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Vol 04 Chapter 130: Secret Diplomacy II

A week had passed since my meeting with Merlin. The peace negotiations were still unresolved.

The Rozel Kingdom did not want to pay a large amount of reparations. Doing so would mean admitting they suffered a great defeat, which implies a loss of prestige.

The Rozel Kingdom would prefer to minimize their losses, perhaps admit to a slight defeat.

On the other hand, the Adernian countries wanted to extract as much reparations as possible.

King Domorgal’s country has suffered considerable damages due to the Rozel Kingdom’s intervention in the civil war, and they want to be compensated.

Although King Gilbed’s Country and King Faldam’s Country haven’t suffered much damage, they haven’t gained much territory either. They were unable to secure the lands needed to reward the patricians and soldiers who participated in the war.

In that case, the payment has to be done with the reparations or by giving a part of the king’s directly controlled lands. Both King Faldam’s Country and King Gilbed’s Country haven’t succeded in centralization and the patrician families maintain a strong hold in the country’s policies, their kings are reluctant to reduce their own power.

Thus, using reparations is the only viable solution.

As for my King Rosais’ Country… We continued to maintain an ambiguous stance.

Appearing too eager in peace negotiations can make us seem vulnerable. But it’s not like we want to continue the war either.

So, in the negotiations, I rarely spoke up, leaving most of it to King Gilbed and King Domorgal.

◇

Well, that about covers the progress of the public negotiations. In the end, there’s no resolution in sight as things currently stand.

Now, let’s talk about the secret negotiations.

「Raymond, how is the diplomat doing?」

「He seems pleased, he is especially fond of that ‘pudding’ dessert my king gave him.」

「Pudding, huh? That’s the only dessert I can decently prepare… It seems it even suits the taste of the Gallians. Order the chef to prepare ten more to give to him when he returns.」

The diplomat we were talking about refers to a subordinate of Merlin. He was dispatched from the capital of the Rozel Kingdom to convey the king’s intentions.

However, Merlin held a higher position than him, so the man was treated like one of Merlin’s subordinates. In reality, he is her subordinate, but he doesn’t seem to think of himself as Merlin’s subordinate.

The humiliation he felt by being commanded by a woman who looked much younger than him (in reality she is much older than him) mixed with the pride of having received a direct command from King Rozel, and the dissatisfaction with Merlin’s inability to conclude the peace negotiations.

All of this made this diplomat harbor negative feelings towards Merlin. That’s where we stepped in.

Our plan is to use this diplomat as an intermediary to bypass Merlin and deal directly with King Rozel. That’s Plan B.

Plan A had little probability of being successful from the start.

Merlin fears our country, so she would never agree to pay us a large amount of reparations.

However, our country needed those reparations. Thus, I came up with the idea to deal with King Rozel through someone dissatisfied with Merlin’s policies—specifically, someone who underestimates our country.

I had been looking for the right person even before negotiating with Merlin, but I never expected to find someone who fit the criteria so perfectly.

I explained earlier that the diplomat harbored resentment towards Merlin.

In addition, this diplomat appeared to be very ambitious. He wanted to surpass Merlin one day, and for that, he desired to earn some significant achievements.

He also had a fondness for alcohol, women, gourmet food, and jewels. Moreover, one of tribunes we captured happened to be a distant relative of the diplomat.

Well, in the absence of a merit-based recruitment system, positions tend to be filled through connections or blood relations. Hence, it’s not unusual for high-ranking officials in a country to be related.

When I approached this diplomat, he was easily enticed. He probably saw it as an opportunity to outmaneuver Merlin.

I treated him with utmost respect and humility, which he greatly enjoyed.

He must have been aware of the incident where Merlin got yelled at and negotiations were cut off. The thought of the seemingly irascible King of Rosais treating him with such courtesy must have stimulated his pride even further.

Feeling that mere hospitality wasn’t enough, I offered him our country’s specialty distilled spirits, arranged for the company of charming young women, and prepared the finest cuisine possible on a battlefield.

「Once he receives the jewels, he should be completely in our grasp. When will they arrive?」

「They should be here by tomorrow.」

We plan to present him with some minor jewels from our treasury as a final push. This should capture the diplomat’s heart.

「But is there really a need to welcome him so elaborately?」

「Well, if it were just a one-time interaction, it wouldn’t be necessary. But there’s the possibility of having to deal with him in the future.」

There’s a tactic mentioned in an ancient Chinese military treatise:

If the envoy is competent, send him away without any gifts, but if the envoy is incompetent, treat him with all due honors. This way, the competent ones will be kept away by the king, and the incompetent ones will be favored.

It will be perfect if the diplomat’s achievements are recognized by King Rozel and he becomes the diplomat responsible for our country.

「We will finish the negotiations tomorrow. Before we start, we will release the diplomat’s distant relative and give him the jewels. After the negotiations are successful, we will hand over some puddings as well to gain his favor. Please proceed with the preparations.」

「Yes, I understand.」

◇

「You have my deepest thanks for everything, King Rosais.」

「Not at all, please don’t mention it. It is only natural to show due respect to a gentleman like yourself.」

I treated the diplomat with politeness and praised him as much as I could.

「It’s strange that someone of your caliber has to serve under Merlin-dono.」

「Ha ha, you exaggerate. I am not that remarkable… Well, I do find it strange that a simple magician has a position so high, though.」

The diplomat began to speak ill of Merlin in good spirits. I just nodded along appropriately.

Did you know? Those who speak behind others’ backs are disliked.

Well, I have no obligation to warn him explicitly…

◇

After the small talk, we quickly moved on to the main subject.

「The truth is… I have regrets.」

「Regrets?」

「Yes, about going to war with the Rozel Kingdom.」

That’s a lie.

「I now understand the military strength of the Rozel Kingdom very well. We were able to win this time… but I doubt we could win again. I really want to make peace now.」

This is not a lie. While it’s not entirely my true sentiment, it holds some truth. In reality, a prolonged war would almost certainly lead to our defeat.

「Indeed… To think that King Almus, who ascended to the throne before even reaching his twenties and transformed King Rosais’ Country into a great power, would show such timidity.」

「That’s an overestimation. It was all coincidental. I became king by chance. I am no match for King Rozel, who is a born ruler.」

Subtly, I praised King Rozel.

Make sure he hears this.

「So, could you help me by agreeing to these terms?」

「However… the ransom is too much…」

When I reiterated the conditions I had proposed to Merlin, the diplomat expressed his reluctance.

「The patricians of my country won’t accept anything less. It’s due to my lack of power. If you don’t accept these terms, we cannot establish peace. Does the Rozel Kingdom not want to conclude this quickly? Ah, rest assured, my country is the only one with reliable information about the rebellion that has broken in your country.」

The other Adernian countries do not have strong ties to the Kirisians like our country does. And while I’ve mentioned to them that there might be disturbances in the northeast, I haven’t said they are actually happening.

…That also means, conversely, that I could announce it at any time. It’s an implicit threat.

「Our country desires to build a friendly relationship with the Rozel Kingdom. Think about it. Our countries have never crossed swords before this war. This conflict was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Neither side has seized the other’s territory. If we can establish peace, we can return to being friendly countries.」

I argued passionately.

Peace, friendship, anti-war. Aren’t these wonderful words? Gallians and Adernians are all humans. We are brothers.

It’s foolish to fight. Love peace, value friendship, oppose war!

Let’s come to an agreement!

「However, what about the Anti-Gallia Alliance? As long as it exists, I don’t think we can establish a friendly relationship with your country…」

「It is called the Anti-Gallia Alliance, not the Anti-Rozel Alliance. Moreover, it is a defense pact based on the principle of mutual defense. As long as the Rozel Kingdom does not invade one of the signing countries, there is no possibility of conflict between us.」

「…」

「If a friendship is forged between our country and the Rozel Kingdom… we will make every effort to avoid war with your country. Should any country think to take advantage of the Rozel Kingdom’s moment of weakness and break the ceasefire, our country will strongly intervene to prevent it.」

Of course, if any country were foolish enough to propose such a thing, I’d stop them regardless of our friendly relations. We cannot match the Rozel Kingdom in a fair fight.

With this approach, we can make the Rozel Kingdom believe that King Rosais’ Country is potentially an ally of the Rozel Kingdom.

And of course, we present ourselves to the Adernian countries as a powerful ally that helps them protect themselves against the Rozel Kingdom.

This is diplomacy that tries to please everyone! Of course, it’s scary to think about being discovered, but if it’s too late by the time we are discovered, then there’s no problem.

「…I see, I understand King Almus’s intentions very well. I will try to convey them to King Rozel.」

「Thank you. I look forward to continuing our good relations.」

I shook hands firmly with the diplomat. With the pudding as a parting gift, the diplomat left with a very satisfied look on his face.

◇

Two days later, a letter from the diplomat arrived at King Rozel’s court via hawk.

• King Rosais is an insignificant figure.
• He holds King Rozel in awe.
• He desires to establish friendly relations with the Rozel Kingdom.
• If successful, this could become a thorn in the side of the Anti-Gallia Alliance.

King Rozel, who had begun to harbor doubts about Merlin, took the diplomat’s letter at face value. Two days later, he issued a royal command to Merlin to conclude a secret treaty.