156. A Holiday in Bardenheim (3)
Direct interaction with Renslet carried significant meaning for both Bardenheim and the United Kingdom.
How much had they suffered under the exploitation of Imperial merchants just to purchase Renslet’s celadon, Arad’s salt, magic tools, artwork, and fertilizers?
"Was it last year? When Renslet’s Dawn Fleet first appeared in Bardenheim."
"Time has already passed that quickly."
"Back then, none of us, myself included, ever imagined that Renslet would send ships directly here."
The Renslet Embassy in Bardenheim.
A welcoming event for the distinguished guests from the distant North was quickly arranged.
Arad barely had time to step off the ship before he had to engage in conversations with Bardenheim’s mayor and other key figures.
"You must have had a hard time believing that the Renslet fleet had actually arrived."
"That’s right. But we had no choice but to believe it soon enough."
"Was it because of the special goods the fleet carried?"
"Hahahaha! I, Altair Phibes, was already convinced before even seeing the goods. The sheer size of those massive ships and the magic circles engraved on their decks were proof enough!"
The one speaking most loudly and enthusiastically was the Merchant King, who radiated confidence.
Altair Phibes, who appeared to be in his forties, shone his receding M-shaped hairline under the lights as he vigorously attempted to lead the conversation.
"Exactly! Now that I think about it, if Northern sorcerers were involved, then a frozen sea would hardly be an obstacle for them."
Not to be outdone, Bardenheim’s mayor, Damian White, chimed in.
Similar in age to the Merchant King, Bardenheim’s mayor also suffered from balding. However, unlike Phibes, whose hair receded from the front, Damian’s bald spot spread from the crown, giving him an unfortunate resemblance to a tonsured monk.
‘A life magic-based hair growth tonic would be a lucrative business.’
Observing them, Arad mentally added a new product idea to his list.
"We can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was a real crisis. That lunatic Emperor of the Empire unilaterally severed ties with the North, and everything turned upside down."
"Exactly! For those of us who relied on Imperial trade to buy Northern—no, Renslet’s—products, it was a complete disaster."
Besides Mayor Damian White and Merchant King Altair Phibes, other prominent figures from the city and the United Kingdom were also in attendance.
They were all doing their best to insert themselves into the conversation, setting aside their usual authority and pride.
Such an aggressive display of business-minded pragmatism was only possible in a place like Bardenheim.
"The more I think about it, the Emperor’s decision was utterly foolish. And we were actually in a better position compared to the Empire, since we weren’t as reliant on Mary’s Blessing, Arad’s salt, or magic stones."
"The Empire, which depended on them even more than we did, must have suffered terribly."
"It wasn’t just foolish—it was incomprehensible. If anything, they should have adjusted tariffs, not cut ties altogether."
"That just shows how confident they were. They thought they could end things in one decisive move."
"But in the end, it was Renslet and Chairman Jin who emerged victorious. Hahahahaha!"
The main theme of this conversation was singular—criticizing the Empire and its Emperor while praising Renslet.
While the United Kingdom also despised the Empire and its Emperor, probably not as much as Renslet did. Moreover, given that Renslet had long been on the fringes of civilization, they likely enjoyed the newfound attention.
Recognizing this, Bardenheim’s elite continued to press the topic.
"In any case, the Empire got what it deserved! Hahahaha!"
"Absolutely. They’ve been raking in absurd profits as middlemen for far too long. Justice always prevails in the end."
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"And it’s all thanks to Chairman Jin here, isn’t it?"
Their flattery was so excessive that it felt as if they were trying to drown the Renslet delegation in national pride.
"Chairman Jin! Could you sell us more of those container-type subspace warehouses? Name your price!"
"Speaking of containers, do you have any plans to visit other ports in the United Kingdom besides Bardenheim?"
Under different circumstances, in different positions, these people might not have acted so shamelessly.
Bardenheim and Feze were exceptions—most kingdoms and the Empire still upheld rigid aristocratic traditions.
‘Securing Renslet’s favor here is crucial!’
‘If I can bring Renslet to my side, it will give me a significant advantage in the line of succession!’
But people are shaped by their environments.
Each of these high-ranking nobles held positions like second or third prince, or were royal siblings in their respective kingdoms.
It was no coincidence that assassination wars erupted all over Bardenheim the moment the Empire weakened.
"Our Gargant Kingdom has a great port city. If you visit, we’ll not only open our ports but also lease you an entire harbor for a hundred years. We’ll also offer significant tariff reductions."
"Or how about the Scania Kingdom? As an island nation, we have countless rare specialties. We’ve also been renowned for our seafood for generations, so if you could just sell us some freezing containers…"
For them, this moment was both a lifeline and a golden opportunity to increase their chances of ascending the throne.
That was why they humbled themselves completely, despite being noble-born royalty.
They spoke with utmost deference—almost pleading—to someone who, in their eyes, was merely the head of a principality.
"Please, grant our kingdom a chance as well, Chairman Jin!"
"If Arad Group and the Rensletians visit, we will welcome you with open arms in the name of the Aurelia royal family!"
"If you come to our kingdom, we will provide a Rensletian district far grander than the one here in Bardenheim!"
Countless bloodshot eyes fixated on Arad.
"Of course, the Renslet fleet will visit other ports as well. We’ll proceed once we’ve constructed more ships."
"Ohhh!"
"And as for the subspace containers, we are considering setting up a factory within the United Kingdom for local production."
"P-Praise be! Praise be to Renslet and His Excellency Chairman Arad Jin Renslet!"
"Wait, there’s no need to go that far…"
"Renslet Rune Renslet!"
"Uh…"
"Renslet Rune Renslet!"
"…"
Caught between their praises and business negotiations, Arad managed each request with an increasingly perplexed expression.
All the while, he kept glancing sideways at Arina, who was silently seated beside him in her Mary Mode.
Noticing his gaze, Arina smirked and used a magic tool to send him a telepathic message.
[It pleases me to see Renslet being treated like this. And even more so that my husband is so popular. Is this what they call vicarious satisfaction? I haven’t even eaten, but I feel full.]
Receiving her telepathy, Arad’s eyes twitched slightly as he manipulated his own magic tool to respond.
[This is exactly why I wanted to dock quietly. Now our honeymoon is completely ruined, Arina.]
[Judging by the state of this city, we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it anyway. So isn’t it better to handle some diplomacy and gain something out of it, Arad?]
She wasn’t wrong. It was Arina, after all, who orchestrated the grand welcoming ceremony, even bringing in a military band to make a spectacle of their arrival.
"But this is rather embarrassing," someone suddenly said. "To have such distinguished state guests from Renslet, and yet, the first place we welcome them is here. Ah! Of course, I mean no disrespect to the Renslet Embassy."
While Arad and Arina exchanged telepathic messages, the conversation took a new turn.
"It just feels improper to receive a national dignitary at their own country’s embassy."
The one who raised the topic was Damian White, the mayor of Bardenheim. It was hardly surprising that he did.
"If we had known in advance, we would have hosted a grand welcoming ceremony at city hall. The citizens would have lined the streets to greet our esteemed guests."
Maintaining a warm smile, Damian continued,
"For the record, we are planning to hold an official welcoming banquet tomorrow evening. I ask for your understanding, as your visit was unannounced…"
It was a thinly veiled reproach—essentially asking why Arad had come to Bardenheim without informing him, the mayor and chairman of the United Kingdom.
"Ahem."
"Hmm…"
At the mayor’s words, the previously cheerful atmosphere in the room stiffened slightly.
"Hmm? But I did notify Ambassador Gard Stone," Arad replied, shifting his gaze toward Gard as he answered the mayor’s question.
It wasn’t an attempt to shift blame—he genuinely had no idea.
"What? Are you saying that the Renslet ambassador deliberately withheld the fact that Chairman Jin, a Renslet national dignitary, was visiting?"
"Withheld might not be the right word. I simply informed him that I would be visiting Bardenheim. It’s more accurate to say that he didn’t feel the need to share the details rather than actively hiding it."
"To me, that sounds like the same thing."
"Does it? Well, Gard holds full diplomatic authority, so he has considerable discretion in such matters."
"…"
Arad spoke as if he had no intention of reprimanding Gard for his decision.
‘What on earth are these Rensletians thinking? Is this why the Empire despised Renslet so much?’
With that thought, Damian White abandoned the idea of arguing with Arad and instead turned to Gard for an explanation.
"Ambassador Gard Stone, may I hear the full story? Right here and now."
All eyes shifted toward Gard.
"Hmm…"
Despite the tense atmosphere, Gard calmly sipped his Hayas tea from Scania.
A true Rensletian diplomat—one who had once extracted reparations from the Emperor of the Empire himself—wouldn’t be rattled by something like this.
"Yes. I deliberately kept Chairman Jin’s visit a secret. Even from those present here."
Gard swallowed his tea and responded with absolute confidence.
"Even from the mayor of Bardenheim? Isn’t that excessive?"
Arad tilted his head slightly at Gard’s response.
"Given the current state of this city, it wasn’t excessive—it was necessary."
"It’s that bad?"
"Yes. If word had spread that Chairman Jin was coming, this port would have been drenched in blood and corpses by now."
A chilling silence fell over the room at Gard’s resolute words.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Tension, like an icy wind, seeped through the veins of everyone present.
"T-That’s an exaggeration, Gard!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Damian White raised his voice.
"And! You claim it was completely secret, but that doesn’t seem to be the case! This merchant, Phibes, already knew about Renslet’s envoy visiting!"
As he spoke, Damian pointed an accusatory finger at Altair Phibes, his long-time rival.
"…?"
Now, all eyes turned to Altair Phibes, the Merchant King of the Feze Republic.
"Is this true, Merchant King?"
Gard, in particular, shot him a piercing glare.
If it were true, that would mean someone high up in the embassy had loose lips.
"Me?"
Finally, Phibes opened his mouth.
"When did I ever say that?"
With an utterly innocent look on his face, he radiated an expression that practically screamed, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about~.’
"W-What?! Don’t try to deny it now! Plenty of people heard you bragging about it back then!"
Furious at Phibes’ denial, Damian momentarily forgot where he was and exploded in anger.
"Ahh, that? That was a joke."
"…Huh?"
"To be honest, I was just as shocked as you."
"What are you talking about?!"
"But then I noticed that you didn’t seem to know about Chairman Jin’s visit either. So I just pretended like I did to mess with you."
"…!"
Damian stared at Altair Phibes, his jaw dropping in sheer disbelief.
"Damian White, this is why you’re unfit for your position. In times like these, you need to stay calm. Look at you, already losing your temper. You’re the chairman of the United Kingdom—how can you afford to be this reckless? Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"…!"
"And this is exactly why Bardenheim is in such a miserable state, with someone like you as its mayor and the United Kingdom’s chairman."
Smiling triumphantly, Phibes turned to Gard and continued.
"I completely understand Lord Gard’s decision. I visit this city often, but I’ve never seen it this dangerous before."
With a smirk of victory, Phibes sent a barrage of mocking ‘tsk-tsks’ Damian’s way.
"KRAAAAAAH!"
At last, the final thread of Damian’s patience snapped, and with a furious roar, he sprang to his feet.