novelraw Chapter 201: Abyssal Holy War - War Preparations (2)
Chapter 201: Abyssal Holy War - War Preparations (2)
Chapter 201. The Abyssal Holy War - Preparations for War (2)
A magnificent coastal city in the northeast of the Central Continent, and simultaneously, the far west of the Eastern Empire.
Tsargrad, the capital of the Empire.
Along the straight, truly magnificent boulevards stood an Imperial Palace so vast it made even Francia’s luxurious royal castle look like the humble estate of a country noble.
President Maurice Talleyrand, representing Revolutionary Francia, strolled through the palace behind his elven guide with a leisurely pace, as if completely unconcerned with the urgent situation.
Honestly, at first, he had been tempted more than once to urge the elf to hurry, but having grown somewhat accustomed to it, this situation actually made him feel more relaxed.
"Have mercy, we beseech you-!"
"Have mercy, we beseech you~!"
"Ha~~ve mercy, we beseech you-!"
Talleyrand glanced with hazy eyes at the human ministers of the Eastern Empire, who were kneeling and wailing before the Imperial Palace, then followed the elven minister who moved at a leisurely pace, oblivious to their pleas.The chasm between the humans, who wept and begged for salvation as their eastern territories were being devastated, and the elves, who lived on leisurely as always, with no sense of crisis.
After walking along while appreciating this ridiculous comedy, Talleyrand arrived before the high throne of the Tsar.
"Maurice Talleyrand, representing the Revolutionary Kingdom of Francia, offers his greetings to the great, noble, and sole protector of the continent, the Tsar."
Talleyrand bowed his head respectfully, and the Tsar waved his hand dismissively almost before he had finished.
"Withdraw."
"But, O Tsar, according to etiquette…"
"That etiquette was established 1,427 years ago!"
"According to the laws of the Empire, another 73 years must pass before the etiquette can be revised…"
"Bah, I don't want to hear it! Get out of my sight!"
"Have mer—"
"That damned 'have mercy, have mercy'! Must you see this Tsar collapse clutching the back of his neck before you leave!"
When the elves had finally all withdrawn, the Tsar leaped up from his throne and approached Talleyrand.
"Welcome, Talleyrand, my loyal subject of the Empire."
"For the great, noble, and sole protector of the continent to welcome this subject so warmly is truly an honor."
The Tsar, as if unconcerned with such pleasantries, walked over, dragging his long, long, long robes, and held out his hand. Talleyrand quickly unwrapped a box of macarons and held it up for the Tsar to easily pick from.
Without a word, the Tsar picked one, popped it into his mouth, and made a satisfied sound.
"Oh, ooh. This is the taste, this is it! Why on earth can the imperial chef not replicate this flavor! The incompetent fool!"
That was because he always left out a step or two from the recipe he shared.
Talleyrand kept the thought to himself.
Regardless, the Tsar busily picked up macarons and ate them without another word.
Talleyrand waited patiently for the snack time of the Tsar—who, on the outside, looked like a teenage boy fond of sweets and pastries—to end.
He had only brought four, knowing the Tsar would get bored if there were too many, so the wait was not long.
Finally, after devouring all four and letting out a small sigh of regret, the Tsar suddenly grabbed Talleyrand's arm.
"Talleyrand."
"Yes, great, noble, and—"
"You have to help me."
Ah, finally.
Talleyrand suppressed the smile that threatened to break out and asked.
"O great, noble, and sole protector of the continent, Tsar, this humble subject is too foolish to—"
"I just want to eat macarons and live comfortably, but those damn bastards keep begging me to 'have mercy' every day, I can't get any rest! I'm only 200 years old! Why did this have to happen in my time!"
The 200-year-old Tsar, with the appearance of a teenage boy, went into a frenzy, grabbing the ridiculously heavy-looking, jewel-and-gold-encrusted crown with both hands, before his eyes flashed and he seized Talleyrand's shoulders.
"Just help me out. Even if official aid is difficult because those damn old-timers are making such a fuss, if you just help, I'll give you anything you ask for from the Imperial family's treasury! You know my position! A loyal subject like you would surely understand this Tsar's heart, right?"
Talleyrand replied with an exceptionally kind smile.
"Of course, O great, noble, and sole protector of the continent. Then first…"
He then took out the agreement he had prepared in advance.
"To fulfill my loyalty as a subject, I wish to take a faithful oath of allegiance."
*
The northern Iberian Peninsula, the trade port of Bilbao.
Surveying the port I was entering by ship for the first time in a while, I opened my mouth.
"…It’s developed beyond recognition."
The harbor, which had once struggled to even accommodate the large ship-of-the-line, the Libre, had been expanded to a massive scale and was bustling with a great number of merchants and employees.
While one could feel a similar vitality in Francia’s trade port of Aquitaine, the sight of not just humans, but also orcs, goblins, and even the occasional beastman roaming the streets was quite refreshing.
"Ahahaha, my brother mentioned he went through some hardship."
Shandra said with a grin, and I replied with a slight smile of my own.
"You'll be seeing your brother after a long time, Shandra."
Shandra replied, her gaze subtly shifting to the side.
"With my husband, too."
"Ahem, ahem."
Gaston cleared his throat, his face faintly flushing.
Shandra, who had been acting as a de facto diplomat and financial attaché, had officially married Gaston earlier this year.
This was her first time traveling to the Iberian Peninsula since then, meaning Hassan would be reuniting with his newly-married younger sister for the first time.
"Yes, you've become a fine knight, helped your lord succeed, and even won a lady. It's a successful life, wouldn't you say, Gaston?"
"Hmph. You remembered all that, sir."
The man who was said to have read tales of knights under his mercenary father, having achieved his dream, now blushed like a pure-hearted boy despite his age.
I chuckled at the sight and turned my gaze back to the port.
Even though it's been a long time, the sight of a skinny, dark-skinned man in a turban was impossible to miss.
"Alright then. Let's go meet your brother-in-law, Gaston."
After we docked and disembarked, the attendants who were waiting with Hassan bowed deeply to us in greeting.
"Welcome, Brother of the King."
"It's been a while, Hassan. Have you been well?"
"Hahahaha, I'm always wishing I had two more bodies."
I chuckled at Hassan's joke and spoke while looking around Bilbao Harbor.
"Ah, yes. I can certainly see that. This is the only place I've seen, but it's hard to believe this port only began construction during the war with the Empire. I heard the development of the Iberian Brotherhood has been astonishing; it must be your doing."
Hassan replied with a subtle smile.
"Thank you for the undeserved praise. However, in reality, not everything is going so smoothly. The Iberian Brotherhood still conducts most of its trade through Francia as an intermediary. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say all of Iberica's goods gather here, so this place is a bit of an exception."
"Hmm, I see."
As I nodded and stepped aside, Hassan turned his gaze to his sister.
"Your expression has brightened, Shandra."
"Heheh! I got married!"
"I wondered who would ever take you, and now look... it's the end of the world…"
Hassan muttered, shaking his head, then extended a hand to Gaston.
Gaston, who was about to shake it, thinking it was an offer of a handshake, flinched as Hassan clasped his hand with both of his own.
"Sir Gaston, how did you get yourself roped in by such a hopeless creature…"
No matter how you looked at it, Hassan's face was filled with genuine pity and regret.
…That just makes it funnier.
I shouldn't laugh, but this is…
"Sh-Sha-Shandra is a good person."
Gaston's awkward words failed to console Hassan.
The older brother, who looked like he would lose to Shandra in a second in a fight, instead pointed a finger at her with his skinny frame and berated her.
"You vicious girl! You should have seduced someone more worldly; I never thought you'd trick such an innocent and good-natured knight into marriage!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"Pfft, khk…"
As Shandra burst out laughing, I couldn't hold it in either.
Come to think of it, I've heard nothing of Hassan's family situation. Surely he's not unmarried at his age?
No, that's not it. Hassan looks like he's in his forties, but he's actually only three years older than me.
…I probably shouldn't ask, but I'm curious.
I'll have to ask Shandra secretly later.
"Then, I will escort you, Brother of the King. We have prepared comfortable lodgings for you. For today, please rest from your journey, and we can depart for Dilrus tomorrow."
"Ah, thank you."
The Magic Tower's seasickness medicine that Christine always prepares is quite effective, but I still don't think I get along with ships.
Christine lives as naturally on a ship as she does on land, but I could never do that. A person should live with their feet on the ground.
As I moved with the rest of the delegation under Hassan's guidance, I glanced at the sprawling market street of Bilbao.
My knightly-trained hearing easily picked up the lively, boisterous conversations.
"Seeing as there are many accents mixed in from other Central Continent nations, not just Francia, it seems the merchants have already extended their reach this far, no? At this rate, won't it be possible to increase the number of nations with diplomatic ties to the Iberian Brotherhood soon?"
The Iberian Brotherhood became a decent market after unifying the peninsula, but their damned religion is holding them back, so for now, Francia is their only diplomatic partner.
In truth, neither their king, Kroxx, nor his people are all that fanatical, but the humans of the Central Continent still can't shake the perception of Iberica as a nation of infidel barbarians.
Hassan smiled, his hands politely clasped, and slowly replied.
"Merchants are those who can gladly bestow tolerance and respect for the sake of money. However, that is also a favor that can be withdrawn at any time depending on the calculation of profit and loss."
Hmm, indeed.
"Even if there is profit to be made, there is a great distance between merchants coming here to trade privately and establishing diplomatic relations at a national level. Even if the merchants who benefit, or even the nation itself, might wish for it, to those with no vested interest, we are still infidels of a different race. We still have a long way to go."
Right, not everything will go so smoothly.
"Still, it's truly fortunate for the Brotherhood to have you, Hassan. A newly founded nation usually goes through trial and error due to a lack of administrative power or experience, but thanks to you, that must be greatly reduced."
Even I, who knows military affairs but is ignorant of such matters, had hopeful thoughts just by seeing merchants from other countries, but Hassan grasps the situation with a cool head.
"It is an honor that you say so. But from the Brotherhood's first diplomatic treaty to the victory in the peninsular unification war, had the King's Brother not lent his strength, our path would have been far more arduous. All the brothers of Iberica, myself included, hold a deep gratitude for His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette."
I gave a wry smile.
It just happened to turn out that way.
"Still, it's not like I did it expecting nothing in return. Aren't I here now to collect on a debt?"
"Hahahaha."
Hassan laughed like an old man, then stroked his beard and added.
"It is a debt to be repaid to His Excellency the Marquis and Francia, but at the same time, it is also a debt we must repay to those demons."
I laughed too.
"Yes, that's right."
What those demon bastards did on this Iberian Peninsula is clear, and these people have a reason for revenge.
No, in the first place, almost everything the demons have done on the Central Continent is like that.
Perhaps it didn't matter since we lacked the strength to oppose the demons while they were running rampant…
They will have to pay the price for the grudges they've accumulated.
*
The Iberian Peninsula, central region.
The giant fortress that once rose bleakly in the middle of the barren wastelands.
Once a monument to a greedy chieftain's avarice, it had now become a boundary line bisecting the center of a Dilrus so large the fortress could no longer contain it, melting into the city itself.
"Incredible. I was impressed by Bilbao, but this is on another level."
After the war on the Iberian Peninsula ended, and after the war with Krafte.
In the span of over three years, Dilrus had become a massive city, comparable in size not only to any major city in Francia but even to Lumiere.
Hassan gave a hollow laugh.
"The barrenness of the Iberian Peninsula likely contributes to this concentration. It's causing us quite a headache."
"…Yes, you have your work cut out for you."
Francia also has problems due to its population being concentrated in Lumiere and the central-northern region, but is it even worse here?
Then again, the population of the Iberian Peninsula, even counting all the various races generously, is less than half of Francia's. For a city the size of Lumiere to appear, there are bound to be problems.
Just as we passed through the sprawling city streets, through the castle gate, and into the fortress.
Thud.
Goblins at the entrance.
Thud.
Then humans.
Along the path we took, the orderly ranks of the Brotherhood's army raised their spears high before striking them to the ground, creating a sound like rolling thunder.
Those in the delegation visiting the Iberian Peninsula for the first time seemed a little frightened by the overwhelming sound, but at least I was not.
Each time their spears struck the ground in unison, a sound greater than any drum echoed out.
Their actions are not meant to intimidate us.
Just as when I first entered this city and met Kroxx, the vibration shaking the ground could be felt even on horseback.
Orcs over two meters tall, their brawny torsos bare, were striking the ground with their spears with not an inch of error.
This spectacle was a sign that they were showing the same respect as they did back then.
Finally, we arrived at the center of the fortress.
There was no grand royal castle, as would be common in a human nation.
Just a house slightly larger than the residences of the city's inhabitants, with the symbolic flags of the tribes that fought alongside him across the Iberian Peninsula fluttering about.
And yet, the orc standing before it, without a single attendant, radiated a stronger presence than any king seated upon a grand throne.
Still without a crown, wearing only leather boots and pants, the orc with a scar-covered torso where muscles writhed like living things, began a chant with a voice that could shake the entire city.
"Al-ardho!"
"Akbar!"
The thunderous response from the Brotherhood's soldiers, who raised their spears in unison, faded.
To their king, who seemed as if he would never change.
"It's been a long time, Kroxx. King of the Iberian Brotherhood."
"It's been a long time, Lafayette. My brother!"
I smiled and declared.
"On behalf of Francia, I have come to ask for your help."
Kroxx grinned widely with his rugged face, terrifying the emissaries with his ferocity, and shouted loud enough for the whole city to hear.
"I've been waiting for you!"