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The best territory designer of all time - Episode 200

200fury. The snake's survival method (3)

The next morning dawned.

‘Phew, it's finally time to say goodbye to this place..’

Magentano's envoy, Count Ventura, looked up with emotion..

I looked up at the now familiar Sultan Palace of Ahinsha..

‘I never thought it would stay this long..’

Was it already about 5 months ago when he came here under the king's order?.

At the time, I thought I would soon be sitting at the negotiating table with the Sultan..

But when I arrived, it wasn’t like that..

The reaction here was very different from what I expected..

I had to experience blatant neglect and mistreatment..

If Lloyd, the eldest son of the Frontera family, had not stepped forward at that time,?

‘Negotiations were probably still a long way off..’

He would still have to endure neglect and neglect..

I would never have dreamed of negotiating with the Sultan..

Or, they would have had to return to their home country empty-handed..

Unlike now.

‘thank god. I'm so glad.’

It was a very successful negotiation result..

If you return to your home country like this, you will be greatly praised by the king..

‘It's all thanks to Lloyd, that young friend..’

Did that friend get out of Ahinsha well?.

Did you succeed in escaping safely at night?.

The count was worried for a moment..

Then I quickly burst out laughing..

Seeing as there hasn't been any news yet, it looks like at least they haven't been caught..

Moreover, looking at the atmosphere in the Sultan's Palace today, it seemed like something too big had happened to be concerned about the disappearance of a foreign envoy's entourage..

“They said an incident happened last night. Is that true??”

“Yes, I guess so..”

The chief attendant nodded to the count's question..

“The palace has been a mess since morning. So, I asked a palace official whom I had known for a while..”

“What did the palace official say??”

“They say a princess has disappeared..”

“the sultan's daughter?”

“yes.”

“Could it be that he was kidnapped??”

“That doesn't seem to be the case. I guess…….”

“I guess?”

“It seems like I left the palace on my own..”

“Huh? Then isn’t that a runaway?.”

“yes, that's right.”

“Hehehe.”

Count Ventura burst out laughing..

In this day and age, she is a princess who runs away from the sultan's extremely closed palace..

‘Then, I can understand such clutter..’

The Count nodded..

The Sultan's Palace was definitely different from usual this morning..

The atmosphere was extremely chaotic..

This was true even though Magentano's special envoys, including himself, were leaving the palace..

Let alone a grand farewell ceremony, the sultan did not even see him off..

‘Because I didn’t want that anyway..’

Moreover, the disappearance of the Sultan's daughter was an incident that had nothing to do with him or the special envoys..

“Then let's get going.”

Count Ventura led the group of envoys..

I left the palace after receiving a small farewell from the Sultan’s palace staff..

Leaving the capital Ahinsha.

On his way back to his home country.

The journey was smooth and uneventful..

I took the same route I came in and passed the road and the city..

Traveled along the safest route in the desert.

finally crossed the border.

And that evening.

I joined Lloyd and Javiel who were waiting near the border..

“You guys, have you waited long??”

“Well, to be honest, quite a bit.?”

A rocky crevice in the wasteland a little far from the border..

Lloyd, who was setting up camp there, shrugged..

I looked around happily at Count Ventura and the special envoys..

“You escaped safely without anyone being killed by the Sultan. I'm so glad.”

“ha ha ha. Yeah, that's a relief. Because, unlike others, we are not the people the Sultan has his eyes on..”

“what? There are thorns in your words?”

“Why not? Considering the cold sweat I shed because of you, this is a lot to see..”

“Is that so?”

“No problem. Anyway. Even now, when I think of the expression and look in the Sultan's eyes when he heard that you had returned home in a hurry due to an endemic disease... … Phew.”

“You must have had a lot of trouble..”

“Even so, wouldn't you have been the only one who ran away in the middle of the night without making any special preparations? How about it? she didn't suffer?”

“Yeah, fortunately not much..”

Lloyd shrugged..

And he pointed at Javiel next to him with his chin..

“Thanks to this friend. The Sword Master must be so useful..”

it was true.

The day I decided to run away from Ahinsha at night..

The best preparation(?) he took was Haviel..

It was a sword master.

If someone chases you or attempts to arrest you?

Breaking through the siege by force and escaping would have been enough..

Then, when you encounter a monster in a desert or wasteland,?

‘That's a scary monster from the desert called so-and-so. But now it's my lunch.' It was nice to be able to mutter to myself,.

In addition, the recent praise he received and the options he had were effective..

‘I no longer experience dehydration under any circumstances. In all desert areas, in all areas where the average annual temperature is above 40 degrees Celsius..’

I wasn't without doubts at first..

I was also wondering if it would work properly..

But when I ran away at night and crossed the desert,?

At least here, there were no other options that were as sweet..

‘Even if I tap danced under the desert sun all day, I didn't have any symptoms of dehydration..’

Javiel, who was crossing the desert together, was surprised..

Even as a sword master, I feel tired..

How come Lloyd is okay?.

Did he give a triumphant warning to Javiel, who asked in surprise?.

‘Man, man is a man of spirit. mentality.’

……That's it.

Anyway, thanks to that, the late-night getaway was easier than I thought..

There was no particular hardship while waiting to join the special envoys..

“Anyway, I'm so glad to see you all safely..”

“I feel the same way. Oh, and…….”

Count Ventura said with a warm smile..

“I haven't been able to say thank you to you yet. It's quite late, but I'll say it now. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“no. We should be thankful, not you. At first, I just treated you like a snob..”

“haha. I'm a snob..”

“No. no. You are our benefactor.”

A joke that Lloyd blurted out shamelessly.

At those words, Count Ventura shook his head with a straight face..

“If it weren't for you, the negotiations with the Sultan wouldn't have happened. In that situation, who among us could have thought of a way to attract the attention of the Sultan by spending so extravagantly the padashar he had given us? Moreover, you successfully completed the project by signing a contract with the Sultan.…….”

“Are you talking about Qanat??”

“Yes, qanat. Thanks to that, we were able to open the negotiating table. I know. If you hadn't successfully completed the project, we wouldn't have been able to even dream of negotiating..”

The Count spoke with honest feelings..

it was true.

Was it while Lloyd was in the Kandahar region to work on qanat construction?.

At first, I thought I would be able to meet the sultan if I waited a few months..

But as I passed by, I realized it wasn’t true..

one month, two months, four months.

I was able to feel the atmosphere of the Sultan's Palace while actually staying there..

A waiting period of at least 6 months, which was initially mentioned with disdain by palace officials..

That didn't mean you had to wait 6 months..

‘6month? That wouldn't have been possible. No, even if I waited 6 years, there would still be no promise..’

The Count was sure.

It's just that the Sultan had no intention of seeing this person forever..

How disappointed was he when he realized that?.

How much did you blame yourself for your incompetence?.

“Because I was unable to properly carry out the mission given by His Majesty. Because we can't negotiate. I could see the result of returning home empty-handed. I sensed that war would eventually break out. and… … Because the future in which countless young people will be sacrificed on the battlefield is clearly visible. It was truly a miserable feeling. But you got the job done..”

Count Ventura saw Lloyd..

“It's all your credit. Negotiation was also successful. It also prevented war. It also saved the lives of countless young people..”

“Uh, um, I just don't want my territory to get caught up in a war.…….”

“That's it.”

“Ah, yep.”

Count Ventura speaks with great force..

Lloyd had a hunch after seeing that..

This guy seems to have a bit of a go-getter temperament..

That's why.

Lloyd was taken aback by the Count's next words..

“When I return to the capital, I will report your contribution in detail to Your Majesty..”

“……Could you please just bear with it?.”

“It doesn't work. This is the only way I can return the favor to you..”

“…….”

ha.

I ended up making another achievement like this..

I hope I don't get called to the King's sister because of this achievement..

Lloyd sincerely hoped and prayed.

That's how I ended up joining the special envoys..

We crossed the wasteland together.

Crossed the Eastern Mountain Range.

A hometown like a jar of honey that I longed for.

Arrived at the County of Frontera.

I was able to reunite with the count and his wife after a long time..

The couple received an enthusiastic welcome..

I also received a baptism of even more passionate concern from the Countess..

“this. It's okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Maybe you were this thin?.”

“Well, I gained weight because I ate so well. a little.”

“no. The cheeks fit perfectly and there is no fuss. Well, welcome. Let’s eat first..”

“Hey, we had our meal earlier while coming down the mountain range.…….”

“What do you want to eat first??”

“Oh, that's not it. Didn't the exiles led by Geobugmok come? Mr. Termez.…….”

“He came. Do you like duck meat??”

“……No, uh, well, the pottery and silk stuff hasn't arrived yet? In fact, there are items sent by ship to come via Cremo. I think it's time to arrive now.…….”

“I don't know about porcelain or silk, but beef would be nice today..”

“…….”

So, before I could return home and relieve my travel fatigue, I had to experience a forced mukbang..

Meanwhile, I also heard some good news..

It was the news that my younger brother Julien had graduated from the academy..

“Don't be surprised. Julien took second place among the graduates..”

“……really?”

The news delivered by Count Frontera with a smile on his face..

Lloyd, who was eating, widened his eyes with sincerity..

‘oh my god.’

He's the vice president of the academy..

That really wasn't a joke.

‘of course. It's hard to get into Royal Academy, but it's even harder to graduate..’

The academy system briefly mentioned in the novel Iron Blood Knight came to mind..

The royal academy was notorious for its high level of difficulty in graduating..

If there are 100 enrolled students?

Among them, only about 20 succeeded(?) in graduating..

Besides, just graduating didn't mean everything was going well..

‘Only those who score in the top 10% of graduates are appointed as royal officials. What about the rest of the graduates? You just have to take a separate recruitment exam with the general public. Of course, you get quite a bit of extra points, but.’

But Julien came in second and second place among the graduates..

In other words, direct appointment as a royal official was guaranteed..

As for Korea,?

civil service exam.

That's also a level 5 test.

In other words, it would have been an achievement comparable to passing the civil service examination with second place..

‘Boy, you're going to have a blast with the King's sister..’

Lloyd, on the other hand, secretly expressed his condolences..

King Alicia is not the type to leave talented people alone..

He is a frugal and exploitative monarch who, when he finds someone with ability, uses that ability to the very bottom..

So, Julien, who proved his brilliance by graduating second at the academy,?

You'll probably get a lot of fun.

You may be depressed to the point where you complain of chronic fatigue..

But such abuse would be a joy to Julien..

That's why you studied hard.

Lloyd asked, thinking so..

“So, are you coming home??”

“That's right. It sounds like you have some time to spend at home before you are dispatched. Anyway, there is a letter I sent to you a few days ago when I left the royal capital. Here, see for yourself.”

The Count presented a letter..

Lloyd read the letter.

- To my brother.

I graduated. I got pretty good grades. It's all thanks to my brother. I am now able to concentrate fully on my studies. I was able to hang on really hard. And there were a lot of things I felt after meeting my brother for the first time in a long time. Thanks to you, I was able to do this.

thank you.

I'll go see you soon.

- Julien wants to be his proud younger brother..

“…….”

Lloyd examined the letter carefully..

I am proud of all the black letters written on pure white paper..

It's only a few lines long, but I kept feeling happy as I read it..

I read the letter five times without realizing it..

On the one hand, I felt like I had gained some vicarious satisfaction..

‘It's graduation.’

I also wanted to graduate. After graduating, I wanted to take the technician exam and get a job properly..

I came here before I could even see the fruits of my efforts..

Of course, I got along well with the knowledge I gained back then..

Nevertheless, the regret of not being able to obtain a diploma remained in one part of my heart..

‘Well, a diploma doesn't mean you can eat well..’

Korea is not an easy place to the point where just getting a college diploma will solve everything..

No, this is a fierce world where the real bloody fight begins..

So, in some ways, it is a tougher, harsher, and more brutal world than this place where spears and swords are rampant..

That place was Korea..

‘Still, I wanted to get a diploma..’

I tried, but I couldn't win.

So I still have regrets.

Sometimes I thought about it.

However, Julien achieved greater results than expected..

And it's all thanks to this.

I want to be a proud younger brother.

I even wrote down some special words..

I was grateful for that..

I was happy.

I felt so proud because it felt like I had received the diploma I had hoped for instead..

‘boy ~.’

When you come, I have to give you a chestnut-like blow to your head..

Lloyd carefully folded Julien's letter with that promise..

Will it get crumpled?.

I carefully packed it into my inner pocket..

Afterwards, while continuing to eat,.

While enjoying a reunion with the count and his wife after a long time,.

He continued to place one hand on his chest..

Every time I did that, I could feel the touch of letter paper rustling in my inner pocket as if answering..

I'm so happy and thankful for that.

I couldn't help but smile the whole time..

The Count and his wife also enjoyed a happy feeling as they looked at Lloyd..

I thought that my eldest son, who was always causing trouble, has now become such a reliable pillar..

I thought that my second son, who had always been timid, had grown into someone who could take on national affairs..

No, before that, I thought that both my sons had grown up well and healthily..

the whole world.

The couple smiled together in joy that seemed to embrace the entire universe..

That's why the count and his wife didn't even know about it..

At this moment, they learned that an uninvited guest with business for their proud eldest son had arrived on the outskirts of their territory..

♣

“Phew.”

Is it finally the end of a long journey?.

So now, all I have to do is meet Lloyd Frontera and record the magical lullaby he sings into this magic bead..

‘Then you can sleep comfortably again..’

noble princess of the sultanate.

However, now he is a Sword Expert high-level swordsman suffering from lullaby withdrawal..

Serazade looked down at the Frontera territory located at the foot of the Eastern Mountain Range, his eyes like black pearls shining..