Editor: Tseirp
Two weeks before the Popes Inauguration ceremony in the Western countries.
Red Post, a border city in the eastern part of the Kingdom.
Rednar, a forr border city of Inbury Duchy, in the western part of the Union.
Both are nad after the characteristic red soil near the border.
The Kingdom-Union border runs through the middle of these two towns.
A huge tent was set up along this border line.
That was the location for the eting.
Nice to et you, Your Majesty. I am Aubrey Hubble Coleman, the Governor of the Handal Union.
I have heard of Governor Aubrey Colemans distinguished reputation. I am King Abel the First of the Kingdom of Knightley.
After the greetings, they shook hands.
While the two ns expressions were calm, the atmosphere around them was heavy.
It seed as though tension was palpable between them.
However, a completely different exchange of greetings was taking place on their side.
Frank its been a while.
Kenneth, youve grown up well.
It was a reunion after several years between the alchemists representing both the Kingdom and the Union, who could be considered the brains of their respective nations.
Those two had worked side by side in the Royal Alchemical Workshop, producing nurous inventions.
Although there was a considerable age gap between them talent knows no age.
They both considered the other to be the foremost alchemist in the Central Countries.
Such was the high regard they held for each other.
All right, Kenneth, Ive brought so delicious bread. Not quite up to the standard of bread from Cologne, but its quite good. Hey, Mr. attendant over there, bring us so coffee to our table. Well be eating bread over there.
Frank, you never change
As Frank and Kenneth headed towards the seats at the corner of the tent, they exchanged conversations.
Observing them from a distance were the leaders of the two countries.
It was Lord Aubrey who broke the ice.
I was honestly surprised when the suggestion was made to bring Viscount Kenneth Hayward. Was it alright to introduce Viscount Kenneth to Dr. Frank?
What do you an by that?
Do you not think there is a possibility that Viscount Kenneth Hayward might defect to our Union?
Not at all. Rather, wouldnt it be Dr. Frank de Verde who might want to return to the Kingdom? Persuaded by his beloved disciple, Kenneth?
Nah, I dont think so.
With that exchange, Abel and Lord Aubrey both laughed heartily.
From their distant seats, holding bread in one hand,
The ones steering the country have it tough, dont they?
Certainly.
Such conversations between the two alchemists went unheard by the King and the Governor
The only thing our Union wants to confirm is this.
Lord Aubrey did not have an especially scary expression as he spoke.
But he certainly wasnt smiling.
Both of them had already decided on the questions and answers to follow.
This was simply a confirmation.
Was it the Kingdom that attacked the city of Curcio?
No, it wasnt.
The voices of both the questioner and Abel, who answered, were very calm.
Because they understood that this was a confirmation.
Lord Aubrey, the questioner, simply nodded in response.
The Kingdom only has one question too.
Abel said, his expression not particularly tense.
But he wasnt smiling either.
Even though he understood it was just confirmation, it was not sothing to smile about when considering the deceased royal subjects.
Did the Union attack the city of Van Lane?
Of course not.
The voice of Union Governor, Lord Aubrey remained extrely calm.
Because he understood that it was rely a confirmation.
Abel also nodded once.
The confirmation has been made, hasnt it?
Yeah.
Both Aubrey and Abel knew this in their heads.
Because it didnt make any sense.
But confirmation was necessary.
It was to confirm whether the other party was lying or not.
At their level, it was easy to see if the person in front of them was lying.
Now, that brings up a problem.
Yeah. Who exactly carried out the attacks?
Exactly. For what purpose did they attack, sacrificing lives?
Both Abel and Aubrey had reached the sa question.
Normally, Id say its the Empire, but
Yeah however, its too far from the Empires border.
Both Abel and Aubrey shared the sa thoughts on that point.
Both the Kingdoms city of Van Lane and the Unions city of Curcio are located well south of the Empire.
It would be extrely difficult to move ten thousand cavalryn that far without the knowledge of both countries.
Of course, the Empire had Baron Hagen Benda, who could use .
Currently, he seed to be away from the Empire, having joined the diplomatic mission to the Western Countries however, there was indeed a possibility that he could return and use
Honestly, both Abel and Aubrey were contemplating whether the Empire would go to such lengths.
But why bother with that when they could easily do it further north?
Even if they wanted to create a situation where only the Union and the Kingdom were involved, there was no need to engage in siege battles.
Just like how the Empire attacked Abel in the north, there were plenty of other thods of deception available.
No matter how skillfully executed, there was no reason to initiate a siege that would result in significant casualties just to pit these two nations against each other.
Moreover
In Curcio, the residents were slaughtered, the city was set ablaze, and it was abandoned.
Sa with Van Lane.
Indeed.
Both cities were abandoned
All the residents were killed, yet there was no evidence of any looting of valuables or supplies.
Despite the significant sacrifices made during the siege
In fact, I would like to provide so information regarding that matter.
Abel interjected.
Oh? Please go ahead.
Lord Aubrey understood well that they were sorely lacking in necessary information for an accurate analysis.
This concerns the ti when our city of Van Lane was attacked It seems that the cavalry continuously ramd against the city gates. Gradually causing damage until the gates were finally breached
Your Majesty, what does that an exactly?
Aubrey furrowed his brow in response to Abels information.
Naturally so.
Cavalry crashing into the city gates one after another?
Does such a siege tactic exist?
What happened to the cavalry that crashed into the gates?
Furthermore, such an attack doesnt seem to have significant effectiveness.
Lord Aubrey, known as a Great General, naturally has nurous achievents in siege warfare.
And Abels description of the siege was unheard of.
Well, thats true. Even those who reported it couldnt believe what they saw. It seems that the cavalry that hit the city gates damaged them, then disappeared into thin air.
Were they not human?
Abels words were t with a slight shake of the head from Lord Aubrey.
But the response to that question ca not just from the two of them.
A little further away, enjoying warm bread and coffee at another table
Could it be the legendary army of the Djinns?
It was Frank De Verde.
Dr. Frank?
Lord Aubrey uttered, looking puzzled.
Well, even I have looked into the legends of Djinn. There was a book with such descriptions back then. I dont rember the title. But there must have been a more famous folklore officer in the central temple of the royal capital than I am. Just recently, he ca to the Union and identified the Djinn bug
That must be Viscount Rashata Debuo.
Kenneth responded to Franks words.
Yeah, thats right. I think confirming it with Viscount Debuo would be the most reliable.
I see.
Lord Aubrey nodded vigorously in response to Franks words.
Indeed, we need to confirm this promptly.
With that said, Abel stood up.
Your Majesty.
Yes, Lord Aubrey, I understand. As soon as we get any confirmation, Ill contact you imdiately. Although, its unlikely that communication via alchemy tools is possible yet
Abel replied promptly to Lord Aubreys words.
When we return to Jayclaire, we can establish a connection right away.
Eh?
Abel and Lord Aubrey both responded in unison to Frank De Verdes words.
It seems Frank was also thinking about long-distance communication using a similar chanism. With a little adjustnt, it seems it can communicate with the Kingdoms system. Although, its only with the large one in the royal capital.
At the final step, I was stuck, but Kenneth always finds a way. He solved it easily.
No, it was just luck
Kenneth blushed deeply at Franks praise.
It was an exchange that revealed the warmth of the relationship between the two
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