Enlightened Empire

Chapter 455: Idiot (1)

This has to be the least dignified Lord I've ever met.

In Brym's opinion Lord Gratidia looked like a bum. Without any tension in his body — much unlike his vigilant appearance when he had first entered the room — the lord sat slumped in his chair and stared at Brym with murky eyes. Since he didn't have any time to get dressed, his clothes were simple, thin robes for sleeping, which made the combative lord in his fifties look like he was well over sixty.

Sure, they had surprised him in the middle of the night and caught him probably at the worst moment, but it still was an undignified look for a territorial ruler, one of less than a hundred high nobles in Medala. Though Brym wasn't exactly eager to complain about the lord's miserable appearance either.

Even if Inti's plan was silly, at least it properly disarmed my opponent. The man looks like he's about to fold in half at the slightest pressure. Let's not overdo it for now, before he does something radically stupid.

Since he didn't want to overexcite his guest, Brym wouldn't apply any pressure for now. Releasing pressure would sometimes be more effective in negotiations than applying it, since a sudden release would make others thankful, and lax in their responses. Thus, Brym patiently waited until the unsettled Lord Gratidia had taken a seat opposite him. Only then did he present his politest version of his standard introduction.

"Good morning, Lord Gratidia. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brymstock Fastgrade di Pluritac. I am the minister of finance for the Kingdom of the South, and thus part of King Corcopaca's privy council. In addition, I am the head of the Medalan Central Bank, as well as vice-president of the Wonders of the World line of shops."

It was a well-practiced introduction, and one which usually had quite the impact. His polite bow was contrasted by his impressive array of titles to create powerful combination. Over the past months, Brym had introduced himself in similar variations to quite a number of lords. All of them had looked impressed, or even intimidated. Not one had been left indifferent. In that regard, this Lord Gratidia was the first. Despite his apparent weakness, he didn't seem to care about Brym's identity at all. Rather, his body tensed again, and he straightened up in his chair.

"Where are my people? Where's Arria?" he yelled unreasonably. Maybe this guy just mistook Brym's politeness for weakness? Not for the first time since the start of this operation, Brym had to suppress a sigh. Clearly, today wasn't his day, or maybe he was just surrounding himself with the wrong people.

"Again, as I've said before, your lover is fine, and so are your men," Brym repeated, still as patient as before, though he at least hinted that he had hostages, just in case this unreasonable lord did anything drastically stupid. "They are currently being entertained off the premises, and should be enjoying their time a lot more than either of us are right now. At the very least, they aren't stuck in this cold, little room here, without any tea or refreshments."

The little joke was meant to be endearing, another attempt to lighten the depressing mood in the room. Many people would feel closer in the face of shared misery. Yet once again, Lord Gratidia defied his expectations. This time, he didn't react at all. He just stared at Brym with unblinking eyes, maybe in an attempt to guess whether or not he was lying.

Staring won't help you. I've been lying to kings since I was a kid.

At the dubious honor, Brym had to stifle a smirk rather than a sigh this time. Compared to the young merchant's vast experience of fooling people on several continents, this old lord didn't have a chance. Meanwhile the lord in question finally seemed to have made some decision. Rather than reply, he moved on to the next, unrelated question.

"How did you find me here?"

Bit by bit, the lord seemed to be waking up from his previous slump. By now he already looked somewhat sharp again, though his appearance was still a bit embarrassed. Maybe he had only felt humiliated after being beaten by a woman, and maybe being alone with the harmless looking Brym had returned his confidence. Sometimes, having an approachable face was a real disadvantage too.

"Clearly, you are underestimating the power of the southern kingdom," Brym shot back.

If he was honest, he himself had underestimated 'the power of the southern kingdom' before tonight. Rather, he had underestimated the power the ghost warriors had in the north, which had proven to be quite frightening.

His own people — who were a well-established presence in the city of Rhodanos and the surrounding region, with good connections to both wealthy commoners and nobles — had no idea where this Lord Gratidia had been hiding, yet the ghosts had held the information at the ready this whole time.

Not only had they known about all of Gratidia's lovers, they had also known which one the lord was staying with tonight. They had even known the exact room he was sleeping in within this courtyard. If that much hadn't already been enough, they had known about this secret room hidden in some random rock in the garden, and that Gratidia would retreat here once confronted with danger.

Maybe we should take more advantage of their information network. It seems quite beneficial, Brym tried to stay positive. He just hoped that his big brother knew what he was doing by giving the ghosts this much free reign.

"Your barbarian southern kingdom and power?" the lord finally asked back, his voice tinged in disdain. "Hiding in the shadows, nothing more. If your little spy hadn't attacked this lord from the back, none of you would still be alive. The south has no power at all, not this far north."

Right, he didn't like southerners, Brym finally remembered.

After all, this man had made his fortune by fighting the southern lords in the great civil war decades back. Not only did he dislike them, he would also consider them weak, since they had been the defeated party in that conflict. Surely, this man's mind had twisted the close and bloody conflict into a heroic victory tour with himself in the leading role. Maybe if he was reminded of his own weakness, the lord would be more willing to cooperate.

"Well, to me it seems like Lord Gratidia himself has only limited power this far north," Brym hinted at the lord's predicament.

Although he didn't like the southerners, the lord surely would be able to recognize just how cornered he was by the actions of the scholars. If he could admit that much, they would have a basis for negotiations, at least. Yet once again, Gratidia's grumpy face only became grumpier.

"Is that a threat?" the lord growled.

"No, a simple reminder that our enemies are the same." Brym remained calm, despite the man's clearly deliberate attempts at misunderstanding him. "I dislike the scholars, and what they have done to our stores in the north. Surely, Lord Gratidia would feel the same about the terror they had caused to the good people of Rhodanos."

Maybe, Brym thought, rather than talk to a southern minister, the lord would be happier to negotiate with the prestigious Wonders of the World shop's vice-president. After all, Brym knew that Lord Gratidia himself had been a regular customer at the Wonders of the World, although he never had bought all that much, owing to his limited wealth. While the position associated Brym with commoners, at least he wouldn't be representing the southern kingdom this way.

"The scholars were sent from King Amautu, and they have every right to enforce the king's law." The lord remained stubborn. Still, at least his stiff posture had eased somewhat.

Southerners equal enemies, and commoners are fine, I guess, Brym summarized. Slowly, he was getting somewhere. Now he just had to argue based on logic, and based on Medalan tradition. This guy looked like someone who valued at least the latter, if not the former.

"Does the king's law supercede the lord's law though? I mean, even the late Emperor Titu was only the first among many. What makes that northern king look down on his lords so much that he can interfere in their private estates?" Brym tried to stoke the flames. In response, Lord Gratidia harrumphed, either annoyed at Brym or at his king.

"Any issues with their king, the northern lords will handle themselves. The southern kingdom has neither power nor authority to get involved in the northern kingdom's affairs."

Finally, the lord had indirectly admitted his distaste for Amautu's power grab. At the very least, he had positioned King Amautu and the northern lords on opposite sides. This was something Brym could work with, finally. Now he just had to convince Gratidia that the south could indeed protect him from Amautu in the north, and they could work out a deal.

"Now then, the south should not be underestimated." Brym spoke quickly, encouraged by the slow but steady progress he had made so far. "From an economic perspective, the south has long surpassed the northern kingdom. By now, Saniya exceeds every city bar Arguna in prosperity. And the war in the south has also proven that the southern king can field a large army and fight the foreign invaders with it."

"An army of commoners." Gratidia just scoffed at Corco's terrifying army of thirty thousand, which had just conquered a star fortress. "This lord is not fooled. Not only are the southern troops all commoners, their only victory came against other southerners. Barbarians defeating barbarians is no achievement."

"What about King Pachacutec's attack on Qarasi Castle?" Brym tried to argue.

"More weakness from weaklings. Unlike the useless Pachacutec, Emperor Titu conquered the Narrows decades prior. Back then, the southerners were still fierce, at least. Today's so-called 'hero king' cannot even manage that much. Yet King Amautu is different. The scholar king's scholastic guard would be enough to destroy the merchant king's so-called army on its own."

And he didn't even comment on our economic performance, Brym thought with a look at the old man's self-satisfied face after bragging about his outdated achievements. Maybe he doesn't understand, actually.

"However, even without considering military might, the south certainly has considerable influence in the north. Many lords in eastern Medala are quite close to the southern king, House Petrocilius chief among them," Brym tried again. Even if this lord didn't respect the southern armies, maybe he would at least respect his fellow lords in the north. Yet once again, Gratidia's stubbornness astonished him.

"What good are those eastern fossils across the mountains?" he shot back. "And in a war, this lord would love to see how many would truly side with the south, with the northern king's armies at their doorstep."

Oh boy, what a pain. It's like this guy made up his mind a long time ago, and now nothing gets through to him. How will I ever sell my bonds this way?

Just as there was a lull in the conversation while Brym was considering his next move to soften up the stubborn old man's resolve, Inti returned with a tray of freshly brewed tea. While the two seated men were watching wordlessly, the woman in a man's clothing put the tray down onto the only table in the room, and then distributed three cups atop. After she was done, rather than pour the tea, she left the room as wordlessly as she had entered.

I wonder, is she still angry because I criticized her counterproductive plan today?" Brym wondered. "Wait, three cups?

Just in time, he realized what the third cup on the table meant, before Inti reentered the room with a third chair under her arm. Before anyone could say anything, she slammed the chair down onto the stone floor.

"Greetings, Lord Gratidia," Inti finally introduced herself, rather than sit down. Unlike Brym's assumption, she didn't look or sound angry at all. Rather, she sounded like a proper medalan noble. "This lady's name is Inti di Pluritac, daughter of General Atoc di Pluritac, and current representative of the King of the South at the Triumvirate in Arguna."

Let's see how this old guy is gonna complain about your introduction, Brym thought, not without a bit of self-satisfaction at the thought of a fellow sufferer under the old lord's moods. Yet to his shock, the lord responded politely. He even stood up first, to meet Inti at eye-level.

"This lord welcomes you to this courtyard, lady. Unfortunately, accommodations here are poor. Rather than this simple room, House Gratidia's main manor would have been a more suitable meeting place. Nevertheless, his lord hopes he will not appear as a poor host."

"Oh, no need to worry, Lord Gratidia, this lady has learned a simple soldier's life from her father and is not too delicate. Though if nothing else, the tea is sure to be delicious."

As Inti poured the tea and the two of them were making small talk, a baffled Brym tried to make sense of this new development.