The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 1010 - 517: The Complete Meditative State

Chapter 1010: Chapter 517: The Complete Meditative State

Frank—Within the military tent on the battlefield of Alsace, Louis XI’s gaze turned ice cold upon learning that the Empire had declared war on him.

The Archbishop and the Lord Chancellor knew that another group of people would be held accountable.

"We have spent so much money in the Liege Diocese, to no avail," Louis XI said grimly. "Those responsible for this matter must all be held accountable; those without merit must be punished, and any merits of those with contributions must be offset by their faults, stripping them of all their achievements."

The Lord Chancellor from Empire Island said, "Punishment is in order, but I hear that it was His Majesty Oyo III who pushed for this declaration of war. We all underestimated him."

Louis XI said, "No matter. Even if the Empire has declared war on us, just the mobilization and conscription will take at least three months. As long as we have these three months..."

The Archbishop and the Lord Chancellor exchanged a glance.

Archbishop Lance said, "But your Majesty, what if we don’t conquer the Alsace Kingdom within these three months?"

Louis XI said contemptuously, "In these years, the Alsacian military strength has weakened."

Archbishop Lance said, "But Ivita is an anomaly."

Louis XI looked puzzled at the Archbishop, "What do you mean by that, Archbishop?"

Archbishop Lance said, "We need to have a backup plan. If we cannot attack the Empire from the Alsace Kingdom, we can use the newly occupied Duchy of Lower Burgundy as a new frontline."

"The Lower Burgundy region, although mountainous, still has safe routes for transporting troops."

"We must make quick decisions and advance on both fronts."

Louis XI pondered for a while, "But the focus still has to be on the Alsace Kingdom. It’s the best route to the Empire."

...

On the battlefield within the territory of Alsace, although most of the Empire’s troops were still being called up, there were already isolated Knight units entering Alsace, easing most of the pressure on the western borders of the Alsace Kingdom.

The first few batches of warriors summoned by the Empire were of superb quality.

These warriors usually fought for mission and duty, adhering to tradition and upholding moral codes, and that was why, as soon as The Emperor declared war on the Kingdom of Frank, they obeyed the call-up and waged war on the Kingdom of Frank.

These knights, bearing the Empire’s sacred number 4 on their banners, appeared on the front lines of the battlefield, and they seemed very different from those knights who, chanting slogans, could never leave the Frankish nation behind.

The two sides were fighting for different things.

The conflict between the warriors of the universal Empire and the soldiers of the national states was very rare; when the fights initially began, the scattered warriors from the Holy Empire had the upper hand.

But as two weeks passed, Ivita quickly discovered that the quality of the knights who had voluntarily come from the Holy Empire responding to the call of The Emperor and the Electors—bringing their own weapons, armor, and horses—was declining.

More often, they were opportunists looking to take advantage of the situation and find benefits.

After all, unlike national states, the cohesion of universal states was actually weaker, and all the more so for the splintered Holy Empire.

Ivita, in the military camp on the western front, received these soldiers from hundreds of different territories; bathed in the glow of the campfires, the first few batches of knights who had responded to the call showed great respect to Ivita, viewing her as the vanguard monarch against the evil kingdom.

However, the soldiers from the later batches glanced greedily around the camp with inscrutable thoughts.

As Ivita greeted these people according to etiquette and custom, a knight, holding a wooden spear and carrying a round iron shield on his back, suddenly stood up by the campfire and bowed to Ivita, "Your Majesty, I am extremely honored to meet you here."

Ivita frowned at him, silent.

The knight continued, "Your Majesty, you should know that rewards can motivate warriors. I have always wanted to ask, if we take back territories of your Kingdom from the Franks, could you grant us a portion of the lands we reclaim?"

"There are over three thousand independent states within the Holy Empire, and many nobles and knights in the Empire already hold titles in a dozen or so countries. Alsace is now also a country within the Empire, so... please forgive my offensive request, Your Majesty."

Ivita did not respond.

The King of the Ancient Tomb and Saint Vestia took the initiative to step forward and said, "That’s impossible."

The King of the Ancient Tomb addressed the foreign soldiers gathered around the campfires, "The laws and political system within the Alsace Kingdom are not compatible with most of the states within the Empire."

"Alsace cannot acknowledge so-called nobles who hold titles in several nations. If you are an Alsacian noble, then you should not be a noble of another country."

"Moreover, so far you are merely assisting our army in battle. Your merits are not irreplaceable."

With these words, the foreign soldiers by the campfires whispered among themselves, clearly dissatisfied.

Some grumbled and even openly muttered that the generals of the Alsace Kingdom had chosen a creature like the King of the Ancient Tomb, who was not even human.

Others complained that they risked their lives for nothing.

Faced with the questioning, the Hearthstone Witch suddenly stepped forward to the campfires and coldly swept her gaze over them. "You came here voluntarily, didn’t you?"

"You are also free to leave at any time."

"Recompense can be considered, but do not expect more excessive demands. The Alsace Kingdom doesn’t necessarily need you fools. Anyway, The Emperor will continue to send more troops, and all of you are just opportunists vying for glory."