Chapter 292: Fishing and Diplomacy (2/2)

”Can I ask you something, your Highness?”

Hearing Berengar speak in such a severe tone made the King curious, and as such, he nodded his head silently, giving Berengar permission to ask his question.

”What do you intend to do when the Pope finally declares a Crusade on the German Reformation?”

By now, the wineskin had made its way back into Alvar's hand, and as such, he took a big gulp before responding to the question with another question.

”What do you think I should do about it?”

It was apparent the man was testing Berengar. The man was all too aware of the stories of Bernegar's conquests. He knew that so long as the Catholic Church held significant power, the two factions would fight each other until one managed to gain dominance.

He also knew Berengar did not plan to sit back in Austria quietly and most likely had grand ambitions. As such, he was curious if Berengar would call in a favor for saving his life now that they were in private. However, Berengar's answer was not what he expected. Instead, Berengar spoke clearly and confidently as he outlined exactly how he thought the future events would unfold.

”Honestly, it is in the best interest of you and your people not to get involved, you have already promoted tolerance of Christian faiths in your land, if you choose one side, you will only be inviting internal chaos, and I have no desire to see the Kalmar Union tear itself apart from internal strife.”

Berengar could have further elaborated about the strength of his army versus that of the crusaders. Instead, he chose to keep it short and straightforward, in doing so, nudging towards the idea of a non-aggression pact.

As such, the response from King Alvar was one of surprise; truthfully, he had spent the previous night lamenting the debt he owed Berengar after his life was saved, as he did not want to get involved with the Crusade. As such, he began to speak to Berengar with caution as he attempted to clarify the issue at hand.

”You don't want me to send troops to your aid?”

In response to this question, Berengar merely shook his head as he answered honestly.

”Rather than ask for your support, I would prefer you make your stance known to the world that you have no intent to get involved. Sign a Non-Aggression pact between our two realms, and I can sleep easy knowing that an invasion from the Far North is not a possibility.”

Upon hearing this, King Alvar sighed heavily; he felt as if a great weight on his heart had been released; as such, he nodded his head and placed out his hand to shake upon the agreement.

”Deal!”

With that said, the two men shook hands, agreeing not to attack each other in the near future. Shortly after that, Berengar's line began to bob, and he immediately began angling for the fish. After a brief struggle, Berengar was able to real it in. The two men smiled as they gazed upon the size of the fish that Berengar had caught. It was a North Sea cod, and its size was about 100 lbs and was close to five feet in size.

Upon seeing this, Alvar was amazed; Among all of the cod, he had ever seen fished from the shore this was one of the biggest. As such, the two men were eager to have the fish gutted and cooked so that they could eat it.

Thus, the two men returned to the Castle to draft an official non-aggression pact between Austria and the Kalmar Union. By doing this Berengar ensured that no man from Scandinavia would enter his realm during the next Crusade. If they did so, they would be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

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