Ewald had sent a letter to Dido, informing the Flissing of what had transpired and that he ended up becoming the lord of Laufeld. He emphasized that they were within their right to cancel the marriage if they wished, noting that Ewald and Flora had yet to share a bed together. Baptiste’s response was … amusing at the least. He sent back a simple reply, stating that he should hurry up and sleep with her ASAP. Truly, that was all he wrote. He wasn’t too surprised to receive such a reply because Avina did warn him to expect such a reply. In her own words, the moment Flora left Dido, she was cast away, literally. She even claimed that he did not need to send a letter. In the end, she was correct.
Meanwhile, Cezary had been drawing a schematic for what he described as the final version of the flying-basket which he renamed it as the airship. He had been draining pretty much all money and resources to make the final version. The biggest changes were its shape. The linen bag was no longer round. Its shape became oval. Since a deflated linen balloon would never hold its shape, a wooden structure in the shape of an oval was constructed to hold the linen within. The basket had also been replaced with what looked roughly like a ship without sails obviously. A trained person was going to operate the airship. It also required at least one engineer to swap out crystals as needed.
“So, this is the final version.” Cezary proudly presented the blueprint of the airship.
image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3225/LW8X6X.png]
“Well, it looks far more advanced than the flying-basket for sure,” Ewald remarked.
“The flying-basket was just proof of concept. We’ve worked out most issues although I am sure more will surface once we build this.”
“Can we even afford to build it?”
That was the big question.
“All at once? Probably not. But we can build parts and assemble them together later.”
“What is the estimated cost for this thing? Air…ship, right?”
“Roughly five gold coins.”
Cezary spoke the number out so casually as if it was nothing. Five gold coins was about their three years of income combined from wheat.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. It ain’t your money after all.
Ewald rubbed his temple with a long sigh. The income from Macomaco tea was nowhere enough to keep this project going on. Other sources of income were desperately required.
“How much are we going to charge for passengers?”
“It will be free.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Given how much it cost to build it and how much it was going to cost to maintain and swap out elemental crystals, free fare was a hard pill to swallow.
“I do understand what you are thinking,” Cezary explained. “But the reason we are building the airship is to draw people to Laufeld. We need more people, especially low income folks.”
“Tell me though. If you were to charge a fare, how much would it be?”
Cezary gave his answer right away as if he had gone through the thought process.
“I would have charged a silver. However, that would bar most, if not all, common folks. Therefore, if I were to charge a fare, it would have been ten iron coins.”
“Ten iron coins, huh…”
“Milord, you must not charge a fare. At least, not now. Please do not forget our objective. We must endure this.”
The temptation was there, but ultimately Cezary was correct. It was just that they were leaking money left and right that the situation was becoming desperate.
“There will be light at the end of the tunnel,” He assured Ewald.
“Yeah, yeah…”
Sighing, Ewald walked away from Cezary’s desk where the schematic was laid down and walked toward a window. The carpenter had been working on building the barrack for a while now. While he was no mason, he had some basic knowledge of stone foundation and had been bringing in stones from the nearby mountain which was easier said than done. He built his own wagons and had hired those who didn’t want to farm and had them carry two large stones a day. Then he’d break it down and had been using them to build a stone foundation for the barrack. It had been a painfully slow progress. At the very moment, the stone foundation was still being worked on. The carpenter assured that, once the foundation was complete, everything could be built pretty fast.
“Have we found a mason yet, Sir Waszak?”
Cezary’s eyes were fixed on the schematic, trying to find anything to fix or change before committing to a final design. “No, but it shouldn’t take long. Merchant traffic has tripled as of late. The word should have spread.”
“I see. I am going out for a walk. We will talk later.”
“Understood.” Cezary’s eyes were still fixed at the schematic, paying little attention to Ewald.
Not long after that, a letter arrived from Keviel. It was an invitation for the year’s royal party. It came as a surprise for everyone because they didn’t expect it. Well, perhaps they should have. It was just that they had been so busy that they had lost track of time completely. The invitation raised some issues.
“We have only one carriage and just five guards,” Raem pointed out. Cezary, Ewald and he were in the study.
“I suggest you leave just one guard along with Martin. Those two should be just adequate,” Cezary suggested. That would leave four guards along with Raem and Lara. Since Ewald was also combat capable, it should be adequate. He also issued a warning.
“I cannot go with you, Milord. We need someone to govern the town while you are away. Heed my warning. Expect to be flooded with marriage proposals.”
His warning came to a surprise for Ewald. He did not expect that.
“Marriage proposals? Why would I get that? I am engaged to Flora.”
“Unless she gives birth to a child, it means nothing. Do note that you are close to reaching twelve years old, the age where you can choose your own marriage on your own accord. You no longer need Lord Fenchel’s permission to choose your own woman. Now, even if you stick by Lady Flissing, they can still bombard you with mistresses. After all, you have none.”
“I am just eleven years old now. Would they really do that?”
“They would precisely because you are young. I do understand that you have the maturity of an adult even at your age, but that doesn’t mean others will see you in the same light. They will attempt to exploit you in any way possible. You will be seen as an easy prey.”
Ewald folded his arms. He realized that Cezary was correct in his assessment.
“Be on guard especially against the king,” He warned sternly.
“The king?”
“He attempted to give his second daughter to you, no? She is arranged to Daniel Flissing, and he can’t break it without heavy penalties. But the Egra family as whole should have lots of eligible females of your age. He will attempt something. That much, I can guarantee.”
Ewald let out an exasperated sigh. “Why do I feel like I am going to a battlefield?”
“This is the price you are paying for standing out. You are unofficially the hero of the realm. Of course, they are going to throw their daughters or nieces at you, literally.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake…
“I wish you good luck. Stay vigilant. You must.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“Just one final piece of advice from me before you go.”
“Yes?”
“Do not speak about the airship unless spoken to. I doubt any lord knows about it right now. But, if anyone does bring it up, you must be wary of him immediately. It means he has been spying on you and very likely sees you as an enemy.”
Ewald narrowed his eyes. “I see,” He replied curtly.
“You don’t need to hide anything about it. Just make sure that you don’t speak about it unless spoken to.”
“Understood.”
With that, they swiftly prepared to depart. Ewald, Flora, and Avina entered the only carriage. Raem, Lara, and four soldiers were their guards. This was the bare minimum. Avina wasn’t too pleased that Ewald was getting in with Flora. The very idea of an unmarried noblewoman sharing the same carriage with a male was downright rude in her own words. But the circumstances forced this. Besides, they were betrothed to each other anyway. Avina would have never allowed this otherwise.
“And… we are off,” Ewald said as soon as the carriage jolted and started moving.
Presenting himself as a lord of a house was a fairly unique opportunity for him because it would be the first time a tier two vassal lord would be present at the royal party. Allegiance would be quite awkward for a tier two vassal indeed. His direct superior was the Fenchel who swore their allegiance to the Egra. Which he should value more in the time of need was the grand question. For example, during a conflict, let’s say a call-to-arms was issued by both the Fenchel and the Egra at the same time. Whose side should Ewald be on?
“...... How is your writing going, Flora?”
She startled; She certainly did not expect him to ask such a question.
“It, it’s going fine.”
“If I understand correctly, you want a public library to be built, yes?”
“I, I am sorry if I overstepped my boundaries.”
Is it just me or is she afraid of me?
Which didn’t make much sense. He was four years younger. Meanwhile, Avina had her eyes closed and was silent sitting next to her. He tapped a spot next to him.
“Could you sit here?”
She did not see such a request coming and looked flabbergasted. She simply didn’t know how to respond. It was at this point Avina opened her eyes slowly.
“What are you doing, Milord?” She asked gently but with a cold voice.
“We are to be married. I want to get to know her better,” He argued.
“There are times and places for that,” She retorted.
“And I believe this is the time and the place. We rarely meet outside meal times.”
He could understand Avina’s desire to protect her but felt that she was going overboard. Flora was fifteen years old, an adult in the noble society. She needed to think on her own feet and not expect Avina to help her out on every opportunity. Since she wasn’t clearly willing to move over, he did instead, jumping onto the opposite seat right next to her. Both women jolted in surprise by his action. He grabbed her hand, which was resting on her thigh.
Wow, what a soft hand.
It was a hand that had never seen any form of manual labor. Her skin felt so soft that he wanted to rob it against his cheek. Of course, he resisted the urge. This actually reminded him that he rarely got to hold Fionara’s hands in his former life and he could not recall how her hands felt. Unintentionally, he started caressing her hand as if a grandson was looking at his grandmother’s hard working hand. There was pity in his eyes.
I should have spent more time with her…
He regretted it; He spent very little time with his family. After all, he was always out hunting. Granted, he was doing it to feed his family. But that didn’t change the fact that he had a distance from his family.
As for Avina and Flora, both were very confused when he started to caress her hand with a face that was full of sorrow. Neither understood what was going on in his mind. How Flora interpreted the situation was that Ewald was feeling sad by her rejection. He did have a point that they were to be married. Understanding the whole situation in her own way, she responded by placing her other hand on top of his.
“Yes, we are in this together,” She said softly. Back when he asserted his dominance, she felt genuine fear. Now, she felt like she was watching a puppy rejected by its mother, and her motherly instinct kicked in. They spent some time holding their hands together without saying a word. Eventually, Ewald moved back to his own seat and fell into thoughts.
Their first night out in the wilderness was uneventful. However, their second night was not. A pair of giant bears attacked their camp while they were cooking.
“Giant bears!” A soldier alerted everyone with a shout. Ewald promptly jumped to the top of the carriage while Avina led Flora into the carriage. Two bears, twice larger than a grizzly bear, approached the carriage slowly while sniffing loudly. Their target seemed to be food. Between them, Raem, Lara, and soldiers stood firm in a line formation.
Summoning a magical bow, he fired a shot which bounced off its thick and coarse fur.
“I see,” He said curtly to himself. “Men, surround them! Make them stay together!”
They attempted to surround them, thus grouping them closely together. It was going to be a tough fight. Giant bears, or great bears, had thick furs. It was highly resistant to physical damage. It was weak against fire, but they didn’t have a fire mage. Ewald believed that a hurricane arrow would be able to kill one easily. He wasn’t certain whether they would be able to kill the other off on their own. Therefore, he decided to go for a double kill.
“Keep them occupied and keep them together!”
Then casting levitation, he made a distance from the bears that, at this point, stood on his hindlegs and were loudly roaring toward the soldiers.
Avina and Flora were able to observe from their carriage window what Ewald was doing.
Elementals, feel my desire. Grant me a powerful arrow to vanquish both of them at once!
He did not specifically state wind elementals because he felt he didn’t need to. A magical arrow slotted itself into the magical bow. It glowed in green, and its shine was becoming ever brighter. At one point, he noticed a glowing red salamander on his lower arm that was holding the bow toward the giant bears. He was staring right at him while wiping its lips with its long tongue casually. He wasn’t sure what it was doing there and more importantly why. His affinity to fire was just one. He wouldn’t be able to cast any decent fire magic. The salamander’s eyes glanced back and forth at the arrow as if wanting to join.
Do whatever you want.
No response.
“Do whatever you want.”
Upon hearing that, the salamander turned itself into a mist of glowing fire and flew into the tip of the magical arrow. The color of the tip turned orange-ish. And finally he let go of the arrow at which point he realized that he didn’t fire a hurricane arrow. He wasn’t blown backwards, and there was no loud bang. Instead, the arrow now infused with fire made its way toward the chest of a giant bear and exploded, leaving a gaping hole where the arrow made its impact. The bear’s eyes rolled and it slowly fell backwards, making the ground shake a little. The other bear, not quite comprehending what exactly happened, was confused before making a mad dash away from Raem and his soldiers.
“A fire arrow? An exploding arrow?” Ewald mumbled in the air, trying to come up with a new name for whatever it was. It was nowhere as powerful as the hurricane arrow, but he didn’t pass out from casting it. It was probably a good middle ground between a hurricane arrow and a regular arrow.
Meanwhile, Raem and Lara took out their skinning knives and started to skin the bear. Its fur, teeth, claws - whatever they could savage, they did with meat going directly into their pots to make stews instead of veggie soups. The soldiers sure loved the meat.
Only Flora and Avina were allowed to sleep inside the carriage. Everyone else had to sleep outside. They had tents but not for everyone. The soldiers ended up simply sleeping on the ground with Ewald, Raem, and Lara sleeping in their own separate tents.
When Ewald entered the carriage the next morning, Avina demanded an explanation on the event from the night before.
“If my eyes did not deceive me, you commanded fire and wind elements,” She claimed. “No one has an affinity for two different elements.”
He shrugged and retorted, “Well, it’s not “no one”. You are seeing one right now.”
“But how?!”
“How should I know? It is just what it is.”
Flora approached him and inspected him. “Are you alright? Were you hurt?”
“I am fine, dear.”
She almost burst into laughter. “Dear? You just said ‘dear’.” She had to cover her mouth and had to go to a corner not to embarrass herself.
“Anyways…” Avina tried to continue the conversation.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
He interjected, “Look, nothing is absolute. There is no rule that a person can have only an affinity to an element. It looks like it’s the norm, and that’s it.”
She looked like she wanted to argue back but either didn’t or couldn’t.
“Fine, let’s leave at this,” She eventually conceded.
While they were taking their seats, he asked Flora out of the blue.
“Anyway, Flora, can you tell me a story?”
“A… story?” She looked dumbfounded at such an unexpected question.
“Yeah, a story. A fairy tale or something and … can I do this?”
He tapped a spot next him once again. This time, Flora complied and sat next to him. What he did next was something neither expected. He laid his head down on her lap. Avina was about to go nuclear, but Flora stopped her with a hand gesture.
“Tell me a story,” He said with his eyes closed.
It took a brief moment, but she began to tell a story. It was about a boy who was raised in a very improvised noble house. Because his household was so poor, he wasn’t raised like a noble. Instead, he hung out with his commoner friends and got along with them very well. Among his friends, there was a girl, a farmer’s daughter, who got along with him especially better than anyone else.
Ewald, at this point, knew where the story was going. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut and listened to her voice as she continued on with her tale, which was probably another story of hers who was going to or was already writing. His family continued to be improvised until his younger sister was married off to a prince, which meant that his family had to act the part. The MC would no longer be allowed to interact with his commoner friends. He could cut off most of his friends but not the farmer’s daughter who he was developing feelings for. Facing such a conundrum, he had to make a choice and he did by eloping.
Would Ewald have made the same choice if he were in his shoes? It was hard to say. It was because he didn’t quite grasp the concept of love. He liked Fionara but didn’t feel he loved her. He could live without her certainly and vice versa. In the end, would he give up everything to pursue a woman? Probably, not, he thought.
Flora continued with her story. The MC was the only male in line of succession, and thus hell broke loose. Desperate to get the only male heir back, his own house came up with a fake background to brand him a criminal and put out wanted posters. Unable to approach any settlements in fear of being found and caught, the MC and his girl had to live in the wilderness, which sadly didn’t turn out too well. His girl ended up being devoured by a pack of werewolves, and the MC was eventually caught by guards. Unfortunately, he was completely broken by the time he was sent back to his house. He would never recover and eventually ended his own life by poison.
“The end,” She said.
“What is the title of the story?”
“A broken heart by Ruta.”
You are really going to use Cezary’s fan name, huh…
“So, please build me a library.”
He grinned. This was the first time she openly requested something. He felt like they were getting closer. He didn’t expect and want a romantic relationship. A cordial friendship was all he wanted.
“When the finance allows.” He gave a non-committal answer.
Pouting, she poked his cheek. “As soon as possible,” She pressed.
Slowly opening one of his eyes, he saw her being cutely angry. Shrugging internally, he saw no other way but to accept her demand.
“Fine.”
Women always had mysterious power over men.
Even more job for you, Mr. Carpenter.
Upon arrival at Keviel, they found the overall atmosphere of the city rather dark. The vigor was simply not there. Folks were walking with their shoulders sagged, and merchant stalls weren’t very active with only a few people purchasing goods. The city wasn’t always very active in his memories, but it looked to be worse this year. It seemed that Avina also noticed the change because she had a stern expression on her face while looking through a window.
Raem knocked on the carriage door soon after they entered the city.
“Yes?”
“Where should we be going? To the Fenchel manor or …?”
“We shall go to an inn.”
“Understood.”
“Shouldn’t we go to the manor instead?” Avina objected.
“I no longer consider myself a Fenchel.”
“May I ask why?”
“Lady Fenchel should have given birth now. I am pretty sure that it is a boy. Time to distance myself from the Fenchel.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Let’s just say that it’s a gut feeling. I just know.”
Avina frowned, unable to accept his answer. Alas, there was nothing she could do anyway.
They had to rent a whole section of an inn which included about six rooms. The guards were placed at a choke point to filter out who could get in and out. Once lodging was sorted out, they simply waited until evening to attend the first day of the royal party, which was simple greetings between lords. Of course, being an eleven year old, Ewald stood out. Baptiste Flissing was the first one to approach him. He quickly apologized to him for what had happened.
“Fear not!” Baptiste responded with a powerful voice. “All I see is a man with ambitions. Not wanting to be overshadowed is a good trait. No matter how small, it’s always better to be a lord than a son of a lord.”
Ewald couldn’t quite understand what he was trying to say, but it was clear that he wasn’t against what he had done.
“Has my daughter come with you?”
“Yes, you will see her tomorrow.”
“Good. My wife will be delighted to hear that.”
Patting on his back powerfully, Baptiste walked away, laughing pleasantly. Edmund Fenchel was next to approach him. At this point, Ewald congratulated him for having a son proactively. This was pure guesswork. If he proved to be correct, it would give an illusion that he had someone in the manor keeping eyes on them. As expected, Edmund seemed quite surprised.
“Thank you,” He replied curtly.
“How is Lady Fenchel?”
“Doing well. She is overjoyed.”
She would be without a doubt. A son was the only missing piece in her life. She finally got what she wanted … at the expanse of pretty much everything. The child would be her everything, literally speaking. After a brief casual chit chat, Edmund walked away. He made no mention of the flying-basket. Whether he wasn’t truly aware, it remained to be seen. Noah Harga, formerly Noah Harder, approached him next.
“Long time no see, young master!”
It was still weird for him to see Noah in noble attire.
“Indeed,” He replied with a smile. “How goes life as a lord?”
“Pain,” He replied back with a laugh. “Mental pain. Too much paperwork. If it wasn’t for Greta, I might have fallen ill.”
“How is Lady Harga? Is she here?”
Noah beamed a smile. “She is with a baby, so she’s back home.”
Ewald was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be meeting her. Regardless, it was good for them. A lone child wasn’t enough for a brand new noble house. They needed babies, probably a fair amount of them.
Noah discreetly glanced around and said to Ewald, “We will talk more later. It looks like other lords are wanting to talk to you. I won’t hold you up.”
As soon as Noah was a short distance away, Aaron Weber approached. He was the lord of Tantan, the smallest settlement in the kingdom.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to see such a young lord,” He said with a smile. They exchanged their respects, and that was it. There was a reason why he left after such a brief exchange because it was clear that other lords were waiting to greet Ewald. He had to greet every single lord on that night. By the time he was done, it was close to midnight. This was his third attendance at the royal party. In his previous two experiences, the first day had always been brief. Certainly, this was a completely different experience.
On the second night, he had brought Flora with him. The occasion called for a proper wardrobe, and she wore a fine dress. The east wing was full of people unlike the previous year. Lords and ladies were casually conversing. Lady Flissing quickly noticed Flora and they exchanged a warm hug and they walked away to converse in private. Meanwhile, Baptiste offered him a glass of wine which he accepted with glee. For the Flissing, the drinking age was ten.
“A tip for you,” Baptiste said.
“Yes?”
“As long as you stay with us tonight, no lord will disturb you. Of course, Lord Fenchel is an exception.”
He must have known the ordeal Ewald had to go through on the first night.
“Lord Fenchel, it’s good to see you again.” Daniel greeted him. He was much taller now. It looked like he had his growth sprout. He looked exactly like Baptiste except he was much younger obviously.
He should be … 14 or 15 now…
“Lord Flissing, I envy you.”
“Oh?” Daniel looked confused.
“I wish I was taller. I dislike people looking down on me.”
Baptiste laughed. “That’s the spirit, my son.”
Just as he predicted, as long as Ewald was with them, no other lords approached him. That was good news for him. The current circumstances made him closer to the Flissing than to the Fenchel. Now that Edmund had his own biological son, it was only a matter of time before both of them would prefer to distance each other. Casually conversing with Daniel, he observed numerous lords and ladies dancing in the center. Most seemed to be enjoying their time, but Aaron was not. He was in a corner with a glass of wine. A grim look dominated his face.
“Is something bothering Lord Weber?”
Baptiste looked in the direction.
“It’s a man problem,” He said.
“A man problem?”
“The lack of men. Lord Weber sent out 500 soldiers, all men. Tantan had a population of just 3,000, now down to just 2,500. Five hundred men in prime are gone. I am sure that the town is suffering from the lack of workforce as well as the lack of men for women, reducing birth rate. Overall, it is a very tricky situation for him.”
Basically, Tantan was facing a sharp decline, and there was little Lord Weber could do. It wasn’t as if he could create men out of thin air.
“Is there a reason why Tantan is such a small settlement?”
“It’s just hard to get there,” Baptiste replied. “I believe that’s the primary reason. The weather is good, and they’ve got seafood. If it’s easy to reach the place, I am sure people would love to visit the town for the seafood alone.”
The airship might actually solve their issue…
Of course, he couldn’t tell him that. He wondered what seafood tasted like. In fact, he had never seen a lake, let alone the sea. He didn’t even know what seafood looked like. In the end, nobody bothered him because he hung out with the Flissing.
The third night arrived. The third to fifth days would be for striking deals between noble houses. Unlike the last year where there were zero deals conducted, this year was a stark contrast. The west wing was open for business, and it was quite booming. While Ewald had no deals to propose, just as Cezary expected, he was called in to receive deals.
It began with Vincent Blind, the lord of Alrez. What he proposed was a mistress. He was a man with well combed black hair and well-kept stubble. He was one of the recently appointed lords.
They sat down in a small room in the west wing. Tobias placed a paper on the table. It looked to be a contract.
“I have a daughter, nine years old. She is my second child. I would like to present her to you.”
Ewald had no reason to accept this, and Vincent was clearly aware of that. In the contract, it stated that the Blind would pay 10 gold coins in the form of a dowry. He wondered how he got the money in the first place. 10 gold coins was no small amount. Yes, Alrez was a much larger settlement, but it wouldn't have been easy to amass 10 gold coins within a year.
Unless he had his own wealth before that…
The large dowry did tempt him, but there was no way he was going to take in a mistress, especially at his current age. Thus, he formally refused. Vincent didn’t seem offended at all and didn’t fight for it. He probably foresaw that the proposal was going to be rejected. It wasn’t as if it was over, either. He could try next year. His daughter was just nine years old. There was time.
“I do have a question, Lord Blind.”
“Please don’t hesitate.”
“She is your second child. Why would you make her a mistress? Shouldn’t a formal marriage be better for her?”
Vincent smiled a bit bitterly. He explained that, by making her a mistress, she would not become a seed of chaos in case of a succession crisis. Apparently, he had four children, a son and three daughters. His first child was the son, but he wasn’t blessed with great health. If his second daughter had a normal marriage, her children would retain her claims to the house Blind. If she was to become a mistress, the claim would be much weaker. But there were holes in his explanation.
“What about your two other daughters? Are you going to make them mistresses as well?”
“Yes,” He replied firmly and curtly. He explained further that he was going to make sure that his son was married as soon as possible and have children before anything happened to him. He basically wanted a grandson ASAP. Ewald was in no position to criticize him but did feel that he was going overboard. Since the deal broke down, Vincent left soon after, and Ewald stayed on because he was informed in advance that he had three meetings on the night.
Tobias Sprengen entered the room soon after. He was the lord of Larok. He had broad shoulders and had a very sturdy build. He was cleanly shaven with very short brown hair. It was another proposal for a mistress.
“She is my fifth daughter, ten years old. A fine candidate.”
He also put down a piece of paper which was a contract. Ewald skimmed through. It stated a dowry of 8 gold coins. It was clear to him at this point that they were literally throwing money at him to take in a mistress.
The money is really tempting though…
Anything over 5 gold coins would solve most of his financial issues at the moment. But he had to refuse. For one, he had no intention to have any mistress at all. He didn’t care about having sons, either. Tobias didn’t put up much fight, either, and simply left.
Two down, one to go…
The final person to meet him was someone he did not expect. Perhaps, he should have seen this coming. Cezary did warn him after all. It was Karsten Egra who entered the negotiation room. Ewald rushed to stand up and bowed with a palm on his chest.
“At ease, I’ve come here as a man to a man. No need for any strict formality.”
Once they sat down, Karsten went straight for the topic.
“You can still take my second princess. It can still be broken, but this truly is the last chance. She is to depart with Daniel once the royal party is concluded.”
If Ewald was to choose between a woman he knew and a woman he didn’t, he would choose the former, especially when he didn’t have any personal issues with the former.
“I am happy with Lady Flissing.”
“We, nobles, never marry for affection. We marry for connections. I am giving you the best connection by taking my daughter’s hand. Would you still refuse?”
Ewald replied promptly, “I would.”
“I see.” Karsten folded his arms. “How about a mistress from the Egra?”
“I am going to reject any proposals for mistresses until things are settled down with lady Flissing. My liege, I am just eleven years old.”
“You certainly don’t act like one.”
“That doesn’t change the fact, sir,” He retorted.
Karsten had no comeback to that. Instead, he changed the subject.
“What do you think will happen now, politically?”
“Politically, sir?”
“Our kingdom at present is weakened. What do you think we should do?”
How the heck should I know? I am already busy enough with Laufeld.
Since he couldn’t say that out loudly, he simply pulled an idea out of his arse. He decided to give him a ridiculous idea.
“I say we ally with the Siwen.”
“The Siwen…?” Karsten’s eyes widened. “Explain why.”
“They may hate us, yes. But who else is going to side with them now?” Atra? I believe we are the lesser of two evils. We ally with them and tackle Atra to get their western territory back. Once that’s done, we should probably form a formal alliance with Estana and tackle the Siwen once for all.”
Karsten looked to be considering his suggestion. Whether his idea was taken seriously, he couldn’t care less. He just wanted him out so that he could leave the castle. The king did eventually depart with a stoic look on his face. Ewald doubted that the king expected him to take his second princess’ hand. His true intention was probably elsewhere, exactly what he didn’t know and care about.
On the third night, he continued to reject more mistress proposals. In the end, every single noble house except for the Flissing, the Fenchel and the Harga proposed a mistress to him. He took a break on the fourth and fifth day since there were no more proposals coming in, and Laufeld had nothing to offer. It did have wheat, but they were going to Lux.
On the sixth night, the nobles gathered in the royal lobby where the king addressed the lords to keep working on to enrich the kingdom. He stated that the future was looking bright with the recent victory over the Siwen. Ewald surveyed lords when the king was making his speech. It was quite clear that the old guards, the Weber, the Sprengen, and the defeated Egra were not reacting to his speech as if they couldn’t care less. However, even if they were discontent, there was little they could do because they were the minority. The Kingdom of Egra was overall in a good shape internally. With that, the royal party was concluded for the year. Ironically, the rebellion proved to be a blessing in disguise. If the three rebelled houses were present, the discontented houses wouldn’t be a minority, and it would have created a rather toxic environment this year.
When he got back to the inn, there was a young man standing in front of guards who were at the choke point leading to rooms they were staying in. It didn’t look like he was having an altercation with the guards. He seemed to be simply waiting.
“Milord, this man wishes to speak to you,” A guard immediately declared as soon as Ewald was in the vicinity.
“My name is Nestor Vogel,” He announced his name. He had dark blue hair with gray eyes. He looked to be a scholar. “I would like to lend you my service.”
“Where are you from, and why do you wish to serve me?”
“I am from Dido. The Vogel serves the Flissing. I wish to serve the one who vanquished General Goss.”
Upon further conversing, it turned out that Nestor came along with the Flissing convoy, and Baptiste had apparently given his blessing to his desire to join Ewald. He was the fifth son of the Vogel which meant that he was actually encouraged to go on his own way, away from his family.
What good are you?
Ewald wanted to ask, but that would have been rude.
“Sir?” It was at this point Raem entered the scene. “Who’s this guy?”
“Nestor Vogel who wishes to join us. He claims to have arrived with the Flissing.”
“Oh?” He looked up and down on Nestor and asked bluntly, “What good are you?”
Nice, Raem.
“I am a scholar and good with paperwork.”
“Are you good with a weapon? Any magic? We need a mage.”
Good, keep on pushing, Raem.
“A mage…? I do have an affinity, but it’s four. It’s Earth.”
It was true that they did need a mage. Ewald was the only mage Laufeld had. Raem looked in his direction for the final decision.
“Well, you sound good enough. You are hired under one condition.”
“Anything you ask of me, I will try to comply.”
“No, I won’t ask anything from you. Rather, I wish to check with Lord Flissing that you were in fact telling truth about coming here with them.”
“Oh? Sure, of course. Lord Flissing should be at his manor.”
His reply was quick and firm as if he didn’t have anything to hide.
“Raem, do you know where the Flissing manor is?”
“No, sir.”
“Sir Vogel, you lead him there. Raem, confirm his story.”
“Understood.”
Nestor Vogel’s story turned out to be true, and thus he was accepted into the fold. While Ewald didn’t want to enlarge the wage bill, it was also true that they needed more personnel. Since Nestor himself was willing to join, he had little reason to refuse.
The next morning, they departed the inn. Ewald, Flora, and Avina were in the carriage while others were traveling on foot. Nestor was among them. As they slowly made their way out of the city, the rather downbeat mood of the city came to his view once again. The people didn’t seem to be happy with their lives. It wasn’t clearly a one-off thing. He decided to investigate a bit before leaving the capital. Stopping the carriage for a moment, he called Nestor and gave him his first assignment.
“I want you to ask around and see what is going on in the capital.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“People look downbeat. They were like this when we arrived here seven days ago. Something feels off, and I’d like to know why.”
With a palm on his chest, Nestor bowed. “As you wish. I will try to find out what is happening.”
“We are going to slowly make our way out of the capital. You will be able to catch up with us.”
Nodding, Nestor dashed off to a distance toward the marketplace.
“It, too, has been bugging me,” Avina added.
Folding his arms, Ewald sat back. “Let’s see what Sir Vogel brings us.”
Nestor eventually caught up with the carriage. They were well away from Keviel when he caught up. He was briefly allowed into the carriage to make his report.
“There appears to be several issues that the local folks are experiencing.”
He went on to explain that the amount of goods coming from outside had been significantly reduced due to gate tolls. This had taken a toll on quality as well as quantity of necessary goods while resulting in increased prices.
“Gate tolls? Why would the king impose that?” Ewald wondered aloud.
“I am thinking that the king wants to rebuild the royal army ASAP and he needs money for that,” Avina explained.
Nestor looked surprised to hear such a well educated guess from a mere maid.
“I agree with the maid,” Nestor said and he continued on with his report. Secondly, there had been several public executions who were accused to have plotted against the royalty. The issue was that the local populace did not feel the executed had done anything. Basically, the executed were well known to the locals and were liked.
Frowning, Avina folded her arms.
“Do you know who was executed?”
“I couldn’t find out exactly who, but it seemed to have been city officials who were trying to repeal the gate toll.”
Ok, I am getting the picture now.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, finally, it seems the soldiers have been beating civilians who complained.”
“Good job, Sir Vogel. I am impressed with your swift result.”
“I am glad to have pleased you, sir. This and diplomacy is my forte.”
Having said so, he exited the carriage.
“I can see why the king wants to rebuild his army quickly. He has a legitimate reason for that. But I do wonder whether it’s worth losing public support,” Ewald said to no one in particular. He was simply talking to himself.
“The king has always valued might over everything. It might have worked when his kingdom was much smaller, but I don’t feel his method is going to bring a good result at the moment,” Avina added.
The Siwen was defeated. In other words, for many people in the kingdom, their number one public enemy was no more. Yes, the Siwen still existed, but no one could deny that they were merely a shell of their former self. Karsten’s authoritarian style ruling worked when the people’s mentality was, “everyone’s out there to get us.” Alas, such a mentality was no more. Besides, the kingdom had taken in a large number of foreign people, formerly from the Siwen, who would never see the Siwen as their mortal enemy.
“What a headache,” He complained. Again, the king had a legitimate reason over wanting to restore his royal army. But was he doing it the right way? That was the grand question.