Kays Translations

Chapter 56: Ama-no-Iwato (The Gate to Heaven)

A huge marble table made for this occasion. Five men surrounded it.

King Rathbald Valscheid.

Marquis Beowulf Eldenberger.

Cassandros, King of the Coalition.

The second prince, Arsames.

And a neutral observer from a neighboring country.

A little further away, thousands of soldiers spread out in a circle and watched the signing ceremony with bated breath.

Cassander was looking carefully at the sword that Lutz had made. The deep wrinkles and creases etched all over his face showed that he was indeed an old man, but his taut skin and flabby muscles made him look no older than seventy.

Rumors that he sleeps with women and absorbs their youth have become credible. It sounds preposterous, but the oddly developed upper half of his body and his inverted triangular physique seem to blow all common sense out of the water.

He held the sword, which weighed three times as much as normal, lightly and stared at it. The blade pattern is beautiful, and the weight and length are perfect. The handle also fits well in his hand.

I would like to do a test slash, but as expected, I couldn't slash a captive of the kingdom's soldiers at the peace table. It's a pity.

It was a cassandro with the corners of his mouth hanging open at the thought that this sword would be his.

Even though it's already wonderful enough, it's time to add more enchantment from here. And with the Eye of the High King, a huge diamond that is called the continent's greatest treasure.

I see, it's really interesting. The jewel, which I had regretted giving to the monkeys of the kingdom, suddenly looked like mere material.

"Fine, go ahead."

Cassandros put down the sword, took a pink diamond from his pocket, and tossed it carelessly onto the table. A piece of marble chipped off and the gem almost tumbled off.

A knight of the kingdom hurriedly took it and headed to the special tent for the enchantment.

Soldiers from the Coalition countries will also go along as inspectors. It would be irresistible if they claimed to have used the Eye of the High King, but substituted another gem.

After seeing them off, Cassandros sat back in his cramped chair.

"Now, let's get the signing ceremony over with before the sword is ready."

"This is the main one, King Cassandros."

King Rathbald smiled wryly. It is still difficult to decide whether to call Cassandros a funny guy or a lazy guy. It is possible that his whole attitude up to now was an act.

Six sheets of parchment presented by the bearer. Three of them had the terms of peace written in the language of the kingdom, and three in the language of the coalition. All of them were signed by the two kings, and the three countries shared them with the bearer.

...... this is what it looks like.

Emptiness prevailed in Cassandros' heart more than the relief of having ended the war.

Ten years of bloody, money-laden wars ended with just a piece of paper signed.

Each side continued to station soldiers because the other side would attack.

We couldn't stop each other because we couldn't finish without any results.

By sending the Eye of the High King, he wanted to put pressure on the other party to take the princess as a hostage or to force them to cede a small piece of land to him. However, the story got complicated when the other party claimed to use the High King's Eyes as a catalyst for the enchantment of magic.

You can't refuse a gift that the other party has offered to give you. That is the trouble with gift diplomacy.

He had praised his son as a genius in diplomacy, who had taken the upper hand by forcing the kingdom to do something unreasonable, but now he only thought of him as a man who had done something unnecessary. It is dangerous to push an opponent too far.

We give you a jewel, you receive a sword made of that jewel. In the end, we are in debt for the sword and the magic enchantment technique.

...... After that, it depends on how well the sword is done.

We will not know until we see the sword whether we will end up accepting it as a sign of peace, or whether we will have to prepare another return gift.

Better yet, it seemed like the easiest thing would be to condescendingly receive the four swords shown in advance after failing to enchant.

No, but I would like to see what would happen to that wonderful sword if it were magically enchanted with the best jewels. It would be the best because it would be mine.

We can tolerate some diplomatic disadvantages.

This is by no means just about the greed of Cassandros. It is quite profitable to obtain the authority of royalty and its symbols.

The coalition is a group of small powerful clans. There are probably hundreds of chieftains, large and small.

……In short, I need proof that even fools can see at a glance that I am the king.

I wanted something like that, but I couldn't find it, and I had to drag it out on the sly. The pink diamond, called the Eye of the High King, is a precious object, but it was a little weak to be called a symbol of a king or a proof of power. Jewelry is not a sign of a warrior.

If it's that sword, then maybe.

The signing ceremony ended successfully. It was suggested that he move to a large tent and have a banquet, but Cassandros' attention remained on his sword.

In Gerhard's simple workshop, the three craftsmen, Claudia and Jocel, and even the two knights who were inspectors were together looking into the eye of the High King.

"Huge... yeah, huge"

"It's mysterious when jewelry comes this far..."

"Just looking at it makes my head spin"

"It's like a giant nipple ring."

"Patrick, please be quiet."

No one could move from the spot. It was the first time I had ever seen something called a masterpiece or a supreme treasure other than a sword.

My gaze was focused on the gem, and a hand reached out and took it away. I followed the hand and there was Gerhard, who looked stunned.

"Don't forget your role, from now on the gems will be used to enchant magic."

Saying that, he immediately went to the ceremonial table.

“Gerhard-san, are you really going to crush it?”

Now Patrick says such a thing.

“That's what you came here for all along, isn't it?"

"No, but it is. Using a beautiful, flawless gemstone as a hex, like teaching an innocent girl an illicit game, is such a thing. Oh, no."

"Exciting, isn't it?"

"... Well, that's right."

With a groan, Patrick moved to the edge of the tent to stay out of the way. I don't know what part of what he just said made sense.

Following his lead, Lutz and the others sat at the edge of the room, where they could get a good view of the work.

When it was time to begin, a knight of the kingdom pointed at Gerhard and shouted.

"Hey craftsman, I won't forgive you for making mistakes. I think you understand, but the prestige of the nation is at stake. If you break the jewel and don't get any results, even if you die, you won't be able to make amends!"

Jocel was angered by the arrogant tone of his words, and approached him with a wide step.

"You are a knight and you don't even know the difference in status, do you? My master, Gerhard, is under the custody of the Count of Zander, the equivalent of a baronet. Do not talk to him as if he were a fool!"

"The "equivalent" of a "count" is probably not an official title. If you leave the count's territory, it will be an invalid baronial title. I only gave you this advice as a close associate of His Majesty the King. You country knight with no sense of propriety, stay out of this!"

"You're the king's errand boy, aren't you? If you're a knight of the Kingsguard, you can't leave the place with the bodyguards, can you?"

The ugly quarrel between the two heats up even more.

As I looked at him, thinking he was an idiot, a coalition knight came up to Lutz's side to talk to him.

"I hate it when the knights of the kingdom are always fighting each other over silly things."

"The foxes who borrow the authority of the tiger are arguing with each other. My master has better fur than yours."

The knight, liking the way Lutz put it, opened his mouth wide and burst out laughing.

"Ha-ha-ha, that's good. I'm starting to like you. I heard you made that sword our chief was licking his eyes at."

"If it's a big, thick sword, then yes."

"When all this is over, why don't you come to the Coalition? You can serve a king or a great lord, or whatever, I'll arrange a special seat for you."

The knight suddenly said in a serious voice, and Lutz quietly shook his head.

"... I'm sorry, but I haven't thought about that yet."

That would be fine for the sword by itself, but when it comes to the overall finishing touches, the cooperation of Gerhard and Patrick is essential. He liked the relationship a little better now that they were called the "three craftsmen of the Count's domain".

"I guess I got dumped. Well, you don't want to be pestered on the first day, do you? We'll meet again another day."

Said the knight jokingly. It seems he hasn't given up yet.

“Hey, Lutz-kun.”

This time Claudia opened her mouth with a serious expression.

"After the peace talks are over, you should really start thinking about what you're going to do."

"... Is it that serious?"

“From today onwards, your name will become well-known, as a man of utility. You may be invited from various places, or you may be abducted or killed. Whether we want it or not, we can't live without the protection and patronage of someone important."

Claudia turned around. Her straight gaze seemed to be truly concerned about Lutz. Lutz thought that she had beautiful eyes, even at a time like this.

“I think the real choice would be Count Zander. Or the Marquis, or even sell it to the King. The princess might want an ally. We could take the offer of her brother over there."

"Mmmmm……"

"Well, don't think so deeply. As I said before, all your choices are trivial and unimportant. I'll be with you no matter which path you choose, it's all the same."

"Yes"

Claudia's confidence that she loves and is loved has always saved me. I am grateful for that. Lutz decided to think about it slowly after he returned home.

In the meantime, it seems that the dispute between the knights has been settled.

The knight of the kingdom was knocked unconscious by Gerhard's punch to the jaw. Jocel, too, seemed to have been hit in the head. Jocel, who should have been accustomed to pain through intense training, was sprawled out with his head in his hands.

"If you want to watch, stay in the corner!"

He yelled at him.

It is typical of Gerhard to not ask his students to leave in order to give them the opportunity to study.

"Well, and..."

Gerhard placed the eyes of the High King in the center of the ceremonial table.

The mercury-filled ceremonial table began to glow dimly, and a sound like a thumping heartbeat could be heard coming from the gem.

The process of giving life to the sword has begun. The tent was silent, and only the beating of the heart and the sound of ancient inscriptions echoed through the air.

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