At dusk, the sun would sink toward the Western Sea and gild the entire plain. That was how the Sunset Plains got their name.
The New Royal Capital stood amid the snow-covered Sunset Plains, but it was not alone. To the south, two forces that had fought their way in from the border officially joined up.
The Sunset Plains were flat and open, with no natural defenses.
The poor had little to lose. The nobles could side with Free City. Only the wealthy, whose livelihoods depended on the Kingdom, were in a panic.
Then they discovered the Council Chairman had vanished and the King could not be reached. They had no choice but to find ways to save themselves.
Those measures included recruiting private soldiers, contacting the Blade of Freedom, and seeking outside help.
The Duchy of Keating, now the Kingdom of Rikaner's largest trading partner and flush with wartime profits, received the most pleas for help.
At that very moment, the duchy's Twin Ministers were discussing the matter.
"We should stand up for the weak against the strong," the Minister of Finance said from behind a stack of appeals.
"We're sending troops to help the Kingdom of Rikaner fend off Free City?" asked the young Minister of the Interior.
"Free City is far too strong."
"So we do nothing? What will the other countries think of us?"
"The Duchy of Keating is forever neutral," the Minister of Finance replied with the official line.
"Then what did you mean by standing up for the weak?"
"We keep dumping goods on the Kingdom."
Free City's victory was all but certain. Apart from the Duchy of Keating, which flew the banner of Free Trade, no power was reckless enough to help the Kingdom anymore—and none could have helped even if they