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Vol 03 Chapter 78-2: Diplomacy I

The next day, Julia and I parted ways. She went to examine the third queen again, while I met with King Equus and Crown Prince Methil to reaffirm our alliance.

「So, King Equus, once again, I am Almus Aris Rosais, the new king of King Rosais. I look forward to working with you.」

「Indeed, I look forward to it as well.」

We shook hands to signify our agreement.

Then I turned my attention to Crown Prince Methil. He is the future king, so it’s essential for him to be involved in this discussion to ensure a smooth transition of the alliance if needed.

「First, I want to thank you again for the three hundred soldiers you loaned us for the war against King Domorgal. They exceeded our expectations and were incredibly helpful,」

I sincerely expressed my gratitude. Their performance was spectacular, and without their aid, we might have lost.

「As for handling horses, there is no country on the Adernian peninsula that surpasses ours. It’s only natural. Now, shall we discuss trade?」

「Our country is interested in continuing to trade for wool and horses, as before. Additionally, wolf pelts, tyrant dragon fangs, and scales seem to be well-received as well.」

In reality, there’s nothing we are desperately in need of. We can raise horses and sheep in our own country.

My true interest lies in their military strength, nothing else.

「I see. As for us, we would like to continue trading for wheat and wine, and if possible, we would like to buy iron weapons. The Lupus Tribe doesn’t have iron weapons either, so having them would give us an advantage.」

Hmm… that seems reasonable. While the idea of those weapons turned against us is terrifying, the Equus Tribe is already pretty dangerous without them.

It’s better than being asked for military support. Given that our army is primarily infantry, it wouldn’t be very effective in a conflict involving nomadic Tribes.

「Understood, but we can’t provide you with too many. Our own military needs are a priority,」

「We understand that. We’ll appreciate whatever you can do. Oh, by the way…」

King Equus then placed what looked like a white stone in front of me. It had a slight pink tint. Could it be…

「This is rock salt mined from our territory.」

「Hoh…」

This could be problematic. If rock salt becomes more common, it could lower its value and affect our nation’s revenue. Rock salt is one of the pillars supporting our treasury.

「The issue is we lack the technology to mine it efficiently. So, here’s a proposal: could you provide technical assistance? In exchange, we’ll offer the salt at a low price.」

What price are we talking about?

If it’s a price sufficiently lower than the standard rate, it may be a good deal for us. We can sell it at a higher price to the Kirisians, securing a net profit for ourselves, and with this arrangement, we avoid potential trade tensions with the Equus Tribe.

But this deal is too good for us.

Methil, who had been silent until now, addressed my unspoken concerns.

「To our south is the Lupus Tribe, they make trading with the Kirisians impossible for us. And the Kirisians won’t come all the way here to buy from us. We believe it’s better to entrust the trade to you, our allies. We’re not good at business talks.」

That makes sense. The Equus Tribe wants wheat and wine, not coins, goldsmithing, or Persis glass. So, trading goods with our country is more beneficial for them.

It seems profitable and there’s no reason to refuse. Deteriorating relations would be a bigger issue.

「I see. That’s beneficial for us too. Yes, let’s provide support. Regarding the specific price…」

The negotiation continued until midnight.

◇

「Aahh…」

Redus was alone, with his hands covering his head, his face displaying fatigue and traces of tears.

He resembled a child who had cried himself to sleep, which was essentially what occurred. The reason for Redus’s tears was Mutzio and Rakela’s marriage, a classic case of unrequited love.

The history of Redus’ feelings for Rakela dates back about ten years.

Detailing the history of Redus’ feelings would take tens of thousands of words and yet be uneventful, so I’ll spare the details.

By the way, Rakela was utterly unaware of Redus’s affection for her. Her attention had always been solely on Mutzio, and she barely conversed with Redus.

To Rakela, Redus was just the uninteresting third prince, a person she knew little about and had no interest in knowing more about.

Why hadn’t Redus confessed his feelings for her? Was it due to cowardice? That was part of the issue.

Although Redus was confident in his combat abilities, he hesitated when it mattered most. He could be labeled ‘Indecisive’.

But there was more to it than that. The issue was simple: factional politics.

There were three factions within the Equus Tribe.

The first faction was led by the third queen, who, despite her low birth, was the first to bear a male child, and her son, Crown Prince Methil. The second was led by the second queen, who was of high birth, and the second to bear a male child, Mutzio, who seemed uninterested in the throne. The third faction was spearheaded by the first queen, who had the best lineage, but was the last one to bear a male child, Prince Redus.

When Redus was about seven, the first queen’s faction was dominant, and Redus’s future leadership seemed certain.

However, the second queen shifted her policy to back the third queen’s faction.

There are various reasons for this, but two stand out. The second queen lacked ambition and preferred to avoid being targeted by shifting all responsibility to the third queen. Additionally, the second queen’s father, a great warrior leader (equivalent to a general), believed that internal division over trivial matters was unwise, especially with the external threat of the Lupus Tribe.

Therefore, following the Equus Tribe’s custom, ‘the first-born male child becomes the successor’, the second queen’s father decided to support the son of the third queen, Prince Methil.

The alliance was cemented through the engagement of Rakela, a relative of the third queen, to Mutzio.

For Redus, Rakela was a relative of his political opponents. Expressing his feelings was out of the question, and marriage was completely off the table.

「Ah… ah… I don’t really care about becoming the chieftain…」

Redus didn’t necessarily want to become the chieftain. He had more than an average desire for power and naturally wanted the position, but he desired Rakela more.

The one who was most enthusiastic wasn’t the son but the mother. A common tale, indeed.

「I have an amazing offer just for you! If you accept my help, you can have both the chieftain position and Rakela!」

A strangely excited voice reached Redus’ ears. When he turned around, there was a woman with black hair.

Her skin tone suggested she was not from this region, certainly not Adernian.

The woman approached Redus.

「Stop!! Who-!!」

Suddenly, Redus couldn’t move his mouth. Not only his mouth, but his entire body also wouldn’t respond, as if he had been turned to stone.

The woman took hold of Redus’s cheeks with both hands.

「Hehe, it’s useless. You’re ensnared by my curse, and escaping won’t be easy.. The level of the magicians around here sure is low. That’s why Princess Julia easily detected the curse.」

The woman’s eyes met Redus’. His eyelids wouldn’t flicker; he couldn’t even avert his gaze.

「Now, you know what you must do. It’s simple. Kill your father and your two brothers. Eliminate all those who resist. The method is easy. I’ll teach you how. Then you’ll have both the chieftain position and Miss Rakela. See?」

After spending some time giving  Redus more instructions, the woman left.

Left behind, Redus hastily looked around.

「What? What happened? I don’t remember anything…」

He glanced around in bewilderment, but everything appeared unchanged, as though time had bypassed him.

With questions lingering in his mind, Redus went to bed.

◇

「Hmm, not bad, I guess. The shortest time would be about two months. Considering the preparations… it’ll probably be a year later. Well, I need to lay the groundwork in other countries too. Persistence is key.」

The woman—Mari—skipped across the meadow.

She could infiltrate easily thanks to an aerial entry. Originally, her mount, Elly, a black flying dragon, was hard to spot at night and could manipulate the wind, making it difficult for others to notice their approach. She also had the help of an inside collaborator.

「Lucky me, Redus is such a weakling. Normally, it wouldn’t be this easy.」

Using hypnotism with magic was quite challenging. Under normal circumstances, you couldn’t compel someone to act against their deeply held aversions, as they would typically become aware of what was happening while under the influence.

It’s easy to brainwash someone if you can bind them forcefully and repeat the process… but abducting Redus would cause an uproar.

Fortunately, Redus himself had almost no resistance to such manipulation and was also mentally distressed. He was also interested already in the chieftain position and the woman.

It didn’t take much effort to motivate someone a little.

「The problem is if I get discovered halfway through… Ah! I can just boldly infiltrate under the guise of a visitor from the Rozel kingdom. I’ll approach Redus under the pretext of consultation… Yes, that’s perfect! Let’s do that!」