"The Seventh Prince of the Empire, Arnold Recks Ardler, pays his respects to His Highness, the Duke of Rondine."
"Ah, Prince Arnold. It's good of you to come. I hear your brother's ship was caught in a storm. I pray for his safety."
"Thank you."
With those words, Leonardo greeted the Duke of Rondine as Arnold.
The Duke of Rondine was a portly man with a magnificent mustache and beard, in his late forties. His name was Carlo di Rondine. He had continued the long-standing war with Albatro from his father's time and, seeing that Albatro was receiving assistance from other countries, decided to seek the Empire's help by sending a goodwill ambassador, which led to the arrival of Al and the others.
"Right away, Prince Arnold. Since your brother is absent, will you be the head of the delegation?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Leonardo tried to avoid saying anything unnecessary and only answered questions.
Elna, who was kneeling behind him, had repeatedly emphasized this point.
However, the world wasn't that simple.
"Then, I would like to hear the Emperor's response?"
With that, the Duke of Rondine leaned forward.
The Duchy of Rondine had already requested aid from the Empire in their conflict with the Principality of Albatro.
The Emperor's official response was no. However, he had included several weapons and blueprints in the treasure. While officially saying no, he didn't intend to sever ties with Rondine. Unfortunately, most of those weapons were on the ship Al was on and had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
Leonardo, unsure of how to respond, recited the answer he had prepared just in case.
"Regarding that, I would like our Imperial Guard to convey the message. Elna."
"Yes. It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Elna von Amsberg, Captain of the Third Knight Squad of the Imperial Guard."
"Ah, Amsberg... the prodigy of the famous brave family... I'm surprised. I heard an Imperial Guard would accompany you, but I didn't expect... a Holy Sword user?"
Elna's words made the Duke of Rondine nod repeatedly.
Elna smiled slightly, easing the tension in the room. Her smile, from a delicate and beautiful young girl, helped to relax the atmosphere.
"Please rest assured. I cannot use the Holy Sword outside the Empire."
"No, no, I didn't doubt it... if you were offended, I apologize."
"No, I understand that the Amsberg family is known for such things. And this is the answer, Your Highness."
"What do you mean...? Please explain clearly."
The Duke of Rondine, looking confused, asked for an explanation.
"The Empire is a military superpower. When the Empire moves, it means that elite guards like myself and distinguished generals will be involved. To put it bluntly, it would be easy for the Empire to destroy your country or the Principality of Albatro."
"Umm, yes, I understand that."
"Indeed, Your Highness. However, the Empire has rivals. If I were to officially come here as your reinforcement, our rivals would gladly assist the Principality of Albatro. This would lead to the exhaustion of both countries and the devastation of the south."
"Wh-what...?"
"Unfortunately, that is the answer, Your Highness. The Empire is so powerful that when it moves, other countries will also act. Therefore, the Emperor cannot respond to your request for aid, especially when your country is in a favorable position."
"Umm... indeed. The Emperor understands the situation on the continent well. However, it is difficult for our country alone to defeat the Principality of Albatro, as other countries are assisting them."
Elna nodded.
Of course, she was aware of this. That's why she had brought weapons and blueprints to make them accept it, but without them, she had to rely on words to persuade them.
"Of course, I understand. Therefore, the Emperor plans to continue friendly relations and gradually provide assistance. As a start, the Emperor sent me to demonstrate the might of the Empire. How about it, Your Highness? Are you interested in the power of the lineage of heroes?"
"Ah! That's it! That's great!"
Finally understanding the intention, the Duke of Rondine's expression brightened.
If the Empire had refused, he would have had to change his strategy significantly. The Duchy of Rondine alone could no longer defeat the Principality of Albatro. It might be possible with time, but the Duke of Rondine thought it was not feasible. He wanted to unify the south during his reign; otherwise, they would be unable to compete with the growing central nations and would eventually be absorbed.
He had a plan to become the unifying king, which was ambitious but also genuinely for the good of the south.
For the Duke of Rondine, the power of the descendant of the hero, the strongest human, was something he wanted to see.
"Hmm, but there is no one in our country who can face you one-on-one. Prince Arnold, would it be acceptable to have multiple opponents?"
"As long as the person agrees, there is no problem."
"Very well."
"Alright. How about ten people? That should be reasonable."
"Understood. Ten people it is."
Elna readily accepted.
The Duke of Rondine, surprised that she would accept so easily, had no choice but to call ten skilled knights from the castle. The battle of one against ten began in the space cleared in front of the throne.
"Ooohh!!"
The first to charge was a large knight. He rushed in with a practice sword, but to Elna, his attack was full of openings.
If it were one of my subordinates, they'd have to start from scratch, she thought, and casually swung her sword.
With a dry sound, the large knight's practice sword broke in half.
"What...?"
"I recommend you all attack at once?"
The large knight's face turned pale at the clean cut, as if sliced by a sharp blade.
Ignoring the large knight, Elna looked at the remaining nine.
The knights, who had flinched at Elna's gaze, quickly regained their courage, remembering they were in front of their Duke, and attacked.
Three knights attacked from three directions simultaneously. To Elna, their attacks were so slow that she yawned, and she effortlessly cut their swords in half.
The remaining knights, witnessing this miraculous feat, involuntarily stepped back. Elna scolded them.
"Knights should not retreat in front of their lord! You'll be mocked for having no knights in Rondine!"
"Yes! We'll go!"
It was like a drill sergeant and her recruits.
Leonardo watched the scene, thinking it was just like that.
The scolded knights fearlessly charged at Elna. For the first time, Elna blocked a sword.
This alone elicited cheers from the Rondine side.
However, it was part of Elna's act. Only Elna's subordinates and Leonardo might have noticed.
She deliberately showed overwhelming power and then slightly held back to save face for the opponent. This was a common technique used by the Imperial Guard when dealing with nobles.
Fortunately, no one on the Rondine side noticed.
Relieved, Leonardo sighed, wondering how long this would continue.
"Big brother must be having a hard time too..."
He muttered, so quietly that no one could hear.
To Leonardo, Al had always been an amazing older brother who could do things he couldn't.
When they were children, there was a tree that no one could climb. The children were all talking about who could climb it first. Leonardo practiced hard but couldn't climb it, and the craze eventually died down.
However, a little later, Leonardo found an injured bird in the tree. But he couldn't do anything since he couldn't climb.
At that moment, Al passed by, heard the situation, and told him to wait. After a while, Al returned and easily returned the bird to its nest, saving it.
Al had borrowed a valuable magical device that could levitate from the Emperor's room without permission to solve the problem.
Al was the kind of brother who could solve problems in ways Leonardo never imagined. Such a brother would easily handle this task in his place.
Thinking this, Leonardo focused on his own task and decided to try his hardest to be lazy.