Chapter 52

Chapter 52. Another Alliance (2)

At sunset, inside the pyramid lighthouse at Marcel Port.

The lighthouse magic item operator from Alexandria was explaining how the facility worked.

I listened alongside the magic item operators I had hired to manage the lighthouse.

“...Therefore, after installing this Luminous Crystal here, you channel mana according to the designated formula and the lighthouse will activate. We will now test whether it operates normally.”

At his signal, workers struggled to push over a huge stand holding a Luminous Crystal.

The crystal was enormous.

The knights had suffered quite a bit carrying it up from underground.

Thud.

When the stand was operated, the Luminous Crystal settled into the magic item.

“Now I will activate the lighthouse magic item.”

He circulated his mana.

Wooooom.

A sound began coming from the device.

Then the Luminous Crystal slowly rose along the pillar.

It climbed higher and higher until it disappeared through a hole beyond the distant ceiling.

“In about five minutes, it will begin glowing automatically. Let us go outside and confirm that it is functioning properly.”

I went outside with the magic item operators.

The sun had almost completely set, and darkness was beginning to fall.

When I looked up at the pyramid, the Luminous Crystal was sticking out from the top.

It already contained a faint glow.

Slowly, it began becoming brighter.

Pascal shouted excitedly from beside me.

“Ohhh! My lord, it’s lighting up!”

“I can see it too. Be quiet and watch.”

“Hahaha! Look at that! It’s getting brighter and brighter!”

I gave up trying to silence Pascal and stared at the crystal.

“The light emitted by that crystal is directional, so it always shines mainly in that direction. The maximum emission angle is approximately fifteen degrees...”

Even while everyone else silently stared up at the pyramid, the lighthouse operator continued explaining without pause.

Five minutes later, the Luminous Crystal reached maximum brightness.

Its beam stretched all the way to the horizon.

Everyone in the harbor watched in silence for a moment.

Then cheers erupted.

“Waaaaa! Long live our lord! Long live Marcel!”

“It’s a miracle from the gods!”

“The harbor will be bright at night now. I should open a food stall!”

Even though the lighthouse beam was directional, enough light spilled toward the harbor to make visibility much better.

“Pascal, people are going to complain that it’s too bright to sleep at night. Think of something.”

“We’ll hand out curtains.”

“We need to save money.”

“...Then I’ll tell them to attach wooden boards to their windows.”

At that moment, the Alexandrian lighthouse operator approached me.

“Congratulations, Viscount Marcel.”

“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you for the next year.”

“I will make sure the training proceeds without any problems. However...”

The lighthouse keeper hesitated.

“Speak freely.”

“Do you know that this lighthouse automatically gathers mana?”

“I know.”

Using [Convenient Lesser Appraisal], I had already learned the names and uses of the magic items inside the pyramid.

I also knew that the pyramid itself had the ability to gather mana.

“The lighthouse in Alexandria does not possess that function. Apparently, it was destroyed during a war and could not be restored. The technology has already been lost.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“I would like to make you a proposal. In exchange for keeping silent about it, appoint me as the person responsible for managing this lighthouse and give me a large salary.”

There had been nothing suspicious in his Appraisal information, so I had no particular reason to suspect him of being a spy.

And from another perspective, it was natural for a low-ranking official from Alexandria to become ambitious after coming to Marcel.

“There is discrimination against nonhuman races here. Slavery also exists. Are you still fine with that?”

“I heard that elf slaves are being freed here. And since you yourself do not discriminate against us, my lord, I have no problem with it.”

Slaves directly owned by the administration could have their slave brands removed and become free citizens once they met certain requirements.

It did not apply to everyone.

Still, the few existing examples were apparently enough for him to understand our territorial policy.

“Very well. I appoint you Lighthouse Administrator and will treat you as a resident of this territory. However, we will decide whether to increase your salary after one year.”

The lighthouse keeper smiled brightly.

This could also be considered a promotion for him.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“And build a family here as soon as possible. Nothing earns trust better than that.”

“I’ll start searching for a bride.”

After the lighthouse keeper withdrew, I looked at the lighthouse beam and sank into thought.

If Alexandria’s lighthouse is incomplete, they may eventually covet ours. Even if that lighthouse keeper keeps his mouth shut for now, the secret will leak someday. When that happens, I’ll have to protect this lighthouse somehow.

While everyone in the harbor remained mesmerized by the lighthouse beam, a merchant ship happened to enter port.

The Alexandrian merchant who had first told me about the lighthouse watched in amazement.

“Ohhh, look! The moment the lighthouse is activated, ships can enter even at night!”

“Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

“I wanted to see the lighthouse light up before I left. Now I have no regrets.”

Tears gathered in the merchant’s eyes.

He looked as though he had personally achieved everything himself.

I had no intention of scolding a man overcome with emotion, so I left him alone.

Then a sailor suddenly rushed down from the newly arrived merchant ship carrying a letter.

“A letter for the Lord of Marcel!”

* * *

Even though night had completely fallen, I summoned a meeting of the territory’s leadership.

The reason was the contents of Chloe’s letter.

[To my respected lord.]

[...Therefore, I had no choice but to form a marriage alliance with the Berber royal family.

However, because the details are a royal secret, I cannot explain the full circumstances in a letter.

In any case, preparations for the wedding are already underway here, so I hope you will come to Algiers as soon as possible.

From your lowly and insignificant Chloe.]

The officials and knights passed the letter around and thought deeply.

We did not understand the other side’s true intentions.

If I blindly went to Algiers, I might lose my head.

One elderly official strongly opposed the idea.

“Those knife-eared bastards have always been uncivilized creatures who deceive people and steal their property. How can we trust creatures only fit to be slaves? If you go there, my lord, who knows what they will do to you?”

His expression was ignorant and extreme, but there was some basis for his fear in this world.

The Berber Kingdom and Fatima Dynasty were exceptions because they possessed powerful and stable royal governments.

Most elves, however, formed tribal states and were constantly at war.

More than half the pirates sailing the seas were also elves.

Plundering had become an ordinary part of life for many of them.

Pascal, Chief of Civil Affairs, disagreed.

“Are elves not people? How can an official of this territory make openly racist remarks? And our opponent is a royal family. We have no idea what consequences we could face if we reject them.”

“Are you suggesting we gamble with His Lordship’s life?”

“We don’t even know whether his life is actually in danger.”

“The simple act of setting foot in Algiers is already risking his life!”

Their argument was becoming heated.

If I did not stop it now, they might develop a lasting grudge against each other.

“Enough. Neither of you will speak further. Administrator Ricardo, give me your opinion.”

Ricardo, who had been sitting there blankly, flinched in surprise.

He looked around cautiously before answering.

“I don’t trust elves either. But I trust Lady Chloe. I only met her briefly, but she is an extremely intelligent and capable person whom you personally brought here from Westfalen. Someone like that would not make a foolish decision. I believe you should go to Algiers, my lord.”

That was persuasive.

If we could not trust Chloe among my subordinates, then who could we trust?

The others seemed to agree.

A silence of acceptance settled over the room.

In the end, the final decision was mine.

This is definitely a trap that comes with a price. But Chloe is telling me to step into that trap. That means the benefit must be large enough to justify it.

The Berber Kingdom was a nation growing stronger every day based on its powerful military and agricultural production.

I had no idea why such a powerful kingdom would bother setting a trap for a minor frontier lord like me.

“I will go to Algiers.”

No one objected.

I selected the people who would accompany me.

* * *

Three days later.

The Benedikta entered Algiers Harbor just as dawn was breaking.

Other merchant ships from Marcel had visited this port while carrying Canada.

Captain Adrien, however, had never been here before.

He could not stop looking around.

“My lord, this port is incredibly crowded. There are so many small fishing boats that if I look away for even a second, we might crash into one.”

“If it looks dangerous, stay offshore.”

“No. I need to remain ready to take you away at any moment. Isn’t that what the lord’s ship is for?”

“Were you perhaps planning to visit somewhere nice while I was gone?”

“Ah, hahahaha!”

Captain Adrien and I laughed while looking at each other.

In reality, he was probably planning to go ashore and visit some entertainment district.

“Stop visiting suspicious establishments and find yourself a bride. How long are you planning to stay single?”

“I believe in remaining unmarried.”

My territory did not need people who believed in remaining unmarried.

I almost said something, then stopped.

He could handle his own life.

Soon, our group disembarked.

I had brought Martin, Raul, and several servants.

Since Diego and Chloe were already here, I had not brought any civil officials.

I had also left behind soldiers and young attendants.

Many attendants were sons of minor noble families, and I did not want their families becoming dissatisfied if something went wrong.

Anyway, while we were checking our luggage, a group of knights and soldiers approached us.

“Excuse me. I am a knight of the Royal Palace Guard. Are you perhaps Viscount Eric Marcel?”

“That is correct.”

“We have come to escort you to the royal palace. A carriage has been prepared, so please come this way.”

Our group followed them.

A magnificent passenger carriage was waiting nearby.

It was so large that eight fine horses were needed to pull it.

Perhaps because they were tense while guarding me, Martin and Raul did not act like country bumpkins even after seeing the carriage.

“If you keep that tense, you’ll exhaust yourselves. Relax a little. If they intended to kill us, we would already be dead.”

“I heard there are many bandits around here.”

“If someone looks at this carriage and still attacks, that bandit is probably a Sword Master.”

“Understood. I’ll relax my guard somewhat.”

Since the Royal Palace Guard was escorting us, I decided to travel comfortably.

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

The hooves of the knights, soldiers, and eight fine carriage horses shook the ground.

Everyone along our route hurriedly moved aside.

Watching a path open through the tightly packed city streets like the Red Sea splitting apart was quite a sight.

It was equally absurd that the Royal Palace Guard simply charged their horses through the crowds without hesitation.

“Wow. I never thought I’d experience something like this. Full speed in a carriage through a city. An ordinary person would die just from being brushed by this thing.”

“Cough, cough! Why is there so much dust? Eight horses make an unbelievable amount.”

Raul laughed when he saw Martin coughing while taking out a handkerchief.

“Hehehe, Martin, you really are delicate.”

To macho Raul, the idea of a knight carrying an embroidered handkerchief was apparently hilarious.

“Raul, I made that handkerchief and gave it to him.”

“What? Eek! My lord! Back in my hometown, only lovers would give each other something like...”

“Shut up before I turn you into yukhoe.”

“Yes, my lord.”

What an ignorant bastard.

And full of prejudice too.

What was wrong with cross-stitching?

Anyway, after a short while, we arrived at the Royal Palace of Algiers.

Perhaps because it was an elven castle, its design was extremely simple.

Except for the white lime covering its exterior walls, it looked surprisingly plain.

However, its size was enormous.

Even the interior of the royal complex was divided into districts, each one resembling a small city.

Our carriage stopped in front of what appeared to be a guest annex.

Servants rushed out, picked up our luggage, and carried everything inside.

“My lord! My lord!”

I turned toward the voice.

Diego and Chloe were approaching while waving.

When they reached us, I immediately scolded them.

“Diego, you’ve really grown bold. Now you’re casually waving at your lord?”

“Haha! Forgive me. I was just too happy to see you.”

“Chloe, what exactly happened?”

“Let’s go inside first. There are too many ears here.”

Just how secret was this situation if she was even cautious inside the royal palace?

I didn’t come here for nothing, right?