As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Negotiations

“So this is the capital,” I muttered to myself as I stepped off the deck of the ship. Looking out over the cityscape, I was struck by how the design of the buildings was subtly different from the ones I was used to back in Missian. I’d thought that Semplar was huge, but the capital was even larger, with its most eye-catching feature being the enormous castle in the center of the city. It was, without a doubt, the biggest castle I’d ever seen.

Now, we were still in Summerforth, but I hadn’t forgotten that every duchy of the empire had been its own country at one point, so I was expecting there to be plenty of things I wasn’t familiar with. I’d heard, for instance, that there were linguistic differences between the various duchies. I wondered if I’d even be able to communicate well in the capital. I decided to ask Robinson to assuage my worries.

“The people here will understand you, yes,” he replied, much to my relief. “There are peculiarities to the speech here, as you’ve heard, but I doubt you’ll have any trouble. Some duchies speak different languages, but their nobility will be familiar with our tongue.”

I took that to mean the people in the capital spoke a different dialect. As long as they could understand me, I figured it wouldn’t be an issue.

“It’s been so long since we’ve been on dry land that not feeling the ship rocking is making me feel unsteady,” noted Licia as she stepped off the ship. I knew what she meant─when you spend long enough on a boat, you stop noticing that rocking sensation until you step onto land and it feels like the whole world’s moving beneath you.

As Rengue stepped onto the dock, a tall, long-haired man walked up to him, gave him a deep, formal bow, and began to speak.

“We have anxiously awaited your arrival, Lord Rengue Salemakhia, Lord Teknado Salemakhia. I bid you and your attendants welcome to the Imperial Capital of Ranverth. The Imperial House stands ready to provide you and yours the utmost hospitality.”

The man was wearing what looked like a butler’s uniform, and several similarly-dressed individuals were lined up behind him. It struck me that while the words he spoke were more or less indistinguishable from the language I spoke, his intonation was unlike what I was used to. I assumed he was attempting the Missian dialect, but the characteristic intonation of his own natural dialect was still showing through.

In any case, it seemed clear that he and the rest of the retinue had been sent to greet us by the Imperial House. That led me to realize we weren’t unexpected visitors. Couran must have gotten into contact with them and informed them of our journey while we were preparing for the trip. The tall man in front looked quite competent at a glance, so I gave him an appraisal just for good measure. However, he ended up not having any stand-out abilities after all. I learned that his name was Den Martinez, at least.

Anyway, I’d been worried that Rengue would end up putting on airs when confronted with one of the Imperial House’s servants, but much to my relief, his reply was polite and cordial. Come to think of it, if he weren’t capable of at least the bare minimum when it came to etiquette, he would never have been sent to negotiate with the emperor himself.

“My name is Den Martinez,” said the butler, “I serve as steward to His Majesty the Emperor. Please, allow me to guide you to the castle.”

We took Den up on his offer and made our way toward the emperor’s fortress. That involved walking a fair distance through the streets of the capital, and frankly, my first impression wasn’t positive. The streets were filthy, and there were beggars on every corner. I could tell that the populace here was impoverished, which was strange, considering that seaside cities like this one tended to flourish on account of the trade that flowed through them. On the other hand, I’d heard that the Imperial House itself was in dire financial straits, and I imagined that the state of their seat of power was a reflection of that. I had to assume their current leaders had wasteful spending habits, didn’t know how to bring in a decent income, or possibly both.

Castle Ranverth was large, even viewed from a distance, but as we drew closer, its sheer scale became more and more evident. Den led us up to the gates, where we found a very short man arguing with one of the guards.

“I said no, dammit! Outta the question!” roared the guard.

“C’mon, I know you can do something! We’re mates, ain’t we?!” pleaded the man. Now I was starting to see the slight differences between our dialect and the local one.

“Since when’ve I been your mate?! And even if I were, you wouldn’t be gettin’ through this gateway!” snapped the guard.

“I swear to you, my theories are all sound! I know the airship’ll fly if you use these blueprints to build it! Let me through, please!” the man shouted, waving around a rolled-up sheet of parchment.

“Dunno what you’re talkin’ about, and I don’t care, either! You’re not passin’ through, and that’s the end of it! Off with you!”

Blueprints for an airship?

Suddenly, the man had my full attention. The stat blocks that my skill gave me had an aptitude for “Aerial” listed, but I’d never heard of any sort of military operations conducted in the air. I’d always been curious about what that meant, but so long had passed without an answer that I’d more or less given up on trying to figure it out. Could it be that the skill was referring to airships that had yet to be invented? And could this man be holding the plans for those very vessels? I couldn’t help but wonder, so I decided to appraise him.

His name, it seemed, was Shin Seimallo, and he was still quite young─only seventeen at present. His stats were high for someone of his age, though, with his Intelligence standing out. What caught my eye, however, were his S-ranked Aptitudes for Weaponry and Aerial combat.

“You again?” sighed Den as we approached the gate.

“Ugh!” grunted Shin. The look on his face told me that Den’s arrival was not a positive development, and the way he beat a hasty retreat a moment later reinforced that assumption.

“Who was that?” asked Rengue.

“His name is Shin,” replied Den. “He claims to have designed a flying ship, and that if provided with enough funding and manpower, he’ll be able to build it. Unfortunately, he’s an ill-bred commoner who nobody in authority would ever humor. He makes his way to the gates time and time again, begging to be heard. It would be a shame if someone so young were to be executed for his insolence, but I’m afraid I can’t see the situation turning out any other way…”

“Hmm… My father has been putting resources into airship development as well, as it so happens, but I’ve been told the creation of a functional ship is still a long way off. We haven’t heard of a single successful attempt across all of Summerforth, in fact. I have a hard time believing that an uneducated commoner would make that final, pivotal breakthrough!”

That answered one question. As I’d suspected, a functional airship had yet to be invented. As far as Shin was concerned, I could tell he was more than a little boorish, at least on a first impression, but my skill told a different story. An S ranking in Weaponry and Aerial plus a high Intelligence made it believable that he could be the one to revolutionize the field, though far from guaranteed, of course.

The invention of a functional airship would be a very big deal, and I was tempted to recruit him. It was pretty obvious that nobody in the capital was inclined to take him under their wing, so I had a feeling that he’d jump at the opportunity to work for me. I resolved to broach the subject with him if I happened to run into him again.

“My apologies for the delay. Please follow me,” Den said, then led us through the gates and into the castle.

Coming straight from Castle Semplar, the decor in Castle Ranverth seemed rather modest. No artwork decorated the hallways, and I had to assume that the Imperial House’s lack of funds was to blame.

“His Majesty the Emperor is expecting you,” explained Den as we walked through the castle. “I shall lead you to the audience chamber at once.”

Sounds like we’ll be meeting him right away.

I was aware there was a chance I’d get to meet the emperor despite my comparatively low status, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

We stepped into the audience room. A throne was set up in the very center of the chamber, though nobody was seated atop it at the moment. Instead, a man stepped forward. His red hair was on the longer side, and something about his features felt sinister. He looked to be in his mid-twenties or so, as far as I could tell, and he was dressed in an expensive and somewhat ostentatious outfit.

“I welcome you, Lord Rengue and associates. I am Shakhma Dolyze, Chancellor of the Summerforth Empire,” said the man, his words carrying a sense of grace and refinement.

I didn’t know what the chancellor’s duties were, but I had to assume it was a position of great power.

Maybe he’s something like a regent, and he manages the government in the emperor’s place? But the emperor himself could be handling those matters by now…

In any case, Shakhma appeared to be an important person, so I decided to appraise him.

Not bad stats at all…but that Ambition!

I remembered that the current emperor of Summerforth was still quite young─only five years older than I was, which would make him seventeen. He had succeeded the throne at the age of eight, and last I’d heard, he was a puppet to his advisors. An emperor like that having a chancellor with an Ambition score of ninety was concerning, to say the least. Part of me had to worry for his safety.

“I shall summon the emperor momentarily. Please wait here,” said Shakhma, who then left the room.

A moment later, a voice rang out.

“Make way for His Majesty, the Emperor of Summerforth!”

Petty lords like me had no hope of ever being granted an audience with the emperor. We were, however, trained on the appropriate etiquette for such an occasion, just in case. It wasn’t all that complicated─you just had to bow deeply when he entered the chamber and rise once he bade you to do so. The problem was that Charlotte was with us. She hadn’t received instruction in any sort of etiquette, much less etiquette regarding the Imperial House. I glanced back to see if she was following our example, only to find her standing upright and yawning. Fortunately, I managed to whisper frantic instructions to her, get her to bow, and bow myself before the emperor made it into the chamber.

I heard footsteps drawing closer. I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could tell that somebody had entered the room. I had to assume it was the emperor himself. Eventually, a voice rang out, “You may rise,” in a slow tone. I looked up.

“We are the twelfth Emperor of Summerforth, Charles Bydoras,” said the young man sitting atop the throne before us. My first impression of him was that he looked remarkably, well, unremarkable. His garb was of the finest quality and he wore a crown upon his head, but his face was as ordinary as they came.

It wasn’t like I was under the impression that nobility guaranteed good looks or anything! It’s just that, well, I assumed the emperor himself would be a handsome man, or at least have the sort of face that exuded a sense of charisma, somehow. But no, instead, I was faced with a man who looked so ordinary that I would never have imagined he was the emperor if he’d dressed like a commoner.

In any case, I stood before the emperor and was beyond curious how capable he was, so I appraised him on the spot.

His stats were the definition of unexceptional. The one point that made him remarkable was his Ambition─he had a score of zero, the lowest I’d ever seen.

I guess when you’re guaranteed the position of emperor from birth, there’s nothing else left for you to aspire to.

On the other hand, plenty of duchies were already moving toward independence, so I couldn’t say with confidence that he was the preeminent authority in Summerforth. If he had any aspirations to bring the duchies under his heel, I had to assume his Ambition would be a little higher, so I was left to conclude that he was just an unambitious person by nature.

In any case, the emperor had made his introduction, and Rengue followed suit by giving a rather overblown introduction of his own. Then, Shakhma spoke up once more.

“Now then,” he said. “Let us proceed to the matter at hand. In my capacity as chancellor, I shall hear your request on His Majesty’s behalf. Though I have already been apprised of the details of your visit, I would begin by hearing them in your own words, if you would be so kind.”

It seemed we wouldn’t be negotiating with the emperor after all. Rengue took the lead, explaining that we were hoping they would help mediate our talks with Paradille.

“And I trust that you would pledge some form of tribute to His Majesty in return for this intervention?” asked Shakhma.

“Of course,” replied Rengue. “We are willing to offer twenty thousand gold coins in advance, with a further twenty thousand to be paid should our negotiations succeed.”

“Twenty thousand… It seems the rumors of Semplar’s prosperity were not exaggerated,” Shakhma muttered, sounding downright shocked. “His Majesty would certainly be able to put funding of that quantity to good use. However, before we proceed, there is something I would like to ask you.”

“Please, go right ahead,” said Rengue.

“Should your father, Lord Couran, emerge victorious from his war and unite Missian under his banner…what does he intend to do next?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean to ask whether you intend to act in opposition to Imperial rule. To put it in simpler terms, I have apprehensions regarding Missian. Does your father intend to declare independence and rule over the duchy as an independent kingdom?” asked Shakhma. Rengue was shaken, and visibly so. “If you do harbor such intentions, then I believe it goes without saying that His Majesty will not lend you his support under any circumstances.”

“W-Well, of course we,” Rengue began, then faltered. Couran had made his intention to declare independence clear, so Shakhma’s suspicions were valid. Rengue, unfortunately, was well aware of that, and if he was to lose his composure in a moment of panic, it would be a death sentence for our negotiations.

“Lord Couran has no desire or intention to declare independence, Your Lordship,” said Robinson, jumping in to save the day. “He has sworn an oath of fealty to His Majesty the Emperor, and he has not forgotten the weight of that commitment.”

“And you would be…?” asked Shakhma, raising an eyebrow.

“Please forgive my insolence, Your Lordship. I am Robinson Renjee, retainer of House Salemakhia.”

“Sir Robinson, then,” said Shakhma. “Tell me─does your lord truly value his oath to the Imperial House? When the ruling house of Rofeille rose in rebellion and pointed their swords at us, we called upon Missian for aid…but to no avail. Not a single regiment was sent to defend the emperor you swore to serve. I would hardly call that an action befitting a loyal vassal. Perhaps you, however, would beg to differ?”

“Respectfully, Your Lordship, Lord Couran held no sway over that decision. At that point in time, his father, Lord Amador, held the position of Duke of Missian. The decision to withhold reinforcements was indeed made from a position of disloyalty, but said disloyalty was the work of the duke alone. As it so happens, Lord Couran opposed his father’s decision and argued that Missian should intervene on the empire’s behalf, though tragically, his pleas fell upon deaf ears.”

I was all but certain that Robinson’s story was an outright lie. It was rather impressive that he could lie so well and with such little hesitation. I had to wonder if he’d anticipated this line of questioning in advance…but no, if he had, he would have briefed Rengue on the appropriate response, and there would’ve been no need for Robinson to intervene. It seemed he was lying off the cuff.

“Vasmarque, on the other hand, has inherited his father’s treasonous inclinations,” Robinson continued. “Should he gain control of Missian, it is all but guaranteed that he will make a bid for independence. Lord Couran has raised his forces in opposition to his brother to prevent such a thing from coming to pass.”

“Is that so…?” asked Shakhma. I couldn’t tell if he was convinced yet, but Robinson had delivered his story with such confidence that I almost believed it myself, even knowing for a fact that he wasn’t being honest. “And what guarantee can you offer to prove you are telling the truth?”

“I would not dare lie to you before His Majesty the Emperor, Your Lordship. Every word I have spoken is the honest truth, and I am certain that Lord Rengue will corroborate my claims.”

“Ah,” grunted Rengue. “Y-Yes, of course. My father’s retainer speaks true indeed. I swear it upon the emperor’s name.”

Rengue was in a state of panic. It wasn’t hard to tell that, and I was worried that he might cast suspicion upon Robinson’s whole story. I wasn’t sure if Shakhma had believed every word of it, but he acquiesced to our request and agreed to offer the emperor’s backing in our negotiations with Paradille.

I had learned one thing from the first round of negotiations: if Missian were to declare its independence in the future, the Imperial House would do everything in its power to prevent it. Of course, there would be a lot of strife even if we hadn’t talked up our loyalty, but it would only be worse after we so blatantly claimed that we had no intentions of doing anything of the sort. If Missian declared independence after all that, the odds of us ever reconciling with the empire were nonexistent. I had to wonder if we’d overstepped by making such a claim, but I figured it was better than letting the negotiations end in failure, and it was too late to take it back now.

“We shall send a letter to the Duke of Paradille shortly,” said Shakhma as the negotiations came to a close. “We would ask that you remain in the capital until we receive a reply.”

Thus, despite an unexpected question derailing the whole meeting, our negotiations with the Imperial House came to a successful conclusion.

○

“I did what I had to, but I fear I may have gone too far,” muttered Robinson after we departed from the audience chambers. We’d found a quiet place where we knew for a fact that nobody could hear us, and settled down to discuss what had transpired.

“You do? Why?” asked Rengue. “You weathered the storm! It seems like it all turned out well to me.”

“Not only did I tell the emperor a bald-faced lie, but I also swore that I was speaking the truth,” Robinson explained. “After I delivered such a firm and unambiguous statement, Lord Couran’s eventual declaration of independence will make the empire lose face. War is an inevitability.”

“Hmm… I doubt they would turn a blind eye to our independence regardless,” replied Rengue.

“True, but without this sort of open provocation, we would have a much easier time suing for peace. I’m certain Lord Couran does not wish to declare independence, only to be plunged into an endless war with the empire.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see…”

“As such, I fear the outcome of our talk with the emperor was far from ideal. Would you concur, Lady Licia? How would you have conducted yourself, were you in my position?” Robinson asked, turning to Licia. It felt like he was testing her.

“Let me see… To start, I do not believe that you made a poor decision, Sir Robinson. Ensuring that the Imperial House will aid in our negotiations was our first and foremost priority, and you prioritized the success of our objective above all else. I admire your ability to speak before the emperor himself with such confidence and grace. That said, if I had been in your position…hmm…” Licia trailed off there. It seemed she’d opened with a compliment to soften the blow of her true opinion. “I don’t believe I would have chosen to swear fealty with such absolute certainty. We know how great the Imperial House’s need for funding is, and when Lord Rengue told the chancellor how much we were willing to offer, he almost gave in right there. I was stunned by the sum as well, in fact! I believe that the negotiations would have worked out even had we taken the risk of showing a small degree of disrespect. You could have, for instance, feigned offense at the implication that Lord Couran would be disloyal and implied that you intended to withdraw the offer. The Chancellor may have even apologized!”

“Perhaps.”

“All that said, in terms of maximizing the chances of the negotiations succeeding, your method was superior, Sir Robinson. As such, I would hesitate to say you made a poor decision.”

“No,” said Robinson with a shake of his head. “In retrospect, I believe your method may have been the best option available to us. It would entail a degree of risk, to be sure…but considering the current state of the empire, I doubt they had the leeway to reject the funding we were offering. If I were a more skilled negotiator, I may have been able to dodge or deflect the question. My inadequacies have never been more painfully apparent.

“Well, that is all water under the bridge. Let us move to more pressing matters,” Robinson said, picking himself up again with remarkable speed. He was a man with remarkable mental resilience. “We have some time before our talks with Paradille begin. I have dispatched a spy, who I trained, to the capital of Paradille, with instructions to report on anything regarding the state of the duchy that may aid us in our negotiations. I believe that the spy will be arriving with information any day now, and once we’ve learned all we can, we should determine our overall diplomatic strategy. I would like the two of you to participate in that discussion, Lord Ars, Lady Licia. I trust you’re willing?”

“Of course,” I replied. “That’s the whole reason we made this journey.”

I’d feel pretty guilty if I went home without ever helping!

Licia replied that she would be happy to participate as well.

“Well then, you are welcome to do as you please until my spy reports in. Oh, and I almost forgot─I doubt this will serve any purpose in future negotiations, but did you happen to appraise His Majesty the Emperor and his chancellor, Lord Ars?”

“I did, yes.”

“If possible, I would be interested in hearing anything you’ve learned.”

“Yes, of course,” I said, then explained the details of their stats to him.

“I see,” replied Robinson with a thoughtful nod. “So the emperor is an ordinary person, and Shakhma is capable, but likely treacherous.”

“Correct,” I confirmed.

“Thank you─this has been most enlightening. I must say, I’m astonished that your power can even judge a man’s loyalty! It is an astonishing ability indeed, and I hope that I am never forced to stand in opposition to you.”

It wasn’t clear to me why Robinson had wanted to learn about their abilities. Either he was just curious, or he was thinking past the upcoming negotiations and preparing for the the inevitable outcome where Missian declares independence. I assumed the latter was the case, given that Robinson didn’t seem like the sort of person who would ask that sort of question to satisfy his curiosity, and did seem like someone who would think several steps ahead of the present moment. Not that it mattered to me either way.

I was still exhausted from the trip, so I spent the rest of that day resting at an inn. The next day, however, I was free to do as I pleased, so I had to think about what I wanted to accomplish while I was in the capital. In the end, I decided to just walk around, see the sights, and look for potential recruits. I’d already gathered that the people of the capital were more impoverished than I’d expected, so I had a feeling I’d have decent luck recruiting anyone who stood out.

I was on a fast track to becoming the Count of Canarre, if the war went well, and if that happened, I’d need more talented retainers than ever. Plus, even if I wasn’t looking at an oncoming promotion, having more capable help was never a bad thing. Thus, I set out into the city with Charlotte as my guard and Licia as an unexpected tagalong.

“Umm, Licia?” I asked when she made her intent to join me clear. “You know that I’m looking for recruits, right? I doubt this is going to be very fun for you.”

“You could hardly be more mistaken! Anything is fun so long as I’m with you, Lord Ars. Besides, I’m interested in watching you put your power to use.”

“What’s there to watch? All I do is look at people.”

“Are you sure that’s all there is to it? You don’t have some sort of special trick?” Licia pressed.

“I don’t, no.”

Is she trying to figure out what makes my appraisals work, or something?

“All right, then─why don’t you tell me about that man’s abilities?” Licia suggested, pointing to a brawny man who was standing nearby.

I decided to humor her and appraised him, painfully aware of Licia staring at me as I did so. His Valor was a little above average, but the rest of his abilities were awful─he was a real musclehead.

“All right, finished,” I said.

“Already?”

“Yes. And I wasn’t surprised by the results─he’s as strong as he looks, but he doesn’t have what it takes to lead soldiers or think deeply about much of anything.”

“I see,” said Licia, still staring intently at me. “It’s true, then─you don’t do anything special, at least as far as I can tell. To be honest, I suspected that you were using magic to enable your talent.”

“Does that sort of magic even exist?” I asked.

“If it does, I have yet to hear of it. However, new forms of magic are being discovered on a near-daily basis, so I cannot rule out the possibility. This does seem to be particular to you, though, which raises all sorts of questions. Were you born with that ability?”

“Yes, I was,” I replied. “But you’re the same way, aren’t you? Don’t you have the ability to tell how people feel about you?”

“I do, but I wasn’t born with it. I obtained that sense of how people perceive me after spending a very long time observing others and taking note of their mannerisms. I believe that anyone could learn to do what I do, provided they invest enough effort into the task, but your power is different. Perhaps God has chosen to favor you?”

I didn’t believe for a second that just about anyone could obtain Licia’s preternatural sense, but she was right that my power was downright impossible to learn. I had to assume that having been reincarnated from another world had something to do with how I obtained the ability. This sort of thing was rare, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility that other people had powers similar to it, even if Licia wasn’t one of them. Regardless, I soon went back to searching for recruits, and Licia went back to staring at me all the while.

“Hey, Lord Ars,” Charlotte suddenly piped up. “If you’re searching for new hires, mind looking for someone who can use magic?”

“A mage, huh? Never hurts to have more of those around…but honestly, with you by my side, I don’t think I’m lacking in the magic department.”

“Okay, but I’ve been to battle a bunch of times, right? And the biggest thing I’ve learned is that magic is crazy important,” said Charlotte. “My spells are the best, don’t get me wrong, but none of our other mages are worth much. We could use a few more folks who know their stuff.”

She had a point. I’d never witnessed a real battle, but I’d been told how pivotal magic’s role in war was more times than I could count. The one problem was that people with a talent for magic were hard to find. A B-ranked Aptitude for magic was high, and very rare to boot. I was pretty sure Charlotte was the only person I’d ever seen with a rank above A, and I could count the number of A-rankers I’d found on one hand. In fact, the only one I could remember offhand was one of the Shadows─Ben, maybe? At the very least, I knew for a fact that I hadn’t found any other S-rankers.

“I don’t mind keeping an eye out for magic users, but they’re pretty rare, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Oh, are they?” replied Charlotte, a little disappointed.

“House Pleide has no skilled mages at all,” said Licia. “I think you’re even more remarkable of a person than you realize, Lady Charlotte!”

“Remarkable… I like the sound of that,” Charlotte muttered as Licia’s compliment went right to her head in record time.

We spent a lot of time walking around the capital, but in the end, I didn’t find anyone with a notable talent for magic. Just as I was getting tired enough to suggest returning to the inn, I heard a familiar voice.

“Please, I’m begging you! I just need a loan! I’ll pay you back before you know it, I swear!”

I turned to look…and found a small-statured young man prostrating himself before a man who looked like a merchant. It took me a minute, but I remembered where I’d seen the young man before: he was Shin Seimallo, the person who’d claimed he could build an airship when we first went to see the emperor. Unfortunately, his supplications seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, as the merchant departed without saying so much as a word.

“Hellfire!” Shin shouted, standing up and stomping the ground in a rage. At that point, he noticed that I was watching him and shot me a sharp glare. “What’s your problem?! This ain’t a show, brat!”

I guess staring at him while he was bowing and scraping was a little rude of me.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Then beat it before I get even madder!” Shin roared. He was in a truly foul mood, though after prostrating in public and still getting turned down, I couldn’t blame him. I could tell that I was going to have a hard time making him to listen to me, but I also knew that if I left now, I might never see him again.

Let’s give talking a try, at least!

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have something I’d like to discuss, you see,” I told him.

“Huh? You wanna talk to me?” said Shin, his glare growing sharper still.

“Could it be that this man has some sort of talent, Lord Ars?” asked Licia.

“That’s right.”

“He a mage?” asked Charlotte.

“No. Well, he can use magic to some extent, but that’s not the talent that caught my eye.”

“Oh, boo! Let’s go, then. We don’t need him,” Charlotte grumbled. She wasn’t one for delicacy.

“Look me in the eye and say that again, ya surly little harlot! If you want a fight, you’re doin’ a damn fine job of pickin’ one!” Shin shouted, now enraged.

“She’s not, really! You have the wrong idea!” I yelled, jumping in between the two of them.

“Charlotte, shut up for a second!” I whispered over my shoulder, then turned back to Shin. “Ahem! My name is Ars Louvent, and I come from Lamberg, a district of the County of Canarre in Missian.”

“Missian? No wonder you talk like a buncha bumpkins,” commented Shin. In my book, he was the one who was talking funny, but that sort of thing was just a matter of perspective.

“Your name is Shin Seimallo, correct?” I asked.

“H-How’d you know that?!” asked Shin, a wary look in his eyes. The truth was that I’d learned it by appraising him, but I decided to claim that Den had told me about him after our encounter with Shin at the castle gates. “Oh, so you’re the one who was with the butler back then. I thought you looked familiar.”

“That’s how I learned about your ambition to build an airship. I’m very interested in your plan, and as it so happens, I am the head of a noble household back in Missian.”

“A noble household? You’re a lord? But you’re just a brat!”

“My father passed away while I was young, and I inherited his title,” I explained.

“Oh, so you’re like the emperor, eh? And wait─did’ja say you’re interested in my airship?”

“I am, yes.”

“F-For real?! Then take a look at this!” Shin shouted as he forced the airship blueprints he was carrying into my hands. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of them, but I took a look anyway, just for good measure.

Needless to say, after a couple moments inspecting the plans, I came away with maybe even less of an idea about whether or not it would fly than I’d had before I looked. All that I could say for sure was that it was designed to fly using principles unlike those that the planes and blimps on Earth used. As best as I could tell, Shin’s design was supposed to work using some sort of magical whatsit.

“So? What do you think? I can build it, I’m positive!” Shin insisted.

“I’m afraid I’m not well-versed in the field of aeronautics, so I can’t tell at all.”

“Eh? You’re not? Then give that back!” snapped Shin as he snatched the plans away from me.

“To be clear, I’m not knowledgeable in the field, but I am very interested.”

“Well, I mean, who wouldn’t be? It should be obvious that airships are the future.”

“I agree. And while I lack the expertise to say whether or not your plans are feasible, I can say with certainty that you have the talent to make one.”

“Eh? How would you know somethin’ like that?” Shin asked. I gave him a quick explanation about how I had the power to perceive people’s strengths, and he nodded in understanding. “Oh, gotcha… If it made you believe I’ve got real talent, then your power must be the real deal, too.”

I’d been a little worried that springing the truth on him out of nowhere would just make him more skeptical, but to my surprise, he believed me without question.

He must believe in his own abilities to a ridiculous degree…

“You said you’re a lord, right…?” asked Shin, a hint of hope creeping into his voice. “D-Does that mean you’ll fund me?! See, I’ve been thinkin’ I could build my ship if I had the resources, but I’m broke!”

“How much would you need?” I asked.

“I could make a small one with about a thousand gold!”

“A thousand gold… I’m afraid that’s out of my budget at the moment.”

I had a feeling that Couran would loan me the money if I asked him, but the consequences if Shin’s project failed would be pretty dire in that case. The odds of him succeeding were quite high, to be sure, but I wasn’t quite prepared to bet on it. That left me with just one choice: to become the Count of Canarre and commission the project afterward.

“Missian is on the brink of war at the moment, but if my side emerges victorious, my territory will expand,” I explained. “My income will increase at that point as well, and I’ll likely have a thousand gold to spare. If everything goes as planned, I’d like to fund your project when that time comes.”

“R-Really?! That means I’m in for a real wait, eh? Wait, doesn’t that mean I’d have to pack up and move to Missian?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” mumbled Shin, hesitating for a moment.

“I won’t ask you to commit yourself to this arrangement right away,” I clarified. “I’ll be in the capital for some time longer, so just try to decide before I leave.”

Shin, however, shook his head and immediately replied, “Nah, all good. I’ll go. No matter how hard I work, nobody’s ever gonna spare me a copper here─the locals wouldn’t know talent if it hit ’em with a brick! Stickin’ with you’s my best shot of making my dream a reality.”

“Is that so? In that case, feel free to accompany us when we return to Missian. How should we get in contact with you when the time comes?”

Shin gave us his address, then ran off to prepare for the journey.

Thankfully, it seemed my day of headhunting had been a success. I’d recruited a budding engineer who just might build me an airship someday.

○

I spent the next two days looking for more potential new hires, but didn’t find anyone who lived up to my standards. After that, a message arrived from Robinson informing us that the spy from Paradille had arrived. He wanted to discuss our strategy for the upcoming negotiations, so Licia and I went over to his room.

The inn we were staying at was a very high-class establishment, and since we were traveling on Rengue and his father’s dime, we’d rented out the whole place.

“Thank you for coming,” said Robinson as we stepped into his room. I glanced around and found that he was alone.

“No need to thank us─this is what we’re here for. Will Lord Rengue and Lord Teknado be arriving later?”

“The two of them will not be participating in this discussion,” replied Robinson.

Oh, weird.

I could see why Teknado would be left out, but I’d been certain that Rengue would attend. Had he refused to participate? Or had Robinson refrained from inviting him, since he would likely get in the way? Whatever the case, I didn’t have a problem with his absence.

“Before we begin, I have news to share,” said Robinson. “It seems the war in Missian has begun.”

“Huh? Already?”

“So it would seem. Lord Couran made the first move, marching his troops into the County of Alpharda, which lies between Semplar and Velshdt. Meanwhile, Vasmarque launched a surprise attack upon Ludawson, a district of the County of Faama. One of Missian’s larger magistone mines is located in Ludawson, which gives the territory great strategic value. I believe his strategy is to use the minimum number of forces necessary to seize locations of that general nature, depriving us of necessary resources while his own troops are bolstered. One of Vasmarque’s tacticians is known for his surprise attacks, and I suspect that they will prove to be a major thorn in our side.”

I hadn’t expected the war to escalate already, and I hadn’t expected the enemy’s tactics to be so hard to deal with. It seemed we’d be fighting a losing battle if we let the war drag out.

“Well, forget all that, let’s move to the topic at hand. To begin with, I will provide some necessary context regarding Paradille itself. Paradille is the least populated duchy in all of Summerforth, and it also shares borders with nearly every other duchy in the Empire. As a natural consequence, it has faced a disproportionate degree of aggression from other duchies that view it as an easy target. There are, however, a number of reasons why Paradille has yet to fall under the control of another duchy,” Robinson continued. “For one, a mountain range known as the Ruffords runs along the duchy’s northwest and western border, placing a physical barrier between it and two of its neighboring duchies, Scheutz and Canshiep. The presence of the mountain range makes mounting an invasion from either of those directions difficult. Another significant factor is the strength of Paradille’s military. Not only are their troops skilled, but Paradille is also the duchy with consistent access to healing magic, which gives them a significant advantage. Their numbers may not be remarkable, but they are still a fighting force no less capable than any other duchy.”

I glanced at a nearby map. Paradille was in the center of Summerforth, so that explained how they hadn’t been spared invasion.

“As for the information my spy provided, it would seem Paradille faces several problems at the present moment,” said Robinson, moving on to the next topic. “A series of crop failures have left the duchy in a state of near-famine. Plus, Paradille’s relations with Scheutz have deteriorated. It seems the ruling powers of Scheutz are seeking a means to traverse the mountains and mount an invasion of Paradille. From Scheutz’s perspective, Paradille is the perfect staging ground from which to conquer the rest of the continent, and the healing magic enabled by Paradille’s magistone mines is a prize far too valuable to ignore. My spy also reported that the mines’ output of healing magistone has been diminishing by the year.”

“It sounds like they have a lot on their plate right now. That works in our favor, doesn’t it? Their conflict with Scheutz has to be a pressing issue on their minds, so provoking Missian can’t be on their current list of priorities. In the worst case, they could end up fighting us and Scheutz on two fronts.”

No matter how capable Paradille’s military was, I had a hard time imagining they would be able to defend their duchy under conditions like those.

“Quite. There should be many benefits to forging an alliance with us, from Paradille’s perspective. Though they would have a difficult time turning the tide on Scheutz alone, with Missian’s help, it would not be beyond the realm of possibility. The abundance of Missian’s harvests gives us another means of influence as well─we have plenty of food to offer. Frankly, there are very few downsides to our proposition, and if the duke were a reasonable individual, I don’t believe he would turn us down. However…”

“We’re not dealing with a reasonable man?” I guessed.

“Indeed. It would seem the current duke has a rather limited grasp of the principles of diplomacy. Before their relations worsened, Scheutz was making an effort to ally with Paradille. Such a pact would have enabled Scheutz’s military to pass through Paradille to the other duchies, allowing them easy access to the entire continent. Paradille is staunch in their policy of not allowing other duchies access to their healing magistone, and it’s hard to believe an alliance with Scheutz would have led to a change in that policy, but if Scheutz were to fight alongside Paradille’s forces, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The alliance seemed almost too good to be true, and Scheutz pursued it with fervor, but talks fell apart on account of Paradille’s duke. It seems he decided that the alliance would be to Paradille’s detriment for rather emotionally-driven reasons. Considering Paradille has nothing to gain from a conflict with Scheutz, I would not hesitate to call that attempt at diplomacy a catastrophic failure.”

So he’s the sort of ruler who lets his emotions get the better of him?

I had a bad feeling that could spell doom for our negotiations as well, since he was already predisposed to loathe Missian.

“Furthermore, the duke is not the only one who bears Missian ill will. The people of Paradille hold us in just as low esteem. I fear that even if they were to send troops to support our cause, those troops would be fighting with very low morale,” said Robinson. With that, the report from his spy was settled and we were ready to move along. “Now then─after taking into account the information that I have shared, I would like to discuss our options.”

“What can we offer them in exchange for their cooperation against Vasmarque?”

“Gold, food, various other resources, and military aid. In short, we have the means to resolve the majority of the problems Paradille is facing.”

Judging by that phrasing, I got the impression that Robinson was prepared to offer a very generous reward for Paradille’s help. With that many bargaining chips on our side, you’d think the alliance was already a done deal, but if the duke was that liable to govern based on his emotions and whims, I knew it might not be enough.

“How about we spread a rumor that Vasmarque intends to ally with Scheutz and invade Paradille once he unites Missian?” I suggested. “It’s a plausible move for him to make, so we wouldn’t be lying, and since we have some time before the negotiations start, we should be able to lay the groundwork.”

“Interesting… That would incentivize Paradille to ensure Vasmarque does not gain control of Missian, yes,” said Robinson. “And you’re right, I believe we have ample time to spread such a rumor. That said, there’s a real possibility that the duke will not consider a mere rumor worthy of his consideration. But then again, there’s no harm in trying…”

He had a point─that alone wouldn’t be enough to ensure the negotiations’ success.

“What do you think, Lady Licia?” I asked, turning to face her.

“Hmm…” Licia paused for a moment to consider the matter. “I’m afraid that no matter how many benefits our alliance may offer them, I doubt Paradille will accept. We lack the single most important factor that a successful negotiation requires.”

“And that is…?”

“Trust. If Paradille is operating under the assumption that we will not keep our promises, then no amount of food, money, or reinforcements will sway them. And even if we spread rumors that Vasmarque intends to invade Paradille, I fear that the duke will be inclined to assume that Lord Couran would do the same. If he does, such rumors would gain us nothing.”

“Can’t argue with that. But doesn’t that leave us at a standstill? How are we supposed to gain their trust?”

We didn’t have an excess of time before the negotiations were set to begin, so dispelling years of distrust in that short period seemed like a pretty tall order, if not downright impossible. This was a deep-seated grudge we were dealing with, and it wasn’t the sort one could wave away as a minor misunderstanding. Were the negotiations doomed from the very beginning? I knew Vasmarque had abandoned the idea of getting Paradille on his side, but had he been right to give up?

“That is the question indeed. Being as His Majesty the Emperor has agreed to mediate, I don’t believe that regaining Paradille’s trust is entirely impossible. It will require no small amount of groundwork before the negotiations begin, however.”

“What sort of groundwork?”

Licia leaned forward and began explaining the particulars of her plan. “In essence, I believe that if the duke can be convinced that Lord Couran’s loyalty to His Majesty is genuine, he will accept that Lord Couran will honor the terms of our agreement.”

“And how, specifically, will we convince the duke that Lord Couran is loyal?” asked Robinson.

“I believe we should establish a line of contact with one of the duke’s chief retainers. I do not believe that every last member of Paradille’s government will stand in opposition to these negotiations. Why, I would be surprised if there isn’t at least one among their number who will advocate for an alliance with Missian. If we can convince that person that Lord Rengue and Lord Couran hold the deepest loyalty toward His Majesty and the empire, then they may be able to convince the duke in a manner that we never could. Moreover, we know that the Imperial House and the ruling House of Paradille share a close relationship, and are at least somewhat aware of each other’s internal affairs. If we can convince someone from the Imperial House to make contact in our stead, we will have a much easier time carrying out these preparations.”

So we’d be getting at the Duke of Paradille by way of one of his retainers, and getting at that retainer by convincing someone on the Imperial side to do it for us. The duke did seem to trust information that came from the emperor. The question, of course, was whether or not anyone on the imperial side of the equation would hear us out. Considering that they were the ones enabling the negotiations, they’d likely be inclined to facilitate their success, if for no other reason than the promise of more gold. Robinson’s declaration of Couran’s loyalty during the last round of talks might have worked in our favor, I reasoned─after all, the imperials would be under the impression that Couran ruling over Missian was an easier situation to deal with than if Vasmarque took control.

“That strikes me as a reasonable proposal,” said Robinson. “However, I don’t believe that the duke is so naïve as to trust that sort of information unconditionally, even if it does come to him by way of the emperor himself. He will take steps to verify whether or not Lord Rengue’s supposed loyalty is a fabrication. As such, we would have to take steps to ensure that ample proof of Lord Rengue’s loyalty makes its way into the duke’s hands.”

“Agreed,” said Licia. “Any claim we make will need proof to substantiate it. But if this plan were to succeed, I believe it would surely sway the duke in favor of approving our alliance. Of course, the most important factor is and will remain our eloquence and ability to respond to the duke’s questions and claims during the negotiations themselves.”

In other words, the success or failure of our plan would hinge on Rengue and the rest of the negotiation team’s ability to make themselves seem trustworthy. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that would be the hardest obstacle of all to surmount.

Then again, I’m sure Robinson will be able to pull us through.

“I believe that will do for tonight,” said Robinson. “I thank the both of you for your most valuable perspectives. I shall speak with my contacts in the emperor’s employ, and if I find they cannot be swayed to help us, we can come up with a different plan.”

Thus, the evening’s strategy meeting came to a close.

A few days later, Robinson succeeded in convincing someone in the emperor’s circle to help us. It seemed they had already sent a message to the Duke of Paradille asking him to participate in talks with Missian, but his reply had been less than encouraging, asking for some time to consider the matter and promising nothing─not even that he would hear us out. Robinson convinced them to send a new message, though, and this time not to the duke, but to a prominent noble in Paradille: the Lord of House Staured. Said lord was very close with the duke, and was one of the few people who the duke trusted. Lord Staured also had connections with the Imperial House, so he seemed like the perfect individual to use as a proxy.

The messenger returned about ten days later with a response from Lord Staured, indicating he was willing to attempt to persuade the duke to speak with us. In the meantime, Rengue had begun taking action to prove his loyalty to the emperor. Specifically, he’d taken to flying into fits of rage whenever anyone badmouthed the emperor in his presence, which happened often when out and about in the capital. He’d also made a point of loudly discussing how talented the Imperial House was at policy-making, how incredible it was that they’d ruled over the empire for so long, and how disrespecting them was downright treasonous every time he and Robinson ate out.

There was no telling when one of the emperor’s people might be watching Rengue, so he was forced to keep up the act at all times, and it wasn’t long before it started taking a toll on the poor man’s nerves. It didn’t help that he wasn’t an exceptional actor, to say the least─I was worried that nobody would believe he was being sincere.

A few days after the message from Lord Staured arrived, another message from the Duke of Paradille came, in which he stated that he’d be willing to take part in the negotiations. Rather than inviting us to Paradille, he said that he would be traveling to the capital himself. That wasn’t what I’d expected, but on further consideration, it made sense─he may have felt that since the emperor’s representatives would be mediating, it would be disrespectful to ask them to travel.

A few days after the message came in, the duke’s retinue arrived in the capital and made their way to the castle. We wouldn’t begin the talks right away, it seemed─the first day we’d just exchange greetings and attend a welcome party. The negotiations would begin in earnest the day after. I wanted to get this deal hashed out as soon as possible, but building a foundation of friendship would raise the odds of the negotiations proving successful, which seemed to be the purpose of the whole thing.

When we met the Duke of Paradille, we did so in the presence of the emperor.

“I have come in response to His Majesty the Emperor’s summons. I am Mahkfa Sarcassia, Duke of Paradille,” said the duke. He was a middle-aged man with a very no-nonsense sort of look on his face, which was well-proportioned in a way that made me imagine he’d been quite handsome in his prime. If I had to guess, I’d have put his age somewhere around forty or so, but I knew an appraisal would sort that question out.

His stats weren’t bad, but they also didn’t mark him as exceptional. He was also quite a bit older than he looked. A few of Mahkfa’s retainers were standing behind him, and I appraised all of them as well, for good measure. Most of them had high Valor, which led me to assume Paradille appointed the strong to positions of importance. Valor aside, though, they didn’t strike me as very remarkable, either.

One man, however, was an exception. His stats were rather astonishing, even though he was short, plain, and stood at the back of their formation. The man’s status window looked like this:

Unlike his fellow retainers, his stats were high except for his Valor. He hadn’t fulfilled his true potential yet, but his ability caps were high enough that if he did, he could make something of himself. Still, considering his position in the duke’s procession and his forgettable appearance, I had a feeling I was the only one who’d realized how much potential he had. I decided to pay special attention to Bamba, knowing that if I didn’t take caution with him, he could pose serious problems for us.

After the emperor greeted Mahkfa, it was Rengue’s turn to exchange pleasantries with the duke. The two of them were quick and to the point with the process─they were polite enough, but I could tell there was a degree of lip service going down. Paradille’s language, I noted, was indistinguishable from Missian’s. It seemed Ansel, Missian, and Paradille all spoke a similar dialect. Scheutz’s and Seitz’s dialects, in contrast, were apparently a lot different.

Once all the formalities were out of the way, the evening’s main event began: a catered party intended to deepen the bonds of friendship between everyone present. The emperor wasn’t expected to dine with lower nobility and made an early exit. Rengue, Shahkma, Mahkfa, Robinson, and the others, however, all dined at the same table. I, meanwhile, made a point of seeking out Bamba. I was always curious about people as talented as him, and I wanted to hear what he thought about the upcoming negotiations. I eventually found him eating alone in a corner of the room.

“May I join you?” I asked as I walked up to him.

“Youngling…” muttered Bamba as he glanced up at me. “You’d do well to keep your distance from me. There’s no telling when the seal of darkness inscribed upon my right hand may lash out at you.”

Did he just say “seal of darkness,” or did I mishear him?

That was a term I hadn’t heard thrown about before, so I decided to dig a little deeper.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I follow. What exactly is a ‘seal of darkness’?”

“No sooner had I been born than a devil laid its curse upon me, carving its seal into my flesh and soul─that is the seal of darkness,” replied Bamba. “Should it come undone, it will transform me into a devilish form, to run rampant and destroy all around me…”

What? Like, seriously, what? Since when did this world have devils, or any of this other stuff, for that matter?

Granted, this world did have magic and plenty of creatures unlike anything on Earth, but devils seemed a step too far for me to accept. Something felt off about all this.

“May I take a look at this ‘seal’ of yours?” I asked.

“So you’re interested, youngling…?” Bamba said, then showed me the back of his right hand, where I saw a mark shaped like a skull. That mark, however, was smudged in several places. It was obvious that he’d drawn it himself with some kind of ink.

“Your, uh, ‘seal’ is a bit smudged.”

“Huh?” Bamba blinked, then looked at the back of his hand. “Gah! Hell’s bells! D-Do you have any ink on hand?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. So, umm…I take it you drew that yourself?”

“Huh? Oh, n-no, of course not…! Ahem! Worry not, youngling. Today is a day of balance─a day when the seal is calm. That’s why it looks a little smudged,” he explained, making stuff up on the spot.

I was astonished. As best as I could tell, I was dealing with a genuine, hardcore edgelord. Back in my old world, most people who went through that sort of phase did so in their early teenage years, but this guy was twenty-two! I had to wonder if something about society here resulted in people succumbing to their cringiest instincts later on in life. That, or this particular guy had just always been like this.

But those stats…

I felt the need to give him another appraisal just to make sure I hadn’t been seeing things, and no, he really did seem to have remarkable abilities. I started wondering if my power might have been on the fritz and decided to talk to him some more to figure out what his deal was.

“So…my name is Ars Louvent,” I said, trying to restart the conversation.

“And most call me Bamba Phanamahmaf,” replied Bamba. “I see, then─so you are Ars Louvent…”

“Huh? Have you heard of me somewhere?” I asked, a little taken aback. Could it be that my power had gained me a degree of notoriety?

“No, not at all. This is the first time I’ve heard the name.”

“…Okay. Right. So, why did you make it sound like you already knew me?”

“Because putting it that way gives the statement a certain gravitas,” explained Bamba.

That settles it. He’s useless.

I spent a little longer talking with him, but all I took away from the conversation was that he was an enormous weirdo, so I decided that it was time to abandon all subtlety and just ask him what I wanted to know.

“So, Sir Bamba, what are your thoughts regarding the negotiations that are about to unfold?”

“Hmm─well, we can’t trust anything your boss tells us, especially not the part about him being loyal to the emperor.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, setting aside this Rengue Salemakhia fellow, his father Couran is known to be a capable commander and a man of great accomplishments. It’s very hard to believe that a man such as him would feel heartfelt loyalty toward the current emperor. Great men only bear true loyalty toward men as great or greater than they are,” Bamba explained, throwing the emperor under the bus in the process.

“But Lord Mahkfa has sworn his loyalty to the emperor, hasn’t he?” I pointed out.

“His lordship has his fair share of eccentricities,” said Bamba, which had horrifying implications. What would it take to make a man like him describe someone as eccentric? It looked like Mahkfa and Rengue were having an ordinary conversation to me, at least. “That said, there’s plenty to be suspicious of, but there are also plenty of advantages to forging a pact with your side. We’ll just have to dig deeper on a couple of matters first.”

“What matters would those be?”

“Not for your ears─for the moment, at least.”

It seemed, then, that he was planning on grilling us once the negotiations kicked off. I still wasn’t quite sure if he was capable or not, but I was convinced that he was a man I’d have to keep a close eye on.

○

The next day, the negotiations began in earnest. They would transpire under the watchful eye of the emperor himself, where those who had sworn loyalty toward him would, in theory, not dare attempt to deceive the other party. We were operating under the hope that Licia wouldn’t have to be an active participant, but she’d come along just in case things went south.

The talks started simply enough: Rengue stated for the record what Couran wanted from the Duke of Paradille, and what Missian could offer him in exchange. I noticed a shift in Mahkfa’s expression as Rengue laid out our terms─they were, after all, rather generous. Mahkfa asked a few questions, which Rengue answered with practiced ease. By all appearances, the process was going quite well.

Just when I thought we might earn that alliance with a lot less trouble than I’d anticipated, Bamba, the man I’d met at the party the night before, raised his hand.

“With permission, I would like to ask a question of Lord Rengue,” he said in a completely different tone than the one he’d used the night before. Gone were the flowery, half-baked metaphors and blunt frankness─this time, he spoke with grace and level-headed consideration. I was shocked to realize that the man could tone it down when the need arose.

“And you are?” asked Rengue.

“Bamba Phanamahmaf, at your service. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Lordship,” said Bamba, his manners impeccable. His attitude had shifted so dramatically that I was starting to wonder if everything I’d heard the night before had been a hallucination.

“And your question?”

“We have received word that you and your father, Lord Couran, claim a remarkable degree of loyalty toward His Majesty the Emperor. If I may be frank, however, I cannot help but harbor doubts as to the veracity of those claims.”

“No need for doubts. The rumors are true.”

“Alas, Your Lordship, I am afraid we are left with little choice but to question a claim so bold. Once, when Rofeille raised its standard in rebellion, Lord Mahkfa was the only duke in the land to rally his troops in defense of the emperor you supposedly serve. Much as I’ve thought through the circumstances, I cannot for the life of me imagine any reason why Missian would have been unable to do the same.”

At that point, Robinson stepped in to offer his defense─the same defense he’d used when Shakhma raised the same objection. Bamba smiled.

“I see. So the previous duke and Vasmarque are alike in their opposition to imperial rule, while Lord Couran holds true to his vows. I am afraid, however, that there still remain some details that do not add up. If Lord Couran were truly so fervently loyal, would he not have disregarded his father’s orders and rode out in support of the emperor alone, if need be? I’ve reviewed the records of the conflict, and I could not help but notice no account of anyone matching Lord Couran’s description arriving to reinforce His Majesty’s army.”

For just a moment, Robinson paused.

“Lord Couran was still young at the time, and was not yet a warrior of the renown he boasts today,” he eventually explained. “He was in no position to support an army.”

“Is that so? Nevertheless, I cannot help but think that if he were truly as loyal as you claimed, he would have rushed to the front to do his part regardless. I certainly would, were I in the same position. I’m afraid I have no choice but to conclude that for all his pretense of loyalty, at heart, he felt the need to prioritize his own safety over that of the man he serves.”

“Lord Couran is a man of remarkable intellect,” said Robinson. “And he is well-aware of his own station and limitations. As the successor to his father’s domain, he bears a great deal of responsibility upon his shoulders, and he knows that his demise would spell disaster for the land House Salemakhia rules over. It was only after extensive thought that he chose to remain in Missian, and he did so with the greatest of reluctance.”

“Oh, but your words merely prove my point,” Bamba countered. “The way I see it, a willingness to cast rationality aside in favor of the one you serve is the mark of true loyalty.”

“That is your personal opinion, and one that you’ll find is far from universal. Lord Couran believed that rather than ride out on his own, he could serve the emperor better by remaining in Missian and petitioning his father to change his mind. The fact that his efforts proved unsuccessful is a tragedy, but such is the way of things.”

Bamba’s interrogation continued for some time, and Robinson matched him question for question. I was sure that most of his replies were outright lies, so I found myself both impressed by how capable he was at twisting the truth and also struck with the realization that I’d do well not to trust him.

“Hmm,” Bamba eventually said, turning to Rengue. “Might I ask, Lord Rengue, whether you profess the same loyalty to His Majesty that your father claims?”

“Of course,” said Robinson. “Lord Rengue is as loyal and devoted as─”

“I’m afraid, Sir Robinson, that I was addressing His Lordship personally,” interjected Bamba, cutting Robinson off. “Being as he is in attendance, I would very much like to hear him express his intentions in his own words.”

It seemed he’d determined that Robinson was unlikely to slip up, and had shifted his attention to Robinson’s less eloquent superior.

Rengue, of course, asserted his loyalty as well, but Bamba cocked his head and asked, “Is that truly so? I consider the information that I obtain for myself to be what is most trustworthy, and I have done no small amount of digging to determine where your loyalties lie.”

Rengue hesitated. He was shaken by Bamba’s words. He’d done his best to put on a pretense of loyalty toward the emperor, but it seemed he knew his act was less than foolproof.

“I trust, Lord Rengue, that you are aware of the consequences that will befall you should you choose to lie before His Majesty?” Bamba pressed, his tone taking on a threatening edge.

“Lord Rengue─”

“I am speaking with Lord Rengue and would ask that you hold your tongue!” snapped Bamba, cutting Robinson off once more as he tried to come to Rengue’s defense.

Rengue was panicking. From what I could tell, he had no idea what to say. From a calm and detached perspective, Bamba had nothing in the way of conclusive evidence to disprove Rengue’s loyalty─or at the very least, if he did have evidence, he did not have it on hand. For all we knew, the most he had were rumors and hearsay. My best guess was that Bamba was dialing up the pressure because he didn’t know the truth, and was testing Rengue to see whether he had a guilty conscience.

When all was said and done, all that Rengue had to do was confidently declare his loyalty, and we’d be out of the woods. But he didn’t─couldn’t─and the longer he spent waffling, the more suspicious he appeared. Robinson was at a loss, which meant that if anyone was going to save Rengue, it would have to be me. But what could I do?

An idea struck me at just the moment I needed it. I decided to jump into the conversation and do my best to turn the situation around.

“If I may, it seems quite evident that you harbor doubts regarding Lord Rengue’s loyalty. Might I ask what it is that has made you so very suspicious?”

“Our suspicions are a matter of necessity,” replied Bamba. “Our ability to trust your word is contingent upon the assurance that you would not dare to lie in front of His Majesty, and one who has not sworn loyalty to him wouldn’t dare to bear such compunctions.”

“From my point of view, all citizens of Summerforth owe His Majesty their loyalty,” I countered. “Frankly, I can’t understand why you’re being so insistent. Unless you’re projecting, perhaps? Tell me, are you predisposed to see disloyalty in others on account of your own lack of faith in the empire?”

My goal was to disrupt Bamba’s momentum by turning his accusations back on him.

“Frankly, I am offended,” said Bamba. “On what basis do you dare accuse us of disloyalty?”

“None. However, I believe you have failed to consider the implications of your persistent line of questioning. The way you’ve chosen to press this issue almost makes it seem like you have very little faith in His Majesty’s ability to gain and maintain the loyalty of his followers.”

Bamba opened his mouth, ready to refute my point, but before he could get the chance, Mahkfa spoke up instead.

“Well put. Let us move on, Bamba. Any further discussion of this matter would be disrespectful toward His Majesty.”

Bamba did as he was told, albeit reluctantly. I’d known that my argument was flimsy even as I delivered it, but it had somehow carried us through the crisis.

After that point, Rengue either managed to calm down or had received instructions from Robinson while I was the center of attention. One way or another, he managed to declare his loyalty in unambiguous terms, which nobody moved to question. After that, a formal document was drawn up that Rengue, Mahkfa, and Shakhma (acting on behalf of the emperor) applied their personal seals to. The emperor’s seal made it official: under his mediation, our negotiations had concluded, and Paradille would be obligated to come to our aid against Vasmarque.

○

“You have my sincerest gratitude, Lord Ars. We were in a precarious situation, but your help pulled us through,” said Robinson after the negotiations concluded.

“I was just speaking off the cuff. I’m glad to have been of service, though,” I replied. I meant it, too─I’d thought that bringing Licia along would end up being the extent of my contributions, so the fact that I’d managed to pitch in felt nice.

“Thank you as well, Lady Licia. Your suggestion to make Lord Rengue’s loyalty to the emperor known in advance proved to be quite an asset. I must admit that if I’d come here on my own, the talks would not have ended this favorably,” Robinson continued, then paused to breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad that Paradille has accepted our terms. This will turn the tide in our favor, without question.”

“We’ll be negotiating with Seitz next, right?” I asked.

“Oh, of course─regarding your next step, Lord Couran has instructed that if the negotiations with Paradille proved successful, the two of you should be sent back to Missian while I proceed to Seitz.”

“He did?”

“Indeed. It seems Seitz’s domestic affairs have taken a turn for the worse. The situation within the duchy is turbulent enough that they won’t have any troops to spare. I’m only going to confirm the state of things in person.”

I’d known that Seitz was on somewhat shaky ground, but I hadn’t expected things to go south at such a convenient time. It struck me that Couran was a very lucky man, considering this meant Vasmarque’s most plausible source of reinforcements was off the table. I’d always heard that fortune played just as vital of a role as skill when it came to war, and I was starting to understand how true that was. Right now, it felt like Couran stood a good chance of coming out ahead in this war.

Our preparations to begin the trip home were already complete, but since I still had to make contact with Shin, I asked to for some more time. Then, I started by visiting the address he’d given me. My plan was to meet him and tell him that we were ready to depart for Missian whenever he was finished with his own preparations.

“Already done over here! I’m good to go any time,” said Shin without hesitation. I’d more or less expected him to be ahead of the game, and it seemed I was right.

“Good! Then it’s time for us to depart. For formality’s sake, allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Ars Louvent, Baron of Lamberg. I hope to make our relationship a mutually beneficial one.”

“Same to you,” said Shin. We shook hands, then set out to finish our final preparations.

I just had a little shopping left to do, personally. Rosell had asked me to bring something back for him, so I was doing some last-second souvenir hunting. I would’ve felt bad about only buying something for him, so I decided to get stuff for Rietz and the rest of my retainers as well. I didn’t fuss too much over prices─I just picked out something that each of them would appreciate.

Once I’d finished my souvenir shopping, we boarded our boat and set sail for Semplar. Robinson remained in the capital on his own. It seemed he’d be traveling to Seitz by land, which would make for a quicker journey overall.

The voyage to Semplar was no faster or slower than it had been on the way to the capital, and we arrived without incident. Many of Couran’s retainers were waiting for us at the docks when we landed. They informed me that Couran was pleased with our efforts, and wished to meet at our soonest convenience. Rengue, Teknado, Licia, and I all set off to see him, while Charlotte and Shin retired to another chamber in the castle.

When we met with Couran, he began by thanking, congratulating, and rewarding Rengue and Teknado for their efforts. Rengue looked absolutely giddy throughout the whole process, and I got the sense that he wasn’t used to receiving his father’s praise.

After he finished with them, Couran turned to me and Licia.

“It is good to see both of you again as well. I’ve been told that you played quite an active role in the negotiations’ success, and I would like to reward you accordingly.”

I didn’t think that I’d done much at all. Sure, I pulled Licia into the proceedings, which was at least some sort of accomplishment, but that wasn’t a big deal. Still, I wasn’t about to turn down a reward. In the end, Couran presented both of us with a hundred gold coins each as thanks for our efforts.

“I hope to continue to be of service to you, Your Lordship,” I said as I accepted the reward.

“I’ll be holding you to those words. Thanks to your success, we now have the upper hand. You may have heard that our assault upon the County of Alpharda has already begun, but frankly, it hasn’t been going well thus far. Vasmarque’s surprise attacks have claimed many strategic locations that we’ve been unable to reclaim─as things stand, our prospects are grim. With Paradille on our side, however, the tables are sure to turn!”

My main takeaway from this new information was that as things stood, the war was very much not progressing in our favor.

Couran soon dismissed Rengue, Teknado, and Licia, but asked that I stay behind for a moment.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” he said as soon as the others had left.

“What favor would that be?”

“I would like you to deliver this letter to Lumeire,” Couran explained, passing me a note. “It contains instructions on his deployment. I have withdrawn my troops from Alpharda. Once Paradille’s assault on Arcantez has begun, the chance of Alpharda being attacked will diminish, even if it is only defended by a small unit. We shall amass our forces and bring their full might down on our enemies. I’ve received word from Paradille that they intend to commence their attack on the twentieth day of the fourth month, so we will time our advance to coincide with theirs.”

It was currently the nineteenth day of the third month, meaning that the attack would commence almost one month from now.

“At the moment, Lumeire is under orders to bolster Missian’s defenses in anticipation of an attack from Seitz,” Couran continued. “But with Seitz in a state of chaos, an attack of that nature seems less than likely. Lowering our guard on the border with Seitz to bolster our main attacking force should not pose any troubles in the long term. I intend to have Lumeire lead Canarre’s forces to Semplar, and I would ask that you march with him.”

“Understood,” I replied. It seemed the time had come: I would be participating in my first military campaign. The thought made me a little nervous.

Just one month from now, I’ll be going into battle…

“I have high hopes for what you and yours will contribute on the battlefield. Though, if all goes as planned, Alpharda will fall in short order.”

“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

With that, my private audience with Couran came to an end.

The war had already started, but with Paradille’s involvement and Missian’s troops being called into battle, it felt to me like it was only just now getting into full swing. Canarre had a large population compared to the other counties in Missian, so the fact that we would be involved implied that this was going to be a large-scale battle─and the bigger the battle, the more people would wind up dead.

I started to get cold feet, but shook my head and slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of it. I was a baron, and that meant I was in no position to let myself be scared of combat. I’d be disgracing my father’s legacy if I let that sort of cowardice show!

Soon after, we set off on the final leg of our trip back to Canarre. I planned on stopping by Lamberg before delivering Couran’s letter to Lumeire, and that was where I’d be seeing Licia off on her journey to Torbequista.

“I trust that you’ll keep your promise once the war ends,” Licia said to me as we were saying our goodbyes.

By that, she meant the promise that I would marry her when that time came. I was a little shaken by the prospect, but managed to reply, “Of course,” without missing a beat.

“Just so you know, if you break your promise…” added Licia, her words trailing off ominously.

I gulped, “If I break my promise…?”

A brief silence fell, and eventually, Licia just smiled at me.

“I’ll see you soon, Lord Ars!”

“Huh? Oh, right! See you soon.”

And then she left without ever clarifying what she’d do to me. Oddly enough, that left me feeling more terrified by the prospect than learning her plans. I wasn’t going to break the promise, so there wasn’t any need for me to be scared, but I was starting to understand that I’d have to propose the instant the war came to a close, for fear of the consequences. That prospect was pretty terrifying, but I’d have all the time in the world to think about it. For now, I made my way back home.