Chapter 18

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Chapter 18

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「Conversation With the Royal Family」

When the door in the back of the room opened, a young man and woman were the first to enter.

The young woman was slightly taller and older than Chiome.

Her blonde hair cascaded down her back in waves and her large, brown eyes perfectly matched her delicate facial features. Despite the flower-designs sewed into the collar and cuffs off her gorgeous dress, it didn’t come off as too extravagant.

Her eyes contained a strength and dignity that only added to the competent atmosphere the girl projected.

Next to her was a young man.

He was tall and had fine, light-brown hair coupled with intelligent, blue eyes.

His luxurious clothes were impeccable and he effortlessly projected a princely vibe.

In combination with the thin smile on his lips, he could be said to be rather handsome.

The pair parted at the doorway and allowed an older n.o.ble to enter the room and take a slow look around.

He appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties.

It could be said that he was aging with dignity, even with the wrinkles that were set into his forehead, his blue eyes carried a steady strength within them, a strength that was empathized by the mix of white and blonde hair atop his head and in his beard.

Given that both the young man and woman bowed towards him, I a.s.sumed that he was the King.

Both Lille and Dylan stood and tried to bow towards the older man in a similar manner.

However, the older gentlemen stopped them with a wave of his hand.

“No need for formalities. You must be fatigued from your journey, there’s no need for formal greetings.”

Even with those words, no one attempted to sit down as Lille took a step forward.

“Thank you for your concern, your Majesty. I am Lille Nozan Soulia, first princess of Nozan Kingdom. Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice.”

Was that a practiced greeting, or was she just nervous?…… Lille gave a somewhat stiff greeting as she curtsied.

The elderly King’s eyes began to shine as he watched Lille’s small gesture.

“Oh, this belonged to Melissa……”

Deep emotions were reflected on the king’s face and the young lady looked surprised when they heard Princess Lille’s name.

“I am King Carlen Delft Rhoden Olav. I am also your uncle.”

With a smile on his face, King Carlen began to introduce the two people beside him.

“Let me first introduce my daughter, your direct cousin and the second princess……”

The young woman stepped forward and performed a graceful curtsy before the King could finish speaking.

“Juliana Marill Melissa Rhoden Olav. Feel free to call me Juliana.”

Lille responded to Princess Juliana with a natural smile of her own.

“And my son, the Crown Prince.”

“I am Sect Rondaro Carunon Rhoden. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Princess Lille.”

After Princess Juliana introduced herself, King Carlen drew attention to Crown Prince Sect.

Prince Sect gave Lille a quiet smile as he elegantly bowed towards her.

At that point, King Carlen directed his gaze towards Dylan.

“It hasn’t been that long since you departed, but today you are accompanied by my niece?”

King Carlen raised an eyebrow when he asked his question, but Dylan’s smile remained intact as he replied.

“It has been a while, your Highness. We have already met before, but I am Dylan Targ Raratoia, the elder of Canada’s Raratoia village. As you have said, today I act as Princess Lille’s companion.”

King Carlen eyes focused on Dylan as those words left hi

s mouth.

“It’s surprising that you already have a connection with Nozan.”

“Well, since there is a lot of overlap between relationships, perhaps this is a mere coincidence?”

King Carlen responded to Dylan’s question with a laugh.

“Let’s have a seat before we listen to your story.”

After the King let out a small sigh he took the center seat on the opposite side of the table, with Princess Juliana and Prince Sect taking the seats at his sides.

Lille offered them a small bow before taking her seat, with Dylan following her example.

However, Zahar and Nana, who were acting as Lille’s guards, remained standing behind her.

King Carlen’s eyes briefly wandered in our direction, and Dylan was the one that answered his unasked questions.

“These are my attendants for today, my daughter, another member of our village and one of our friends.”

The King’s eyes bulged when he heard that.

“…… There isn’t much of a resemblance.”

Dylan smiled wryly at the King’s natural response.

Ariane had been chosen as his daughter by process of elimination.

“Well, she takes after her mother.”

Ariane made a difficult expression at Dylan’s question and turned her head away.

Was it my imagination, or had her ears turned a little red?

King Carlen’s eyes glanced over Chiome and me, but he didn’t say anything in particular before turning a puzzled look towards Lille.

“So, for what reason have you traveled all the way from Nozan to visit your uncle? Is it something important?”

After King Carlen shifted the course of the conversation, Lille took out a letter and placed it on the table.

Zahar, who had stood behind her, then stepped forward to present the letter to the king before returning to his place behind Lille..

“Uncle Carlen, I’ve come to you today and ask that you hear out our request. The details have been written in the letter from my father, his Majesty Asparuf.”

With a serious expression, Lille addressed Carlen not as the King of Rhoden, but as her uncle.

King Carlen didn’t call her out on the issue, breaking the wax seal on the letter and examining its contents, his face immediately froze in an astonished visage as he read.

When they saw the change in King Carlen, both Princess Juliana and Prince Sect looked towards Lille.

“Is it true that the Hiruku Theocracy invaded Nozan, Delfuento and Salma……? It says that the invaders number around two hundred thousand, but……”

Princess Juliana involuntarily let out a surprised shout when she heard the questions her father asked regarding the letter, while Prince Sect had an indescribable expression on his face as he knitted his browed and stroked his chin.

“Wait a moment, Father!”

The elegant Juliana violently rose from her chair and yanked the letter out of King Carlen’s hands, while he was still in the middle of reading it, and frantically began reading it herself.

“Goodness, Juliana. I was still reading that.”

Although the King complained about his daughter’s behavior, Princess Juliana tried to authenticate the half-read letter by staring down a dumbfounded Lille and questioning her.

“Is what written here true? Has the Theocracy used wicked methods to attack the other kingdoms with undead!?”

“I-It’s the truth! I thought my life had come to an end when one of those monsters attacked me!”

In response to Princess Juliana forceful inquire, Lille’s pa.s.sionate personality came out as she hastily replied.

However, Princess Juliana didn’t seem interested in that particular detail as she started pacing around the room and talking to herself.

“But, doesn’t the Hiruku religion have a long and benevolent history? The doctrine itself is rather ordinary, so I never expected it to be such a heretical religion……

King Carlen let out a large sigh as he watched Princess Juliana behavior before he took up the letter and paid her no mind.

After a little while, the King lifted his head from the letter and turned his eyes to a smiling Dylan.

“It says here that the Canadian elves will be partic.i.p.ating in the upcoming war, but if that true…… this is basically a territorial dispute between humans, right?”

Dylan began to chuckle and nodded his head at King Carlen’s skepticism.

“The adversary is the Hiruku religion. If there is a cause for us to remove or weaken it, then the great elders should be all the more willing to join.”

King Carlen made a worried expression when he heard Dylan’s answer.

“So you’re still working on this plan without higher approval?”

King Carlen looked at Dylan with a disbelieving expression on his face, yet he simply shook his head and said nothing.

“This isn’t a decision that a single village elder is capable of making.”

Lille and her two guards began to pale as they listened to Dylan’s and the King’s conversation.

…… Their worry was understandable.

In this upcoming war, the partic.i.p.ation of the elves was indispensable when facing an undead army capable of simultaneously invading three countries.

If Maple’s council of elders refused to join the war, it would spell the end of Nozan and its neighboring countries.

However, besides their concerns, Dylan seemed confident about something.

“There’s no need to worry. Canada also has a duty to defend the people of Rouen Forest. Above all else, we must take part in the upcoming battle…… it is that type of situation.”

Listening to Dylan’s words, everyone had a strange look on their faces, but Princess Sect seemed to have noticed something because there was a smile on his face when he raised a hand towards Dylan.

Seeing the prince’s actions, Dylan tilted his head in curiosity.

“What is it, Prince Sect?”

“a.s.suming that Canada will partic.i.p.ate in this war, what will Nozan be providing you in return? Is there anyone kind enough to lead a hand without seeking something in return?”

Hearing the prince’s question, King Carlen and Princess Juliana looked at Dylan, waiting for his answer.

“Nozan Kingdom and Margrave Branier of the Salma Kingdom have agreed to release their elven and beastmen slaves and make it illegal to enslave either race in the future.”

Princess Sect’s eyes narrowed at Dylan’s answer.

“That’s quite the large demand. Not only the elves but the beastmen as well……”

When Prince Sect looked down at Chiome besides me, she received his gaze and returned a sharp bloodl.u.s.t filled gaze of her own.

There was a smile plastered on his face as Prince Sect shrugged his shoulders.

“Excuse my impoliteness. If it was only a verbal agreement, are you sure they will uphold it?”

Lille’s cheeks became inflamed at Prince Sect’s spiteful smile and question.

“My father won’t go back on his word!”

Lille’s eyes began to shed tears when she slammed her hand against the table. Princess Juliana sighed and offered an apology after she and King Carlen scolded him with their eyes.

“There is no excuse for my actions. I did not mean to speak ill of your father. I’m only a bit worried. Whether or not the stated condition is guaranteed, it will determine if the Elven authority will agree to partic.i.p.ate. Simply put, they do not know your father’s character.”

Prince Sect words seemed to have upset Lille again, but Dylan’s smile remained ever present in front of her.

“No, I’m sorry. There’s no need to worry. They are not so barbaric as to renege on their promises.”

Dylan turned towards me and let out a slight chuckle.

Prince Sect seemed confused by his behavior.

I hadn’t intended to force the conditions onto anyone, but it may have seemed that way on the other side.

(Heh, after that rampage no one would dare to cross you……)

Ariane half whispered her opinion to me.

However, my own actions weren’t solely responsible for that, so I reb.u.t.ted her.

(If I recall correctly, only Lille-dono and a few others witnessed my outburst, but weren’t you the one who turned a section of the city into a swamp, Ariane-dono?)

While Ariane and I refused to yield on the matter, Ponta’s tail suddenly blocked my gaze.

“Kyun!”

I couldn’t see anything but her fur.

It was like Ponta was acting as an arbitrator or something.

While in the midst of our silent battle, Lille was progressing ahead.

“Uncle Carlen, please lend us your strength to save Nozan!”

Princess Lille also turned to her father, King Carlen, after Lille made her plea.

“Temporarily a.s.suming that the elves of Canada will partic.i.p.ate, how much time is left before Hiruku’s undead army invades?”

Dylan immediately answered King Carlen’s question.

“It should be seven days at the earliest?”

“Seven days!? That’s the same as saying there’s no time at all!!”

Carlen let out a surprised shout when upon hearing Dylan’s answer.

“Even if we left the capital now, would we even be capable of reaching Lanbaltic in seven days? Furthermore, we would still need to cross the Burugo gulf to reach the neighboring country……”

Prince Sect calmly began counting the days.、

King Carlen acknowledged his point while looking at his niece with pity in his eyes.

“Enough, Sect. Asparuf-dono probably sent her here out of worry.”

He cut Sect off with that statement.

Princess Juliana made a sorrowful expression as she stared at Lille.

In the eyes of the three of them, Lille was the last daughter of a dying country.

Well, their reactions were probably normal.

The three’s pity and the meaning of their words only upset Lille even more.

“I-It’ll be alright! We only left our palace today, yet we’re already here! With Arc-dono’s power time isn’t an issue!”

He poor choice of words, coupled with her seemingly incomprehensible explanation and a.s.surance that there was “No problem” only seemed to draw sympathy from the others.

“What are you going to do?”

Prince Sect asked the King that question as he pitied the poor girl.

However, before King Carlen could say anything Dylan spoke up and answered the Prince’s question.

“The number of days required to return with reinforcements isn’t an issue. Arc-kun is accompanying me for that very reason. There’s no need to worry about distance constraints.”

Dylan’s continued smile as he spoke his explanation, had the three of them looking at one another in confusion.

When Dylan chuckled and directed his eyes towards me I immediately understood that he wanted a “show of proof” to help them along.

After a quick nod, I invoked my magic immediately.

“【Dimensional Step】”

The target location was directly behind King Carlen.

“What!?” “Ha!?” “!!?”

It must have been quite shocking for a knight to suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind you.

The three had temporarily forgotten how to speak as they sat there with their eyes blew wide open.

They weren’t the only ones with bulging eyes.

The servants in the corners of the room were in a similar state.

“【Dimensional Step】”

I invoked the magic again and returned to Ariane’s side. However, only the sound of my movements filled the room, as the ability to speak still eluded them.

It was Prince Sect who broke the silence.

“……The ‘Path of Spirits’. I thought it was a mere fairy tale.”

Sect’s words caused King Carlen and Princess Juliana to turn their heads towards Dylan, who silently nodded in return.

The ‘Path of Spirits’ seemed to be a well known elven anecdote among humans.

Maybe the tales of the Great Canada Forest’s first Chieftain, Evangeline, building transfer shrines through the forest had been pa.s.sed down as an anecdote by humans.

“Surely with such an ability…… But why, Dylan-dono?”

Sweat ran down King Carlen’s face as he stared at the fearlessly smiling elf.

“Why what?”

Dylan was enjoying this situation as he tilted his head and asked King Carlen to elaborate.

“Is the cooperation of our country so important to you that you’re willing to reveal a secret ability?”

Dylan let out a slightly bitter laugh at King Carlen’s question.

“In a sense, you’re right…… As I stated before, this is an unavoidable situation for us, but the same applies to your country as well.”

Dylan gave Prince Sect a meaningful look after saying that.

Prince Sect let out a small sigh before reaching over and whispering something into the King’s ear.

“Is that so. Such a thing……”

More sweat began to form on King Carlen’s forehead as he muttered to himself.

Princess Juliana glared at Prince Sect when she saw the King’s reaction, but he just indifferently chuckled as he returned to his seat.

King Carlen looked over the letter once more before handing it over to Dylan, who was still smiling even now, with a look that said he’d reached a decision. Lille nervously watched the King as we awaited his answer.

“It appears that we can not afford to ignore this situation. Given the lack of time, we can probably gather five thousand soldiers. However, can the five thousand soldiers truly be taken there without issue?”

“It shouldn’t be an issue.”

While the King had decided to send add he been worried about the transportation for them, but Dylan quickly eased that worry.

“Very well, Sect, apart from the actual command of the forces, I entrust the planning of the Nozan reinforcement operation to you.”

Lille was overwhelmed with joy at the King’s decision.

However, Princess Juliana objected to King Carlen’s decision.

“Please wait! Since the elves will be taking part in this just effort allow me to partic.i.p.ate as well, father. We need to deepen our relationship with the elves after all!”

Princess Juliana made a powerful declaration, but King Carlen didn’t concede on the matter.

“That is why there is something else I’d like you to handle. I’ll leave this matter to Sect. That is my decision. Now settle down.”

While she was dissatisfied with the King’s decisions, Princess Juliana reluctantly yielded to his will.

With Princess Juliana pacified, Prince Sect respectfully kneeled before the King.

“Your orders have been received. I shall strive to meet His Majesty’s expectations.”

King Carlen, merely nodded at Prince Sect’s display.

“Then it is decided, as soon as the forces have been gathered, the reinforcements shall be sent to Nozan.”

After saying so Dylan looked back at me for confirmation, and I nodded in agreement.

With that, King Carlen decided to bring the meeting to an end.

While everyone began to prepare for upcoming events, I also began to look ahead towards the future.

It would be my first time transporting five thousand people, but just what was my maximum capacity?

Before that, I should find a good spot to make a drawing of this palace, as I still needed to make the transfer marker between Nozan and Rhoden.

As that thought occupied my mind, I saw Prince Sect approach Dylan as he prepared to leave the room.

Dylan glanced at him with saying anything in particular.

“Dylan-dono, I have to ask, do you plan to seek aid for Nozan from one of the Empires?”

I just managed to hear Prince Sect’s whisper.

Certainly, if one of the pinnacles of human power became involved, then gathering troops would be a non-issue, but that was an impossibility.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a connection with either of the empires……”

Dylan replied to Prince Sect with a chuckle.

…… That was also a problem.

However, Prince Sect continued to press the issue.

“Then, you would if you had those connections?”

“…… Given the circ.u.mstances, I do not believe that the partic.i.p.ation of one of the empires is necessary.”

Prince Sect’s eyes narrowed as he apologetically lowered his head.

Nozan was the one requesting aid after all, and Dylan goal was to gain the partic.i.p.ation of the elves. However, there was another, fatal flaw.

I couldn’t transfer to the empires with my magic.

To be precise, there were a limited number of locations inside the empires that I could travel to using my magic.

Using 【Transfer Gate】, I was only able to travel to places I’ve been before and could clearly remember. I couldn’t just travel to places I’ve never been before.

Speaking of which, I wondered how that one imperial town I visited was doing now…… the one where I blew up that Hiruku church?

While I was nostalgically looking back on such things, Prince Sect turned a thin smile in my direction.

“Is that so, please excuse me. I look forward to working with you now and in the future.”

Prince Sect offered a small nod and left the room after saying that.

His appearance and manners marked him as the embodiment of a prince, something about him left a strong “tough to swallow” impression. While I kept my impression to myself, Ariane and Chiome seemed to be in agreement with them, as suspicion could clearly be seen on their faces as they watched him leave.

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