[V14C2] Trust Built Through Apricots

The large-scale dragon disaster in the Kingdom of Ridill had mostly settled down after holding the ceremony for inducting the newest member of the Seven Sages. The next day, the Third Prince, Albert Frau Robelia Ridill, headed to Valmbelk Castle on the western border of the Empire for a diplomatic meeting.

This meeting was originally supposed to take place a week earlier, but due to circumstances on the Ridill side—namely, all the issues related to the dragon disaster—it had to be postponed.

As a result, Albert was forced to rush out of the palace right after the ceremony.

Traveling to Valmbelk from the capital would normally take about a week even at the fastest, and this was extended to ten days because of the size of the delegation.

(No, it’ll probably take a bit longer than that…)

After all, the presence of royalty always resulted in additional delays. He resigned himself to sitting in the carriage seat and reading through the documents.

Albert would be entering his second year at the upper division of Serendia Academy this autumn. He was a boy with tidy blond hair, hazel eyes, and a youthful face that belayed his determination.

He lifted his gaze from the documents and glanced at Bridget Greyham, the diplomatic secretary seated across from him.

She was wearing a plain indigo uniform rather than any fancy dress. Her lustrous blond hair was neatly tied up, and her makeup was minimal.

Even so, she was more beautiful than anyone Albert knew. Even the modest uniform seemed to accentuate her natural radiance.

(Sitting across from her is a bit awkward…)

Her beautiful face was always right in front of him every time he looked up. This made him uneasy, of course.

Still, not wanting to look sloppy in front of his crush, Albert resolved to maintain a proper expression. But then, his attendant Patrick, seated beside him, spoke up while munching on raisins.

“Albert-sama, you’re going to get motion sickness again if you keep reading documents in the carriage, y’know?”

“Patrick, stop talking with your mouth full. It’s bad manners.”

“Would you like some too~?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Albert gave Patrick a curt reply with a slight glare.

Patrick was a young man with fluffy light brown hair. He had been about the same height as Albert back when they were in the middle school division, but he grew taller over the past year, and his features became more refined.

They both ate the same amount of food, but it all seemed to turn into height for Patrick. Albert, who was small for his age, couldn’t help but envy him.

(Come to think of it, all of Patrick’s brothers were tall too…)

Albert’s two older brothers were tall as well, though they did not share the same mother. However, this was not a subject he could bring up, especially since Felix was completely unrelated to him.

Of the people present in this carriage, only Albert and Bridget knew about this secret.

The man who had taken on the identity of his second brother—Isaac Walker—had renounced his claim to the throne and now lived a secluded life as the Duke of Erin.

Even so, many respected him for the diplomatic skills he displayed as the Second Prince, and he apparently received frequent consultations to this day.

(Bridget often sends letters to Erin too… She probably trusts him more than me.)

Albert knew that Duke Erin also played a major behind-the-scenes role in setting up the special treaty on dragon disaster countermeasures.

(I don’t like getting credit for something he arranged… but I hate failing even more.)

That was why Albert intended to do his best memorizing the related documents. However, after a while of reading the dense, wordy pages, he began to feel increasingly nauseous. Just as Patrick said, he was getting motion sickness.

He decided to stop reading any further. Albert folded away the documents, turning to Patrick and Bridget.

“Alright then, let’s prepare by reviewing the key points of the diplomatic mission. From here on, we will speak in Imperial. Correct me if I make any mistakes.”

Patrick and Bridget both responded, “Understood,” in fluent Imperial.

Albert returned the folded documents to his bag and switched to speaking in Imperial as well.

“The meeting at Valmbelk Castle is for concluding a special treaty on dragon disaster countermeasures. The aim of the treaty is to share information and knowledge on dragon disasters between our two countries, and to provide cross-border support when such disasters occur.”

“Yeah,” Patrick replied. “We just had a huge dragon disaster after all.”

“True,” Albert nodded. “But during the negotiations, it would be unwise to emphasize the damage we suffered.”

If the Ridill side keeps bringing up the damage from the recent dragon disaster, it may give the impression that the treaty is solely because they intend to ask the Empire for aid.

There were surely people from the Empire opposed to the treaty, and their response was predictable.

—— “This treaty only benefits Ridill.”

Thus, they needed to convince the Empire that the treaty was a mutually beneficial agreement between equal partners.

“So if they bring up the topic of the recent dragon disaster,” Albert continued. “I plan to talk about how we handled it. Especially the remarkable performance of the Seven Sages and Kerbeck’s swift response. I’ve already compiled it into a separate report.”

Ridill remained undaunted even in the face of a major dragon disaster, because they possessed the strength to deal it with in an orderly manner. Thus, accepting the treaty would provide plenty of benefits to the Empire.

This was their argument to convince the naysayers on the Empire side.

The Schwargard Empire was far larger than the Kingdom of Ridill due to being composed of several smaller nations. As a result, cultures and customs varied widely within its borders, as do perceptions of dragon disasters.

Albert recalled the names of the Imperial representatives listed in the documents.

“First, the most troublesome one is the eldest, Lord Birendahl. He’s a war veteran with ties to the emperor of two generations ago. I believe Lord Konitz was the original leader on the Empire side, but then Lord Birendahl barged in and took control… Is that right, Bridget?”

Bridget gave a small nod as she answered.

“Yes, this has happened a few times in past diplomatic dealings as well. Lord Birendahl will likely refuse to sign any treaty putting the Empire on equal terms with Ridill. I believe he will either push to further Imperial interests or try to shut down the talks entirely.”

Even setting his views aside, Birendahl was over seventy years old. He would almost certainly treat the sixteen-year-old Albert as an infant who was not worth his time.

Keeping that in mind, Albert moved on to the next subject.

“Next is Lord Konitz. Around thirty, relatively young. He governs Hydelingen, a region bordering Valmbelk… and he has some rather unusual origins.”

Konitz was born from the elder sister of the former lord of Hydelingen. However, the identity of the father was never disclosed, so he’s regarded as an illegitimate child.

Nevertheless, the former lord of Hydelingen adopted his sister’s child as his own, and even made Konitz the heir despite his background.

Because of his upbringing, Konitz reportedly felt out of place in high society and developed a reserved personality.

“And of course, we mustn’t forget the Marquis of Valmbelk, Henrik Blanquet. He’s the grandson of the famous Sword Saint known as the ‘War Wolf of Valmbelk.’”

The War Wolf of Valmbelk featured in one of the most famous tales from the war fifty years ago. He held back Ridill’s advance long enough for the Empire to activate the ancient artifact, the Mirror of Bern.

Many of Ridill’s veteran generals claim that the outcome of the war would have been reversed without the presence of the War Wolf.

“During the post-war chaos, there were apparently even some who called for Valmbelk to secede from the Empire and gain its independence.”

“Indeed,” Bridget nodded. “But the War Wolf of Valmbelk allegedly responded, ‘Secession is unthinkable. I pledge myself as the fangs of His Majesty the Emperor for life.’”

Even after distinguishing himself in battle and earning the title of Sword Saint, he remained humble and loyal to the Emperor.

His loyalty was so admirable that even Ridill’s generals looked up to him despite being enemies.

Though it was somewhat inappropriate, Albert couldn’t help but secretly look forward to meeting the War Wolf’s grandson.

Albert had never been very skilled at swordsmanship or horseback riding, so he had always admired strong heroes.

“So the current Marquis Valmbelk is the grandson of that great hero.”

“He must be super buff~. I wonder who’s buffer, him or Prince Lionel?”

“What! There’s no way Lionel will lose! He can still lift me without breaking a sweat!”

Right after saying that, Albert quickly shut his mouth and glanced at Bridget.

His older brother still occasionally lifted him while saying, “Oh, Albert! You’ve grown so much!” But it would be incredibly embarrassing if Bridget realized that.

Fortunately, Bridget showed no reaction, so Albert cleared his throat and steered the conversation back on track.

“Margrave Valmbelk is merely providing the venue, so he likely won’t have much to say during the negotiations. Security on their side will probably be led by General Strauss.”

General Strauss was a man in his fifties. Though he did not serve during the war against the Kingdom of Ridill, he distinguished himself in civil wars within the Empire and battles against barbarian tribes in the south.

He was said to be a calm and dignified man, deeply trusted by his subordinates.

“I believe these four will be the key figures. Am I correct in assuming that, Bridget?”

“Yes, just as the documents say. However, Your Highness…”

Bridget lifted her long lashes and looked straight at Albert with her amber-colored eyes, causing him to grow slightly flustered.

Then, she continued in a calm and composed tone.

“No matter how much you read about a person, they will often give off a very different impression when you meet them in person.”

This was something Bridget must have felt many times through real diplomatic experience.

No matter how thoroughly you prepared or how deeply you studied the documents, things rarely went exactly as planned.

(I know they will look down on me because of my age. But that applies to him as well.)

The Second Prince, Felix Arc Ridill, had taken part in diplomatic meetings when he was even younger than Albert. And he won the trust of both his own people and those from other nations.

Albert made a silent vow to himself: I won’t lose to him.

“Right,” Albert replied. “I’ll make sure to talk to them, get to know them, and build a relationship of trust.”

“If you want to build trust, I think sharing a delicious meal together is the best way~”

So said Patrick, happily munching on a dried apricot.

Albert, who was also a fan of apricots, made sure to grab his share while grumbling.

“You’re really always eating, Patrick.”

“That’s how I built trust with you, Albert-sama~”

“Really? …Huh? …Wait a second, I thought you trusted me because I was cool or intelligent or something…?”

＊　＊　＊

Meanwhile, the young margrave Henrik Blanquet was struggling to restrain his grandfather.

The hero once known as the War Wolf of Valmbelk had been admired by boys throughout the region. Now, he was an elderly man shouting nonsense while standing on a chair with shaky legs.

“Ridill forces spotted ahead! Deploy the troops! Archers, brace for an assault from the Thunder Mage!”

“Grandfather, those are guests, not enemy forces…”

“I will not secede! I will not secede!”

“Yes, yes, I know. Please come down so you don’t hurt yourself…”

“The War Wolf of Valmbelk shall serve as the fangs of His Majesty for life! I pledge eternal loyalty!”

Henrik had heard these lines a thousand, or rather, ten thousand times since childhood.

He lowered his once-heroic grandfather from the chair as he groaned in a voice that sounded on the verge of death.

“What am I supposed to do with him on the day of the meeting…? Frieda… please come back… I seriously need your help… Ugh, my stomach’s starting to hurt…”

For the newly introduced figures on the Empire’s side, just remembering the following should be enough:

  • Lord Birendahl: An old man over seventy. Hates Ridill.

  • Lord Konitz: An unlucky man around thirty.

  • General Strauss: A dashing general in his fifties.

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