Chapter 285
Chapter 285
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: The Key to the Nine Myriad Long River (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Giru's mornings were as chaotic as its twilights. The people of Giru lived by their own time zones, and just as those who took the city's perpetual dusk as their stage bustled about, so too did those who claimed its eastern horizon as their livelihood.
It was the unique clamor of a port city. Cargo poured off ships from distant seas before the sun even broke, and merchant caravans hurried to deliver their goods. From the docks to the warehouses, it looked like a swarm of ants when viewed from afar.
Above that scene, Fernandez gazed toward the horizon. The dawning sea gleamed nearly colorless, pure white, before gradually taking on the serene hue of sapphire.
And cutting through it all was a single ship drawing near. A Demonica's eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary folk, so the vessel barely visible to him now might truly be at a vast distance.
Yet its size shattered any sense of perspective. Merchant ships twice as close appeared puny by comparison. The ship's masts sharpened into view, and beneath them, grand spires began to emerge.
The presence of spires on a ship alone allowed Fernandez to guess its name. It was one of only two warships left in this era.
"It's here."
He watched the silhouette grow steadily, unyieldingly larger, and let a faint smile cross his lips. In an operation whose exact goals and purposes remained unclear, at least one thing proceeding according to plan was a welcome relief.
Now the harbor patrol ships had identified the approaching vessel. Giru's seafaring forces were sounding their horns in near hysteria.
Fernandez rose at the sound, then leaped down lightly. It was time to get to work.
The morning harbor grew even more boisterous. Business as usual, of course.
* * *
Naturally, Giru's naval forces had advance word that the Elf Serpent Queen's flagship would be making port. Robert was not one to rush things.
But the sailors' near-hysterical panic was almost instinctive. It must have felt like beholding a fortress, a city, or an island adrift at sea—especially one barreling toward harbor at full speed.
"Clear the channel!! You'll run aground if you get caught in her wake!!"
"Look at the size of that thing…… How the hell did they even build something like that?"
The sailors gaped and muttered as the reality of the Gaimeirn royal flagship grew ever more tangible. To seafolk, an elven king's flagship belonged half to myth and legend. Unrivaled supremacy on the waves. Overwhelming mass that brooked no argument.
"Wait, hold on. Why isn't that thing slowing down?"
"Uh…… uh oh??"
-Whhoooooooo!!
The ships moored in the harbor seemed to scream in unison. Horns blared from every direction. It was less a warning to the colossal wall of a ship hurtling in unchecked and more a collective wail.
It blotted out the eastern sun entirely, casting a shadow over Giru harbor like a storm cloud. The sheer unreality was like night unfurling across the sky once more. Merchant vessels caught hopelessly between the port and the flagship shrieked in terror.
And then—as if there had been no acceleration at all—the flagship halted. Without dropping anchor or trimming sails. As if by magic.
"Wha…… wha……?"
Sailors and merchants gulped in relief, faces pale as death, or flopped to the decks flailing. How had it docked? Could something that massive brake from that speed? It defied the laws of physics, plain as day.
And soon, laughter rang out overhead.
"Pathetic landlubbers with spines that frail! What use are you?"
Clear, hearty laughter followed. The sailors stared up at the distant silhouette on the high gallery, one foot hooked over the rail, roaring with mirth.
"Humans! Your welcome for a state guest is downright sloppy! Come, Elthir! Show them how we greet dignitaries!"
"Yes, Your Highness!!"
After the woman's ringing voice came a thunderous cheer. Elves arrayed on the high gallery above, no doubt.
And then—
-BOOOOMMMM!!
"Gyaaaah!"
"Gwaaaahhh!!"
The massive cannonade flipped the entire harbor upside down. The Elf Serpent Queen's bright laughter echoed across the docks as port citizens and sailors dove for cover, howling.
"Ahahaha! This is how we welcome state guests!!"
* * *
"They're…… firing salutes now?"
"Yes, Your Highness. We've at least sent word to the privateers in the outer roads to prepare for potential hostilities……."
"Who'd want to fight the Golden Fleet of the Elves on the open sea? Never mind."
Robert sighed deeply and bowed his head. He was the one who had invited the Elf Queen, and who had warned the entire harbor of her approach. Controlling the citizens' shock and backlash fell to him too.
Even in Giru, there'd be no end of grumbling. His authority wouldn't suffer much from this, but that wasn't the real issue.
"The whole world will know now."
"My apologies."
"No need for that from you."
Robert waved off Fernandez, who bowed awkwardly. Even if Giru had perfect information control—and it didn't—this was fundamentally a trade hub. Foreign merchant houses couldn't unsee what they'd witnessed. Now everyone knew the Golden Fleet of the Elves had put in at Giru.
"I just…… thought it'd be nice to whisk you away on a few fast couriers."
"I…… did write as much in the letter."
"I didn't know the Elf Queen's 'fast courier' was her flagship."
"……Indeed."
Why did that woman love firing salutes so much? And why was she so desperate to show off her flagship? To Fernandez, it was an unsolvable riddle. Flagships were the elves' homes to begin with.
"What are they doing now, after the salute?"
"Conducting normal trade…… but……."
"But?"
Ironside leaned in to whisper to Robert, sweat beading on his brow as he continued.
"They're laying out crimson silk on the deck for a ceremony. Says it's how they receive honored guests……."
"Oh, for pity's sake."
Robert fixed Fernandez with a pleading look. Under that silent pressure, Fernandez nodded heavily and stood.
"I'll go see to it."
"May the Lord's blessing be with you."
"One can hope."
* * *
The audience with the Elf Queen proceeded with remarkable speed. Giru wanted an immediate end to the antics stoking public panic; the elves saw it as hosting a state guest regardless.
Fernandez walked a path lined with long crimson silk. He couldn't bring himself to look up. Crowds of citizens pointed and murmured at him. Not mockery, but awe close to reverence. He'd rather no one was there at all.
"Benefactor, this is so embarrassing."
"Join the club. Kirhas."
Kirhas walked with her tail stretched long to hide her face. Ignoring their shame, the elven escort chattered on with a beaming smile.
"I can't even remember the last time! In the last clash with the Malern royals, I commanded the ship right behind yours!"
"You were captain?"
"Yes! Lahav Fin Maklin here! Honored to command Her Majesty's 15th warship, the Eternal Glory!"
I didn't ask. Fernandez clicked his tongue, wishing this would end. As they climbed the stairs from harbor to flagship, cannon fire boomed suddenly.
Classic elven theatrics. Giru's citizens screamed and clapped hands over ears. Fernandez wanted to hold his breath. Ideally, a swift, clean suicide.
"Can't you please stop the commotion?"
"Out of the question! You're as humble as they say! But Her Majesty commanded the most dignified welcome possible!"
"Damn it all, Leia……."
He pictured Leia's impish grin. No, this bordered on malicious. Fernandez vowed to give her a piece of his mind as he boarded the flagship.
* * *
"I've heard you're to marry an imperial noble."
That was the first thing Fernandez heard upon entering the audience chamber. Abel stifled a quiet chuckle behind him. She poked his back lightly and whispered.
"Now I see why the girl's in such a mood."
"I'm innocent."
"No, you're anything but. I barely restrained myself from burning the Papal Palace to the ground."
It helped that I'm an ancient dragon who's seen ages pass. Abel grinned playfully. Fernandez ignored her and stepped forward to the queen's throne.
The vast hall once used for Malern audiences had been drastically scaled down. The ornate decorations and soul-extracting tools were gone. In their place, a few simple luxuries barely evoked the queen's dignity.
Sensing his gaze, Leia smirked.
"Like the new look? I prefer informal settings, so I slashed this needlessly huge hall."
"A virtue of good rule."
"Or a practical one. With both royal houses' subjects aboard, the ship was cramped for two races. Shrinking my quarters alone freed space for six more families."
Leia laughed brightly at Fernandez. She hopped down from the throne dais with heavy steps and stopped right before him, tilting her head up to meet his eyes squarely.
"When you get marriage news, isn't sending invitations the polite thing?"
"We called it off."
"……What? Flaw in the bride?"
"The marriage was a political deal from the start, now obsolete. If anyone's at fault, it's me. Queen Leia."
"You've no flaws beyond that foul temper."
Leia stated firmly, then grinned. She glanced at the Wildprinces and ministers arrayed around, bowed her head to Fernandez, and whispered.
"Is your invitation to me something that requires privacy?"
"No. This will be an official request."
"From whom? Your church?"
"No. From me. Fernandez Cerned, seeking to repay the friendship you've shown me these past days as 'favor.'"
"Friendship! Fair enough. Your goodwill was fortune for my entire race! Fear not, Fernandez. We elves never forget a debt."
You too. Leia dipped her head slightly to Abel, who smiled softly behind Fernandez. A being infused with the divinity of two goddesses, closest thing to the elves' god in the material world.
"And since it's official business fit for ministers' ears, we should dine."
"Dine……?"
Standard protocol for receiving envoys: a banquet after discussions concluded. Lengthy talks might extend for days depending on the matter. But never a feast first for an envoy bearing serious affairs.
Yet Leia smiled and said it.
"I've declared myself queen of two races, my cabinet drawn equally from all peoples. To unite the feuding subjects of Gaimeirn and Malern houses, what do you think I tried first?"
"Noble intent, but…… no idea."
"Sharing a meal!"
Leia clapped triumphantly. The ministers bowed familiarly and withdrew. Doors opened to admit a massive table and servants bearing heaped platters.
"One doesn't share utensils with enemies; those who share them become allies. That's how a nation is forged. At the Elf Serpent Queen's banquet, there's no divide of race or kind!"
"Praise Her Majesty's glory!"
"Indeed! Summon all the ministers! Debates, discussions, favors—afterward, we feast together."
Fernandez saw this as a trait born of Leia's people wandering flagship-less. After losing Gaimeirn's vessel at Infermur, she'd had to bind her fleet captains to maintain royal authority.
The habit had hardened into tradition post-unification. Brilliant policy. It won over Malern retainers and bound rival leaders under her banner.
She seemed merely a cheerful, steadfast woman, but Leia wielded politics with startling skill. A survival-honed balance. Never had the Serpent King's throne commanded less reverence within the race.
Gaimeirn had died trying to slay a goddess; Malern, seeking immortality by devouring his own. Their subjects had no reason for past pious respect.
Amid that, she—a half-elf daughter of godslayer Gaimeirn—had to unify a fractured people. Her choice: "inclusion."
'Impressively wise.'
-A fine haul awaits.
With Gaimeirn's logbooks and Malern's secret archives intact, Leia's royal house boasted peerless naval intelligence.
And even empty-handed, sharing strategies with the North Sea's mightiest warlord would aid against the end times.
Whatever form the end took, this was a moment demanding the utmost force.
* * *