On August 17, 9812 of the Radiant Calendar, in the royal gardens of Okla City, Velin had just taken out a lounge chair and was about to lie down in the sun when he saw Hilda approaching.
"Master, there is an urgent matter that requires your attention."
Velin took the document from Hilda, opened it, and quickly read through its contents.
"Surrender?"
Wondering if he had misread it, Velin read it carefully once more and confirmed that it was indeed an indication that the Kingdom of Seraphitaine wished to surrender.
"Go fetch Kyle."
"Yes."
Hilda bowed, then turned and walked out of the gardens.
Velin tossed the document onto the nearby stone table, then lay back in his lounge chair. With his hands behind his head, he gazed up at the sun, finding the whole thing rather unbelievable.
The war had only been going on for a year, and the Kingdom of Seraphitaine had lost less than a third of its territory.
In other words, they were perfectly capable of continuing the fight.
By his reckoning, the Kingdom of Seraphitaine could hold out for at least another five years. That would give him time to forge a battle-ready Aeran army through this war, while also securing some battle merit for his clansmen and the nobles who had followed him from the Ilia Kingdom.
Now that the other side wanted to surrender, naturally, the war could not continue.
Looking back, of the four nations—the Okra Kingdom, the Parambria Kingdom, the Kingdom of Skelly, and the Kingdom of Seraphitaine—only the Okra Kingdom had been destroyed outright by the Qixing Army.
From one perspective, the Okra Kingdom had been the most unyielding of the four. From another, it had also been the worst at recognizing when to yield.
"Since the war is ending,