725 – If You Don’t Mind, Just Sign One Sign – 3

As soon as he found out that Armain’s request was the result of a meeting of the swordsman and not the atrocities of a prince, he went into the warehouse in the mansion.

‘This should be enough.’

And among the swords he had stored in the warehouse, he found a sword that was reasonably luxurious and sturdy.

If Lyutis behaves unexpectedly, we can at least hope that King Armaine will intervene. However, if it is the result of the Swordsman Conference, not even King Armaine can stop it. Because Armain considers the sword meeting more sacred than anything else. The result of the meeting is the same as Armain’s top national project.

Therefore, it is right to give them what they want, if only for the sake of the friendly relationship between the Empire and Armain, and for the mental health of the Emperor and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you refuse, it’s obvious that you’ll be constantly dragged down.

‘Crazy guys.’

I sighed while examining the quality of the sword.

It’s crazy. Even if I was crazy, I was definitely crazy. All the high-ranking officials and elders of the Armain military gathered together just to have one sword. Does that make sense?

Of course, if you force yourself to understand, you might think, ‘Even countries that make a living through commerce have such treasures, so shouldn’t we, the kingdom of knights, also have them to save face?’ This may have been the conclusion. Isn’t Armain an extremely cultist nation that calls itself the kingdom of knights? Such a country could covet the warrior’s sword that cut the sky.

Still, it is difficult to understand the sudden request for this through formal diplomatic channels. Between Lyutis and Villar, I thought Villar was the average of Armain, but Armain’s average is closer to Lyutis than Villar…

‘It’s a terrible country.’

A sudden surge of patriotism rose. Although we swear in our hearts that we are a black nation, it is an empire that ranks high among the nations on the continent. It’s okay.

‘…Can I just give this to you?’

As I was about to leave the warehouse with the sword, a small feeling of anxiety arose.

Considering the friendship between the two countries, it is convenient to give them whatever they want. But wouldn’t it be difficult to set a precedent of just ignoring Armain’s behavior? If Armain continues to continue holding sword meetings, if other countries are stimulated by this, the empire could become a huge ATM. If you hit this, you get paid─you can be treated the same way.

That’s not possible. No matter how easy it is to make, it is not diplomatically good to give it away easily.

‘But it’s strange that they don’t even give it to me.’

I touched his chin for a moment and thought about it.

Giving things obediently means that the empire is following the path of tyranny, so it should be avoided. Refusing the gift altogether will cause Armain to run away, so it should be avoided. In that case, in a situation where we have no choice but to give a gift to Armain, we should pass it on as if the Empire is being kind to us.

“If I get good news, I will congratulate you on the relationship between club advisor and student.”

‘Ah.’

I remembered what I said to Ryutis earlier as a courtesy.

There was one good cause.

This time, I went to see the emperor first.

“A meeting of the swordsman was held?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. These are Prince Lyutis’ words, so they cannot be false.”

At my affirmative answer, the emperor smiled and touched his forehead

Yes, this is a normal person’s reaction. Erich just blinked because he didn’t know what the Swordsman Council was, but those who knew the weight of the Swordsman Council like me and the Emperor couldn’t help but lose their minds.

“The most recent meeting of Swordsmen was held 25 years ago.”

“Yes. Even from Sosin’s memory, that’s true.”

“The topic discussed at the inspection meeting at the time was a major reorganization of positions within the Armain Central Army.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the emperor said, a large-scale purge of the army was decided at the meeting held 25 years ago.

The reason was my first father-in-law’s spicy punch that happened about 30 years ago. At the time, Armain felt skeptical about their system and pushed for a large-scale purge to purge the radicals within the military and elite the central army. Count Nerkap, the current Grand Marshal of Armain, successfully completed the task of subjugating the army and became the undisputed number one figure in the Armain military.

25 years later, that meeting became a joke. Wouldn’t King Armaine be laughing out loud by now?

Maybe the King is the same guy and he is just waiting for the sword, but I hope it’s not like that.

“If it’s a sword meeting, I’ll have to give it to you.”

Anyway, the emperor, who was laughing, muttered as if he was annoyed.

It looks like he’s having the same concerns as I had at the warehouse. I have to give something, but I worry that if I give it obediently, it will be bothersome, and if I don’t, Armain’s sarcasm will hurt.

“Your Majesty. If it’s a gift you’re going to give anyway, why not give it to coincide with the occasion?”

“A sergeant?”

At my words, the emperor, who had been slumping in his chair, adjusted his posture and sat down.

“Yes. Prince Lyutis and I have a close relationship, so if Prince Lyutis gets married, it would be a good idea to send him a gift to commemorate the occasion. In that case, wouldn’t it be a personal gift rather than a gift from the empire?”＜ Br﹥

“It’s a personal gift from the minister.”

The emperor’s expression brightened somewhat, perhaps because the words were quite tempting.

If I send it in my name, it has the justification of congratulating an acquaintance on his happy birthday, and it is not like the Empire is officially responding to Armain’s request. If you take a roundabout way like this, you can avoid turning the empire into an ATM.

Moreover, the sword that the Zereno Kingdom has not given to me by the empire, but was given to me as a gift. It would be rather strange if someone was given by the empire and someone was given by me.

“But do you know when you’ll get married?”

“Armain will take care of that. If you want it quickly, you will proceed quickly. If you have time, you will do it slowly.”

Then the emperor burst into laughter. Because he meant to pass on the responsibility of choice to Armaine, not the Empire.

“It’s good, but it’s difficult to say officially. Let’s convey it through Baron Hardiner.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will.”

Surely through an official channel, ‘I will send it to you as a gift when your prince gets married.’ That’s a bit different. It is better to convey it informally through Erich.

‘Great job, my little brother.’

The corners of my mouth went up without me knowing. A younger brother who has direct contact with the royal family and can be used diplomatically. Is there a better younger brother than this?

He attends the Imperial Diet on my behalf and performs diplomatic activities that are difficult to carry out officially. As expected, giving Erich the title of marquis of the Kingdom of Leon as a gift was the right choice. A nobleman with such versatility should have at least the rank of marquis.

“Really. Minister?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you send a gift to Armain, give it a different kind than the one you gave to Zereno. If the kind is the same, Zereno will be disappointed.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

It was true, so I nodded obediently. Even within the category of swords, there are dozens or hundreds of types. If you’re going to give a gift, it’s better to give something new.

I gave Princess Alice an ordinary one-handed sword, so I guess I should at least throw a great sword to Ryutis.

***

Erich said something unusual.

– He said that when you get married, your brother will send you a sword as a gift.

“It makes me happy just to hear that! Isn’t it like giving a national treasure item as a gift?”

It is said that a sword with the signature of the best sword on the continent is given as a gift. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t happy as a military officer.

In addition, doesn’t it mean that Ah-guk is giving away the sword he was aiming for by holding a meeting at the Sword Cemetery for free? Although there was a small condition of marriage, it was only a courtesy condition for a cause to celebrate. In fact, you don’t have to worry about it.

So I delivered this good news to His Highness the King and my uncle,

“Did I say it for no reason?”

After that, subtle pressure began to come in.

“Aren’t you already twenty-two years old? Two of the friends you spent your school days with have already gotten married, so shouldn’t you go too?”

His Majesty the Viceroy, the demand for marriage has become stronger than before.

“Sir. It is important to enjoy freedom alone, but raising a family is also one of the happinesses of a man. Rather, because he is the head of the family, there are things he can see and feel.”

A change in the attitude of my uncle who said that a person’s marriage should be left to the person’s choice.

“I will respect your choice.”

Even Lord Villar spoke with a haggard look, as if he had been busy with various tasks recently.

When I thought about the events that had happened over the past few days, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Thanks to the huge hostage of my marriage, everyone wants my wedding.

‘I can’t stand this.’

No matter how much I am a prince, I cannot withstand this omnidirectional pressure. Even His Majesty the King cannot go against the results of the Geomyo meeting, so what ability can I, the third prince, endure?

However, marriage is not something you can do right away if you want to. Marriage can only be carried out by meeting like-minded people, preparing a wedding hall suitable for the class, and arranging a convenient time for the guests to gather. Even if we prepare right away, I think it won’t be possible until next year.

Of course, in the current situation, if we talk next year, I think I will be imprisoned in the basement of the royal palace.

‘…If I get married…’

I scratched the back of my neck and looked at Sir Perosa in the corner of the training hall.

If I had to choose a woman who is most close and congenial to me, it would be none other than Lord Perosa. Lord Perosa is the first person since Louise to have shown such great interest in someone.

‘Hmm.’

She has a similar personality, similar tastes, and a similar passion for the sword.

She is the daughter of Sir Villar, who rose to the rank of Vice-Captain of the Royal Knights, and a member of the Nelly family, a prestigious military family.

‘There is no one like Sir Perosa.’

Suddenly, what Lord Villars had said came to mind. Did she say she respected my choice?

‘Lord Villar must have been under some pressure.’

If you think about it, ever since she graduated from the academy, she has often been around Sir Perosa and her sparring his. Everyone knows that I have a close relationship with Lord Perosa.

Thanks to this, Sir Perosa’s father, Lord Villar, must have been under all kinds of pressure. Please persuade me quickly and get married. I think we will get married after a while anyway, so just push my back.

‘I’m sorry, sir.’

I didn’t mean to, but I did something bad to you.

***

There was news that Ryutis will likely get married around next summer.

The engagement is scheduled to take place in a few weeks, and I also received a message asking if I could send the sword at that time if I was going to send it anyway.

‘What is this?’

They made news about marriage that wasn’t even about the topic of swords. It’s nothing short of amazing.