Suspicions and a Queen's Banquet
“…He won’t say anything. Or rather, to be precise, even if he wanted to speak, he couldn’t.”
As expected, there was another side to this. Moreover, if he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to, it probably meant they were hiding their identities from each other—or at least, this side didn’t know the other’s.
“I see. So you don’t know each other’s identities?”
“……”
He gave no answer, but I knew it was only because he couldn’t deny it.
“Let’s go.”
I extended my hand and politely gestured toward the banquet hall. Well, it would have been better if I’d figured this out sooner, but it didn’t change anything in particular. Whatever they were plotting, it couldn’t be a particularly great threat or danger.
It might simply be that they’d been ordered to tail us for surveillance, or perhaps they’d been given some minor task like contacting other nobles in the kingdom or striking deals with the thugs who controlled the back alleys. Yes. There was no need to worry.
In the worst case……
“…Then you don’t know their objective either, do you?”
My mind went cold for a moment. It might be an overreach, or just needless imagination, but the pieces tangled together in my head had produced a rather dangerous conclusion.
“As I’ve already said, I only follow orders.”
“Only follow orders. You’re quite diligent, even while knowing which group you belong to.”
The man who had been walking a few steps ahead stopped.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Why now, and why you? Why did they send you as the representative of the diplomatic mission? And what exactly is the other side’s mission?”
Thinking about it properly, there had been something strange from the very beginning. No matter how many circumstances and influences were mixed together, using the First Princess—who was directly tied to the imperial family’s dignity—just to raise transit fees a little? Even if their goal was to keep the Ayman Kingdom in check and they were bound by various practical constraints, wasn’t this far too much effort for the expected result?
Furthermore, the High Assassin Guild had conveniently appeared at this event they’d gone to such lengths to arrange? Even if they succeeded in concluding this treaty whose outcome was already largely predetermined, it wouldn’t amount to any great achievement. Of course, the groundwork might already have been laid and they might have needed a small pretext, but given the vast territory of the empire, there should have been countless other methods available.
If they’d reached out even to Grand Duke Ikamaled just to create this incident for the sake of publicity, then they’d truly put the cart before the horse.
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
Whether he had read something in my tone and atmosphere or simply because the mood had reached this point, he couldn’t help but realize that something was amiss.
“What do you think would happen if the representative of the diplomatic mission suddenly died an unnatural death in a foreign country?”
“……!”
He reflexively glanced around, but of course there was nothing to find.
“Are you threatening me?”
It was a foolish display of caution and an even more foolish question, but I could understand. Given the situation, it was only natural. Even if he didn’t know about the hidden Bagloros, I was still one of the hero’s companions. It wouldn’t be strange for him to be afraid.
“Of course not. What would I gain from that? I’m simply giving you a warning. If I were in your position, I would certainly do exactly that.”
An envoy dying in a foreign land was, in any case, a major diplomatic incident that would bring enormous chaos to both countries, regardless of whose fault it was.
They had managed to obtain a transit fee increase by having the envoy beaten. Then what could they obtain through the envoy’s death? Especially if the cause of death was unclear or the culprit couldn’t be identified? In the end, the Ayman Kingdom would have no choice but to make concessions, and the impact wouldn’t be limited to simple matters like transit fees but would extend to various sensitive issues.
Moreover, even if it were resolved smoothly, once it became known, the Sigmut citizens’ opinion of the Ayman Kingdom would plummet to depths incomparable to the incident involving the queen.
Of course, even if it wasn’t Sigmut’s intention, it could be the High Assassin Guild’s leadership trying to keep each other in check. They might be trying to prevent one leader from expanding their influence too far within Sigmut, or they might be planning to escalate the matter to eliminate rivals whose power base was in Sigmut.
Yes. If it were me, I would have done exactly that.
“To the guild, your life is nothing more than a consumable. It’s only natural to look after your own safety, isn’t it?”
Of course, as long as Bagloros was watching him, he would be safe, and all of this might just be my overactive imagination.
“……”
I could see his mind working frantically. He must have realized it to some extent by now—what the consequences of his death would be for both Sigmut and the guild.
He turned and walked toward the banquet hall as if fleeing, disappearing inside without even glancing back at me.
“Grand Duke Ikamaled, huh. I should let Medrup know.”
Of course, the assassination of the diplomatic mission’s representative was still just my speculation, but the fact that the name Ikamaled had come up was definitely a gain. Even if it was only a connection through money or a request, there was a possibility that he was one of the leaders of the High Assassin Guild.
Alternatively, Sigmut might have directly commissioned the High Assassin Guild for the sake of national interest, but either way, it didn’t matter.
“Whether they actually planned the representative’s death or not, now that they’re aware of it, there’s no need to worry.”
Once we got them into Sigmut territory, whether they died or got injured, it wouldn’t become a diplomatic issue. Regardless of the truth, they would now want to return to Sigmut as quickly as possible, so we could skip the unnecessary ceremonies and send them straight through the Sage’s Tower teleportation circle.
“Anyway, it seems certain that the High Assassin Guild’s leadership has reached into Sigmut, so during this visit, I might as well……”
No, that would be difficult because of Rowell and Aegina. I’d have no choice but to leave it to Medrup after all. I slowly made my way toward the banquet hall. I needed to tell Rowell and Aegina what I had learned, and I also had to show my face to the people who had been waiting for me since earlier.
‘Of course, once all that’s over, I’ll have to go “listen” to the books again.’
* * *
“Then we shall take our leave.”
Time passed, and the day of the diplomatic mission’s departure arrived. After offering brief greetings to the king and us, the envoys stepped into the teleportation circle prepared by the court mages. Originally, direct teleportation or connections to other countries were extremely restricted in the capital and other major cities and fortresses, with multiple layers of defensive barriers in place, making even the Sage’s Tower teleportation circle unusable without separate permission. However, this particular circle prepared by the court mages could be used at any time.
Of course, when sending envoys or gifts between nations, it was customary not to use teleportation circles or aerial routes (there had been past incidents where what was supposedly an envoy visit turned out to be a special forces infiltration that succeeded in kidnapping or assassinating key figures). But this was a return journey, and the representative of the mission had consented, so it was possible.
Well, they would naturally want to preserve their own lives.
At the court mages’ signal, the crystals embedded along the edge of the teleportation circle glowed, and the envoys’ figures vanished. Of course, we hadn’t sent them directly to a major city or the capital of Sigmut, but rather to one of the cities near the border. Still, once they were returned to Sigmut territory, there was no longer any risk of getting caught up in troublesome matters.
“With this, we don’t have to worry about the worst case.”
“Yes. And in any case, this turned out well for us in the end.”
I didn’t know whether they had truly planned something like assassinating the envoy, but at least the man named Gafel had believed in that possibility. I wasn’t sure what would happen to him from now on, but he would likely consider himself indebted to me, which might prove useful someday.
Moreover, now that he believed the guild’s upper echelons were threatening his life, he wouldn’t report everything to the guild so readily.
“Any sign of the other side that Gafel mentioned?”
At my question, Bagloros nodded. That meant there was at least no professional assassin among the envoys. Though of course, even without an assassin, things like poisoning could be done by anyone, so I couldn’t be certain.
“Even if there were one among them, they wouldn’t be able to act immediately inside the castle. The same goes for before arriving at the castle.”
“Right. If something like that happened before arrival, it would be difficult to pin the blame on us since we wouldn’t have known the exact location of the diplomatic mission. If they were going to act, the only opportunity would have been on the return journey, but now that we’ve used the teleportation circle, that chance is gone. You figured it out well, Anak.”
“It might just be my needless imagination.”
Well, if we had caught them in the act of carrying out the plan, it would have proven my prediction correct and might even have given us a diplomatic advantage over Sigmut. But considering the possibility that my guess was completely off, this was probably for the best.
“More importantly, has there been any reaction from Senior Julian or the dwarves yet?”
“Actually, we received word from the Kruse Merchant Coalition this morning. They said it looks like they’ll make their move in the Parerin Archipelago within the next few days. Senior Julian is also planning to head there with the ships, so we’ll need to go as well.”
“The dwarves haven’t shown any particular reaction yet. But they told the messenger they would contact us soon, so at least the start isn’t too bad.”
They would contact us soon. Yes, that wasn’t bad at all. Recently, the dwarves had been responding to any contact from any nation by simply handing over a single black amethyst—meaning rejection—and sending the messenger back.
“Well, anyway, when should we depart?”
“The merchant coalition’s ships are scheduled to arrive at Del May Port on the morning of the day after tomorrow.”
Del May Port. It was the port connected to one of the relatively fastest routes to the Parerin Archipelago. Though it was quite far from the Ayman Kingdom, it was one of the trade centers, so we could go there directly via teleportation circle.
It would be nice if we could go straight to the Parerin Archipelago, but unfortunately, the various islands that made up the archipelago had no teleportation circles built on them, and they were protected by defensive barriers. It was a precaution by the people of the Parerin Archipelago against invasion from the continent.
Of course, if I asked Medrup, he could easily create a portal or teleport us there, but he would be busy because of Ikamaled and the High Assassin Guild, so I didn’t want to trouble him.
“Then it would be best to depart the morning after next!”
The one who suddenly hammered the point home, as if he had been waiting for this moment, was none other than the king. He had been standing quietly beside us without saying much since seeing off the diplomatic mission, but now his eyes were sparkling as if he had found a lifeboat while adrift.
“Yes, that would be good.”
“Then we can attend the banquet tonight?”
“A banquet?”
Wait, hadn’t we just held a banquet a few days ago? Why another one?
“Again?”
Aegina also asked with a puzzled expression. Ed seemed to have realized something and slightly averted his gaze, while the king silently looked at Sir Levrant. Then, with an expression as if he had mustered great courage—yet unable to meet Aegina’s eyes directly—he opened his mouth.
“…Your mother says she wants to properly hold a welcome party for you to celebrate the end of her period of self-restraint.”
Ah. Right. I had been wondering why the queen hadn’t shown her face at all. She had been waiting until the diplomatic mission left.
“…Mother is?”
Aegina looked at the king and Ed with an expression that was hard to describe precisely.
“But the queen doesn’t particularly like banquets, does she?”
Right. I wanted to say that too. As far as I remembered, the queen—who was called the Flower with a Sword—was just like Aegina and didn’t particularly enjoy banquets. She always said that young men and women only exchanged glances, while the older ones spouted nothing but flattery and empty formalities, and that it would be far more productive and efficient to hold a swordsmanship tournament or academic conference instead.
She would add that it would be much more helpful for finding a future spouse. (Though whether that was something to say from someone who had entered a banquet hall carrying a sword and won her husband, or whether it was exactly the kind of thing she would say, I wasn’t sure.)
“…She said it would be a rather special banquet. She’s already prepared the schedule and plans herself, so there’s no need to worry.”
The king took out several small sheets of paper from his robes and handed them to us. Then, as if he had finished his part, he tried to turn and leave, but Ed quickly grabbed him. A strange silence and a half-hearted struggle ensued between the king and Ed, but we ignored them for now and looked down at the papers we had received.
“The royal palace……”
“……Swordsmanship.”
“A banquet……?”