A dubious operation (5)
“… … Right.”
Arendelle’s victory.
… … and the restoration of the North.
I put down the contents of the communication from Arendelle on the desk. Then, Baron Vidor, who brought the news of victory, asked with a nervous expression.
“Your Highness, is there something unclear about it?”
Noticing that my face didn’t change in the slightest, he seemed concerned.
However, it was only because the situation was not so surprising that he acted so calmly.
“It was just something that was predestined.”
It was also designed to be that way. I wasn’t a person who was full of room to the extent that I was happy about the outcome that had been decided.
If there is only one part that inspires me, it is the damage that Arendelle suffered.
‘… … Will that happen too?’
The operation to burn the northern granary was a simple yet decidedly difficult strategy.
First, there was a condition that barbarians had to be inside the granary, and second, they needed determination to burn the granary responsible for their own food.
Lastly, a special element was needed to use the south wind that blows for a while only at the time just before spring approaches, but if this time is missed, the effectiveness of the operation will go to the bottom.
Coincidentally, it was said that the most optimal opportunity was right at this time, when the national fortune was on the verge of declining.
In that sense, the person who completed this strategy, Caravan Zite, perfectly understood my intention and executed it.
What was it like before the return? After the destruction of Arendelle, two years were wasted to fully meet the conditions, so the land had already suffered irreparable damage from the barbarians.
Besides, didn’t a large number of liberation troops sacrifice themselves in order to lure the barbarians who had spread all over Arendelle to the northern granary?
‘But, unlike the past, Arendelle has fully revived.’
Literally, it was like changing the fate of a foreign country without moving from a sitting position.
I rested my chin on my chin with one hand and tapped the desk with the other.
“Did you say you were going to throw a victory party?”
“yes. They said they would hold a party anytime on the day Her Highness arrives. However, I did not forget to be considerate, saying that it would be better to move after experiencing the cold of winter.”
After winter… … That is, a period of more than three months remained.
Considering the long distance to Arendelle, it is a very leisurely schedule. It must be a consideration to literally prepare slowly and come around a warm spring day.
However, on the contrary, it was also in line with the saying that you should wait that much time.
“… … Three months, long.”
“If so, would you like to send a communication to clarify your intention of not attending?”
“no.”
I stopped tapping my hand on the desk and pulled the corners of my mouth.
It was necessary to visit Arendelle anyway, even for the sake of the plan.
However, if we advance the timing, we will be able to move more efficiently and agilely.
“I will arrange my schedule. Please forward the communication right now.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Assuming we move quickly by carriage, can we schedule it for about a month?”
“One month later? Is it necessary?”
My mischievous gaze turned to Baron Vidor.
“Three days later.”
“… … yes?”
Moment. The baron’s eyes met, and the focus disappeared in absurdity. But I didn’t care and continued talking.
“The victory party will be held in three days.”
“I, Your Highness… … .”
They will also need at least some time to prepare.
However, even those three days were worth a thousand gold, at least to me.
* * *
Three days had passed since the communication with Esteban.
The royal family of Arendelle ordered a four-day festival to comfort those who were tired from the war.
Not only did he release the royal storehouse to feed the people, but he also announced the end of the war by lifting the ban on alcohol that lasted during the war.
However, the king was soothing his sore throat by looking inside the royal castle party hall.
“I didn’t know that Esteban’s first prince would send a message of rejection.”
“Perhaps it was consideration in the sense of taking care of the people without delay. Like my father said, how can this opportunity only be given this once?”
However, the Crown Prince, who said that, did not hide his regretful expression.
The words that he would depart from Esteban, a distant foreign country, and come back in three days, was in fact an indirect expression of his intention of refusal.
The reason why he insisted on mentioning the time of 3 days must mean that he should not wait for himself and enjoy the joy of victory as soon as possible.
“I know, but I can’t help but regret the fact that he won’t come.”
“it’s okay. Next time, why not throw a party just for him?”
“… … hahahaha. I see That’s what you should do.”
Only then did the king, with a smile on his lips, walk to the center of the party with a glass in his hand.
“It looks like everyone who will be attending the party has gathered.”
So, the king recited the opening speech and tried to announce the start of the party.
… … No, it would have been that way if it hadn’t been for something buzzing outside the party.
“Hmm?”
Feeling strange, the king turned his gaze to the door of the party hall, and then the nobles also turned their eyes to the same place.
At that time, the door of the party hall opened and the royal palace wizard wearing a robe appeared. The King asked as he slowly put down his drink.
“What’s going on? It’s noisy outside. What kind of fuss is this?”
“Okay, His Highness the King… … That’s because communication arrived… … .”
“communication?”
The king frowned and said, and the wizard urgently began to explain something.
“Ji, I’m going to move from now on, so I ask you to empty the palace gymnasium immediately.”
“The gymnasium? who?”
“The first prince of Esteban said.”
“What do you mean by that?”
What did he mean by coming now, much less what did he mean by asking him to empty the gymnasium?
However, it was the nobles at the party, not anyone else, who made it possible to grasp the situation first.
“omg!”
“Me-what is that!”
“oh my god… … !”
At the word gymnasium, astonishment erupted from the mouths of the aristocrats who were casually looking out the window. The king was taken aback by this and approached.
“What’s going on?!”
“Hey, look over there. majesty!”
“Here… … .”
The king’s eyes followed those of the nobles. And there. He witnessed a scene he could never believe.
“Eh, what is this… … .”
A super-large magic circle descends brilliantly on top of the dance floor at night. And a group of people walking out of it.
Aside from the violent energy felt in the magic circle, it was enough to grasp the situation just by watching it.
“Te, teleport… … !”
It was a miracle in the name of authority.
* * *
“Eh, Esteban’s 1st Prince, His Highness, and his attendants are entering!”
At the servant’s cry, the king’s astonished gaze reached the entrance of the party again.
Red eyes with silver hair. and unsteady gait.
It was clear that the person who appeared leaving behind such an unbelievable footprint was Esteban’s first prince, whose existence was known only through rumors and telecommunications.
So even after seeing the reality, I couldn’t believe it.
“Uh, how… … .”
The man who had been in Esteban’s royal family just three days ago.
The man who had just concluded that he would never be able to participate.
How could you possibly be here? Leading an envoy of ten lives?
“I really want to teleport… … .”
In front of the King who repeats the same line over and over again like a broken cuckoo doll. And in front of the crown prince, who was astonished with his eyes wide open.
I awakened them by politely bowing.
“I’m sure I’ll see you in three days, so is there anything to be surprised about?”
“Ha, but, until just before you… … .”
Didn’t Esteban send and receive correspondence from the royal family?
From noble mtl dot com.
I could have guessed enough without having to listen to the back story.
But if I still wanted to repeat the same thing, it didn’t matter to me anymore. The purpose of coming here was not just to make others understand.
“Don’t worry about the little things. I’m just a ‘guest’ who came to celebrate Arendelle’s victory today.”
“Yeah, that’s right… … Jim almost made a mistake.”
Seeing that he accepted and tried to deal with it right away, it seems that he is on the quick side of grasping the situation. If that wasn’t the case, I would have just reflexively responded because I wasn’t in a hurry.
I let go of King Arendelle’s flustered voice with a smile and stepped back. It was a series of elegant courtesies without the slightest distraction.
“Isn’t Arendelle the protagonist of the war? It seems that the party is still before the start, so no more outsiders will be disturbed. Please continue the event.”
“… … Big! So, let’s start the party soon.”
The king, who cleared his throat and focused his attention, recited an opening speech, announcing the start of a full-fledged party.
And I watched it from afar, and as soon as the party started, I moved and took a suitable seat.
… … The most corner seat of the venue. It was a place no one would notice.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that those stinging gazes will disappear.
Swoop-
“Your Highness, if their gaze bothers you, I will cast a spell to obstruct your perception.”
An attendant who followed, and a middle-aged wizard. Those were the words of the Magic Tower Master.
The nobles of Arendelle flinched whenever the eyes of the tower lord and I met, and turned their heads away pretending not to.
Even so, it’s the look of a wolf that has joined a puck or a flock of sheep that twists its gaze and glances at us.
I smiled and called the attendant of the party, holding a glass of wine in my hand.
“Looking at it doesn’t mean that information comes out. You are doing uncomfortable things.”
“… … .”
Moment. The retreating attendant’s body trembled weakly.
Either that or not, I continued talking with my eyes only on the foreground of the party hall.
“It looks like the Crown Prince of Arendelle did things right.”
“You mean what you said about maintaining security until the war is over?”
“hmm.”
There were questions that could be felt in the astonished gazes. They looked at me questioning why I was invited to such a place.
Perhaps they are people who don’t even know what happened between Arendelle and me.
The Master of the Magic Tower calmly put out a sunken glare in appreciation of this.
“Is it possible? Since Your Highness has given us valuable time, it is only natural that we dare to move. It must have been.”
“What a unique idea.”
I shrugged my shoulders as I said that.
If he couldn’t do it right in the first place, it would have been said that he wasn’t worth saving.
To put it correctly, it means understanding the subject.
“Well, knowing what matters is the most important human virtue.”
widely-
The half-empty glass landed on the table. I buttoned up the sleeves with a cynical smile, and then lightly inspected the fit and raised the wine glass as if embracing it.
… … The series of movements that passed by in an instant was so dreamy.
“Hmm!”
Not only the nobles who glanced at it, but even the owner of the Mage Tower, who followed as an attendant, were momentarily stunned and exclaimed.
Of course, it wasn’t just for show.
Far away, someone was coming towards me across the party hall.
“One prince.”
The main character who has been getting close all the time, the crown prince of Arendelle. He took one look at the wine glass in my hand and brought up his business.
“My father wants to see you.”
It was also the time I was waiting for the most.