The Empire unified currency and language.
Through two wars of unification, the Imperial Knights had become a symbol of fear to everyone. After that, they appeared even when fighting the Demon lands.
Now, after time had passed and passed again, the Empire had taken the seat of a bystander, standing back and watching blankly without exerting any great influence over the continent.
'Why?'
Why the Empire acted that way had long been one of Crang's concerns. He simply could not understand the principle behind their behavior.
The moment Crang ascended the throne, he first grasped the situation of the surrounding nations, and the former queen had not been a fool either, so even while lacking power and facing the risk of civil war, she had ensured that information never stopped coming in through various information guilds and merchants.
Thanks to that, it had been easy to understand other countries besides the Empire.
'The south are war maniacs drunk on the desire for conquest.'
If the Demon lands had not stood in the way, they were gamblers who would have long since seen the end of it.
They had in fact done exactly that. They had fought, lost, and prepared for what came after. In a way, he had been a splendid king.
'A man who staked everything on the dream of unifying the continent.'
He had arranged it so that if not him, then the one who defeated him should unify the continent and carry on his dream in his place. A madman, but worthy of respect at least for the blind effort he had devoted to his purpose.
Evergart was a quiet beast so long as no one coveted its land.
'And that beast proved that, in truth, it knows the flow of the times and has a deft hand for riding the line and choosing the right side.'
Hadn't they recently come looking for him, seen Enkrid, and then chosen a side?
The moment he decided to go to war with the Demon lands, they too would fight on his side.
Aspen had been like a hyena, waiting for the moment Naurillia was weakened by civil war.
There had been much talk that it had done so with the Empire's help, yet even now, after the war with Aspen was over, the Empire had neither extended a hand nor interfered.
The other trade city states had all been people too busy looking after themselves. And the holy city states were people rotting away because they could not squeeze out the pus that had formed inside them.
Well, now the political landscape had changed, but back then, that was how it had been. It was only that things were very different now from when he had first sat on the throne.
'Then what about the Empire?'
They possessed power, yet did not step forward.
Veiled in pitch black shadow, only two eyes stared straight at this place. The emotion in those eyes was as numb as a fairy's, impossible to read.
'I can't read the intent behind their actions.'
Ignorance was fear. The unknown was fear too. At least, that was true when war or dealings between nations were in motion.
Crang feared the Empire. That said, if asked whether he would kneel before them, that was another matter.
'At least.'
There were things the Empire did step in to do. Could one judge them by that? That wasn't the case either.
At truly dangerous moments, when something erupted in the Demon lands, a few knights would come out and fight, but they still did not reveal any desire to conquer.
Most of the time, the only time they reached a hand toward the continent was when they wanted people, those with outstanding talent.
'They send recruiting officers.'
And they send matchmakers to encourage marriages.
'It looks like they're obsessed only with organizing their interior and building up strength.'
But wasn't strength gathered in order to use it? Where would the Empire use that power, and when?
That was one of Crang's greatest anxieties. The emperor of the Empire, in other words, the master of a group so formidable that even if the Mad Order of Knights accepted the proposal of a single demon and fought with one more demon added to their ranks, victory still could not be guaranteed, was summoning him.
Should he be frightened here, then? Crang was not. He merely speared the flounder roe he had been eating with his fork and put it in his mouth.
A rich, creamy taste filled his mouth. In between, the salty scent of the sea rang through his nose.
'Well grilled.'
It would be nice if food like this could be shared with everyone.
Still, there was bound to be a difference in what royalty and nobles ate compared to ordinary commoners. While the king ate calmly, Marcus stepped forward. More accurately, it would be better to say he had lost patience and opened his mouth. He was still at the age where his blood ran hot.
"If this is an invitation, are you saying that the king of a nation should come in person right now?"
The question was full of bone. Had you people even thought about that? That was the intent wrapped inside it.
"Yes, we are earnestly asking."
The female envoy answered at once. Her manner was that of delivering only clear fact, without emotion.
Her replies were mechanical, as if gears fitted perfectly into her body.
Naturally, whether it was an earnest request or a threat, this was not something that could be accomplished lightly. Marcus judged it that way. His face reddened. He was right on the verge of telling them to cut the bullshit.
"Can't the emperor come himself?"
Enkrid swallowed the flounder roe and asked. This really is delicious. They said a palace cook had grilled it, and the skill truly was exceptional. Wasn't grilling one of the hardest parts of cooking? Undercook it and it turned fishy, overcook it and it turned dry, but this was neither.
At Enkrid's words, the mage frowned this time.
"How dare—"
What kind of nonsense was that? But before the mage could fully open his mouth, the female envoy spoke first.
"He has circumstances that prevent him from leaving his place."
It sounded as if, were it not for those circumstances, he might have come.
Enkrid had been about to ask what those circumstances were, but instead brought out the thing they had agreed on.
Hadn't they decided to ask what these people truly wanted? Using the excuse that he had beaten Valmung.
Enkrid's gaze turned to Valmung, and the mouth that opened without hesitation called to him.
"I want to ask Sir Valphir Valmung, the Beastly Knight."
"You don't have to call me anything so grand for me to answer. This really is delicious."
He too was enjoying the flounder roe. This bastard also knew the value of food. Honestly, Enkrid didn't dislike the knight named Valmung.
The way he acknowledged defeat hadn't looked bad, and instead of acting as though the world had ended because he had lost, he had calmly gone about his business like an adult. That too had been good to see.
Not a bad impression.
Of course, the mage sitting beside him was unpleasant just to look at.
There were people everywhere who looked unpleasant.
That curly blond hair looked like hair grown somewhere else, and every time he smiled, the outer corners of his eyes bent and his eyes drooped even farther down, and the sight of it was deeply unpleasant.
Maybe it was the angle of those drooping eyes he didn't like.
There were angles a person disliked for no reason.
Anyway, Enkrid finished what he had been saying.
"I want to know what the emperor wants."
It's fine to ask this much, isn't it? If you answer honestly, I'd appreciate it.
And even if not, it'd be nice if you showed a little of whatever scheme you've got going on inside.
It was a single line like a dagger, aimed at many things.
Valmung looked quietly at Enkrid. Their spar had been brief, but perhaps when people crossed swords, something like goodwill was born between them.
Valmung too had watched the Mad Order knight's attitude and swordsmanship and judged him decent enough. In fact, more so than before.
If he had been in the Empire, he would have become truly outstanding timber.
"If I tell you, will you believe me?"
Valmung asked back.
"I'll listen carefully."
Enkrid answered at once.
That was neither saying he would believe him nor saying he wouldn't.
Seen from that angle, it was clear that Enkrid's political sense was quite sharp.
Wasn't he even now slipping away with an ambiguous answer while demanding the other man's response in return?
He really does know how to talk.
Thinking that, Valmung looked at the female envoy. She nodded. With that brief action alone, it became clear who the person in charge at this table was.
"The original plan was to crush whoever came out in front with force. Put simply, we meant to bully the atmosphere into our hands through strength. You know the law of the continent, don't you? If that failed, then the real envoy would step forward as the final plan."
The law of the continent was that the one with power decided everything.
What that meant, in plain terms, was that if things went sour, swords would be drawn.
Perhaps to show a bit of slyness himself, Valmung abruptly began reciting the reason for the way he had behaved when he first arrived.
Kraiss and a few others had already predicted as much.
"Well now, your stomach must be hurting since it didn't go your way."
Rem said that from the side. His words carried laughter in them.
Of course, they carried more than just laughter. He had said it while letting a warlike air show.
If you're going to invite people into the jaws of monsters, you should give a proper reason.
Instead of saying that outright, he seized the mood at once.
With that peculiar air of his, Rem subtly pressured the other side.
Their side stands at the very front line of the continent's law. If I don't like it, I'll swing my axe.
His whole body said it. He subtly showed the will to overturn the table if things displeased him.
Even while feeling all of that, the Imperial envoys did not particularly show discomfort.
Ah, Mol, Valmung's follower, and the mage did show uneasy expressions for a moment, but those two were not the ones with decision making power.
"I will speak while swearing and pledging upon Will."
Those were the words Valmung suddenly threw out.
A pledge? Out of nowhere?
While everyone including Enkrid looked at him in silence, Kraiss furrowed his brow.
"Don't."
He said, but Valmung ignored him and spoke again.
"I pledge on my honor that no harm whatsoever will come to the king. Should anything unsound occur, then let all the Will within me vanish."
A knight's pledge was like a spell. Valmung had wagered his life as a knight. The lines between Kraiss's brows deepened.
"His Majesty always desires the peace of the continent."
The female envoy spoke again. As if to say that this alone was the will of the emperor of the Empire.
Crang remained impassive, while Marcus's face turned red, then white, then red again.
The Duke of Octo quietly watched the female envoy's face.
Was everyone busy with their own thoughts?
In the middle of that, Kraiss opened his mouth. His words and questions poured out in a rush, but his pronunciation was precise, so every one of them struck the ear clearly.
"So if we ignore what you've just said, we end up as the ones who disregard the honor of an Imperial knight, and if we agree to respect your honor, then the king has to go into the Empire in person? Do you think anyone would agree to such a request? Do you truly think your honor is greater than the king of a nation?"
Valmung let out a short groan.
"Mm."
Then he answered.
"No, I do not think that. This is merely meant to show our sincerity."
"So you're forcing one of two things on us: either disregard a knight's honor, or accept a ridiculous demand!"
Kraiss shouted furiously. The dining hall boomed with it. At that forceful outburst, the female envoy's eyes turned to Kraiss. Kraiss did not avoid her gaze either.
"What we asked is so unreasonable that we cannot dare say our honor has been insulted. My name is Seriana Krauss."
"Kraiss Allman."
They had not even exchanged names until now. Their names passed between them briefly.
"If you refuse, then the Empire will remain the same Empire it was yesterday."
What Seriana said borrowed part of a well-known story.
To be as yesterday meant maintaining the relationship as it had been until now.
"Didn't you come because you wished to discuss tomorrow? Surely you did not come here to sell goods."
Kraiss took up her words. His reply borrowed part of the same story.
The proverb they were borrowing spoke of a merchant who lived as he had yesterday, a soldier faithful to today, and a ruler who advanced toward tomorrow.
When faced with a monster, the merchant fled for the sake of a today like yesterday, the soldier fought for today, and the ruler persuaded the monster for the sake of tomorrow. By invoking that story, Kraiss was rebuking them, hadn't they come here for rule, for politics, if they were going to speak of such a thing?
"We did not come to threaten you. We are merely arranging for your king to meet our emperor."
Seriana chose the direct path. She laid bare what she wanted and threw it forward.
Was it right for the king of a nation to leave his place now? Even if relations with Aspen had grown quite good, they would still roll up both sleeves and try to stop him if he went there.
Kraiss saw no reason to move while carrying all of that unease.
"How about at least hearing the reason."
Crang said it as he set down his wineglass with a tap.
Perhaps because he had eaten well in the meantime, there was a healthy sheen on his face. He had also had a glass of wine, so his cheeks were faintly red.
What they had thrown out was only an offer.
Then whose choice was it?
Kraiss knew all of this rested on the mind of a single man.
And the envoy named Seriana knew that too.