Akshan, followed by his vanguard, entered the former king Lombac's castle. He had been approached by a curious priest of Chrunus who had claimed that he had converted and was on the side of Valar.
"It's rather rare to see someone who belongs to the church of Chrunus to be sensible." His lips curled into a smile.
The Conquest was trivially easy with the support of angels, and what's more, most of the population did not even resist the occupation.
Why would they? The First Legion gave medicine and food to the poor, while the king holed himself in the castle.
'Disgusting...' He made his way toward the meeting hall where the former king was supposed to meet with the traitor priest.
One of the principalities that made this possible appeared next to him. Ruby grinned at him as she followed closely. "Officers have been expunged, oh grand general~" She saluted.
"Excellent, you truly are a miracle worker." Akshan nodded.
His escorts pushed the door open, and he made his way in. Instantly, a pungent smell of iron invaded his senses, and his gaze snapped to the mangled corpse of Lombac.
The atmosphere was solemn; nobody wished for Lombac's death, yet he had gone mad in his faith.
A sad expression formed on his face. "I guess negotiations were unsuccessful?"
"Indeed so, lord Akshan."
"Such a shame." The general looked around; only the king was dead. It was a great fortune that only he was stupid enough to resist.
"Ruby, could you remove the corpse for us?"
With a nod, the principality quickly got to work and dragged the dead king's corpse outside the hall.
The priest approached, his hands were inside his sleeves, and his hood was removed to reveal his aging face and gray hair. "Indeed, he was unwilling to listen."
"Take a seat." Akshan gestured toward the chairs before taking the seat opposite the advisors.
Nobody who had gathered dared speak as Akshan leaned forward and scrutinized everyone present. He inhaled deeply. "Gentlemen, before I say anything else. I must thank you for having the true foresight not to resist the forces of Valar."
The traitor priest leaned back and cackled, "Thank us for not killing ourselves? Now that is something I haven't seen happen in my long life."
"You would be surprised at how many would throw away their lives for an useless cause." Akshan stopped for a moment. "Now, we shall discuss the annexation of Zigurat."
"Before we start, I have a question." The priest raised his hand in the air.
"Speak."
"Who was the demihuman that you brought with you?"
Akshan chuckled. He was used to the ignorance of those who did not realize that Angels were not demi-humans. "She is called Ruby, and she is not a demi-human, even if she looks like one; in fact, she is an Angel, an entity completely separate from those savages."
"Is that so..." The priest scratched his chin; it was true he had never seen a harpy with no horns and pristine white wings. "If it's something you are saying, Lord Akshan, then there is no reason for me to doubt it."
The advisors nodded along; they understood their place. There was no point in resisting despite the will of Chrunus commanding otherwise. The fate in Chrunus was trumped by the survival instinct.
"Now then, shall we start?" Akshan grinned.
"It is time, lord Akshan." The priest nodded.
"I have prepared this declaration." Akshan reached into his pouch and retrieved a parchment. He placed it on the table and slammed his hand on it. "Item number one, the Kingdom of Zigurat will become a province of the Kingdom of Valar with limited autonomy."
The gathered members nodded. "It is understandable."
"Item number two, anyone belonging to the Church of Chrunus will be given a chance to convert; if they do not, they are to be executed. This only concerns the clergy and those under official employ of the church." Akshan expected item number two to cause an uproar, yet it was met with quiet nods of approval.
"Item number three, the former kingdom of Zigurat will accept Christianity as the official religion, of course, the education will be provided by Valar."
"Christianity, Lord Akshan?" The priest tilted his head in confusion. "I was under the impression you fought in the name of Celara, considering the angels feel like beings of Order."
"Ah, the lost goddess? No, God was the reason we were able to eradicate the church of Chrunus, and the hero sent by that God had been sent to deal with Chrunus."
The priest sighed; he was misled, yet the Christian God could not be an enemy, as his forces felt orderly.
"I understand."
"Even if you do not, all will be made clear soon. The Queen Aurelia had, according to my understanding, been blessed by God too; It made a weak girl like Aurelia into a goddess capable of great things. He seems rather generous to those who accept him."
He ignored the gasps of surprise before he continued. "Now, item four. The King Lombac will be deposed, which is necessary now." he glanced toward the pool of blood that remained, "And replaced by Duke Jole of Valar."
"Why not by someone in this room, or even someone from this kingdom?"
"I will not sugarcoat it. The Principality, Livia, who will act as the new lord's guardian, does not trust or like anyone here. The Queen Aurelia wished to avoid accidental bloodshed."
"That is... understandable." Those present shrank back at the threat.
"Good, I am truly joyous beyond measure by the fact that you have accepted this so easily. We will get along great." Akshan grinned. "Now, Advisors, and you, sir priest, please place your signatures, and the annexation process will begin."
The general slid the parchment and a quill toward the priest, who promptly placed his own signature.
While the advisors were more hesitant, they too placed their own before passing the document to Akshan.
His lips curled into a smile. "An honor to work with you, gentlemen. I will stay in this city while preparations are completed." He placed his hands on the table and pushed himself up. "Let's continue to get along from now on."
He stepped away from the table and curtsied before the general approached the door and made his exit.