Chapter 227 - King Raid

"Huh? The king of the Karvan Kingdom? You mean His Majesty Raid Distilleries Rayburn. King Raid became king at a young age, but due to various circumstances, he is extremely reclusive. In fact, I have heard that he is not good at interacting with people at all."

Glenn looked up diagonally as he spoke, as if recalling something.

"...Why would such a person become king? He is clearly unsuited for the role."

I muttered that while also feeling a sense of understanding. When representatives from each nation gathered, only the Karvan Kingdom and the Bushmills Empire never sent their kings. Well, one might say that kings simply have difficulty coordinating their schedules, but the fact that they had never attended even once in all this time was certainly worth noting.

"Then, does the king of the Bushmills Empire also have a personality that dislikes leaving the country?"

When I asked that, Glenn shook his head left and right.

"No, the Bushmills king is simply a very cautious person by nature. To be precise, King Raid is also cautious to the point of neuroticism, but the Bushmills king is on an entirely different level. That is precisely why he permits high-ranking nobles like Marquis Ramsay, who protects the border, to possess considerable military force. In other countries, rulers often avoid allowing a single noble to hold too much military power for fear of rebellion. It also shows how many times the Bushmills Empire has been invaded in the past."

"Bushmills has been invaded?"

I was surprised by Glenn's explanation. When I thought of the battle-hungry Marquis Ramsay, it was hard to imagine that as a country that could be invaded.

Having seemed to understand my thoughts, Glenn gave a wry smile and nodded.

"You should consider Marquis Ramsay and Felter as exceptions. The Cairn Marquis family is extremely militant. In the distant past, the Bushmills Empire was a much smaller country, and during the height of the slave hunts, it served as a sanctuary where beast-people could take refuge. When beast-people were targets of the slave hunts, the Bushmills Empire suffered terribly. Though now it is recognized as a great power."

"...There were truly dreadful times."

Slave hunts. What a terrible word. When I heard "beast-people," Shenley's smiling face came to mind, and my chest ached as if constricted.

They must have been discriminated against simply because they looked different. I caught myself thinking that it was good Shenley was not born in such an era, but immediately realized that was my own selfishness and fell into self-reproach.

Even in that era, there were many kind-hearted beast-people children like Shenley. I must not look away from the fact that those children were sacrificed.

Keeping that firmly in mind, I realized I had strayed from the main topic and called out to Glenn.

"...I understand that Bushmills Empire has such a history, but what happened to King Raid of the Karvan Kingdom?"

When I asked, Glenn pinched his chin with his fingers and hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Do you remember when I said earlier that King Raid became king at a young age?"

"Yes."

I answered, and Glenn nodded slightly before speaking.

"They say King Raid became king when he was only six years old."

"Six years old? How could someone that young possibly serve as king?"

I asked back in surprise at Glenn's words. Glenn narrowed his eyes with a slightly sad expression and lowered his chin.

"Of course it was impossible. That is why the minister at the time was appointed as King Raid's advisor. However, that advisor was only a title. It became a puppet regime created so that a minister not of royal blood could manipulate the kingdom as he pleased. The troublesome part was that King Raid was intelligent and cautious. Because of that, he realized early on that he had become a puppet, but the result was a civil war that split the country in two."

After saying that, Glenn crossed his arms and sighed.

"That civil war lasted five years. In the end, King Raid, who was still in his teens at the time, fought against the minister's faction while trembling in fear of assassination, unsure of who was ally and who was enemy, and ultimately beheaded thousands of people—including the minister's faction nobles, their relatives, and their collaborators."

"...Thousands. That many people were in the minister's faction."

He grew up in such a harsh environment from childhood. Thinking that, I felt something like sympathy for the King Raid I had never met. Glenn must have felt similarly, as he nodded deeply and sighed.

"That is likely the cause. King Raid treasures his loyal retainers from that time and, above all, his family very much. No, treasuring them is a good thing, but he goes a bit too far."

"You mean he is overprotective?"

"Yes. Simply put, that is it."

Glenn voiced his agreement.

Hearing that story, I gained some confidence that this might be manageable.

"Please rest assured. I have experience persuading overprotective parents. I will find a way."

I declared that with my chest puffed out, and Glenn's eyes widened as he looked up.

"Oh my. That is reassuring. By the way, how did you do it that time?"

Asked that, I recalled my time as a teacher in Japan and answered.

"Persuasion through time, of course. First, I conducted home visits to explain the situation, and later I had them observe actual classes. Seeing things with one's own eyes is important, after all. It is effective to arrange class observations without the students knowing."

When I said that, Glenn's cheeks twitched slightly as he spoke.

"...D-do you perhaps intend to summon that country's representative to Fiddiq Academy again? Last time it was Rox, so distance was not much of an issue, but summoning the king from Karvan Kingdom's capital seems quite difficult, I fear..."

Glenn asked that in a hesitant manner. Tilting my head, I stated my thoughts.

"I am not overly worried about that part. I have confirmed it on the map, but I should be able to reach them within two days one way using flight magic. First, I will go directly to the Karvan Kingdom and explain the details of this matter. If King Raid does not agree, we can have Jameson join the discussion. What actions were taken at a magic academy in another country. And why he was exiled from the country."

"Oh... Exile sounds quite severe. Could we not use a softer expression... No, more importantly, what will you do if King Raid still does not agree?"

Glenn said that with an uneasy look.

"We have no choice but to keep talking until he agrees. It will be fine. If I continue to persuade him with sincerity, he will understand eventually."

"...By the time that happens, the Karvan Kingdom might be destroyed..."

"Did you say something?"

When I asked Glenn, who was muttering something in a low voice, he immediately shook his head and spoke.

"Nothing at all."

For some reason, Glenn answered in broken speech.

Finding it odd, I left Glenn's office. After organizing the information I had obtained from Glenn, I concluded that, as I had initially expected, it would be best to go to the Karvan Kingdom and explain things before any trouble reached Fiddiq Academy.

Having made that decision, I immediately set about making preparations.