Lyra sat down on at the position by the table which had a tag with her name on it. One of the few things she had learned to read in the Revean Empire. Beside her, royalty and dignitaries from many other kingdoms and nations were also taking their seats. A massive round table had been prepared in the auditorium within the Revean Empire. There were also plenty of benches around the table, for the other delegates to sit on while they spectated the peace-talks. Overseeing the peace talk was actually the Guild-Master of one of the Guild-branches from one of the Kingdom Alliance nations. An old man with a scar over his left eye. Greying hair, but still lean and muscular.
Lyra watched curiously as people took their seats. She was the only non-human in the room, and a lot of eyes were on her. Looks of admiration from the Revean Empire officials and their vassals, while the looks she got from the chosen representatives of the Kingdom Alliance were more mixed. Most viewed her with suspicion or just outright hostility, while a select few, the ones from Ytrand, looked at her with sheer terror. Amongst those who sat by the circular table, she also spotted Jennifer, her classmate from another world. The Saintess. Yet, Jennifer only gave Lyra a look of distaste.
In total, there were 5 representatives on either side. The Emperor and Empress of the Revean Empire, Thomas the First Prince, and then two kings from two vassalized nations whose names Lyra had already forgotten. They made up the Revean Empire side. On the Kingdom Alliance side, there was the Pope and Saintess of the Holy Kingdom of Demuria. Then there was the General of Ytrand, one of the men Lyra had spared during the siege of Fort Luna. Finally there was the King of Urna, and the Queen of Lazarus, both kingdoms who were part of the Alliance.
Finally, there was Lyra, sitting between these two factions. As such, one could say that the guild-master sat at the Southern end of the circular table. Revean side to the West, Alliance side to the East, and Lyra to the north.
"Right. First, I'd like to extend my thanks to Lady Lyra Lunarsong, whose "Area: Translate" spell will make everything a lot easier, without having to bring in interpreters and translators." the guild master began, and gave Lyra a nod. She in turn wondered if this is why she was here, but then she'd hardly need a place at the table for that sort of thing.
"I will act as the speaker for this negotiation, and you can all trust that the Adventurer's Guild will as always remain neutral. We also again recognize the appearance of Lady Lyra Lunarsong at this table, as another neutral and unaffiliated party." the Guild-Master continued.
Immediately there was a reaction, as Jennifer stood up, slamming her hands on the table, as she said loudly:
"How can she possibly be considered a neutral party!? She is absolutely on the side of the Revean Empire!"
"She is a C-rank adventurer, thus belonging to our guild, and as far as I know she holds no official titles or duties within the Revean Kingdom. Though she does own land here in the Capital City." the Guild-Master answered, entirely unphased.
"But she is the one that attacked and murdered nearly the entire Alliance Army!" Jennifer continued.
"As a neutral party, yes. The Revean Empire claims they have never given Lady Lyra any orders or commands, beyond the official diplomatic mission they requested via our Guild. Perhaps you'd like to answer, Lady Lyra?" The guild-master said, and now all eyes turned to Lyra.
-"That is correct, Speaker. The First Prince of the Revean Empire even implored me to flee Fort Luna before the siege began. When I acted, I did so on my own." Lyra said, speaking up, her tone neutral.
Jennifer sighed and sat back down, grumbling, clearly displeased. However, she was surprised when the Guild-Master then said:
"In fact, it was not the Revean Empire who requested that Lady Lyra be seated here at the table. It was General Gallius of the Ytrand Armed Forces." he then gestured for the general who sat on the Alliance side.
Jennifer gave the man a look of disbelief, and a raised eyebrow, as the General stood up. He then spoke, his voice slightly tense.
"Indeed. We discussed this at length within the Military chain-of-command, and felt it was only right. When we are offering our surrender, we are not doing it to you..." he said, and looked directly at the Emperor of the Revean Empire. Then, he turned to look at Lyra, as he continued:
"... but to you, Lyra the Calamity, the Demon of Fandir Fortress..."
Lyra felt herself shudder, as an unpleasant feeling settled over her. Great, another title that made her out to be some monster. Though she does admit, in her anger, she likely went a bit overboard when it came to her escape from Fandir. She thought the Emperor might be displeased by this, but he only waved his hand in response, before adding:
"That is fair enough. It was Lyra who destroyed your army, after all."
It was Jennifer again, who took issue with this:
"Seriously, how can you claim to be neutral despite all of this, Lyra? Do you even understand what you have done? You've killed thousands of people! It was likely your plan all along, wasn't it? You are a demon!"
"Order!" The Guild-Master called out, but Lyra raised a hand, and asked:
-"May I respond?"
"Alright..." he then said, giving Lyra a chance to speak. So, Lyra laid out her own views.
-"I am truly not on the side of the Revean Empire. I belong on no one's side, but my own. I confess I have however become partial to the Revean Empire, as I have made a few friends here, and I wish to protect them. However, that was not the reason I stepped in to intervene in this war, Jennifer."
She took a breath, gathering herself, preparing. It was time to speak on a matter she rather not. But she did so anyways, as she said:
-"I had come to deliver a diplomatic massage to the King of Ytrand, from the Emperor of the Revean Empire. I was uninvolved beyond this point, and had plans to travel further into the Ytrand Kingdom using my status as a neutral adventurer. However... the King ordered Gustav, one of the Summoned Heroes, to use his skill "Mind Control" on me. Now nothing but a puppet, I was first violated by the King, and then Gustav himself."
There was a short gasp. Jennifer stared at Lyra, no doubt trying to figure out if Lyra was lying. She said: "Do you have any evidence to support this claim?" though it was clear Jennifer did not necessarily doubt it. She likely knew about the King's dirty nature, as well as Gustav's skill. But there had to be evidence, and proof.
"I was present in the room, when the skill was used on Lady Lyra. I can confirm it was used on her." General Gallius said.
"Goddess above, whose side are you even on?!" Jennifer said with an annoyed grunt.
The Guild-Master now interjected, as he said: "Lady Lyra, if this is true, then you were essentially attacked by the Ytrand Kingdom while on a mission for the guild in an official capacity. This is illegal and could see the entire guild branch revoked from Ytrand. Why did you not report this incident to the guild?"
-"Because I handled it myself and punished the perpetrators. I killed Gustav and the King myself. And... burnt their army." Lyra answered.
"I see. I guess your point is, that as a neutral party, because you were attacked first by Ytrand, that is the reason you retaliated and destroyed their army?" The Guild Master said, sharp and astute.
-"Correct, Guild-Master." Lyra said in response.
"Very well. Any further objections to Lady Lyra's presence as a neutral faction on this table? No? Good, then lets actually get back to work. Revean Empire representatives, lay out your terms and conditions." the Guild Master said, gesturing for the Emperor to speak.
"Thank you, honored speaker. Normally, we would demand monetary compensation for the many families who lost their husbands, sons and brothers in the war, but thanks to Lyra's intervention only 17 lives were lost on our side. As we have stated numerous times, the Revean Empire has no plans to expand east. However, some punishment must be had all the same. We seek a 50-year cease-fire agreement with the Alliance, and exclusive trading rights with the Island Kingdom of Lazarus, free from tolls and fees." he said.
Everyone except perhaps Lyra quickly understood that this was a very fair deal. Just trade without tarrifs and taxes to one of the Alliance Kingdoms, and a 50 year agreement to not attack one another. However, the main core issue remained unresolved, and the Pope was the first to point that out, as he answered:
"Your terms are very generous, Emperor, but our issue has always been whether our independence from your Empire can be assured 50, 100, even 150 years from now on. If we agree to clip our wings now, your Empire can expand further west, harvest more crops, grow your population more than we can, and in the span of a few generations, you could completely crush us. The issue is not with you, but with the uncertain future and not knowing who will be at the helm after a century."
The Emperor nodded, and leaned in to speak in hushed tones with his Empress for a few seconds. He then responded: "We understand your worries. It is a shame we can't leave the enforcement of a lasting peace to someone who would still be there 150 years from... now..." he trailed off, and slowly, his head turned to look towards Lyra. The Pope in turn also shifted to look at Lyra.
The Emperor then looked at the Pope, before nodding in the direction of Lyra. The pope caught the look and the nod, and stroked his long bushy beard, as he let out a few thoughtful "Hmmm"s and "Ahumm...".
"There is of course the issue that Lyra is considered a Fallen Hero. A demon, in the eyes of our faith." the Pope then said.
-"Sorry, but I take great offense at that, just saying..." Lyra interjected.
The Pope looked at her, truly looked at her, studying her face and features.
"Hmm... I do not believe you are a demon, indeed. Besides, you are far more powerful than any demon known to history, if the magic the General said you unleashed is to be trusted." The Pope then said.
-"Thank you. It is true I did not accept the role of a hero, but that does not make me evil. Most people are not heroes after all, does that then make them evil? Frankly, I denied the role because I wanted freedom. The freedom to live life by my own terms, without having the pressure of being viewed by others as some sort of savior. Though ironically, here we are..." Lyra answered.
Now, it was Jennifer's turn: "Your Holiness, are you really considering peace? They killed Charlie! My husband! THE HERO!"
The Pope looked at her, then raised a hand to be placed atop her head, as he said:
"Child, men die in war. How many husbands did Charlie not kill, by his own hand? The moment you accept your duty as a soldier of war, you also agree to the risk of death."
But Jennifer shrugged herself free from the hand. Promptly she rose up, and spat on the ground in the direction of Lyra. "I will not accept this. And you... it would have been better if you died from cancer.." and then she stormed out of the room. The Pope looked apologetic, but raised his hands, as he said:
"She has no say on the matter of the peace-treaty. We will talk to her after this, and she will come around, I am sure. My apologies, Lady Lyra."
"Right, lets get back on track then. Your suggestion, Emperor, to which you and the Pope has alluded?" the Guild Master said, leaning forward.
"It is simple. We'll make a non-aggression pact between our two factions, for however long the Alliance would wish. And then, we'll ask Lady Lyra here to act as its guarantor."
Both the Guild-Master and Lyra raised their eyebrows. Lyra especially wasn't so sure how she felt about this. Then again... she wanted freedom. If her existence could somehow keep the peace on this area of the continent, and stop future suffering, was that not a responsibility worth shouldering? Of course, she did not want to be tied down or being treated like some hero or savior, but at the same time, she could potentially end generations of suffering for millions of people. Did her wishes for absolute freedom trump the rights of all these people to be able to live in peace?
-"How would this work in practice?" she asked. She needed more information before she could make her decision.
"I envision that we'll sign a treaty, between Empire and Alliance, with you as the guarantor, named on the treaty. Should either party, now or in the future, violate this treaty, you will then act to protect the treaty and ensure a war does not break out, any and all means necessary. We have both seen your power, and know you will far outlive us." the Emperor said. The Pope then continued:
"You will not be weighed down by any duties or anything. You are merely the guarantor behind this treaty, the power enforcing it. With you as enforcer, I believe the Alliance can trust in such a treaty, knowing our independence is ensured even in the future."
-"I understand. It is a very heavy responsibility however... what's in it for me?" Lyra asked, not meaning to sound rude, but why should she accept this just for free? She recalled a wise man back on earth once saying, that if you are good at something, never do it for free!
The Emperor let out a low chuckle in response, before adding: "We are prepared to recognize the Oberon Wilds as your own independent territory, and to provide you with a yearly salary so long as you remain the enforcer of this peace treaty. You will be treated as Foreign Royalty within the Empire."
Then it was time for the Pope: "We too will match the salary from the Revean Empire. We'll also acknowledge the Oberon Wilds as your independent territory, and you'll be granted free access to travel and land-ownership within the Alliance. Always an honored guest within any of our territory."
Well, she had to agree it was a good deal, though how could they "Give" her the Oberon Wilds when neither of them even controlled it? Then again, states had to be recognized by other nearby states to actually be considered real states, even back on Earth. Of course, she had no plans currently to running her own Kingdom, but perhaps in the future, who knows.
-"I might rename it something else in the future..." Lyra mused, a bit too loudly.
"Does that mean you accept the proposition, Lady Lyra?" The Guild Master asked.
Now, what would her decision be?