300. The Shadowed Sky (5)
The Serpent King’s Flagship can attempt to dock at any port city in civilized society without permission. Words like border disputes or armed conflicts are not part of the vocabulary for the Elves at sea.
An extremely skewed, asymmetrical force. No means of attack on land can destroy it, and even if damage could be inflicted, failing to completely annihilate it in a port-side battle would result in terrifying retaliation—a force closer to calamity.
Elves are utterly powerless on land. But at sea, they are nearly invincible. They claim the entire ocean as their territory, and thus, maritime trade routes are considered illegal border crossings within their domain.
No humans can deny this. They simply choose to ignore it passively.
“We’ve been waiting.”
Thus, when the Guimerin Dynasty, with no geographical ties to Kirzat, made an unauthorized entry into Sharza Port, the city’s administrative office had no choice but to bow their heads politely and send an envoy.
“You seem to know your manners. Inform your master. A distinguished guest of our clan wishes to dock.”
“Great King, your distinguished guest will be welcomed as a guest of our nation.”
In Queen Leia’s audience chamber, the envoy cautiously raised his head to look at the queen’s face—or more precisely, the royal crests hanging behind her.
Guimerin, Malerun, Jerolen. The seals of the Elven Triarchy hung side by side. The envoy’s face paled slightly. The port city’s administration was, of course, aware of the Elven dynasties, known as the strongest at sea.
Guimerin of the East, Malerun of the North, Jerolen of the West. The lords of the three great oceans. The Elven royal families were famously distant from one another, so the fact that these three crests hung together meant—
‘This is serious trouble.’
It meant that all maritime trade routes of civilized society had been subjugated under one dynasty. At least at sea, the power of life and death was firmly in the hands of this other race.
The envoy slowly calculated in his mind and bowed his head respectfully.
“However, your elite troops cannot set foot on land, so I fear the distinguished guest may suffer from the rough waves.”
“Stop wasting words. Don’t worry. He’s human.”
“…!”
“Sernard. Come out.”
The envoy looked up in confusion. A young man of imposing stature stepped out from the crowd. His youthful appearance suggested he might be from the Eastern Kingdom. He had the sharp features typical of nobility and the aura of a warrior. The scars covering his exposed skin were particularly striking.
“I have no intention of causing unnecessary trouble. I merely need a passage inland, and if given a day to prepare, I will disappear as if I were never here.”
“We would never dare to make such a mistake in hosting a distinguished guest. Please rest comfortably. I will personally attend to your needs after disembarkation.”
The envoy bowed deeply and slowly stepped back. Leia chuckled and gestured with her chin. A Wild Prince stepped forward and handed the envoy a small box.
“This is…?”
“A gift from the Queen. I trust you will handle this well. Sernard is my dear friend, our mentor, and the highest of guests. Consider this a request. Deliver my words exactly as they are to your master.”
“Of course.”
The envoy accepted the box without opening it and left the audience hall. Once the doors were fully closed, Fernandez turned to Leia with a smile.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Consider it an investment.”
“An investment?”
“Jerolen told me. You’re searching for the relics of the first human monarch. He said your monarch left behind ‘symbols.’ Did you hear the same?”
“Yes.”
“Then this is an investment. If you succeed in uncovering the symbols of the first monarch, what greater legitimacy could there be? It’s an investment in the new empire the future Emperor will create.”
“…Unfortunately, that won’t happen.”
“Haha!”
Leia smirked and gestured. It was a signal to end the audience.
“I can’t imagine you failing. And if you succeed, you won’t remain just a noble of the Eastern Kingdom or a priest of the human gods. You have a long journey ahead, so I won’t keep you any longer. Go.”
Fernandez smiled directly at Leia. Despite her words, this was clearly a gesture of goodwill. The most definitive goodwill a queen could show.
At least in a port city, no one could refuse the ‘request’ of an Elven queen or mistreat an Elven guest. Though it bordered on unauthorized entry and illegal immigration, no bold administrator would dare to challenge it point by point.
Fernandez gave a brief nod and turned to leave the audience hall.
“Good luck, Sernard.”
* * *
If an unidentified foreigner were to enter the country, they would naturally need to disarm and undergo identity verification. But this did not apply to Fernandez and his party.
Everything proceeded smoothly. The envoy seemed to be of a higher rank than expected, and just his presence made the turbaned soldiers of the port city bow their heads and step aside.
By then, Fernandez became curious about the man’s identity. An envoy who directly meets a foreign king couldn’t be an ordinary administrative noble, but the soldiers’ attitude was quite different from how they treated typical nobles.
“Your distinguished guest seems deep in thought. What are you pondering?”
The envoy smiled enigmatically and looked at him. Fernandez turned his gaze from the foreign scenery outside the carriage to the envoy.
“Are you a lord?”
“Haha… Why do you think that?”
“An envoy who immediately responds to the arrival of the strongest naval force would naturally be a plenipotentiary. And the demeanor you showed in the audience hall was more akin to a sovereign than an administrator.”
“My demeanor, you say?”
He spoke with utmost politeness. Of course, it wasn’t the arrogance or confidence typical of high nobles. It was something deeper, more subtle—like the glint in his eyes or the nuances of his expression.
“Your gaze brushed past Queen Leia. You glanced over the crests of the Elven Triarchy, then paused briefly. You clearly recognize the Triarchy’s insignia, understand the significance of their unity, and were simultaneously devising a countermeasure. That’s not the demeanor of a mere sovereign.”
“This is surprising.”
The envoy smiled softly and gave a slight nod.
“Sahaban Vale Eyal Sharja Al’Mukapa. Please, just call me Al Mukapa. Now, I’d like to ask you something in return. A human noble from the East, received with utmost hospitality by the Queen who united the Triarchy… What exactly is your identity?”
“I was deduction, and perhaps you should be too.”
“A riddle. The virtue of a sage. Very well. This should make for an entertaining diversion during our journey.”
Fernandez nodded slightly without showing any emotion and turned his gaze out the window. Al Mukapa’s stare clung to him so blatantly it felt prickly.
-Vale Eyal Sharja. This is quite something.
‘Indeed. The sovereign of Eyaret bowing his head and acting like a servant.’
Sharja is the name of this city, and Eyal refers to Eyaret, a term unique to Kirzat meaning “great domain.” Vale means “sovereign,” so in the context of Eastern civilization’s ranking system, he’s a high noble close to a duke.
For such a figure to meet the Elven Queen, who holds the power of life and death, without guards, hiding his identity and acting subserviently, implied many things.
Had he submitted to the Elven naval power? No. That didn’t seem to be the case. Even in that moment, he was strategizing how to secure maritime sovereignty.
-He doesn’t trust his own subordinates.
‘And if necessary, he’s prepared to oppose the Elves.’
-This calls for caution.
A sovereign disguising himself as an envoy demonstrates boldness and confidence.
For him to ponder counter-strategies while attending as an envoy suggests he’s even considering hostility toward the Elves.
Fernandez rested his chin on the windowsill and smirked slightly. A sovereign bold enough for such thinking could attempt to assassinate him at any moment, even with the Serpent King’s acknowledgment.
‘A night visitor is coming.’
-I should welcome them.
A noble as cunning as him wouldn’t simply host them and send them off quietly. Given the Elves’ schemes or the need to gauge future developments, he would undoubtedly attempt some form of contact.
That’s why Fernandez said, “Find out for yourself.” A regional sovereign wouldn’t formally contact him without preparation, so in this case, the one who would visit him—
‘Shaksisi. It’s been a while.’
Kirzat’s infamous intelligence agency. Only Shaksisi would intervene.
* * *
Al Mukapa sighed and relaxed his shoulders. After escorting the Elven Queen’s guests to their lodgings, his warm smile vanished as if it had never been there. In its place remained only the cold, hawk-like demeanor of a noble.
“Shaksisi?”
“I’ve submitted a request for intelligence support. Your Highness. The Sultan…”
“The more accurate the intelligence, the better. It’s not yet time.”
The arrival of the Serpent King’s fleet was a major event for the port, but for the nation as a whole, it was a minor incident. No damage was done to the port, nor was there any full-scale engagement—they simply visited and left.
However, the information that the Elven dynasties had united was a different matter. Such shocking news must not reach the central authorities before more concrete details are understood. The current Sultan, Al Hashir, is a warmonger who maintains a diplomatic stance of preemptive strikes. Even this small clue could escalate into a naval conflict.
Shaksisi is the Sultan’s eyes and ears, so it wouldn’t take long for the Sultan to become aware of this matter once they were involved… but at least Al Mukapa didn’t need to shoulder the burden himself.
“First, determine his identity and what he seeks in returning to these lands from across the distant sea.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Never let your guard down. Keep your ears open at all times. He’s no easy opponent.”
Al Mukapa reflected on the brief conversation they had in the carriage. He recalled the man’s skill in noticing subtle gestures and fleeting expressions, using that minimal information to discern his identity.
That’s no easy feat. Especially when the target is someone like Al Mukapa, a high noble from a foreign land.
‘He must be from an intelligence agency or a seasoned political veteran with decades of experience.’
Yet he appears to be in his early twenties, with the demeanor of a typical warrior. He could be a war noble from the knightly class, but not a politician. Just as Fernandez discerned Al Mukapa’s identity, Al Mukapa was also gauging Fernandez’s.
He’s someone deeply trained in intelligence work. And that assumption leads to the worst-case scenario: an agent from the East or the Leviathan Empire posing as a guest of the Elven Queen…
‘The Elves have joined hands with the Easterners. Even the three dynasties have united to form a new military force…’
It’s been less than two years since the end of the Fifty-Year War. If the Easterners and Elves are now allied, the next battlefield might not be the Great Wilderness but within Kirzat itself.
The sovereignty of the Great Wilderness lies with the Beastman Nobility, and their ruler is rumored to have some agreement with the Leviathan Empire. Kirzat’s eastern border is already in a state of semi-war.
If their Sultan, Al Hashir, were to learn of this now…
‘The next war might not end in fifty years.’
Al Mukapa let out a deep sigh and stretched out on a sofa draped in purple silk. He spoke to his subordinate, who was bowing deeply before him.
“You will accompany him. Record every word of Shaksisi’s conversation with him, even his breaths, and report it all to me. Under no circumstances can we allow war.”
“And if he truly harbors ill intentions upon entering the country?”
“With the Elven Queen’s acknowledgment, we can’t touch them within the city… But once they leave, we’ll act.”
However, he hoped such a thing wouldn’t happen. If the Elven Queen’s guest were to die suddenly near the city, the blame would inevitably fall on them, and as a port city, the Elven Queen’s reprimand wouldn’t end with mere diplomatic scolding.
Looking down at the once-peaceful port city, Al Mukapa sighed deeply. A storm was brewing from the distant sea. Even in the early evening, the overcast sky cast a long shadow over the horizon.
“I hope it’s just paranoia.”
Wishing the rain would be nothing more than a passing shower, Al Mukapa closed his eyes and sincerely hoped for the best.
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