Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

Chapter 254: Why fight if we can just talk?

"If my understanding is correct, the only reason why your leader rushed your entire army to the forest, was to spite Etaria, the golden princess, who I believe to be the supreme commander of all the human armies."

As expected, this simple revelation caused the two men to turn silent. And looking at them, I could see the conflict burning underneath the layer of fake calmness.

Quite interestingly, though, it was the stronger of the two that came to terms with the truth behind my words. Contrary to him, the soldier's better-dressed counterpart clearly struggled to accept the truth.

"Even if you are right..." the nobler of the two muttered before gritting his teeth and raising his eyes to look straight into my face. "Just who do you think you are to..."

Two things happened at the same time.

The rougher-looking of the two raised his hand and shoved it into his companion's chest, as if trying to move him to the back, out of the harm's way. And on the other hand...

"Everything alright, hon?" Fay asked, finally done with collapsing her promoted form, and emerged from behind my back, throwing curious looks at the strange duo that remained on the battlefield.

"Everything's okay, dear."

After all the realizations in the prison of this extremely hard-to-perceive aura, I wasn't going to suddenly forget all about them in the heat of the moment. So, I put my money where my mouth was and ignored the two, turning to Fay instead.

"Just an encounter I didn't expect."

Only once Fay joined by my side, wrapped her hands around my arm, and threw a curious glance down to the two men ahead, I allowed myself to put my attention back to the two of them.

By now, the nobler of the two has followed the advice of his companion and brought his lower jaw up, effectively closing and thus shutting his mouth.

The other of the two still kept his arm extended and pressed on his companion's chest, but his eyes had long since locked on my face.

"Even if you still have faith in your lord, you have to admit that sparing two men makes a lot more sense than sacrificing ten thousand men on the altar on some stupid noble's pride."

I took a deep breath and allowed some time to pass, watching how the two waged a massive battle of thoughts inside their heads.

"Haaa..." I released a long sigh, realizing they only needed one last push. "I hate waste. I hate how some sort of idiotic noble sentenced so many men to wasteful death. And I would hate to waste your potential by killing you. I can get a lot more value out of the two of you by keeping you alive."

It was that simple. Or rather, it was that simple within the realm of what those two needed to know. For what was the point of explaining to them that I was more than just interested in building a new ally for myself that would shake the hegemony of force that currently rested solely within Makary's hands?

"So, if we surrender... What will become of us?" the nobler of the two asked.

"Until this war comes to an end, you will remain in the forest, safe from the death I shall bring to all those who dare to invade my fiancee's homeland," I stated while shaking my right arm on which Fay hung. "After this war ends though..."

I raised my free hand and scratched my chin.

"I do have some ideas for what will happen then, but it's way too early for me to even think about it. In short, though, I will need administrators and officers to help me control the new kingdom I'm going to carve out of the empire to create a buffer zone between them and the forest."

This revelation finally appeared to overcome whatever doubts the rougher of the two had.

'I guess he can understand his own value,' I thought, watching how the face of the stronger of the two slowly started to relax.

"In that case..." the soldier hesitated for just one more second... Before pulling out his sword.

Yet, rather than charging ahead or channeling his aura into it, he rested its blade on the open palm of his left hand before falling down to one knee and slowly placing his simple sword on the ground.

"In that case, upon the name of my father, Kanta, and upon the name bestowed upon me, Arty, I surrender."