CH 111

A private meeting

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by Zil

The day after the duel, the negotiations for peace between the Kingdom of Zain and the Alsatian  Empire resumed.

The negotiations were held at the Imperial camp, with the place given to the victor, the Emperor.

When Raidorl visited the enemy’s camp with Darren and a few other guards, an Imperial soldier stepped forward to guide him.

“Welcome, Your Royal Highness, Prince Raidorl.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, not at all. The Emperor is waiting for you.”

The soldier leading us wears a medal with a star on the chest of his uniform. Judging from the number of stars, he seems to be a man of a certain rank.

“…..I’m sorry to bother you, Your Highness Raidorl. How is General Barzen?”

“…hm?”

The name that the Imperial soldier mentioned made Raidorl’s eyes blink for a moment, not knowing who he was talking about. Then, remembering that he was the commander of the Imperial troops, held as prisoners of war, he nodded and said, ‘Ah’.

“The old man is doing well. We’re feeding him, and he’s having a nice holiday.”

“I see,……that’s a relief.”

The Imperial soldier let out a deep breath of relief.

He was a serious-looking soldier, but strangely enough, there was no hostility or ill will towards Raidorl.

On the contrary, there was a hint of respect in his words.

“…..How can you be so amiable to the royalty of an enemy country? Have you forgotten that it was my doing that the Barzen was captured?”

“I haven’t forgotten. But the Empire is a land of strength and valour. We do not underestimate a man who has fought with the Emperor and survived, even if he is from an enemy country.”

“Fummm..”

Raidorl nodded vaguely.

As he made his way through the Imperial ranks, he passed several soldiers who looked at him with awe and respect.

The atmosphere was more uncomfortable than the ill feeling, and Raidorl walked on with a subtle expression on his face.

Eventually, Raidorl was ushered into a large tent. A soldier standing guard at the entrance saluted him and opened the tent for him.

Once inside the tent, a simple round table was placed in the centre. In the back, on the upper seat, was the Emperor Zacharias.

“Hey, you’re looking better than I thought.”

“Thanks……”

In response to the familiar greeting, Raidorl replied with a slightly sarcastic expression.

The outcome of the duel was not in his favour. Raidorl is a man who has spent his life as an adventurer in the world of battle. He has a certain respect for the strong.

Even so, he was not mature enough to be an equal to a veteran warmonger who had beaten him mercilessly.

“I’ll win next time.–I’m going to look Zacharias straight in the eye with such self-control.”

“Kuhk……”

At such a challenging look, Zacharias clears his throat in amusement.

Zacharias, who is by nature a quick-tempered fighter, loves youngsters who are competitive and lively.

And he even had a certain fondness towards Raidorl, who, after being defeated by him once, still glared at him without breaking his heart.

“Thank you for your help in guiding our guests. You can go now, Safaris.”

“Ha! Excuse me, sir!”

The Imperial soldier who had led them here – Dallas Safaris – left the tent with a salute.

Watching his back as he left the tent, Raidorl also turned to Darren, who was with his escort.

“Darren, excuse yourself.”

“Ha, but Your Highness……”

“The emperor will be alone in this meeting. I think it’s only polite if I’m alone right?

“…… Yes, Your Highness.”

With a worried look on his face, Darren followed Safaris out of the tent.

It was just Raidorl and Zacharias in the tent.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you going to sit down?”

“I will sit down and I hope we have an interesting meeting.”

Raidorl sat down in the chair opposite Zacharias, his face as tense as ever.

“…………”

“…………”

“…………”

The two holy sword holders, representing the two countries – the kingdom and the empire – stared at each other in silence for a while.

Raidorl gives him a challenging look. Zacharias exchanges glances with a grin, amused by the situation.

How long did the silence last? Eventually, with a sigh of resignation, Raidorl opened his mouth.

“……Now, the loser of the duel has to accept the winner’s demands. Now let’s hear what you want.”

“Oh, yes, we did. We did.”

Zacharias nodded his head as if he had just remembered. Despite being a prince, this prince Raidorl was blunt.

“Then let’s ask you to listen to this request. Are you surprised?”

With a grin, Zacharias lifted his lips and made the face of a mischievous boy.

Raidorl clicks his tongue and rests his cheek on the round table in abhorrence.