>>5717252>“I never said anything about going home.” You take a gulp of your wine, emptying the glass. You’d done a good job of getting Leif to doubt both Cornelia’s intentions, as well as her strength. Now came the tricky part. If you failed here, then any hope of ending things via negotiation would cease. “You brought these men all the way down here for a fight, so give it to them. Continue marching down south, towards Garreg Mach. And when you get there, you can overrun the forces of the Orthodox Church and the Dukedom. They’d never see it coming. Pincered between the monastery and a horde of Sreng raiders at their back, they wouldn’t stand a chance. It’d be a grand victory, no?”“You’d have me trade the uncertainty of working for Cornelia for the uncertainty of working for your mercenary Archbishop?” Leif remarks, stunned.
>“We’ve already established Cornelia is unlikely to share her spoils of war with you. After five years of vying to gain control of the Kingdom, she’s unlikely to give any of it away now. Faerghus just concluded a civil war, and its armies are depleted. Resources are scarce, and the nation itself is still heavily fragmented. Cornelia’s grip on power would be tenuous at best. Meanwhile, the Sreng forces are still relatively fresh. To give you land on top of that…” You shake your head. “In Faerghus’ current state, it would make little sense for her to empower a foreign neighboring nation. Particularly when that nation has a history of being historically hostile.”“Go on.” Leif grits his teeth.
>“Should you assist the Knights of Seiros though…well for starters, that hostile reputation you’ve garnered for yourself would disappear overnight. Garreg Mach is the holiest seat in all Fodlan. Despite Edelgard and the Patriarch’s attempts to rid themselves of the traditional Church of Seiros, many of the common people still turn towards the monastery as the center of their religion. That you would travel so far to defend it from annihilation would speak greatly to your character. And while I can’t promise you that Byleth Eisner would reward you with land for your contributions, the relationship between Sreng and Fodlan would be greatly mended. Sreng would no longer need to be a nation in isolation. Furthermore, you’d be dealing with a woman who has no experience, and thus no prejudices against the Sreng. Could you say the same for Cornelia?”“This all vies on the Knights of Seiros capturing Fort Merceus.” Leif says. “Should they lose, then what?”
>“Then you return to doing what your people have historically always done.” You shrug. “Take what you wish from the Dukedom by force. You’d be better off resorting back to your time-tested tactics rather than hoping for Cornelia to give you something she can’t afford to part with. Besides…the Knights won’t lose. You can count on that.” 