Count Turun sat on the throne of the lord’s castle.

At this moment, his face was a canvas of complicated emotions.

‘At least, thanks to my capable son, I’ve managed to breathe a sigh of relief… but the mountains are still piled high.’

The undeniable fact was that, due to the miraculous victory in Bohemia, they had found a sliver of relaxation.

However… Count Turun also knew very well that this situation was just the beginning.

The Emperor’s army had occupied Palatinate, Bohemia’s immediate neighbor, causing many lords to show signs of agitation.

Fortunately, Spinola, the Emperor’s general who occupied Palatinate, would likely be unable to move for a while to guard the area, but once the region stabilized, he would likely start moving again.

Furthermore, the urgency in arranging Santana’s engagement, as advised by his youngest daughter, was also a strategy to find some stability in this troubling situation.

Through intermarriage with one of the 13 noble families, they could either solidify Bohemia’s internal strength or, if not, perhaps forge alliances with neighboring regions against the Emperor.

In that regard, the betrothal with Estelle, the de facto ruler of the Rhapsody Region, which was right next to Bohemia and had ties to the Dragona Empire, could significantly lighten Count Turun’s worries.

‘Plus, thankfully after the victory at the Baeksan Battle, many people have started to show interest in joining us. If we combine our strength efficiently, we might be able to deal some damage to the Emperor.’

When viewed that way, the current situation had many evidently positive aspects.

However, Count Turun was fully aware that not everything about the current situation was positive.

‘But… this might also be a situation that inversely burdens us.’

Alliances indicated growth in power, but also inevitably meant an increase in responsibility.

While Palatinate crumbled, Bohemia managed to hold its ground and thus emerged as the leader of the Heretic Alliance.

As a result, an increasing number of allies wanting to join Bohemia was undoubtedly a good thing, but it also meant that Bohemia would bear greater obligations and burdens.

A prime example of this was Friedrich the Lord, who currently occupied the Bohemian lord’s castle.

‘Although we received his help in this war, we now have the obligation to recapture Palatinate, which has been occupied by the Emperor. This is not a favorable situation for us, who have yet to recover from the previous war.’

At this moment, moving Bohemia’s army was impossible.

However, all the lords around, who were hinting at new alliance proposals, were all talking about restoring Palatinate, so Turun, as the leader of the alliance, could not ignore it.

Thus, Count Turun was plagued by new worries.

At that moment…

“Father, it’s Santana.”

“Oh… come in, my son!”

A cheerful voice rang from outside the door.

Count Turun rose from his seat, filled with a bit of anticipation to welcome his proud son.

*

“Is it true, Father? The lords of the Sacred Empire…”

“Indeed. So many are already eager to form alliances with us.”

Looking at the list in front of him, I nodded slowly.

From names frequently mentioned in the original work to those I was seeing for the first time.

If we could combine their powers, it would undoubtedly create a formidable force.

If things went well, we could drive Spinola, who was stationed in Palatinate, out and prepare a massive counterattack against the Emperor.

However… it was also a fact that we couldn’t simply be optimistic about the current situation.

“If such a number of lords are on our side, they will certainly be a great help. But… if we mishandle this situation, it could lead to significant losses for our Bohemia.”

“Exactly, you’ve hit the nail on the head. To be honest, I worry about that very point. It’s obvious, but those people won’t be trying to ally with us for purely noble purposes. They all have their own desires for approaching us.”

“Otherwise, there’s a possibility of them becoming a troublesome obstacle… or even worse.”

The most dangerous thing is always the internal enemy.

After all, the reason behind Palatinate’s fall was ultimately due to an internal traitor…

Mansfeld’s betrayal was critical.

“An untrustworthy ally is more dangerous than an enemy. In that regard, we need to conduct our alliance negotiations very thoroughly.”

“Thoroughly, huh… What good plans do we have?”

My words drew immediate interest from my father.

Calmly, I began to share my thoughts with Count Turun.

Using the alliance only to attempt to cut ties when a crisis arises…

To prevent the so-called ‘hit-and-run’ scenario, we needed to respond firmly.

And… as someone who had lived by trading, I knew very well what to do to achieve this.

‘If you’re going to lend money to those untrustworthy scoundrels, you need to do it thoroughly. Taking an interest upfront is a must, and securing collateral is crucial.’

*

In the city of Hannover located north of Palatinate,

Heinrich, the lord of that city, was struggling to hide his confusion as he read the contents of the letter in his hand.

“W-what is this?”

“This is the response from the lord of Bohemia. He stated that if you comply with the conditions below, he will allow you to form an alliance.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking! I mean, these conditions… is this really what you would demand from someone who wants to ally?”

Inside the letter…

The demands outlined to those wishing to become members of the Heretic Alliance were as follows:

First, all members of the Heretic Alliance must aid the nearest allies in distress with all their might.

Second, all armies belonging to the Heretic Alliance must operate under the lord of Bohemia, Count Turun, as their supreme commander during wartime.

Third, to form an alliance, you must pay a deposit of 10,000 talons. The deposit will be refunded after a victorious end to the war, but you won’t get it back if you leave the alliance without permission or betray us.

This was a rough outline, and including other requirements like supplying military provisions and managing military equipment…

In short, if you weren’t prepared to pledge your utmost for the alliance, the message was clear: don’t even think about joining.

What these demands amounted to, in modern terms, was a power trip contract.

Realizing this, lords who had initially hoped to dabble their toes and grab some crumbs found themselves engulfed in confusion.

“…I… I was so taken aback that I came to inquire further, but…”

“And what did the lord of Bohemia say?”

Heinrich, filled with exasperation, was beginning to lose his patience.

His subordinate hesitated briefly before relaying what he had heard.

“He said if you don’t like it, you can just back out. He doesn’t need a mere talk alliance.”

“…I see…”

An incredibly spot-on assessment.

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

“Ha…”

“W-what will you do? Even so, such an alliance…”

“Go tell him… I’ll accept the conditions. Please allow me to form the alliance.”

“Y-yes?”

“Also, bring the 10,000 talons. It seems I’ll have to put most of my planned enterprises on hold.”

Under normal circumstances, he would never have agreed to such terms.

However… in this situation, he had no choice.

And neither did the majority of lords who received such letters like this.

‘After all, there’s no way to stop the Emperor’s army with just the power of our own territory… Any half-hearted resistance will only end with us getting swept away like Palatinate. Right now… allying with Bohemia, which has at least once defeated the Emperor, is our only chance. No matter what condition it is…’

Thus, the lords who initially aimed to skim off some crumbs found themselves pushed into actively participating in this war.

However… not all of them chose to side with Bohemia.

Among them were those who made a slightly more dangerous choice.