Chapter 184: A Battle of Wits (4)

The man who was called a marquis of the empire seemed to lack patience.

Or did he think that there would be absolutely no problem even if he acted tyrannically.

For now, there was no one who stopped his shouting.

“Who is the head of the delegation! Can’t you come running out at once and drive these people away!”

“Marquis Digargo, please calm yourself. Aren’t they all envoys who came for the peace of the Mineta Kingdom?”

Even at the words of High Priest Helion, the heated expression on Marquis Digargo’s face did not easily subside.

He looked as though he might declare war on the Canel Kingdom at any moment.

Clack.

Perhaps because of all the yelling, the carriage of the Canel Kingdom’s delegation opened its door.

Marquis Digargo thought that someone had come out to beg.

However, the presence that stepped down briskly from the opened carriage overflowed as if a dam holding back a massive current had burst.

It felt hotter than flames, sharper than a blade, and colder than ice.

The aura carried through the air felt as though it were stabbing into various parts of the body.

“……What is going on?”

He was not of an enormous build.

Raion Canel, with blazing red hair like fire, revealed himself and asked.

Yet no one could easily open their mouth.

As the silence continued, Patrick approached from the back.

“They seem to be nobles of the Dior Empire.”

“So why are they angry?”

“Judging by the situation, it seems they found it unpleasant that we were entering the royal capital on equal footing with them.”

The whispering voices of the two did not clearly carry to the surroundings.

Instead, because the atmosphere had grown so heavy, the ears of the tense onlookers rang meaninglessly.

“I see.”

Raion walked straight ahead and stopped in front of Marquis Digargo.

There was not a great difference in height between them. Yet as Raion drew closer and stood right before him, he felt more imposing than anyone else.

‘W-what is this? How can there be such pressure…….’

Startled, Marquis Digargo hesitated, then finally spoke with difficulty.

“How impudent! How can a mere delegation from a small kingdom dare to act like this toward the empire! Can a mere kingdom even take responsibility for such a thing!”

At his booming voice, many people frowned.

Especially the delegation of the Canel Kingdom, the very party concerned, stared straight at him.

The atmosphere worsened further.

At that, Duke Ambraze hurriedly stepped forward.

“Let us go inside first. You must have had a hard journey coming all this way. We will prepare seats so that you may convene right away.”

“Are you trying to stop what a marquis of the empire is saying right now!”

At that moment, even Duke Ambraze found it difficult to endure any longer.

Of course, he could not commit a discourtesy, so he deeply lowered his voice.

“Please stop there. Our kingdom has been preoccupied with handling internal matters, so I say this in case we might inadvertently make mistakes.”

There was considerable force in his tone.

Marquis Digargo was well aware of what kind of meaning those words carried along with their atmosphere.

Marquis Digargo’s face grew even redder.

Then the head of the delegation’s escort, the Dior Empire’s Second Knight Commander Heif Carlson, stepped forward.

“My lord Marquis, it would be best to stop here.”

“What! Even after seeing the situation, you say such a thing!”

“I understand as well. However, this is not a situation where we can continue lingering here, is it?”

“Grrk…….”

“Let us settle this by reporting it once we return to our country. Would that not suffice?”

“……Hmph! Very well.”

Marquis Digargo made his decision and stepped back.

Once the situation was brought under control, everyone returned to their own carriages.

Even then, the people of the delegation took interest because of the atmosphere Raion had just displayed.

After the carriage began moving again, Patrick, who had boarded the same carriage, asked,

“You showed them properly, Master.”

He seemed to understand what meaning that earlier scene had carried.

Of course, Raion had sufficiently anticipated such a situation.

“If I’m going to stand out, I should do it properly.”

“You did well.”

“But they really came quickly. It’s not like they were exploring the continent and planting a flag.”

It might truly have been just a delegation sent as a courtesy.

The meaning implied within it could be likened to planting a flag.

If viewed negatively, it was a sign of marking a kingdom as a future vassal.

The Mineta Kingdom had not formed any alliances even up until Harlan Mineta seized royal authority.

The kingdom itself was surrounded by mountain ranges, making it a natural fortress, and it had a strong, closed-off disposition backed by military force.

Moreover, there were hardly any cases of famine, so how comfortable must that have been.

“With the change in royal authority, they must have considered the possibility.”

“The new king of Mineta will have quite a headache.”

“Isn’t that why you are going in this manner, Master?”

“Me? Why? I’m just trying to help establish a foundation.”

“I think you, Master, may need to keep various situations in mind as well.”

“Me? What?”

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

Just like that, the carriage headed toward the central area of the fortress where the royal palace was located.

All the while, unaware of the existence of someone who had been smiling ‘faintly’ inside the carriage of the Danas Federation’s delegation moments ago.

A slum in a corner of the Mineta Royal Capital.

There, Rashid, who had fled from Naviadal, was hiding.

Silence flowed. Then, as a knock sounded on the door and tension seemed to linger in the air, Charoen entered.

“How is it outside?”

“Delegations have arrived from Danas, Dior, and Bachenan.”

“They’ve really come fully prepared.”

“On top of that, we’ve identified the ones who betrayed us.”

Betrayal. It was unclear whether that word truly fit.

But whenever Charoen thought of Raion, who had taken a huge sum yet failed to move as requested, his teeth ground together.

“Raion Dragonia and Patrick, Turklan?”

“That’s correct. They were…… people of the Canel Kingdom. Especially Raion Dragonia. That man was a prince of the Canel Kingdom.”

“A prince? That rumored prince?”

He was the prince known as the sole survivor of the Canel Kingdom’s civil war, destined to inherit the throne.

There had also been rumors that he had reached Sword Master in a short period of time.

But it was hard to believe. Sword Master was not a simple realm, so how could a prince once called an idiot reach it?

“That’s right. Red hair and eyes……. Even after seeing that directly, I failed to realize it.”

“How could you think they were the same person?”

Red hair and eyes were not colors exclusive to the Canel royal family. They were merely representative traits.

Charoen and Rashid both let out sighs.

“What will you do now? Shouldn’t we return to the empire for now?”

“We’ve grasped the backers and the situation, so there’s no immediate problem. However, I think we should find out more about why the three countries, excluding the Bachenan Holy Kingdom, have gathered in Mineta.”

The two of them were Sword Masters who would be lacking nowhere they went.

Yet such people were hiding, unable to reveal themselves openly.

The reason was Raion….

Setting aside schemes, he had made them feel the pure difference in power.

“Since we don’t know how the situation is unfolding, understanding it should be our top priority.”

“So you intend to keep staying here?”

“Isn’t now the time when information is needed the most?”

Of course, Charoen also disliked hiding like this in Mineta, his original area of activity.

But after much deliberation, he finally made a difficult decision.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

At that moment, a sound came from the tightly shut window.

Startled, the two fell silent for a moment.

“I’ll check.”

Charoen slowly approached the window and gently opened it.

Outside, a black hawk was perched.

Seeing it, Charoen was able to relax.

“It’s Parkan. Since regular contact from Mineta was cut off, it seems headquarters sent a message.”

The black hawk was a Parkan, a thoroughly trained breed used only by headquarters.

Charoen took out a letter from the tube hanging around Parkan’s neck.

As expected, the contents concerned the lack of regular contact. One of the guidelines was to evacuate to an emergency safe house if something happened to a branch.

“Hm……?”

As Charoen read on, his brow twitched.

“What is it?”

“They’re telling us to deliver the current internal situation of Mineta to the delegation from the Dior Empire.”

“So the delegation was connected to headquarters?”

That the Black Crescent Moon was tied to the deep inner circles of the Dior Empire was something any executive knew well.

Under normal circumstances, he would have carried out the order without issue.

“To talk with the delegation, we’d have to enter the royal capital…….”

“He’s there, isn’t he?”

“Yes…….”

A monster possessing overwhelming martial power. Not only that, but his schemes that swept across battlefields were also outstanding.

Even the Black Crescent Moon, superior to any other group in schemes and assassinations, had fallen victim to him…….

“We’ll have to come up with a method. For now, I’ll first relay the matters concerning Moratz.”

“It’ll cause quite a stir. But there won’t be any major measures taken. No matter how you look at it, Moratz is practically a vassal of Dior anyway.”

“I suppose…….”

During that time, Charoen wrote the contents on a small piece of parchment.

Once the letter was placed around Parkan’s neck, which had been waiting outside the window, it immediately took flight.

Kiiiaaaak—!

After several days passed, the Mineta Kingdom held a banquet to celebrate the delegations.

Not just one, but four banquets in total, a decision made with the kingdom’s prestige in mind.

Accordingly, Raion also dressed in formal banquet attire and entered.

At his side were Patrick, Jade, Negis, and Caldein, serving as escorts(?).

“It’s quite different from our kingdom’s banquets. I heard this place values the sword more than magic as well.”

“It’s a bit rougher. But do I really have to dress up like this?”

Raion loosened his tie slightly, his neck feeling too stifled.

It was a breach of etiquette, yet the gazes of the Mineta Kingdom’s noble young ladies standing nearby felt different.

“Oh my! Just look at that hair. How can it be so red?”

“And his build! They say he’s already a Sword Master at that age?”

“How did the prince of Canel come all the way here?”

The fact that he was known as the sole successor of the Canel Kingdom played a big role.

If one married Raion, becoming queen was practically guaranteed.

Naturally, it was far better than a political marriage with some ambiguous noble.

“This is a bit noisy.”

“Isn’t it all thanks to your outstanding appearance, Master?”

“Patrick, why are you suddenly flattering me?”

“If someone looks too stiff, even opportunities avoid them.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

The reason they came to the banquet was to gather information from each country.

Raion and his group entered the banquet hall first, and then the others arrived one by one.

‘To deliberately wait and then enter like that…….’

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