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Vol 06 Chapter 193: International Diplomacy I

「Hmm…」

King Gilbed looked down at the man in front of him, who called himself Iarl Claudius. This man was the representative envoy dispatched from the King Rosais’ Country.

According to the information King Gilbed had gathered, this man originally came from a commoner’s background.

However, during the struggle for the throne between King Almus and Rigal Dibel, who at that time was the most powerful patrician in King Rosais’ Country, Iarl Claudius played a crucial role in creating a rift within Rigal Dibel’s faction, ultimately aiding King Almus in his ascension to the throne.

Later, when King Rosais’ Country was diplomatically surrounded by various countries, it was Iarl who negotiated with King Zoldias and created an opportunity to break the encirclement.

This breakthrough marked his rise in status, and he now handled all diplomatic affairs for King Rosais’ Country.

In domestic affairs, Raymond Rosais; in military matters, Bartolo Pompeius; and in diplomacy, Iarl Claudius – before him was one of the three most important vassals of King Rosais’ Country.

This man, with his eloquent tongue, was attempting to persuade King Gilbed.

He proposed that they jointly attack King Zoldias’ Country. From what Iarl was saying, the deal seemed entirely beneficial for King Gilbed’s Country.

Only King Rosais’ Country would directly invade King Zoldias’ Country. All King Gilbed’s Country had to do was cease trading with King Zoldias’ Country and exert pressure on the surrounding countries.

King Zoldias’ Country, wary of King Rosais’ Country’s army, would not be able to dispatch their army outside the country. During that time, King Gilbed’s Country could freely invade the allied countries of King Zoldias’ Country.

It was indeed a very advantageous proposition. Hence, it was suspicious.

Two years had passed since the anti-Gallian alliance was formed, the alliance prohibited war among the four major countries of the Adernian Peninsula—Gilbed, Faldam, Domorgal, and Rosais. Yet, King Rosais’ Country continued to devour the surrounding countries.

The southern Kirisian small city-states. The southern economic powers of Lezado and Nemes. And the western countries allied with King Zoldias’ Country. All had fallen before King Rosais’ Country.

King Almus’ territorial ambitions know no bounds. That greedy king is aiming for further territorial expansion.

Let’s suppose that Rosais and Gilbed form an alliance. Both countries expand their territories, and Rosais and Gilbed end up sharing a border.

Where will the next ambition of King Almus be directed? It’s obvious.

I don’t like it.

King Gilbed’s anger boiled within him.

Why must his country, the greatest power on the Adernian Peninsula, fear a country that was a small insignificant country just a few years ago? Why must his great country enter into an equal treaty, like the anti-Gallian alliance, with such a once-insignificant country? Why must he, the king of a great country, fear a young man who hadn’t even reached the age of his own son—a mere twenty-one-year-old youngster?

In any case, he found King Rosais’ Country and King Almus detestable.

「I’m sorry, but I have no time to entertain your country’s territorial ambitions.」

「Please, Your Majesty, don’t be so hasty… King Gilbed… I have a gift from King Almus for Your Majesty. We would very much like you to accept it…」

「A gift?」

King Gilbed couldn’t help but listen. A gift from one king to another, offered freely… a tribute.

Diplomatically, this act implied that one king lowers himself to become a vassal to the other. It was not an act to be taken lightly.

At the very least, King Gilbed would never do such a thing. His pride would never allow it.

Moreover, the patricians within his country would never follow a king who bowed his head to a foreign king. Such an act would be disastrous both domestically and diplomatically.

…Still just a young upstart…

If it means gaining profit, pride is irrelevant. One would bow their head or even lick boots.

That’s the mindset of a merchant, not a king.

King Almus probably believes this to be a superior strategy. However, in time, King Almus will have to pay the price for his actions.

「May I bring it in here?」

「Go ahead.」

Upon King Gilbed’s permission, Iarl commanded his servants to bring in the vast amount of tribute from the carriage parked outside the palace.

「What, this is…」

King Gilbed couldn’t help but gasp. When he heard the word ‘tribute’, he had expected something like slaves or grain.

But the tribute King Almus had sent to him was… jewels, silk, spices, perfumes, gold crafts, pottery, and exquisite fabrics he had never seen before…

It was a treasure far beyond his imagination.

King Gilbed stood in astonishment.

Suppressing a grin, Iarl stepped forward.

「Your Majesty, as a personal recommendation, I advise forming an alliance with King Almus.」

Iarl spoke to the overwhelmed King Gilbed, seizing the moment when his heart was swayed by the treasure, leaning momentarily towards favor.

「King Gilbed, Your Majesty may consider King Almus a threat. However, many of King Almus’ victories have been largely due to fortune. King Almus fears Your Majesty greatly. If the truly great power, King Gilbed’s Country, were to attack, King Rosais’ Country would stand no chance.」

Iarl belittled his master while praising King Gilbed.

「King Gilbed’s Country once suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of King Zoldias’ Country. The world thinks that King Gilbed’s Country failed in its conquest of the southern regions. Don’t you think this is an excellent opportunity to clear that stain?」

The failure of the southern conquest had significantly impacted the internal and external affairs of King Gilbed’s Country. Being defeated by a small southern country tarnished the country’s prestige diplomatically and caused internal discord among the powerful clans.

This defeat still lingered over them.

…Well, I’ll make the most of it.

「Very well. If I were to refuse after such earnest pleading, my magnanimity might be questioned. Let us accept the alliance.」

Following this, King Gilbed’s Country publicly declared a stance of favorable neutrality towards King Rosais’ Country. They also secretly concluded an agreement regarding their respective spheres of influence.

◇

「Hey, Almus. Was it really alright to give away so much tribute?」

「What do you mean, Julia?」

「My father taught me, ‘A king must never bow easily!! Because if he does, the country’s patricians will look down on him!!’」

So Julia has doubts about my diplomatic approach… Very well.

「Julia, what is the foundation of my support?」

「…The plebeians, right?」

「Exactly. And what’s important to most plebeians is their daily lives and the wealth of the country. They couldn’t care less about appearances.」

No matter how much tribute I give to King Gilbed, the plebeians won’t care. To them, ‘giving gifts’ does not equate to ‘becoming a vassal.’

The significance of tribute is merely a custom among royalty and patricians.

「And I’ve already explained this to the major patricians. As for the support of the minor and medium patricians, it doesn’t matter much.」

Our country, which has long since achieved military centralization, is different from politically immature countries that fret over the whims of the patricians.

「That’s how it is.」

「I see!!」

Julia seems satisfied. I understand her concerns to some extent, but it won’t become a significant issue in our country.

Moreover…

「Depending on our negotiations with the Persis Empire, the fact that I lowered my head to King Gilbed can be nullified.」

◇

Emperor Xerxes of the Persis Empire received envoys from all over the world daily. They brought tributes and pledged their loyalty to Xerxes, hoping to gain his recognition.

Of course, the Persis Empire, the most culturally advanced country in the world, lacked nothing. Thus, the tributes sent by the barbarians from around the world had traditionally been slaves, as slaves were always useful.

However, the tribute brought by the envoys from a certain country was different.

「It looks like silk, but it isn’t… What fiber is this?」

Xerxes touched the fabric that had been presented. It was neither silk, flax, nor cotton.

A mysterious fabric… yet it was more beautiful and smoother than silk.

「Which country did this cloth come from?」

「It came from King Rosais’ Country in the Adernian Peninsula…」

The Foreign Minister of the Persis Empire replied to Xerxes’ question while trying and failing to remember anything about that country.

Even the Foreign Minister, who had memorized the names of all the major countries and those with deep ties to Persis, had never heard of a country called Rosais in the remote Adernian Peninsula.

But Xerxes was different.

「I see, I see… Very well. I will grant them an audience in one year. Tell the envoy.」

「Is that alright!?」

The Foreign Minister exclaimed in surprise. Each year, over a hundred envoys from different countries visited Xerxes.

Xerxes, who didn’t have the time to meet every envoy personally, typically delegated all matters concerning small to medium countries to the Foreign Minister. Even for relatively significant countries, it usually took two to three years from the request to be granted an audience.

Xerxes was giving this unknown country priority… The Foreign Minister’s astonishment was understandable.

「However, for the first meeting, King Almus must come in person. Inform them of that.」

「King Almus… Is that the name of the King of Rosais!?」

The Foreign Minister’s eyes widened. The emperor knowing the name of a king from a country he had never heard of was unprecedented.

「I will personally evaluate if they can become a counterbalance to Pofenian influence. Now… I’m curious to see what kind of person he is.」

Emperor Xerxes laughed with amusement.

◇

On one side, there was the emperor who brought about the unprecedented zenith of an empire spanning both the Occident and the Orient.

On the other side, the king of a small, rural country who would become the first emperor of an unprecedented empire spanning both the Occident and the Orient several centuries later.

Was their encounter destined or merely coincidental…

◇

「In this world, there are historically two emperors.

One is the Heavenly Emperor of the Scarlet Empire, ruling the Far East. The other Emperor originates from the Sha Han Shah of the Persis Empire, the great empire of the Orient.

No one other than the successors of these two can claim the title of Emperor.」

— Benito Julius Cross Gnaeus —