled from the Aurelia Republic and was called Harmonia. They took control of their location after launching a rebellion following the to be defeat of Great Lorenzo by the Prince Edward.
They established a place known as the Harmonia Kingdom, governed by a council of nobles and an archbishop. Economically funded by the Holy Mary Kingdom, these individuals were corrupt and arrogant.
Returning to the present, after a month’s time, the villagers led by Simon had arrived at Drachenreich despite their exhaustion.
While Simon and all the villagers were escaping from the kingdom, everyone had been enduring the painful situation for the last week. At least the others had...
George, although he tried to remain cheerful, could not hide his grief over his grandfather’s absence. After all, he was both his grandfather and his teacher.
Emily, despite getting through this, still acted cold and distant. She didn’t blame the others; she only blamed herself and the Light Goddess. Her only goal in mind was to kill the Goddess and her servants who had done this to her grandfather.
For this, she fought tirelessly. She trained until her hands turned red from pain.
As for Urien, it had taken him a week to shake off the shock and horror.
As Seth’s body dispersed with the wind, Simon exhaled and relaxed. His eyes widened when he saw the letter on the ground; he eagerly picked it up and opened it.
Recognizing the writing style of his most intelligent daughter, Simon’s eyes sparkled with pride and longing. He then began to read.
(Now.)
"Are you excited?" Simon turned his head and asked Urien. They talked as the villagers prepared and dressed their children in clean clothes.
"A lot has happened in just one month. I never even thought I could become the high priest."
Urien felt a mix of excitement and sadness about this position. If Frank had lived, it would have been him in this place today...
He was disappointed that the Dark God granted him the position. Now, he felt strange having to be in this position.
"Don’t worry; everything will be fine." Simon could only hope. They set off without saying anything more.
******
"Are the armies ready?"
Alfred asked calmly, looking at Miguel. Even though this would plunge the kingdom into civil war, he maintained his composure professionally.
Miguel nodded calmly, kneeling as he spoke. "Yes, we are waiting for your command."
"Good, we will be in front of the capital shortly."
Upon hearing Alfred’s decision, Miguel waited calmly without objection. Meanwhile, the chief spy Virgo looked at Alfred with calm eyes. "Are you sure about this decision, my Lord?"
Alfred’s eyes were cold as he looked at Virgo. They were the eyes of someone who had faced death. "It’s too late to regret now. Either they will accept what we want—"
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The Duke Alfred’s tone grew even colder, and as the mana pressure sent shivers down everyone’s spine, a murderous intent honed by countless battles spread around.
"Or they will face death and war."
"As you propose, my Lord. We will always support you."
Virgo calmly offered his support, and Miguel joined him.
While Thornfield Duchy remained silent, the Orkneys had clearly demonstrated their loyalty to the King. Stormwind had long shown its support for the Thornvile Duchy, with whom it had fought side by side.
As the kingdom headed towards destruction, even if the pope called for peace, their allegiance was unmistakably on the side of the King and his supporters, the Royal Party.
This war would perhaps be the largest civil war since Mordred’s rebellion. Everything hinged on a single decision.
Either Morrigan would die, Alfred would be defeated and executed, or the Kingdom would fragment and weaken like never before, ushering in a new Dark Age that would envelop everyone...