Chapter 123

Chapter 123:  The Greatest Feast (6)

The two Grand Dukes entered the Imperial Palace.

They walked into the Empire’s largest conference chamber and sat down in their respective seats, as if it were all too familiar.

Along the outer walls of the chamber, escort knights and numerous retainers stood upright.

They were awaiting the arrival of the Emperor of the Empire and today’s diplomatic guest.

The representative king of the union of twelve island nations located in the Northern Sea.

The reason both Grand Dukes had gathered today was precisely for this summit between the two nations.

「――――――」

Soon, accompanied by the solemn sound of leather shoes, a man in a white suit arrived in the chamber.

It was Emperor Leonidas.

The presence of the elderly man standing beside him was also nothing to overlook.

Completely bald, he wore small round glasses.

His slim figure was dressed in a black suit.

He stood in stark contrast to Leonidas in every way.

Like black and white chess pieces facing each other.

“I present myself before Your Majesty.”

Both Grand Dukes rose simultaneously from their seats to offer their respects.

The Emperor raised one hand and graciously permitted them to sit back down.

「Thank you all for coming from afar. Let us begin the meeting at once.」

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chancellor, who had been standing off to the side, led the guest representative of the kingdom forward.

They addressed the elderly man by name.

“Your Highness Doku, we would be grateful if you’d take this seat.”

“Thank you.”

Doku Valencia.

He was the king of the smallest yet wealthiest nation among the twelve island kingdoms, having risen through maritime trade.

Although his appearance was that of a small, frail elder, his brown eyes were calm and intelligent, as though carrying the dignity of many kingdoms.

――――――

Now that the highest authorities of the Empire and the Kingdom had gathered, the foreign ministers of both sides followed in succession.

Once the Emperor was seated, they each took their seats in order of rank.

「Lord Doku, before the banquet, I’d like to propose a light tea time. What do you think?」

“It would be an honor, Your Majesty. I gratefully accept.”

The subtle fragrance of tea began to fill the chamber.

Thanks to that, the solemn atmosphere gradually softened, and the expressions of those attending the grand summit slowly began to ease.

However—

The expressions of the two Grand Dukes who had joined the Emperor’s meeting remained cold.

As if they already knew the reason he had prepared this summit.

「How do you find the aroma of the tea?」

“It’s excellent. As expected, inland tea has a fine flavor—perhaps because it hasn’t been exposed to the sea breeze.”

Doku, the representative of the United Kingdoms, still maintained a cautious expression.

He too knew.

The reason the Emperor had summoned him here.

「I’m glad it suits your taste.」

Leonidas.

A conqueror who, along with his predecessor, had never spared mercy for anything or anyone that displeased him.

His green eyes held a venomous force, emanating an overwhelming aura that subdued the entire room.

「If the opportunity arises next time, I shall arrange for additional exports.」

“...Thank you.”

Exports.

That was one of the reasons he had summoned the Grand Dukes and the head of the United Kingdoms to the Imperial Palace today.

Currently, the island nations were reluctant to engage in trade with the Empire.

Despite forming an alliance, they had restricted the export of seafood and various resources to preserve their domestic markets.

Today, the Emperor intended to break down this narrow fence.

And to set things in motion, it was the Grand Duke of the North—already briefed in advance—who took the lead.

He, who was closest in age to Doku, spoke with ease.

「Judging by how well you look, the journey here must have been comfortable.」

Calling the ruler of a kingdom in such a direct tone—

Yet no one present dared to reproach it.

Everyone knew the power commanded by the Grand Duke of the North was on par with an entire nation.

“Is that so? I don’t feel any different than usual, but thank you for saying so, Grand Duke.”

King Doku didn’t appear particularly displeased either.

However, his expression soon hardened.

「It must be a sign that the pirate suppression is going well?」

The Grand Duke had deliberately struck a nerve.

“All of our kingdoms are working together to address it. However, full eradication hasn’t been easy.”

「Our house, in particular, has suffered considerable damage from these pirates. I do hope the situation is resolved swiftly.」

The Black Lion who ruled over the great Nord Mountains—

Under his piercing golden gaze, the head of the United Kingdoms began responding with utmost caution.

“The pirates have become incredibly mobile as of late. It’s not easy for our ships to keep up with their movements.”

Even before the formal talks began, this so-called ‘light’ tea time had already become a battleground of biting exchanges.

Doku hadn’t even managed to drink more than two sips of tea.

“Moreover, the northern straits have rapid currents, and the tides are far more complex than those in the southern sea. There are simply too many variables.”

The ministers who had accompanied him from the United Kingdoms all nodded in unison.

As if to silently plead for understanding.

「These pirates must be truly formidable.」

Yet the Black Lion never let go of a bite once he sank his teeth in.

「Considering even Arvada, the invincible fleet of the United Kingdoms, can’t catch them.」

Arvada was the United Kingdoms’ strongest naval fleet.

It was precisely this military power that allowed them to negotiate with the Empire on equal footing.

If it were land forces, they might have been overrun, but with their navy, even if conquered, they could inflict devastating damage on the Imperial troops.

That was why the Empire had not yet bothered to conquer the United Kingdoms.

“On the contrary, it’s their reputation that’s made it harder to catch them. The pirates flee the moment they spot our ships’ silhouette.”

「That’s no excuse.」

A shadow fell over the Grand Duke of the North’s face—

Like a statue of one of the greatest gods in myth.

「If the pirates flee at the sight of Arvada, then couldn’t you use that to drive them into a dead-end strait? Surely you, the masters of the sea, wouldn’t be ignorant of such a tactic?」

Doku had assumed the Duke of Luton to be nothing more than an aging lion ruling over a vast inland province.

However, the Grand Duke of the North was the kind of man who thoroughly investigated whomever he faced.

The representative of the United Kingdoms, who had only heard vague rumors of his reputation, felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine.

“That’s easier said than done. The pirates are... quite wary...”

「Of course they’re wary. I imagine they’re former officers—retired or dismissed from your kingdom—who’ve since turned pirate. Surely they’d be tipped off in advance.」

Deep, beastlike wrinkles creased Luton’s brow.

Yet nothing about him felt aged.

There was an aura that captivated the room—as if he were a second monarch alongside the Emperor.

Emperor Leonidas was well aware of the Grand Duke’s capabilities.

Though they often kept each other in check, the Emperor valued Luton’s competence enough to set that aside for the good of the Empire.

And now, bolstered by the Duke’s words, he opened his mouth with chilling indifference.

「If these issues continue to arise, I’m beginning to wonder whether the Empire has any reason to maintain its alliance with the Northern Sea Union.」

A single, apathetic line from the Conquering Emperor.

In response, the bald king from the island nations dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief.

“We are truly sorry, Your Majesty. We will do everything in our power to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”

Usually, when the atmosphere grew this cold, the conversation would come to a halt, and a suffocating silence would follow.

And in such a lull, it was typically the Grand Duke of the West who would speak.

“Of course, we understand. Uprooting pirates who are adept at navigating turbulent currents is no simple task.”

When the Grand Duke of the North acted as the vanguard and the Emperor struck the enemy with full force—

The Grand Duke of the West stepped in to negotiate their surrender.

“There are thousands of islands in the Northern Sea Union, so I imagine it must be difficult to search them all.”

This was exactly why the Emperor did not easily dismiss either Grand Duke, even as their influence grew.

Because he deeply valued their extraordinary abilities.

“We in the Empire have no intention of demanding compensation for this incident.”

“We’re truly grateful for that.”

Doku responded with a slightly softened voice, as if reassured.

However, what followed from Harriet’s mouth—

“We’ll be assigning Imperial escort ships directly from now on.”

Was more chilling than anything that had been said so far.

Because it meant Imperial vessels would now intrude into their own straits.

Under the pressure of the atmosphere dominated by the Emperor and the Grand Duke of the North, the Grand Duke of the West had offered two seemingly gentle choices.

But in truth, he was presenting only two options:

Dissolution of the alliance—

Or a military treaty.

“That… I don’t think I can give you a definitive answer right away. This concerns a military treaty.”

“That’s right. It would indeed be a military treaty.”

Harriet gently stroked his mustache—

While returning the words with a gaze that was both arrogant and cold.

“Since your side failed to properly protect the trade routes, it’s not unreasonable for us to deploy our military, is it?”

With such a clear justification, Doku let out a deep sigh.

The Empire’s blatant attitude only deepened the worries of the smaller nation.

“If it were only up to the border, perhaps. But having your ships directly enter our straits is a bit too much.”

“We understand. That’s why we plan to send only a minimum force.”

Harriet slowly turned to look at the Emperor.

As if it had been prearranged, the Emperor extended two fingers in signal.

“Two ships, each accompanied by a Swordmaster.”

Two ships—visually, it wouldn’t appear too threatening.

Perhaps because of that, the representative of the United Kingdoms wore a sincerely contemplative expression.

“I will take this proposal back and consult thoroughly with the rest of the Union.”

If Imperial ships began appearing, it would surely deter the pirates from easily attacking trade vessels.

However, if this incident became the starting point for increased Imperial interference—

「I can guess what you’re worried about. That we might use this as an excuse to gradually send more forces into the Union, yes?」

The Emperor, as if reading his mind, answered first.

「But our Empire has never pursued any forced unification or absorption of others since the end of the war. I promise you now: there will be no deployment of forces beyond two ships.」

The ruler of the continent had personally declared that he would write such a clause into the treaty.

Only then did the aging king close his eyes tightly, visibly relieved.

「However.」

And finally—

Through all this long groundwork, the Emperor finally revealed what he had truly come here to say.

「Now that our forces will begin escorting the trade routes directly, I believe it only makes sense for the volume of trade to match that level of commitment.」

“Ah, so you mean…”

Doku opened his mouth to speak—

But Leonidas answered in his stead, with a firm and unwavering voice.

「Yes. I hope this will be a good opportunity for increased trade between our two nations. That way, even if we assign escort ships, it becomes a justifiable action, wouldn’t you agree?」

Doku’s lips parted, stunned.

As the head of a nation, he had finally realized the full extent of the Emperor and Grand Dukes’ intentions.

Yet at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.

Because, in the end, their true goal hadn’t been invasion—it was simply the revitalization of trade.

And so, he began to think, “Isn’t this a fairly acceptable conclusion, all things considered?”

“……”

The representative of the Kingdoms swallowed the words that had nearly escaped his lips—words of agreement.

As the voice of all twelve nations, he took a moment to gather his thoughts in silence.

Their primary exports were seafood and natural resources.

Although the harvest was abundant, exporting all of it would cause issues in the domestic market.

On top of that, rumors had begun to spread—saying that the seafood they painstakingly exported was either thrown away after being tasted, or worse, ground up and used as animal feed.

They barely had enough to feed themselves, and if they were to export everything to the Empire—already the subject of such ugly rumors—

It was obvious public opinion would turn against them.

But of course, they couldn’t say any of this directly to the Emperor.

“I understand. For now, I’ll compile everything discussed today, along with the results of this meeting, and we’ll make our decision afterward.”

In the end, he forced a smile and agreed to consider the proposal.

However, due to the lingering humiliation that hovered over the entire tea time, the old man’s lips grew increasingly dry.

「The tea’s gone cold.」

The Emperor looked calmly at the subdued Doku.

He knew well that this elderly man, representing the United Kingdoms, held significant influence.

He had instilled enough fear—for now. It was time to gradually soften the mood with a shared meal.

“Shall we begin preparing lunch, Your Majesty?”

It was the Grand Duke of the West who made the suggestion.

The Emperor nodded without much expression, granting his permission.

「Let’s do that. We do have a distinguished guest, after all.」

At once, the attendants who had been standing by the walls moved in unison to clear the teacups.

Soon after, they guided the representatives of both nations and the Grand Dukes to the great dining hall.

「――――――」

This news soon reached the Imperial Palace kitchens.

There, two men were already standing by in preparation.

One was the Imperial Physician, responsible for inspecting the state of the food—

And the other, slipping in through his personal connections, was me.

“Lunch preparations! Everyone, get to your assigned course!”

Appetizers.

Main courses.

Desserts.

As each chef poured their focus into their assigned dish—

Among them, the specially participating Archduke Harris was also moving his hands busily.

As expected, his dish was none other than his most ambitious creation—Beef Yekaterina.

Since the braising process for the ingredients took a long time, his dish had been placed last on the main course menu.

I quietly approached him.

Then, just as he was pulling out the meat, I spoke with a relaxed expression.

“Archduke, how about making a seafood stew this time instead?”

Harris looked up at me in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.

With a puzzled expression, he asked why.

“A seafood stew…? It’s doable, but why all of a sudden...?”

I had seen the outcome of today’s meeting in a future newspaper.

Relying on that memory, I gave him a sly smile and said,

“There’s someone who’ll be quite pleased if we show that the Empire appreciates seafood.”

Harris was also a graduate of a prestigious culinary school in the Northern Sea Union.

“If we show that cooking holds power beyond just daily necessity, even the Grand Duke of the West might change his mind.”

There was absolutely no reason we couldn’t serve a seafood dish.

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