Chapter 200. Survival method of the serpent (3)
The next morning was bright.
‘Huh, finally, I’m saying goodbye to this place.’
Magentano’s special envoy, Count Ventura, raised his eyes wet with emotion.
Now I looked up at the familiar Sultan Palace of Ahinsha.
‘I didn’t expect to stay this long.’
It must have been about five months ago that he came here on the orders of the king.
Even at that time, I knew that I would soon be sitting at the negotiating table with the Sultan.
However, when I arrived, it was not.
The response here was very different from what I expected.
I had to go through blatant disregard and neglect.
What if Lloyd, the eldest son of the Frontera family, hadn’t stepped forward?
‘It must still be a long way from negotiations.’
He would have had to endure only ignorance and neglect.
He would have never dreamed of negotiating with the Sultan.
Or they would have had to return home empty-handed.
Unlike now.
‘thank god. What a relief.’
It was a very successful negotiation.
If you return to your home country like this, you will be greatly appreciated by the king.
‘It’s also all thanks to that young friend Lloyd.’
Did that friend get out of Ahinsha well?
Did he succeed in escaping safely at night?
The Count was momentarily concerned.
Then, I immediately burst out laughing.
At least it didn’t seem to be caught, seeing as there was no news yet.
Moreover, looking at the atmosphere of the Sultan’s palace today, it seemed that an incident too big had occurred to pay attention to the disappearance of a foreign envoy.
“They said there was an incident last night, is that true?”
“Yes, I guess so.”
The chief attendant nodded at the count’s question.
“The palace has been cluttered since the morning. So, I asked a member of the palace staff who I hadn’t known about in the meantime.”
“What did the palace staff say?”
“They say a princess is missing.”
“The sultan’s daughter?”
“yes.”
“Have you ever been kidnapped?”
“I don’t think so. I guess….”
“Maybe?”
“It looks like I left the palace on my own.”
“Huh? Then it’s not a runaway.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Count Ventura burst out laughing.
In this day and age, she is a princess who has run away from the sultan’s palace, which is also very closed.
‘Then I can understand such a mess.’
The Count nodded.
Certainly, the Sultan Palace this morning was different from usual.
There was something unsettling about the atmosphere.
This was true even though Magentano’s special envoys, including himself, were leaving the palace.
It was to the extent that the Sultan didn’t even send them off, let alone a grandiose farewell ceremony.
‘Because I didn’t want that anyway.’
Besides, the disappearance of the sultan’s daughter was an incident that had nothing to do with him or the special envoys.
“Then let’s go.”
Count Ventura led the envoys.
I left the palace after receiving a modest farewell from the Sultan’s palace staff.
I left the capital Ahinsha.
I was on my way back to my home country.
The journey was smooth and uneventful.
We passed the highway and the city on the same road as when we came.
I moved along the safest route in the desert.
finally crossed the border.
and that evening.
I joined Lloyd Xaviel, who was waiting near the border.
“Did you guys wait a long time?”
“Umm, to be honest, quite a bit?”
A rock crevice in the wasteland a little far from the border.
Lloyd, who was setting up camp there, shrugged.
I looked around Count Ventura and the envoys happily.
“No one was killed by the Sultan and got out safely. I am very fortunate.”
“ha ha ha. yes i’m glad Unlike anyone else, we are not the ones the Sultan has his eyes on.”
“what? Do you have thorns in the Word?”
“Why not? Considering the cold sweat I shed because of you, you must have watched this a lot.”
“Is that so?”
“Nothing. Yes, every time. When I think of the Sultan’s expression and eyes when he heard that you came back from an endemic disease, even now…Whoa.”
“You must have suffered a lot.”
“Even if it did, I think you were the only one who fled at night without any special preparations. how about Didn’t you suffer?”
“Yes, fortunately not so much.”
Lloyd shrugged.
Then, he gestured at Xaviel next to him with his chin.
“Thanks to this friend. The existence of a sword master has to be very useful.”
It was true.
The day I made up my mind to run away at night in Ahinsha.
The best preparation(?) he had was Xaviel.
It was the Sword Master.
What if someone pursues or attempts to arrest you?
It would have been enough to break through the encirclement with force and escape.
Then, what if you encounter a monster in the desert or wasteland?
‘That’s a terrifying desert monster so-and-so. But now it’s my lunch.’
In addition, even the options of the acclaim he had recently received, < The Old Master of the West Country >, were in full effect.
‘I’ve never suffered from dehydration under any circumstances. All desert areas, all areas where the average annual temperature is above 40 degrees Celsius.’
It wasn’t without doubts at first.
I also wondered if it would work properly.
But have you tried crossing the desert while running away at night?
At least here, there were no other honey options like that.
‘I could tap dance all day under the scorching desert sun without any signs of dehydration.’
It was to the extent that Xaviel, who was crossing the desert together, showed surprise.
Even as a sword master, he feels exhausted.
How could Lloyd-sama be fine?
Did he blow a triumphant blow at Xaviel, who asked in surprise?
‘Human man is mental strength. mentality.’
…I mean.
Anyway, thanks to that, getting away at night was more comfortable than I thought.
There were no hardships while waiting to join the special envoys.
“Anyway, it’s nice to see you all safely.”
“I am of the same mind. Oh and….”
Count Ventura said with a warm smile.
“I haven’t been able to say thank you yet. It’s quite late, but let me tell you now. Thank you very much.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“no. We should thank you, not you. I was the one who treated you as a snob at first.”
“haha. It’s a snob.”
“No. no. You are our benefactor.”
Lloyd spat out a joke.
At those words, Count Ventura shook his head with a serious face.
“If it weren’t for you, the negotiations with the Sultan would not have been possible. Under those circumstances, who among us could have thought of a way to attract the Sultan’s attention by spending such a spree on the padashar he gave him. Besides, the construction you successfully completed under the contract with the Sultan….”
“Are you talking about Qanat?”
“Yes Kanat. Thanks to that, I was able to open the negotiating table. i know If you hadn’t successfully completed the project, we would never have been able to negotiate.”
The Count said with an honest heart.
It was true.
Was it while Lloyd was in Kandahar to work on the qanat?
At first, he thought that if he waited for a few months, he would be able to meet the Sultan.
However, as I passed by, it was not.
one month, two months, four months.
I could actually feel the atmosphere of the sultan palace while staying.
At least six months of waiting period, which was initially ignored by the palace staff.
That doesn’t mean you have to wait six months.
‘6 months? There would have been no point in that. No, even if I waited for six years, there would still be no deadline.’
The Count was sure.
It was just that the Sultan had no intention of meeting this side forever.
Realizing that, how discouraged he was.
How much did you blame yourself for your incompetence?
“Because I couldn’t properly carry out the mission given by His Highness. to be unable to engage in negotiations. I can see the result of returning home empty-handed like that. In the end, I felt that war would break out. and…Because I can clearly see the future where countless young people will be sacrificed on the battlefield. What a pitiful feeling. But you got the job done.”
Count Ventura looked at Lloyd.
“It’s all your business. Negotiations were also successful. that prevented the war. And it saved the lives of countless young people.”
“Ummm, I just don’t want my territory getting caught up in a war….”
“That’s it.”
“Ah yes.”
Count Ventura spoke with great force.
Seeing that, Lloyd felt it.
It seems that this man has the temperament of a quiet answerer.
So it was.
The Count’s words made Lloyd the flagship.
“Your achievement this time will be reported in great detail to His Highness when you return to my capital.”
“…Could you please bear with that for a little while?”
“I can’t. This is the only way I can repay you.”
“….”
ha.
You’ve done a great job again.
I hope you don’t have to be summoned by the king’s sister for this feat.
Lloyd sincerely hoped and prayed.
That’s how I ended up joining the special envoy.
We crossed the wasteland together.
crossed the Eastern Mountains.
A hometown like a jar of honey that I longed for.
Arrived at the county of Prontera.
After a long time, I was able to reunite with the count couple.
The couple was warmly welcomed.
The Countess was also baptized with even more heated worries.
“this. Are you okay?”
“Ah yes.”
“Maybe you were so skinny.”
“Well, I ate well and gained weight. a little.”
“no. The ball goes in very well and there is no fuss. Come on. Let’s start with dinner.”
“The meal over there came down the mountain range earlier….”
“What do you want to eat first?”
“Oh no, didn’t the exiles led by the Turtle Tree come? My name is Termes….”
“He came. Do you like duck meat?”
“…No, there. So, pottery and silk haven’t arrived yet, right? In fact, there are goods sent to come via Cremo by ship. I guess it’s time to arrive soon….”
“I don’t know about pottery or silk, but beef would be good today.”
“….”
I had to experience forced mukbang before returning home and recovering from travel.
In the meantime, I also heard good news.
It was the news of his younger brother Julien’s graduation from the academy.
“Don’t be surprised. Julien took second place among the graduates.”
“…really?”
The news that Count Prontera delivered with a smile on his face.
Lloyd, who was eating, opened his eyes wide with sincerity.
‘oh my god.’
What an academy second seat.
It really was no joke.
‘of course. It’s difficult to get into the Royal Capital Academy, but graduating is even more difficult.’
The academy system briefly mentioned in the novel Iron Blooded Knight came to mind.
The royal capital’s academy was notorious for its high graduation difficulty.
What if there are 100 students enrolled?
Among them, only about 20 people succeeded (?) in graduating.
Besides, just graduating wasn’t everything.
‘Only those in the top 10 percent of graduates are appointed as royal officials. What about the rest of the graduates? You just have to take the appointment test separately with the general public. Of course, I get a lot of special bonus points.’
But Julien took second place among the graduates.
In other words, direct appointment was guaranteed by the management of the royal family.
How about Korea?
civil service exam.
It’s also a 5th grade exam.
In other words, it must have been an achievement comparable to passing the second-placed seat in the administrative exam.
‘That guy will be rolled with excitement by the king’s sister.’
On the other hand, Lloyd secretly expressed his condolences.
King Alicia is not the type to let talented people go.
When he finds someone with the ability, he is a thrifty and exploitative monarch who scrapes that ability down to the bottom.
So, what about Julien, who graduated from the academy second in class and proved his brilliance?
You will probably be overworked with excitement.
It may be rolled enough to complain of chronic fatigue.
But such abuse would be a joy to Julien.
I must have studied hard for that.
Thinking so, Lloyd asked.
“Then are you coming to his house?”
“It is. I heard that you will have a little time to stay at home until you get the order. Even so, there is a letter I sent to you a few days ago as I left the capital. See for yourself here.”
The Count has come with a letter.
Lloyd read the letter.
– To my brother.
I graduated. I also got pretty good grades. It’s all thanks to my brother. So that I can fully focus on my studies. Because I can hang on really hard. And I felt a lot of things when I met hyung after a long time. thanks to you i was able to do this
thank you.
I’ll see you soon.
– Julien wants to be his brother’s proud younger brother.
“….”
Lloyd carefully examined the letter.
I was proud of all the black letters written on pure white paper.
It’s not even a few lines, but I keep reading it and keep being happy.
Unknowingly, I read the letter five times.
On the other hand, I felt like I was getting some kind of vicarious satisfaction.
‘It’s graduation.’
I wanted to graduate myself too. After graduating, I wanted to get a good job after passing the engineer exam.
I came here before I even saw the fruits of my efforts.
Of course, I was able to get along like this with the knowledge I learned then.
Even so, the lingering regret of not being able to obtain a diploma remained in one corner of my heart.
‘Well, a diploma doesn’t feed you, though.’
South Korea is not an easy town to the extent that everything can be solved just by earning a common college diploma.
No, the fierce world where the real bloody fight begins from then on.
So, in a way, it is a tougher, tougher, bloodier world than this place where spears are rampant.
Such a place was Korea.
‘Still, I wanted to get a diploma.’
I tried but couldn’t get it.
So, the lingering feeling remained.
I used to think about it sometimes.
However, Julien has achieved tremendous results beyond expectations.
Besides, it’s all thanks to this side.
I want to be a proud little brother.
I wrote and sent it to the extraordinary end.
thank you for that
It was heartwarming.
He was so proud of himself as if he had won the diploma he had hoped for instead.
‘boy.’
When you come, you should feed a chestnut or honey chestnut to the head like a chestnut.
With that promise, Lloyd carefully folded Julien’s letter.
Will it be crumpled?
Carefully, I put it in my pocket.
After that, while continuing to eat.
While enjoying a reunion with the count couple after a long time.
He continued to place one hand on his chest.
Every time that happened, I could feel the texture of the letter paper rustling in my inner pocket as if answering softly.
I am so happy and grateful for that.
I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time.
The count couple who looked at Lloyd were also happy.
I thought that my eldest son, who always had accidents, had become such a reliable pillar.
I thought that the second, who was always timid, had grown into a person who would take on the affairs of the country.
No, I thought that both of my sons had grown up well and soundly before that.
whole world.
The couple smiled together in the joy of embracing the entire universe.
That is why the count couple did not even dream of it.
The fact that at this moment, an uninvited guest with a business for their proud eldest son had arrived at the outskirts of the territory.
♣
“Whoa.”
Is it finally the arrival at the end of a long journey?
If so, all I have to do now is meet Lloyd Frontera and record his strange lullaby into this magic orb.
‘Then I’ll be able to sleep comfortably again.’
A noble princess of the Sultanate.
However, a high-ranking swordsman swordsman who has now suffered from lullaby withdrawal.
Serazade looked down at the Frontera estate at the foot of the Eastern Mountains, and her black pearl-like eyes shone.
