Chapter 187: The Heian-kyo of Yongchun Is Without a Doubt a Demon's Den
Although the diplomatic mission's journey to Rome City to surrender was a coordinated performance by these small nations, the core reason for their actions was fear of Altera and likewise fear of Noah. Therefore, their attitude was also quite sincere.
Shortly after Noah had Altera return, the diplomatic missions dispatched by these small nations arrived near Rome City.
Even their chosen representative, Abaruba, accompanied the diplomatic mission.
Under these circumstances, it was only natural that Abaruba took the lead in the diplomatic mission.
"Lord Abaruba, what attitude should we adopt for this... um, negotiation?"
As if clinging to their last shred of dignity, one member of the diplomatic mission asked Abaruba this question before meeting Noah. However, Abaruba disliked his wording immensely.
"Stop talking about negotiations. Face reality—what qualifications do we have to negotiate with that Noah... We are here to surrender. And don't ask me what attitude to adopt—do I need to teach you how to read others' expressions?"
Abaruba was a very realistic person.
He was also a clear-headed individual.
"At this point, don't bother with useless things. We've come to surrender, and you still care about face?"
"If you cared about face, why didn't you go challenge that black-armored giant back then and die at his hands!"
Abaruba tore off the last veil of pretense, which left the other members of the diplomatic mission looking rather uncomfortable. But Abaruba himself didn't mind at all. After clarifying their stance, he turned and looked north.
In that direction, their last hope was being nurtured.
Until that hope grew strong enough to overcome despair, their task was to do everything possible to buy time for its growth.
And in such a situation, they still wanted dignity?
Don't be ridiculous!
In Abaruba's view, these people's attitude was all wrong!
Over there, hope was being nurtured—that was a battlefield. Wasn't their surrender also a battlefield?
If you can't even bear to throw your face to the ground, how can you deceive the enemy!
"In short, if you can't settle on the right attitude, then speak less. Just follow my lead and react as I do... And don't feel ashamed—after all, we're here to be humiliated!"
With these words, Abaruba led the diplomatic mission toward Rome City. In that short distance, the man who had just stood tall and imposing now hunched over, wearing an ingratiating smile, looking every bit like a petty person or a shady merchant.
Upon reaching the city gates, seeing the two guards stationed there, he bent his knees and knelt directly on the ground, kowtowing loudly to the guards!
This immediately made the guards look down on the diplomatic mission. After entering the city, Abaruba kept expressing amazement at everything, regardless of the light rain and muddy ground, frequently startling himself into sitting on the ground, appearing utterly unsophisticated.
His behavior was deeply humiliating.
Yet at the same time, this journey had caused everyone they passed—whether guards, officials, merchants, or commoners—to look down on their small nation a little.
Originally, many had been quite interested in the arrival of a diplomatic delegation to surrender.
But upon seeing that the delegation consisted of such spineless individuals, those who had been paying attention began to care much less.
With such a spineless delegation, the nation they represented couldn't be worth much either!
The disdain from these crowds was clearly visible to the members of the diplomatic mission.
While the others pretended not to notice, Abaruba acted even more humbly, smiling obsequiously and trying to ingratiate himself even when others looked down on him, only giving up when they grew annoyed.
This was the first step of Abaruba's plan.
His acting was undoubtedly exaggerated, but such exaggerated performance was enough to deceive ordinary people, guards, and the like.
In fact, the more exaggerated it was, the more widely the news of their small nation and tribe being utterly terrified would spread among the populace.
As for whether such exaggerated acting would be seen through by Noah and the officials?
Being seen through was exactly what he wanted!
Abaruba understood well that people tend to believe what they deduce themselves rather than what others present. So, it was better for Noah to suspect them. Once their act was exposed, they could then display a more subdued, less exaggerated form of weakness—and Noah would surely believe it!
This was Abaruba's plan.
In the first half, his plan proceeded very smoothly.
Whether guards, commoners, or even merchants... they all fell for it.
This smooth progress continued until they reached the palace, where things began to go awry.
Even here, Abaruba maintained his previous demeanor. Upon seeing the Enforcement Knights guarding the palace, he became even more servile and exaggerated.
But...
The Enforcement Knights showed no trace of disdain toward him, sticking strictly to their duties!
They treated everyone with the same attitude. Even if Abaruba smeared mud on their armor, they showed not a hint of anger or any other emotion. Instead, they would ask if he needed to wash up or something similar.
Such behavior from the Enforcement Knights only made Abaruba more uneasy.
He knew that the reason these knights didn't look down on them wasn't because they had seen through their tricks or learned something... Abaruba could tell at a glance that their attitude stemmed from their strict discipline!
They rigorously enforced these rules, with no one breaking them under any circumstances. They had even internalized the discipline themselves!
If such troops were like this in peacetime, how impeccably they must follow orders in actual combat!
Elite, truly elite!
Abaruba was first startled by the Enforcement Knights. Then, when they led him before Noah, he noticed that Noah merely smiled faintly at his mud-covered, filthy appearance, gestured for him to sit, and similarly showed no sign of disdain.
Even when he smeared mud on what looked like an expensive leather cushion, the other party showed no reaction at all.
This made Abaruba listen to the rain outside, which had gradually shifted from a drizzle to a downpour, and his heart sank along with the darkening sky.
————Even opponents like us wouldn't underestimate...
Would someone like that really leave us an opportunity?
While Abaruba was thinking this, Noah, seeing him sit down, smiled and placed the surrender document they had sent earlier on the table.
"I've read the surrender document you wrote. I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'll be direct—my intention is to unify all the small nations and tribes in the surrounding area. If you surrender voluntarily, that would naturally be the best outcome for me."
"At the same time, I won't demand that your people become slaves or anything else after your surrender—I will treat your people as citizens, ensuring everyone is well-fed and clothed, and I will do my best to respect some of your customs while also preserving your local place names."
Noah first listed a series of benefits, then abruptly shifted his tone.
"But at the same time, I am someone who places great importance on contracts—I will give you equal respect and lead you toward a more distant future. However, once you sign the contract, I will consider it as your surrender. If you harbor any ulterior motives beyond that, I won't hesitate to take drastic measures."
"After all, it's you who are surrendering, so the initiative lies with me. You have no objections, right?"
Hearing Noah say this, Abaruba pretended to be hesitant and timid, unable to make a decision. After stalling for a while, he finally spoke up weakly.
"Then, what exactly will you do?"
Hearing his question, Noah smiled.
"Nothing much, really. As I said, I will treat your people as my own. Naturally, I won't tolerate any oppression of the people. Also, if I find out that certain nobles deserve death, I will execute them directly. And if anyone in your ranks forms a rebel army or attempts to drag the people back into war, I will, of course, eliminate them without hesitation. Is that acceptable?"
Abaruba nodded directly in response.
After all, Noah's conditions... were far more lenient than he had imagined!
Although he was certain there must be a trap hidden within, since he hadn't discovered it yet, he couldn't utter a single word of refusal.
Or even if he had discovered it, would he dare to say there was a problem?
They were here to surrender, after all, so they had to act the part.
Thinking this, Abaruba took the so-called contract from Noah, signed it without even looking at it.
In his eyes, it was just a piece of paper—signing it or not made no difference.
And indeed, it was just a piece of paper.
It was a contract without any Magecraft enhancements, but Noah would give this paper an entirely different weight.
The moment Abaruba signed the contract, he suddenly heard a deafening roar!
Outside the window, seemingly from the north, a white light surged upward. After flashing once, a second roar followed, making Abaruba feel as if...
The entire building shook several times!
"This, this..."
He was genuinely startled this time.
Noah, however, maintained his usual smiling expression, taking the contract with one hand while using the other to stroke the fur of the small white creature of unknown species in his arms.
"It was just a louder clap of thunder, nothing to be surprised about. You can consider this unusual thunder as a blessing from the heavens for the peace we now share—"
"The contract is sealed, Abaruba. From now on, the united region under your control will retain its original name, and for the time being, it will remain under your management. Let me see what you are capable of."
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
"After all, if you had refused to surrender, I might not have resorted to complete annihilation. But if you violate the contract... don't say I didn't warn you. I take contracts very seriously—even if it's just a piece of paper. Do you understand?"
Hearing Noah's words, Abaruba, who believed this was merely Noah's way of intimidating him, nodded repeatedly, insisting he understood.
With that, he took his leave from Noah.
Although he still felt somewhat unsettled, as if something unfortunate had occurred, and sensed that the latter part of his plan hadn't gone smoothly, he still considered his surrender a success overall.
Noah's demands were not excessive.
He hadn't even questioned the troops under their command!
Their alliance leader remained unchanged!
Moreover, he had put on a convincing performance in front of the people of Rome City.
He felt it was largely successful.
Now, all he had to do was return safely to his own territory and quietly await the growth of hope.
That was what he thought.
Not long after he left, Morgan arrived at Noah's side and delivered the following report.
"Noah, just now, our Alchemy equipment detected an enormous surge of Magical Energy in a northern location. If such a massive flow of Magical Energy were to pour into Rome, even several Rome Cities might be vaporized. Should we investigate this matter?"
Morgan made this report, and Noah responded directly.
"No need, because..."
As he spoke, Noah walked to the window, gazing through it at Abaruba and his diplomatic delegation, who had already entered the main road. It was unclear whether his words were directed at Abaruba's group or at Morgan, but he shook his head slightly before continuing.
"...That was my doing."