Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent - Chapter 476: Two Old Foxes

Chapter 476: Two Old Foxes

Dominic summoned a literate warrior to write the official agreement. This was an important document so he chose someone trustworthy.

“My lords, I have written everything according to the terms you have stipulated. It just needs the stamp between both parties.” The warrior nervously handed the written document to Dominic.

He was just a low-ranking warrior so he was afraid that he would be killed to keep the information from leaking.

Noticing his anxiety, Dominic placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. As long as you keep your mouth shut, nothing will happen to you.”

Hearing this, the warrior immediately lowered his head and solemnly promised. “I assure you that no one will ever hear of this, my lord! Even if I am tortured, I will never disclose this information!”

Dominic chuckled at his response. “Relax. You just need to keep quiet for a few months. Once things are set in place, this information will be revealed to the public. By then, you will have nothing to worry about anymore.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Alright. You may leave.” Dominic dismissed him.

The warrior didn’t linger and left in haste.

“Here. Put your stamp on it. A thumbprint is fine too.” Dominic handed the document to Leroy.

“We will review it first.” Leroy took the document and handed it to his trusted subordinate to be checked.

Dominic shrugged.

After some time, Leroy’s subordinate didn’t find anything unusual in the document.

“My lord, there is nothing wrong with the document.”

“Alright. Your job here is done. You may go.” Leroy dismissed the man before he stamped the document.

Dominic carefully kept the signed agreement in his inner pocket. “Now that our agreement has been officially established, let’s proceed with the next step.”

Leroy’s expression became serious all of a sudden. “Let’s hear it.”

Dominic let out a deep breath before he replied. “As of the moment, Halona is still fiercely resisting our troops. I want you to try negotiating with the city officials and aristocrats to surrender.”

If Halona’s troops surrendered, they would greatly minimize their losses. Leroy would also stand to gain a lot from this if he did his job well.

Leroy squinted his eyes.

So you are testing me, huh?

If he could successfully make Halona willingly surrender, he would definitely earn the favor of Astania’s imperial family. This would also increase the likelihood of his demands being accepted.

“Leave it to me. Just give me a few days.” He smiled confidently.

As a Venerable, he had a huge network of friends who would willingly do his bidding.

“A few days? That’s too vague. Give me an exact number.” Dominic demanded.

Leroy raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t complain. He thought for a moment.

Most of Halona is under my House Durova, but I might face some resistance from the loyal followers of the imperial family.

Politics wasn’t his strongest point. Despite his overwhelming martial power, his House Durova wasn’t able to fully control Halona. Other than his household, there were also a few powerful aristocratic houses that had high authority in the city.

The biggest issue was that these aristocratic and martial houses were loyal to the imperial family.

After a long time of silence, he answered. “Five… No, give me three days. That should be more than enough time to make everyone surrender.”

Dominic frowned. “That’s too long. You should know that we are still within enemy territory. There could be enemy reinforcements coming at any moment.”

“Listen here, Dominic. I understand your point, but Halona’s political situation is more complicated than you think.”

Leroy paused for a moment and shook his head.

“Unlike my House Durova, most of the aristocratic and martial houses in the city are inherited from the previous generations. This means that they are very loyal to the imperial family. Negotiating with those stubborn people will be extremely challenging.” He explained.

Dominic rubbed his chin in contemplation. “It seems like your House Durova is in a tough spot. That is quite unexpected for a household helmed by a Venerable.”

Leroy bitterly smiled. “The imperial family is threatened by how fast my household has grown. They also don’t like the fact that I came from a mixed descent. You see, I’m not a full Harunian. My mother…”

His words trailed off and it looked like he didn’t want to continue with the topic.

“I understand. Just try your best. We will wait for your good news.” Dominic didn’t make things difficult for him.

Their alliance was still fragile and it could break at any moment so it was necessary to establish trust between both parties.

This would be a good test to know if Leroy was serious about defecting to Astania.

Leroy nodded. “Don’t worry. I will keep you guys updated.”

“Alright. I will send our people to follow you so we can keep track of your whereabouts. This way, exchanging messages will be easier.”

Leroy sneered inwardly.

You just want to keep an eye on me. Do you think I’m an idiot?

Although he didn’t like it, Leroy could only agree.

Both parties were still wary of each other since they still hadn’t established enough trust.

“Fine by me. I will do the same. I’m sure you won’t mind, right?” Leroy smirked while sending him a knowing look.

Dominic’s face twitched, but he still managed to squeeze out a smile. “Of course! Doing this will make it easier for us to send messages.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Leroy chuckled with a victorious expression.

Looking at the two exchanging words back and forth, Lucas felt that he was watching two old foxes.

I’m really not cut out for these things.

It’s a good thing that Dominic is here. Otherwise, I would only ruin things.

He smiled wryly while shaking his head.

While he was immersed in his thoughts, Dominic’s voice drifted into his ears.

“That should be all for now. We will regroup with the others first and inform them about the situation. Just keep us updated.”

“Sure thing,” Leroy responded.

The trio exchanged farewells before they went their separate ways.