"I was prepared to compromise."
Berichi's eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face.
By his guess, Damian should never have been able to make such a choice.
If he did not value this country, then he would not have been unable to let his own brothers die in battle, nor would he have purged the Holy Blood Church a few months ago at the risk of internal depletion of national strength.
But now the other party had made this decision, choosing to compromise with heretics and hand over the land that the Buria Family and the Param Family had cultivated for three thousand years.
"I know you're surprised." Damian turned to look at Berichi, his expression not wavering in the slightest. "When I was alone and bore no responsibility, I would have chosen the second without hesitation and fought them to the bitter end. Even if I died in the end, even if I only managed to inflict a light wound on them, I would have thought it worth it."
"But now I carry many things on my shoulders. The most important point is that I don't want my brothers to see what they protected destroyed in my hands."
"The first choice: with the strength of the entire nation, attack the Kingdom of Skelly. Five years is enough for us to gain a firm foothold."
"Besides that, we can trade with them, exchanging for the knowledge, weapons, talent, or other things that belong to this world."
"Your Majesty, how can you be certain they will trade with us?" Berichi took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask.
Hearing this, Damian slowly replied, "If one wants to build a nation quickly and regulate one's domestic market, trade with other nations is the fastest way."
"If the leader of