I was excommunicated from the Holy Knights

84 – Bondage to Freedom 2

Count Thurn, who was sitting on the throne of the Lord’s Castle.

At this moment, his face was filled with complex emotions.

‘I’ve been able to breathe thanks to my talented son… but I’m still in the middle of the mountain.’

It was clear that they found a ray of leeway thanks to Bohemia’s miraculous victory.

However, Count Thurne also knew very well that this situation was just the beginning.

The emperor’s forces had occupied the Palatinate, the immediate neighbor of Bohemia, and many of the lords were showing signs of agitation.

At least, Spinola, the longevity of the emperor who occupied the Palatinate, would not have time to move for a while to defend the area, but there was a high possibility that it would start moving again soon after the stabilization of the region.

In the first place, as suggested by his youngest daughter, there was a reason for hastening Santana’s engagement, as well as a reason to find some stability in this unstable situation.

Either to completely solidify Bohemia’s internal stability through intermarriage with one of the 13 noble families, or to obtain an alliance against the emperor by linking up with other neighboring regions.

In that sense, it could be said that the engagement with Estelle, a country right next to Bohemia and the real power in the Rhapsody region, which has ties to the Dragona Empire, alleviated Count Turnen’s worries.

‘In addition, fortunately, after the victory at the Battle of Baeksan, there are people who are willing to share their will with us. If they combine their powers efficiently, they will be able to bring good luck to the emperor to some extent.’

Looking at it that way, it could be said that the current situation clearly has many positive aspects.

However, Count Thurne was very aware of the fact that there were not only positive aspects to this current situation.

‘But… it could be said that this is a situation that puts a burden on us in its own way.’

Joining an alliance meant growth in power, but at the same time, responsibilities were bound to grow.

While the Palatinate, which had risen together, collapsed, Bohemia emerged as the leader of the heretical alliance by showing a firm stand.

As a result, it is certainly a good thing that the alliance to share the will with Bohemia increases, but, conversely, this meant that the obligations and burdens that Bohemia had to bear also increased.

Elector Frederick, who occupied a place in Bohemia’s lordly castle without looking far away, was a good example.

‘Even though we received his help in this war, in return we have the duty to recapture the Palatinate, which was occupied by the emperor this time. And this is not a very good trend for us who have not yet been able to resolve the situation of the last war.’

In the current situation, it is impossible for Bohemia to move the military.

However, as the surrounding public opinion and the lords who were making new alliance proposals were all talking about the restoration of the Palatinate, Turnen, as the leader of the alliance, could not ignore it.

Just like that, Count Thurne is suffering from a new trouble.

at that time..

“Father Santana.”

“Oh oh… Come in, son!”

A welcome voice came from outside the door.

In response, Count Thurne stood up from his seat with some anticipation and greeted his proud son.

*

“Is that so, father? The lords of the Holy Empire…”

“It is. It is already a situation where so many people want an alliance with us.”

Lists in front of your eyes.

I slowly nodded my head as I looked at the various names in it.

From the names that were often mentioned in the original work to the list of people seeing it for the first time.

If these forces were fully combined, it would certainly be a great force.

If done well, it is a level that can drive out Spinola currently stationed in the Palatinate and prepare a massive counterattack against the emperor.

However… it was also true that we couldn’t be so optimistic about the current situation.

“If these lords are on our side, it will definitely be of great help. However, if we mishandle it, it could cause a great loss to our Bohemia.”

“Yeah, you saw it right away. To be honest, I’m worried about that too. Naturally, these men would never seek an alliance with us for pure purpose. Everyone has their own desires, so they must be approaching it.”

“If you don’t, there’s a possibility that you’ll become a burden… no, even worse than that.”

The scariest thing to know was the enemy within.

The reason why the Palatinate was captured immediately ahead of time was the internal enemy after all.

Mansfeld’s betrayal was decisive.

“An unreliable ally is more dangerous than an enemy. In that respect, we need to work very thoroughly in establishing this alliance.”

“Thoroughly, what good could there be?”

A father who automatically takes an interest in my words.

Regarding this, I calmly started talking about the things I had in mind with my father, Earl of Thurn.

The act of using alliances and trying to cut losses when a crisis hits.

In order to prevent so-called eating and running, it was necessary to take measures on this side as well.

And.. I knew very well what to do and how to do this, as I had lived through trading.

‘If you’re going to give loans to people who don’t even have credit, you have to be thorough. The pre-interest is basic, and you have to be sure to take it as collateral.’

*

Hanover, a city in the north of the Palatinate.

Heinrich, the lord of the place, was unable to hide his embarrassment as he checked the contents of the letter in his hand.

“this… What is this…?”

“This is the reply from the lord of Boemia. He said he would form an alliance if we accept the conditions below.”

“No, you’re not asking that right now! No matter how much it is, these conditions… is this really what you would ask for from someone who wants to form an alliance?”

Contained in the letter…

If you want to become a member of the so-called Heretic Alliance, the conditions you must accept are as follows.

First, all members of the Heretic Alliance will do their best to save those closest to them when other alliances are in danger.

Second, all the armies belonging to the Heretic Alliance must move their armies with Turnen, Lord of Bohemia, the leader of the alliance, as the commander-in-chief when a war breaks out.

Third, to form an alliance, you must pay 10,000 talents as a deposit. The deposit will be returned after the war is over, but if you leave the alliance without permission or betray, the deposit will not be returned.

It was only roughly this size, and other things, such as provision of military supplies and management of weapons, etc.

In a word, if you add up to the minor requirements, it contained the meaning that you should not even think about entering unless you are willing to devote yourself to the alliance with all your might.

The things contained in it are, in modern terms, the power contract itself.

Recognizing that fact, the lord, who tried to skip the bean curd by dipping his feet in moderation, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

“… I… I was also dumbfounded, so I asked again as a protest, but…”

“But what? What did the lord of Bohemia say?”

Lord Heinrich speaks with frustration

In response, his subordinate hesitated for a moment before relaying what he had heard.

“He told me to stop if you don’t like it. While conveying that you don’t need an alliance that only talks about it anyway…”

“… ..yes.. that’s right..”

A story that hits right in the middle.

Regarding this, Heinrich slowly shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

“ha… ”

“Uh… what would you like? No matter what, this alliance…”

“..Go and tell them.. I will accept the requirements, so ask for permission for an alliance..”

“you… yes?”

“Ten thousand talents are also to be carried.. If that is enough, most of the projects that have been planned for a while will have to be stopped.”

Under normal circumstances, there was no way I could accept these conditions.

But.. for him in the current situation.

And, the majority of lords who received letters like this had no choice.

‘Anyway, there is no way to stop the Emperor’s army with the strength of our territory. For now… the only way to survive is to join Bohemia, which has won at least one victory against the emperor. No matter what conditions run…’

The lords had no choice but to actively step into this war in an attempt to eat soy bean curd in moderation.

However… among them, there were not only those who chose to join hands with Bohemia.

Some of them are different from others…

There were also those who made a slightly riskier choice.