Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1832
The year 1831 had been an equal year for both sides.
Three Victories, Three Defeats.
Ricardo had read the battle reports that came throughout the year.
"Ha, I knew we wouldn't win every battle, but we have suffered very heavy losses."
Ricardo's Master, Eduardo, felt sorry for his student's state.
"Dynasty Lord, let's focus on our gains rather than our losses. Yes, we lost millions of soldiers, but our enemies lost more soldiers than us. On the other hand, the Conquest of the Central Lands is nearly complete."
Ricardo looked at the map of the Central Lands beside him.
"You're right, Master. There's only one step left to complete the Conquest of the Central Lands. Costinapolis, the City that Adorns My Dreams."
Costinapolis
For 795 years, from its founding to its fall a thousand years ago, it was the Imperial Center of the destroyed Ancient Empire.
Its old name was Harloumenopolis, meaning "City of Harloumen."
When II Frank of Fresfurt conquered the city, he conducted looting and massacres for three days and three nights, set the city on fire, and changed its name to Frankfurt.
After II Frank was killed by Kislavein Dynasty Lord I Karlmen and his Kingdom was destroyed, the Central Land Dynasties started tens of thousands of wars over hundreds of years to conquer the city.
The city changed hands and names countless times.
Many Dynasty Lords conquered the city.
The Conquerors gave the city their own names.
In the end, they all perished, but the City remained standing.
In the Fifth Age, which began to be called the Age of Ancient Dynasties, the four Ancient Dynasties—Kislavein, Ashbrum, Turvig, and Arfas—fought especially to conquer this City.
Because this city possessed a spiritual value far exceeding its material worth.
This City was the home of the Ancient Emperors who had ruled the Five Lands for Hundreds of Years.
Various Legends and Mythologies had formed about it.
There was a belief: "He who rules this City, rules the Five Lands."
The Lord who possessed this City could comfortably call himself the Ruler of the Five Lands.
This was Ricardo's main goal.
Ricardo's thoughts were interrupted by a voice from outside the tent.
"Dynasty Lord, I have brought a report. May I enter?"
"Enter," said Ricardo in an authoritative voice.
The messenger entered the tent, knelt, and bowed his head.
"I greet the Dynasty Lord. I have brought news from the Eastern Region of the Southern Lands."
Ricardo took the report from the messenger and read it.
"The Heir of the Ashterah Dynasty Lord has been killed."
Eduardo and the messenger were shocked.
"Tajong is dead?"
"Yes, it's a pity. He was a brilliant young man; he could have been a good Dynasty Lord. Hah, such a pity, such a pity."
Ricardo gestured for the messenger to leave.
The messenger, with his head bowed, walked backwards out of the tent.
"Dynasty Lord, with your permission, may I ask something?" said Eduardo curiously.
"Ask, Master," said Ricardo.
"Since Tajong is dead, who will be the heir now?"
Ricardo replied.
"That will be decided by the Ashterah Dynasty Lord. With us, the strongest ascends the Throne. With them, the worthy one. Tajong's children are forever removed from the succession according to the Ancient Laws, as their father never sat on the throne. Now, there are two candidates: Hakuda and Njassar Rappa."
"Which one do you think will become the heir?" asked Eduardo.
Ricardo replied.
"Hakuda is strong. If he were a Kislavein Young Lord, he would be the Dynasty Heir. However, the Ashterah Dynasty will not deem him worthy of the Throne."
"Why do you think that, Dynasty Lord?" said Eduardo.
"The main reason is his personality. He is arrogant and cocky, and has many other bad traits. If he were a person of better character, he would ascend the Throne as the Second Ashterah Dynasty Lord after his father," said Ricardo.
"In that case, will Njassar Rappa become the Heir?" asked Eduardo.
Ricardo stood up and, tired, went towards his bed.
"Marco Ashterah will decide that. Anyway, let's rest now, Master. Tomorrow is a great day. It will go down in History in Blood-Stained Golden Letters as the day I Conquer the Central Lands."
Eduardo bowed his head and left the tent. With the help of his servants, Ricardo removed his armor, lay down on the bed, and slowly fell asleep.
At that time, in the tent of the Ashterah Dynasty Lord, a great atmosphere of Grief and Mourning prevailed.
Marco was suffering the pain of losing his eldest son, his first child.
"First Brian, now Tajong... How many more people will this war take from me?"
Hakuda looked at his tearful father, trying to console him, but inwardly he was jumping for joy at the news of his brother's death.
HAHAHAHA! MY BROTHER IS DEAD! NOW I AM THE HEIR OF THE ASHTERAH DYNASTY! ME, NO ONE ELSE, JUST ME! HAHAHAHAHA!
Marco Ashterah was aware of his son's feigned attitude.
"You are very happy, aren't you, Hakuda?"
It was as if cold water had been poured over Hakuda's head.
"What do you mean, Father?"
Marco stood up in anger. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs but restrained himself, speaking in a voice full of rage instead.
"You are very happy that your brother is dead, aren't you? You are dreaming of becoming the Dynasty Heir, aren't you?"
Hakuda, with the fear of being caught, began to stammer.
"N-no, Father, I would never—"
"Shut your damned mouth. I have seen many filthy people in my life. I can understand you wanting my Throne, but not grieving for your brother's death? Instead of PROVING YOURSELF WORTHY, are you WAITING FOR YOUR BROTHERS TO DIE?"
Hakuda could not respond; he was afraid. He bowed his head and silently waited for his father's anger to pass.
"Get out of my sight! I don't want to see you!"
Hakuda left the tent with his head bowed, practically seething with rage. The veins on his face were swollen with anger. He clenched his fist so hard that he cut his skin and made it bleed.
I hate you and this family. I hope you all die in this war. If not, I will kill you myself with my own hands.
A week passed. As a result of years of war, the Kislavein and Ashterah armies had conquered every city, fortress, and village of the Central Lands.
Those who resisted were slaughtered; those who surrendered were spared.
Millions of people had died in these wars, but in the end, Kislavein had won.
The last city standing in the Central Lands was Costinopolis, the heart of the Costin Dynasty.
The city was surrounded on three sides by seas and by massive, thick walls twenty meters high.
The city had provisions for three years. Even when those supplies ran out, they could survive for years by fishing from the seas.
Even if the Kislavein soldiers breached the first wall, there were two more walls they would have to overcome.
Each wall was protected and monitored by one hundred and ninety-six towers.
All these measures had been taken by the 99th Dynasty Lord, Mustafa Costin.
At that time, thanks to winning the War of Liberation, he held absolute authority in the Central Lands.
Despite this authority, making such defensive expenditures for Costinopolis had caused fierce criticism and protests.
Mustafa Costin explained the reason for the defensive measures he took to his people and vassals as follows:
"Gentlemen, know that our humble bodies will surely turn to dust one day. Just as those before us did not rule even for a hundred years, we too shall not rule forever. Before we die, we wish to leave our people prepared against enemies coming from all sides, and even against the worst possible scenarios. If one day invading armies reach Costinopolis, they will suffer here the greatest defeat they will ever receive in their History. Even if they win, they will not be able to win without suffering heavy losses."
These words convinced the people and vassals, and Costinopolis became the most secure Central City with the strongest defenses in the world.
A hundred years after Mustafa Costin's death, his foresight proved correct. The invading forces—the Kislavein and Ashterah armies—had reached Costinopolis.
When Ricardo learned of these things, his admiration for Mustafa Costin grew even more.
"What a clever and far-sighted man he was. Indeed, if it weren't for this, he could not have driven the Four Ancient Dynasties out of the Central Lands with limited resources and military power."
Eduardo, like Ricardo, held great admiration for Mustafa Costin.
"You're right, Dynasty Lord. It's impossible not to admire such a Person."
"But there is one thing he could not foresee: me, Ricardo Kislavein, possessing infinite Potential. I can level these walls, which took years to build, with a single spell."
Eduardo proudly stepped back, opening both arms, wanting to encourage his student.
"Then why don't you show that infinite power and potential to us, your Vassals with limited power and potential, leaving us in awe? Mesmerize people with that dazzling grace of yours?"
Eduardo had succeeded; he encouraged Ricardo to make the first attack.
Ricardo performed wind magic and rose gracefully into the sky. He spread his arms wide and simultaneously cast ten thousand different attack spells from every element.
The soldiers, both on the walls and those waiting ready to attack them, watched this historic moment with admiration, as if hypnotized.
Ricardo unleashed his spells towards the walls of Costinopolis at the same moment.
When the spells struck the massive walls, they caused violent earthquakes. After the last spells hit the walls, the walls collapsed.
The soldiers on top of and beneath the walls were crushed and killed. Not a single Warrior or Mage remained to fight.
When Ricardo landed, Eduardo came to his side and knelt.
"What is your command, Dynasty Lord?"
Ricardo looked at his master.
"There's no need to attack. The walls are destroyed, all the soldiers are likely dead, and probably all members of the Costin Dynasty are dead as well. On the other hand, my heart does not consent to the destruction of this city. I think I am giving this command for the first time: looting and massacre are forbidden. This city will become the new Center of my Dynasty when I Conquer all the Lands."
Eduardo and all the other Kislavein soldiers bowed their heads in obedience.
"AS YOU COMMAND, DYNASTY LORD!"
The siege war had ended before it even began, but everyone was certain of one thing:
If it weren't for Ricardo, this siege war would have resulted in the deaths of millions of Kislavein and Ashterah soldiers.
Despite all that, victory could not have been guaranteed.
When Ricardo entered the Costin Palace, there was no one around except women and children.
"Are these the surviving members of the Costin Dynasty?" asked Ricardo.
Arael Kislavein replied.
"Yes, Dynasty Lord. I think all Costin Dynasty members capable of fighting perished under the collapsed walls along with their last Dynasty Lord, II Mustafa. Those here are the women and children who are unable to fight."
When Ricardo and his Commanders entered the throne room, a woman in her thirties greeted Ricardo, kneeling.
"I greet our Conqueror. I am Aybüke Costin, the last member of the Costin Dynasty descended from Mustafa Costin."
Ricardo was impressed by the beauty, composure, and courage of the woman before him.
"You are brave, Lady Aybüke. What is your purpose in confronting us instead of hiding?" asked Ricardo.
Aybüke answered fearlessly.
"I want to stop the bloodshed for the good of my people. As you know, in these Lands, the Dynasty Lord is elected by the people. Even if the Costin Dynasty is now destroyed, Dynasties carrying the same blood and still alive, with the people behind them, will fight for independence for centuries. Enough blood has been shed. We have lost, and there is no point in prolonging this."
"Where are you trying to lead with this talk, woman?" said Benjen.
Aybüke, ignoring Benjen, continued.
"Take me as your wife, Dynasty Lord Krael II."
The hall suddenly froze; even Ricardo wasn't expecting this.
"I assure you, I am a virgin, I have never married. This may sound strange to you, but in the Central Lands, no one can force anyone to marry. We marry when we want. I never considered marrying, but for the good of my people, I would become your wife."
"Hah! Whether you are a virgin or not doesn't matter to me at all. Why would I take you as my wife? I have already conquered the Central Lands," said Ricardo.
"But your legitimacy and authority rest solely on fear. Fear may be effective in the Western Lands, but in the Central Lands, fear and violence only beget violent rebellions. You enjoy reading History. The People of the Central Lands have always hanged those who ruled by fear from trees."
Ricardo remained silent for a while.
"Very well. Actually, I was already thinking along the same lines. I planned to take one of the Costin daughters as a wife for my son to secure legitimacy, but waiting years for that would cause problems. Alright, Aybüke Costin, I take you as my fourth wife."
Aybüke had achieved her goal, but she did not rejoice; she merely bowed her head, hoping that the massacres and wars would stop.
That night, the Kislavein and Ashterah soldiers celebrated the Conquest of the Central Lands alongside their Dynasty Lord's wedding.
Ricardo conducted the wedding according to the traditions of the Central Land People, thus sending the message, "I am becoming one of you."
The Bride and Groom sat at the marriage table while guests ate and drank non-alcoholic beverages. Those who finished their meals moved to the center and danced.
"We could have done something more elaborate, Aybüke. Was there a need for such haste?" said Ricardo.
Aybüke replied in a composed, emotionless manner.
"It's sufficient for me. I have always hated weddings. The noise, shouting, and annoying relatives... Weddings, to me, are nothing but empty waste of money. I have seen many couples who spent extravagantly on their weddings, ended up drowning in debt, their marriages ending, crushed under years of debt."
Aybüke slowly becoming emotional and starting to pour her heart out did not escape Ricardo's attention.
"So this was the reason you didn't marry until this age?"
"Yes."
The wedding ended, and the Bride and Groom retired to their chambers.
Ricardo held his wife's cheek and stroked her lips with his thumb.
"Soon, I am going on a campaign to the North, Aybüke. Therefore, we only have one, maybe two weeks together. I have delegated all my duties to my Vassals. I will only spend time with you."
Aybüke couldn't speak from excitement; she repeated everything she wanted to say in her mind.
What should I do, what should I do? I've never had sex. I've read books and heard from married friends, but now I'm really going to do it.
When Ricardo pressed his lips to Aybüke's, Aybüke stopped moving and surrendered to the flow of events.
Ricardo and Aybüke ate, drank, and made love for days and nights, relieving the stress of these bloody wars.
In the Northern Lands, Marilin, with the few remaining soldiers, was planning to defeat her enemies.