Chapter 272:
There are many steps involved in arranging a meeting between two countries.
From the basic schedule to the VIPs route and security, to the diplomatic talks, the officials in charge would have a headache that could make their heads explode.
It was no different for Astera.
If they had no special powers, they would only have to worry about weapon restrictions and arrows, but since they had magic, airships, Goliaths, and all kinds of special things, they could not relax.
It was even more so for the meeting between Elvrande and the human kingdoms that took place in Medea.
Think about it.
Before the Great War, there was only one case where the leader of humans set foot in Elvrande, and that ended tragically.
What would happen if they went to a place where millions of elves hated humans?
It was natural that the officials tore their hair out when Leobold announced his visit.
We are in the middle of a merger process! It will be a disaster if Your Majesty goes!
Stop him! Stop him at all costs! If you cant change His Majestys mind, dont think about leaving your office!
Some officials went to dissuade him with determination, but they only heard that Jaisang would handle it.
He also made a shocking remark that he would keep the escort to a minimum.
Ill be back soon, so dont worry. Just keep doing your work.
They hoped that Jaisang would stop him, but it seemed that they had already agreed.
The delegation consisted of King Leobold and Margareta, as well as a few knights and servants.
It was a small group of less than 20 people, and Zigarion was rejected when he tried to join.
Stay out of this. I feel like something really bad will happen if you go.
Damn, it sounded fun.
Zigarion had probably caused enough damage to Elvrande to build a small city.
He asked why he was taking Margareta with him to shock them, and Leobold answered like this.
They might not be surprised if they think shes dead, but theyre treating her like a traitor.
Then why are you taking her?
She said she wanted to ask Drizden something in person.
She wont let him go easily
Well, maybe. But he wont touch her directly. Hell probably use public opinion.
Drizden, the president of Elvrande, had most of the power in his hands.
The media and public opinion were also on his side, so there were many voices criticizing the former princess everywhere.
If he mobilized them, he could also reduce the criticism that he was overstepping his bounds.
He didnt know what he was really thinking, though.
Anyway, the delegation notified Elvrande that they would come on the newly renovated Hyperion.
But there was a problem there.
The elves who recognized Hyperion refused to let it in.
Did they imagine the noble lady who single-handedly faced countless elf fleets in the Great War and felt PTSD?
If they were humans, the generations would have changed, but there were quite a few old people who remembered the Great War in Elvrande, including Drizden.
They rose up.
He wants to come on that cursed ship? No way!
Its not enough to smash it right away, how dare he bring that ship into Medea?
Where did King Bandas dig up that ship? According to our records, it sank after being attacked by the Silver Fleet at that time
The existence of Hyperion itself was shocking enough.
They would be more shocked if they found out about Balgads existence, but it was a story only known by the war participants and the high command ignored it as impossible.
Drizden fell into a dilemma.
He must know what that ship means to us Is he openly challenging us?
Maybe hes trying to prove that hes a descendant of Gram Empire.
One of the elders said, and Drizden sneered.
What does he want to do with Gram Empire that perished 200 years ago?
It was a very headache-inducing situation anyway.
Thanks to Leobolds disclosure of Hyperion, there was a fierce debate in Elvrande.
Most of them argued that it should never be allowed in, but there were also some people who were curious about how such a ship was made.
They were mostly from the post-war generation and this caused some disputes in elf society.
This is why young ones are Do they know how many elves were slaughtered by that ship? We couldnt even mention Hyperions name back then.
Its disgusting to see them liking such a huge airship. If they like a human-made ship so much, why dont they leave Elvrande?
On the other hand, some argued that the present was more important than the old history of 200 years ago.
Why do they keep bringing up that damn war? I dont know if we lost, but we won that war.
We should analyze it instead of being hypersensitive about a ship. If he brings Hyperion, it means that the specifications will be somewhat revealed and we might be able to build such a ship too.
Its a pity that the presidents office reduced the funding for ether engineering. Humans are deploying high-powered Goliaths and producing airships
Naturally, this argument provoked the backlash of the elves who remembered the cause of the Great War.
Drizden watched and listened to all this and bit his tongue.
Public opinion is divided. If he aimed for this, I have to admit that it was very effective.
So will you allow it?
Tell him to be satisfied with one ship if he really wants to bring it. Ill let him have escort ships if he takes another ship.
He had a plan to limit the total tonnage of the delegation, hoping that Leobold would be surprised and withdraw, but he sent a letter saying that Hyperion was enough.
It meant that he was willing to take the risk as long as he entered Elvrande.
In that case, it didnt matter much whether it was one ship or not.
Anyway, Leobolds visit was finalized through these twists and turns.
Margareta decided to follow him disguised as a maid named Maria.
She showed a happy expression for a moment at the thought of returning to her hometown, but soon became gloomy.
It seemed that her hometown did not welcome her.
Because of that, she spent more time with Leobold on Hyperion, which surprised her with its facilities.
As if to shake off her sadness and bitterness.
***
Hyperion was not only huge in size, but also in speed compared to other airships.
It almost halved the continental crossing schedule and this gave a great surprise to the delegation, including Margareta.
The fleet that came out from Elvrande also whined that they couldnt keep up with its speed.
Even if they lowered the speed to the lowest, it was more than any other airship.
Hyperion entered Medea and received the hot attention of the elves.
How did they make such a thing? Its so big that other airships look like children.
Its impressive, even if its made by humans.
That ship killed our ancestors
There were various stories from different perspectives, and when Leobold got off the ship, the interest literally exploded.
Hes quite tall for a human, isnt he?
Hes ugly with his stubble.
But he has a lot of muscles and looks well-trained.
But whats that magic behind his head?
The elves mistook his halo for a decorative magic.
The only ones who recognized that it was a proof of divinity were a few, including Drizden.
So the rumor that he had divinity was true. Did he get it from the floating continent?
Its probably some unknown god.
He must have a powerful divinity to spread a wide blessing like that.
Anyway, the brave human king who came to Medea aroused the curiosity of the elves.
As the delegation passed through the street with the escort of the Elven Knights, many elves came out and watched them.
Humans
Theyre daring to enter the enemy territory alone.
Theyre not alone, are they? They have escorts
What can they do with that number of people here? Its easy if you think about us going to the human kingdoms.
They dont seem intimidated at all
They must be confident in their survival.
This is Medea. Even gods cant survive here.
There was some hatred, but not too much, because the elves appreciated the fact that he came to the enemy territory alone.
It was a crazy thing to do if you think about whether the major figures of Elvrande could go to the human kingdoms.
Drizden felt that his popularity was rising among the elves and bit his tongue.
It was only a slight change in a few elves, but he thought he had taken a risk for nothing.
Did he risk his life for this trivial thing? What a pathetic writer.
The minor change could turn into a huge wave depending on the outcome of the meeting.
That wont happen. I dont know what hes thinking, but he wont get out of here unscathed.
Do you mean to detain King Bandas?
If he did that, even the elves who supported Drizden would turn their backs on him.
They believed that they existed for justice and peace.
Leobold was not worth that much, but holding him back was not a good move.
Drizden closed the window and said.
I dont need to stop him myself. Anyway, I dont want to see the citizens chanting his name, so bring him quickly.
It was not that there were no elves among those who crowded on the street who shouted his name.
A small praise for the courageous human king who came to Medea?
The sure thing was that as they became more familiar with him, their hatred for humans also faded a little.
Most of the elves hatred for humans stemmed from ignorance.
They were born under the protection of Yggdrasil and lived their lives in an elf-only society, so they felt distant from humans and only heard biased rumors, which made them hate them.
Leobolds existence broke that a little bit.
Soon after, two people sat face to face in a meeting room with a good view right under Yggdrasil, leaving their escorts behind.
One was an elf who had lived for more than 300 years and held all the power of Elvrande, and the other was a human king who had expanded his power by merging several countries recently.
As soon as they saw each other, they smiled at the corners of their mouths.
There have been many things between us. But lets put aside the past for now and talk frankly about the future.
Thats what I want.
As soon as the maid brought tea and left, the formal meeting began.
The first one to open the door was Drizden.
Before we get into serious talk, lets go over some old times. Do you know why the Great War happened?
Because the elves blocked the humans desire to develop.
He meant the desire for development represented by ether engineering.
There were many things attached to the cause of the Great War, but if he had to pick one, this was it.
Youre wrong.
Drizden leaned forward.
Thats wrong. The Great War was a result of us elves who couldnt stand by and watch the worlds destruction. Do you know why?
Because if ether engineering develops beyond a certain point, demons might invade?
He was surprised that Leobold nailed it exactly.
He thought he would pick up something ridiculous.
Thats right. You may not know this well, but there are demons somewhere beyond the sky. Now they only appear in mines, but it was different in the past. Two hundred years ago, gates opened whenever they were bored. They have no intelligence and are no different from monsters with only destructive urges.
Well, it was hard to say that Plague had no intelligence.
Maybe he felt that way because of the small creatures before evolution.
Leobold just listened quietly and that fueled Drizdens preaching urge.
Let me give you some good information at this point. The frequency of their appearance is exactly proportional to the total amount of ether used by Astera. Youre smart enough to understand what this means.
The more we develop ether engineering, the more demons appear?
Very good. The humans in the past didnt understand this. So they pushed the dragons to war. What a foolish race, arent they?
Are you scared of that?
Drizden laughed bitterly for a moment.
He thought he was smart, but he was actually stupid?
You who havent experienced the demons before the Great War always underestimate them. But remember this. The person in front of you right now is someone who fought against those powerful demons. Do you know what kind of world it was 200 years ago?
I know very well. A world where ether engineering was advanced and Hyperion-class airships flew freely in the sky. A world where everyone could use magic and had a curiosity about what was beyond the sky. A good era, isnt it?
Youre arrogant.
What are you talking about?
Dont be arrogant with your ether engine and black knight that you made. We elves made something much more amazing than that more than 200 years ago. And yet we gave up everything. Do you know why? For the peace and future of Astera!
Now Drizden started to rant, spitting saliva.
I thought we could communicate, but youre more stubborn than the humans before the Great War. Were you so sweetened by the tricks of the earthworms? Whats so good about the good old days? You should be ashamed. Humans, or Ains, are nothing but a race that has prolonged their lives thanks to our elfs grace.
The demons back then were so strong that they would treat your black knight like a child. It was our race that stopped them for the peace of Astera.
He seemed amused by Drizdens words as if he had seen something interesting, and Elarion chuckled.
Calm down your excitement.
Yes, Your Excellency.
As his hand dropped, Margreta ran to Leobolds arms and hugged him.
I confirmed that were on parallel lines, so it would be better to end it here.
Leobold declared the end of the meeting, and Drizden narrowed his eyes and said.
Do you think you can go back peacefully like this?
If possible, I didnt want to start a massacre, but if thats what you want, I cant help it. Come on, try to stop me.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense like a drawn bowstring.
By the way, theres someone who wants to say something. Do you want to hear it?
There was only one person who could make Leobold use honorifics.
Now shes just an ordinary elf, not a princess. Fine. Lets hear what she has to say.
Margreta entered and took off her hood, and Drizden sneered.
Long time no see, Your Highness.
***
How can you be so calm? You tried to kill me
Her voice was trembling, and anger showed on her face and eyes.
But Drizden maintained a calm attitude as if he was proud of his experience.
I dont know what youre talking about. Arent you a traitor who tried to overthrow Elvrande by joining hands with humans because you didnt like the current Elvrande?
What are you talking about How could I do that with what little power I had? The elders already had most of the power anyway.
But you had followers like Tirandel who had even that little power. Didnt you think that if you got cooperation from humans outside, you could do something? Its a pity that you had such an idea.
Dont judge people as you please. Youre the one who tried to kill me and my family!
Why would I try to harm you?
Drizden still looked clueless, and that made Margreta angry.
But there was little she could do.
As she rushed to Drizden with a red face, trying to slap him or something, the escort who stood behind him like a shadow grabbed her wrist.
Stop it. Your Highness Or should I call you Margreta now?
She shouted with a choked voice as her wrist was held.
Dont you know, Elarion? Tell me! How did Drizden incite people?
I have nothing to say to a traitor.
What, what did you say?
Margretas face hardened with shock.
She never thought that her biggest ally and follower would say such a thing.
He spat out harshly with angry eyes.
I have nothing to say to you who betrayed the elves and sided with humans.
How can you say that? We agreed to reform Elvrande together!
Dont stain the honor of elves any more with your filthy mouth. Or do you want me to kill you right here?
He even reached for Margretas neck as if he would kill her right away.
She couldnt breathe properly from his murderous aura.
Then a heavy word flew like an arrow.
If you touch even a finger tip, youre dead.
Hooh.
Drizden looked amused as if he had seen something interesting, and Elarion snorted.
Dont forget that this is Medea. King Vandus of Bagran.
Try touching me if youre curious. Ill make you regret it until your last breath.
Elarion twisted his face and Drizden stared at him.
Youre rude for an elfs courtesy. Calm down.
Yes, Your Excellency.
As his hand fell off, Margreta almost cried and hugged Leobold.
I confirmed that were on parallel lines, so it would be better to end it here.
Leobold declared the end of the meeting, and Drizden narrowed his eyes and said.
Do you think you can go back peacefully like this?
If possible, I didnt want to start a massacre, but if thats what you want, I cant help it. Come on, try to stop me.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense like a drawn bowstring.
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