Chapter 61
Tomorrow, I am to meet Siebert=Avail, the young King of Golbel.
This will be my second time meeting him in person, but he is a mild-mannered man. He might even seem somewhat unreliable for a king.
He could hardly be more different from His Imperial Majesty and the King of Rudek.
Nevertheless, considering the skill it took to confine his own father under house arrest and seize the throne, as well as his decisiveness in traveling all the way to Rudek's royal capital to surrender despite the many uncertainties surrounding Rudek, he is certainly not someone to underestimate.
Come to think of it, King Siebert's biological father apparently escaped from the room where he was being held and remains missing to this day.
Since he has not been found, it seems highly likely that he is being sheltered by the king of some country. My guess is that he intended to approach Golbel with some sort of deal at an opportune moment.
However, after a year of poor harvests, the balance of power on the Northern Continent changed dramatically. Golbel had fallen to become the smallest country on the continent, while at the same time gaining powerful backers in Rudek and Greedle.
If anyone tried to meddle with Golbel now, Rudek would inevitably intervene. And Golbel's former king has made a poor impression on Rudek. One wrong move could make enemies of both Rudek and Greedle.
The former King of Golbel must already be a complete liability. That is precisely why no one has offered to protect him—or rather, why no one can.
Assuming he is still alive, that is.
If I were a king somewhere, I would dispose of such a dangerous person immediately. That would be the safest course.
Thinking about it that way, the former King of Golbel may already be dead. In any case, it has nothing to do with me.
In any event, the Golbel delegation that came for this highway inspection had brought a small gift.
Goat meat and goat cheese.
I don't often hear of goat being eaten in Greedle, but apparently eating goat is part of Golbel's culture.
On the night they joined us, the Golbel soldiers led the effort to prepare and serve us a feast of goat dishes.
Goat meat... It has a distinctive, rustic flavor, and while I found it strange at first, the more I savored it, the more I came to crave its gaminess.
The goat-meat soup in particular was exceptionally delicious.
Once I got used to the aroma, it was a different story. The similarly strong-flavored cheese also made a fine dish when placed on bread, sprinkled with pungent spices, and grilled.
Goats, huh... I wonder whether they could be raised in Greedle as well?
Still, the question is how well the people of Greedle would accept this distinctive flavor. Or perhaps goats are already eaten in some town in my own country, and I simply do not know about it.
I think I'll ask a colleague about it next time.
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"Prince Zerand, Lord Roa, I apologize for the trouble, but please take good care of Shandar."
"Understood. We will guarantee your son's safety on our honor."
King Siebert gave a slight nod at Roa's reply, then shifted his gaze to his own son.
"Shandar. Father is glad to see how much you've grown since I last saw you. You should continue learning all you can from Prince Zerand and Lord Roa."
"Yes!"
All the Golbel soldiers watched Prince Shandar with warm, expectant gazes.
If Shandar continued to grow well, he would become a king with even stronger ties to Rudek. At present, the prince must appear to Golbel as a symbol of a bright future.
"I wish we could have visited the royal capital of Vajetta, but..."
Prince Zerand spoke apologetically. If they had been able to go to Golbel's capital, Shandar would have been able to reunite with his mother, so perhaps that was what he meant.
"No. For the time being, Shandar is in your country's care. He is prepared for that as well."
Shandar nodded firmly at King Siebert's words.
"...That said, even setting Shandar aside, once things have settled down, I would like Prince Zerand and Lord Roa to visit Vajetta at least once. The twins as well. I may be able to show you something rather interesting."
"Something interesting?"
When Prince Zerand tilted his head, the King of Golbel continued with a calm expression.
"Yes. The racetrack for the horse racing you twin knights told us about before, on the outskirts of Vajetta, should be nearly complete."
"What!? A racetrack just for horse racing!?"
I had no idea what they were talking about, but judging from Roa's reaction, it seemed to be quite unexpected.
"Yes. One nobleman is extremely devoted to horse racing. He wanted to build a racetrack even if it meant spending his entire personal fortune, so construction has been moving forward under his direction."
"Roa-Roa, I want to see it."
"Roa-Roa, why don't we just go have fun there right now?"
Roa smiled wryly at the twins' suggestion.
"It isn't finished yet, so why don't we wait until it is?"
"...Well, that's true."
"It's a promise."
The royals also laughed as the twins finally backed down.
"As you heard, the twins are looking forward to it, so we'll be sure to visit someday."
"Come whenever you like. You will be welcome."
As I listened to their conversation, I wondered whether goats were also a specialty of Vajetta. I made a firm note to myself that I absolutely had to accompany them.