Herald of Steel

As already stated earlier, Metztil was not the most politically savvy man around.

The only trick he knew when facing Alexander was the one taught by his wife.

And now that that had been used up, the man's chamber was completely empty.

Thus towards Alexander's invitation for a new suggestion, he could only reiterate his old claim, before posing,

"The people of Helvati will never accept the rule of an outsider. We have been fooled by you too many times. If you are truly sincere… then we can also promise you people that they can live and work in our lands… with special laws in place. Laws that will respect your rights and beliefs."

As Metztil threw the same words back to Alexander, a touch of a smile graced his face, feeling quite pleased with himself.

At least he had some cleverness in him.

As such he even tried to justify it, "This is only natural, right? It is our island after all. You should be ruled by us. Not the other way around."

The legitimacy of the argument was frankly not too bad, as it was undeniable that they were here first.

Not even the Margraves dared deny that.

"Hmmm.. is that so?" However, if this was meant to cower Alexander, then Metztil was too naive.

Rather languidly tracing his chin, the man only hummed this, before suddenly straightening his back and sharply addressing his adversary,

"Chief Metztil, it seems you and I have a basic misunderstanding. You are mixing me up with the Margraves, thinking we are the same. We are indeed allies but I am me… different. I hope you take into account when you look at me next."

"As for you labeling us as outsiders… here too I hope you will understand reality. You can call us whatever names you want, but the reality will still remain the same… we are here to stay. And there is little you can do to stop that. If you could do anything it, you would have done it already."

Crack!

At Alexander's unrestrained jab towards his most naked wound, Metztil instantly gritted his teeth and loudly clenched his fists, producing a significant popping sound.

But then producing a filthy look at the young boy, the bulky man could do little to counter the narrative.

This let Alexander continue unabated, working to chipp every bit of Metztil's pride,

"Indeed, your best chance to throw away the invaders would have been when they first came here. At that time, you were at your strongest and they at their weakest. But even then, due to… various internal and external enemies you failed. Tell me, how many men you islanders could field then? And how many can you field you?"

"...." The question was of course rhetorical and honestly, Metztil did not know the exact numbers.

But even his youngest daughter could know they were far stronger then than they were now.

"Over the past few centuries, while you only got weaker, we 'outsiders' have only gotten stronger. All the island's ports, cities, and trades have become intertwined with the rest of the world. And the only way for you people to return to the 'good old day' would be to slaughter every single inhabitant of the place." ṙ₳₦ǑʙЕš

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As he said this, Alexander slightly paused, "Heh! And I do not doubt you harbor wishes to do exactly so. It's just that you lack the ability to do so. So if you truly tried, you would just meet a solid wall of swords and spears from all over the world! One that would exterminate you all."

Metztil only clenched his unfurled fist once again, while the fire in his significantly diminished.

If Alexander had only said he or the Margraves were invincible, this warlord would have scoffed and left while putting it through one ear and out the next.

But that was not what he said.

Alexander was saying the problem was not him but the island itself, and that the natives did not have the power to return it to the way they wanted- back to the time when they were the ruler of the island, free in body and free in spirit, untainted by all this 'unnatural' filth.

The explanation produced a sort of despairing feeling in Metztil.

"What do you want?" And thus, unwilling to be lectured by a boy younger than his son, the chief in a frustrated tone snapped, breaking Alexander's flow.

Alexander simply slouched back to a relaxed position and monotonously reiterated,

"I have already made my last offer. That is the best you will get out of me."

"As for your demands… forget it... they are completely ridiculous. The Margraves family will never hand the ruling of such a huge land to anyone. They have spent centuries of sweat, blood, and tears to develop it. It is impossible."

And Alexander said, the till now quiet Lord Janus also decided to dive in, wishing for a chance to get back at Chief Metztil for the bashing he got.

Thus with a snort, he hummed, "Hmmmp! It's doubtful you will even know how to rule those lands. There are so many new things you natives shun. If you want it then declare war on us!"

That last empty boisterous part was really unnecessary, thus Alexander openly pursed his lips in disagreement, while the needless poking suddenly made the dimmed fire in Metztil's eyes flare up.

"Don't tempt us old fart! Or you will end up like those dogs from before."

The idea of fishing in troubled waters had of course been suggested by many of the tribal chiefs, who wanted to ally with the Heeats to kick the Margraves when they were down, thus getting revenge on their most hated enemy.

However, this idea was only proposed by those men relatively low on the ladder, those who had little knowledge of the true ins and outs of the situation.

Lord Janus had been sure to portray the true power that represented the Heeat family- a ducal household, and thus those in the know quickly understood this new external force was too powerful to make any deal with.

The Heeats had come here to puppet these lands and clearly had no intention to share.

Or else a deal with Alexander perhaps might have been already struck.

So the moment they were done with the Margraves, they would turn on the natives and the poor islanders would be back where they were started.

This was why the tribes were willing to sit down with Alexander.

But that did not mean they were soft putty that could be run over with disdain and belittlement just as Lord Janus had done.

And realizing this Alexander quickly stepped up to give Metztil a way out,

"Lord Janus is very passionate about his family. He did not mean anything by it, chief. The Margraves do not even have an army right now."

It was that last part that actually moved Metztil, as he produced the most contemptuous look till now as if he was looking not at a human, but some kind of animal waste.

'Look at how the mighty have fallen. From oppressing us for centuries to not even being able to save yourself. Heh!'

The look made even Lord Janus's hardened cheeks flush, and he sent a complicated look at Alexander. Although he was glad for the help letting him avoid a disaster, he would have also liked it if Alexander had been a little more tactful.

Alexander however could not give a rat's ass about what this loud mouthpiece thought, but rather turned to Metztil to once again urge him to reconsider, promising his people land, wealth, and security.

"We can give you some land to rule personally. That is only natural… Let's say, those areas I mentioned will belong to your tribe. But for the rest of the land, we promise you Helvati will be allowed to move in there without any trouble.

We will also lift the ban that prevents you Helvati from owning land and then lease many of the empty farmland there to you. In exchange, we will only ask for a small tithe each year."

"..." The final deal as proposed by Alexander left the chief in a dilemma.

It was not all that he wanted, but it was not bad either.

The area that was promised to them would alone amount to around 1,500 sq. kilometers, which was not an insignificant amount anywhere in the world.

If they had this, with the additional food and space, his tribe could easily add another 10,000 men over the next generation. And at the time, they would not be just the strongest tribe, but perhaps invincible.

And in the same vein, the 'sort of free' access to new farmland was also a tremendous boon.

If Metztil would get this deal done, unemployment would perhaps become a word of the past not only for his tribe but the entire native population, as every able bodied youth would flock to these fertile fields.

Was this not what he had really come here for- to find a way out for his people and protect them from persecution?

Metztil felt like accepting.

However before he could do that, there was one last snag he had to untie, "My people won't accept this."

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