Jul-kan stepped forward in place of Giant and bowed to Jaeho, then greeted Kruwa Sang and Master Jukjang.
“Nice to meet you. I am Jul-kan, Chancellor of the Elysia Garden.”
“A-A chancellor?!”
Kruwa Sang was startled.
A chancellor in Elysia Garden, which barely qualified as a country?
But that introduction was undeniably true.
As a member of the Royal Scribe family who had once sworn loyalty to Ederan, Jul-kan had thought serving another king was unthinkable… but he had changed his mind.
The biggest reason such a change was possible was Breeze.
His special lectures for elves were something that the noble survivors of Ederan found difficult to accept.
Jul-kan was no different.
In the midst of that, the offer Jaeho presented was so sweet he simply couldn’t refuse.
Even Prince Piso himself had caved!
For him, just escaping that soul-crushing scene was a relief in itself.
Having listened to the incidents and current affairs within Elysia Garden and assessed Elysia with sharp insight, he was now ready.
“First… I’ve heard all the stories so far. And there is something we absolutely must address.”
Jul-kan’s gaze turned first to Kruwa Sang.
“Kruwa Sang, your merchant group has been in exclusive trade with Lady Alicia until now, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. We’ve transported goods directly using our employees and have been selling them here.”
“That isn’t the important point. As a merchant, it’s only natural to monopolize luxury goods, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“In truth, Kruwa Sang, you’ve never suffered any loss in your dealings with Lady Alicia. On the contrary, you’ve pocketed a hefty profit thanks to her.”
“That may be so, but…”
“You know better than anyone how valuable Lady Alicia’s potions are on the market right now. Yet, despite reaping such one-sided benefits, aside from acting as a sales agent, you’ve shown no real sincerity. Isn’t that so?”
“T-that’s…”
Kruwa Sang recalled inviting him to Otolc, but immediately shut her mouth.
Nothing that had happened there could be called favorable from Jaeho’s perspective.
“And next…”
Jul-kan’s sharp eyes now turned to Master Jukjang.
“In fact, Master Jukjang, you have no right to object to this matter, do you? You’re just trying to get a foot in here through Saman, who has recently become famous. Naturally, you must pay the proper price for that.”
Even with ten mouths, Jukjang had nothing to say.
He had thought that just having a top-tier guild like his stationed in the city would help improve security… but with so many elf elites, it was a meaningless claim.
“Perhaps Lady Alicia has run things out of loyalty until now, but as Chancellor of Elysia Garden, I cannot simply let this slide. So, decide here and now. Either leave Elysia Garden, or accept the current conditions being offered.”
At Jul-kan’s final ultimatum, Kruwa Sang and Jukjang exchanged troubled glances.
“Oh.”
Jaeho was impressed by how skillfully Jul-kan was steering the conversation.
His abilities were even greater than expected!
Thanks to him, Jaeho could make money without even lifting a finger, and now saw him in a new light.
“…Alright. I’ll accept.”
In the end, Kruwa Sang agreed.
In any case, just being given the right to choose first was already an immense privilege they couldn’t refuse.
And as a merchant, it was unthinkable to give up on the potential of Elysia Garden.
“I… will accept as well.”
Jukjang felt the same.
Upon their answers, Jul-kan nodded and stepped back behind Giant.
“Now, since the decision has been made, shall we discuss the land you wish to claim?”
Giant pointed back at the map as he spoke.
***
“Hey, did you hear? Elysia Garden is building a human residential area!”
“Yeah, I heard they’re parceling out land over there.”
“If someone set up a good café there, it would be amazing.”
“Should I try buying a plot?”
News of the Elysia Garden land auction spread in an instant.
Both in reality and in the world of Newild.
Elysia Garden was, no matter what anyone said, a city that attracted tremendous attention—and desire.
Where else could you see elves and spirits mingling together?
And what about that cityscape, said to be several times more beautiful than the Empire’s Milkway Garden?
Of course, everyone also knew that only a select few could access the heart of Elysia Garden.
Even so, it was a place worth the price, and who knew what the future might hold.
That’s why inquiries about land sales never stopped pouring in.
The price of land kept climbing ever higher.
Then, on a day when public interest had reached its peak, uninvited guests came to Elysia Garden.
“The envoy from Rasel Kingdom has arrived.”
***
Seated in the flower shop, Jaeho received the envoy.
“Hm? That’s a different person from last time.”
“The previous envoy was executed for disgracing His Majesty the King.”
“…That’s unfortunate. How did that happen…”
“Do you truly not know? It was because he insulted His Majesty the King of Rasel, and he paid the price with his life!”
“You! How dare you, as an envoy, behave as if you’re the king!”
Jul-kan, who stood by Jaeho’s side, thundered with a booming voice.
“This is nice…”
Jul-kan rebuking the other party on his behalf.
For the first time, Jaeho felt like a king.
And Jul-kan did his job well.
Perhaps because he was once a Royal Scribe, he was knowledgeable and especially helpful with such sensitive issues…
Thud—
Just then, Jul-kan suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Jaeho.
“?
And Jaeho instinctively sensed—
That this was a prelude to something ominous.
“Your Majesty!”
Jul-kan’s ringing and impassioned cry.
“As Your Majesty knows, I, once a retainer of the fallen Ederan, have witnessed everything!”
“…Hold on. Can we talk about this somewhere more private?”
“No! I am quite all right!”
This was not all right at all.
“The root cause is our country’s indolence. It’s because we appeared weak to the other side!”
“Hey, hey.”
“So we must make sure they know that Elysia Garden cannot be taken lightly!”
“Inviki.”
“Hyukgin!”
Hearing those words, the envoys’ jaws dropped.
“Explain yourself about this statement! Lady Alicia—”
“You! Show proper respect to His Majesty!”
Jaeho was struck again by how utterly fearless this old man was.
“Yeah. Searching the entire castle alone for a dragon isn’t exactly normal either…”
But the situation had already exploded.
Once those words were out, there was no taking them back.
“You ruffians! We will report this to His Majesty the King! We’ll burn this place to the ground so none of you can ever set foot here again… kom!”
This time, an elf’s fist flew in from behind and struck the envoy’s neck.
In the end, just like last time, the envoy lost consciousness and was carried away like a sack along with the rest of the delegation, fleeing into the distance.
The indignant elves swarmed Jaeho.
“What’s happened?”
“Did those people threaten Lady Alicia again…?”
“Hm? No, nothing really happened…”
“Elves!!!”
Jul-kan shouted out once more.
“Those men insulted and scorned Lady Alicia, showing not a shred of decency!”
“That… wasn’t quite the case, was it…?”
“I know you don’t think well of us humans, but surely we cannot let those who insult Lady Alicia go unpunished!”
“Whoa, whoa! Just when I thought you were doing well, this old man…!”
Jaeho yelled with an exasperated expression.
He hadn’t even heard why the envoys had come.
Before anything could be discussed, Jul-kan’s sudden outburst had brought things to this point.
Glancing sidelong—
At that moment, as he watched the envoys disappear in the distance, Jul-kan wiped the anger from his face.
“Your Majesty,”
He then bowed to Jaeho.
“Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”
“Why, what’s the matter?”
Jaeho flinched at his sudden change in attitude.
“After observing Your Majesty these past few days, I can see you are truly a gentleman and a kind person.”
“…Yes.”
Jaeho was almost moved by such an unbiased evaluation.
“So I thought to myself. Sooner or later, Rasel Kingdom will come back here, and we must show them that this place is not to be trifled with.”
“And that spectacle just now was the result?”
“Yes. It was a warning to Rasel Kingdom. That there’s a ‘mad dog’ in this land, even if the country is lost.”
In short, Jul-kan had staged that whole scene to show the envoys that Elysia Garden was no longer what it used to be.
“Still, wasn’t that a bit extreme…?”
“In the future, that won’t be the case. They won’t dare start a war. Rather, realizing this place can’t be taken lightly, they’ll look for other countermeasures. Don’t worry.”
Jaeho understood his intention, but couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
***
Jaeho understood Jul-kan’s intention well enough.
Although Jul-kan had assured him that war would never break out, Jaeho had to be prepared for the ‘what if.’
And to avoid being manipulated in the future.
“You want to know about the deals between Tinlight and Rasel Kingdom?”
A rare teatime with Elda.
There, Jaeho asked what Rasel Kingdom had given Tinlight to make him cede Luxi Forest and Fermasa Desert.
If he knew that, he could protest to Rasel Kingdom with certainty.
“Hmm… I think I’ve mentioned it before… but we don’t really know.”
“Not even a guess?”
“Not at all. Tinlight was very tight-lipped about such things.”
Jaeho let out a troubled sigh.
In fact, the one who had watched Tinlight most closely was Kkende, but even he had already answered that he didn’t know.
“In truth, the people most likely to know about that matter are the parties involved themselves, aren’t they?”
“The parties involved?”
Jaeho tilted his head at Elda’s words.
“That would be people from Rasel Kingdom, I suppose.”
“But weren’t all the people from that time already dead?”
“Ordinary humans, yes. But occasionally, there are beings in this world who have surpassed the limits of their race. Like Tinlight, for example.”
“!”
At that moment, a certain being flashed through Jaeho’s mind.
“Someone comes to mind, does it?”
Elda asked with a subtle smile.
“Yes, well… there’s one suspicious person.”
Runior!
The problem was, reaching him would be troublesome in many ways.
Most of all—the elves.
“How can I get away from them and go…”
If he even hinted at going to Rasel Kingdom, they’d start preparing for war on the spot.
“I’ll try asking Red first.”
Red was about the only one who had any connection to Runior, so with luck, he might be able to serve as a messenger.
***
After sending a message to Red, everything proceeded quickly.
The problem of how to slip away from the elves and visit Rasel Kingdom was solved as well.
Fwoosh—
At the outskirts of Elysia Garden, in the empty sky, light shimmered and then Red Balloon’s Chief, Runior, stepped out slowly.
“Ho—truly… what a magnificent place.”
The elves, having already received word from Jaeho, quietly guided him to the flower shop.
“You’re here.”
“Hoho, it’s a splendid place. I’ve heard the night view is stunning—would you mind if I stayed a while to take a look around?”
“As long as you wish. Shall I bring tea?”
“Hmm! That sounds wonderful!”
Jaeho served Runior some Epfeltz Flower tea, and Runior closed his eyes, savoring the fragrance for a long while.
“This really is fascinating…”
He muttered to himself at last.
“In all my years, I’ve never met anyone like you. The ruler of an era who runs a flower shop…”
“I feel like I’ve heard that before?”
“Hoho, perhaps you have. But I never fully believed it without seeing for myself. Mm—the taste is as fine as the aroma!”
Runior took a sip and smiled contentedly.
“So, what was so urgent that you had to see me? I was curious, so I hurried over in a single stride.”
“Ah, I was hoping to get some information.”
“It’s not Red Balloon’s Chief you need, but Runior himself, is it? Go ahead. Is this about your recent declaration of war?”
“…Well, that’s a problem, too, but this is about something else right now.”
Jaeho took a breath, then slowly began to speak.
“Do you know anything about Tinlight?”
“Hm?”
Runior’s eyes widened.
“Hohoho, I was mistaken after all.”
He set down his teacup.
“It wasn’t Red Balloon’s Chief you needed, but Runior himself.”
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