Risou no Himo Seikatsu - Volume 14 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 — Visit to the Twin Kingdoms

Several days later, Zenjirou arrived in the Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle via teleportation. The country was on the Southern Continent, so it was also in the middle of the blazing season. However, while the temperature might be the same, it felt rather different due to the humidity in Capua being over 90% and it being less than 10% there.

As Zenjirou breathed in the hot—though more comfortable—air, Margarita of the Sharou family greeted him.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. I thank you deeply for this opportunity to visit Sir Völundr!”

Her dry blonde hair was tied together just neatly enough to be rude, and her originally beautiful blue eyes were now mismatched, her right eye a milky white. Her dress was also as simple as she could get away with. The woman saw dressing up as nothing more than a duty expected of her as a royal.

Zenjirou took half a step back at the princess’s excitement exceeding anything he remembered from her. “O-Of course, Princess Margarita. Thank you for your welcome.”

Indeed, the public reason for his presence in the Twin Kingdoms was Margarita’s request. However, the request was to visit Capua, not Smith Völundr, and Aura’s acceptance was to hide Bruno’s secret visit.

Seeing Margarita completely ignore the technicalities of the situation and outright state her own desires made Zenjirou all too aware of why she was considered to be on the same level as Francesco.

“Allow us to show you to your room, Sir Zenjirou,” Eladio—the commander of the Capuan forces stationed in the Twin Kingdoms—urged, seeming to realize the situation wouldn’t go anywhere as things were with the princess looking intensely at Zenjirou as if she wanted him to send her to Capua at this very moment.

That prompted even Margarita to realize her impropriety as she looked chagrined for a moment before apologizing. “Pardon me, Your Majesty.”

“Not at all. I had heard about your personality from both Princess Bona and Prince Francesco, so I must admit I was less surprised by your first statement,” he said, mocking her ever so slightly.

“I find that rather hard to refute,” she laughed, ignoring politeness again as she followed him.

As Zenjirou left the arrival room, he suddenly remembered that the magic tool around his wrist had been given to him by Margarita.

“Incidentally, Princess Margarita, I have to say that this Windhammer was exceptionally useful, so you have my thanks. I would like to repay you for it in some form. Is there anything you would request?”

The woman’s mismatched eyes gleamed with delight as she walked alongside him.

“That was an offering from me because you listened to my selfishness,” she said, “so I consider it already paid for.”

When she had given it to him, she had sought only one thing as recompense. Namely, to accept at least three of her younger sister’s invitations. By his reckoning, only one remained.

“While I have kept to that promise, I still thought it worth further thanks,” he said.

Those were his true feelings. In fact, without the Windhammer, it would have likely been impossible for him to pass the Rite of Age in Uppasala. Without the Rite of Age, marrying Freya would have been...actually, surprisingly possible, but it was not hard to imagine the leading classes of the country putting up much more of a fight.

“In which case, perhaps you could tell me how it went? I improved the Windhammer itself on my own, and this is the first time it has been used by someone who—pardon my rudeness—has no combat ability of their own. I would like nothing more than your unvarnished impressions to better improve it in the future. Oh, if possible, I would also like you to write it down.”

“Very well,” Zenjirou replied, unable to hide a smile as the princess’s voice got faster and faster. “I shall send you my notes at a later date.”

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For Zenjirou, this was at least technically an official state visit, despite the main purposes of it being to (publicly) teleport Margarita and (clandestinely) teleport Bruno.

As a royal from a country of Capua’s standing, and one of only two people in the world who could currently use teleportation, the Twin Kingdoms would certainly not leave him to his own devices.

According to Ines and Natalio, who had both been sent in advance, there was at least half a month’s worth of practically irrefusable invitations for meetings and banquets.

He was currently in an annex of the Purple Egg Palace, the same room that he had used last time. The furnishings had all been left in the same state as before.

The annex was currently on loan to Capua as an embassy, but the room he was using for this visit was not ordinarily used by anyone. However, it was constantly kept ready for use at a moment’s notice.

There was a mist generator ceaselessly active, so it was refreshingly cool. With the low humidity in the Twin Kingdoms, the mist generators were highly effective in cooling the area down. One of the differences between teleportation and normal travel was the lack of time spent. Another was the lack of fatigue from the journey itself.

That was even more the case for Zenjirou with his familiarity with using it. Because of that, there was only a mild sense of “oh well” when he found out that he had meetings from the first day he arrived.

It had been roughly an hour since he had arrived, and he was currently hosting two guests in his room in the borrowed annex of the Purple Egg Palace. One of them had vivid red hair, its length gathered together. She proudly wore the traditional dress of the nomadic tribes and seemed full of energy. The other had hair that was bluish-gray and fell to its full length in a straight curtain. She also wore traditional dress, although this woman seemed far calmer.

The former was Shuura, the eldest daughter of the Elehalieucco family. The latter was Nazeema, the third daughter of the Reierfon family. Zenjirou had met them both during his last visit, so he was at least somewhat acquainted with them.

“Thank you for accepting our request for a meeting, Your Majesty,” Shuura said briskly.

“We offer our apologies for the suddenness of the request, Your Majesty.” Nazeema’s statement was given with a far calmer tone of voice.

Zenjirou raised his right hand slightly as he answered. “Not at all. I am entirely willing to offer a rapid answer to such requests from the chiefs of the Elehalieucco and Reierfon families.”

Indeed, Shuura’s request had been submitted as that of a representative of the Elehalieucco family and Nazeema’s had been as the representative of the Reierfon family. Incidentally, his addressing the two leaders of the family as chiefs rather than dukes was due to it being a more sympathetic form of address for the two “nomadic dukes.” The royal family in the Twin Kingdoms would call them “dukes” and refer to the families as ducal houses. They would never use the phrases chief or tribe.

His consideration was somewhat evident from the form of address he used. The two girls’ smiles deepened as they simultaneously placed documents on the table between them and him.

“This is a letter of gratitude from my father, Chief Elehalieucco, to you, Your Majesty.”

“Likewise, from my father Chief Reierfon.”

Ines retrieved the documents from the table for Zenjirou and—after a cursory inspection—passed them to him.

“Pardon me,” Zenjirou said, opening them and casting his eyes over them. The letters were written in the language of the western region of the Southern Continent. Additionally, the sentences within them were simplified to the extent that a noble of a country could manage. It was likely a concession due to their knowledge that the only language he could—somewhat—read was this.

Grateful for the consideration, Zenjirou set about reading them. Common to both of the letters was deep gratitude relating to the new Dual Burn Parchment. Each of the four ducal families had been gifted one by Josep upon his ascension to the throne.

Unlike the originally disposable Dual Burn Parchment, the only consumable of the new version was the parchment made from the hide of the morph drakes. The magic tool itself could be used over and over again. It was therefore far more useful than the original.

That was particularly important for the two nomadic families, the Elehalieucco and Reierfon. The two tribes—as the name implied—maintained their lifestyle from the nomadic period of the country’s history. The majority of the tribes traveled the sandy dunes with their drakes, so getting in contact with the capital was rather difficult.

Of course, they had had the original Dual Burn Parchments for urgent matters before, but given their value, those were restricted to true emergencies. With the development of the new Dual Burn Parchments, the difficulties in contact were significantly eased.

Additionally, the indispensable component of the new tool—the morph drake hide—was almost only attainable in the Elehalieucco and Reierfon territories. What had theretofore been pests that ruined the grass the families’ drakes grazed on were now a source of income.

The Sharou, Gilbelle, Animeeum, and Elementaccato families were already sounding the other two families out for periodic purchases of the hide. Of course, the buyers were all leaning on the scales to get the price down as much as they could, but there were no laws against monopolies in this world. Therefore, the heads of both the Elehalieucco and Reierfon families had quickly opened negotiations to unify the prices they would charge for the morph drake hides. Thus, Zenjirou’s suggestion had benefited the nomadic families even more than expected.

The letter explained as much as simply as it could and offered their gratitude. Of course, duke or chief, their thanks would not just be in words alone. Each of the letters detailed “trifling” things also offered as thanks.

Chief Elehalieucco had offered a dash drake.

“Shuura, this letter says Chief Elehalieucco is gifting me a dash drake.”

“Indeed,” Shuura said, nodding and making her red hair swish.

The Elehalieucco family—along with the Reierfon family—was known for breeding the strongest dash drakes on the Southern Continent, so it wasn’t exactly strange that they would be offering a dash drake up as thanks. Offering the most valuable thing they could was not a wrong way to show their sincerity—even if Zenjirou wasn’t happy about it—but the problem was with its pedigree.

“And it would appear that it has the same lineage as the chief’s personal mounts?”

Even among the tribe’s dash drakes, there were varying levels of quality. For the two nomadic families, the better dash drakes were exceedingly valuable—both in terms of practical utility and in showing influence. Therefore, a dash drake’s superiority was roughly tied to its owner’s status. Naturally, the very best were reserved for the duke (chief) and his immediate family, so they would not be given to others without thought.

The rarity of such a gift was perhaps best exemplified by a historical record in which the king closest to the nomadic tribes had been given a dash drake from the main family’s stock.

“Indeed, it is one of our best. It is ten years old, currently, and it should be ready for service at fifteen.”

Dash drakes lived to be around fifty. They were capable of carrying a fully equipped knight after about ten. Drakes that deteriorated quickly would be able to serve until they were about thirty, while those of better stock would be capable of working until they were forty. Of course, some were still racing across the battlefield in their fifties, and there were legends of dash drakes that had lived to eighty, but those were outliers rather than the norm.

A dash drake was in service for—at minimum—the twenty years between ten and thirty, while the hardiest lasted for the thirty years between ten and forty. It was fairly common for knights to have a single dash drake for the duration of their service.

Saying that the drake would be ready for action from fifteen was a way of showing their consideration. It was their way of saying that they were not only giving him the best drake they could, but that it would be just as good for a long time to come.

“I am grateful for Chief Elehalieucco’s thoughtfulness” was, therefore, the only way Zenjirou could respond.

“Of course, I shall relay your words,” the redhead answered proudly, not seeming to catch his internal conflict.

A dash drake of such a caliber meant that Zenjirou would need to learn how to ride it on some level. In truth, it was rather bothersome.

Zenjirou continued on and addressed the other girl in the room. “Nazeema, Chief Reierfon is also gifting a dash drake, but one that is a year old, correct?”

On the Southern Continent, age was counted from one to begin with, so to Zenjirou, they would be zero years old—newly hatched drakes.

While dash drakes were huge creatures that were at least twice as strong as a warhorse, they were smaller than a human’s fist when they first hatched. Naturally, then, a newly hatched drake would only be around the size of a large duckling. Even at the most it could grow, it would only end up the size of a large dog in its first year of life. It would not be at all useful as a mount for a long time.

The young woman with the gray-blue hair gave a soft smile at his confusion. “We of the Reierfon tribe bring up the dash drakes personally, so we can ensure that they will show their full strength even if they change their master. However, the ideal is for its future rider to grow up alongside their drake. Spending such a long time together strengthens the bonds between drake and rider and enables them to have even greater strength.”

That was enough for Zenjirou to understand their aim. This dash drake was not a gift for him, but for his son, Carlos Zenkichi.

Carlos was officially three—or using the more familiar counting system to Zenjirou, he would be two. In twelve years, he would be considered an adult, while the gifted drake would be thirteen, the perfect age for the young prince to ride. If things went according to plan, then for over ten years, they would grow up together and the drake would be worth much more than a simple mount.

By thinking of Carlos, the Reierfon had perhaps targeted his weak spot slightly more effectively than the Elehalieucco.

“Understood. I am grateful for Chief Reierfon’s thoughtfulness. There is one thing I wish to confirm, though. By ‘one that is a year old,’ I assume that means I may choose from several candidates. Is that the case?”

“It is.” She nodded with her smile. “There are several candidates among the hatchlings, so you can choose as you wish.”

“In which case, would it be possible to make that selection in two years—or potentially even later? I would like the candidates to all be brought to Capua.”

Zenjirou’s suggestion was rather bold and would cost a significant amount. However, it was by no means a meaningless suggestion. If he was the one making the selection, then he could simply choose now and there would be no need to bring them all to Capua. However, he was asking them to wait until Zenkichi was old enough to choose himself.

That was far from a bad deal for the Reierfon family either. While Zenjirou was nothing more than the prince consort, Carlos Zenkichi was the first prince. If things went as expected, he would be the next king of Capua, and that was who the drake was being given to. Rather than offering it to Zenjirou, who would give it to Carlos before he was even old enough to appreciate it, allowing the child to choose his favorite would give him a good impression of the Reierfon family.

The issue was that such a request went beyond what Nazeema could agree to as a representative.

“Understood. I shall ask the chief, to be certain, but I do not believe there will be an issue with that. I look forward to it, should it come to pass.”

“Does that mean that you would be accompanying them?” Zenjirou asked with slight surprise.

Nazeema straightened proudly. “Indeed. Even three years from now, the drakes will only be four. The path to Capua is not an easy one, so someone sufficiently versed in their care will be needed.”

Nazeema was—as the daughter of the duke—of a rather high position, but she was also a bit of an eccentric, willing to sleep in the drake stables to care for them, so she was particularly skilled at rearing them. While her appearance gave the impression of a rather restrained personality, she was confident in her skills.

“I see. You will be entirely welcome when the time comes, then.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

With that, the main goal of the meeting—both families offering their thanks and having them accepted—was accomplished. Following that, Zenjirou and the two women kept up a light conversation.

“There are really horses with wings on the Northern Continent?”

“They were tamed and used as mounts as well? That’s...”

“Knights who can fly would be a formidable force. Perhaps bows would be best against them? No, bows are more effective in aiming at a lower elevation than vice versa. Beating them...”

“With dash drakes, the major points you need to remain aware of are the legs and neck, but winged horses mean the wings themselves must be taken into consideration. Dash drakes can overeat without too much effect on their speed, but flying is another matter. Additionally, they may not even be able to carry someone without having eaten, so caring for them would be rather difficult.”

Shuura and Nazeema, having heard about the Husaria of Złota Wolność, had sparkling eyes as they spoke. Shuura was viewing them as enemies and wondering how the knights of the Elehalieucco territory might face them. Nazeema was considering what taking care of these new creatures that could fly through the air would mean.

“Only the commonwealth uses the winged horses on the Northern Continent, and I have heard that even within the commonwealth, their numbers are limited. While they have a rather large range, I doubt they could fly across the entirety of the ocean between the two continents. The trip takes close to a hundred days in a ship, so the horses likely would not deal well with being cooped up for that. I doubt that we will come across them on the Southern Continent,” Zenjirou responded.

“In which case, we can just spare them a modicum of wariness.”

“So, I would have to go to the Northern Continent if I wanted to see one.”

Their reactions to his explanations were just as dissimilar as the two women were. While Shuura was treating them as theoretical foes and thinking up potential countermeasures, Nazeema was interested in the creatures themselves and wanted to care for them personally. However, both were equally interested despite how different their concerns were.

Time passed as they spoke until Shuura said, “Thank you once again for meeting with us today.”

“We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule, Your Majesty.”

“Not at all. In fact, I am grateful to receive such valuable gifts from both Chiefs Elehalieucco and Reierfon. I would like to convey how much of an honor I find it once again.”

Shuura and Nazeema had risen and were just about to leave. As Nazeema took a few steps towards the door, she seemed to remember something and stopped before turning back to Zenjirou.

“Your Majesty, I believe Prince Largo has requested a meeting with you as well. I wish to inform you that my father, Chief Reierfon, has already given his agreement to what the prince wishes to discuss.”

“My father, Chief Elehalieucco, has done likewise,” Shuura added calmly.

Given how smoothly both of them spoke, everything up to the timing of their statements had likely been planned in advance. Additionally, the fact that they had waited until the very last minute made sure that Zenjirou understood this was the main thing they had wanted to tell him in this meeting.

“Very well, I shall be sure to remember that.”

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The next day, just as Nazeema had implied, Zenjirou met with Prince Largo.

“Your Majesty, allow me to offer my thanks for visiting our country,” he greeted.

“Not at all, Prince Largo. This has been a fruitful visit for me as well.”

As Bruno left the throne and Josep ascended, Largo’s official position had changed as well, from prince to royal brother. In accordance with that, his influence within the country seemed to have changed as well. Those who had been close to him as a “potential next king” despite his lower position in the line of succession had distanced themselves. Additionally, seeing his authority remain unchanged even after his opponent Josep had risen to the throne, he was seen as having a stable power base, so others grew closer.

From Zenjirou’s perspective, “prince” or “royal brother” were both royal positions to be addressed as either “prince” or “highness,” so it didn’t feel like much had changed.

When the prince sat down on the sofa opposite him, the first thing he brought up was perhaps the most natural topic—his nephew.

“I offer my apologies once more for Francesco causing a nuisance in Capua. If you have any complaints, bring them to me and I will deal with them as quickly as possible.”

“Perish the thought,” Zenjirou replied.

Largo spoke seriously despite the diplomatic disagreement from Zenjirou. “If he truly is not making a nuisance of himself, then I ask that you take care. That is an omen that he will soon be causing an even greater bother.”

“I will,” Zenjirou replied instinctively at the intense look in Largo’s eyes.

In fact, while Zenjirou was not aware of it, Francesco was just completing his enchantment magic tool, so Largo’s words were right on the mark. Regardless, they moved on to the main topic.

“I assume you have heard from Lady Shuura and Lady Nazeema?” Largo asked.

“I have not,” Zenjirou said, shaking his head. “All I have heard is that both dukes have indicated their support of what you wish to discuss.”

“I see...” He fell into silent contemplation for a moment before abruptly speaking again. “The truth is, we wish to purchase a great many jewels from Capua in the near future. I will be making the purchase, but the two dukedoms will actually be the ones using them.”

Zenjirou twitched at his statement. “The jewels” referred to the marbles that served as a medium for enchantments. Their existence was openly known among both countries’ royal families. So the statement essentially meant that Largo would be making many magic tools and providing them to the Elehalieucco and Reierfon families.

The clarity with which they were stating this meant that they were unlikely to use the marbles for anything particularly suspicious, but Zenjirou would still need to confirm that.

“The jewels? I do have the rights to some of them, but the final decision rests with Her Majesty Queen Aura. I would be willing to discuss the matter with that understanding if that is acceptable to you?” Zenjirou said, adding this restriction.

“We have taken that into account,” Largo replied, nodding in understanding.

Indeed, Largo and the others knew all too well that it would be Aura they were ultimately negotiating with. However, they had seen that Zenjirou had the strongest rights to the marbles and took him for the most difficult obstacle. Between Queen Aura and Prince Consort Zenjirou, the former would clearly be the more difficult negotiating partner, but bringing negotiations to success would be far more difficult without Zenjirou.

Aura was very much used to negotiating and had a significant amount of skill in it, so in the worst case, they could take it as a loss in negotiation. Zenjirou, though, had desires that they did not understand, which could lead to a complete breakdown in negotiations with him. Additionally, that “worst case” was also eminently possible.

At the very least, this was exactly what had happened with Bruno and Josep after they had pushed against his emotional ties the wrong way. In contrast, Largo still had a good relationship with Zenjirou, but carelessness was out of the question.

As the man opposite him straightened, Zenjirou questioned him further. “Very well, then. How many of the jewels would be required? Additionally, what would they be needed for?”

“Of course. We would need at least twenty, preferably forty, and if at all possible, sixty. Each of them would be used for water creation,” Largo said, honesty evident in his tone.

Water creation was the most in-demand magic tool for the primarily desert country of the Twin Kingdoms. The exception was the Animeeum family’s territory, where water purification was in higher demand due to their salt lakes.

The Twin Kingdoms as a whole craved water creation magic tools, so the request itself wasn’t odd. That made it all the stranger, though. Even now, the Sharou family was constantly creating water creation magic tools and they were sold out across the country. It was keeping the country running. So why did they suddenly need at least twenty more?

“Have circumstances changed?” Zenjirou asked.

Something might have caused the water creation tools they already had to be unusable. Perhaps the level of rainfall had decreased even further, leading to a higher demand. Those were the possibilities Zenjirou could think of.

Largo blinked at Zenjirou’s thoughts going down a negative path before laughing and refuting it. “I thank you for your concern, but fortunately, nothing has happened. It is not due to an unforeseen development, but rather a matter of taking the opportunity to show significant action.”

“Oh?” Zenjirou said, showing interest in both his expression and tone.

Largo made himself comfortable and started to explain. “Explaining fully will take quite some time, so I ask for your patience. Your Majesty, are you aware of the four dukes’ respective rankings in our country?”

While Zenjirou didn’t quite see how it was relevant, he answered truthfully. “More or less, yes. If I recall, the Elehalieucco family is the leader, with the Reierfon being second.”

“So you are. Indeed. The Animeeum family is third, and the Elementaccato family is fourth. Not that it really means anything anymore,” he said, finishing with a laugh.

The order of the ducal seats had little relevance outside of the location they’d be seated for at events and in what order they’d be greeted. Economically, the Elementaccato family was at the top, followed by the Animeeum family, then—much further behind—was the Reierfon family and the Elehalieucco family slightly behind them. It was the complete opposite order of their standing, which made it clear just how little meaning that order meant.

Largo continued his explanation. “While that order currently has no meaning, it certainly did in the past. Before the split between the settled and nomadic families, when all four were nomadic, the order showed their strength and size.”

“I see.”

That was enough to convince Zenjirou even with his lack of knowledge of the specifics. It was easy to understand the order showing how things were in the distant past for them.

“The four nomadic tribes were recognized by the Sharou and Gilbelle families and became the four ducal families. After gaining the new power of the Sharou family’s magic tools, the Animeeum family’s salt lake and the gold mine the Elementaccato family discovered meant that they chose to settle and vastly increase their wealth. In other words, disregarding the salt lake and gold mine and assuming all four families were nomadic, the Elehalieucco and Reierfon families had more fertile ground, though that is comparing the nomadic territories within the desert.”

Largo then stopped speaking and reached for the teacup on the table, wetting his throat with it.

“Fertile? How so, specifically?”

Ostensibly answering his question, Largo continued. “Specifically, it was in the number of oases and the greenery that comes with them. Additionally, there is a difference in the length of the rainy season and its frequency.”

Desert oases and the plants around them were not entirely surprising. A desert that was literally nothing but sand and rock would not be inhabitable for humans or their livestock. A rainy season was also only natural. There were in fact rather few deserts where there was no rainfall on Earth.

The Elehalieucco and Reierfon families were relatively blessed in that way, which was exactly why they could maintain their current nomadic lifestyles.

“Still,” Largo continued, “wandering the desert is a difficult lifestyle. They live by alternating between several oases to rear their livestock. If they did not, they would not have enough food or water for them.”

The nomadic tribes already had several water creation magic tools and several people that could cast the spell. However, that was only just enough to guarantee drinking water for people, and perhaps barely enough for some of their livestock.

There was not enough water for the livestock, bathing, or most importantly for growing the plants to feed their livestock. Therefore the nomadic tribes had no choice but to travel from oasis to oasis. Additionally, the water and plants at those oases were limited. The Elehalieucco and Reierfon had over ten thousand members each, and several times that in livestock.

Of course, they were split to match the scale of the oases, but if they carelessly stayed too long, they could accidentally destroy the vegetation beyond recovery. In fact, there were several oases where they had misjudged the timing for when to leave that still hadn’t recovered.

“Well, I can hardly blame them for that,” Largo commented after explaining as much. “No one can really insist that they leave an oasis without having any idea where they would be heading next.” His expression tightened even more as he continued. “However, the loss of an oasis is more than just losing the water source. Depending on the situation, it could lead to the family being unable to go on.”

That was obvious once you thought about it. For example, if you had no supply of food and water, you could travel for only three days. In which case, if you came across the first oasis after three days and assumed you could reach another in another three days, draining the first oasis would also make the second unusable.

“Of course, no matter how many of those magic tools you have, they will not rejuvenate a depleted oasis. However, if you use the empty oasis as a reservoir and set up multiple water-creating magic tools around it constantly active, they will produce a reasonable level of water. If the area around the former oasis doesn’t weather away, at least a reasonable number of plants will grow. Thus, even if the oasis cannot fulfill its original role, it would manage to work as a relay point.”

“I see,” Zenjirou replied, accepting the explanation.

If water alone was the issue, then the magic tools would be sufficient, but the plants were the only option for feeding the drakes. Therefore, turning the depleted oases into at least short-term resupply points would allow them to maintain their existing routes.

“That would make it a matter of life and death for the nomadic families. Are there so many oases that have dried out?” The ominous phrase “desertification” passed through Zenjirou’s mind.

Largo smiled and shook his head, though. “Not at all. Rather than the oases drying up, it is more that they are moving. An oasis in one place will dry up and another will well up, or else an oasis that dried up would recover. Such things are common occurrences in the long history of the desert. Looking at things overall, the total amount of water in the desert has not particularly changed.”

The changes in temperature, wind direction, and the general topography of the area would alter the amount of rainfall and the location of groundwater, which could then lead to former oases springing anew. Therefore taking the long view of matters, along with the overall state of things, it was not that serious. However, it was by no means a minor issue for the currently nomadic tribespeople.

“While it is not an overly concerning situation, it is still a significant problem. For the Reierfon family especially, oases that were hubs to several others have been drying in recent years, and we would like to ameliorate that.”

“I understand the situation. However, if there is a rainy season, could they not use that?” Zenjirou asked casually.

Given the rainy season, Zenjirou thought it would be more efficient to gather the rainwater rather than use magic tools to create water wholesale. It was a natural thought to have, but it was also something the royal family had tried throughout their long history of living in the desert.

“That is, of course, a consideration. Indeed, completely dried-out oases where it seems the groundwater will never return have been made into natural reservoirs by hardening the ground using earth magic. However, it is a desert, with high temperatures and low humidity year-round. While it may temporarily retain water, that will soon evaporate.”

The man offered a slight shrug at that. The reason they created reservoirs out of the dried oases was that a small amount of water could be lifesaving every so often. That said, it was still a frayed lifeline at best. Or, more bluntly, it was no better than a comforting hope.

Once he heard that, Zenjirou made what was perhaps an understandable offhand comment. “Then would it not be better to gather water underground rather than in the open air? With a roof to cover it, the water should not evaporate so simply.”

Underground lakes were resistant to losing water, and the temperature was kept low. That was the extent of Zenjirou’s knowledge.

As was to be expected, Largo only offered a rueful laugh and rebuttal. “You are quite right. If we were able to do that, we would not have an issue. Firstly, modifying an existing but dried-up oasis is very different from excavating a new reservoir. It would need several mages capable of casting earth magic and several magic tools, so it is not practical. Additionally, the weathering of the sands is rapid, so even covering an oasis would lead to surprisingly quick destruction. Secondly, while perhaps I need not say as much, water underground cannot be used as is. Drawing the water up to the surface is rather difficult. It is possible to dig down instead and take the drakes to the underground water, but dash drakes are specialized for running on open plains. There is a risk of accidents even with trained drakes. Finally, the sun does not reach underground, so while this solution would provide water, it would not allow the plants the dash drakes rely on to grow.”

Although his words were a complete refutation of Zenjirou’s idea, his polite and logical explanation meant that the prince consort was not particularly offended. However, it made him realize that there had been a fundamental miscommunication with what he had said.

“I see. Each of those statements are understandable reasons. However, there is something I wonder: why would they excavate underground lakes in the plains? Desert plains or not, there should be some variation in the topography. They could bore a hole atop a decent-sized hill, or ideally a large rock, to allow water to flow in and gather in a hardened cavern. I would assume that then boring sideways into that rock would allow the water to flow easily out.”

Zenjirou was remembering an old TV program about flowering plants growing in the shade of stones in the desert. Those stones were a natural phenomenon, but they had cave systems within them and stored water in both the rainy and dry seasons. The stored water would seep gradually out of the rock and allow plants to grow in the surrounding area even during the dry period. Zenjirou believed that with magic it should be possible to create the same circumstances. Making an artificial version would allow them to add a horizontal hole to get water out more easily when needed. Essentially, it would be like turning naturally occurring rocks into huge casks of water.

Even with magic, making something completely impermeable would be impossible, so the water would probably seep out of those as well and allow plants to grow around it.

Once Zenjirou had finished explaining—albeit clumsily—all of that, Largo just looked back at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“Prince Largo?”

Zenjirou was rather concerned he had said something odd, but the other man simply shook his head lightly as he regained his wits.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. I simply could not hide my surprise at your advice. I never would have imagined that. Indeed, though, that would completely nullify two of the three concerns I mentioned. The cost of doing so with earth magic would remain, but that would perhaps be the only concern. Why has no one noticed such a simple solution before now?”

The latter half of his statement was him talking entirely to himself. Why had no one in the Twin Kingdoms realized something that Zenjirou was capable of pointing out?

The reason was extremely simple: with dash drakes being their main mode of transport, the nomads had seen the areas with excessive variability in terrain as obstacles to be avoided.

Even the dash drakes of the Twin Kingdoms, with their incredible speed over flat ground and almost terrifying stamina, were not particularly suited to wide changes in gradient. Of course, that did not mean they were completely incapable of dealing with them, but it would make travel far slower and could result in broken legs if they lost their footing.

The greater problem was that there were wild drakes in the desert. Among them were, of course, carnivorous species. Several of those thrived in the much more varied topographies in the desert. While a trained dash drake was formidable enough to make you doubt it was truly herbivorous, they would still be at a great disadvantage in the hunting grounds of the carnivores. Inevitably, then, the nomads’ routes had none of the cliffs and hills Zenjirou was talking about.

“Then it is worth consideration?” Zenjirou asked, somewhat taken aback by the prince’s shock for what he considered making conversation.

Largo nodded firmly. “Indeed. It is most intriguing. Frankly, I am unsure it would work as well as we hope, but it sounds very much worth attempting.”

“However, you mentioned that it only provided solutions for three of the problems you had. What of the issue that still remains?”

Largo offered a grin. “Three aside, a single problem can likely be forced through without truly solving it. Therefore, Your Majesty, I would like to alter my request. I would like to raise the minimum order from twenty to forty.”

“I see...”

The man’s aim was truthfully rather easy to understand. Essentially, at the same time as they made water creation tools, they would do the same for excavation tools. Forming huge reservoirs in the cliff faces and hills would require a commensurate amount of effort. However, that effort could be dampened by using magic tools for the work. With a marble, it would be possible to almost immediately make such a simple tool, hence buying more of the marbles—or “jewels,” as they called them.

It was by no means an efficient method, but it would solve the base problem. The issue that remained was whether the results would be sufficient to justify the immense outlay buying the marbles would represent. Zenjirou was a foreigner, though, so there was no need for that to concern him. The concerns that remained were whether they could prepare enough, and whether they could get a fair price.

“Are you certain? As you are aware, those jewels are by no means cheap,” Zenjirou asked, performing the rough calculations in his head.

The glass craftsmen had succeeded—to a certain degree—in mass-producing the marbles. However, the process destroyed the furnaces they used, and the probability of a specific marble being suitable for enchantment was extremely low. That led to an extremely low yield in addition to the prices being incapable of reduction.

It was hardly a surprise, to be frank. Even ignoring anything extraneous and taking the simplest numbers possible, if you assumed that ten craftsmen could only produce ten marbles in a month, each of those would need to sell for enough to feed one of them for a month. That was not even taking materials and fuel costs into account.

The time and man power required for production made costs skyrocket. They were rare, useful, and cost a lot to produce. There was no way they could sell them cheaply.

Even as Largo showed his understanding, he made a point of his own. “It is indeed as you say. Purchasing such a number will cost a somewhat absurd sum. However, while your country is the only supplier of those jewels for us, we are also likely your only client. I, therefore, believe there to be room for some negotiation.”

The statement was completely true. The marbles were one of the dearest desires for the Sharou family, and the Capuan royal family was the only one that could supply them. However, their value lay in their suitability as a medium for enchantment. In other words, they were of no real use to any but the enchanters of the Sharou family. It was an inescapable fact that the Sharou family would be their only clients. A single seller and a single buyer made for equals in some respects. If agreements fell through, then both would lose out.

“You are quite right. However, the jewels are still at an experimental stage, so preparing forty immediately will be quite the burden.”

While Zenjirou was dissembling the facts somewhat, it was also true to an extent. In this case, telling the truth became a reason to put the prices up.

Largo seemed to expect his response and gave a somewhat exaggerated nod. “Understood. That is why I believe I have a sufficient offer in return. Your Majesty, do you know of exclusive contracts?”

“Exclusive contracts?” Zenjirou repeated, looking questioningly at the other man. Of course, he knew the phrase itself, but the way Largo said it clearly implied some deeper nuance. “I do not. What do they entail?”

Largo’s polite smile remained as he explained. “The phrase ‘exclusive contract’ in our country refers specifically to an exclusive contract entered into by a member of one of the ruling families. That is, either an enchanter of the Sharou family or a healer of the Gilbelle family. It refers to the exclusive right to that person’s skills.”

Zenjirou mulled the explanation over in his mind. “Would that be a contract akin to the one between Queen Aura and Princess Isabella?”

“No,” Largo refuted. “That was simply a normal contract with a somewhat longer time period. While I admit there was some amount of individual discretion involved, all the contract allowed was for Princess Isabella to use her healing magic on Queen Aura personally. In other words, the contract itself specified what magic could be used on which person. An exclusive contract is different. For the duration of its effect, there is no need for further negotiation or payment no matter what is asked of the contractor.”

Of course, there were limits due to the contractor’s mana capacity and the spells they knew, so it was not entirely unrestricted. However, within those limits, the contractor had to use their magic as the contract holder asked.

Zenjirou was unable to hide his shock upon hearing these terms. “Such contracts exist?” he asked. He couldn’t imagine how much money that would need. Nor did he think it seemed like a contract that should be bound up in money.

“It is no real surprise you are unaware. Until today, the only people who had ever been part of them were those of either family who were either highly ranked or highly known for their abilities.”

“Ah, I see,” Zenjirou said in understanding.

The exclusive contracts had been private arrangements between members of either family. For example, if the king had suddenly been taken ill or badly injured, it would be an issue if all the healers had already used up their reserves for the day. It was also a perfectly likely occurrence if there were no precautions taken. After all, there was practically always a line out of the Holy White Palace of both domestic and foreign nobility wanting the Gilbelle family’s aid.

There was only one price that would be as valuable as an exclusive healer for the Gilbelle family, an exclusive enchanter from the Sharou family for them. Thus, the exclusive contracts between the families had begun and so they had stayed until now. Only between the two families. But things were changing.

Zenjirou was not so foolish as to miss the implications of Largo bringing up the topic here.

“So you would suggest an exclusive contract to pay for the jewels?” Zenjirou asked to be certain.

“Indeed. What say you?” Largo asked with a genial smile. “Of course, however large the amount involved, it would have to be for a fixed-term contract, but I believe that to be a suitable payment.”

It was certainly an extremely tempting prospect. It was also something Zenjirou could not decide on his own authority. The final decision would need to be made by Aura. However, in order for that to happen, some specifics needed to be hashed out.

“It is a surprisingly attractive proposition, yes. Hypothetically, if we were to accept this, would Prince Francesco be the contractee? Or perhaps Princess Bona?”

“I am afraid that would be out of the question. While I cannot divulge the specifics, only those who have either exceeded or failed to exceed requirements of status, age, proficiency, and so on are eligible.”

Status went without saying. The king and crown prince would be those who had exclusive contracts as the contract holders rather than contractees. Neither Princess Bona—who came from a lower-class family—nor Prince Francesco—who had no place in the line of succession—would violate that clause.

Age was also understandable after some thought. However skilled someone was, if they were either a young child or a senior with numbered days, they would not be permitted to enter into such a contract. Largo also explained that an older person could be granted an exception if they particularly wanted to be part of such a contract. Incidentally, it was this condition that precluded Bona, who was still in her late teens. Francesco was in his late twenties, though, and so would be eligible.

The final requirement was in proficiency. Just as with age, there were upper and lower bounds for that. If they were unaccomplished in their lineal magic, there would be little value in an exclusive contract with them. Conversely, neither family could allow the other use of someone too accomplished, so they were outside of consideration as well. In Francesco’s case, he came in above the upper bound.

Putting things plainly, those who could fall under an exclusive contract were healers or enchanters whose status, age, and abilities would not cause concern. Once Largo had explained all of that, it made sense to Zenjirou.

“Understood. In that case, would it be possible to be told what magic they are able to use before the contract is made?”

“Of course. All of the magic the contractee can use will be listed.”

There was a clear emphasis on the word “all” there.

In other words, the contractee would be assumed to not be able to use anything other than the spells they listed, even if they really had learned it. That was part of the conditions for the contract.

“Incidentally, the contract would be valid for two years in exchange for forty jewels.”

“Two years...” Zenjirou mused.

That would ordinarily be so short as to be worth no consideration at all. Normally, it would take several months even for the simplest of enchantments, and years for more complicated examples. In practical terms, such a short contract would be no different than purchasing one or two magic tools.

The marbles overturned that paradigm, though. A marble drastically reduced the amount of time necessary. With marbles, a tool that someone could create a few dozen or so of in a year could be increased to hundreds. It was truthfully a rather appetizing deal.

Of course, the mass production of marbles was yet to reach such a level.

Largo’s smile didn’t falter as Zenjirou thought things over. Instead, he made another point.

“However, as I am sure you are aware, those of the Sharou family have restrictions on their activities outside of the country in order to maintain agreements with the Gilbelle Papacy. Please be aware that even during the contract period, the contractee will remain in the country.”

“Hm...”

Zenjirou had no real words in response to that.

In the Twin Kingdoms, the Sharou family dealt with internal matters and the Gilbelle family dealt with external matters. Therefore, the Sharou family could not—as a rule—act outside of their borders. Francesco and Bona were exceptions among exceptions, and the Sharou family had needed much negotiation with the Gilbelle family in order to allow that.

Largo’s statement was logical but at the same time extremely convenient for them. If the contractee could not leave the Twin Kingdoms, then for both ordering and receiving the magic tools, Capua would have to send someone here. Of course, one or two round trips were possible in a year, so there was that option, but it was obviously a request for Zenjirou to visit with his teleportation.

The merits of having someone capable of casting teleportation within their country periodically were obvious. While he was practically restricted to a single casting per day, it reduced a monthlong journey to mere moments. In fact, it was possible that Zenjirou’s regular presence within the country was closer to the main goal of this discussion than the marbles. Zenjirou had a distinct feeling that was far from a groundless thought.

Whatever the case, the agreement involved too much for Zenjirou to agree to personally, so he was unfortunately unable to reply immediately.

“Very well, I shall discuss this with Her Majesty upon my return,” was all he could say here.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Several days had passed since then.

While Zenjirou was not in the royal palace, each day another guest from the Twin Kingdoms had arrived there.

Princess Margarita of the Sharou family was officially visiting, and her attendants and guards had been sent ahead of her. There was also an exclusive healer sent alongside her.

Additionally, slotted in between them was the former king Bruno.

“You are even bolder than I thought, Your Highness,” Aura greeted him.

“Hardly. You are already one of our closest allies and hosting two of our family. I have nothing to fear here. It has been a while, Queen Aura. How many years has it been since you stayed in our country?”

The young queen and old former king were in the farthest room in the palace. Only three people were in the room: the two royals and Aura’s confidant, Fabio. Both Capua and the Twin Kingdoms were keeping the fewest number of people involved possible. It was a truly private discussion.

“With secrecy being our top priority, please do not expect a great deal of hospitality here,” Aura chuckled as she reached for the tea that Fabio had prepared.

“Of course. I am only here for the day regardless, so there is no need.”

Bruno had decided that he would be leaving immediately via teleportation by Aura after their discussion had concluded. This speed was only possible now with people who could cast teleportation being present in both countries—Aura in Capua and Zenjirou in the Twin Kingdoms.

“Then let us use what time we have wisely and cut to the meat of our discussion, Your Highness. Or perhaps I should call you Remnant of the White Empire?”

Despite the force behind her smile, the sly old fox just waved off the statement.

“You may use whichever you prefer. Well, I should warn you that perhaps the latter is best used outside of prying eyes and ears. Even if it is fact.”

The queen raised a red eyebrow at that. While she had already heard the information from Lucretia, there was a greater weight behind it coming from the prior king—the core of their country.

“Would you tell me the details?” she asked, her eyes fixed on him.

The older man’s genial mood didn’t falter. “I have no desire to hide anything, but I am honestly not as informed as you might like. After all, the only record was verbal, so there was much lost, and likely untrue portions.”

“There were no records? At all?”

“That was the contract, though the contract itself was passed down verbally as well.”

“And was the agreement itself only verbal?” the queen asked, despite knowing that there was no chance of that.

Just as she expected, the former king shook his head. “Hardly. It was a true contract bound by magic. Or so it is said.”

Contract magic was something Aura had very recently heard of.

“That was one of the lineal magics of the White Empire. However, Lucretia stated that had died out. Were there survivors?”

The remnant of the empire shook his head. “There were not. Still, survivors or not, magic tools exist, no? The majority of the magic tools we—or the Shulepov family at the time—made were collaborations with the other royal families. Naturally, there were those that sealed the contract magic of the third family within them.”

It was, now that it had been said, a natural explanation. Even now the Twin Kingdoms created healing magic tools by pooling the two families’ lineal magics. They would have obviously done the same when the White Empire existed.

“Indeed, Lucretia mentioned that the Lulled Sea was made using creation magic. I suppose it was therefore inevitable there would be magic tools from the other families as well. I assume they remain as a legacy in the Twin Kingdoms. Are there many others?”

“Who can say?”

Despite the former king obviously playing dumb, Aura didn’t pursue the question further. She had not thought to begin with that the Twin Kingdoms would reveal their trump card of the ancient magic tools from the White Empire.

“Well, no matter. There are other things I wish to ask, though. Who was this contract with? What were the terms? Does the tool itself still exist?”

The queen purposefully flattened her expression and Bruno also gathered himself and answered earnestly.

“The contract was with the Jötunn and ancient drakes of Utgardr. The terms were to abandon the knowledge from the era of the White Empire. Finally, as for the tool...I do not know. It does not rest with us. If the tales hold true, then Utgardr should still have it, but I have no proof.”

Utgardr. The name was familiar to Aura in two ways. The first was as it had just been used, as she had heard it from Lucretia. It was the name of the Jötunn’s city-state that had harbored the former remnants of the empire. The other way she had heard it was one of the countries of the northern reaches of the selfsame continent, Utgard. While it was not completely the same, it was so similar it was impossible to ignore.

“I believe you have already heard, but there is a country called Utgard on the Northern Continent. Do you know anything about it?”

Bruno offered a shrug at Aura’s sharp question. “While in position I believe it likely has a deep connection with Utgardr, I can assure you that it is not the same thing.”

The answer was both what Aura had expected and outside of her assumptions.

“I would like more detail,” she said simply.

“It is simple. If our teachings are correct, then it is impossible for anyone to travel to or from Utgardr now. Actually, no. There are a scant few for whom it is possible. Allow me to correct myself. None other than you or His Majesty Zenjirou could reach Utgardr; that is how far away it is.”

There was only one thing that could mean.

“Another realm...” she murmured.

“Assuming our teachings are correct.” He nodded. “Utgardr itself was originally another realm extremely close to our own, the territory of the Jötunn. While that was their stronghold, they had some connection with this world.”

As time passed, though, the distance between this world and Utgardr had grown and grown. Of course, the Jötunn had built a culture to rival the dragons, so they had resisted the separation for a while, connecting the two worlds. However, no matter how advanced a civilization they were, they could not overturn the laws of the world.

The Jötunn knew that and had decided to cut ties with this world.

“The issue there, though, was the many who were dependent on Utgardr. I do not know whether it was all of them, the majority, or only a small portion of them, but many of those people left Utgardr and decided to remain in this world. Our ancestors were among them.”

Those ancestors were the greatest issue among those who had decided to remain.

“The tenth family, the Demichevs—now the Gilbelles—aside, we—or at the time, the Shulepovs simply had the Jötunns’ protection. We were never officially pardoned by the dragons. They just gave tacit approval for our survival. Hundreds of years at least had passed, but that is nothing to the Jötunn or ancient dragons. We could therefore not simply say that it has nothing to do with us, just our distant ancestors. So we negotiated with the Jötunn and the dragons again, and with the contract, we bought our family. In a certain sense, the Gilbelles could be considered simple collateral damage.”

There were three major terms to the contract. First, that they abandon the knowledge and techniques of the White Empire—though they were permitted to keep several magic tools as heirlooms. Second, that they remove themselves from the Northern Continent. Third, that the majority of the magic tools they were not permitted to take would remain with the Jötunn, while a small amount would be given to the dragons.

“That is what our teachings say, at least,” Bruno summed up. “I would not act high and mighty about it; after all, there are likely many things we are mistaken about. Try as we might, verbal tradition is just that, verbal.”

With the embargo on written records, they had managed to pass the gist down verbally. However, verbal records had a tendency to warp with time and result in omissions.

The topic had grown too much for her, so the redheaded queen took a deep breath to recover.

“I am rather unsure how to react. While it is extremely important information and will influence our policies going forward, there is too much to it, so I cannot come up with a simple response or method to deal with it.”

“I suppose so. Still, unlike me, you are a serving monarch. You cannot simply discard the responsibility.”

“Tch...”

Unable to refute him, Aura took a sip of her drink to break the conversation up, then continued once she had recovered.

“No matter. Let us deal with the most urgent issues first. I assume you have already heard reports from Lucretia, no? How much of a threat do you see the Northern Continent presenting?”

“Hmm...” the former king mused, resting his chin in his hand.

Aura narrowed her eyes and continued. “I will not renounce my husband or children. I am also assuming that their lineage will be revealed. Therefore, I see no avoiding Capua being involved in the dispute between the church and White Empire. We are, as the saying goes, in the same boat as the Twin Kingdoms. Dispense with the dissembling; negotiations can come after we have shared information and ensured our understandings of the situation align.”

It was Bruno’s turn to raise an eyebrow now. Aura had been far more open than he had expected. After a period of silence, the older man surrendered.

“They will come. It will not be immediately, but they will come. I would estimate around a decade at the earliest. If things go well, it may be several decades, but the fact of their arrival remains.”

The technological advances had led to ever bigger and better boats. The nations were growing stronger and stronger, focusing on expansion. All of it pointed towards an invasion.

“They will? There are already a great number of trading ships between the continent’s coasts,” Aura mentioned pointedly.

“Come now, do not play the fool. You were the one to say we should dispense with dissembling. I am not referring to the minor numbers of individuals making the journey. Ships either backed by the countries, or outright owned by them—that is the level of influence I am suggesting.”

It wasn’t a simple expansion of trade that Bruno was implying. Instead, he was foreseeing more forceful terms, or else outright violence.

Internally, Aura breathed a sigh of relief at Bruno being more willing to be open than she had expected. “Meeting the threat together will be most important. What countermeasures have you thought of?”

“Both domestic and foreign countermeasures. They are simple and straightforward, but that is our only option. We need to build up enough strength that we will not lose to the Northern Continent domestically, while also strengthening the Southern Continent—particularly the western reaches with ports—so that it does not fall.”

That was what she had expected, an optimistic view. She decided to take things further.

“Look at this,” she said, bringing out several sheets of paper.

There were several of the pictures the maid with Zenjirou had taken, carefully selected and printed. There were tools that Zenjirou had brought from Japan. While there was a risk in showing the results—even if not the tool itself—to a foreign royal, Aura saw those risks as worthwhile now.

“What in the world?!”

Just as she had expected, Bruno’s shock was enough to make him lose his cool for the first time that day. The shock was in regard to the pictures themselves and their printing.

“There will be no explanation of these. If you insist, then we can return to the explanation of your legacy from the White Empire. Regardless, look closely at these images. They are of the port city Pomorskie, of the Golden Commonwealth of Złota Wolność.”

“Hm...” For the time being, Bruno let the matter drop and looked over the papers. “How accurate can I assume these pictures to be?”

“You can take them as exactly what was visible in reality. There may be slight differences in color, but there is nothing missing that was there, and nothing shown that was not.”

“Hmm...”

The crease between the man’s eyebrows deepened. His long time on the throne meant he could understand immediately why Aura was showing him such classified information.

Laid out before him was a beautiful city with red roofs, white walls, and paved roads. Everything fit together, including the colors. There was also a number of people coming and going, along with their bright expressions. The variety in colors that they were wearing and the ability to take care of their appearances were evident. Additionally, the port itself was horrifyingly huge, with countless large ships.

The strength obvious behind all of that was extreme, even put mildly.

With a sharp expression, Aura spoke. “A country is often likened to a person. The king is their head, and the citizens are their limbs. However, I think that could not be further from the truth.”

It sounded like the queen was opening up with something completely unrelated, but Bruno understood her well enough to know that she would not do such a thing in this situation. Instead, he simply lifted his gaze from the paper to Aura’s face to bid her continue.

“After all, a person can understand mentally that if they hit their limbs on something, it will hurt. That pain then allows them to avoid moving their limbs in that direction. However, a country—particularly a large one—will not have its king feel pain from beating soldiers against a campaign. At the very least, until the battle is in front of the king’s eyes, it is someone else’s problem.”

Bruno could understand exactly what she was implying. A person would never sacrifice their limbs and keep trying to fight. However, there were plenty of kings who would just look to the next battle if their soldiers were rebuffed, assuming they had the strength and manpower to do so.

“Therefore, no matter what forces we bring to bear—no matter if we even rebuff their forces without a single casualty—that will not mean victory. As long as we do not have the ships that can cross to the Northern Continent, the status quo of them attacking and us defending will remain.”

It would be akin to a game of baseball with altered rules, having no bottom innings. However skilled your pitchers, and however unskilled the opponent’s batters, such a rule would see a draw at best, with there being no chance of victory. You could repeat the match over and over again, and eventually, you would lose.

Bruno had just as much experience as a head of state as Aura, so he immediately understood what she was saying.

“Then we need to have some method of striking at their strongholds... I understand the logic. Indeed, it becomes much easier to sue for peace if you have struck a blow against your opponent. So, what is it that Capua wants of the Twin Kingdoms?”

“‘Want’ is not quite the right term. We are simply telling you that our plan revolves around that. I assume you have heard my husband wed Princess Freya. Her homeland is one of the most developed countries on their continent in terms of their technology. We are moving to use those abilities to build ships of our own that can cross between the continents.”

Her claims were mostly true. Even if she failed to get the Twin Kingdoms on her side here, Capua did not have the option of ceasing their efforts towards intercontinental trade. However, it would also take a great deal of work. While building the ships would take time, training sailors was even more difficult. The majority of Capua’s naval capabilities were nothing more than local fishing expeditions. Even their small number of trading vessels only went up and down the coast. She could not begin to estimate how long it would take to train sailors capable of voyages on the order of a hundred days long—even with the help of the Glasir’s Leaf’s crew.

The Twin Kingdoms could bridge the gap. Magic tools such as water purifiers, manipulators, and wind generators would make sea travel much easier. If they could make use of the healers from the Gilbelle family, the training could be less careful as well.

Bruno remained silent for a while before answering. “Give us a ship as well—at least one. We will pay in magic tools. The details can wait. I am not in a position to pledge the Gilbelle Papacy’s support, but I will discuss it with them and aid in convincing them. However, all of that will rest upon the promise of a ship.”

The queen outright grinned at his reply. “Then it is decided. I will pledge a ship on the level of the Glasir’s Leaf. How will you crew it?”

“I intended to discuss things with the Animeeum family. If the worst should come to pass, I shall appoint a captain in name and borrow personnel.”

The Animeeum family had a massive salt lake. They were therefore the only group that had any level of use of ships in the landlocked country they inhabited. Even sailors who were only familiar with the still waters of a lake and small ships would be better to train than complete amateurs.

“I do not know where your thoughts are focused, but we do not have enough people that we can lend them. I would imagine Uppasala itself will be the best source.”

“Hm, I suppose so,” the former king said with a sour look.

While they might follow the same faith, he had no trust in them currently. That said, for both building and using the ships, forging connections with a more advanced country like Uppasala was indispensable.

“Very well, then,” he said in resignation. “However, does that mean I can assume that Uppasala is our ally?”

Aura offered a small shrug. “They are certainly enemies of the church thanks to the Lulled Sea. Additionally, with Princess Freya, I would assume we can treat them as such. I have at least gained permission to station a warship in Logfort—that is a lake in Uppasala—if the worst should come to pass.”

“If you have permission to lodge troops with them, what would you call them other than an ally?” Bruno asked sarcastically.

The queen responded with a fierce grin. “I would say that we have fulfilled the bare minimum in requirements to set off. If war truly breaks out, then we need a beachhead on the Northern Continent. Conversely, we need to avoid forming a beachhead on the Southern Continent at all costs.”

“Do you understand what you are implying?” the former king asked. “I seem to recall that Princess Freya’s current name is Freya Alcott Uppasala, no?”

It was hardly a surprise that Bruno’s voice grew sharp. Aura had given the Alcott duchy to Freya with promises of creating a port there. In essence, that meant that if she failed to keep Freya under control and Uppasala on her side, she would be literally paying in both money and labor to create a beachhead for the Northern Continent.

“I admit that there was a need to gamble. While the dangers should we fail are great, the rewards should we succeed are even greater, and our chances lie closer to success.”

It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy. However, the chances of success were far higher.

The former king let out a slight sigh as he admitted Aura’s words held true. “As your predecessor, I have to warn you. Assimilating foreign things is much harder than you think. While you, His Majesty, and Princess Freya remain in power, it will not be an issue. The problem will come with the next generation and the one after that. Once personal relationships fade, your descendants may see Princess Freya’s descendants as foreigners and they may find themselves at home in Uppasala, from the start of their bloodline rather than where they were born and raised. You will need to lay the groundwork in law during your reign.”

His words—those of a monarch who had reigned over a combined country of nomads from the White Empire and nomads from the desert who had yet to fall apart—had an indescribable weight to them.

“I thank you for your wisdom. I shall keep it in mind,” Aura replied, her face more chagrined than it had been at all that day.