bookpower Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
The envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago, Loa.The daughter of the Great Lord and a woman who desires peace with the Plank Kingdom, she arrived at the ‘west port of the Plank Kingdom.’
And as soon as she arrived, she was overwhelmed by the massive ship, the likes of which she had never seen before, docked at the port.
“……Aeris, do you know what kind of ship that is?”
As Loa asked quietly, her guard, Aeris, who was next to her, replied.
“I’m sorry, my lady. I’m not sure. But seeing as it has no sails or oars……”
“Yes?”
“……I do not know. I apologize.”
Loa couldn’t blame Aeris for saying she didn’t know.
Loa herself couldn’t even imagine what kind of ship that was.
Just then, Ronak spoke to Loa and Aeris.
“This way, please. We will now take a carriage to the royal capital. We should arrive around dawn.”
“Ah, yes! I understand!”
Ronak’s tone was much more polite than before. For some reason, it had changed after Loa spoke with Jereuth at the ‘Véry-Catena’ port.
As Loa followed Ronak, Aeris also followed along.
Then, Aeris asked Ronak.
“Sir Ronak. May I ask what that ship is?”
“That ship? Ah, you mean the Griffon Aircraft Carrier.”
“‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier’?”
As Aeris repeated the question, Ronak said in a casual tone.
“I don’t know much about it either.”
“……You don’t know?”
“Right. I don’t know.”
“You know the ship’s name but you don’t know what it is? That makes no—.”
“I said I don’t know. And I wouldn’t tell you even if I did.”
At Ronak’s words, Aeris frowned slightly. Since she wore a mask that only revealed her eyes, her frown was even more noticeable.
Watching Ronak and Aeris, Loa gave a faint smile.
‘It seems they’ve gotten a bit closer. After talking a bit on the ship.’
That was certainly a good thing. The fact that Ronak was appointed as an envoy representing the Plank Kingdom must mean he was a person trusted by the King, and building a friendship with such a man would be helpful in many ways in the future.
‘In that sense…… I need to get on the good side of the King of Plank as well.’
The problem was that information about the king was very limited.
Even when she asked the knights or soldiers about the king on her way here, they only said, 「“Our king is a great man.”」 As if they were brainwashed, or like fanatics.
‘But it didn’t feel like that. It felt like they all respected the king from the bottom of their hearts.’
It wasn’t just the knights and soldiers.
The laborers working at the port, the people she met at the restaurant, and even the children playing on the streets said similar things.
「“King Leonardo is someone who understands the hardships of us laborers,”」 or,
「“Our king is a great man! He knows business well! He knows what merchants need, you know?”」 or,
「“When I grow up, I’m going to be a knight who protects His Majesty! That’s my dream!”」 —It was like that.
‘Everyone was genuinely grateful to the king. Before meeting such a king, I feel like I should have a gift…… but I lost everything at sea.’
That gift box contained some rather valuable items. There was also a famous sword made of the steel that the Jerpan Archipelago prided itself on.
It was meaningless now, as it was probably at the bottom of the sea.
‘I heard that King Leonardo is still unmarried…… Is he not interested in women? Or has he not found a woman he likes?’
Loa hoped it was the latter.
If it were the former, then even a honey trap wouldn't work.
Hoo—.
While Loa was sighing and thinking about King Leonardo, Ronak and Aeris were bickering.
It wasn't quite a lover's quarrel, but it was definitely a conversation that a man and a woman with some degree of friendship would have.
A short while later.
Neigh—! Hiiiigh—!
Loa arrived at the carriage that would take her to the royal capital.
The carriage itself was not very luxurious. It was a part that showed the Plank Kingdom's treatment of the Jerpan Archipelago.
However, the carriage certainly looked large and sturdy.
‘Perhaps……. this shows what King Leonardo is like. Removing unnecessary decorations and emphasizing practicality.’
Loa was concerned about the carriage, but.
What concerned her even more was the ‘road’ stretching out before the carriage.
‘To have maintained the main road so neatly…… is it like this all the way to the royal capital?’
“Excuse me, soldier.”
Loa spoke to a soldier next to her.
The soldier must have heard, but he didn’t answer. This also seemed to show the Plank Kingdom’s attitude towards the Jerpan Archipelago.
Still, Loa asked again.
“Soldier.”
“……”
“Soldier……?”
“Ha, damn it. What is it?”
Although the soldier was openly annoyed and even swore, Loa didn’t feel bad.
She understood. They already considered the Jerpan Archipelago an ‘enemy.’
“Does this main road lead all the way to the royal capital?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it so—.”
“It is a major project directed by the great King. I can say no more. Get in the carriage.”
The soldier half-forced Loa into the carriage. Seeing this, Aeris’s eyes lit up with anger, but Loa restrained her and got into the carriage with Aeris.
Thud……!
—Depart!
The soldier’s attitude was as if he were escorting a prisoner.
At that attitude, Aeris’s lips, hidden by the mask, were bitten, but Loa paid no mind to the soldier’s attitude.
‘The king built a road to the port…… Why would he do that? To transport goods from the port quickly? Or—.’
“Ah.”
As she was thinking, Loa remembered Jereuth’s words.
The words that gave her goosebumps.
‘……Sir Jereuth said so. The Plank Kingdom is prepared to turn the Jerpan Archipelago into a land where neither people nor monsters live. That means the Plank Kingdom is already prepared for war.’
And this clean, flat main road—.
‘It’s probably a road for sending soldiers and supplies from the royal capital to the port. A road for sending them quickly, safely, and comfortably.’
Haa…….
Loa let out another sigh.
‘Our kingdom never cares about the convenience of its soldiers…… The King of Plank is different from the start. That’s why the soldiers’ morale is high.’
Loa had never been in the military herself.
But even so, her perspective on the world was different, and with that perspective, she knew.
The soldiers of the Jerpan Archipelago would not fight unless the lords promised them rewards, whereas—
The soldiers of the Plank Kingdom would willingly fight and die for their king.
‘When those two armies fight, it’s as clear as day who will win. Well…… even without that, the Plank Kingdom is much stronger.’
Rattle…….
The carriage, which shook very little.
Even considering the well-made road, it was indeed a very basic and sturdy carriage.
Loa looked around the inside of the carriage.
There were no particular decorations inside either. The only decorations were the glass beads of unknown purpose attached to the ceiling and floor.
They didn’t emit light to illuminate the carriage, and their purpose was completely unknown.
They looked like crystal balls.
Swipe swipe—.
Loa, who was touching the crystal ball, quickly lost interest and gently closed her eyes.
‘Let’s rest for now. I need to rest well to investigate King Leonardo when I get to the royal capital.’
As she thought that and tried to sleep.
Her head was too complicated, so sleep did not come easily.
***
Nod— Nod—.
Just as Loa was dozing off in the carriage, her head bobbing up and down.
Suddenly, an explosion was heard from outside.
……Boom—! Boooom—! Boom!
At the sound of the explosion and some unintelligible conversation from outside, Loa’s eyes flew open.
“Wha- what?!”
“Th-that is…… I’m not sure either. I keep hearing something exploding outside……”
Even Aeris, who was known for her composure, had a tinge of bewilderment in her voice.
Loa tried to open the carriage window to see the situation.
But—.
Click, click!
The window was locked. From the outside.
‘……Why did they lock the window?’
“Hello! Hello!!”
Thump thump—!
Loa, forgetting her decorum, pounded on the coachman’s window. Then the coachman—more precisely, the soldier who had been irritable with Loa during the day—opened the window and asked.
“What is it? Do you need to pee? I put a chamber pot there, so just do it there. We’ll be in the royal capital soon, so you can go then.”
The soldier had no manners towards a lady. He was truly treating her as a complete enemy.
But there was something more important than that.
“N-no, that’s not it. I was wondering what the explosion sound from outside is—.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s safe.”
“……”
“I’m closing it. Take your hand off the window.”
“N-no—!”
“I said take your hand off. I won’t say it twice.”
“……”
Slam—!
The soldier slammed the window shut. As Loa stared blankly at it—.
Creak—!
The coachman’s window opened again, and this time, Ronak’s voice could be heard scolding the soldier.
“Don’t be so harsh. She’s still an envoy.”
“I’m sorry! I will correct myself!”
“Alright. Slow down a bit.”
“Yes, I understand!”
It was a voice filled with tension, unimaginable from the soldier who had been so rude to her just a moment ago.
After lightly patting the soldier’s shoulder, Ronak was seen getting out of the carriage. Then, after manipulating something outside, he opened the large window on the carriage door.
Creak—!
Ronak, hanging onto the carriage, spoke through the window.
“His Majesty just contacted us. He said he has prepared a ‘fireworks display’ for when you arrive and told me to let you watch.”
“The King of Plank, no. His Majesty contacted you? How? And what is a fireworks display?”
“There is a communication crystal ball. It is a magical tool that allows His Majesty to give orders and receive reports from anywhere within the kingdom.”
“……There is such a thing?”
“It has already been distributed to all the knights. It is scheduled to be distributed to the ‘Sergeants’ within three years. And a fireworks display is that over there.”
Ronak moved away from the window.
Then, the dark, quiet night of the early dawn was visible outside the window.
But there was something that broke that quiet darkness.
……Boom!
……Boom!
……Booooom!
……Boom!!
A plain, quite far away.
On that dark plain, huge explosions were continuously erupting.
In the sky above that plain, there were ‘winged monsters’ bathed in moonlight. They were too far away to be seen clearly, but it seemed like there were people riding on top of them.
‘Are those the monster-riding knights I saw at the first port in the Plank Kingdom?’
“Is that…… a fireworks display?”
“Yes. A fireworks display.”
“……”
“To be precise, it’s a ‘night bombardment drill.’ A training name given by His Majesty himself.”
“Night…… bombardment? Does that mean they are using that explosive magic from the sky? Is that possible? Mages shouldn’t be able to use magic in such a shaky place, right?
No, even if that’s possible, to do it so continuously—.”
Loa fired off questions like a machine gun.
She needed to find out every little piece of information she could.
Ronak cut Loa off and said.
“……His Majesty is truly amazing. To have even predicted your questions.”
“What? He predicted my questions?”
“Yes. Then I will tell you only as much as His Majesty has permitted. First, the ones riding the Gryphons in the sky are not mages. They are knights. Second, that explosion is not magic.”
“……They’re not mages? Then does that mean knights in the Plank Kingdom can also use magic?”
“Well, that could be. Especially since my King is a great knight and at the same time, his rule is like magic.”
Ronak gave a vague answer and was about to close the window.
Loa grabbed the window and asked again.
“P-please answer me! Can the knights of Plank use magic? Is that why they can fly in the sky and set off such huge explosions in succession?!”
“Hmm……”
Ronak thought for a moment.
He looked towards the direction the carriage was heading, towards the royal capital where the king was, and said.
“The knights of Plank can do anything for the King.”
Creak—!
After saying that, Ronak closed the door.
It was a complete non-answer. She had asked if the knights could use magic, and he replied that they could do anything for the King.
However, Loa roughly understood King Leonardo’s intention.
‘……This is a show of force. King Leonardo is deliberately showing me this drill. He’s telling me to judge for myself, since the kingdom is strong.’
In fact, there was nothing left for Loa to judge.
Based on what she had seen since arriving in the kingdom, it was insane for the Jerpan Archipelago to attack the Plank Kingdom.
Even when a strong kingdom invades a weak one, there are many things to consider, so for a weak kingdom to attack a strong one was just absurd.
Loa, hearing the continuous explosions from outside, calmed her unsettled heart and concluded her thoughts.
‘I must either prevent the war or, if I can’t, beg for mercy. But realistically, I don’t think I can prevent the war…….’
There was only one way.
To offer everything she had, even her pride, and beg the king for mercy.
Loa spoke to Aeris, who was sitting opposite her with a tense expression.
Just by looking at her eyes, the only part visible through her masked face, Loa could tell Aeris was nervous.
“……Aeris, get me some cosmetics when we arrive at the royal capital.”
“Cosmetics…… Why do you need them?”
“I need to dress up before meeting King Leonardo. Since I have nothing to offer the king in exchange for peace—.”
“M-my lady, surely not?”
“……What else can I do? To ask for the Plank Kingdom’s mercy…… the only thing I can offer the King of Plank is my body. Think about those knights flying in the sky outside attacking our kingdom. As Sir Jereuth said, it will become a land where ‘neither people nor monsters can live.’”
“……”
“Still, I’m quite confident in my looks, thanks to my mother…… shouldn’t I at least try a honey trap? To save the people—.”
Just as Loa was speaking.
「“You will not be able to obtain the King’s mercy with such things.”」
“!”
“!”
A woman’s voice came from the crystal balls attached to the top and bottom of the carriage.
The voice was beyond emotionless; it was cold and even felt hostile. It was a coldness that felt more frightening than the coldness of the soldier who had even sworn at her, a coldness that felt like a woman’s fury.
“W-who are you? Where are you speaking from…… no, how did you hear me?!”
「“I am ‘Olivia,’ responsible for the kingdom’s internal affairs. And I am listening and speaking through the crystal balls attached to the ceiling and floor of the carriage you are in.”」
“……A-are you talking about these glass beads?”
「“Yes. It is the ‘crystal ball’ that Sir Ronak mentioned a moment ago. The one that allows communication from anywhere in the kingdom.”」
“……”
「“I was eavesdropping on you under His Majesty’s orders. His Majesty asked me to figure out what kind of person you are. From what I’ve heard, it seems you desire peace. Along with the King’s mercy.”」
“Yes, yes……. That’s right.”
「“But if you try to use such despicable tricks as you just mentioned, I, Olivia, will somehow persuade His Majesty to destroy the Jerpan Archipelago. So abandon any thought of seducing His Majesty.”」
Loa nodded silently.
Worried that she might be being watched through the crystal ball, Loa was careful with every single one of her movements.
“Th-then…… what should I say? To ask King Leonardo for mercy?”
A question she desperately wanted to ask.
She asked it with difficulty, but the answer that came back was simple.
「“You should honestly ask for mercy. His Majesty is a cruel but merciful person. If you say you want to save your people, he will probably share his wisdom with you.”」
“Ah…… yes, I under—!”
「“I’ll say it again, if you try to seduce His Majesty, I will not forgive you. That is all.”」
With those words, Olivia’s voice was no longer heard through the crystal ball.
“……”
“……”
But Loa and Aeris remained silent, thinking that their words might still be heard.
Instead, Loa thought she saw a faint glimmer of hope.
‘If I say I want to save the people…… King Leonardo will help me?’
Since it was the words of the woman in charge of the kingdom's internal affairs, it must have some meaning.
Instead of trying to seduce Leonardo, Loa decided to take a different approach.
Loa did not know that this might make her appear better to Leonardo.