149-Episode 149: Messenger's Story




 When I heard the report of the messenger's arrival, I wondered if he had decided to surrender.

 The Clan thought so, too, and let the messenger through instead of paying the gate.
 Naturally, I took the precaution that it was a trap for the enemy. A strict body check would be carried out with great care to assassinate him. Although the messenger didn't have any weapons concealed, he still took great care, and it was decided that his right-hand man Robinson, not the Clan, would be in charge of the actual meeting.

 The place of the meeting was the great hall of Starz Castle. Not only Robinson, but other influential nobles are also present in the room. I was at the far end of the room watching the meeting.

 The great hall opens and a messenger comes inside. There were two soldiers right beside the messenger to keep him from acting poorly.

'I'm here at the behest of Master Cances. My name is Vince Robance.

 He was a middle-aged man with a balding top of his head. Upon appraisal, his leadership and martial prowess were in the low 30s, but his intellect was high at 72 and politics 79. It's a status that makes him feel like a complete civil servant.

'I'm Master Clan's deputy, Robinson. Master Clan is a little under the weather, so I can speak to you on his behalf.''

 Robinson lied. It's probably because he can't be honest because he might assassinate her.

'I understand. Now let me get to the point. I am here to ask for a truce.

 Vince called a truce, and the place was buzzing.

 Some were yapping at him, wondering if there was any such thing as a truce at this point in time.

 I was surprised, because I thought he had come as a messenger of surrender to make the terms of the truce as good as possible for Cancess.

 Either way, a truce is not something that can be accepted. He would refuse.

''A truce........? I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable under any conditions. Please leave.

 Robinson said politely, but the other nobles were ranting to go home.

'You will have to hear me out. We have a secret weapon in this room that we have not yet used.

 A secret weapon.
 He just said the strangest thing.

"What's a secret weapon?
"Castle Bertsd has been developing magical weapons for some time now. We have developed a super-sized catalyzer and a magic that can crush a city in one blow. If we wanted to, we could destroy this Starz Castle. We wouldn't want to use this either if we could.

 As soon as I heard it was a bluff, I thought.
 If it were true, I could blow up this castle with an entire clan, but if there was such a thing, I would have used it sooner.

''That's a lie. I've never heard of the existence of such a weapon. If there was, why haven't they used it until now?''

 Robinson said what I thought.

 The nobles around me agree with Robinson.

 But Vince didn't back down either.

''It's a weapon that kills a large number of people, so it can't be used easily. It can only be used when the situation is as bad as it is now.

 That's a fair point, but I still don't believe that such a thing is convenient.

 I just can't say for sure that it's never there, and I thought it was a troublesome thing to say.

 Vince continued to talk after that.
 Vince was moderately skilled at oratory, and the nobles who had declared it to be a lie gradually came into the air that it might possibly be true.

 Robinson decided that it's not good to let them talk like this, and once the meeting with Vince was terminated, he had them leave.