875 – No Country for Two-Eyed – 3
Exactly two days after meeting Princess Salia, this time the King of Armenia attempted to make contact.
As soon as I heard that the King was looking for me, my heart started pounding. If he had come three days ago, I would have been worried about what was calling me, but he came looking for me after Princess Salia left?
‘You did it.’
It seems that Princess Salia has succeeded in persuading the King. The Princess has succeeded in moving the Sky Slash demonstration venue to a different location than the Sword Tomb, and the King will contact her to ask for her understanding regarding the sudden change of venue.
It would certainly be so. The firearms shown by Princess Salia, the support of the party demonstrating the Sky Slash, the justification that the rest of the dead cannot be disturbed, the Emperor’s indifference, etc. There are enough factors to convince the King of Armen.
‘It’s done now.’
I shed tears of relief and emotion inside.
If it weren’t for the swordsmanship, even if the relationship between the two countries becomes distorted in the future, the damage that would come to me would be small. I can’t say that it won’t happen at all in good conscience, but if it weren’t for the swordsmanship, I could push forward with the ‘King asked me to do it, so what can I do?’ If it doesn’t work out, I can complain to the King.
I thought about it for about 30 minutes.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never shown the Count the Sword Tomb. This is truly embarrassing, to not show the location to the person who is supposed to cut down the sky at the Sword Tomb. “
Until he was taken to the tomb by the king.
It was embarrassing. I visited the palace with light steps, but they snatched me away without mercy, as if they were waiting for the moment when I would let my guard down.
The problem was that the tomb was located deep inside the palace. If you ran away from here, you would become an outsider who infiltrated the palace and roamed around without permission. You would become a spy who roamed around the palace, the heart of the kingdom.
‘Are you sure you’re aiming for this?’
His teeth chattered. Considering Princess Salia’s actions, she must have already recommended a relocation to the King. If that’s the case, then it means that the King heard the words, “The Count is reluctant to cut the sky at Geommyo.”
In that situation, if I were to ask you to go to Geomyo, you would most likely avoid me, so I left out the Geomyo story and called you to the palace first. So that I could let my guard down and wait for the relocation. So that I could take you to Geomyo right away once I arrived at the palace.
‘Cruel human.’
Of course, this is just my personal interpretation. I can’t guarantee that the King really fought a petty fight to kidnap her and force her to cut down the Sky with the Sword and Tomb.
But what does that matter? I, the person involved, think that way. I, whose hope has disappeared before my eyes, hate the mastermind.
‘Why did it fail?’
Eventually, frustration and sadness turned into doubt.
To be honest, the justification that Princess Salia and I had prepared was not a perfect justification, but it was at least a 90-point justification. If the King of Armenia was even a little bit normal, it would have been easy to convince him.
The emperor, who is the subject of the negotiation, says that he doesn’t care where the sky is cut, but I, the person concerned, say that I am reluctant to disturb the peace of the deceased in the tomb of the deceased, and his daughter, the princess, is consistently opposed and says that they should find a better place. In this case, there is no reason to refuse.
Nevertheless, the king maintained his original policy. He pushed ahead with the heavenly burial of the tomb without regard for the peace of the deceased or his daughter’s objections. It was a result that defied common sense.
‘What kind of person was the previous king?’
I soon began to wonder what the previous King of Armenia had in mind when he chose the current King as his crown prince. How big a picture did he have in mind when he chose this person as the next King?
Did he completely cosplay as a normal person when he was crown prince? Or was the previous king also crazy and liked the current king?
I hope it’s not the latter. If it’s the latter, then the Robbens royal family itself is a corrupted bloodline. Not just this generation, but all of their bloodlines over hundreds of years.
“What do you think, Count? This is the heart and holy place of our Armenians, the Sword Tomb!”
‘A human being who knows that.’
I almost sighed at the proud voice of the king.
You know that Geommyo is your heart and your holy place. I thought Geommyo in your head was just an empty lot or a back alley. That’s why I thought you were going to leave like this.
“Since the first king, Zabel I, founded Armenia on this land, the heroes who left their mark on Armenian history have buried their will here. Although their graves are separate, if it is where the beloved swords that accompanied them throughout their lives are kept, it is no different from a second grave.”
“Your Majesty’s words are correct. To a warrior, darkness is like half of life. If that half is asleep, it is no exaggeration to call it a grave.”
While responding appropriately to the king’s words, his gaze was directed behind the king.
Second tomb? Let’s say that’s true. The name itself is ‘검묘’ and the purpose of its construction was to be a tomb. I don’t have any intention of interfering with the culture or historical sites of another country without any sense.
However, since the tomb is a second tomb and a holy place for Armenians, there is one problem that is incomprehensible.
‘Why is that here?’
A greatsword with some writing on its face. Compared to other swords scattered around the tomb, it shows no traces of age at all, and you can tell that it was brought into the tomb only very recently.
And strangely enough, a great sword that I had never met before was proudly sitting in the sword tomb.
‘It’s the sword I sent.’
I was extremely embarrassed by the familiar objects I encountered in an unfamiliar place.
Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. I, who gave you the gift, and the lute you received as a gift are both alive and well. Why are you just sitting there among the relics so nonchalantly?
‘Is this a notice of assassination?’
For a moment, I even had that thought. Could this be some kind of assassination declaration to send one of Nana and Ryutis to the goal? Ryutis’ wedding wasn’t just any wedding, it was a blood wedding.
“Haha! The Count noticed it too!”
Meanwhile, the king, who was explaining the history and significance of the sword, turned his head to follow my gaze, burst into loud laughter, and tapped the sword I had sent him.
“It is a gift from the best swordsman on the continent, and a precious item with inscriptions that a warrior should keep in his heart. That is why it is being kept in this sword tomb.”
“Your Majesty. I am truly ashamed, but I am an Imperial citizen and am still alive─”
“Don’t worry. These are minor issues compared to the endless path of nothingness.”
No, you crazy person. What’s so trivial about putting a living person’s belongings among your belongings?
‘…Is it something trivial?’
Now, I’m starting to get a little confused. Maybe it’s because I’m staying in a one-eyed country, but I feel like my values are also becoming one-eyed.
Anyway, after that, I toured the tomb for about two hours under the guidance of the King of Armenia.
“Pineya.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“This won’t do, but I think the Emperor will like it.”
“…yes?”
As soon as I returned to my lodgings, I sighed into Fine’s arms.
The tone is a bit strange, but it’s sincere. After dealing with the King of Armenia, I began to think that the Emperor might as well be a fairy.
He’s a son of b*tch, but he’s a predictable son of b*tch, but the King of Armenia is unpredictable, what he’ll say a second from now, what he’ll do a minute from now. He’s an son of a b*tch.
‘This won’t do.’
It’s unfair. The Emperor must always be my worst boss in my heart. I can’t stand to be bullied even a little bit.
Whenever I have to express my justified anger when I have a comparison like this, I end up achieving a mental victory like, ‘But it’s better than the King of Armenia.’
‘Fuck.’
Why is there no monarch of the first or second-ranking country on the continent?
Could it be that the relationship between the two countries has normalized because both of them are crazy? It’s a pretty plausible hypothesis, and it’s driving me crazy. There’s a reason why they say birds of a feather flock together.
After the King of Armenia’s guide to the tomb, I gave up. Now, I will stop holding on to vain hopes and humbly accept my future.
Without even considering the peace of the dead, it would be best to just throw the Sky Blade at them, say a few farewells, and then return home. If you call a teleportation wizard in advance and use magic to jump in as soon as you’re done, who can stop you?
In the first place, if I cast Sky Slash, there would be no reason for Armenians to stop me. Rather, you and I would be busy cheering while looking at the split sky.
‘Even the nobles in the afterlife might like it.’
My head felt dizzy, so I quietly placed my hand on my forehead.
“The first king, Zabel I, considered human development to be a beautiful art. That’s why he would be very pleased to see a warrior cutting through the sky with a single sword.”
The words that the King of Armenia had quietly said while guiding us through the tomb. The words that could have instantly destroyed the cause that Princess Salia and I had put forward.
If the first king, whose soul was sleeping in the tomb, liked it, then there was no more objection. What can I do if the deceased wants it? I should work for the joy of the deceased, not the peace of the deceased.
“…I just learned that King Zabel I is quite an open-minded person.”
“The Count heard it too.”
Princess Salia, who was sitting across from me, opened her mouth in a grave manner.
Princess Salia, who came back to see me as soon as she heard the news that I had visited the tomb, lowered her head with a gloomy expression. She said that she had tried her best, but in the end, she had failed to persuade me.
After that, the two losers continued their miserable tea time. They sighed and complained like they were doing now, and had a conversation full of frustration.
“I never thought the King would leave such a will. I never thought His Majesty the King would hide it.”
Maybe it was my imagination. I just heard the sound of Princess Salia’s teeth grinding.
In fact, it is a situation that would not be strange even if it was changed a hundred or a thousand times. It is said that he intentionally hid it because he was afraid that it would be refuted if it was revealed early. Why is he showing such political power against his daughter? The Robens royal family said that the friendship between family members is good.
“By the way, Your Highness the Princess. I saw a very familiar sword at the sword tomb.”
But I tried to change the subject because I thought that if I left the princess alone, her teeth would get damaged at a young age.
At the same time, it was a topic I was curious about. Why on earth was the sword I gave as a gift in the sword tomb?
“Is that a familiar sword?”
Princess Salia tilted her head at my words, but soon let out a short exclamation.
“You saw it. Well, it would be stranger if you didn’t see it since it was placed in such a visible place.”
“I was truly embarrassed and in a difficult position. The tomb is clearly a place to honor the spirits of great warriors, but it felt like I, a living being, was interfering with it.”
“Oh, that.”
Princess Salia smiled awkwardly at the questioning disguised as humility.
“His Majesty the King’s sword is there too.”
“…yes?”
“You said you were going to put the sword in the tomb anyway when you die, so you put it there in advance? The sword the Count sent was probably put there for a similar reason.”
I quietly grabbed my teacup after hearing the princess’s explanation.
This strange and unconventional country, I can’t understand it anymore.