Episode 75 Governor’s Government – The King’s Brothers (1)
I left the capital and headed south to rejoin the delegation to Hassan and Iberica.
Of course, Hassan said it was okay, saying it was King Crocs’ will, but he was quite happy when the Aquitaine merchants gave him a large amount of food as an apology and gift.
Anyway, as long as you have diplomatic relations, it’s not a problem to owe too much.
As last time, our procession took a short rest at Toulouse, the old estate of Lafayette, and then passed the southern gate and entered the Iberica Peninsula.
And as soon as we passed through the mountain range, we had to face extremely hot and dry air under the scorching sun.
“…It’s hot.”
“Because it’s summer.”
Hassan responded as if he was very used to it, but I, who am not used to this type of climate, found it hard to breathe.
If I had known this would happen, I would have taken the cold artifact that I gave Eris as a gift.
The brown, cracked dry land and the rising mountains and hills here and there spread out endlessly, and the land is heated by the sunlight, creating a haze.
I now realize very clearly why this land is called a wasteland. I understand very well why they wanted to trade food with us.
There would be little chance of farming going well in an area like this.
“Is the climate like this throughout the peninsula?”
“Not really, Marquis. “It’s mostly like this in the northern region, but the coastal area is a bit better, and there is some decent land for farming in the southern region.”
And the place that dominates the south is Porto.
“In addition, our own farming is being carried out steadily. “Fisheries have also developed along the coast.”
“okay.”
I nodded to Hassan and glanced at Gaston, who was following us from a little distance behind, and Shandra, who was still talking next to him.
“Hmm…”
Gaston also had a hard time. So why did you follow me?
Hassan must have noticed my gaze and cleared his throat.
“I guess it’s because it’s the first time I’ve seen a human being defeat so completely. “Because I’m still immature…”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Hassan who said that.
Shandra said she was twenty-three, so she is one year older than me and Gaston.
And Hassan, Shandra’s brother, is twenty-six.
However, thanks to Hassan’s excessive presbyopia, he can only be seen as a father who is worried about his immature daughter.
Hassan also seemed to realize what I was thinking when he saw my expression and immediately cleared his throat.
“Anyway, the Marquis has now become the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army of Francia, so the King will be preparing a worthy treat for you.”
“That is something to be thankful for.”
Even as I said that, I glanced at the gas can.
When I became commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army and Raphael Balian was stripped of his position, the positions of commander of the Northern and Southern armies also became vacant.
The existing Northern Army commanders were dismissed from their positions and were being investigated or tried, so they could not be used, and Louis Desget, who had kept pace with the Northern Army, became the Northern Army commander.
The problem is the Confederate army.
I wanted to leave it to Gaston, but…
– I apologize, Marquis, but the position of commander is too much for me as I have never received professional training in military operations. Moreover, I would like to serve His Excellency the Marquis as a knight. Count Mirbeau, who has more experience leading an army than me, would be a better fit.
In fact, Gaston himself said that and declined.
I really appreciate his loyalty and humility, and it’s amazing, but Damien de Mirborau.
There is no other position or performance than Gaston, but since I am officially entrusted with the command, I need to be trusted regardless of ability.
I was not at all reluctant, but surprisingly, Christine defended Damien, saying that there would be no problem if he made him the commander of the southern army.
Obviously, at first, Christine would have been quite unhappy with Damien, calling him untrustworthy. I guess it’s because they successfully held back the Northern Army in the border area during the suppression of this coup… I furrowed my eyebrows as
I remembered Damien, who was trembling with joy as he flattered me and Christine until my mouth watered.
…Maybe he liked Christine because he was tricking her without me knowing.
No, what a stupid idea.
“We have arrived, Marquis.”
Fortunately, Hassan cut me off from my distracting thoughts.
“This is Dilus, which our king has made the capital of the brother nation.”
I looked at the city far away on the horizon.
It is not yet comparable in scale to Lumiere.
Still, I could clearly see the shape of a proper city surrounding a fairly large fortress located near the center.
“Interesting. “It is a large fortress in the middle of this barren continent.”
“Hahaha, it is said that the tribe that originally occupied this area had a fairly profitable mine, and the chieftain, who had a desire to show off, took quite a long time to build it.”
“But is it yours now?”
Hassan replied with a grin.
“That’s right. “Isn’t this a place too much for someone who received the blessings of the Earth God, but instead of passing on the blessings to the tribesmen, he exploited them to enrich himself?”
“surely.”
We can see a river flowing along the road we follow, and there is quite a bit of farmland around it.
“It seems like there is quite a bit of farming in places where there is a river.”
“Yes, Marquis. Since we cannot rely on hunting forever, we are trying many different things. In places where water is easy to obtain, wheat and barley are not grown, but in relatively cool places, potatoes are grown.”
It’s quite systematic.
“Has it been like that from the beginning?”
“Originally, it was carried out on a small scale by tribes. But King Crocs is encouraging it nationally.”
“okay. Excellent.”
The National Assembly had considered seizing food lines and controlling them as one way, but they are also coming up with various self-rescue measures of their own.
Even if they depend on us now, if they unify the relatively fertile south, we could only incur resentment if we try to control it clumsily.
Our procession crossed the river and finally began to enter the city.
Orcs, goblins, humans, and even beastmen are occasionally seen.
A mixed army of various races stands in line, holding spears, guarding both sides of the road we pass, and behind them, curious civilians are watching us.
The appearance of the buildings is different from ours, being rough and monotonous, but it still presents a fairly believable cityscape.
The National Assembly should also see this.
Who would call them barbarians? Their own civilization is definitely blooming here.
Our procession finally passed through the city’s long streets and entered the citadel in the center of the city.
There is no such thing as a huge royal palace, only fortresses that truly serve the purpose of a fortress.
And when I passed the castle wall and entered, hundreds of orcs well over 2 meters tall were waiting.
thud.
The huge orcs raised and struck their spears at the same time, making a sound like thunder.
Are those well-built orcs some kind of royal guard?
As our party enters the fortress, the orcs regularly repeat the action of raising and lowering their spears.
thud. thud. thud.
Every time their spears hit the ground at the same time, a sound louder than a drum resonates, and the ground shaking can be felt even from the horse.
When I glance back, I see that many of our delegation members are quite overwhelmed and look tired.
In a sense, it’s a barbarian-like performance, but it may be quite effective.
And finally we encountered Crocs.
He came out alone, without any attendant, and did not show off his authority by looking down from a high position, which a human king usually does.
Instead of having a crown or flashy clothes, the leather boots and pants he wore when we first met, as well as his upper body with bare skin, are the same.
Nevertheless, Crocs’ huge scarred body and strength alone give off an intimidating feeling worthy of the king of the wasteland.
“Al-ardho!”
“Akbar!”
As Crocs chanted in their language, the orcs who had been stabbing the ground with their spears responded by raising their spears in unison, making a sound like thunder.
The orcs struck the ground again with their spears and vibrated in unison, but the voice that came out of Crocs’ throat did not hold back.
“King Crocs of the Brothers welcomes the delegation from the Francia Republic who have come a long way!”
I chuckled as I watched the delegation’s surprise.
The interest is still the same.
Crocs seemed to know what I was thinking and shouted with laughter.
“I hope this meeting will lead to a long friendship with the blessings of our God!”
* * *
After undressing at the lodgings prepared by King Crocs, we signed a treaty almost immediately.
Although Hassan and our delegation had discussed to some extent in accordance with the wishes of the National Assembly, I thought it would take quite a long time to coordinate, but in reality, Crocs signed the agreement as soon as it was explained to Hassan and looked at it once.
Thanks to the king, who greatly approved Hassan in many ways, whether he was a believer or a bold man, we were able to attend a banquet that was both a welcome and a celebration of the conclusion of the treaty.
Unlike the calm music of string instruments that we usually think of, this is a banquet hall where the exciting sounds of drums and flutes resonate.
Unusually, they don’t have a culture of drinking alcohol. When I asked why, they said it was for religious reasons.
I thought it was surprising because Crocs didn’t show a particularly fanatic side, but this was their answer.
-Actually, it’s just an excuse because you lose muscle when you drink.
I was convinced when I saw Crocs’ living, breathing, writhing muscles.
“Haha, I’m glad it was handled quickly!”
Crocs lifted the relatively cute-looking glass with a hand twice as big as mine and gulped down their drink that was said to be made from fruit.
I also tasted it, and even though I wasn’t drunk, it didn’t have a bad sweet taste as a drink. I don’t think Christine would like it that much, but Eris would love it.
“Isn’t it thanks to King Crocs’ willingness to accept it?”
I also felt pretty good. Grain exports will provide some relief to the private economy, and the precious metals and minerals they will sell will be useful in revitalizing Franzia’s economy.
In addition, Mithril will be used as a trading material with the Alpine kingdom, which rejected us, saying that it has no trade goods, and above all, we have gained the first friendly country that will stand against the devils in name and reality.
However, when Crocs actually heard my answer, his face showed that he did not like it.
“Why are you being formal now? “I didn’t do that at first.”
“It means that the Republic of Francia respects King Crocs as an important ally.”
At that time, he was the barbarian king of a potential enemy country, and now he is the king of our friend country in name and reality, right?
Crocs snorted and jumped up from his seat.
What is this orc trying to do?
“Hassan!”
“Yes king!”
Hassan had been talking with members of the delegation just moments before, but as soon as Crocs shouted, he jumped up and answered.
“Preach!”
“Yes king!”
Crocs, who shouted without explanation, opened his mouth when he heard Hassan’s answer.
“I, Crocs, the king of brothers, am infinitely happy to have overcome our mutual distrust and attain this position! “Our brothers and everyone in the Francia Republic will know that the Marquis de Lafayette played a significant role in this establishment of diplomatic relations!”
Crocs speaks in Korean with a southern accent, and Hassan translates into their language.
“To commemorate this achievement and to symbolize our future friendship, we would like to make Marquis Pierre de Lafayette the brother of these Crocs. “Would you accept it?”
Crocs shouted vigorously and held out his hand to me, but my mind froze at the sudden occurrence.
What does it mean to be that brother?
Since they say they are brother countries, is it some kind of honorary citizenry?
Is it okay for me to accept something like that without consulting my country?
As I was thinking that, Hassan, who had been translating just now, widened his eyes and froze.
Actually, the people on the Franzia side and I had no idea what was going on, but Hassan, who had belatedly translated the words, came up to me and told me.
“We serve you as brothers, but we do not call you brother. “Now the King has said that he will treat the Marquis with equal respect.”
Equal to the king? So suddenly?
No, you can’t ruin Crocs’ face by refusing something like this, right?
We went through a lot of trouble to establish diplomatic relations, but it is unacceptable for the person in charge to make the appearance of falling out by saying that he does not like barbarians and brothers.
I almost burst out laughing, but then I reached out and shook Crocs’ hand, which was so big that it looked like it was going to eat my hand.
If that’s what this person likes, it should suit him.
“It’s an honor, King Crocs.”
“Hahaha! Good Pierre de Lafayette! You are my brother from now on! Let all our brothers treat him as they treat me!”
Those who heard Hassan’s interpretation looked very embarrassed, but they soon answered in unison and lowered their heads.
This is so hot that I can’t get used to it.
“Aren’t you overly hot?”
“Are you so formal with your brothers?”
“…Noble families are usually like that, but whatever. “If you don’t want that, go easy on me, King Crocs.”
“It’s good to have peace!”
Crocs slapped my back with his big hand, grabbed the meat in front of him, ripped it open, chewed it, swallowed it, and opened its mouth.
“Brother.”
“?”
“We are leaving for the battlefield tomorrow. Don’t you want to join us as the king’s brothers?”
“…what?”
Did I hear something wrong? What should we do with the head of the foreign mission?
“Tomorrow I will be leaving to do battle with those vile traitors, and I have asked you to join me on that honorable battlefield. “Our brothers are also very interested in you! Hahaha!”
…Could it be that that was the reason for signing the day trip treaty?
Without answering this question, I sighed lightly as I looked at the hot brother I had today.
Suddenly, I wonder if it was a mistake to suit his taste.
