Parpaldian Empire, February 13th, 1640

Esthirant

In the Muan Embassy within the city of Esthirant, a Parpaldian man sat on a chair inside a room and separating him from the other chair in front of him is a wooden table. This man is Nisol, one of the many staffs of the First Foreign Affairs Office of the Parpaldian Empire.

A short amount of time went by before the recognizable click of the doorknob is heard. Soon after, a man pushed the door open to reveal a black haired man who wore a black suit, clothes that were rare in the 3rd Civilization Area. The man in question is Mugei, the Muan ambassador to Parpaldia, and he walked towards the other chair and sat in front of Nisol.

"So what's the reason that you needed to call me, Mr. Nisol?" Mugei asked.

Nisol looked straight towards the Muan ambassador with a serious look and spoke in a serious tone, "I'm sure you know that the Parpaldian Empire is in war with the Eastern Coalition, which consists of 11 nations, including Indonesia, correct?"

"I've known of it since the outbreak of the war. Is the subject related to all of this?"

"Correct, the Parpaldian Empire has recently learned that the United Kingdom of Mu has sent an observer to the coalition's side, specifically Indonesia. Can you confirm whether this is true or not?"

"Everything about that is true. Our government made the decision to send an observer to their side. Please be aware that our nation holds no hostile intentions to your country."

Nisol felt concerned, he couldn't believe that the Muans, who have been supporting Parpaldia's modernization to send an observer to the enemy. He also knew that Mu only sends observers to the side they deem to have the highest chance of winning, so this simple fact simply reinforced the uneasy feeling in his chest.

"If possible, may I know the reason?" Nisol asked while clenching his fist, which were on top of his thighs and hidden from Mugei's view.

"I'm not really a military expert, but after a number of investigation and analysis, it seems that the government understood the strength of the Republic of Indonesia. If it weren't for their entry to the war, we would've sent an observer to your side."

Nisol's uneasiness still continued. If this one single nation was enough to turn the tides of the war to the coalition's favor, then it would mean that the Parpaldian Empire made a grave mistake.

"I-I see.. Thank you for your confirmation, Mr. Mugei."

However, as Nisol stood from his chair, Mugei stopped him in his tracks, "One more thing, this is simply something coming from my own personal opinion."

"Hm?"

"I've also personally seen some pictures and footage of Indonesia, and I honestly don't think that our nation will win a war against them either."

"O-Oh, okay..."

Those words alone simply confirmed Nisol's true fears. It seemed that Parpaldia is heading straight towards its demise without the Emperor's knowing. Now, Nisol knew he had to do something to save the Empire from complete annihilation, but he did not know who to turn to.

Parpaldian Fenn, February 19th, 1640

Amanoki

"DAMN YOU!!"

A man leaped towards a group of 3 Parpaldian soldiers on patrol. On his hand is a sword that is swung towards one of the Parpaldian soldiers. However, the man would meet an unfortunate fate.

'BANG!'

With quick reflexes, one of the soldiers shot his musket straight towards the Fennese man, who fell as his blood spread around the ground. Still alive, the man tried to reach for his sword, which is now on the ground before another Parpaldian killed him on the spot.

'BANG!'

The nearby birds of Amanoki flew into the air, unaware of the fate that came for Amanoki's citizens, something that the birds didn't know and didn't care. It's simply natural thing for any country that were conquered by Parpaldia and everyone in the world knew of it.

Regardless, the people of Fenn simply did not give up. Immediately after Parpaldia conquered the nation, resistance groups were formed and sought to free the nation. All of them had the same goal, but their ideology were much different from each other. Seeing the existence of Indonesia, some wanted a democratic Fenn, while those that were conservative simply wanted the nation back to how it was. There were also those who supported Parpaldia's colonization of Fenn and joined Parpaldia's effort to bring order to the lands.

For all of the resistance groups, they all knew that in order for their ideology to gain legitimacy is to have the Sword King Shihan on their side. Unfortunately, they did not know where he is currently being held.

------

The sounds of a leather boot could be heard stomping on the stone bricks below it. The sound could be heard within the area due to its closed and dark nature. 3 sources of light could be seen going down on a spiralling path, as if they were going down a spiral staircase.

As the 3 figures finally set foot on a long hallway, the torches that lit it up would reveal 3 men wearing Parpaldian military uniforms. The 3 men walked through the hallway until stopping next to a jail cell. The man in the middle wore a dark blue uniform and had a short hair that looked to be turning grey. Age-wise, the man appeared to be in his 60s.

As the man turned to look at the direction of the cell, inside would reveal an old man who's hair has gone grey and his goatee growing long and has both of his hands chained onto a wall. He wore a brown unsightly piece of clothing, something he would never thought wearing as dried up blood could be seen on his chest. The man in question is the Sword King Shihan, former ruler of Fenn.

"The Sword King Shihan... You seem unsightly as ever, especially after our last meeting back in November." The man in the middle said to the captured former ruler..

"Heh, says the one who can't even use a sword correctly." Shihan said with a smirk on his face as he teased the man.

The man seemed to take Shihan's word not too kindly and was provoked by it, "Times have changed, old man. The era of swords are far behind us and the invention of guns will make your precious little weapons obselete."

"As long as I can use it to fight, it's still a weapon to me." Shihan said as he kept calm in the face of provocation.

The man continued to provoke Shihan in order to get a response, "Hah, you didn't even stand a chance against our soldiers when we fought you in your castle a couple of days ago."

"Woah there, watch your words, the empire's days are numbered. This war has become too much for it to handle." Shihan said, scolding the man.

However, the man who were talking to Shihan simply laughed, dismissing his claims, "Oh you think? The coalition is nothing in the face of the Parpaldian Empire, and those Indonesian friends of yours are no match either. Sure, they're a little stronger than the others, but Parpaldia possesses the most advanced technology and most powerful army in the region!"

Shihan chuckled at the man's ignorance, "Maybe just wait and see? Perhaps you'll change your mind once you've seen them, Taro." Shihan said, talking to someone he seem to knew.

Taro simply laughed it off as he moved his head closer to the metal bars of the jail, "As if! I have more important matters to attend to. Besides, I've been appointed by his majesty to replace you as the ruler of these lands. It's been nice seeing you in this despicable state."

The man known as Taro turned to leave the underground prison as his 2 guards followed suit. However, Taro looked back to Shihan, "One more thing, your execution is coming within 7 days, so enjoy your life until then!" He said with a smirk and a sarcastic voice as he left the room with a wave.

"That damn Taro... He's no longer the same person I knew 15 years ago.." Shihan muttered.

The same quiet atmosphere Shihan knew soon followed as his conversation with Toro ended. He kept waiting, hoping for the day that his kingdom would be freed from Parpaldia by the Indonesians.

Kingdom of Sios, February 23rd, 1640

Shios

Inside a room within the capital city of the Sios Kingdom, two men of different nationalities sat across each other. One is the Parpaldian ambassador and the other is a government official of Sios.

"Is everything in this paper true..?" The Siosan man asked as he read the piece of paper on his hands, which shook from his nervousness.

"Indeed, the Parpaldian Empire demands that the Kingdom of Sios kick out the Indonesians on your island, who we heard are building a base here. Additionally, we would like our forces to be allowed to take a rest on your island while prohibiting such for any country in war with us. Refusal to comply will result in the usual outcome, but I'm sure these demands are easy to follow for your kingdom."

The Siosan man slowly put the paper on the table and gathered his courage. With a deep breath, he gave his nation's answer, "The Kingdom of Sios reject these Parpaldian demands."

The Parpaldian ambassador is taken back by the blunt answer. For him, the demands were very reasonable, "Are you out of your mind?! These demands are very generous and do not involve your nation handing out its sovereign territory. Your nation also gets a fair compensation for this, but you choose to reject it?"

The Siosan man sighed, "The Kingdom of Sios have no intentions to betray the Kingdom of Altaras, a country which we rely on for protection for many centuries. This demand seeks to undermine our relationship and thus, our government's decision remains the same."

The Parpaldian ambassador gave up. Seeing that Sios is adamant in keeping its decision, he decided that it would be no use to convince them any further, "It seems that even your nation has been emboldened by the coalition's lucky strokes of victory. Fine then, the Parpaldian Empire will demonstrate that the coalition has no chance in achieving total victory over Parpaldia."

"I see, then this meeting is adjourned. I hope your country finally learns of their mistake."

Having failed to kick out the Indonesians from Sios, the Parpaldian would now resort on forcefully kicking them out. Thus, the Parpaldian Empire would declare war on the Kingdom of Sios the day after, escalating the conflict it is currently in even further.