Valkyrie's Shadow

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 3, Chapter 9

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 3, Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Evil.”

The traces of a frown appeared on the Countess of Corelyn’s face.

“It wasn’t ‘evil’.”

“Eeeeeeevil,” Liane said.

“It wasn’t evil,” Clara’s frown deepened. “It was…it was just business!”

“Uh-huh,” Liane rolled her eyes. “That’s what evil people say. As the evil person of the group, I am fully qualified to make this assessment.”

Back in their state room in the Draconic Kingdom’s Royal Palace, Liane and her friends lounged about as they waited for the next session of their negotiations to begin. Clara looked utterly displeased at Liane’s assertion, but Liane only smiled back.

Most people would probably call what she was doing evil in the same way that most people considered Merchants evil or at least unscrupulous. Clara was on her way to selling grain to the Draconic Kingdom at prices that the same type of grain commanded in the Theocracy.

While it seemed perfectly acceptable to match the price of their closest competitor, the offer didn’t mention the fact that the ridiculously superstitious population of the Slane Theocracy did not import anything from the Sorcerous Kingdom. At the same time, their superstitious stance did not appear to stop them from exporting things that they thought were ‘safe’ to sell to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Knowing how stupidly powerful the Sorcerous Kingdom was, Liane couldn’t see why they thought it mattered.

Though a year had passed since the Sorcerous Kingdom’s advent, regional markets were still limited for its goods. Not only was the largest market – the Theocracy – not importing anything, but efforts in Re-Estize were facing similar difficulties. The Empire was very slowly opening up to certain products, but not enough to absorb the surplus production from the Sorcerous Kingdom’s highly-productive agriculture. Markets further out had similar reservations about purchasing produce from a nation ruled by an Undead sovereign, had all sorts of ‘evil creatures’ in its leadership, and utilised Undead labour.

The only foreign market that took full advantage of what the Sorcerous Kingdom offered was the Kingdom of the Azerlisian Mountain Dwarves. Their total population, however, only numbered about a hundred thousand. In the end, about ninety-seven per cent of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s production was consumed internally. Given half of that production was surplus and that number was projected to double by the autumn harvest, prices for the Sorcerous Kingdom’s main exports – if one didn’t count the Undead – were set solidly on a course for near-term collapse.

While it wasn't the worst of problems to have – the citizens were ecstatic about the plummeting cost of living and the threat of nonexistence via starvation, exposure or raids was nonexistent – it was absolutely frustrating as a Merchant. They were making some progress with exports, but that progress was slower than the growth of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s industries so it felt like they were steadily falling behind.

The person who was probably having the most success adapting to the developing situation was Florine. Most people didn’t understand what she had been doing – or just thought she was doing it out of the fluffy goodness of her admittedly fluffily good heart – but what she was up to was slowly dawning upon the shrewd.

It was actually pretty simple. Citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom were prohibited from eating other citizens. This was a huge disruption to the ‘economy’ of carnivorous species that supplemented their hunting with raiding. Furthermore, without the historical competition between tribal populations, those populations would grow and become unsustainable in their territories.

Florine was already the principal producer of livestock in the Sorcerous Kingdom. The cheap price of fodder meant that her operations could grow. The creation of Wagner County gave her access to land for that livestock. Her work with the Sorcerous Kingdom’s Demihuman tribes integrated them into the economy and allowed her to forge connections and establish trade routes.

As a result, she had smoothly manoeuvred to entrench herself in a market that needed her goods and encountered no competition while doing so. To top it off, everyone loved her for it.

Now, it was Clara’s turn. Like Florine, her actions were not only profitable, but would establish her as the sort of official that people would bend over backwards to accommodate. They didn’t know what it was like to be on her bad side, but that didn’t matter as everyone would want to be on her good side.

“We might call it arbitrage,” Liane said, “but selling things at twenty times their production cost would’ve had me labelled as an ‘evil and greedy Merchant’ for sure!.”

“Aren’t you selling machinery and parts at fifty times the production cost?” Clara said.

“That's not the point!”

Clara would probably be considered a saint by the end of it all. A saint that made money hand over fist. Whoever popularised the idea that nice people couldn’t get ahead was a filthy liar.

They looked up from their lounging as Ludmila’s Lady’s Maid, Aemilia, entered the room. Since Ludmila was out murderising Beastmen, Aemilia had volunteered to stay in the state room and keep an eye on the place while the rest of them did their thing.

“The palace staff has informed us that the throne room is prepared to receive you, my ladies,” she said. “How shall I respond?”

“Are they feeding us again?” Liane asked, “After visiting Warden's Vale, I think we can go without food for the next year.”

“An evening banquet is being prepared, Lady Wagner,” Aemilia answered.

“At this rate,” Liane muttered, “we’re each going to need a barge to ship us back to the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

Their Lady’s Maids made some last-minute checks over their outfits before they left the state room and made their way through the palace. The mess left by the fight that raged throughout the complex was still being cleaned up, but the way between their state room, the throne room, the royal apartments and the palace entrance had been cleaned up.

When they turned the corner of the corridor to the throne room, they found Lord Tian standing at the threshold of the royal apartments on the opposite end of the hallway. Clara led them over to the Royal Butler and they offered their greetings.

“Lord Tian,” Clara said, “thank you for your hard work.”

“Lady Corelyn,” he returned their curtseys with a bow, “likewise, it pleases me to see your benevolent approach to diplomacy. My travels around the world have brought many dark things to my attention, so it is most gratifying to see the Sorcerous Kingdom as a force for positive change.”

“It is our pleasure to serve as agents of His Majesty’s just and merciful rule,” Clara rose from her curtsey with a smile. “Building bridgeheads in the Draconic Kingdom is a golden opportunity to create a favourable image for our nation.”

“It seems that you are well on your way in that regard,” Lord Tian said. “I was concerned that the unexpected state of the Draconic Kingdom would affect your plans in some way.”

“The state of the Draconic Kingdom was a surprise, my lord,” Clara replied, “but the fundamental issues that we planned to address have not changed. It pains me to say this, but their current state only serves to magnify the beneficial effects of our efforts.”

“Is that so? Hmm…I had my misgivings when several of my colleagues mentioned the same thing, but I suppose that events were not the result of any purposeful machinations on our part.”

“Just so, my lord,” Clara nodded. “Turning those events in a favourable direction is what truly matters. For both of our countries.”

If it was anyone else, Liane would have screamed ‘bullshit!’ at the ridiculously goodly exchange, but she knew that Clara and Lord Tian meant every word of it.

“Why are you standing out here, anyway?” Liane asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be attending to the Queen?”

“It would be inappropriate to enter the Royal apartments…”

Inappropriate, my ass.

Maybe it was technically inappropriate, but if Lord Tian simply said so, there was no way the Queen would refuse. Never mind any hesitation over impropriety, most women would jump on him the moment he showed even the slightest hint of interest.

The sound of heels clicking over the polished marble floors issued from within the royal apartments. Clara led them into the throne room where they awaited the arrival of the Queen.

“Did anyone offer to fix that door?” Liane asked, “All of our Maids can cast Mending on that thing.”

“They declined our offer, my lady,” Rose said from behind her. “It’s a magical door with some devices attached to it so they’re waiting for someone with advanced Mending spells to preserve its condition.”

“That so?” Liane glanced at the hole in the door, “I wonder how long they’re gonna be waiting for.”

“What do you mean?” Florine asked.

“You saw the reports,” Liane answered. “Those Beastmen aim for the strongest first. I doubt there’s even a single Second-tier caster left in this country.”

“But they’re artisans,” Florine said, “not combatants.”

Liane snorted.

“I doubt that the Beastmen care whether it’s an Elementalist or an Alchemist that’s flinging Fireballs at ‘em. Well, we’ll find out for sure when we go out tonight.”

The throne room door opened and the Captain of the Guard announced the arrival of Queen Oriculus. Liane joined Clara and Florine in respectful curtseys as she made her way past them to the throne.

“Please, have a seat,” the Queen gestured to the table along one side of the central carpet. “We would like to move things along before dinner this evening.”

They took their seats, as did all but one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting on the table opposite the carpet to them. The silver goblets at each seat were filled with some sort of midnight liqueur with a spicy aroma. Liane eyed her drink curiously.

?Hey, what’s this??

?It’s a speciality of the Draconic Kingdom, Black Scale. Finding it north of Theocracy is next to impossible. The Draconic Kingdom might be the only source.?

Liane took a sip, savouring the spicy-sweet flavour that blossomed over her tongue. While she had never seen it before, she had heard of Black Scale. It was made from berries of the Midnight Lantern, a variety of nightshade that grew in the valleys of the Oriculon Reach. Usually, the only way one could get their hands on a bottle was if it was a gift. As such, it was perceived as a symbol of diplomatic prowess throughout the region.

Clara pulled out extra binders with the details of their proposal from her Infinite Haversack for Queen Oriculus and her court to peruse. The flipping of pages punctuated the air as they waited for the Queen and her courtiers to read through it. Liane smiled slightly as she watched them steal glances at their table several times a page.

?Think they’ll try to change anything??

?It would be utterly strange if they just accepted every single clause.?

?…but what if they do??

?They won’t.?

“Just to confirm, Lady Corelyn,” Lady Yorsten said from her desk on the right side of the throne, “we are to provide our own Commanders for these security forces?”

“Yes, Lady Yorsten,” Clara replied. “Once the current Beastman invasion has been put to an end, of course. Those most familiar with the Draconic Kingdom are best suited for overseeing its national security, yes?”

“In a normal situation,” Lady Yorsten said, “I would agree. In this case, however, we have no army to speak of, never mind Commanders.”

“While the task may appear daunting at the moment,” Clara said, “you will find that the Undead are not as difficult to manage as you imagine. Once again, the Sorcerous Kingdom desires a lasting and fruitful relationship with the Draconic Kingdom. If you desire consultation, all you need do is ask.”

Lady Yorsten glanced at the Draconic Kingdom’s table, then at Queen Oriculus. She at least appeared to be aware that Clara was trying to entangle them even further.

“We’ll see if any of the Nobles in the palace would like to try their hand at it,” Lady Yorsten said after a moment. “In the case that there isn’t anyone available, what are our options?”

?Hey, wait a minute…are they talking to one another? Like this??

?It almost seems like it, but we won’t know for sure unless we ask.?

Of course, no one would admit to having the capability. Even asking potentially gave away an advantage.

“Each squad has a sergeant,” Clara replied. “They will carry out any broad instructions that you issue to them. While this will put their raw strength at your disposal, it will not convey any of the benefits that a Commander would bring. If Baroness Zahradnik were here, she would strongly urge you to develop a military that can operate in parallel with the Undead. In the end, however, what matters is that you are satisfied with the results.”

The courtiers exchanged glances again. Were they talking, or not?

“We will have to speak about this with Baroness Zahradnik,” Queen Oriculus said. “Our primary concern is whether they can stop the Beastmen the next time they come.”

“If it’s something like what’s going on right now,” Clara said, “any position that they attempt to maintain would be untenable. While I cannot be completely sure that what I’m saying is correct, it should be similar to the Draconic Kingdom’s previous situation except that you will control the relief forces rather than needing to depend on Adventurers and foreign expeditionary armies.”

Queen Oriculus nodded at her words.

“That is an acceptable arrangement,” she said. “We will explore what options are available with Baroness Zahradnik once we are in a position to do so. Lady Delerose, you may continue.”

?Woo, so cool~ I wanna be like her when I get older…or younger??

?She does seem very confident now that she has solid information to work with. Those courtiers are her ladies-in-waiting too, aren’t they? They all appear to be very talented.?

The plight of the Draconic Kingdom had painted it as a sort of damsel in distress to the rest of the region. This image dominated common knowledge and perception, lending to other expectations of a nation in that situation. However, it could very well be that the Draconic Kingdom was much stronger than it looked.

Lady Delerose rose from her seat.

“I would like to understand what calculations are made to arrive at the lease rates that you’ve presented to us,” she said. “Magical vocations and industries are, by and large, not very well-developed in the Draconic Kingdom due to its inherent instability. The workings of an advanced and highly-integrated magical society are unknown to us.”

Yeah, you and us both…

“It is what His Majesty has decided,” Clara replied. “The rates are not under our delegation’s control. As the proposal notes, there are various strengths and weaknesses that come with using the Undead security forces and using them to maximal effect is dependent on the operator. You will note that the rates for security forces are not very different from that of the same types of servitors used for menial labour.”

The Sorcerer King had set the rates for Death-series servitors far below what they should have been. Presumably, this was to encourage adoption rates, but it actually had the effect of making the offer seem suspicious. If the Undead servitors had instead been priced as a high-quality, high-efficiency service, prospective clients would instead rationalise why that service was worth the cost, internally reinforcing their value.

His Majesty probably had some incomprehensibly deep and far-reaching reason for why things were that way, however. All they had to do was carry out their duties and see what would come of things in the long run.

“I see,” Lady Delerose said. “Well, the price does come as a relief…is there any risk of contract rates changing in the future?”

“The Sorcerous Kingdom has leased out many Undead servitors in the past year,” Clara said, “and these rates are the same as we’ve offered elsewhere. I would expect a reasonable period to pass before they are updated to be more in line with their true value.”

Lady Delerose sat back down. Lady Soruel stood after she did so.

“Lady Corelyn,” she placed a slender hand on the table in front of her. “Our Temples will inevitably raise concerns over the presence of the Undead. How will our government be able to convey reassurances that they will not turn on the citizenry or spread their taint about and give rise to more of their own kind?”

?Bahaha, I wish Ludmila was here to hear that.?

“These Undead are summons, Lady Soruel,” Clara replied.

“Be they summons or not, they are still Undead. The Temples are all agreed on the fact that the Undead bring harm to the living and pollute the land to give rise to their own.”

Liane eyed the pendant nestled in the woman’s cleavage with a frown.

?That’s an Alah Alaf pendant…but followers of The Six never say anything like that in E-Rantel. What gives??

“I am curious why a follower of The Six would say something like that,” Clara said. “Or is the Faith of the Six not one of the predominant religions in the Draconic Kingdom?”

“Roughly eleven per cent of the population worships the Six Great Gods,” Lady Soruel replied. “This makes it the religion with the second-largest following in the Draconic Kingdom. Still, I don’t understand your statement. Followers of The Six hold roughly the same beliefs as everyone else when it comes to the Undead.”

“Then what of Surshana?”

“Surshana is a god.”

?Woah, let’s not have a third schism right now. How are we going to answer??

Clara silently held Lady Soruel’s gaze for a moment before speaking again.

“The Sorcerous Kingdom has thousands of Undead servitors dwelling within its borders, Lady Soruel. There is no sign of what you have asserted coming to pass. As for the reaction of your Temples to the presence of the Undead, they will mostly be patrolling your borders – away from the vast majority of your subjects.”

Sentiment against the Undead and how the Draconic Kingdom’s Temples might exacerbate the problem was one of their greatest concerns. Putting some space between them and the living and allowing things to ‘normalise’ was the only strategy they could think of if the idea that the Undead had saved the Draconic Kingdom from being conquered wasn’t enough to dislodge the people from their biases. Clara proposed that they collaborate with the Temples of the Six in the Draconic Kingdom, but it appeared that that avenue never existed in the first place.

For Lady Soruel’s part, she looked unconvinced. Queen Oriculus raised a hand and the noblewoman sat back down.

“We believe that keeping the Undead where they are needed against the Beastmen to be the obvious course,” she said. “Dealing with the Temples and the management of Our subjects is a domestic matter that Our government will handle on its own. Does Our court have any other concerns that they would like answered about the Undead security forces?”

Several moments passed without a response before the Queen nodded.

“Good. Then We shall leave the matter of the Undead for now. Next, We would like to study the laws of the Sorcerous Kingdom to determine if there is anything that needs to be addressed with the proposed exclaves.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Clara nodded. “May I ask if we can do the same? An understanding of the Draconic Kingdom’s laws should help us serve in a better capacity.”

Geh…this is going to take weeks.

They knew that it would, but, now that it was happening, the weight of everything was settling onto their shoulders. Unlike contracts between Merchants, dealings between nations were incalculably more involved and complicated. At least if the goal was to do things thoroughly and properly. Doing things half-assed could lead to results that severely damaged relations between the parties involved and even lead to war.

Dinner came early in the evening, consisting of the same, rationed fare as their previous meals. Discussion was subdued, as the opposite party appeared to be exhausted from their work putting the city back in order.

After exchanging materials, they parted ways with Queen Oriculus and her court for the day and returned to their state room.

“You sure you wanna stay here?” Liane asked Clara.

“One of us has to be in the palace just in case they have questions,” Clara replied. “I’ll take the opportunity to get ahead in studying the Draconic Kingdom’s legislation and criminal codes. I’m curious about how they handle these regular Beastman incursions. You two can go on ahead and do your thing.”

“Mmkay.”

They went to get changed into some clothes that their ladies’ maids had gone out to purchase in the city. Though the cuts were different, they were made out of the same light cloth that the members of the palace staff used for their uniforms.

“Liane!”

Florine’s distraught voice rose from behind her. Liane turned around.

“Hm? Oh, sexy~ Good job, Rose.”

“I didn’t pick it out,” Rose replied. “It was Tierre.”

“…really?”

“Tierre!”

Florine’s Lady’s Maid lowered her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, my lady. It was the most conservative one we could find.”

“How is this conservative?!”

The weather in the Draconic Kingdom was balmier than that of Re-Estize or the Empire, despite it being not that much further south. Winds from the north carried over thickly-forested mountains, pressing down onto the coastal plain. To the south, the inland seas beyond the nearby lake were reportedly warm and great belts of desert lined its coasts.

As a result, fashion in the Draconic Kingdom was ‘light’. Rather than skirts, they wore ?alvar fashioned out of diaphanous linens with wide sashes worn about the waist and midriff. White carmen blouses covered them below the shoulders. Liane thought she looked pretty good in it, but Florine’s outrageous figure overshadowed hers as usual.

“I can’t wear this!” Florine whined, “You can see my legs through these pants!”

“So what?” Liane said, “It looks great.”

“It’s not something I would wear,” Clara idly swirled a glass of wine as she examined their outfits, “but it’s in line with local fashion.”

Florine was lucky that she wasn’t being dressed like Queen Oriculus. Or maybe the men of the Draconic Kingdom were unlucky – it depended on one’s perspective.

“If Liane says that it ‘looks great’, then it must be utterly shameful. I heard about what you did with Ilyshn’ish from Lord Tian…”

“Ilyshn’ish didn’t have a problem with it,” Liane shrugged. “She looked like she was having fun. You need to start taking advantage of everything you have. The Mistress of Fertile Hills has nothing but the highest quality goods to display.”

Florine tugged at the short, puffy sleeves of her blouse, frowning at her exposed cleavage.

“I’m going to pop out.”

“You’re not gonna ‘pop out’,” Liane rolled her eyes. “Watch.”

She reached out and hooked a finger onto the neckline of Florine’s blouse, giving it a tug. Florine punched her in the face. Clara spit out her drink.

“See!” Florine cried.

“You punched me!” Liane rubbed her nose, “Of course you’re gonna pop out if I reel backwards like that. People aren’t going to grab your blouse and try to rip it off.”

“At least give me a mantle.”

“The citizens don’t wear mantles, my lady,” Tierre said. “A sort of light shawl was the best I could find.”

“Then one of those.”

Tierre looked around until she located a thin piece of pale pink silk. She wrapped it around Florine’s arms and shoulders.

“What is the point of this thing?” Florine frowned, “You can still see everything through it!”

“The weather is warmer here,” Tierre said, “so cloaks and such are just accessories.”

“Ugh…how about I just stay here with Clara?”

“But I thought you wanted to experience the city,” Liane said.

“I do,” Florine replied, “but I don’t want to experience the entire city ogling me. There will be more opportunities in the future – ones where I can wear decent clothes.”

“Y’know, if everyone in the country wears the same thing, it’s not indecent. It’s normal.”

It took another half-hour for Liane to convince Florine to go out with her. They left the state room and her friend crept through the palace corridors, fearfully looking around for people who might notice her. Their accommodations were near the northwest tower where Ludmila’s general staff was located, however, so the hallways were empty…at least until they got near the front entrance of the palace.

“Countess Wagner. Baroness Gagnier.”

Captain Scavo called out to them from the doors. His eyes wandered between them until they settled on Liane.

That’s different…

“Captain Scavo,” Liane said. “If it’s not too much to ask, might we hire an unmarked carriage from the palace?”

“…unmarked, my lady?”

“We’d like to experience the city and its people without drawing attention to ourselves. There hasn’t been much of an opportunity to do so yet.”

“I’ll have someone send one out to the front,” the Captain nodded. “Just a moment, if you please.”

A carriage rolled up in front of the palace entrance five minutes later. It was unmarked, as requested, but still gaudy enough to look out of the ordinary. As if to purposely add to its conspicuousness, four footmen in the uniform of the palace staff accompanied it.

“Captain Scavo,” Liane asked. “Who are these men?”

“Your escort, my lady.”

“But I thought I said that we didn’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

“They’ll pretend that they’re not there, my lady.”

Liane blinked several times at his nonsensical response. Was it some sort of local thing?

“We’ll be fine, Captain,” she said. “Besides, aren’t they supposed to be helping out around the city?”

One of the footmen cleared his throat.

“Our shift as militia officers ended a few hours ago, Countess Wagner,” he said. “We’re on duty as palace staff now.”

?We can’t rightly chase them away, Liane.?

?I know, but they stick out like sore thumbs. What was all that about pretending they weren’t there, anyway??

She eyed the four footmen. If they couldn’t get rid of them, then maybe they could get something out of them.

“In that case,” Liane smiled, “perhaps a relaxing evening showing us around the city is just the thing. Might we rely on your expertise?”

The men brightened visibly at her invitation.

“Of course, my lady,” the first footman said. “It would be our pleasure.”