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Volume 3 Chapter 2 Part 1

Chapter 2: Advance

March 12, 2013 of the Continental Calendar.

Four days ago, in the hall where the feast to commemorate Margaret’s birthday was held, the Lords of neighboring countries who belonged to the Fantasia Union:

Vilar’s younger brother Serge Constance, Count of Regalia, Edokia Colorha, Queen of Haman, Solon Dalaras, King of Kirchs, and Lassic David, leader of Selvis had gathered. Milza Kuches was also present. Milza was also permitted to attend the Lord’s Conference because for the Fantasia Union, the relationship with the small continent of Dartania is important to such a degree.

There is also a country called Mansur located to the south of Selvis, but since it does not have any Lords with a rank higher than a Viscount, no one was invited to represent it during the meeting.

Also, there is a country called Mansur in the south of Sevis, but since there are no monarchs higher than Viscount, no one is invited here.

The Lords sat around a round table in the hall. With the exception of Count Regalia, no one of the others Lords has a master-servant relationship with the Earl of Artuk by their Crest. However, everyone agrees that the leader of this region is undoubtedly Vilar. With the exception of Milza, each of the Lords also had a contracted Mage standing next to them, and Siluca stood side by side with Theo behind Vilar.

As you all know, the Council of Lords of the Fantasia Union will be held in Halusia. It will be the first meeting of its kind since 「The Tragedy of the Grand Cathedral 」, and an important discussion is going to be taking place there, so I think we are all going to agree that it is our duty to participate in it as well.

Vilar cut to the chase right from the get-go.

「And I will be taking care of the security during everyone’s absence. 」

Serge Constance, the Count of Regalia said so as he looked around all the Lords that were present in the main hall.

looked around at the monarchs and said.

Serge’s title is the one of Count, and although he holds reign over the country of Regalia, he is subordinate to his older brother Vilar, and subordinate Lords do not have any right to vote during the Lord’s Conference, but since it was entirely possible that Waldrind might try to attack Artuk while Vilar and the other Lords are going to be away, it was a sensible choice to have someone stay behind so that they would be ready and prepared for it.

Villars and Serge have different mothers, but from the information that could be heard circulating around, the two of them have a good sort of a sibling relationship. It seems that Serge thinks that he is who he is now because of his brother, and from what he said just now, it can be told that his primary concern is how to help his brother.

(Although he feels a little unreliable…)

However, for the Constance family, it can be said that it is the safest thing to do.

「Low-ranked independent Lords and subordinate monarchs will remain in their territories, so do not hesitate to mobilize them if the enemy really chooses to invade during our absence. 」

Edokia, dressed in a purple dress, looked at Serge and smiled brightly.

Although she is over 40 years old, she still managed to maintain a feminine figure, and the luster of her youthful days could still be seen in her every move. She is said to never have had a husband, but apparently she is keeping several lovers in her castle with whom she had four children already.

. It is also said that she raises her children equally and gives them equal titles, regardless of who their fathers were. She is therefore called the 「Queen of Immorality」, but to be honest, Siluca was feeling a great deal of admiration for her free-spirited way of life as a fellow woman.

(Hers is the kind of lifestyle that I would certainly never be able to emulate.)

She does not even know how she feels about Theo, and if she continues to be spinning around in circles like that, then she can never hope to reach her level.

「That Marine Kraische will not dare to attack us when we are away. 」

Solon, who is known as Kirchs’s 「Theater King」, spoke in a low tone that seemed to resound from the bottom of the earth. He has short gray curly hair and a beard that runs along his chin. As his name suggests, he writes his own fables and plays, and is said to be on stage himself as an actor. Siluca has not seen any of his plays because she was not personally interested in them, but apparently they were all quite good and have been performed several times at the theater in Elam.

She also heard that many of his works come with the theme of escaping to an ideal world, so Siluca could definitely understand why many people would think that such plays would be a bit problematic for your typical Lords to see.

「If you want to go to Halusia, then the fastest way to get there is undisputably by ship. If you all do not mind, then I would like to invite you all onto my ship. 」

Edokia said with a twinkle in her eyes. Her words were modest, and everyone could sense a strong desire behind them as well.

「It is undoubtedly going to be an elegant voyage then. 」

Vilar smiled back at her.

Edokia has a huge ship called the 「Palace of the Sea」. The interior of that ship is said to be truly extravagant, and everyone who had the change to sail onboard of it always said that it is a magnificent vessel that is definitely worthy of being called a palace. However, that was only its function during the times of peace, but whenever there was time for war, 「Palace of the Sea」was acting as an unconquerable sea fortress that comes equipped with the latest generation of cannons designed in Elam. One boulder shot from such a cannon is enough to turn a small ship into nothing but a pile of splinters drifting on the water, and even larger and sturdier ships should end up with a sizeable hole in their hulls. However, since these cannons operate on gunpowder, there is always a risk of them suffering from an accidental explosion due to the heightened concentration of Chaos, and using them properly requires a specialized engineer to handle each and every one of them, but in order to be able to afford hiring a proper engineer, the rank of at least a Baron was required.

(Not to mention that it is not a fast-firing weapon and it has a limited amount of times it can be used, so I really doubt that it would be effective in actual combat. )

The Mages Association of Elam recognizes the ownership of territories and contracts with Mages in accordance with the given Lord’s rank. Other than that, they also lend out craftsmen, machines, and magic treasures, so whenever a Lord was reaching the Baron rank, then the most beneficial thing that he could do for his country was to hire an excellent engineer. That is what Vilar did when he became a Baron, hiring specialists such as west-makers and distillers.

「But if you go by the sea, then you have to keep in mind that you will have to pass through the Sea of Demons around Sistina in order to get to Halusia. 」

Count of Regalia anxiously looked at his brother.

「Then we have no choice but to hire a pilot who knows the area well. If we get caught in the infamous maelstrom, my palace will definitely not come out of it unscratched. 」

With a wry smile, Edokia made a gesture of turning her finger in circles in the air.

Sistina was an island that was filled with Demon Nests, but the sea around it was also highly dangerous and filled with Chaos to such a degree that it came to be known as the graveyard of ships. It is home to giant monsters known as Krakens, and there are frequent maelstroms that drag all ships unfortunate enough to be caught in them to the bottom of the ocean.

「It would be dangerous for all of us to board one ship. It would be better for each of us to set sail on different vessels and keep our distance from one another in case anything happened. 」

Solon said with a heavy expression.

「I have to agree with that. 」

Edokia nodded regretfully from the bottom of his heart. She probably wanted to show off her prized ship to as many people as she possibly could.