Chapter 202
(Kyle Calendar Year 511: Age 18)
The Diplomatic Envoy
Translator : PolterGlast
After receiving the
Headmaster's invitation, I headed to the Royal Palace for an audience with His
Majesty the King.
"Demon Territory
Count, I am pleased that you have accepted this duty. It seems I... am indebted
to you once again?"
"Your Majesty,
not at all. Although the destination is different, the duties of a Margrave
include diplomatic negotiations and the improvement of relations with other
countries. As your vassal, I am merely carrying out that duty."
"Is that so... I
am grateful you say that. As for me, I shall send you off with three things.
First, I appoint you as a special diplomatic envoy for this visit.
You are to conduct
negotiations with the other country as my will, and all responsibility for the
results shall fall to me. Should that country damage your honor, or the honor
of the Kyle Kingdom, you are to respond with firmness. I grant you permission
to use armed force, to exercise the right to engage in combat, in order to
protect your own honor and life, and the lives of those accompanying you."
"Yes, Your
Majesty! Understood. I will use it only as a last resort, and I will endeavor
to respond with all due courtesy, so as not to tarnish Your Majesty's
name."
"Second, I grant
you free discretion regarding commerce. As for the kingdom's policy, we will be
sending men from the Minister of Commerce, but this does not apply to trade as
your own domain. Knowing your skill in business, you would do well to use this
opportunity to freely conclude your negotiations."
"Yes, Your
Majesty. Thank you. I will proceed with caution, keeping in mind not to become
the nail that sticks out."
"Third, I shall
commission from you a gift for our hosts. The 'light-up' that was performed for
the Queen before—show it to them in the Principality of Fearalt, as my gesture.
As payment, 10,000 gold coins shall be paid."
"Thank you, Your
Majesty. From that 10,000, I will also select some products to be presented as
gifts from Your Majesty."
"Good. As for
information on our hosts, I would like to say it will come from the Margrave in
charge of the western border defense... Foreign Minister, I leave it to your
good judgment."
His Majesty said this
and glanced at the Headmaster, who was waiting at his side. Somehow... I have a
bad feeling about this.
After that, I was
called into another room, where the Headmaster explained the circumstances from
before.
"I apologize for
making you come all this way. His Majesty also found it difficult to speak of
this in an official capacity, so I was given the task of explaining it to you.
The west and the north... they are originally from the other faction."
"So it is as I
thought. From His Majesty's demeanor, I had a feeling that might be the case.
Is there a problem with them at present?"
"No, even though
they are of the Restorationist faction, it's not as if they were taking any
concrete action. During the recent confusion, they remained neutral observers.
For that reason, they received no punishment and are the same as before.
However... regarding your conferment of honors... they were the ones who
complained to His Majesty that your reward was too excessive."
"I see. So it's
enemy territory for me. If the very person who was the target of their
complaints now has the potential to infringe upon their duties as a special
diplomatic envoy... they won't be happy about that, will they."
"Well, just so.
For that reason, we may need to consider the possibility that the correct
information will not reach you, or that they will be uncooperative. Well, they
will likely refrain from any overt actions."
This is a troublesome
story. This diplomatic mission is already a pain... Maybe I should just pull a
Sieghart, pretend to be a simpleton, and just act as I please before going
home?
As I thought this, the
old fox carefully and meticulously explained the situation over there.
--------------------
Information Regarding
the Principality of Fearalt
--------------------
◇ Overview of the Principality
Its territory is
larger than the Kyle Kingdom, but its national power is roughly equal.
Its military strength
is thought to be about the same as the Kyle Kingdom's.
20% of the Principality's
land is still covered by a vast demon territory.
It is the only country
other than the Kyle Kingdom that possesses a large number of mages.
(Points of Concern)
Although their total number of mages does not reach that of the kingdom, they
have several hundred mages within the Principality. They are obligated to serve
in the military as mage soldiers, and because their true strength and combat
methods are unknown, their threat level cannot be measured.
◇ Relations with the Principality
There were disputes
over the border more than 300 years ago.
For the past 200
years, they have maintained a very friendly relationship.
Members of the royal
family have married into their ranks on several occasions, and the church has
also officially relocated there.
Even now, the
daughters of high-ranking nobles are marrying into the Principality.
(Points of Concern)
The daughters of Kyle Kingdom nobles are highly valued as wives because many of
them can wield bloodline magic. In the last 50 years, all four of the
Restorationist marquess houses, and in the last 20 years, the marquesses of
Fire and Water, have sent their daughters.
◇ The Principality's Current Problems
It is the custom of
this country for a mage to inherit the family, and the royalty and nobility
were also bound by this custom.
It was a country where
mages held power and were prioritized, but this time, the long-standing custom
was broken, and a prince who is not a mage has inherited the throne.
As a result, he is at
odds with the majority of the nobility, and the country's internal affairs are
in a volatile crisis.
The king has the support
of the Royal Guard Division, which he commanded when he was a prince, and
maintains a balance of power with the nobility through military force.
By welcoming a special
envoy from the Kyle Kingdom (though officially it's an invitation), he intends
to strengthen his relationship with the neighboring country, and he holds an
extraordinary interest in the Demon Territory Count Solis, who, despite not
being a mage, has performed unparalleled feats.
I was given a quick
briefing on these matters. Succession to the empire, succession to the throne,
every country has its troublesome issues...
"Headmaster,
this... sounds an awful lot like you're telling me to go pull the chestnuts out
of the fire. Is it just my imagination?"
"Fohohoho, they
say that chestnuts only become delicious after they've been put in the fire.
Please, I ask you to be careful not to get burned."
So he's fully aware
that it's a dangerous and difficult mission. It's not what I want, but I
suppose it can't be helped.
"Please let me
confirm just one thing. As the Kyle Kingdom, where should we place our
emphasis: on the current king, or on the opposing nobles? I believe we should
have a clear stance. Is it fine to clearly side with the current king?"
"That is the
basic stance, but I leave the final decision to you."
"Even if my
opinion differs from that of the Western Margrave?"
"I do not
mind."
"Well then, I
have taken you at your word, and I will now devote myself to my duties."
※
We decided to return
to Teigoon once to get our preparations in order.
"We're not going
to war this time. But it's no exaggeration to call it enemy territory, so we
can't go on a sightseeing trip. I've decided on the accompanying personnel from
two perspectives. You may have objections, but I ask for your
understanding."
With that preface, I
announced the members who would be accompanying me. In reality, I had decided
after consulting with Anne, Miseri, Claire, and Yoltia beforehand.
"The perspectives
for deciding the accompanying members this time were, first, to prioritize
those who have guarded our home until now and allow them to deepen their
knowledge. And second, to ensure that construction work and other tasks
continue, and to leave behind a sufficient fighting force to respond to
anything that might happen in our absence."
After conveying that
premise, I announced the members.
Wind Mages: (Christoph,
Aura, Aral)
Holy Mage: (Rosa)
Earth Mage: (Elan)
Fire Mages: (Danke,
Isaac)
Water Mage: (Walrus)
Dark Mage: (Raphael)
Light Mage: (Leia)
Sound Mage: (Shannon)
Space-Time Mage:
(Bart)
Guard Duty: (Sigur,
Karla)
Attendants: (Claire,
Yoltia)
"During my
absence, I will entrust all domestic affairs to the steward, Miseri, and all
military affairs to Commander Weiss. Due to the recent course of events, we
will leave a reasonable force behind with those who are staying. I'm counting
on you to hold the fort.
The journey is
expected to take about 45 days round trip from Teigoon, but this is just an
estimate. We will travel entirely on horseback, and I will be taking a
200-strong cavalry unit and about 50 longbowmen."
Some people might have
been surprised that Anne was not included in this list. To be honest, the one
who was most surprised was none other than myself.
The night before, when
the five of us had a private confirmation, it was decided by everyone's
opinion, including Anne's. Was it because the other country prioritizes mages?
In battles against
many, or against mages, the strength of Claire and Yoltia is absolute. Is that
what they considered?
I had wanted to bring
Yoltia from the start, as she had experience commanding the light-up. Perhaps
they considered that as well, and Anne had stepped back this time.
Incidentally, Rosa
would be joining us in her capacity as an Honorary Bishop, a position that
combined with her role as an attendant from the Central Church. This was
because the Principality of Fearalt also had a church of the same denomination,
which had put down roots with a reasonable amount of influence. So, Rosa's
position was reasonably strong.
Christoph and Aura
were accompanying us because they could use the longbowmen most effectively,
starting with the "Long Spear." In the unlikely event that we had to
break through an encirclement, we could punch a hole in the enemy formation
with the Long Spear and charge.
Aral and Isaac are not
only considerably strong as soldiers, but they can also command 200 cavalry as
unit commanders. In terms of sword skills, Danke and Walrus are also more than
qualified. Sigur and Karla are specialized in sword techniques.
I want Elan to see the
fortresses and cities of another country and use it as a reference for future
development. It goes without saying why Raphael is coming.
With Leia and Shannon,
we can gain an absolute advantage when fleeing at night or in battles in the
dark. With these speculations, I decided on the members for this trip.
In the middle of
autumn, just as the harvest was beginning, our 250 cavalry, seen off by many,
departed from Teigoon and galloped toward the Principality of Fearalt.
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