Chapter 261
“Ahem, ahem.”
Romandro shook off the awkwardness with an unnecessary cough. Why was he so nervous and embarrassed? He stood in front of the blackboard, fidgeting with the pen handle.
When dispatched to disaster sites, he used to recite reports in front of dozens of people two or three times a day, but strangely, he felt more nervous now compared to then.
Just four people.
And they were all familiar faces.
“Romandro, I’m counting on you.”
Was it because Jin, the future Emperor of Bariel and the current sole heir to the imperial family, was looking at him with sparkling eyes full of expectation?
“Sir Romandro. Please begin.”
Or maybe it was because he was in front of the boy who had risen to 4th in the imperial hierarchy with his bare hands, the Minister of Magic.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he was presenting information to Ian in this way. He’s a brilliant and meticulous superior. If he made even one mistake, he’d likely be pointed out immediately.
“Come on, hurry up so we can go eat!”
“…”
While Jin and Ian were sitting side by side with their desks pushed together, Beric was sprawled on the sofa, and Xiaoshi was standing near the door.
Romandro coughed again and picked up the chalk. These were the two people leading the Bariel Empire. He had been tasked with introducing foreign affairs, which they knew nothing about, for the first time. How weighty was this responsibility? Excluding personal emotions, his primary goal was to convey just the facts plainly.
As he flipped over the map he had prepared in advance and began his introduction:
“The Great Empire of Ba-riel!”
“Wow, you’ve got quite a voice there, Sir Romandro.”
“Located on the central continent of Gaia, it’s difficult to see the sea except at the southernmost tip. Instead, it has achieved stable development due to its vast territory, abundant resources, and the mountain ranges surrounding its borders. Look at the mountain ranges. Don’t they look like they’re being embraced by the hands of a god? This is evidence that Bariel has received divine blessing.”
“Oh? Here! Ian, here’s Hielo. Hielo.”
Beric frowned as he glared at the map, then spotted the Hielo territory and rushed over to point at it. Nearby, the Monne mountain range where Luron stones were discovered was colored in dark.
Romandro waved his hand as if to say “get out of the way,” but Beric just kept alternating between looking at the center and Hielo, marveling.
“Wow, it’s really far from here to here.”
“It took fifteen days by carriage.”
“That’s right. This is Karenna! Where we met Hasha!”
Who’s Hasha? As Jin tilted his head, Ian pointed to the northwest of Bariel with his fingertip and explained.
“The northwest border is currently in chaos due to civil war, natural disasters, and so on. The country is divided, with many community units close to tribes, and even if not, looking inside, the conflict between factions is serious. Hasha is a necromancer from a country called Astana among those.”
“I’ve heard of that. Former Minister Wesleigh invited necromancers from various regions for cultural and academic exchange purposes. But underneath, there was an intention to raise influence by creating a place of peace among the conflicting countries.”
He had volunteered to act as a kind of mediator. Aside from the grand cause of resolving conflicts, numerous intentions and desires were hidden underneath. In particular, it was a project largely based on Wesleigh’s misguided love.
“Yes, Your Highness. That’s correct. You know well.”
“Hmm. Just this much.”
Jin smiled shyly as if embarrassed.
Ian quickly sketched a central map at the edge of his notebook, then roughly pointed out the outlying areas.
“The necromancers are currently continuing their academic research in the outskirts of the central area. Most returned to their countries when Wesleigh died, but a few are still fulfilling their agreed study periods without canceling them.”
Since their research requires corpses, they have no choice but to do it as secretly as possible. Jin nodded repeatedly, taking in Ian’s words.
Seeing this, Romandro pushed Beric aside and approached closer, almost in tears. He was going to explain that! He had lost the lead because of that damn Beric.
“Your Highness, please! I’ll explain the rest!”
The information and knowledge Jin gains now shapes him and will complete the future Bariel. Romandro, thinking he couldn’t lose this glorious starting point, passionately pointed at the map.
Bang!
“The Hielo territory is in the east of the country, and adjacent to it is the Kingdom of Hawan. Hawan shares borders with Bariel and Ruswena. The countries in the northwest are small and their internal affairs are chaotic, so you don’t need to worry much about them. Your Highness, just focus on three countries. Three countries. I’ll tell you in clockwise order.”
Ruswena in the northeast.
Clippoford in the south.
Burgos in the west.
“Oh…”
Jin murmured softly. He had learned about this in his prince education, but hearing it again like this felt unfamiliar. Ian also raised his eyebrows as if pleased to hear these country names after a long time.
“You must know Ruswena well. It has a deep history, excellent granary regions, and is where black jewels come from. Currently, Queen Eriphony is ruling, and her cousin came as an envoy.”
“What kind of person is this Eriphony?”
Swoosh!
He had been waiting for that question!
Romandro flipped the map to reveal a crude portrait. Long blue-green hair, white skin, and eyes sharply slanted to the sides, especially the sanpaku eyes (showing white above or below the iris) that caught the eye. Overall, she was a woman with bold features.
“While judgment is for posterity to make, currently her reputation is not bad both internally and externally. I’m not sure if you saw the Eldert delegation that came to the palace.”
“Yes. I saw them. With Lord Ian. He was handsome.”
“Blood doesn’t lie, they look exactly alike. You could say they’re almost the same, just different genders. Ah, I heard she enjoys hunting. They say she’s incredibly skilled with a bow, but well, rumors about leaders tend to be exaggerated in every country. Ahem.”
“Will the queen come herself for the appointment ceremony?”
“Since the letter hasn’t been sent yet, it’s difficult to gauge their response. It’s most likely that Eldert will come again.”
Ian, who had been quietly listening to Romandro’s explanation, stared intently at the portrait of the Ruswena queen with his arms crossed. No matter how strong the power of bloodline is, could they really look that similar to the Eldert envoy? It’s truly strange.
“Next is Clippoford. Their first prince has been confirmed as the successor. Traditionally, the successor has taken on the role of foreign envoy, so it will likely be the same this time. The first prince, Noah.”
This is similar to Mariv. Mariv, as the first prince, also led the reception of foreign envoys. He intentionally visited foreign countries after coming of age. In that process, he met the Rutherford merchant group, the source of amber raw stones.
While Ian was examining the portrait, Beric raised his hand as if something was bothering him.
“Ah, but Sir Romandro. Who the hell drew that?”
“…Why?”
“I could draw better than that with my feet. The eyes look like a beggar’s. Isn’t it just lines drawn randomly?”
“That’s, well, because he’s smiling, it’s folded like this…”
Romandro bit his lip with a hurt expression. It was clearly a reaction indicating he had drawn it himself. Jin hurriedly comforted Romandro.
“It, it looks very well drawn.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course. I think I’ll be able to recognize him easily even when we meet at the appointment ceremony. Thank you, Romandro.”
Prince Noah had tanned skin and orange hair. Unlike the Ruswena queen, he had squinting eyes with a broad smile.
If Romandro had drawn the portrait like that, he must be someone who always wears a smile. Jin could roughly guess what his personality might be like.
“Clippoford places great importance on song and dance. Not just Prince Noah, but it’s a cultural phenomenon. It’s related to their founding myth, um. To put it simply, it’s a story about how the gods were impressed by the dance of a red bat-eared fox and gave it a human body.”
“Your Highness. What can you infer from this myth?”
At Ian’s sudden question, Jin’s eyes widened. But soon, he fumbled, folding his fingers as he listed what came to mind.
“That they like song and dance, and their symbolic animal is a fox? They probably have temples like Bariel. Um, ah! And their founding history must be deep as well.”
“Yes, correct. Having a founding myth means they have existed for so long that it’s difficult to gauge their origins. It’s also a common point among the three countries Romandro pointed out.”
It means they’re not powers that were born and disappeared between large and small wars and conflicts, but have guarded a part of the continent for a long time along with Bariel.
Beric flipped to the last page as if bored.
Charak!
“Huh?”
The last one, Burgos in the west.
Unlike the previously explained Queen Eriphony of Ruswena and Prince Noah, this page was filled to the brim with a drawing. As soon as Beric saw it, he muttered as if he had realized something.
“…Well, well, they’re all that.”
“That what?”
What nonsense is he going to spout now! Romandro tensed up and raised his hand, ready to chop down on his forehead if necessary. But Beric didn’t even blink an eye as he picked his ear.
“Eriphony is a blue-green snake, Noah is a red fox, and this guy is a black bear, right?”
Ah. What should I do with this ignorant troublemaker? Romandro shook his head pitifully, holding his forehead.
“In my opinion, Beric you bastard, the gods must be watching over you. It was the same in Hielo. Your given lifespan is too long compared to your behavior. Instead of loafing around, you’d better go out and offer some prayers.”
“Huh? Did I say something wrong? Try to refute it.”
“Never say such things in front of others! I’ll really hit you!”
Beric squawked that it was unfair, while Romandro grumbled for him to be quiet. While the two were causing a commotion, Jin quietly looked up at the portrait.
Due to its low quality, it was smudged here and there from fingerprints.
“…It’s incredible. I can feel the spirit even from the drawing.”
Scars haphazardly filling the face, the left ear half cut off with an ornament taking its place, and a rugged, angular jaw that looked solid and firm.
Truly an amazing man.
Just as Jin let out an admiring exclamation.
“…Timothy.”
“Do you know this person? Lord Ian?”
“Yes. I think I’ve heard it somewhere. Sir Romandro. Is this man’s name Timothy?”
“Yes! That’s right, Timothy!”
Ian’s expression was somewhat subtle as he stared straight ahead with his arms crossed. He frowned as if trying to recall something, remaining silent for a while.
Jin waited patiently, but Ian ultimately just smiled without saying anything.
“Your Highness. You should recognize these portraits well so you can greet the guests excellently at the appointment ceremony.”
“Don’t worry!”
“Yes. I’m not worried. Because I’m sure Your Highness will do well.”
Ian answered thus and stood up from his seat. Seeing him even remove the pen nib and put it down, it seemed he was about to go out.
“Sir Romandro. Please continue explaining to His Highness Jin. I just remembered some unfinished business, so I’ll be back soon.”
“Iaaaan! Where are you going?”
“I told you, I’m going to take care of some work.”
“Let’s go together! Let’s stop by the dining hall on the way back.”
Bang!
Beric, who had been grabbing Romandro’s collar, immediately chased after Ian as he left. Surprised by the sudden action, Jin just stared at the half-open door.
Creeak.
Until Xiaoshi completely closed the door. Jin lightly shrugged his shoulders and picked up the pen Ian had put down. Then he looked at Romandro, his eyes asking him to continue explaining.
“Ahem. Your Highness, then shall we continue just the two of us?”
“Yes, yes. Let’s do that. I’ll ask a lot of questions!”
“I welcome it. Um, ah, and Your Highness. It’s just my concern, but may I speak…”
What is it? Jin smiled and gave permission.
“When foreigners are present, you must never, ever speak about imperial secrets. Even if you become close later. Lord Ian may be trustworthy, but in the future, you shouldn’t tell even Lord Ian. A true servant would voluntarily block their ears the moment they hear imperial secrets.”
The smile slowly faded from Jin’s face. As if he didn’t understand what the man was saying at all.
“Ah, of course, I’m not saying Lord Ian did anything wrong. But for mutual trust and a better relationship, it’s better to keep what should be kept… um. It’s my small request.”
Romandro smiled awkwardly and gripped the chalk.
“Then, shall we continue!”
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