6 years… compared to the previous wars, this had been a particularly short one, but also more devastating. Though the causalities rates for each race didn't reach the numbers registered in the other wars, they were extremely high for such a short war. The implementation of new spells and new technology also caused major material losses in each race territory.
In human territory, Belnaris was one of the nations that came out worst after the war. Being the only nation bordering the elves and the dwarves' territories simultaneously, they suffered with the elves' magic and the dwarves' bombardments which overwhelmed their armies and led to the complete destruction of many fortified positions and cities.
To add to their precarious situation, they also lost a higher number of soldiers when compared to other nations, mostly because they had been forced to reinforce other frontlines besides their own given the fact that they were a nation that worshipped war and thus specialized in the creation and nurturing of formidable warriors.
After the war, the nation of Casllae observed the weakened state of the Belnaris and saw an opportunity to expand its territory, not by conflict, of course, as they had just come out of a terrible war, and if they attacked an "allied nation" they would immediately face the wrath of the rest of the "human alliance".
No… conflict was off the table, instead they resorted to sell the idea, to the rest of the "human alliance", that their united front against the others races should have been better implemented, after all currently only four nations, Belnaris, Aquemar, Progretio and Antruterra were bordering the enemy territory while the remaining nations, Casllae, Procent and Pulritate were separated from the enemy by the territory of the previous four nations, this fact ended up creating the idea of "frontline nations" where direct combat with the elves and dwarves happened and the idea of "backline nations" that ensure the delivery of supplies to the others nations as well as the transference of soldiers to the frontline.
The royalty of Casllae argued that the simple fact that an idea of "backline nations" was created in between the human population showed how they failed to implement a concept of an united front, after all if their own population saw them like this, how did the other races saw them? They defended the ideal that every single nation should have territory bordering the enemy, and that by acting in favor of this ideal they would ensure not only better troop maneuverability, since soldiers originated from "backline nations" were heavily restricted while acting in foreign territory, but would also finally realize in full the concept of "united front" and possibly impact enemy morale.
After presenting their case, Casllae requested to be given Belnaris territory bordering the elvish domain, since their nation was the closest to them and therefore it would be easier to mobilize the army to defend the region and establish a resupply line.
This request, however, ended up not only displeasing the Belnaris nation but was also cause for discontent between the other three nations that had served as the frontline for the war and saw the request for what it truly was, an attempt to take advantage of a weakened nation.
The request did not gather unanimous support and was not accepted in the end, but that didn't discourage the leadership from Casllae from trying to submit their request under a different reasoning.
They argued that the death of humanity's hero, who had died in a battlefield located in Belnaris, was due to the lack of protection offered by the Belnaris troops, given the fact that they were short-handed due to defending their large border.
Though the argument didn't win the favor of the other nations; it ended up infuriating the leadership of Belnaris who immediately demanded the statement to be retracted, or they would wage war.
The Casllae did not retract the statement and war was declared.
The other two "backline nations" thought of trying to intervene in order to stop the conflict, however they quickly understood that if were to speak their opinions on the matter they would further antagonize the "frontline nations", that would see their attempt of trying to prevent a war as giving support to Casllae request.
When the declaration of war reached the ears of the populace of the different nations, everyone started expecting one result – Casllae would emerge victorious.
After the great war the Belnaris had fewer troops, fewer provisions and fewer weapons and tools when compared to Casllae who stayed in the backline offering logistic support to the frontline. The result was clear, so when Belnaris started looking for merchant companies outside their kingdom to provide them with provisions and weapons, no one took the job, being afraid of incurring losses after the inevitable defeat of the nation.
No one invested in the nation. Well, no one except for a certain merchant named Mike, and another one named Theresa. These two merchants poured all their money and effort into providing Belnaris with all their needs. They would buy provisions from the "frontlines nations" using their dissatisfaction with the attitude of the "backline nations" and the promise of revenge via the war waged by the Belnaris as a means of getting lower prices, they would sponsor expeditions to the battlefields to recover weapons and tools of war as an alternative to the much more expensive option of creating new weapons and tools and in this way they prepared Belnaris for another war while also racking up a high number of I.O.U's with the leadership of the nation.
However, though they were able to get the nation ready for war, there was still the problem related to the manpower. No one believed that Belnaris would be able to capture the several heavily guarded cities of Casllae, and even if they succeed in their attack on one city, they would surely have racked up a high number of casualties making them incapable of holding the recent captured stronghold.
But to the surprise of everyone, the armies of Belnaris steamrolled through Casllae, reaching the capital of the nation and conquering it in just a few months. How were they able to do it? Canons.
The dwarves relied more on their tools and heavily fortified strongholds to wage war rather than in the individual strength of each dwarf in combat, so when their strongholds reached a certain level of deterioration caused by enemy attacks they would chose to retreat rather than reinforce the position with more soldiers, and when they retreat they would usually destroy the weapons they couldn't carry and booby-trap the place.
Due to this reason, it was incredibly difficult to acquire the weapons created by the dwarves, however sometimes some strongholds would be caught off guard by the aggressiveness of the human armies which led Belnaris to acquire some of the dwarves' weapons. This matter, tough, was kept hidden from the other nations, the so-called canons were to be secretly moved to the capital and kept there as a sort of trump card should some kind of conflict start after the end of the great war.
The defeat of Casllae should have meant the annexation of some territories by Belnaris however such an action was quickly prohibited by the other nations who feared that the already large nation would become too big of a force to be contested with. Instead, it was decided that the Casllae would be obliged to help in the reconstruction of the Belnaris, contributing a major part of their kingdom treasury to the task assigned.
Though they had expected to gain more from the war, the people of Belnaris were content to gain help from another nation to rebuild their kingdom, but undoubtedly the people that had been more satisfied by this turn of events were Mike and Theresa.
After the end of the conflict both started making use of their I.O.U's to acquire the rights to mine and explore several mines belonging to the nation and ended up creating businesses that revolved around the supply of different types of ore to the kingdom.
Later, though, Mike and Theresa decided to modify their business to specialize in the production and supply of arms to Belnaris, both moved to the kingdom in question accompanied by a high number of blacksmiths and other craftsman to establish a base of operations.
Initially rivals in business, Mike and Theresa, in a twist of fate, would end up married to one another after a few years, much to the displeasure of others merchant guilds and the nation's nobility that saw the weapons market being completed dominated by the newly formed "Steel&Iron" company, a product of the merging of both Mike's and Theresa's guild which resulted in the formation of the most prominent weapon-specialized merchant guild in the kingdom.
A year after their marriage, Mike and Theresa had their first-born, Jeremy, who sadly didn't inherit his father's luck but proved to be highly skilled in conducting business and maneuvering himself in social interactions, talents that led him to be hated by most of the merchants stationed in his city of birth, Novelind. The better he performed, the more hate he received and Jeremy's situation only worsened when it came to light that he was engaged to the first daughter of the Chasm ducal family which earned him the ire of the nobility of the country who saw a mere common merchant, as Jeremy, as being unfit to have a woman of such prestigious background as his fiancée.
At the time, many nobles tried to appeal to the royal family to impede the marriage from happening, however the king and queen decided to maintain a neutral position in the matter due to the fact that most of the appeals were being made by noble families of lower standing than the Chasm family and furthermore they understood that opposing the family that produced one of the best generals in the nation, Michael Chasm, that proved his military genius in the 3rd race war wasn't really the best course of action.
In the end the Chasm ducal family had the final say in the matter and they decided to go through with the marriage.
"And the rest was history" Said a 7-year-old Joseph after finishing retelling the history of his family to the group of people that were present in the room sitting comfortably in armchairs and couches.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Well, you got the story right, but you should really polish your knowledge on some of the details, mainly the details pertaining to the acquisition of our rights to mining and exploration of mines in the Belnaris. Although the leadership of the nation owned a debt to your grandfather Mike, that was not reason enough for them to forsake some of their properties to a successful foreign merchant. You have got to review the details of the deal that was made and how the influence your grandfather Michael had, helped in the establishment of the first "Steel&Iron" base of operations. You should also…
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): God dammit bookworm! The kid got the gist of it, is that not enough. Just accept his explanation, be happy for his progress and let him step out of the library for a few days.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): I just want him to understand what Sir. Michael and my father had to go through to establish our place in the country. You know the Meiner family was never well received in the Belnaris, to most nobles we are still just foreigners trying to usurp their territories and things only got worse when I married Anne. Joseph's needs to be able to understand the delicate position he is in and defend his ground against other noble children.
Mike (Joseph's Paternal Grandfather): Look, son, I understand your point, but Joseph will only make his social debut on his twelfth anniversary. You still have more five years to educate him on this matters, you really shouldn't keep him locked up in the library all the time, besides our deals with the Belnaris that time were complex, even now I got a headache thinking about it, can a 7 year-old kid really understand the intricacies of dealing with the royalty and the other nobles?
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Please father, you know he can. Joseph has proved time and time again to be able to grasp solutions to complex problems for his age, I just want to help him make the most of his intellect. With our resources, I can turn him into someone big, bigger than the nobles and their protests, important enough to secure our position as a vital part of this country economic system and smart enough to outsmart those who wish us harm and protect our family.
After this statement Jeremy looked around the room at each person present and finally rested his gaze on his wife, locking eyes with her.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): You understand me, right Anne? You also see the potential that Joseph has…
Anne (Joseph's Mother): I do, and I am also of the opinion that Joseph can spend his afternoons in the library studying under you…
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Thank you Anne, you don't know what it means to—
Anne (Joseph's Mother): If he so desires.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): …
Anne (Joseph's Mother): Sorry dear, I understand you but that doesn't mean I can accept the fact that you might be keeping Joseph studying in the library against his own will.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): "sigh" Joseph, what do you have to say about this matter? Am I really putting too much work onto you?
Hearing a question directed at him and noticing every pair of eyes in the room suddenly lock onto him, Joseph took some time to measure his words and finally spoke.
Joseph: If you are asking for my opinion father, then I must say that it would be nice to take a break every now and then. Don't get me wrong, I actually have fun sitting down with you, hearing your lessons, but… It can get pretty monotone sometimes… Sorry father…
Listening to his son's opinion, Jeremy sighed and raised his hand to stop Joseph from continuing speaking.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Don't be. I realize now that I might have been a little too eager to progress your education.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Alright you get a break, you have earned it.
"YESSSS", was the shout that permeated through the room after Jeremy's declaration, and surprisingly it didn't come from Joseph.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): Finally! The kid gets a break from all the books and has enough time to pick up the sword again.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): Joseph, go rest. I will pick you up in the afternoon for sword practice. I can still make a REAL man out of you.
Upon registering what his maternal grandfather said, and noticing the eager look in his eyes, Joseph paled and quickly decided to retract his previous statement.
Joseph: On another note, I think I would rather stay locked up in the library with you dad. Vacations are overrated after all.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): What?!
Kris (Joseph's Uncle): You messed up old man. Should have stayed silent and ambushed him later in his room.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): Damn it!
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather):"sigh" Good plan though, Kris! I will follow it next time.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): God, between Mike's two sons, why did my daughter have to marry the boring one…
Jeremy (Joseph's Father):"sigh" I am still in the room Sir. Michael.
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): I know, I meant for you to hear it.
Beth (Joseph's Maternal Grandmother): MICHAEL!
Anne (Joseph's Mother): DAD!
Joseph: Can I go back to the library now?
Upon the delivery of this question, the argument that was about to start between Michael and Beth ended up dying down.
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): Yes, you may return to the library Joseph, I will be you shortly,
Joseph: Thank you.
Upon receiving permission, Joseph turned around to exit the room, however, while walking Joseph suddenly remembered a question he wanted to pose to his family, more particularly to his paternal grandfather, so he halted his steps and turned to face his family once again.
His father, noticing Joseph's movements, asked:
Jeremy (Joseph's Father): What's wrong? Forgot something?
Joseph: Yes, actually. I forgot to ask a question to grandfather Mike.
Mike (Joseph's Paternal Grandfather): Me? I mean… Sure, go ahead.
Joseph: Grandfather Mike, how did you know to invest in the "war-god nation" when you had no assurance in regard to their victory?
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): Oh! That's an easy question - I told him about the canons.
Everyone in room, except for Mike, slowly blinked and fixed their eyes on Michael.
Beth (Joseph's Maternal Grandmother): You did what?!
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): Why are you screaming at me for?!
Beth (Joseph's Maternal Grandmother): The canons were a state secret! Why would you share a secret with an outsider!
Michael (Joseph's Maternal Grandfather): I thought it would make a good conversation topic! Get off my back!
Michael and Beth started once again started bickering with each other while ignoring the rest of the people in the room.
Theresa (Joseph's Paternal Grandmother): So that's what happened…
Mike (Joseph's Paternal Grandfather): What? You thought I would invest most of my fortune without some form of assurance?
Theresa (Joseph's Paternal Grandmother): Honestly… Yes. Given the blind faith you had on your luck at the time…
Mike (Joseph's Paternal Grandfather): Hm… That's Fair.
After-chapter occurrence:
Joseph closed the door behind him and started making his way through the corridors of his grandfather's mansion in the direction of the library, all the while greeting every servant he found on the way.
Reaching the corridor where the entrance of the library was located, Joseph noticed that, besides himself, no personnel were present, though he didn't think much about the matter, the mansion was big enough that it was not uncommon for him to sometimes wander through deserted corridors, and so he immediately made a beeline towards the door leading to the library, stopping in front it and taking just a quick moment to collect his thoughts and prepare himself for another afternoon of studying and only after he was done did his hand start to move towards the door's knob.
It was at this time, that a sudden and fierce headache assault him, throwing him into a bout of pain that brought him to his knees, he started feeling a pain so excruciating that he seriously contemplated starting banging his head against the wall in hope of passing out. He tried screaming but he felt an even more intense pain when trying to vocalize his plight, so he just endured through it in silence all the while not receiving help from anyone due to him being the only person present.
It was during this headache, that strange scenes started to force their way into Joseph's mind leading his thoughts to places where rows of tall buildings existed, buildings whose tops kissed the sky, where people, with a wide variety of different physical characteristics, coexisted with one another, walked and talked side by side while boarding strange constructs that seemed made of metal and moved on their own, much like a more sophisticated version of a carriage.
Those were scenes that stood out to him, but somehow he knew that was not all these strange visions had to offer, he felt like he could have explored more of these places, however the pain inhibited him from doing so, but suddenly it stopped, it vanish as fast as it came, and with it the strange scenes Joseph had just witnessed also flowed out of his mind.
For a moment the young Joseph just remained in his place, still kneeling with a blank look on his face, but he quickly came back to his senses and got up from the ground still trying to analyze what had just happened.
"Strange… event. There's no lingering pain, it just vanished, and those… Uhm, Memories? Can they be called as such? What places were those?", these were the current thoughts and questions Joseph had, but the more he tried to make sense of things, the more lost he felt.
Joseph: I should try to find some reference material in the library… That might help me…
And so confused and intrigued with what just happened to him, Joseph finally opened the door to the library and entered it while closing the door behind and murmuring to himself: "Progress and coexistence… Seems like a nice pairing".