Chapter 113 – Position
Although they were neighbors, walking through the city, the style of the buildings, the food, the products displayed in the stores, and the differences in the clothes people wore made them realize that they were in a foreign country. The imperial embassy, built in the style of the Empire, was visible in the city of Lyon, and would surely serve as a reminder to travelers coming to this country for various reasons, of the Empire that was their home. Even Wynn, who had not left Simurgh for a long time, felt a sense of relief when the building came into view. The embassy building of the Lemmrousell Empire, a neighboring country and great power, appeared to be quite large.
They walked along the three-meter-high outer wall and finally came to an iron fence gate. Next to the gate was a booth that appeared to be a guard post, with a single guard standing next to it. When the gatekeeper noticed Wynn and Leticia approaching, he gave them a warning look.
“You two! Who the…?!” He asked in a stern tone, but froze mid-sentence.
One of the two people was an incredibly attractive blonde girl. And along with her came a young man wearing the uniform of the Imperial Squire Corps.
“Is that Mavis-sama!? So that’s Squire Wynn?”
“Yes. I thought they had contacted you that we were coming to visit…”
“I’m so sorry!”
When Wynn said that somewhat quizzically, the gatekeeper quickly straightened up and saluted them.
“One moment, please.” He moved quickly to the inside of the booth.
They heard some panicked voices in the room, and then the sound of a door opening and closing loud.
“…What about this, shouldn’t we have come?” said Leticia with a worried smile on her face.
Leticia was partly right, but that was because Wynn and she had come on foot. Their current position was that of guests of state of the Kingdom of Lyon. In addition to the Brave, Leticia was also the daughter of a duke, so it was only natural that she would arrive in a carriage prepared by the kingdom of Lyon, a very fine carriage, no less. And before arriving at her destination, a messenger was to report her arrival and be received by the attendant or someone equivalent. In fact, when they left the royal palace, they were told that a carriage was ready for them.
“Since we’ve made it as far as Lyon, we wanted to take a look at the city.” Wynn declined the carriage, saying they would go on foot.
Leticia had no trouble walking, plus they both wanted to take a look at the city. As a result, the people working at the imperial embassy had unnecessary problems.
In short… From the point of view of the staff of the Lemmrousell Empire’s embassy, it was a big mistake for the daughter of the empire’s high-ranking noble, and moreover the greatest hero of mankind, to just walk up to the gate.
As the gate was hurriedly opened, a large number of people rushed out of the diplomatic office at the same time. At the head was the head of the embassy, the imperial ambassador, Count Riselman. He had been introduced by Cornelia as a person who had long left the Empire to be posted to the Kingdom of Lyon, and whose abilities were highly prized by Alfred.
Count Riselman rushed to the doors and bowed his head as if about to kneel before Wynn and Leticia.
“I am very, very sorry, Mavis-sama, for not welcoming you and keeping you waiting in such a place. And you too, Squire Wynn-dono. I was informed that you would be arriving today, but I was expecting a carriage to bring you…” Count Riselman apologized; sweat on his brow and a desperate look on his face.
Wynn was puzzled by Count Riselman’s apology. He knew he would be desperate to apologize to Leticia. For he would not want to displease the king nor emperor of a great country, nor before the closest being to God, who would not even bow to the high priest of the church. What confused him, however, was that Count Riselman’s apology was also for him.
No, Wynn was also a servant of Cornelia, the First Princess of the Empire, and as long as he was welcomed as a guest of state of the Kingdom of Lyon, he was to be treated as an honored guest by the embassy. Knowing that, Riselman’s reaction was natural. But, in Wynn’s experience, the reaction of the empire’s nobles to him, a commoner, was often tokenistic, out of consideration for the mandataries, Leticia and sometimes Cornelia. That said, he could sense that Count Riselman’s apology was being sincerely addressed out of respect. Such a thing was never going to happen in the Empire.
Since his visit here, Wynn had noticed that the nobles, military and civilians of the Kingdom of Lyon had shown him a seemingly excessive amount of respect, but he had never expected the same from his fellow-countryman nobles.
“Please raise your head, Count. The reason we changed our original schedule and came here on foot is due to our own convenience, so please don’t bother.”
“I am very grateful to hear that. Then let me show you to the embassy. This way, please.”
He must have been deeply relieved by Wynn’s words. There was an air of relief not only among Count Riselman, but also among the embassy staff behind him.
The embassy building was large, living up to its vast grounds. Like the other buildings on the compound, it was six-stories-high. There was a large hall to hold dinners and balls for a large number of guests, as well as enough rooms to accommodate said guests.
“Please relax in this room.”
Wynn and Leticia were ushered into a guest room at the Embassy. The embassy was the front line for the Empire’s diplomacy with the Kingdom of Lyon. The guest room, in which negotiations for the Empire were often conducted, while not the same as the guest rooms of the Imperial Palace, was decorated with more elegant furnishings and decorations than an ordinary nobleman’s residence.
“It is also a facility to publicize the prestige of the Empire not only to Lyon, but also to foreign countries that have embassies in this country as well as our own. We are proud to say it is as good as any guesthouse in our country.” Seeing not only Wynn, but even Leticia as well, let out a sigh of admiration at the magnificent decorations displayed in the room, Count Riselman puffed out his chest with pride.
There were no gaudy ornaments with excessive gold and jewelry. Apparently, the room was decorated with furniture that matched the whole style of the room. It made one feel a sense of dignity and calmness. At the same time, every single item was of high quality, and the space was created with an exquisite sense that for no time made you doubt the power of the Lemmrousell Empire.
If Count Riselman was the one who had ordered the arrangement of the furniture in this room, you could understand why Alfred held him in such high regard.
In fact, the fact that the Kingdom of Lyon had sided with Alfred in the current internal conflict in the Empire was due in part to Count Riselman’s power.
When Wynn and Leticia arrived at the table in the center of the room, a woman who looked like an embassy servant served them tea. An imperial style tea brewed with fine tea leaves.
“I boast of being a tea enthusiast, and this tea is made from the finest leaves we could find. Some of those who value quality so much as sturdiness and military prowess may criticize our expenditures as wasteful, but they are necessary to show the prestige of our empire in those places where we are confronted by foreign countries. Of course, the spirit of frugality of those who respect the military arts is wonderful, but the time and place require proper responses and formalities. If we were not to do so, we would be disrespectful not only to the people who work in this embassy, but also to the organization to which it belongs and to the country. Leticia-sama and, of course, Wynn-dono, the Master of the Brave, enjoy great fame in this country. I beg you to keep that in your minds.”
Count Riselman’s words, which at first seemed like a sudden explanation about the tea leaves, seemed to turn into a warning, because of the fact that they had arrived on foot instead of by carriage. Despite Count Riselman’s smiling face, Wynn and Leticia nodded as they saw the seriousness in his tone and eyes.
When you are in a certain position, you are expected to behave in a manner befitting it. Letty and I had to be careful, didn’t we?
Both Wynn, a commoner, and Leticia, who had been treated unfairly by her family despite being a high-ranking noblewoman as well, felt close to the common people, for better or worse. For this reason, they did not pay much attention to their behavior. However, they were hit hard with the reminder upon seeing the awkward moment the people working at the embassy went through earlier, and immediately after, they received a complaint from Count Riselman.
Come to think of it, Captain Royce said something similar before.
It was when Wynn was assigned to the unit commanded by Royce. When he was summoned by the Knights, Wynn came to them in his tattered shirt and pants, his dilapidated leather armor that looked like it had been picked up on a battlefield, and his worn knight’s sword. Royce caught him red-handed and reprimanded him.
“When we depart from the Imperial Capital, many citizens will come to see us off. In such a situation, your pitiful armor and appearance will be a disgrace to our Order.”
This time it was the same. Mavis, the famous Brave, arrived at her destination on foot. What would the inhabitants of other countries think if they saw this fact? It would seem that the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon did not even prepare a carriage for the greatest hero in the history of mankind, and sent her on foot to her destination, even if the facts were different and it was what she wanted. That small difference in perception could lead to a fatal weakness in diplomatic relations between countries. If the bad reputation of the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon for their disrespectful treatment of the Brave spread, it would give the whole continent a bad impression of the two countries in diplomacy and trade.
Count Riselman, in his position of great responsibility in diplomacy, could not overlook the indiscretion of the younglings, which could put the Empire at a disadvantage. That is why he casually brought it to the attention of Wynn and Leticia.
Moreover, in the kingdom of Lyon, not only Leticia, but even Wynn was respected as her mentor. The reason was that Leticia told her traveling companion, Raul, that she had a master and that the swordplay she had acquired was the fruit of his teachings, which was now widely known among the people.
“It seems that my name is spreading as the master of Brave Mavis… but somehow I feel ashamed, as if the rumors are walking alone.”
“Hahaha, if we were to collect all the rumors about Wynn-dono that have spread around the country, you’d see that you’ve become quite an interesting character.” Count Riselman smiled in amusement and told them of the image of Wynn’s character that prevailed among the people of this country.
According to these, Wynn Bird was a master swordsman who once faced the Sword Saint of a previous generation and Mito the Sword Crafter. He was an old man with white hair and sharp eyes, and while wandering the continent fighting demons, he met Brave Mavis, discovering her talent with the sword and training her as his apprentice.
“Who are they supposed to be talking about?”
Wynn murmured in surprise, as Leticia, sitting next to him with a hand over her mouth, laughed.
“Of course, those at the top of the realm know Wynn-dono, but the rumors circulating among the bards and the people who are informed through stories and such, collectively make him such a person.”
“And you guys pick up those rumors at the embassy…”
“That’s one of our duties.”
Wynn nodded deeply, letting out a sigh. As he had learned in the knights school, embassies in foreign countries served not only as diplomatic missions, but also as bases for intelligence activities.
“Although the rumors seem to be far removed from the real Wynn-dono, it is nevertheless an undeniable fact that you are the master whom Leticia-sama recognizes. You should be proud.”
Count Riselman’s words were met with a deep nod from the Brave seated next to Wynn. In fact, Leticia would never have been able to wield a sword or learn magic had she not met Wynn, so there was no doubt that Wynn was her teacher.
At that moment, there was a light knock at the door of the room.
“Excuse me.” After bowing slightly, Count Riselman left his seat and opened the door. When he received the report of a woman who looked like a servant knocking at the door, he gave a slight nod and looked back at Wynn and Leticia. “It appears that the guest you have been informed of has arrived.”
Chapter 113 – Position
Although they were neighbors, walking through the city, the style of the buildings, the food, the products displayed in the stores, and the differences in the clothes people wore made them realize that they were in a foreign country. The imperial embassy, built in the style of the Empire, was visible in the city of Lyon, and would surely serve as a reminder to travelers coming to this country for various reasons, of the Empire that was their home. Even Wynn, who had not left Simurgh for a long time, felt a sense of relief when the building came into view. The embassy building of the Lemmrousell Empire, a neighboring country and great power, appeared to be quite large.
They walked along the three-meter-high outer wall and finally came to an iron fence gate. Next to the gate was a booth that appeared to be a guard post, with a single guard standing next to it. When the gatekeeper noticed Wynn and Leticia approaching, he gave them a warning look.
“You two! Who the…?!” He asked in a stern tone, but froze mid-sentence.
One of the two people was an incredibly attractive blonde girl. And along with her came a young man wearing the uniform of the Imperial Squire Corps.
“Is that Mavis-sama!? So that’s Squire Wynn?”
“Yes. I thought they had contacted you that we were coming to visit…”
“I’m so sorry!”
When Wynn said that somewhat quizzically, the gatekeeper quickly straightened up and saluted them.
“One moment, please.” He moved quickly to the inside of the booth.
They heard some panicked voices in the room, and then the sound of a door opening and closing loud.
“…What about this, shouldn’t we have come?” said Leticia with a worried smile on her face.
Leticia was partly right, but that was because Wynn and she had come on foot. Their current position was that of guests of state of the Kingdom of Lyon. In addition to the Brave, Leticia was also the daughter of a duke, so it was only natural that she would arrive in a carriage prepared by the kingdom of Lyon, a very fine carriage, no less. And before arriving at her destination, a messenger was to report her arrival and be received by the attendant or someone equivalent. In fact, when they left the royal palace, they were told that a carriage was ready for them.
“Since we’ve made it as far as Lyon, we wanted to take a look at the city.” Wynn declined the carriage, saying they would go on foot.
Leticia had no trouble walking, plus they both wanted to take a look at the city. As a result, the people working at the imperial embassy had unnecessary problems.
In short… From the point of view of the staff of the Lemmrousell Empire’s embassy, it was a big mistake for the daughter of the empire’s high-ranking noble, and moreover the greatest hero of mankind, to just walk up to the gate.
As the gate was hurriedly opened, a large number of people rushed out of the diplomatic office at the same time. At the head was the head of the embassy, the imperial ambassador, Count Riselman. He had been introduced by Cornelia as a person who had long left the Empire to be posted to the Kingdom of Lyon, and whose abilities were highly prized by Alfred.
Count Riselman rushed to the doors and bowed his head as if about to kneel before Wynn and Leticia.
“I am very, very sorry, Mavis-sama, for not welcoming you and keeping you waiting in such a place. And you too, Squire Wynn-dono. I was informed that you would be arriving today, but I was expecting a carriage to bring you…” Count Riselman apologized; sweat on his brow and a desperate look on his face.
Wynn was puzzled by Count Riselman’s apology. He knew he would be desperate to apologize to Leticia. For he would not want to displease the king nor emperor of a great country, nor before the closest being to God, who would not even bow to the high priest of the church. What confused him, however, was that Count Riselman’s apology was also for him.
No, Wynn was also a servant of Cornelia, the First Princess of the Empire, and as long as he was welcomed as a guest of state of the Kingdom of Lyon, he was to be treated as an honored guest by the embassy. Knowing that, Riselman’s reaction was natural. But, in Wynn’s experience, the reaction of the empire’s nobles to him, a commoner, was often tokenistic, out of consideration for the mandataries, Leticia and sometimes Cornelia. That said, he could sense that Count Riselman’s apology was being sincerely addressed out of respect. Such a thing was never going to happen in the Empire.
Since his visit here, Wynn had noticed that the nobles, military and civilians of the Kingdom of Lyon had shown him a seemingly excessive amount of respect, but he had never expected the same from his fellow-countryman nobles.
“Please raise your head, Count. The reason we changed our original schedule and came here on foot is due to our own convenience, so please don’t bother.”
“I am very grateful to hear that. Then let me show you to the embassy. This way, please.”
He must have been deeply relieved by Wynn’s words. There was an air of relief not only among Count Riselman, but also among the embassy staff behind him.
The embassy building was large, living up to its vast grounds. Like the other buildings on the compound, it was six-stories-high. There was a large hall to hold dinners and balls for a large number of guests, as well as enough rooms to accommodate said guests.
“Please relax in this room.”
Wynn and Leticia were ushered into a guest room at the Embassy. The embassy was the front line for the Empire’s diplomacy with the Kingdom of Lyon. The guest room, in which negotiations for the Empire were often conducted, while not the same as the guest rooms of the Imperial Palace, was decorated with more elegant furnishings and decorations than an ordinary nobleman’s residence.
“It is also a facility to publicize the prestige of the Empire not only to Lyon, but also to foreign countries that have embassies in this country as well as our own. We are proud to say it is as good as any guesthouse in our country.” Seeing not only Wynn, but even Leticia as well, let out a sigh of admiration at the magnificent decorations displayed in the room, Count Riselman puffed out his chest with pride.
There were no gaudy ornaments with excessive gold and jewelry. Apparently, the room was decorated with furniture that matched the whole style of the room. It made one feel a sense of dignity and calmness. At the same time, every single item was of high quality, and the space was created with an exquisite sense that for no time made you doubt the power of the Lemmrousell Empire.
If Count Riselman was the one who had ordered the arrangement of the furniture in this room, you could understand why Alfred held him in such high regard.
In fact, the fact that the Kingdom of Lyon had sided with Alfred in the current internal conflict in the Empire was due in part to Count Riselman’s power.
When Wynn and Leticia arrived at the table in the center of the room, a woman who looked like an embassy servant served them tea. An imperial style tea brewed with fine tea leaves.
“I boast of being a tea enthusiast, and this tea is made from the finest leaves we could find. Some of those who value quality so much as sturdiness and military prowess may criticize our expenditures as wasteful, but they are necessary to show the prestige of our empire in those places where we are confronted by foreign countries. Of course, the spirit of frugality of those who respect the military arts is wonderful, but the time and place require proper responses and formalities. If we were not to do so, we would be disrespectful not only to the people who work in this embassy, but also to the organization to which it belongs and to the country. Leticia-sama and, of course, Wynn-dono, the Master of the Brave, enjoy great fame in this country. I beg you to keep that in your minds.”
Count Riselman’s words, which at first seemed like a sudden explanation about the tea leaves, seemed to turn into a warning, because of the fact that they had arrived on foot instead of by carriage. Despite Count Riselman’s smiling face, Wynn and Leticia nodded as they saw the seriousness in his tone and eyes.
When you are in a certain position, you are expected to behave in a manner befitting it. Letty and I had to be careful, didn’t we?
Both Wynn, a commoner, and Leticia, who had been treated unfairly by her family despite being a high-ranking noblewoman as well, felt close to the common people, for better or worse. For this reason, they did not pay much attention to their behavior. However, they were hit hard with the reminder upon seeing the awkward moment the people working at the embassy went through earlier, and immediately after, they received a complaint from Count Riselman.
Come to think of it, Captain Royce said something similar before.
It was when Wynn was assigned to the unit commanded by Royce. When he was summoned by the Knights, Wynn came to them in his tattered shirt and pants, his dilapidated leather armor that looked like it had been picked up on a battlefield, and his worn knight’s sword. Royce caught him red-handed and reprimanded him.
“When we depart from the Imperial Capital, many citizens will come to see us off. In such a situation, your pitiful armor and appearance will be a disgrace to our Order.”
This time it was the same. Mavis, the famous Brave, arrived at her destination on foot. What would the inhabitants of other countries think if they saw this fact? It would seem that the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon did not even prepare a carriage for the greatest hero in the history of mankind, and sent her on foot to her destination, even if the facts were different and it was what she wanted. That small difference in perception could lead to a fatal weakness in diplomatic relations between countries. If the bad reputation of the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon for their disrespectful treatment of the Brave spread, it would give the whole continent a bad impression of the two countries in diplomacy and trade.
Count Riselman, in his position of great responsibility in diplomacy, could not overlook the indiscretion of the younglings, which could put the Empire at a disadvantage. That is why he casually brought it to the attention of Wynn and Leticia.
Moreover, in the kingdom of Lyon, not only Leticia, but even Wynn was respected as her mentor. The reason was that Leticia told her traveling companion, Raul, that she had a master and that the swordplay she had acquired was the fruit of his teachings, which was now widely known among the people.
“It seems that my name is spreading as the master of Brave Mavis… but somehow I feel ashamed, as if the rumors are walking alone.”
“Hahaha, if we were to collect all the rumors about Wynn-dono that have spread around the country, you’d see that you’ve become quite an interesting character.” Count Riselman smiled in amusement and told them of the image of Wynn’s character that prevailed among the people of this country.
According to these, Wynn Bird was a master swordsman who once faced the Sword Saint of a previous generation and Mito the Sword Crafter. He was an old man with white hair and sharp eyes, and while wandering the continent fighting demons, he met Brave Mavis, discovering her talent with the sword and training her as his apprentice.
“Who are they supposed to be talking about?”
Wynn murmured in surprise, as Leticia, sitting next to him with a hand over her mouth, laughed.
“Of course, those at the top of the realm know Wynn-dono, but the rumors circulating among the bards and the people who are informed through stories and such, collectively make him such a person.”
“And you guys pick up those rumors at the embassy…”
“That’s one of our duties.”
Wynn nodded deeply, letting out a sigh. As he had learned in the knights school, embassies in foreign countries served not only as diplomatic missions, but also as bases for intelligence activities.
“Although the rumors seem to be far removed from the real Wynn-dono, it is nevertheless an undeniable fact that you are the master whom Leticia-sama recognizes. You should be proud.”
Count Riselman’s words were met with a deep nod from the Brave seated next to Wynn. In fact, Leticia would never have been able to wield a sword or learn magic had she not met Wynn, so there was no doubt that Wynn was her teacher.
At that moment, there was a light knock at the door of the room.
“Excuse me.” After bowing slightly, Count Riselman left his seat and opened the door. When he received the report of a woman who looked like a servant knocking at the door, he gave a slight nod and looked back at Wynn and Leticia. “It appears that the guest you have been informed of has arrived.”
