Chapter 206
The Embers in the Furnace Remain the Same (4)
On occasion, there were those knights who had risen to the highest level, and who were not concerned with the quality of a sword. They were of the class of people who believed that only victory gained through pure skill and not reliance on good steel was worthwhile.
They consciously insisted only on using ordinary swords, as they thought that would prove their level. In my opinion, they were pure idiots.
They would say that those who dwelt on the quality of a blade were too lazy to hone the skills of their bodies by relying excessively on the sword’s nature.
‘If my energy replaces the sword’s marvelous forging, then what is the use of a great sword?’
Among the Masters of the past, there were those who proudly showed off such stupid beliefs.
They were proud of their skill of cutting through hard armor and cleaving through rocks with blunt training swords. They took great pride in their ability to face hundreds of blades by wielding cheap long swords forged from weak iron. The power of the Aura Blade had blinded them.
They even dismissed other Masters who wielded excellent swords as charlatans who depended on their swords’ quality. And they all died – under the hands of the Masters who they had criticized as being fake. It was only natural that, if their skills were equal, the warrior with the better quality weapon would hold the advantage. Even if they expended mana on the same level, an Aura Blade on a poor piece of iron was not the same as one blazing on a mastercraft sword.
Where a cheap longsword had only the energy of a knight to depend on, a great sword had both the energy and the bite of its steel counting in its favor.
The difference was, by no means, small.
In a game where the slightest edge separated life and death, a sword of good quality provided that edge.
In addition, if the sword wasn’t just a high-quality sword, but a great sword made by dwarves, the difference became even greater.
The swords in the chest were such mastercrafted weapons. No, they were more than that – these were swords forged not by ordinary dwarves, but masterpieces especially forged by meisters.
These were devils among swords that could not easily be cut through by Aura Blades.
Maximilian could not avert his gaze from the chest after seeing its contents. For a guy who was usually restrained, the desire shone brightly in his eyes.
“To bring these here!” Maximilian exclaimed as he snapped out of it. I nodded.
“If the Teutons know that we have the means to supply Leonberg with dwarven weapons, they will not so easily turn their eyes away from us. Human relationships function along the lines of what it takes to make the poorer side bend and bow. The relationship between one country and another is no different.”
“Brother, to me, it sounds like you plan to sell these things to the Teuton Kingdom,” Maximilian said, his eyes wide and his face set as if he had heard the absurdest thing.
“That’s right. Is there a problem with that?”
“I thought you were preparing this as a gift before your marriage, brother.”
I thought about Maximilian’s words.
“Sounds decent!” I exclaimed. I haven’t thought about the marriage, and a gift might be in order.
“But it’ll be only a sample. I won’t be ripped off by those who came here, and I won’t be giving them things for free. Why would I do such a stupid thing?”
Even though we were supplied with a good amount of dwarven weapons, our trade had been blocked off by the Empire, and we haven’t found the right client to sell to yet. Now a customer has come to my doorstep, however. If I missed this opportunity, I would be the world’s greatest fool. Maximilian was left speechless for a while by my confident attitude. It was only after some time that he spoke up with a foolish-looking face.
“I don’t know how it’ll look if a prince of our country goes to bargain directly, like a businessman.”
I gave a cold laugh as I heard his words.
“The duke of their country comes to this far-off land to buy and sell people. Is it so big a deal for me to then sell a few swords and some armor?”
Their delegation’s goal was marriage; it was they who decided to come and sell their princess’s hand for political purposes. If that was their purpose from the beginning, there was no reason why I couldn’t call it what it was.
“Brother! How can you say such a thing?”
Maximilian was frightened. He nagged me, saying that it was impossible to talk in such bad terms of a marriage between royal families. Of course, his words barely passed into my ears.
“Okay. I have no intention of marrying into a family that looks down upon Leonberg.”
To be precise, I had no intention of getting married.
I was angered by the imperial tyranny and had decided to become king, but I never forgot my true aim: To achieve the highest level and finally reach transcendence. That was what I longed for most. It was not a goal I could ever achieve by sitting around on a throne all the time; I would have no choice but to leave the kingdom in order to transcend. It would be irresponsible for me to marry.
“How can a Crown Prince have no intention of marrying?” Maximilian asked. “You are the one who will become king.”
“You speak as if I am the only one in the royal family.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. I am not the only Leonberger. I mean, there are other fine princes present.”
“Brother!” Maximilian shouted as he belatedly realized the meaning of my words.
“I’m not deaf. Don’t shout.”
“Why the hell are you doing this? Isn’t it time for you to accept your position as Crown Prince?”
Maximilian continued to nag at me, his mouth set in a grimace.
“Are you so anxious about being sold?” I asked after a while to stop his grumbling.
“It isn’t like that! Brother, your marriage is not your own personal matter! You still don’t know how important this alliance is to the kingdom!” came Maximilian’s excited screams.
“Yes, I know. I’m trying to get the best deal out of it.”
“Brother.”
“And one way to do that would be to let you marry Teuton’s princess.”
After I said this, I found the idea to be quite plausible, so I started to think about it seriously. Maximilian had originally been betrothed to someone from a young age. However, the marriage was delayed due to the fact that the Crown Prince of the kingdom remained unwed.
Then the major purge took place in Leonberg, and among the nobles who were executed, there were family members of the woman engaged to Maximilian.
As a result, the marriage was terminated, and Maximilian remained unwed even though he was older than twenty, which was rare for royalty. It was a shame.
“What the hell are you thinking! I have no intention of being a shameless person who intervenes in his brother’s marriage!”
“We haven’t discussed the terms of the marriage yet, but what’s immoral about it?”
“Brother!” Maximilian jumped up.
“If they need a marriage to form the alliance anyway, anyone of Leonberger’s blood should do. And besides, she’ll be happier with you than with a bastard like me.”
“Brother!”
“Why are you shouting so much today! All right, so- Come here.”
I grabbed Maximilian’s hand – he looked like he would have a seizure right away – and forcibly dragged him to the chest. Then I pulled out a set of iron armor that was stored therein. It was a full-plate armor with a helm.
“Try it on. It’s yours.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a special armor made by the dwarven meisters. Even an Aura Blade will not easily split it. So in the future, if there is a danger to your life, make sure you wear it when you go outside.”
Maximilian looked freaked out by my sudden gift.
“Brother…”
Then his eyes almost teared up. He seemed to have forgotten about our recent exchange, his face once more belonging to his usual gentle self.
“I can’t take it. I would rather that you wear it, brother. Or give it to his Majesty.”
“His Majesty also has a set that has been separately forged.”
As I said this, I pulled out another suit of armor from the chest.
“I want him to live. I’m always nervous about him.”
Even if the king’s skills would prove insignificant, at least he would be able to remain standing on the battlefield, not easily dying from the touch of blades.
Maximilian had refused the gift almost to the end, but he could not overcome my stubbornness and accepted the armor.
“I will cherish it like my life.”
“Tcha. It’s just pieces of iron, no matter how precious. There’s nothing dumber than valuing material gifts as much as your survival.”
Maximilian once more looked at me, touched by my words.
“Even swords, the quality of which I value, are nothing more than pieces of metal when compared to your life.”
“You sound serious. I will keep your words in mind, brother.”
I happily laughed as I saw Maximilian clutching his armor as if it was a treasure from heaven.
“Go now. I’m tired after the long journey.”
Maximilian hurried away, realizing that I had been to the far north.
It seemed that he had forgotten the conversation we had a while ago.
“The nagging prince is a noble man,” I said with a smile as I watched the door through which Maximilian had disappeared.
Contrary to my words, I didn’t feel regret. I was just relieved that the members of the royal family would not so easily fade away.
“Huh. I’m tired.”
After all the uninvited guests who had obstructed my rest have been driven out, I went straight to bed.
“Your Highness, can I take a seat?”
Adelia had appeared terrifyingly swiftly after Maximilian had left, and she had made my bed.
“Thanks,” I said, greeting her, and Adelia laughed abashedly.
“I will sit on this side. Please sleep comfortably.”
I looked at Adelia sitting on my bed and closed my eyes. In my ears, I began hearing her humming softly.
“What song is that?” I asked as I slowly opened my eyes, and Adelia spoke, almost apologetically.
“This is a song I often sang when my younger brother couldn’t sleep well. I don’t think your Highness can go to sleep, these days…”
I had so much to think about: The emperor’s identity, this thing with Teuton.
“No.”
I reached out my hand, stroked Adelia’s hair, and closed my eyes again.
“Keep singing.”
Adelia started humming for me again.
How old was I, to be enjoying a lullaby? I felt absurd. It was true that Adelia’s song made me feel at ease, however. I soon fell asleep to the sound of her humming.
* * *
‘Highness.’
‘Your Highness, wake up.’
As I heard a hazy voice, I awoke from sleep.
“Your Highness.”
Arwen was looking at me.
“Is it time for dinner already?”
A small dinner had been planned to welcome Teuton’s delegation. I was supposed to be there as well.
“The dinner has been postponed. It is morning, your Highness.”
But the dinner had been delayed.
“Why was there no dinner?”
“It was postponed because the princess of Teuton said she was not in good shape due to her journey.”
I wasn’t impressed. She had been stuck in her carriage on the very first meeting, not even showing her nose, no matter how expensive it was.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. I could only laugh as I thought about how much the Teutons ridiculed our kingdom.
“I tried to tell your Highness right away, but you were sleeping so well that I didn’t want to wake you.”
It was as Arwen said: I hadn’t slept this deeply for a long time. Adelia’s lullaby seemed to have worked.
“I will have to ask for it often in the future.”
“What is your Highness talking about?”
“Oh- No, nothing,” I answered roughly and got out of bed.
“So what are the negotiators doing?”
“They haven’t done anything at all. It seems that the princess is in a very poor state. As I hear it, she’s not usually healthy and had never been outside of her palace. Since she has traveled for more than a month across the ocean, her body must feel worn out.”
“If her body is so weak, why not stay in her own country? Why come to foreign shores to do something that causes her discomfort?”
“Isn’t the tradition that the other side must also be present in the marriage?”
“Yet those guys have behaved so rudely ever since the first meeting.”
I was getting angry, and Arwen stared at me. I noticed she had something to say.
Only then I realize that Arwen might have a reason to wake me in the morning, so I asked, “Well? If you have anything to say, say it.”
“I dare to ask your Highness for something.”
“What?”
When I asked her what it was, she spoke with a face I had never seen on her before.
“Can we arrange a duel without being rude to the diplomats?”
Only then did I notice the aspiration that had entered Arwen’s eyes. It seemed that she resented being pushed back by the energy of foreign knights. On another occasion, I would have acceded to Arwen’s request, but not this time.
“Not possible.”
Arwen seemed confused about why I would refuse her, I who had arranged duels even on our imperial trip.
“Why? Is your Highness afraid that I’ll damage the honor of our kingdom?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s because your turn won’t come.”
Arwen stared at me, trembling, after she heard my words. I didn’t know for sure, but if I had the same fire in my eyes as she did, it would’ve blazed brighter, not dimmer than hers. I was outraged beyond the point of resentment by yesterday’s events.
Just when we had driven the Empire out, unreasonable people dared appear in the center of the kingdom and show off their own form of tyranny. It was upsetting.
“He’s called the west’s best knight.”
Teuton’s strongest knight; number one in the west – I wagered that name would mean little were he to face me.
“I’m going to tell him directly how useless a good reputation is. I believe his talent has made him become arrogant. After I show him how insignificant his talents are, he will become a bit more compliant,” I said, and a sad light shone in Arwen’s eyes.
“Wouldn’t things become difficult if your Highness calls him out?”
I would not take this opportunity to swear out loud, but I did plan to show my disagreement by way of words, which was unusual for me. I smiled at Arwen and shook my head.
“You don’t think Duncan is hoping for it as well?”
Arwen wasn’t the only one waiting for a chance to prove herself. Duncan Seymour Tudor had watched as his energy had disintegrated in my presence, and he was surely also sharpening his teeth.
“I bet that the same story will come from their camp soon enough.”
My prediction was not wrong.
A dinner had been prepared for everyone except the princess. Duncan Seymour Tudor, who had acted so arrogantly, stood up and started talking in a polite tone. The interpreter came forward and translated the Teutonic into Leonbergian.
“First of all, the Duke of Seymour, on behalf of Teuton, pays homage and congratulates Leonberg for its amazing victory. In addition, in order to create harmony between two kingdoms who had had little contact, he says that understanding each other is the first priority.”
“Briefly,” I commanded, and the interpreter flinched as he began summarizing the duke’s words.
“Just as the Kingdom of Leonberg was called the Kingdom of Knights in the past, so too was Teuton. The duke says that the fastest and best way to reach an understanding between knights is through a contest of swords.”
“I don’t think he spoke that long,” I mused, and the interpreter avoided my gaze with a cold sweat. I looked at Duncan Tudor, knowing that the arrogant knight had been curter when he had talked. In all likelihood, the way he had said it was more as if he was deigning to offer me a big treat.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Nothing was changed, this way or that way. Even if the interpreter had added one or two polite words, the nature of the message remained unchanged. In the end, it was a match of honor between the West and the North. Maximilian looked at me with a worried face. He even shot glances my way, urging me not to create useless trouble, to reject the offer in an appropriate manner. While I looked at Maximilian’s desperate eyes, I spoke.
“Tell him it’s a really good idea.”
Maximilian closed his eyes tightly.
This time, Teuton’s interpreter, sweating, explained my words to Duncan Seymour Tudor at length.
Duncan listened to the interpreter, who was adding all kinds of pleasant words I never said, and he looked at me and began laughing. I laughed at the same time as him. The interpreter then asked me what time the duel was to take place. Duncan had said he would follow my wishes.
“I want to hear what else he said. I know you got rid of some words.”
Teuton’s ambassador visibly fluttered as I said this, sweated some more, and told me the interpretation. And that is how the dinner went: We sat snarling at each other, revealing our teeth.
“Haah. Are these talks for an alliance, or are we in the process of declaring war?” Maximilian sighed, then lamented as he sat beside me.
“What Leonberg needs is comrades-at-arms,” I responded sagely. “We don’t want an arrogant neighbor who places our kingdom at their feet.”
“How about showing the dwarven weapons? According to your words, brother, their attitude will change after they see the weapons.”
“That’s only after I beat them down a notch.”
Showing them the armaments of the dwarves will not change their thoughts about the kingdom they belittled. At best, they will only treat us as a weak country lucky enough to acquire the craft of dwarves.
“And don’t worry too much. Isn’t there a saying that men are usually good friends after a fight?”
Of course, the common saying didn’t always hold true, and the current situation proved it.
The next day and the next, we merely growled at each other, and the atmosphere at the dinner table did not improve. It seemed that it never would – but it did.
The moment that the princess of Teuton, who had not dined with us due to ill health, finally attended dinner, the air that had become sharp in the dining hall melted away.
So easily, without leaving a trace of hostility… As if by magic.
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