Chapter 272: |
There are many steps involved in arranging a meeting between two countries.
From the basic schedule to the VIP’s route and security, to the diplomatic talks, the officials in charge would have a headache that could make their heads explode.
It was no different for Astera.
If they had no special powers, they would only have to worry about weapon restrictions and arrows, but since they had magic, airships, Goliaths, and all kinds of special things, they could not relax.
It was even more so for the meeting between Elvrande and the human kingdoms that took place in Medea.
Think about it.
Before the Great War, there was only one case where the leader of humans set foot in Elvrande, and that ended tragically.
What would happen if they went to a place where millions of elves hated humans?
It was natural that the officials tore their hair out when Leobold announced his visit.
—Stop him! Stop him at all costs! If you can’t change His Majesty’s mind, don’t think about leaving your office!
Some officials went to dissuade him with determination, but they only heard that Jaisang would handle it.
He also made a shocking remark that he would keep the escort to a minimum.
“I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry. Just keep doing your work.”
They hoped that Jaisang would stop him, but it seemed that they had already agreed.
The delegation consisted of King Leobold and Margareta, as well as a few knights and servants.
It was a small group of less than 20 people, and Zigarion was rejected when he tried to join.
“Stay out of this. I feel like something really bad will happen if you go.”
“Damn, it sounded fun.”
Zigarion had probably caused enough damage to Elvrande to build a small city.
He asked why he was taking Margareta with him to shock them, and Leobold answered like this.
“They might not be surprised if they think she’s dead, but they’re treating her like a traitor.”
“Then why are you taking her?”
“She said she wanted to ask Drizden something in person.”
“She won’t let him go easily…”
“Well, maybe. But he won’t touch her directly. He’ll probably use public opinion.”
Drizden, the president of Elvrande, had most of the power in his hands.
The media and public opinion were also on his side, so there were many voices criticizing the former princess everywhere.
If he mobilized them, he could also reduce the criticism that he was overstepping his bounds.
He didn’t know what he was really thinking, though.
Anyway, the delegation notified Elvrande that they would come on the newly renovated Hyperion.
But there was a problem there.
The elves who recognized Hyperion refused to let it in.
Did they imagine the noble lady who single-handedly faced countless elf fleets in the Great War and felt PTSD?
If they were humans, the generations would have changed, but there were quite a few old people who remembered the Great War in Elvrande, including Drizden.
They rose up.
—He wants to come on that cursed ship? No way!
—It’s not enough to smash it right away, how dare he bring that ship into Medea?
—Where did King Bandas dig up that ship? According to our records, it sank after being attacked by the Silver Fleet at that time…
The existence of Hyperion itself was shocking enough.
They would be more shocked if they found out about Balgad’s existence, but it was a story only known by the war participants and the high command ignored it as impossible.
Drizden fell into a dilemma.
“He must know what that ship means to us… Is he openly challenging us?”
“Maybe he’s trying to prove that he’s a descendant of Gram Empire.”
One of the elders said, and Drizden sneered.
“What does he want to do with Gram Empire that perished 200 years ago?”
It was a very headache-inducing situation anyway.
Thanks to Leobold’s disclosure of Hyperion, there was a fierce debate in Elvrande.
Most of them argued that it should never be allowed in, but there were also some people who were curious about how such a ship was made.
They were mostly from the post-war generation and this caused some disputes in elf society.
—This is why young ones are… Do they know how many elves were slaughtered by that ship? We couldn’t even mention Hyperion’s name back then.
—It’s disgusting to see them liking such a huge airship. If they like a human-made ship so much, why don’t they leave Elvrande?
On the other hand, some argued that the present was more important than the old history of 200 years ago.
—Why do they keep bringing up that damn war? I don’t know if we lost, but we won that war.
—We should analyze it instead of being hypersensitive about a ship. If he brings Hyperion, it means that the specifications will be somewhat revealed and we might be able to build such a ship too.
—It’s a pity that the president’s office reduced the funding for ether engineering. Humans are deploying high-powered Goliaths and producing airships…
Naturally, this argument provoked the backlash of the elves who remembered the cause of the Great War.
Drizden watched and listened to all this and bit his tongue.
“Public opinion is divided. If he aimed for this, I have to admit that it was very effective.”
“So will you allow it?”
“Tell him to be satisfied with one ship if he really wants to bring it. I’ll let him have escort ships if he takes another ship.”
He had a plan to limit the total tonnage of the delegation, hoping that Leobold would be surprised and withdraw, but he sent a letter saying that Hyperion was enough.
It meant that he was willing to take the risk as long as he entered Elvrande.
In that case, it didn’t matter much whether it was one ship or not.
Anyway, Leobold’s visit was finalized through these twists and turns.
Margareta decided to follow him disguised as a maid named Maria.
She showed a happy expression for a moment at the thought of returning to her hometown, but soon became gloomy.
It seemed that her hometown did not welcome her.
Because of that, she spent more time with Leobold on Hyperion, which surprised her with its facilities.
As if to shake off her sadness and bitterness.
***
Hyperion was not only huge in size, but also in speed compared to other airships.
It almost halved the continental crossing schedule and this gave a great surprise to the delegation, including Margareta.
The fleet that came out from Elvrande also whined that they couldn’t keep up with its speed.
Even if they lowered the speed to the lowest, it was more than any other airship.
Hyperion entered Medea and received the hot attention of the elves.
“How did they make such a thing? It’s so big that other airships look like children.”
“It’s impressive, even if it’s made by humans.”
“That ship killed our ancestors…”
There were various stories from different perspectives, and when Leobold got off the ship, the interest literally exploded.
“He’s quite tall for a human, isn’t he?”
“He’s ugly with his stubble.”
“But he has a lot of muscles and looks well-trained.”
“But what’s that magic behind his head?”
The elves mistook his halo for a decorative magic.
The only ones who recognized that it was a proof of divinity were a few, including Drizden.
“So the rumor that he had divinity was true. Did he get it from the floating continent?”
“It’s probably some unknown god.”
“He must have a powerful divinity to spread a wide blessing like that.”
Anyway, the brave human king who came to Medea aroused the curiosity of the elves.
As the delegation passed through the street with the escort of the Elven Knights, many elves came out and watched them.
“Humans…”
“They’re daring to enter the enemy territory alone.”
“They’re not alone, are they? They have escorts…”
“What can they do with that number of people here? It’s easy if you think about us going to the human kingdoms.”
“They don’t seem intimidated at all…”
“They must be confident in their survival.”
“This is Medea. Even gods can’t survive here.”
There was some hatred, but not too much, because the elves appreciated the fact that he came to the enemy territory alone.
It was a crazy thing to do if you think about whether the major figures of Elvrande could go to the human kingdoms.
Drizden felt that his popularity was rising among the elves and bit his tongue.
It was only a slight change in a few elves, but he thought he had taken a risk for nothing.
“Did he risk his life for this trivial thing? What a pathetic writer.”
“The minor change could turn into a huge wave depending on the outcome of the meeting.”
“That won’t happen. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but he won’t get out of here unscathed.”
“Do you mean to detain King Bandas?”
If he did that, even the elves who supported Drizden would turn their backs on him.
They believed that they existed for justice and peace.
Leobold was not worth that much, but holding him back was not a good move.
Drizden closed the window and said.
“I don’t need to stop him myself. Anyway, I don’t want to see the citizens chanting his name, so bring him quickly.”
It was not that there were no elves among those who crowded on the street who shouted his name.
A small praise for the courageous human king who came to Medea?
The sure thing was that as they became more familiar with him, their hatred for humans also faded a little.
Most of the elves’ hatred for humans stemmed from ignorance.
They were born under the protection of Yggdrasil and lived their lives in an elf-only society, so they felt distant from humans and only heard biased rumors, which made them hate them.
Leobold’s existence broke that a little bit.
Soon after, two people sat face to face in a meeting room with a good view right under Yggdrasil, leaving their escorts behind.
One was an elf who had lived for more than 300 years and held all the power of Elvrande, and the other was a human king who had expanded his power by merging several countries recently.
As soon as they saw each other, they smiled at the corners of their mouths.
“There have been many things between us. But let’s put aside the past for now and talk frankly about the future.”
“That’s what I want.”
As soon as the maid brought tea and left, the formal meeting began.
The first one to open the door was Drizden.
“Before we get into serious talk, let’s go over some old times. Do you know why the Great War happened?”
“Because the elves blocked the humans’ desire to develop.”
He meant the desire for development represented by ether engineering.
There were many things attached to the cause of the Great War, but if he had to pick one, this was it.
“You’re wrong.”
Drizden leaned forward.
“That’s wrong. The Great War was a result of us elves who couldn’t stand by and watch the world’s destruction. Do you know why?”
“Because if ether engineering develops beyond a certain point, demons might invade?”
He was surprised that Leobold nailed it exactly.
He thought he would pick up something ridiculous.
“…That’s right. You may not know this well, but there are demons somewhere beyond the sky. Now they only appear in mines, but it was different in the past. Two hundred years ago, gates opened whenever they were bored. They have no intelligence and are no different from monsters with only destructive urges.”
Well, it was hard to say that Plague had no intelligence.
Maybe he felt that way because of the small creatures before evolution.
Leobold just listened quietly and that fueled Drizden’s preaching urge.
“Let me give you some good information at this point. The frequency of their appearance is exactly proportional to the total amount of ether used by Astera. You’re smart enough to understand what this means.”
“The more we develop ether engineering, the more demons appear?”
“Very good. The humans in the past didn’t understand this. So they pushed the dragons to war. What a foolish race, aren’t they?”
“Are you scared of that?”
Drizden laughed bitterly for a moment.
He thought he was smart, but he was actually stupid?
“You who haven’t experienced the demons before the Great War always underestimate them. But remember this. The person in front of you right now is someone who fought against those powerful demons. Do you know what kind of world it was 200 years ago?”
“I know very well. A world where ether engineering was advanced and Hyperion-class airships flew freely in the sky. A world where everyone could use magic and had a curiosity about what was beyond the sky. A good era, isn’t it?”
“…You’re arrogant.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t be arrogant with your ether engine and black knight that you made. We elves made something much more amazing than that more than 200 years ago. And yet we gave up everything. Do you know why? For the peace and future of Astera!”
Now Drizden started to rant, spitting saliva.
“I thought we could communicate, but you’re more stubborn than the humans before the Great War. Were you so sweetened by the tricks of the earthworms? What’s so good about the good old days? You should be ashamed. Humans, or Ains, are nothing but a race that has prolonged their lives thanks to our elf’s grace.”
“The demons back then were so strong that they would treat your black knight like a child. It was our race that stopped them for the peace of Astera.”
He seemed amused by Drizden’s words as if he had seen something interesting, and Elarion chuckled.
“Calm down your excitement.”
“…Yes, Your Excellency.”
As his hand dropped, Margreta ran to Leobold’s arms and hugged him.
“I confirmed that we’re on parallel lines, so it would be better to end it here.”
Leobold declared the end of the meeting, and Drizden narrowed his eyes and said.
“…Do you think you can go back peacefully like this?”
“If possible, I didn’t want to start a massacre, but if that’s what you want, I can’t help it. Come on, try to stop me.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense like a drawn bowstring.
“By the way, there’s someone who wants to say something. Do you want to hear it?”
There was only one person who could make Leobold use honorifics.
“Now she’s just an ordinary elf, not a princess. Fine. Let’s hear what she has to say.”
Margreta entered and took off her hood, and Drizden sneered.
“Long time no see, Your Highness.”
***
“How can you be so calm? You tried to kill me…”
Her voice was trembling, and anger showed on her face and eyes.
But Drizden maintained a calm attitude as if he was proud of his experience.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Aren’t you a traitor who tried to overthrow Elvrande by joining hands with humans because you didn’t like the current Elvrande?”
“What are you talking about… How could I do that with what little power I had? The elders already had most of the power anyway.”
“But you had followers like Tirandel who had even that little power. Didn’t you think that if you got cooperation from humans outside, you could do something? It’s a pity that you had such an idea.”
“Don’t judge people as you please. You’re the one who tried to kill me and my family!”
“Why would I try to harm you?”
Drizden still looked clueless, and that made Margreta angry.
But there was little she could do.
As she rushed to Drizden with a red face, trying to slap him or something, the escort who stood behind him like a shadow grabbed her wrist.
“Stop it. Your Highness… Or should I call you Margreta now?”
She shouted with a choked voice as her wrist was held.
“Don’t you know, Elarion? Tell me! How did Drizden incite people?”
“I have nothing to say to a traitor.”
“What, what did you say?”
Margreta’s face hardened with shock.
She never thought that her biggest ally and follower would say such a thing.
He spat out harshly with angry eyes.
“I have nothing to say to you who betrayed the elves and sided with humans.”
“How can you say that? We agreed to reform Elvrande together!”
“Don’t stain the honor of elves any more with your filthy mouth. Or do you want me to kill you right here?”
He even reached for Margreta’s neck as if he would kill her right away.
She couldn’t breathe properly from his murderous aura.
Then a heavy word flew like an arrow.
“If you touch even a finger tip, you’re dead.”
“Hooh.”
Drizden looked amused as if he had seen something interesting, and Elarion snorted.
“Don’t forget that this is Medea. King Vandus of Bagran.”
“Try touching me if you’re curious. I’ll make you regret it until your last breath.”
“…”
Elarion twisted his face and Drizden stared at him.
“You’re rude for an elf’s courtesy. Calm down.”
“…Yes, Your Excellency.”
As his hand fell off, Margreta almost cried and hugged Leobold.
“I confirmed that we’re on parallel lines, so it would be better to end it here.”
Leobold declared the end of the meeting, and Drizden narrowed his eyes and said.
“…Do you think you can go back peacefully like this?”
“If possible, I didn’t want to start a massacre, but if that’s what you want, I can’t help it. Come on, try to stop me.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense like a drawn bowstring.
