Chapter 76: The Throne of Rubble

The man who appeared in the throne room was familiar.

The knight, who called himself Nguyen, was the inspector of the Amaterasu creation, the man who came to report to King Cassandros that the sword was ready.

… Wasn’t this guy the confidant of the former king?

Why is it working as a pawn of Arsames? Is he not in a position where he should turn his blade against Arsames?

Was he not also a brighter, more cheerful man? A man with gloomy shadows etched all over his body, as if he were a different man with the same face.

Maximilian wondered, but did not bring it to the surface. Only the king and Beowulf were allowed to speak here, and he was only an escort.

“I want you to hand over the custody of the third prince.”

Nguyen began his speech without even a word of greeting. Rathbald and the others were not surprised, as they had expected that this would be the only thing he wanted to do.

We discussed this beforehand. At that time, after less than five minutes of discussion, it was decided that the garbage would be taken away as soon as possible.

Beowulf stepped forward on behalf of the king.

“There are no exiles in the royal palace.”

“What…?”

“If you’re here to pick up the prince who’s staying for sightseeing, I’ll guide you to his room.”

In short, he just changed the wording.

Beowulf was aware that this was a farce. He had to say it this way because it would not be good appearance to simply hand over a person who came to him for help.

This is another political matter, albeit a ridiculous one.

“I am grateful to His Majesty for his generosity.”

Nguyen’s demeanor was dignified.

Why do we call them barbarians?

Maximilian wondered about his hated enemy. If I were told I could have this man as a vassal, I would want him now. That was his honest impression. He could not be called very savage.

“Well, messenger. I think we should deepen our friendship now that the war is over. What do you think?”

Said Beowulf.

Negotiations are just beginning. What will you give us in exchange for handing over the third prince, that’s what I’m saying.

“Peace is what my king desires. I will come again later to pay my respects with a tribute.”

“That is a one-time friendship. We hope to have a long-lasting friendship with your country.”

“… and what do you say?”

“The border has settled down, so I want to build a trading post there.”

Of course, it doesn’t end with just making a vessel.

“I can’t decide on my own. I have to take it back and consider it.”

“Don’t tease me too much, messenger. There’s no reason why King Arsames isn’t thinking about that. Haven’t you been given some sort of authority, or been instructed how to respond when the subject of trade is brought up? ?”

They demanded that the asylum seekers be handed over to them, and we could not give them any colorful response. If they were told to come back, they would have to go through the trouble twice, and Nguyen would be accused of being a child’s errand boy.

There is no way that Arsames, who is good at diplomacy, or at least he prides himself on it, has no idea what he is doing.

Nguyen wanted to go home without giving any statements. He did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble, but things did not seem to go so smoothly.

There is another point of interest. Beowulf called Arsames a king. This can be taken to mean that if they start trading, the kingdom will recognize Arsames as king and an equal negotiating partner.

“… His Majesty said this. If you try it once and it won’t cause any trouble, and it will bring benefits to both countries, you can do it.”

“You’re very discreet. No, I suppose it is natural, given our previous relationship.”

“A handshake wet with each other’s blood is a difficult thing.”

We must let bygones be bygones. It will take time and compromise.

I couldn’t get a formal promise of trade, but I was able to grasp the clue. Judging that this was the end, Beowulf nodded to his master and took a step back.

Rathbald said in a dignified voice.

“Thank you, messenger. It was indeed a meaningful time. Please come and visit us again anytime. I will have the Kingsguard escort you to the prince’s room.”

Two soldiers in well-polished armor stepped forward,

“Please, come this way.”

and walked out, flanking Nguyen’s front and back.

When Rathbald was about to leave the throne room,

“Oh wait”

He stopped them.

“My condolences on the death of King Cassandros. He was a true hero, though he was a bit of a pain in the ass. I admired him as a man when I saw him at the peace negotiations.”

Beowulf and Maximilian looked at each other in wonder. The king’s behavior was not what was discussed.

Nguyen relaxed his face and gave a rugged yet kind smile. This seems to be this man’s true face.

“Thank you. My king will be very pleased.”

Saying that, Nguyen straightened his back and started walking. There was the figure of a brave knight who had no cowardice and was not ashamed of anyone.

“Why did you say such a thing?”

After Nguyen and the others leave, Beowulf asks the king.

Hmm, Rathbald groaned and thought. He had a feeling that if asked why, he would find it difficult to put into words.

“… I wanted to know the nature of that man.”

“Is it the sexual root?”

“At first, I thought the man had sold out Cassandros under the guise of a loyal retainer. No, he is a true loyalist. His heart is still under Cassandros. It was impolite of me to doubt him.”

Ratbalt had a really apologetic look on his face.

Loyal vassals. Then a funny thing came up, and Maximilian tilted his head.

“Why is that loyal retainer acting like an errand boy for Arsames? If he were a loyal subject of Cassandros, Arsames would be his lord’s enemy.”

I don’t know. It seems like it doesn’t matter, but something catches my eye.

That’s right, Beowulf suddenly raised his face while muttering.

“Is he planning to take the third prince and challenge Arsames to a fight to reclaim the throne?”

I see, Rathbald and Maximilian nodded at the same time, but after a few seconds, they returned to a straight face.

“…Is he going to carry that idiot? It’s still better to wear a crown on a dog. At least I won’t do anything unnecessary.”

“Lord Beowulf, you’re joking too much.”

“I’m sorry. I thought it was not there when I was saying it.”

Beowulf averted his gaze with an embarrassed look.

“I will have to hold a round table meeting and explain to the Twelve Nobles what has happened so far. They will complain that we have acted without their permission.”

Rathbald wrinkled his eyebrows and said.

“Do you hate them?”

“No matter how good each person is,  if you gather together twelve people with strong egos, you will never be able to unite. Three people are just right.”

“But we don’t want to antagonize the great nobility by neglecting them with contempt.”

“It’s a headache. Some of them must have been forced to grab thirty silver coins, and they know it, and yet they have to play nice.”

Thirty pieces of silver, that was the amount the Messiah was once sold by one of his disciples, and was the code word for traitors.

“They must be puzzled, too. They thought they were connected to Cassandros behind the scenes, but they were suddenly killed.”

“The only thing I enjoy most is seeing that dumb wig.”

Rathbald and Beowulf smiled darkly. They wanted to laugh and cover up the trouble that lay ahead.

Deciding that there seemed to be nothing else to say, the king began to summarize.

“In any case, this uprising is a tailwind for us. Their centralization of power has been frustrated, and we can start trading with them. Isn’t that a good thing?”

The three nodded vigorously to each other and the day was dismissed.

We were prepared to trade, but remained quiet. This became the policy for the time being.

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