Summoning the Holy Sword

Even though Rhode accepted the invitation, he wouldn’t make things easy for the Light Parliament.

 Do they really think that I’m a pushover?

 Although Lydia hoped for him to go and there were reasons for him to do so, he had no intentions of letting others know about it. Since the group of bastards ‘pleaded’ for him to join them as though he was their savior, then they should show some sincerity.

 No problem, I’ve prepared a whole list of conditions here.

 Rhode didn’t hold back at all and requested for the right to fight independently. Although he would be joining the Winter Castle’s defensive line as a reinforcement, he wouldn’t accept orders from the Country of Light’s military commanders, and they would only hold the right to suggest and not command. In other words, Rhode had the final say as to when he wished to show up. Apart from this, he had also stated that the commanders couldn’t command his army without permission… On this piece of paper, he listed down around a dozen conditions. However, this wasn’t completed yet. Or perhaps, this was just the start!

 Alright, the conditions regarding the battle are settled. On to the Holy Maiden Statues.

 The Light Parliament wants me to bring the Holy Maiden Statues to the Winter Castle? No problem! Let’s talk about price: the Holy Maiden Statues are my private assets, so I don’t have any issues transporting them there. However, I am the only one who can use them. If any of you wishes to receive assistance from the holy spears or move them about, you will need to pay!

 Not only that, but you’ll also write a report to me and can only use them after gaining my approval. But let me put this up front. If any of your dumb commanders cause damage to them, you will need to compensate. As for the price… 50 million gold coins! If the statues are destroyed entirely, the Light Parliament will need to compensate for a total of 100 million gold coins!

 Yes, this isn’t all. Combat needs to pay particular attention to the slightest details and no errors should be made. This is why we have to talk about pensions for my casualties. I will be leading 5,000 soldiers and their pensions will be covered by the Light Parliament entirely. As for the amount, I’m a generous man and as long as you offer an acceptable sum, there won’t be much issues.

 Of course they wouldn’t. This involved a huge sum of money! If the church were to witness the signing, it would be a huge headache for them. The Light Parliament was already tight on finance and couldn’t afford 50 million gold coins easily, not to mention pensions for the casualties…

 What does this have to do with us?

 The other alternative was that they could show the agreement to Lilian and trick her, but everything would be done for after she headed to the front line and met Rhode. Of course, they could accuse Rhode of lying, but it was apparent who Lilian trusted.

 At this moment, the other overlords and forces had also heard about the agreement because they were part of the alliance. It could also be said that some of them belonged to the anti-parliament camp. The reason why they agreed to help the Light Parliament was so they could use this chance to pull strings with Rhode. The Light Parliament didn’t invite Rhode to the Winter Castle just for Lilian. In fact, they had also intended to form an alliance to defend against the Undead Army. But the problem now was that no one held sufficient strength and prestige to join them.

 It was due to this reason that the Light Parliament had thought of Rhode. Even though conspiracy theories regarding the Munn Kingdom were spreading in the Country of Light, only the brainwashed idiots of the Light Parliament believed them. On the contrary, the news of Rhode defeating the Undead Army with 150,000 troops had spread widely. As long as Rhode was willing to join the alliance, the alliance would definitely be powerful, which was also the reason why others joined the alliance.

 But they also understood the issues between Rhode and the Light Parliament, which was why they were exceptionally curious about the Light Parliament’s invitation to Rhode.

 After learning about Rhode’s conditions, many were baffled! They didn’t expect him to put everything on the table without showing any sympathy! As for the impassioned words at the end, anyone would read it as a form of sarcasm after matching with the conditions that he listed above.

 Of course, many thought that Rhode wasn’t being too… careful. No matter what, this was an alliance against the Undead Creature, so what would the others think of him? However, some laughed up their sleeves inwardly. They knew how badly the Light Parliament and Rhode got along and the former must have some conspiracies to invite him over. If it weren’t for Rhode, the others wouldn’t even join this alliance!

 What gave the Light Parliament the biggest headache was that the forces who supported them mostly remained silent. Initially, the Light Parliament hoped that the forces could step up and pressure Rhode a little. However, none of them spoke a word and it was apparent that the Light Parliament was rather disappointed.

 Initially, they wished to negotiate with Rhode about the conditions. However, they had to make a decision—because Lilian had heard of the rumors and began questioning what exactly was happening!

 If this continued, no one could guarantee what sort of information she would hear. When that happened…

 The Light Parliament had no other choices left and could only nod in agreement. However, they weren’t willing to give up just yet. Instead, they requested Rhode to secure the defensive line in the Winter Castle!

 If you fail to do so, don’t blame us! Hahaha!

 Rhode expressed no concerns over it. However, since this was the case, they would need to discuss the commanding rights to the alliance…

 The Light Parliament instantly shrunk.

 They feared giving Rhode authority. Most of the forces that joined the alliance supported the Light Parliament. What if Rhode had some tricks up his sleeves to send the troops to their graves? What would be the purpose of securing this defensive line if that happened?

 In fact, Rhode also wrapped his head around this idea. If the Light Parliament was so foolish to hand the commanding rights over, Rhode would definitely torment their troops. In the future, he would have a much easier time when he attacked the Country of Light…

 Their true enemy was each other—not the Undead Army.

 In the end, the Light Parliament nodded helplessly to all of Rhode’s conditions. Both sides signed the agreement under the witness of the church and the matter came to an end. The Undead Army couldn’t care less about their negotiations and continued to swarm forward. If the Light Parliament were to haggle with Rhode any longer, the Winter Castle would collapse and the alliance would turn into a joke.

 But even so, the Light Parliament hadn’t given up yet. When they signed the agreement, they emphasized that Rhode would bring along 5000 troops and the Holy Maiden Statues. If not… They could also abolish their agreement based on the breach of contract! Not only that, but they could also tackle Rhode even more.

When that happens, we shall see who has the last laugh!

 Based on Sonia’s report, the Light Parliament knew that Rhode had less than 2000 soldiers. They were interested to see where could Rhode find another 3000 soldiers to make up for the difference!

 Marlene had also asked him this question because she didn’t know where he could recruit the soldiers from.

 But Rhode’s response surprised her.

 “We won’t be mobilizing our troops, Marlene. I won’t let my adorable subordinates die for the idiots of the Country of Light.”

 “Where do you intend to recruit 5000 soldiers then, Rhode?”

 Rhode twitched his brows.

 “Don’t worry, I have my ways,” he replied confidently.