Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – The Royal City of Lyon

A grove of trees trimmed to give a neat appearance. Three cobblestone paths stretched in a straight line across a vast lawn garden. The widest central path divided into two parallel side paths, as a canal ran along the road bringing water from the Murray River, which ran along the border between the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon. The contrast between the cobblestone streets and the canal, along with the greenery created by the lawns and trees, made visitors gasp in admiration. And at the end of the three roads. The building at the end of them was the royal palace of the Kingdom of Lyon, famous throughout the world for being a trading nation with a good port. In terms of the size of the building, it was smaller than the Imperial Palace of Lemmrousell. However, the Royal Palace of Lyon, for which a large sum of money was paid to renowned artists, painters and landscape architects, was rightly considered a work of art, as were all the buildings in its precincts. A group of people were marching at a slow pace along one of the roads leading to the palace. The formation was like the symbols on a blueprint, with each horse and person spaced exactly the same, and the unity of the group never being compromised.

That’s a lot of skill…

In a carriage positioned in the center of the marching group, Wynn watched in awe. They were the Knights of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lyon and the leading Knights of the Royal Court. The skillful movements of the knights were a proof to the discipline and skill of the army. This march alone, the result of rigorous training, was a deterrent to countries after the riches of Lyon. Against a well-disciplined army, if they were to mess with them, they would be forced to see many casualties. It would also serve as a deterrent to avoid unnecessary wars.

The Kingdom of Lyon lay between the Lemmrousell Empire to the east of its lands and the Kingdom of Carthiate to the west. Before the foundation of the Kingdom of Lyon, there was a group of more than twenty small free cities between the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Carthiate. However, the Lemmrousell Empire began to invade those countries one after another. Feeling threatened, the group of Free Cities opted first to place themselves under the protection of the Kingdom of Carthiate.

The Kingdom of Carthiate, a descendant of the Kingdom of Rentheim, which was the hegemonic government of the continent in the past, had the oldest history of any country on the continent, and the authority of its royal family was something that no other country could afford to ignore.

The Free Cities were originally independent when the Kingdom of Rentheim collapsed, so it was only natural that they became part of the Kingdom of Carthiate, from the lineage of the ancient rulers. But… The Kingdom of Carthiate, an aging power, imposed on the Free Cities a tribute called an “alliance charge” for coming under its protection, but did not send any support to match the imposed charge. And one by one, the free cities fell.

The cities that surrendered came under the control of the Lemmrousell Empire. The cities that refused to surrender, but chose freedom and pride, turned to ashes. As fate caused the names of their sister cities to be erased from the history books, the remaining twelve cities made a final decision: They declared the creation of a new state with the port city of Lyon as its capital, rejecting the attempts of the Kingdom of Carthiate to annex the weakened free cities.

In the early days of the country’s foundation, it was unilaterally attacked by neighboring countries that refused to recognize its establishment. However, each of the cities originally called Free Cities had sufficient capital and military power to maintain their independence. By merger them under the will to establish a new nation, they gained enough power to defeat foreign interference.

Although the country was still in its infancy in terms of history, it quickly became one of the most powerful countries in the continent, using the enormous wealth it gained through trade to build a strong military. And even now, after being counted as a great nation, the knights and soldiers were still training hard and refining their strength. It would also motivate them to work harder on their training.

A man stood in front of Wynn, smiling and waving to the cheers of the crowd. The first in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Lyon, the Sword Saint Raul Orto Lyon. A hero with an easy-to-understand title, even those who did not live in the military, he would be their next king. If the people could be proud of their country’s royalty and live with pride, the country’s momentum would increase for the better.

Unlike the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Carthiate, both emerging nations with a long history, the Kingdom of Lyon was showing remarkable growth, and one of the reasons for this was the presence of the Sword Saint Raul.

For Wynn, who had far less magical power than most people and who aspired to become a knight using only his sword skills, Raul, the Sword Saint, was naturally someone he would look up to. His bravery and the name of his sword had been heard throughout the empire long before he and Leticia accomplished the feat of defeating the Demon King. Wynn, in particular, who had grown up in an inn that did business with adventurers and traveling mercenaries, and since it was not uncommon for the name of the young crown prince of a neighboring country who had earned the title of “Sword Saint,” to be circulated among visitors who came to dine and lodge. In addition, Wynn’s visits to the Adventurers Guild had greatly increased the chances of hearing Raul’s name.

Adventurers found value in personal prowess. In trying to rise from the bottom, they sometimes respected individual worth more than mundane status. To these people, Raul was a hero with the title “Sword Saint,” proof that he was one of the strongest. The adventurers, who had no small amount of heroic aspirations, drank and gossiped passionately about Raul’s heroic exploits they had heard about.

When Wynn heard that the Brave had visited the Kingdom of Lyon and that the Sword Saint Raul had gone with her as a companion, his heart was filled with joy. Even after living in the dormitory at the knight school, Wynn was still working at the Wandering Bird’s Nest Inn, and he was eager to hear the gossip about the Brave Mavis and Raul from the customers. He had no idea that Brave Mavis was his childhood friend Leticia, so he was more aware of Raul’s activities than Brave Mavis, Duke Mavis’ third daughter. There were times when both he and Locke, his roommate, would spend the evening talking about the newspaper he had brought from home, as opposed to the gossip Wynn had heard on the street. Raul, who had been the great figure he had looked up to, and Wynn were now riding together in a carriage.

I did as I was ordered, but I still wondered if I should be in the same carriage with such a person.

Wynn had crossed swords with Raul before, when he had visited the Lemmrousell Empire in secret. At that time, Raul was hiding his identity and Wynn fight him, considering him a suspicious person. Later, he learned of his true identity and had the opportunity to talk to him, but at that time he was not so aware of it, because there was not only Leticia, but also Prince Alfred and Cornelia. However, now that he was riding in the carriage with Raul amidst the cheers of the crowd, Wynn felt uncomfortable.

Raul was not the only one riding with him. In the cab of the large carriage beautifully decorated in gold and drawn by six white horses, Raul and Cornelia as the first princess of the Lemmrousell Empire were seated side by side, with Leticia and Wynn, the Brave Mavis, seated behind them. The purpose of the assembled crowd was to watch the heroic march of the mighty knights of their country and the three protected by them. The “Brave” who ended up becoming a legend and leaving her name in history; the crown prince, pride of his country and Sword Saint; and the princess who came from a neighboring country. The people who would see them would feel fortunate to have been there on that day, and would brag about it to all their acquaintances. Bards and other storytellers would also write poems and stories about this day. In such a historic setting, at what point would Wynn be described?

“Onii-chan, you’re sweating.” Leticia, seeing Wynn’s forehead sweating from nervousness, brought her mouth close to his ear and whispered.

“…O-Oh, yeah. Right. As a knight, I can’t help but get nervous when I’m parading in the flashiest place…”

He was too busy thinking about the situation to respond more naturally to Leticia. After all, he was being exposed to the eyes of a large audience. So, accordingly, Leticia had a thought.

“Hmm… wait a minute.” Pulling out a handkerchief, she gently wiped the sweat from Wynn’s forehead. To her, it was a perfectly normal act.

Then, loud gasps rippled through the gardens in front of the royal palace. When Wynn finally noticed, it was too late. A seemingly unremarkable young man riding in a carriage with the crown prince of their country, the princess of a neighboring country, and the hero who saved the world. The sweat on the young man’s forehead was wiped away by the girl they called the Brave. In the expressions and gestures she showed, her love for the young man was so clear that anyone could see it.

Who is that person talking to Mavis-sama?

He is riding in the same carriage with His Highness and the princess of the empire. He must be a noble of very high rank in the empire.

Don’t be stupid. That’s the Brave, isn’t she? Only those of similar status are allowed to ride with royalty. Even if he was a duke, he couldn’t be riding with them… let alone beside them.

Who the hell is that guy?

A great surge of interest in Wynn spread through the crowd. Their voices carried on the wind and could be heard by Wynn and the others.

I too would like to ask what made them make me ride here too. I wanted to ride in the back with Locke and the others. Wynn looked at his companions walking behind him.

Locke, Wedge and Lino were supposed to be marching on horseback behind the carriage in which Wynn and the others were, and they were advancing their horses as far as they could be seen. Of course, as knights from another country, they would also attract some attention, but probably not as much as the people in the carriage. They must have realized what he was doing when they saw Wynn’s resentful look. Locke waved his hand in the air. Next to him, he saw Lino looking at the ground and holding back laughter.

Those guys… I’ll remember this later! When Wynn turned around, Leticia, who was still trying to dry him off, leaned even closer to him.

“Wait, wait. I’ll do it myself…”

“No way, I’ll do it, Onii-chan, don’t move!” With a snap, Leticia blocked Wynn’s movement.

Raul turned to look at them and smiled. When Wynn noticed his smile, he noticed.

“…You put me in the carriage with Letty because you knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes. Letty loosens up amazingly when she’s with you…” Raul shrugged, and stood up to sit next to Wynn. “When Letty acted like the Brave, she often lost her expression, as if she were a doll. So, not only in this country, but people all over the world think of Letty as something that transcends humanity rather than a girl. Well, we, the people in power, are partly to blame for Letty behaving like a doll, but I wanted them to know that Letty is not an otherworldly being, but a woman as well. And that’s where you come in.”

“What do you mean?”

“You tell me, who would think Letty is such a transcendent existence when they see her flirting with you!”

“…”

Next to Raul, Cornelia laughed.

“Along with thanking you, I ask you to forgive us. Wynn Bard-sama.” The female knight who had been walking on her horse beside the carriage called out to him when she saw Wynn, who gawked at Raul’s statement.

“Erm… if I remember correctly, you were Manuela-dono.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to remember me!”

At the banquet held during Raul’s previous visit to Simurgh. Only the royal family and nobles were allowed into the great hall, and Wynn and other attendants had to wait in an anteroom next to the great hall. She was a knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lyon, whom he had the opportunity to meet on that occasion. The attendants of the noblemen invited to the dinner were mostly veterans, and were engaged in secret conversations and business here and there. The young and inexperienced Wynn was not going to be part of those intriguing conversations, so he was given the opportunity to interact with Manuela and another guy, who were also around his age and on the sidelines.

“It’s been a while.” Leticia said to Manuela. She had only seen her for a few moments when she went to pick up Wynn from the waiting room, but she remembered her.

Manuela’s shoulders gave a jerk as she was greeted by Leticia. Then her face turned bright red.

“I can’t believe Leticia von Mavis-sama greeted me, and remembered me…” she whispered to herself as if intoning a prayer to God.

Wynn feared that Manuela had been overcome with so much emotion that she would burst into tears.

“You remember me, too, don’t you?” The knight, who had switched places with Manuela and had pulled his horse, showing excellent control of the reins so that the ride was not disturbed, said with a friendly smile.

“Of course. It was Thierry-dono, wasn’t it? It’s been a while.”

It was Thierry, a knight of the Royal Guard who, like Manuela, they had met at the banquet. Wynn also returned the greeting with a friendly smile.

“As for the reason Wynn-dono rode with you in your carriage, aside from showing people that the two of you are flirting, and aside from the intention of letting people know that Mavis-sama is not an unknown existence, but a human being, there was another reason.”

“Another reason?”

“Actually, it was due to the fact that our highness angered the Brave-sama a long time ago…”

“His Highness Raul made Letty angered?”

When Wynn looked at Leticia’s face to see if such a thing had happened, she tilted her head and looked at Thierry. Apparently, she couldn’t think of a thing.

“When Mavis-sama first came to this country, our highness gave her an unnecessary provocation and was completely defeated by her…”

“I wouldn’t call it a defeat, Thierry.” Raoul interrupted. “She just cut my sword in half and put a blade against my throat, don’t you think?”

“That’s what you call defeat, Your Highness.”

The interaction between the crown prince and the knight serving him took on an unexpectedly light tone.

“Oh, Thierry and Manuela are also my childhood friends. And by the way, they are also my students in the sword.” Raul turned to Manuela and Thierry, who were still muttering something, and explained to the three newcomers from the empire.

Wynn nodded silently, as he had heard about this at the banquet.

But… Thierry-san and Manuela-san at that moment seemed to have a very respectful attitude towards Raul-sama… That’s what he thought as he watched Lyon’s squires.

“It’s true that when it comes to the sword, I respect His Highness and even acknowledge him as my Lord… but other than that, he’s just an idiot.”

“Hey, how dare you! I’m a prince, remember? And by the way, I’m your sword master. And you call me an idiot? And in front of all these people…”

“With all this cheering, no one will be able to hear us anyway.” Thierry shot down Raoul’s protest with ease and lightness.

Raul Orto Lyon. In public opinion, he had inherited his predecessor’s title, the “Sword Saint,” and had a reputation as a fierce general who, as crown prince, took charge of the army on behalf of the king. And as a companion of the Brave Leticia von Mavis, he was one of the heroes who defeated the Demon King.

My mental image of His Highness Raul that I’ve had since I was a kid!

“Well, that’s what Raul’s real life is like. Especially with Liara, who is way over his head.” Leticia said, finishing wiping Wynn’s face, who was holding his head in his hands, his illusions shattered by the gap between the image of the hero Raul he’d heard about and the Raul he’d actually seen.

“You see… everyone has a face that they only show to people they are close to and trust.” Cornelia, with a slightly bitter smile, said this to comfort Wynn. In her opinion, even Leticia had two faces, the one she showed when Wynn was with her and the one she showed to everyone else.

Even Raul couldn’t keep his crown prince and Sword Saint face all the time.

“Then why is it that I ended up riding in the same carriage as His Highness Raul?”

When Wynn, who had recovered from the impact, with a more relaxed expression, received a look of thanks from Thierry for saving him, as Raul kept complaining, and looked up at Leticia.

“Of course, it’s because Letty is here.”

Wynn nodded.

“Wynn-kun. You’re supposed to be the Master of the Brave Leticia von Mavis, right?”

“Not that I was actually her Master.”

When Leticia turned her surely intense gaze on Raul, he corrected himself with a tone of frustration. Leticia’s power was so outstanding that people around her had a hard time accepting that Wynn was the teacher she said he was. To Leticia, Wynn was the one who had taught her many things. Raul nodded twice at Leticia, as if to say he understood.

“Oh, yes. You are Letty’s master. And currently the only person in the world allowed to be above Letty.”

“Above?” Wynn looked at Leticia’s face, not knowing what Raul meant.

Leticia looked at Wynn with a bright smile.

“Yes. Well, if you’re in the position you’ve always been in, it’s hard to realize that, and it can be hard for you to understand.” Raul folded his arms and looked up. Then he opened his mouth, choosing his words. “As you can see, I have traveled with Letty, so I can easily talk with her in this way. It’s the same with Liara and Tiara. I could even ask her for a favor, but I can’t force Letty to do anything. But on the other hand, if Letty asks us for a favor, it’s very difficult for us to refuse.”

“Really? If Letty asked for a crazy favor, I would think it would be okay to say no, right?”

“Hahaha, that’s because you, Wynn, see Letty as a girl.” Raul said, then turned to Leticia. “But for everyone but you, Wynn-kun, Letty’s words will be the words of the Brave. King, emperor, and High Priest are words used to refer to a “being as close to God” who reigns above all earthly authority. It is difficult to reject them unless you take a clearly hostile position.”

What if she were told no? Leticia’s strength, who had defeated even the Demon King who nearly destroyed the world, could be turned against them. And as a rogue nation that defied the Brave, other countries might cut diplomatic relations with them.

“But you are different. You can say a lot of things to Letty without a second thought. This is, in fact, unbelievable to the rest of us.”

Well, and that’s why that Alfred has a hard time dealing with you, isn’t it?

Wynn would have to live within the framework of the empire no matter what. Thus, whatever job Wynn took, there would be someone in a position to give him orders, and if that happened, there could be someone who planned to use him to give orders to Letty. If such a thing actually happened, how dangerous would it be? Alfred saw this, and appointed Wynn as Cornelia’s squire. To keep the number of people in a position to give Wynn orders as low as possible. Although Raul hadn’t heard it from Alfred, his friend was in position to take over the next generation of the empire. Raul guessed almost exactly what he was thinking.

“Now, in light of what I just said, let’s speculate on what those who planned this march were thinking.”

Her Highness Cornelia, the First Princess of the Lemmrousell Empire, was visiting the Kingdom of Lyon. The group was accompanied by the Brave. Those responsible for the foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Lyon immediately began to prepare for the reception of the guest of honor, but one problem that troubled diplomatic specialists was the presence of the name Wynn among Princess Cornelia’s entourage. Normally, the crown prince of Lyon, Raul, and the imperial princess, Cornelia, would be higher in the pecking order. As the daughter of a duke, Leticia did not reach the two in the court hierarchy. Moreover, with the imperial princess’s squire status, there was no way she could ride in a carriage with them. However, Leticia was in a unique position as a being who transcended even the emperors, kings and high priests who spoke for God on earth, as a being who was as close to God as possible, and who had no peer. And the only person before whom Leticia knelt was a young man named Wynn. This point became a major issue that bothered the high officials in Lyon. In the past, this country had provoked Leticia’s displeasure at Raul’s unnecessary actions. Of course, after that, Leticia and Raul were companions who traveled together and destroyed the Demon King. And surely they had long since put the past behind them. However, they would upset her again if they treated the one person before whom Leticia paid respect with rudeness… this had the dignitaries racking their brains. The result of their desperate and painstaking plan was this:

If it is difficult to determine the pecking order, why not put them all together and let them be in the same carriage?

The conclusion was somewhat dismissive.

“…And well, that’s how you ended up in the carriage with us. It seems that your position within the empire was delicate in many ways, but outside of it, the general perception of the world is that you are Letty’s master. You can’t treat a person like that disrespectfully, can you?”

Was that the reason…? Wynn let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. At this rate, at the banquet after the ceremony… I’ll have to be prepared.

Next to Wynn, who had a slight headache and wrinkles between his brows, Leticia was happy with Lyon, who treated Wynn as her master. Just the fact that they didn’t offend Leticia was the best job they could do.

Later I’ll have to give a gold star to the bureaucrat who came up with this solution. That’s what Raul thought.