The news of Sivalier's declaration of war on Avenella spread and immediately shocked the entire kingdom.

A formal declaration of war is a rarity on the chaotic West Coast, and an undeclared sneak attack is a common occurrence.

The declaration of war largely represents the face of the kingdom - if the war is not declared, even if the war is defeated, everyone can turn a blind eye and ignore it, and once war is declared, the whole country must go all out.

The difference between the two is like a street fight where people are punched in the face, and a life-and-death duel that is advertised everywhere for everyone to watch.

If it loses, it is obvious that the state's status will plummet.

The pressure on the whole of Avenella was enormous, and Vavasika's army hastily withdrew from the fortress, thousands of craftsmen and peasants were brought in from Ashinir, Prince Edward sent a message back to obtain a large amount of supplies from the king, and the army crossed the Ehren's outpost fort and built improvised wooden walls in the border forest with Inznir.

The trees were quickly cut down and then reinforced with iron nails drawn up by hemp ropes, and in just two weeks a wall had been erected that had never been seen before, on which countless archers were placed, as did the Sivalier garrison of Inznir, and the road from Ecasta to Inznir was no longer endless, with wooden walls with the coats of arms of the two countries blocking everything, and the knights circled the border at a distance of hundreds of meters.

Minor frictions and provocations continued during this time, but Inznir's defenders did not attack blindly, and the defeat of Sivalier's elite cavalry a few months earlier made them very jealous of Avenella's archers, so that Sivalier would not act rashly until he had gathered enough troops.

This fact gives Avenella a precious respite - let's turn the clock back to the city lord's palace of Vavasika, just the night the war declaration was received, before the walls were erected.

......

Edward's face was gloomy and gloomy, and the reason did not need to be explained.

The stupidity of King Philip II of Sivalier led to the necessity of Arvenella to face the enemy on both sides, and Edward's painstaking attempt to send emissaries to warn him was a complete failure. But when you calm down and think about it, maybe things are far more complicated than they think.

Sivalier is pro-Lamani, and this is well known on the West Coast.

And the fact that the Padrossi attacked Vavasika in order to clamp down on the Ottolo Empire on the other side, they could see that the great nobles at the top of the West Valier who had been immersed in politics for many years and had been intrigued and captured may not be able to see it.

Coupled with the fact that Sivalier's elite had been slaughtered by Avenella, it is likely that Edward's act of sending emissaries was doomed to failure from the start.

Obviously, after learning of this fact, the West Valiers judged that the Padrosi Empire wanted only Vavasika, and felt that they would not attack West Valiya proper. Coupled with the successive voices of domestic opposition caused by the previous defeat, it is difficult to ensure that Sivalier's declaration of war is not a "mistake" to take advantage of the massacre of the Padrosi people in Inznir, triggering public anger to attack Avenella, which is a shame.

Edward, who was always concerned with the idea that the two kingdoms would stand on a common front, even if they did not fight against Padrosi, was unexpectedly countered by Sivalier.

"Politics is so dirty. Edward shook his head and sighed, while Henry shrugged his shoulders: "I said it a long time ago. ”

"The West Valiers are as skilled in their political manipulation as they are on the West Coast, and their military might is second to none on the West Coast. He and Edward were the only ones left in the room, Charles was urgently dispatching troops to the border, and Mira was still with Minna.

The sage continued: "But this does not change the fact that Philip II was stupid enough to be at home, and the people of Padrosi would not shake hands with him because of his pro-Lamanic tendencies. The Empire's rule has always been iron-blooded and cruel, and if they had captured Vavasika, they would not have kept such a large granary next to it. ”

Inznir could feed the Padrossi army stationed in Ottolo in Avasika, and the large port of Vasa made it easier and faster for Padrossi to transport his troops. There is no reason and it is not possible for the Empire to stop just by capturing Lower Vavasika, their conquest will only be cruel and cold-blooded, and the short-sighted and selfish Philip II thinks he has chosen the right side, but the Empire obviously does not need a foreign king on their territory. ”

"At least not a king with power. Henry shrugged: "So no matter what, Philip's days as king won't last long." ”

"Well......" the sage said Edward, of course, could also tell, and this was one of the reasons for his distress, the nobles of Sivalier, who were good at intrigue, were not able to see the bigger picture, and forgot the fact that Avenella and their lips were cold - but how much better were the nobles in Avenella?

If a person drinks water, he knows whether he is warm or cold.

Edward had seen so much in his twenty years of life, and the nobles of Avenella were so similar to the West Valiers that even if he had told everything and everything, the only thing they would do would have been to fight to the death with the West Valiers, regardless of the fact that the Patrosi Empire was eyeing the Empire.

"The country ...... How many people can be relied on? Edward, who had not loosened his eyebrows since the afternoon, lamented that he had worked hard for several months, but that the bad habits which had been maintained for two centuries were even stronger, and that, despite the efforts of His Royal Highness, there were still a large number of old nobles in other parts of Avenella, except for Vavasika and Ashenir, such as Enitsburg, the political center of the kingdom, who were quite unimpressed by his actions.

It's not that they're trying to stop it, it's just that it's not a good thing.

The stubborn old nobles are like scars on an old tree that cannot be removed, and they are an important part of the tree that sustains the whole tree, but it is precisely because of their presence that when the tree is to be processed into sticks, it will break due to the fragile links.

The pressure was so great that Prince Edward was cranky, and Henry stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's not time to despair yet. He nodded.

The sage's words were as simple as ever, but they revealed a great confidence in him. The prince was stunned for a moment, then repeated several deep inhales and exhaled, forcing himself to cheer up.

With this person here, it's not time to despair.

He thought to himself, and stood up.

"Go and gather the officers and call Charles back to me!" shouted Edward as he strode forward.

......

Oil lamps made of spiced animal fat illuminated the hall, and the servants opened the windows to prevent the people inside from breathless, as the smell of smoke was so strong.

The City Lord's Mansion was not affected too much by the mountain wind because of the surrounding walls, and some air currents made the firelight sway slightly, but it was still bright.

Everyone was there, including Minna, who had become a knight in place of her father, the maiden had also received an aristocratic education, and her views in many places were worth considering.

Edward needed every ounce of strength when everyone else was extremely unreliable - and as a result, the spacious hall of the Lord's Mansion was almost overwhelmed.

"I'm sure you already know why you're here. Edward looked around and nodded, and Henry, Charles, Mira, and Minna stood beside the prince, all quietly listening to him.

"Sivalier issued a declaration of war to us this afternoon, linking the previous Padrossi matter, Yavenella, I am afraid that one will fight two. His Royal Highness nodded solemnly, the knights and knights around him were his and Charles' henchmen, and these people were probably the only ones in the kingdom who really wanted to make the country better.

Although the news was already known, many people's faces turned serious for a moment, and Edward continued: "One is the strongest kingdom on the west coast, and the other is one of the three empires of Rigal. ”

"We are in a difficult situation, and that is why I ask you to be here. ”

"We have to give Avenella, find an ally. Edward stared earnestly at the officers.

The mountain wind blew, the moon rose round and round, and time passed quickly, but the discussion could not come to a conclusion.

As if the Sivaliers would have thought, this time Padrossi's attack was directed against Yavenella. The most basic point of seeking an alliance is that the interests of both sides should stand on the same line, and this point has directly brushed many countries down.

The first to enter the selected countries on the west coast, to the south, bordering Avenella, there are plurality, but these kingdoms and principalities are very short-sighted and quite weak.

The only ally that fits the consideration is actually only Sivalier, and this is already the case, and no one can change it.

Silence echoed throughout the halls of the City Lord's Palace, and the young knight who had previously proposed to attack Inznir suddenly had a twinkle in his eyes, and then once again made his own point.

"If it's not an alliance with the kingdom, but with a race!" the words of the young man who had stepped out of the circle of ordinary thinking made many people's eyes shine, and Edward also looked at him, and the prince encouraged him to continue with his eyes.

"Elves!" the young nobleman, who had been affirmed, continued, "The elves are very strong in combat and scattered all over the world, and there should be their settlements in many of the forests on the west coast, as long as you can form an alliance with them—"

"No, it won't. The opposing voice sounded from the other side, and the young knight was stunned for a moment, then turned his head.

'It's this guy again...... ' He was a little dissatisfied, but the other man did have great knowledge, so Sir kept his mouth shut. And everyone, including him and Edward, looked at Henry, waiting for the sage's explanation.

"Avenella and the elves can't make a covenant because we can't stand on the same line. Henry's words were as sharp as ever, and everyone nodded, and if they did calm down and think about it, there was not much communication between the elf and Arvenella.

But this was not the end, and the sage shook his head again: "It's not just interests, there is a huge difference between elves and humans in terms of their way of thinking. ”

He raised a hand, and continued, "Elves generally have a lifespan of more than a thousand years, which is why they have not established empires or kingdoms. “

"Humans with short lives have always had a sense of crisis that if you don't do it, you won't have a chance, and everything must be solved quickly, which is why humans develop rapidly, and elves look no different from thousands of years ago. ”

He paused, then continued: "Because for elves with long lives, there is no need to try to find a way to solve something, just keep alive, and this thing will be solved after all—or conversely, even if you try hard to do something well, it may not be able to accompany the long-lived elf until the end of its life." ”

"If we take the kingdom of Avenella as an example, it has been less than two hundred years since its founding, and there have been 11 kings. Henry glanced at Edward as he said this, and then continued: "The events of these two centuries are all enough to write a thick book—but two hundred years are not enough for an elf to bring a newborn elf to adulthood. ”

The sage sighed, as if he had realized something: "The long-lived races are much more indifferent in terms of emotions than humans and so on, they don't try to fight for something, and they don't have anything warm and deep. This is as difficult for short-lived races to understand, as it is for them to understand us. This nature of the elves makes them dislike fighting. Coupled with the fact that there is no direct connection between Avenella and the elves, this is not an advisable solution. ”

The persuasive words of the "......" silenced everyone, not only the elves, but also races like dwarves and gnomes.

Allies on the horizon were an unrealistic fantasy after all, so in the end, everyone turned their attention back to the map, the vast empire just a mountain away from Vavasika.

"Is this the only way to do it......" Edward sighed, and the others were silent.

Ottolo Empire.

The country can be considered to meet the requirements of Avenella in every way, but no one has ever considered it, precisely because Avenella is so small in comparison.

It was not at all an ally that could be negotiated on a reciprocal basis for Ottolo, and everyone knew exactly what the Western powers would do if they simply told Otolo about the Empire's Padrosi conspiracy.

- Quite simply, they will send troops directly and occupy Vavasika before Padrossi.

There are wolves in front and tigers in the back, and the tiny Avenella can only rely on talented people if she wants to take advantage of the fire.

"It seems that I can only ask sir. Edward looked at Henry with a serious face, trying to negotiate to convince Ottolo that the only qualified person he could think of was the Sage.

"Hmm. The tall black-haired sage nodded, agreeing.

The conclusion was thus set, and the flickering oil lamp was blown out. Two more days later, and early in the morning of the third day, after a little preparation, Edward and his party took a step towards the Grigley Rift.

The team consisted of Edward, Henry, Mira, Minna, and three elite Guards infantrymen.

They disguised themselves as ordinary travelers and headed west—Vavasika did not block the merchants from Ottolo to this side, and the road was repaired, and they did not want to lose it easily.

There are no more merchants walking here, and the group of people who wander through it and go to Ottolo looks quite ordinary.

This journey is a matter of national security, and they must be cautious.

Cold air blew from the other side of the Great Rift Valley, and the group of people who cheered up and set out on the road.