Chapter 152: Chapter 152
Baron Voldran, Roden Weavers’s value was not that great by the standards of the traditional marriage market.
Having risen from commoner stock in his father’s generation to achieve self-made success in his own, he had no influential relatives, and his official title was merely one member of the Royal Knights.
At that level, he was merely a fairly promising newly risen noble, hardly enough to catch the eyes of prestigious nobles who had accumulated history and tradition over many years.
But if one added the condition that he was one of Queen Cheryn’s most trusted advisors, and a sworn brother of the Lord Protector (the strongest warrior blessed by the Goddess) the story changed quite a bit.
What if one even added his reputation as the kingdom’s finest commander who had proven his outstanding leadership in multiple wars starting from the Pendia Civil War, and his status as the de facto second-in-command of Pendia’s military?
By then, it was not strange at all for Count of Meln, one of the most powerful feudal lords in Libert, to step forward first to form an alliance through marriage.
When the kingdom’s nobles expressed regret upon hearing news of Roden’s engagement, it was not mere empty talk.
“Ehehe.”
Such a remarkable talent, Roden Weavers was wearing a foolish smile with his mouth split from ear to ear.
Watching him from the side, Shan clicked his tongue and said:
“Stop grinning like that. It’s creepy.”
“Hehe.”
For an arranged marriage between people who had spent very little time together in person, what could possibly make him so happy?
Seeing him in a good mood regardless of what anyone said, Shan leaned back against his chair and muttered softly:
“Should I have moved my birthday earlier?”
“Huh?”
“Unlike you, I have to wait another year.”
Shan’s birthday was set as the first day of the year, which of course was not his real birthday.
In the first place, the only people who knew exactly when Shan was born were the Altoan couple who had abandoned him at Willow Village.
The reason he had set it to the earliest date was so he could hold his coming-of-age ceremony sooner and marry Cheryn.
Since winter had just arrived, he would turn eighteen next year, and he would have to spend another full year after that to reach nineteen with the new year.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter much. My body has grown so much now that anyone would believe it if I said I was over twenty.”
Normally, even if a teenage boy grew as tall as an adult, his frame would be less developed and look slight, but Shan had solid muscle and broad shoulders, making him look like a sturdy young man over twenty.
Though his face was still on the youthful side in comparison.
Looking at him, Roden recalled the boy he had met in front of the cabin six years ago.
A skinny frame like a sick cat, green eyes looking at him under the sunset dusk…
If someone were to say that the boy back then and the Lord Protector before his eyes right now were the same person, no one would believe it.
“But it would be strange if you suddenly changed your words after publicly announcing your birthday and everything, wouldn’t it? Since your big brother here is getting married first, I’ll show you how it’s done, so watch closely and don’t make mistakes.”
Seeing him thumping his chest with a proud laugh was so cheeky that Shan shook his head.
Leaving his seat to look around, he saw servants busily preparing for the wedding in various ways.
Not only the servants of the Weavers residence, but even the servants of the Velakar residence who were supposed to serve Shan had come over to lend a hand.
“Have you verified the list of incoming dowry items?”
“Yes, Eldest Master.”
“Cross-check them against the marriage contract! If something is wrong, we must speak up now! Later will be too late!”
Callion, who had temporarily put aside his position as proxy of Beshalia and come up to the capital, gathered the butler and servants to give orders.
Beside him, the dowry sent ahead by Count of Meln a while ago was being neatly organized.
From ornaments made of precious metals to piles of gold coins, there were even dozens of warhorses, which were rare in Pendia.
On another side, the head chef was writing up a list for other servants to fetch ingredients for the banquet.
From venison to chicken, pheasant, salmon, spiced wine, and sugary snacks, there were so many things to prepare.
Normally these would have to be prepared right before the wedding, but since they had refrigerators, they could prepare with a bit more leeway.
While preparations were well underway, a servant approached Shan and spoke:
“Your Highness, a summons has arrived from the royal palace. They say the delegation from Libert has arrived.”
“Understood.”
Shan immediately mounted a horse and headed for the royal palace.
Because the Weavers residence was located not very far from the royal palace, it did not take long.
Changing clothes was finished simply by activating the armor he was wearing in cuirass form to cover his entire body.
Everything else about this armor was great, but being able to put it on and take it off so easily was the best part.
Upon arriving, he saw that Cheryn was preparing to welcome the guests in the reception room of the Red Palace.
Her dress, decorated with black thread embroidered over a red background, exuded an elegant yet ominous pressure.
“You’re here. Are the wedding preparations going well?”
“Yes. Though on my part, it’s mostly just lending out servants.”
“Learn a lot from it.”
The unspoken follow-up, ‘since you’ll soon be in the position of having to do it yourself,’ was clear without having to say it out loud.
After exchanging brief small talk with a gentle smile, Cheryn hardened her expression at the report that the guests had entered the reception hall.
*
A moment later, the two stepped forward together as the Queen and her fiancé and guard knight.
“Entering is Her Majesty Cheryn Gizel Aste Hasra, descendant of Great Emperor Baren, monarch of Pendia, protector of the South Sea, master of the Blade Mountains, and pioneer of the Demonic Realm!”
Cheryn’s titles had become quite simplified compared to before.
This was because title names such as Duke of Hasra or Marquess of Beshalia had all been removed.
Now, virtually all fiefs within Pendia belonged to her and she merely dispatched proxies to manage them, so unless one intended to recite over a hundred names, there was no point in speaking them.
Entering right behind Cheryn, Shan looked at the people standing politely below the throne.
Standing at the front, a middle-aged man with slightly thinning hair bowed his head and spoke:
“I greet the new Queen of Pendia. I am the representative of His Majesty Zord Carben Melia Armando… direct descendant of Great Emperor Baren, sovereign of Libert, Duke of Veles, Marquess of Tanzen, Count of Arbeloa, Count of Samir, Viscount of Denzele…”
Originally, within their own country, they used the title ‘Emperor of the Arman Empire,’ but they omitted it when addressing a foreign monarch like Cheryn.
Having poured out twice as many titles as Cheryn used to use in a single breath without stopping, he caught his breath and added:
“…master of all, who upholds the will of His Majesty Zord Carben Melia Armando… I am Count Palatine Toren van Yoraken.”
Count Palatine Toren, who had a chubby build and smiling eyes, looked like a genial man, but Cheryn had warned Shan that he was a person to be extremely wary of.
The Count Palatine was a powerful figure whose family had greatly expanded their wealth through money lending since his predecessor’s generation, and who held information firmly in his grasp by controlling the capital’s brothels and organized crime syndicates.
In short, he was something of a mastermind who manipulated the capital faction’s court nobles from behind the scenes, and he was even suspected of having spearheaded the confrontation between Count Balik and Duke of Morayen.
Shan felt a faint contempt seep into the man’s eyes as he looked at him.
But that too was brief; Count Palatine Toren skillfully hid his expression and offered a genial smile.
Among those standing behind him, one was a familiar face.
Baron Telamon, Duke of Morayen’s butler and advisor, was the man who had previously proposed cooperation to Shan at Solod Castle.
And another was a man with reddish-blond hair and a sparse beard, whose trained physique made it clear he was a skilled warrior.
In fact, out of the three, Shan was most interested in him.
‘Is this guy Sercus “the Wanderer”?’
Under Count Balik were three powerful knights comparable to the three heads of Cerberus; they were called the ‘Black Spear,’ the ‘Goddess’s Shield,’ and the ‘Wanderer,’ respectively.
He had even directly crossed lances with one of them, Feonil Alten the Black Spear.
Though Shan could easily defeat him now, he still did not know a jousting master superior to him.
Perhaps someone of Lug’s caliber might be on a similar level.
The Wanderer before his eyes was a mercenary from the Steel Lion Corps, said to be a master who had traveled all over the world from a young age, observing, clashing with, and making all kinds of martial arts his own.
It was said there was no weapon he could not use, from longswords to greatswords, dual blades, scimitars, spears, axes, maces, and flails.
Unlike the Black Spear who was a master of mounted lances or the Goddess’s Shield who was famous for his massive frame and overwhelming physical capabilities, he had a high reputation as the strongest in foot combat duels.
In other words, all three factions that effectively led the Libert civil war were gathered here right now.
Count Balik of the North, Duke of Morayen of the East, and Count Palatine Toren representing the capital nobles of the Central region.
Those who did not belong here were only the Western lords facing Horais and the Southern lords including Count of Meln.
Cheryn narrowed her reddish-brown eyes and said:
“Indeed. I have heard the news. Did you say the King of Libert sent envoys to congratulate Count of Meln on his wedding?”
Of course, there was no way King Zord, who was now only eleven years old, knew enough to spearhead this himself.
As could be seen just by looking at its members, the dispatch of this delegation was agreed upon by the three major factions of Libert.
“Yes. His Majesty wished for this union to serve as an opportunity for the two kingdoms to come together in harmony.”
Spouting words he did not mean in his heart, the Count Palatine continued:
“However, regretfully, it seems there are a few things we must ask beforehand.”
“Speak.”
“Regarding whether Pendia’s recent invasion of Ruman might be an expansionist move breaking the balance of the alliance, and whether this marriage alliance with Count of Meln is a stepping stone to target Libert in the future.”
“Duke of Licharzo of Ruman incited pirates to plunder our kingdom’s merchant ships and insult our royal house. The King of Ruman directed this from behind the scenes. They merely paid the price they deserved. As for the marriage, it is not even worth mentioning. Has intermarriage between the nobles of our two kingdoms ever been a thing of yesterday and today?”
“If a large quantity of magic equipment passes over along with that marriage, it is difficult not to presume that there are impure intentions.”
Even after that, the Count Palatine nitpicked every single trivial detail.
From the fact that Shan, an Altoan, was engaged to her and thus Altoan blood would enter the royal house, to killing a cardinal who participated in the last crusade and intimidating priests to plunder various secret arts, to demanding that they suppress false rumors about Shan manifesting a halo behind him after receiving the ‘Chorus.’
Though his tone alone was polite, it was a rude attitude that a mere Count Palatine should never dare show to the Queen of a country.
Yet Cheryn did not flare up in the slightest, countering him while maintaining a relaxed smile.
This was because she knew his objective was either to intimidate and crush her side, or failing that, to provoke her into giving them a pretext.
In this kind of battle, whoever tired first lost.
After engaging in a prolonged battle of nerves, seeing that his opponent was not shaken in the slightest, Count Palatine Toren grimaced and said:
“Is Her Majesty the Queen of Pendia truly incapable of conceding a single thing?”
“When you demand that I concede what cannot be conceded, how should I answer? If it is war you want, I shall answer that Pendia will not submit.”
“In that case, I hereby declare that Libert plans to join the crusade targeted against Pendia from this moment on. Regrettable, Your Majesty.”
In the last crusade, Libert had merely opened a path, while the armies mobilized were only those of the Ajun Kingdom, priests belonging to the Holy See, and paladins.
But now he was threatening that the vast armies of Libert would swarm over.
To this, Cheryn answered without so much as a change in her expression:
“I shall be waiting. Please ensure I am not bored.”
The chillingly settled atmosphere signaled that there was no longer any room for negotiation between them.
Just as the Count Palatine rose to announce their departure, Shan slowly stepped down from beside Cheryn.
“Sercus.”
“…What is it?”
At Shan’s call, he replied in a blunt tone.
Though Shan was Pendia’s Lord Protector and a Duke, at the same time his status as an Altoan whom the Old Faith believers despised left Sercus in a dilemma, unsure of how to treat his counterpart, which was fully reflected in his response.
But unbothered by his counterpart’s attitude, Shan drew the sword hanging at his waist.
“W-What…”
“Your Grace! We have accepted the bread offered by the Queen!”
Contrary to Baron Telamon and Count Palatine Toren who shouted in horror thinking he intended to harm them, Sercus looked at Shan with an expression filled with a certain expectation while remaining tense.
Even while facing a fully armed opponent while unarmed, it was a combative attitude.
But naturally, Shan had not drawn his sword to suddenly strike them down and tarnish his honor.
“I heard you are from the Steel Lion Corps. Do you recognize this sword?”
“This is…”
Only then did the delegation from Libert pay attention to the sword Shan had drawn.
The well-crafted steel sword had a visible seam in the middle of the blade where it had been mended after breaking once.
If asked whether it was of bad quality, it wasn’t, but it was far below the standard for a knight like the Lord Protector to use, being a sword suitable only as the weapon of a skilled mercenary.
“…It is indeed. A sword used by a leader of the Steel Lion Corps.”
“I obtained this sword when I was young. A mercenary band raided the village where I lived, and their leader possessed this sword.”
That Shan was originally from Libert, specifically from Count Balik’s territory, was a well-known story.
At his words, tension settled among the Libert delegation.
“Why mention that all of a sudden…”
“Count Balik started the war on the grounds that he was attacked by Duke of Morayen. Yet the ones who actually raided the territory first were the Steel Lion Mercenary Band employed by the Count.”
At the interrogation questioning whether the war had been a self-staged drama in the first place, Baron Telamon’s eyes widened as if about to tear open.
His eyes burned with fury as he looked at Sercus standing next to him.
“You bastards, how dare you!”
But unexpectedly, instead of the dismay of being exposed, Sercus’s face held the shock characteristic of someone facing something he could not comprehend.
Count Palatine Toren next to him spoke with a flustered expression:
“…What you mentioned is strictly an internal affair of our own kingdom. Please do not distort the facts with pointless talk.”
“I merely stated the facts. I swear by the Goddess.”
Count Palatine Toren started to say whether a mere Altoan swearing by the Goddess made any sense, but refrained.
Because no matter how much of a guest he was, that would be a statement stepping over the line.
After the Libert delegation fled out, Cheryn stepped out of the reception room and let out a sigh with a relieved expression.
Shan looked down at the sword he held and said:
“The day to use this actually came.”
The sword of the Steel Lion Corps leader, the first spoil of war he had obtained in his childhood, had broken once while hunting the cockatrice.
Even after mending it, it had no value as a weapon, but he had kept it as a souvenir, and upon hearing the composition of this entourage, he had brought it along to make use of it.
Even if evidence emerged that the origin of the civil war itself was a frame-up, Duke of Morayen was unlikely to stop collaborating, but at the very least it would induce internal strife.
“Though what was unexpected is that it doesn’t seem to have been orchestrated by Count Balik’s side either.”
Unexpectedly, Sercus, who had been presumed to have staged the self-inflicted drama, seemed to know nothing, while Count Palatine Toren looked more flustered.
At this, Cheryn surmised that the Libert civil war itself might be a conspiracy by the court noble faction.
“If that’s the case, we might be able to buy a little more time. Since knowing they were both fooled and played would not make Duke of Morayen or Count Balik feel very good.”
Before long, news arrived that the Libert delegation had left Hasra.
Unlike when they arrived, split into three separate parties.
Learning that the enemy was divided, Cheryn hummed with a pleased snort.
*
A few days later, word finally arrived that the bride had reached the capital.
By custom, not Roden but his brother or friend was supposed to greet her, and in this case Shan stepped forward.
“Please stop the carriage on this side!”
A servant shouted while looking at the incoming carriage.
Count of Meln’s older sister, Venoa Chambel, brought along three knights, fifty soldiers, and over a dozen maids.
Since Pendia had so many monsters and was such a harsh neighborhood, this amount of escort force was necessary.
Stepping out of the carriage, Venoa was dressed in a simple gown suitable for travel.
Since she had traveled by ship from Meln to Beshalia and by carriage from Beshalia to Hasra, it would have been difficult to dress up elaborately.
As Shan approached, she widened her eyes slightly and bowed her head.
“You have suffered much trouble coming all this long way.”
“It is an honor that you came to greet me, Your Highness.”
Shan scrutinized her thoroughly.
Not in an obscene sense, but in the sense of evaluating whether she was someone worthy of becoming Roden’s wife.
Of course, with his level of insight, it was difficult to discern her true nature.
In Shan’s eyes, she merely looked like a pretty noble lady who could be found anywhere in Libert.
Things like the soft tolerance and brilliant intellect that Roden had spoken of were not apparent.
It was probably better for such merits to be revealed only to the person she was marrying.
After a moment of silence, Shan spoke softly:
“He is a good guy, so please take good care of him.”
“…You are right, he is a good person.”
Venoa, whose face had been expressionless, smiled faintly for the first time and nodded.
Afterward, Shan exchanged brief greetings with Sir Polk ‘the Bastard,’ commander of the escort force.
He was the commander who had led Count of Meln’s army in the previous Ruman expedition.
“This is my first time in Pendia, and it is indeed fierce as I heard. I could not have imagined that two soldiers would be injured while traveling a distance of just a few days.”
“It is naturally different from Libert.”
“Though strictly speaking, our side also has things like bandit groups.”
As if worried it might sound like he was badmouthing Pendia’s environment, Sir Polk spoke defensively.
Afterward, the two also conversed about the visit of the Libert delegation.
“They were making threats all over the place just because of a marriage.”
“Even without that, His Excellency the Count was under a lot of pressure over this marriage as well. In the worst-case scenario…”
The Count was already in the middle of arming his military with the magic equipment handed over by Pendia.
Even if the nobles of the Central, Northern, and Eastern regions launched a joint attack, he would be able to hold out to some extent.
The two looked at each other and nodded.
Through this marriage, Count of Meln and Pendia would be bound as a shared destiny that had to help each other the moment either side was attacked.