Chapter 703 : At the Frontier V

Chapter 0703 At the Frontier V

Translator: Jay_Forestieri

Editor: Tseirp

On the third day after Ryo and Abel took on the task of providing training instruction, evening came.

“They seem to have gotten used to the flow of training, too.”

“It has only been three days, so of course we have not seen any real improvement in their abilities yet, but it seems each of them has settled into a daily routine.”

Both Abel and Ryo were satisfied to see that the expressions on the faces of the fifty people training had become lively and fulfilled.

Then an old man with long white hair came over.

“Looks good.”

“Oh, Masuda-dono.”

“Master, thank you for your hard work.”

Old Masuda called out happily, Abel nodded, and Ryo greeted him.

“You two are good teachers. Much better than I am.”

“Nah, that is a bit...”

“Well, not really.”

At Old Masuda’s praise, Abel modestly deflected it, while Ryo blushed.

“No, really, I truly think it was the right decision to ask you two. It seems you are both on your way back to the Kingdom of Knightley, but how about staying here in the fortress instead? You could easily make a living as swordsmanship masters.”

“Even so, that is a bit...”

“Yes, um... that is a little...”

Neither Abel nor Ryo could possibly choose that option.

People were waiting for them back in the kingdom, after all....

Old Masuda probably had not expected to be able to keep them there anyway.

He burst into hearty laughter.

The three of them noticed at almost the same time.

Someone had entered the training grounds.

“Hm? It looks like Molga has come back from the conference...”

“He looks gloomy.”

“Ah, that is definitely the face of a failed conference.”

Old Masuda, Abel, and Ryo could all clearly see how dark the expression of Guard Commander Molga was as he returned.

“Ah, all three of you...”

Even his voice sounded downcast.

“Going by that look, it didn’t go well.”

Old Masuda spoke without the slightest adornment.

Their relationship was such that there was no need to soften the words.

“Yes... rather than making any progress, it broke down after just one meeting. Both sides said they would not meet again.”

“Oh my.”

“That’s...”

“It broke down on the first meeting...”

Molga was discouraged, while Old Masuda, Abel, and Ryo were all shocked.

Normally, when it comes to a major negotiation involving tens of thousands of people like this, even if no compromise or middle ground is found, that is within expectations.

The parties are supposed to work those things out at the second or third round of talks.

So to break down after just one meeting and say they would not meet again was unusual... or so Ryo thought.

But there had been a concern about this conference from the very beginning.

“Could it have been the mediator?”

“The mediator? If I remember correctly, that was the Deputy Minister in charge of foreign affairs for the Eastern Eighth District of the Handal Union... Don Le, was it? Yes, he seemed rather passive. Since it was the first meeting, perhaps he intended to let both sides speak freely for a while.”

Responding to Ryo’s words, Molga recalled the conference.

“Either way... it is bad enough that they say they will not meet again. And from both sides, too.”

“Yes. That is why I have been feeling so discouraged.”

“Still, Molga, this was not your fault, was it?”

“Perhaps not... but I went there as the military officer responsible for a conference that held the future of the fortress, and all I could do was watch it break down...”

With that, Molga let out a deep sigh.

“Marquis Nyusha and Chairman Pisek of the merchant guild both started the discussion in a very calm manner... and yet...”

After that, Old Masuda took the discouraged Molga away.

At times like this, he said, the best thing was to drink and forget.

Left behind were Ryo and Abel.

“There must have been covert activity by the Union!”

“What do you mean, covert activity?”

“They must have done something to make it break down!”

Ryo declared this with certainty.

“For example?”

“Eh? W-well, for example... yes, they could have planted agents under the Union’s influence among the attendees on both sides in advance, then had them insult each other at the conference and wreck everything.”

“Leaving the marquis’ side aside, aren’t the people attending the fortress conference basically all acquaintances? They have lived together inside this fortress for five years.”

“B-but you thought they had, like, a population as large as Kyradea, right? Twenty or thirty thousand people, you know? Surely some people do not know each other...”

“That might be true if you mean everyone in the fortress, but the ones who attended the conference were the upper leadership, right? Like Molga, the chief guard commander. If they are people in the upper ranks, they all know each other.”

“Grrr...”

Ryo’s delusion was shut down by Abel’s perfectly reasonable argument.

Yes, of course, the ‘Union covert activity theory’ was Ryo’s delusion.

He had no evidence whatsoever.

Besides, since he had not been there at the conference, he could not know what sort of situation had led to the breakdown...

Although Abel had dismissed Ryo’s delusion, it seemed he had something on his mind.

Noticing this, Ryo moved quickly to get the first word in.

“The Union covert activity theory was my claim first! Abel, do not steal it!”

“I am not stealing anything!”

“But you were thinking about something just now, right? In this situation, the only thing to think about is trying to steal my claim...”

“How did you get to that conclusion?”

Abel was appalled by Ryo’s further delusions... no, rampage.

“What bothered me was that Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Eighth District, or whatever he was.”

“Don Le? That name is unusual and distinctive, isn’t it?”

Because it was rare and distinctive, even Ryo had managed to remember it after hearing it only once.

“There is a country called the Kingdom of Prema in the eastern part of the Union. I seem to remember hearing long ago that the Count Le family effectively runs that country.”

“Is Don Le from that count’s family? Maybe the count himself?”

“I’m not too familiar with the details, but he is certainly not the count himself. Still, I think he’s part of the Count Le family.”

“So the Union covert activity theory really might be...”

Ryo murmured it while nodding.

“Even if that is true, the things we can do are limited.”

“I know. But I don’t want to see people who want peace get dragged into war.”

“I feel the same.”

Abel nodded.

“I have reached an agreement on the policy of preventing covert activity by the Union.”

“So you have?”

“Talking about this and that here will not solve anything. Let’s go back to the inn and show our faces to Andalusia.”

“...It is good to spoil your beloved horse, but how does that connect to preventing covert activity?”

As they spoke, both Ryo and Abel would, once they returned to the inn, first stop by the stable.

Then they would greet their own beloved horses before returning to their room.

Of course, they did the same in the morning before heading to the training grounds as well...

Naturally, the inn they were staying at was the Sleeping Sand Inn.

And, as also naturally as could be, Abel had negotiated so that the lodging expenses were paid by the client...in other words, by the merchants of this fortress.

Since that was such a wonderful arrangement, Ryo had not interfered in the negotiations.

“I wish negotiations could go that smoothly.”

Ryo shook his head slightly.

The next day.

Guard Commander Molga did not appear at the training grounds.

He did not appear the day after that, either.

Nor the day after that.

And then, yet another day later, he finally showed up in the evening.

Even from a distance, it was obvious he was heavily exhausted.

And yet, his expression was bright.

“I did it, you two. Another conference has been arranged!”

“Ooh!”

“So the reason you did not come to the training grounds these past few days was related to that?”

“Yes. I went alone to Marquis Nyusha’s castle and negotiated directly.”

“Incredible...”

Ryo was shocked by Molga’s answer.

Even if there had not yet been a full-scale armed conflict, there had been skirmishes.

After five years of confrontation, that was only natural.

And he went alone into the enemy’s territory as the military officer responsible?

Depending on the situation, he could have been captured and used as bargaining material, or killed as an example to others... such possibilities existed.

This was not a relationship between countries.

It could not even be called an equal relationship.

Molga was the military officer responsible for what others saw as rebels, or, depending on the era, terrorists.

There was no telling how he would be treated.

And yet, he went.

To avoid war.

“Molga, you are amazing.”

Ryo naturally bowed his head.

“No, no, stop that. I did not do anything that great.”

Molga looked embarrassed.

Maybe people who accomplish great things are often shy.

“It is a big deal. That is not something just anyone can do.”

“Ahahaha...”

Abel also praised him, and Molga gave a wry smile.

“It was sudden, but I managed to arrange for a second conference to be held the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s fast.”

“Before the other side changes its mind. No, not just the marquis’s side, ours too. We have to meet and talk first, or nothing will move forward.”

Peaceful relations do not begin without dialogue.

“First, the second conference the day after tomorrow will be held in this fortress. The marquis himself said that he wanted an open place where the fortress people could see it, so in fact, the plan is to hold the conference right here in this training grounds.”

“That’s bold.”

“Wait, so the marquis himself is coming here? The first meeting was held in neutral territory, right?”

“The third meeting after that will be held on the marquis’s land. We will alternate. That means there will be at least two more meetings.”

Molga nodded happily.

“Could it be that you are actually quite skilled at negotiations, Molga?”

“Not a Guard Commander, but a diplomat.”

“Please stop that.”

This time, Molga denied it with both hands waving in front of his face.

“You said the conference would be held in this training grounds, but is it not dangerous to have it in such an open place?”

“I thought so too... But the marquis said he wanted an open place. If he’s going to come all the way to the fortress, he wants as many of the fortress people as possible to see it. So I suggested, on the off chance, that we hold it in the training grounds... and he accepted it.”

“The marquis himself will come?”

“Yes. It is our, the guards’, moment to shine.”

Molga’s face was filled with determination.

If anything were to happen there, everything would be reduced to nothing.

There would be no doubt that it would turn into armed conflict.

But if it succeeded... the fortress people could watch the conference itself.

It would be better to show the negotiation itself than merely announce the result.

The very reason a forum for discussion exists is to make the discussion itself public.

Its essence lies in the process rather than the outcome.

“To be honest, I want everyone in the fortress to unite and handle this together. Not just leave it to someone else or to specialists... I want each of us to see ourselves as one of the people directly involved.”

“That’s true. If armed conflict breaks out, everyone will be dragged into it whether they like it or not.”

“And once that happens, it will be too late to say, ‘This is not what we expected’, or ‘Why did you not handle it properly?’...”

Molga spoke his feelings, Abel spoke the facts, and Ryo spoke reality.

Does it not matter who does it?

Of course it does.

There is no such thing in this world as “it’s all the same no matter who does it”.

Different people produce different results.

That must not be forgotten.

There can be good outcomes, and there can be bad outcomes, too.

That is why everyone is involved, rather than placing responsibility on a specific person; everyone shares the responsibility....

“Some kind of democracy I have seen somewhere.”

“What did you say, Ryo?”

“N-no, just talking to myself. More importantly, we have to train a lot over the next two days.”

Ryo hastily covered it up.

“Just enough so that their spirit does not break.”

“Shouldn’t the usual concern be avoiding injury?”

“An injury can be healed with <Heal>. But a wound in the mind cannot.”

“That sounds profound, yet it is shallow.”

“Do not say that to me, of all people, Ryo...”

Abel said this while shaking his head slightly.

Then Molga began to explain the concrete arrangements.

“As for security, I want one skilled veteran and two rookies, working in groups of three.”

“The skilled veterans are the people who were already here, and the rookies are the kids we have been training, right?”

“Yes. Of course, the direct protection of the representatives of both sides and the mediator will be handled only by veterans, but I would like them to help with security here in the fortress.”

“Understood. It is better if they have something to aim for; that will motivate them.”

Abel nodded at Molga’s explanation.

Actual combat was still too difficult, but helping with security should not be a problem.

Even if trouble arose and they were dragged into rough situations, they could just shout or blow a whistle and call for allies.

Their fellow guards, of course, but also the people of the fortress themselves were, in a sense, allies.

Above all, the feeling that they could be useful would motivate their efforts.

Then the long-white-haired old master arrived.

“Oh, Molga, you are back. That expression of yours means you found a good angle, did you?”

“Yes, Master. The day after tomorrow, we will hold the second conference here in this fortress. After that, on another day, we will hold the third conference on the other side’s land. That’s how far I have secured things.”

“Oh, impressive. I was surprised when I heard you had gone to the marquis’s place to negotiate directly... but to come back with results is something else entirely. All right, then tonight we celebrate!”

“Last time too, you found some excuse or another to drink... and ended up completely drunk, did you not?”

“That little bit of drinking helped clear your head, and that’s why this time went well, right? That just proves alcohol is wonderful!”

“Eh...”

Laughing, Old Masuda slapped the bewildered Molga on the back.

And then Molga was taken away by Old Masuda.

“Maybe the most amazing one is the master. He dragged away Molga, who is good at negotiations, without even giving him a chance to resist.”

“Maybe that is what you call the experience that comes with age.”

Ryo watched the two of them leave, astonished, while Abel gave a wry smile.

“But is it really all right to talk so openly about the security plan?”

“Talking openly? You are the one who always says that Hou-Ren-Sou is important, Ryo.”

“That is true, but that does not mean you can tell just anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Abel were a pawn of saboteurs, it would be a disaster!”

“...That’s true.”

“You have to choose your information-sharing partners carefully.”

“If I really were a pawn of saboteurs, what would you do, Ryo?”

“Even if my opponent were Abel, I would fight you with tears in my eyes! I cannot trample on the feelings of everyone in this fortress, who are putting everything on the line to avoid war.”

“I see... I hope I’m not a pawn, then.”

For some reason, Ryo nodded with a determined expression, while Abel did the rather skillful thing of sighing and shaking his head at the same time.

No one could stop Ryo’s delusions.

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