Chapter 350 - Episode 342: After the Subjugation
"Grand Duke Arqvist. Baronet Bart Heidemann has returned from his diplomatic mission."
"Good work. Well then, shall I hear the report right away?"
It was a certain day toward the end of September. Noein was facing Bart in the lord's office of the manor.
"Yes. Well then... as expected, news of the wyvern subjugation seems to be spreading quite rapidly. I believe it has reached most of the northwestern region of the Kingdom of Lordberg. There were plenty of wild rumors."
"Ahaha, I suppose so. It would be a great topic for idle chatter for both the nobles and the commoners."
Noein returned a wry smile to Bart, who had begun his report with a bitter smile.
A month and a half had passed since the wyvern subjugation was achieved. Due to various matters following the subjugation, the area around Noein had become hectic, and it was only recently that things had finally settled down and peaceful days had returned.
Upon his return, Noein first notified the Kingdom of Lordberg and the Kingdom of Lancel that the subjugation had been accomplished. Along with this, he also informed the Kingdom of Reveland of the incident.
Next, he created an official document recording the progress of this event as a page in the history of the Grand Duchy, and once again proclaimed to the people of the Grand Duchy that Noein had achieved a heroic victory over the wyvern, along with a certain amount of detail.
At the same time, he summoned Carlos, the director of the Grand Duchy's Noeina Theater Troupe, and ordered him to convey Noein's great victory to the masses as a war chronicle play. In short, it was propaganda to further deepen the subjects' love and respect for Noein.
According to stories he heard later, Carlos, having been given the perfect creative material in the form of "the fierce battle of the lord's wyvern subjugation," wrote the script for the play in a state of ecstasy, working without sleep for two days and nights.
While the production of the play was progressing, envoys were sent from both the Kingdom of Lordberg and the Kingdom of Lancel. It seemed that once the wyvern subjugation was reported, they felt they must confirm the evidence rather than just receiving reports via 'Far-talk' or fast horses.
From the Kingdom of Lancel came Viscount Clovis Bartholomew, the governor of the royal direct lands bordering the frontier. And from the Kingdom of Lordberg, none other than the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Countess Elishka Novacek, personally visited.
Noein welcomed them courteously as honored guests, hosted them himself, and displayed the wyvern's magic stone and skull. The look of utter astonishment on Viscount Bartholomew's face was very amusing, and the stunned expression of Countess Novacek, who was known for being calm and composed, was also quite a sight.
Additionally, regarding the bones other than the head that had been left by the lakeside, he sent people to check on them around the time the wyvern's internal organs and meat would have rotted away.
Whether they had been gnawed on by monsters that eat carrion and bone, or carried off by orcs or hobgoblins to be used as clubs, the wyvern's bones were considerably fragmented, but some that had maintained their shape, such as the fingers, feet, and tail bones, were recovered. These were distributed to the puppet mages and soldiers who participated in the subjugation as proof of having defeated the wyvern.
By the time several weeks had passed since the subjugation, the theater troupe began performing the wyvern subjugation play. Simultaneously, the wyvern's skull was temporarily displayed in the plaza of the capital, Noeina. Around this time, the interior of the country became hectic again, but in a different direction.
As news of the wyvern subjugation spread to various regions, theater-goers came not only from within the Grand Duchy but also from outside the country. Not only merchants for trade purposes and their guards, but even tourists who visited solely for the purpose of seeing the play and the wyvern's bones arrived, enlivening the capital, Noeina.
Furthermore, dozens of bards who heard that a wyvern had been subjugated in the Grand Duchy of Arqvist entered the country, gathered information for composing poems from the play and the people's rumors, and then left the country again to spread them.
It was only a week or two ago that this commotion finally subsided.
"The rumors spread by the tourists and bards were likely especially effective. Heroic tales that exaggerate the actual battle several times over are circulating."
According to these, Gustav, the commander of the Claymores, had a golem grab the wyvern's tail and throw it, or Lane, the mage serving House Koenitz, had turned the wyvern's entire body into a fireball, or Baronet Radley Nordheim had jumped several meters into the air and pierced both the wyvern's eyes along with its brain with a spear, yet the wyvern had continued to move as if it were nothing.
Both the wyvern and the subjugation force that faced it were made to have performed a battle that was one or two sizes more monstrous than in reality.
"If it were just those rumors being told amusingly in the streets, it would be one thing, but I've heard them from some of the nobles as well. Things like, 'Is it true that Grand Duke Arqvist tore the wyvern in half with a giant golem?'"
"Ahahaha, such stories are being made up about me too, huh."
"Yes. Also, I don't know where or how the story got twisted, but there were versions where Noein-sama himself jumped into the wyvern's mouth and killed it from the inside."
"If I had that kind of strength, I wouldn't have struggled with so many things... there are many unbelievable heroic tales from ancient times, but in reality, those might have actually been like this."
Even in a battle from just a month and a half ago, rumors pile up to the point where the embellishments become larger than the truth. One cannot know how much of the stories of heroes in history is actually true.
"Surely in a few hundred years, it will be exaggerated even more, and it will be said that Noein-sama defeated a dragon alone."
"Ahaha, that sounds exactly like something that would happen."
With no other particularly notable news besides the wyvern incident, Bart's report ended.
.....
Slightly later than the original schedule, the maintenance of the trade route connecting the Grand Duchy of Arqvist and the Kingdom of Reveland was completed in the latter half of October.
With this, the two countries would formally establish diplomatic relations. To commemorate this, the monarchs of both countries were to meet at the midpoint of the trade route, the location designated as the border between the two nations.
Since a two-horse carriage could not pass through the mountain paths, Noein rode in a small two-wheeled carriage for one person pulled by a donkey, while the others arrived at the border point on foot.
The border was a somewhat open area on the slope of a low mountain, which was planned to be used in the future as a campsite for trade merchants and a liaison office for both countries. The party from the Kingdom of Reveland was camping there with simple tents lined up.
On the Grand Duchy's side, in addition to Noein, there was Matilda as an attendant, and among the high officials, Yuri, Pence, Bart, and Gustav, as well as puppet mage guards and Guard soldiers. In total, about a dozen people.
Opposing them, the Kingdom of Reveland's side also had fewer than twenty people in total. Since crossing the mountains with a large number of people is difficult, both sides had small parties for the monarchs.
Since a herald had been sent before their arrival, the party from the Kingdom of Reveland was already lined up by the time Noein and the others entered the campsite. The Grand Duchy's side also formed a line immediately upon arrival, and Noein stepped down from the carriage.
It was immediately clear who King Gabriel Reveland was. He was a tiger-man who had stepped one pace forward from the center of the line, radiating a dignity clearly different from everyone else.
Gabriel showed a slightly surprised expression upon seeing Noein step down from the carriage. He should have heard from the knight Beverstamm, who stood beside him, what kind of appearance Noein had, but perhaps he looked smaller and younger than expected.
As Noein stepped forward to the midpoint between the parties of the two countries, Gabriel also approached.
"...I am Gabriel Reveland, the twenty-first King of the Kingdom of Reveland."
"I am Noein Arqvist, the first head of state of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist."
Gabriel looked down, and Noein looked up as they exchanged gazes.
"I am pleased to be able to meet Your Majesty here on this day. I am truly sorry for the delay in my arrival."
"You must have struggled with the unfamiliar mountain crossing. Please do not let it concern you. I have heard about your assistance in the trade route maintenance and the subjugation of the wyvern. I thank you for your efforts in establishing diplomatic relations with my country."
Since Gabriel was superior in terms of the scale and history of the country as well as his position as a monarch, Noein dealt with him with some humility.
After exchanging a round of greetings, Noein and the others got to work. First was the signing of the covenant designating the border of the two countries in this land.
Since it was difficult for either side to bring civil officials, Bart assisted the monarch on the Grand Duchy's side, and Knight Beverstamm assisted on the Kingdom of Reveland's side. Noein and Gabriel each signed two copies of the covenant, and the family crest seals were pressed there with magic paint.
Since both were nations descending from the lineage of an ancient great empire, they were nearly identical not only in language but also in script. Because there were slight differences in spelling and grammar, the two covenants were written according to the languages of the countries where they would be kept.
Immediately behind Noein as he signed, Yuri and Pence watched over the process. From behind Gabriel, several people dressed in what appeared to be noble attire also watched his hand. They were witnesses to ensure that the signing was indeed carried out by the monarch.
"Well then, after this..."
"Yes, my country has looked forward to this moment."
When Noein, having finished signing, brought it up, Gabriel answered and let a thin smile play on his lips. While thinking to himself that he had also looked forward to it, Noein returned the smile.
Next to take place was the exchange of trade goods, signifying the start of trade between the two countries.
From the back of the Kingdom of Reveland's line, about ten leather bags were brought forward. From the rear of the Grand Duchy's line, two wooden boxes were brought.
The trade goods they both craved—salt and potatoes.
The wooden boxes carried by the golems and the leather bags carried by the beastman soldiers were placed on the ground. Beverstamm confirmed the contents of the wooden boxes, and Bart confirmed the contents of the leather bags, each nodding to their respective masters.
This time, the golems held the bundles of leather bags, and the beastman soldiers held the wooden boxes as they stepped back. With this, the first commemorative trade between the two countries was accomplished.
"Grand Duke Arqvist, I thank you from my heart. May the friendship between our two countries continue for a long time."
"I thank you as well. I sincerely hope that we can walk the path of long-term mutual prosperity with your country."
While exchanging a friendly handshake with Gabriel, Noein felt relieved.
With this, it became possible to import salt, a necessity, more cheaply and more easily. A long-cherished wish since the early days of development, from when the Grand Duchy was still called the Arqvist Baronetcy, had been granted.
The Grand Duchy of Arqvist had taken another step forward on the path toward eternal peace and further prosperity. Noein was satisfied with that.
[Author's Note]
This concludes Chapter 13. From the next episode, Chapter 14 will begin, and a new development will start.
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