Chapter 72 - Seventy-Two ... A Grand Banquet

Chapter 72: Chapter Seventy-Two ... A Grand Banquet

Chapter Seventy-Two ... A Grand Banquet

’Well, this trip to the canton hasn’t been so bad after all.’

Watching his soldiers head back to the canton, Jan thought so.

There had been plenty of twists and turns, but hadn’t it turned a profit in the end? Of course, he would still have to go back to the canton and squeeze more money out of the councillors.

"We’ll be rich, we’ll be rich! Gold from every purse! Heh heh."

Just as the bishop’s cheerful little song put it.

Jan had worried that the curse might not have lifted, but it didn’t take long to realize the worry had been needless.

"My lord! Oh, most faithful lord. Thank you, truly. I owe you my life. Waaah! Praise the miracle of his holy and exalted lordship! May his glory endure for generations...!"

The moment they arrived in the canton, the dwarf councillor who was Captain Lampard’s uncle came rushing out to express his gratitude. Crawling forward barefoot in a coarse robe of the kind a monk might wear, sobbing as he bore witness, he was putting on a show that anyone could see through.

And yet not one of the vassals, soldiers, or mercenaries in Jan’s procession frowned at the dwarf councillor’s embarrassing display.

If anything, they were pleased.

A lord’s lofty reputation was the honor of those who followed him. With a member of the canton council singing Jan’s praises like this, they could not have been more satisfied.

"That’s enough. It’s embarrassing."

"Waaah. No, my lord! Don’t you truly deserve every word of praise?"

"..."

For Jan’s part, his face felt so hot it might burst into flames.

How the man could come up with such inventive ways to praise him, all the way up through relatives and ancestors Jan had never even heard of...

Was this the shamelessness of a councillor?

Quite apart from that, Jan had no desire to hear any more praise from the greedy dwarf. The words coming out of his mouth were simply too embarrassing to bear.

"That’s quite enough, isn’t it?"

"Hiik. I-I’m sorry."

"Good. If you know you’re sorry, get up and clear the way."

At Jan’s words, the dwarf councillor scrambled to his feet. Quick on the uptake as he was, he seemed to have read Jan’s mood well.

"Well? Have the other canton councillors been freed from the curse too?"

"Ah, yes. Fortunately, every one of them has been freed from the curse and is hale and hearty again. All thanks to your... ahem. Never mind."

About to launch into another long stream of praise, the dwarf councillor saw the crease forming between Jan’s brows and hurriedly changed the subject.

"In gratitude for your good deeds, my lord, the canton council has decided to hold a banquet. Would you be willing to attend...?"

"A banquet?"

"Yes. We mean to hold a grand banquet attended by everyone from the speaker of the council to its members and all the powerful figures of the canton."

"Hm, is that so?"

At the dwarf councillor’s words, Jan stroked his chin.

He was tired, but it was an offer attractive enough that he very much wanted to attend. Agphiel, who had been listening quietly, whispered to him.

"It’s a good opportunity. Every powerful figure in the canton will be invited, so it’ll be an excellent chance to extend your influence. The canton council is tangled up in the competing interests of its factions, and they don’t get along. If not now, it will be hard to gather them all in one place."

’Oh!’

Fortunately, Agphiel thought the same.

"Is there anything I should be careful of? I don’t know much about the canton’s interests or customs, Master Agphiel."

"Well, given your standing and what you’ve done here, who would dare hold a small slip against you? Just be at ease, as you always are. Most will assume that as a lord from another realm, you wouldn’t know, and let it pass."

"Hm. I see."

"However, the cantons have never gotten along with the Emperor of the Skincus Empire. As long as you don’t say anything kind about the emperor in front of them, you’ll be fine."

Fortunately, Jan had no ties to the Skincus emperor at all. In that case, there didn’t seem to be anything to worry about.

"Ah! There is one unusual thing."

Jan raised an eyebrow.

"I’ve heard that relations between the smiths’ guild and the merchant houses have soured lately. I’m told it’s over cheap goods produced in some domain... what do you call them, goods from those work... work..."

"Workshop-made goods?"

"Yes! Workshop goods! I hear those strange things have caused a great deal of friction among them. If you can smooth that over, it will surely work in your favor."

"..."

’I’ll have to make sure those two groups never meet.’

That was Jan’s resolve after hearing Agphiel’s advice.

The banquet was truly magnificent.

There was good reason the councillor, Captain Lampard’s uncle, had insisted on calling it a "grand" banquet. There were crowds of people and heaps of rare dishes. There was everything imaginable, from all kinds of fish rarely seen inland to spices imported from distant foreign lands. It was a lavish feast in every sense.

"Ha ha! To the faithful knight who lifted the curse with a miracle, the Gold-rank lord!"

"Now, now, don’t forget our Captain Lampard, who serves such a lord! Come, come. Lampard! Come here and have a drink! You’ve worked hard serving the noble lord."

"Look at this stubby little fellow! Trying to sneak his own nephew in!"

"That’s right, that’s right! This gathering is for the lord!"

"Bah! You rotten lot. Who said I wasn’t going to? There! Oh, my dear lord! This great deed will be sung as a heroic tale for generations to come!"

At the same time, it was a thoroughly informal affair. The dwarves, all flushed red with drink, were chattering away. It was hard to believe these were the powerful men of the canton city.

But given the canton’s history, it made sense.

The powerful families of the canton were a gathering of dwarf clans that had survived since the days of the old empire. Rather than a clear hierarchy of rank, the canton had a loose order among families.

Of course, to Jan’s eyes, it looked a little...

"What? You’re thinking they’re just like a barbarian tribe, aren’t you?"

"Ahem. Not at all, Master Agphiel."

"Not at all? It’s written all over your face."

Agphiel gave a small laugh as he answered.

"Still, this is one of the few powers ever to win its independence from the Skincus emperor. They brought the emperor to his knees through war. So you mustn’t judge them by this alone."

"Hm. You’re right."

Not that Jan had been looking down on them. Following Agphiel’s advice, he resolved to get closer to the dwarves.