T/N: Yellow Leaves -> Golden Leaves
While Zenjirou was checking the progress of the 『Golden Leaves』 with Princess Freya in Valentia, General Puyol applied for an audience with Queen Aura.
With a military post as general and as a minister of civil affairs, he certainly has every right to request an audience with the ruler at any time, but he rarely exercises that right.
It goes without saying, but the posts of minister or general are only held by high-ranking nobles and the main authorities of the country. For better or worse, high-ranking nobles are shackled by various obligations and factions. As such, their actions are limited in the long run.
Those that try to clumsily do things on their own tend to be chided with the words “You lost your composure” or “It’s an act not befitting your standing.”
However, not paying attention to such common sense and judgemental gazes is what makes General Puyol General Puyol.
“I hoped that he might mellow out a bit after getting married, but I guess it’s the same as usual with him.” (Aura)
The secretary with the slender face waiting next to the sighing queen replies expressionlessly as always,
“General Puyol mellowing out is as unlikely a future as Your Majesty becoming ladylike, isn’t it?” (Fabio)
“Hoh, so basically you’re saying that there’s a future where General Puyol will settle down?” (Aura)
The secretary raises his thin eyebrows with a twitch, smiling.
“Oh? It seems as if Your Majesty wants to say that you have become ladylike?” (Fabio)
“Of course, that’s what I’m exactly saying. You don't know, dear fool, just how womanly and graceful I become when I'm alone with my husband.” (Aura)
“I have never been so thankful that I haven’t had the chance to step into the inner palace as now.” (Fabio)
“What do you mean by that?” (Aura)
“Please pardon me from an explanation. I don’t want to be arrested for lese majeste yet.” (Fabio)
“If I held you to the normal standards for lese majeste, it wouldn’t be enough even if you had several heads.” (Aura)
As the queen and her secretary crack their usual jokes, there’s a knock at the door, and the strong voice of a man from the other side.
“Excuse me! General Puyol has come for an audience. Is it alright to let him in?”
The queen answers the guarding knight with clear yes,
“Show him in.” (Aura)
Hearing her voice, the door was opened with a clank.
“Excuse me.” (Puyol)
The one who entered was a man in the prime of his life, the military uniform of the Carpa Kingdom barely containing a huge frame that had been trained to the limits ─ General Puyol Guillén.
“It’s nice of you to have come. Please, have a seat.” (Aura)
“Yes, Your Majesty! Excuse me!” (Puyol)
With the queen’s permission, the general calmly strides into the room, and sits down on the sofa opposite of the queen.
The sofa, which was made for an ordinary person, definitely shouldn’t be suitable for the giant General Puyol, but his sitting posture is not awkward at all.
Probably because he has such control over his body.
Queen Aura, moistening her throat with a sip of tea, gets right to the point and asks,
“So, what’s your business with me?” (Aura)
When dealing with General Puyol, who’s slightly disconnected from noble conversation etiquette, this much is fine. This man opposite of me vastly prefers a point-blank conversation that doesn’t waste any time.
Just as she thought, General Puyol didn’t utter a single complaint towards the queen’s blunt words, and said,
“First I’d like to extend my congratulations.” (Puyol)
“Hmm? If you’re congratulating me for my pregnancy, I remember that I received it a good while ago already, though?” (Aura)
The general smoothly continues despite the queen's fruitless efforts at playing dumb,
“That’s not it. Rather than Your Majesty’s auspicious pregnancy, I’m expressing my congratulations towards Zenjirou-sama grasping 『Teleport』.” (Puyol)
So, as expected, it’s about that, huh? The queen clicked her tongue inside her mind.
It’s been a mere few days since Zenjirou succeeded in invoking 『Teleport』.
They still haven’t announced that fact yet.
Nonetheless, there are several eye-witnesses such as the guard knights and the maids working in the royal palace. They haven’t been forbidden to speak about it in particular.
Hence, it’s not all that strange that nobles, who have sharp ears, already know about the fact that “Zenjirou has grasped 『Teleport』.”
However, even if the news spread, there still has not been an official announcement. To apply for an audience in this gap and start talking about “congratulations” is something that only General Puyol could do.
The queen deliberately sighs dramatically and glares at the man sitting across from her.
“You do have very good ears. Even though I had planned to announce it officially once the situation settled down a bit more.” (Aura)
The spell 『Teleport』 accounts for an exceedingly large percentage of the 『Space-Time Magic』that the royal family uses. The existence of this spell might very well be defined as the reason the Carpa Kingdom could become a major power that reigns supreme over the west of the southern continent.
Just increasing the number of users for this spell by one holds great significance for the current Carpa Kingdom.
Basically the royal family offers the use of 『Teleport』 for domestic and foreign nobles as long as they receive a fixed compensation.
Because after the great war, apart from Queen Aura, no one could cast it, opportunities to use it dropped sharply. Now that the prince consort, someone with a lower standing than the queen, had accomplished it, the rich high-ranking nobles will expect to be able to receive his favor.
“My husband is currently in Valentia. He will probably come back within a few days, but the places to which my husband can transfer to with 『Teleport』 are still very limited.” (Aura)
The queen scowls and uses those words to remind him of Zenjirou's newness to the spell, believing that the aim of General Puyol, who went as far as requesting an audience for the express purpose of congratulating Zenjirou, might be to book Zenjirou’s 『Teleport』 before anyone else.
However, the general responds to her remark without showing any particular discomfort.
“I am well aware. Zenjirou-sama’s wishes should be most important when discussing Zenjirou-sama’s 『Teleport』.
Zenjirou-sama always said that he wanted to head to the Twin Kingdom as soon as he grasped 『Teleport』, didn’t he?” (Puyol)
“Yes, that’s true.” (Aura)
The queen honestly confirmed the general’s question.
Since we constantly declared that Zenjirou would travel to the Twin Kingdom, there’s no reason to hide it at this point in time.
“There is only one reason why Zenjirou-sama would want to go to the Twin Kingdom so badly. It must be his worries for Your Majesty’s body. Once Zenjirou-sama is able to go to the Twin Kingdom with 『Teleport』, he will also be able to bring a healing practitioner of the Jilbell family in an emergency after all.” (Puyol)
“Yes…indeed.” (Aura)
The queen confirms this since she's quite aware of that fact herself, but hearing about her husband’s passionate love from someone else makes her feel a bit embarrassed, too.
“Just as Zenjirou-sama worried, you are now pregnant, Your Majesty. Taking that into consideration, it’s my humble opinion that Zenjirou-sama might want to head to the Twin Kingdom at once.” (Puyol)
“I dare say that’s very likely my husband’s wish, but it’s a pointless exercise. After all we are now in the 『Rainy Season』 and afterwards we will enter the 『Hottest Season』. Traveling to the Twin Kingdom will have to wait until the 『Vibrant Season』, right?” (Aura)
Aura said, shrugging her shoulders.
There’s no need for Zenjirou himself to adhere to the seasons since he can be transferred with Aura’s 『Teleport』, but it’s different when it comes to his personal guards and the maids who are going to take care of his personal well-being.
Because Aura doesn’t have the spare time to cast 『Teleport』 for all that personnel, they have no other option but to travel the land route. For this reason they can’t escape the seasons’ conditions, no matter what they do.
Traveling during the 『Rainy Season』 when the roads turn into mud or rivers due to the heavy rain is out of the question. Traveling during the 『Hottest Season』is also fairly difficult, accounting for the time lost in the middle of the day to the siesta.
Long-term travel should be done during the 『Vibrant Season』 if at all possible, especially if the journey is expected to include unfamiliar terrain, like traveling to a distant country in the central region of the southern continent.
Even General Puyol should know this, however he still bends forward and objects.
“However, Your Majesty, you are already in the middle of your pregnancy. Do you think that Zenjirou-sama has the mental fortitude to wait until the 『Vibrant Season』 ?” (Puyol)
If all goes to plan, Aura should give birth to her second child around the middle of the 『Vibrant Season』, according to Doctor Michelle.
Carpa Kingdom’s 『Vibrant Season』 is equivalent to autumn and winter in Japan. In other words, the 『Vibrant Season』 lasts for half a year.
With simple arithmetic, if they leave as soon as the 『Vibrant Season』 starts, they should have three months before Aura's scheduled delivery, but life isn’t that simple.
An expected delivery date is nothing more than just that. The possibility of a premature delivery naturally exists. The dangers for a pregnant woman aren’t limited to just the birth either. It’s not wrong that the delivery is the most dangerous period, but it is quite possible that her physical condition will suddenly deteriorate even before the delivery.
If you consider that, General Puyol’s opinion that “Zenjirou-sama should go to the Twin Kingdom as quickly as possible, as he desires” is completely correct.
Understanding that, the queen becomes serious.
“What are you suggesting that we do then?” (Aura)
“Yes. As expected, I must admit that traveling for an extended period of time during the 『Rainy Season』 is suicidal. However, I believe that it’s not impossible if you choose trained soldiers and dispatch them at the beginning of the 『Hottest Season』.” (Puyol)
“Hmm, the beginning of the 『Hottest Season』, you say?” (Aura)
The queen didn't immediately reject General Puyol’s proposal, mulling it over.
Although it’s coined as the『Hottest Season』, obviously it's not as if the same temperature persists the entire three months.
The temperature rises the most during the middle month. The months before and after it are more or less easy to bear.
But then again the “easy to bear” is only in comparison against the worst month, when the temperature is only a little over 35° C rather than 40° C.
The queen considers these facts and shakes her head again.
“No, even then it’s still no good. I admit that the possibility for success is fairly high, but there are also many dangers that can’t be ignored.
The journey to the Twin Kingdom passes through unknown areas. It’s not just a problem of distance either. It’s not like you don’t know that, right?” (Aura)
Just as Aura pointed out, traveling along an unknown path and a well-known path are completely different issues.
The fast and slow dragons of this world are leagues above horses and donkeys in regards to transport ability. Moreover there's still the ultimate cheat skill that is magic, which the old Earth is no match for, but even so, various problems await such a long-term travel.
How long do you have to follow the road until you reach the next human habitat? Where can water sources be found? Traveling without such information is extremely difficult. To say nothing of the reduced travel speed due to needing to take a rest during the day in the 『Hottest Season』. Moreover, the necessary amount of water will increase the higher the temperature becomes.
Information about watering places and feeding grounds for the dragons is indispensable, too.
Even though those can be compensated with magic, that also has a limit.
General Puyol completely agrees with Aura but has more to say,
“Yes, you’re right. It will be dangerous if it's just us. But, if there’s a guide familiar with the route, those issues should be solvable.
Therefore I propose using the pretext of allowing about half of the guards of Prince Francesco and Princess Bona, who have come from the Twin Kingdom, to be replaced and return to their country and have them accompany us in the process.” (Puyol)
“What?” (Aura)
That was an unexpected proposal.
The general continues explaining to the queen, whose eyes are wide with surprise,
“By the next 『Hottest Season』, it will have been a year since Their Highnesses have come to the Carpa Kingdom. It’s probably a time when the escorting soldiers will start becoming homesick.
They will very likely accept this proposal if our side shoulders the expenses caused by the travel, don’t you think? They are the ones who most recently traveled the route we are trying to use, albeit from the opposite direction. It’s my humble opinion that we might be able to keep the issues during the travel at a minimum, even during the 『Hottest Season』, with them as guides.” (Puyol)
“Hmm…” (Aura)
As it’s an extremely pragmatic though unexpected suggestion, Aura carefully considers it once more.
Certainly, if they are accompanied by the people of the Twin Kingdom, who have traveled the route already, there will be significantly fewer problems.
Thinking back, Prince Francesco and Princess Bona arrived from the Twin Kingdom right before the 『Vibrant Season』, during the 『Hottest Season』.
It’s certainly true that this also serves as proof of them having successfully arrived in the Carpa Kingdom.
Besides that, General Puyol’s opinion is very likely not mistaken.
Spending a year in a completely different culture, experiencing varying degrees of homesickness is completely normal.
The proposal of allowing half the guards to return home should be greeted with approval, at least among the soldiers present here.
If the Carpa Kingdom takes charge of the financial burdens as General Puyol suggested, even the higher-ups of the Twin Kingdom shouldn’t object. And if the Carpa Kingdom can buy its soldiers’ safety with money, that is an acceptable expense.
With this, Aura completely changes her attitude and begins tackling this problem with a positive approach. Leaning forward on the sofa, she cross-examines the general.
“I understand your proposal. Certainly, if we follow it, it will improve our chances. However, that also creates another problem. The representative of the guard unit for the prince and princess is naturally a fairly high-ranking knight.
If our side doesn’t appoint someone of equal position as a representative, the leadership of the journey will be entirely reliant on the other side.” (Aura)
For Aura that was a question she believed had to be answered before all else.
“That concern is very natural. Therefore, with your permission, I would like to personally take this task.” (Puyol)
And General Puyol’s answer was just as Aura had expected.
If he becomes the person in charge of the guard unit, he will always be near Zenjirou during the stay in the Twin Kingdom.
For someone trying to curry favor with the prince consort Zenjirou, that’s an outstandingly good opportunity.
Once Queen Aura sighs dramatically,
“You’re a cornerstone of the royal army, aren’t you? What’s going to happen if you irresponsibly leave the work here to your subordinates?” (Aura)
She repeats a lecture she had given many times before.
Under the queen’s scolding, the general ponders for a bit, and then answers,
“That’s a valid point. In that case; there’s a promising guy among the young battalion leaders of the Dragon Archer Cavalry. This time I will leave the practical business to him and devote myself to being a figurehead, except for times of emergency.” (Puyol)
At the general's carefree declaration that, “It’s important to foster young talent early on,” the queen’s face cramps up a bit.
In essence, he was saying that “I’m going to send a subordinate, but I will come along as well.”
“Listen, I’m telling you that, as a central part of the royal army, you cannot stay in a foreign country for as long as you like.” (Aura)
General Puyol’s response to Aura's exasperation was something completely unexpected.
“I’m also well aware of that. That’s why I’m planning to return to the Carpa Kingdom through Zenjirou-sama’s 『Teleport』 after Zenjirou-sama arrives in the Twin Kingdom.” (Puyol)
“…What?” (Aura)
The shock of hearing that suggestion causes Queen Aura's mask to slip in front of the man that may as well be her political opponent.
However, that’s only natural. General Puyol’s words were just that unexpected.
After a short silence, the queen speaks as she tries to process the information.
“In other words, what? You head to the Twin Kingdom as commander of the guard unit. And as soon as my husband arrives there, you yield the command to that young battalion leader and return to our kingdom through my husband’s 『Teleport』. That’s what you’re saying?” (Aura)
“Yes. However, since I will need to make sure with my own eyes that my successor is capable of fulfilling his guard duties without problems, it probably won’t be right after Zenjirou-sama arrives.” (Puyol)
General Puyol’s arguments were sound in all respects.
That’s why it feels so suspicious to Aura.
This set of proposals is beneficial for Aura and Zenjirou, and General Puyol’s gains will be small.
Of course, if he delivers the guard unit safely to the Twin Kingdom, it will become a splendid achievement, so it’s not like there’s no benefit for him at all.
However, it’s unnatural for General Puyol, who always aims for the very best outcome and is insatiable in his quest, to say, “I will return to the royal capital,” by himself.
Zenjirou will be there without Aura. And General Puyol’s official position will be that of commander of Zenjirou’s guard unit.
It should be the most suitable situation to indoctrinate Zenjirou and make him agree to any demands. The General Puyol Aura knows would do just that, without hesitation.
And yet he deliberately says that he will return as soon as possible.
“How to put it; I can’t believe these words coming out of your mouth. What’s gotten into you?” (Aura)
The queen, having given up on thinking her way out of the conundrum, tries hurling her doubts directly at him like that.
General Puyol answered her with a bold, broad grin.
“Although it might be belated, even I am aware that I’m a 『cornerstone of the royal army』, just as Your Majesty said not long ago.
In order to serve as 『cornerstone of the royal army』 in 『due form』 for a long time to come, I have judged that what I just proposed would be the best course of action.” (Puyol)
“!” (Aura)
With that answer Aura was able to grasp General Puyol’s aim.
And yet there are still many more questions left, but even just understanding his objective is a boon.
“I see. That’s an admirable view. I appreciate your opinion. Your proposal on this occasion is very promising. I shall consider it positively.” (Aura)
Upon the queen saying, “You may withdraw,” the huge general obediently stands up from the sofa.
“Yes, Your Majesty! Please excuse me then.” (Puyol)
With those words and a handsome smile, General Puyol leaves.
◆
Once General Puyol leaves the room, only Queen Aura and her secretary, Fabio, remain.
Relaxing slightly on the sofa, Aura sighs deeply and then asks the secretary next to her,
“What do you think?” (Aura)
“It’s very likely as you imagine, Your Majesty.” (Fabio)
He answered in his usual emotionless, detached way.
“General Puyol’s aim is the rank of 『Marshal』.” (Aura)
“Yes, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.” (Fabio)
There’s no other way to interpret the words, “serve as 『cornerstone of the royal army』 in 『due form』 for a long time to come.”
Puyol Guillén targeting the army’s highest rank ─ marshal is an open secret. Even he himself doesn’t really try to hide it.
His request itself isn’t all that strange, but the problem is the fact is he's taking concrete action now.
As it's her second pregnancy, Aura is well aware of the dangers to the current system.
Because of her pregnancy and childbirth, her actions will become limited, resulting in a stagnation of the national politics. For that reason Aura decided to intentionally reduce her own authority, appointing a 『Marshal』 and a 『Prime Minister』, and place them in charge of politics and military matters respectively.
General Puyol expressly requested an audience at this stage, when Aura is preparing for those appointments, to appeal that he’s the most suitable candidate for becoming the marshal.
One can only imagine how General Puyol caught hold of the information that Aura intends to assign a marshal soon.
The queen ponders while wrinkling her eyebrows in displeasure.
“Honestly, I can’t believe that Puyol obtained the information at this stage.” (Aura)
“I agree, but it’s still a fact. I think at this point we should probably consider 『How did General Puyol get hold of the information?』” (Fabio)
Aura nods and says, “I know,” upon her secretary’s suggestion.
At present, they are hiding the information as much as possible, but still, when it comes to appointing a 『Marshal』 and a 『Prime Minister』, they have no choice but to give instructions to the civil officials about things such as preparatory documents, tools used for the ceremonies, and arrangements for the location.
Of course the civil officials have been forbidden to speak about it, but it’s impossible to completely prevent others from seeing any of the preparations.
However, to deduce that Queen Aura is planning to establish a mashal just from that is difficult.
Countless rumors that mix truth and falsehood together accumulate and circulate in the royal palace. To be able to carefully scrutinize these and extract the truth of what’s going to happen in the near future requires a substantial level of resourcefulness.
General Puyol doesn’t possess that resourcefulness. After associating with him for a long time, Aura can confidently assert that.
Next the queen says,
“In the first place, the order of topics was weird this time. If we assume that General Puyol knew that I’m about to appoint a marshal, he would normally have started from there at the foremost. He’s that kind of man by nature.” (Aura)
“Certainly. Trying to push his own agenda as far as possible before compromising was General Puyol’s modus operandi until now.” (Fabio)
Seeing the queen nod in response, he continues,
“But, this time it was different. He proposed to dispatch soldiers during the 『Hottest Season』 to the Twin Kingdom which will be a benefit for us, swept away our concerns by saying that he will return right away, and moreover only insinuated that he’d like to become marshal at the end.” (Fabio)
She groans while he says so.
Speaking frankly, this time’s proposal by General Puyol can be accepted without any issues.
It’s completely different from his usual requests of “Gimme, gimme, gimme everything I want” so far.
In conclusion, General Puyol's behavior today is an anomaly.
“Puyol Guillén has raised his ability to gather intelligence. What do you think is the reason for this?” (Aura)
The secretary answers the queen,
“There’s little hope that his own ability has gone up all of a sudden. I believe we should consider the possibility that he has won over someone possessing that ability.” (Fabio)
and the queen continues with,
“Puyol Guillén has raised his ability to negotiate. What do you think is the reason for this?” (Aura)
“He most likely prepared himself in advance. With General Puyol’s character, it’s difficult to believe that he did something like that by himself, thus we should probably assume that someone else wrote the script.” (Fabio)
and asks once more,
“Puyol Guillén never mentioned the word 『Marshal』 to the very end. He was well-mannered beyond belief in comparison to his behavior until now. What do you think is the reason for this?” (Aura)
“General Puyol is a person with extremely strong ambitions, but he’s definitely no fool. In theory, if he was given a reason like, 『A person, who takes the conversation in such direction, will reach their ambition more easily』, he can and will do so. Though there’s no one close to him that can persuade him to do that, is there?” (Fabio)
“…” (Aura)
Aura's questions were more because she did not wish to believe the conclusions that she had come to, rather than out of any true confusion.
But, no matter how unbelievable it might be, it’s the duty of a country’s ruler to accept the truth for what it is.
Lastly Queen Aura asks,
“The owner of a good information gathering ability. A person who advised him on the negotiations. Someone who managed to rein in the overly ambitious Puyol. Do you think that it’s possible that all of these were one and the same person?” (Aura)
“Rather than him coincidentally obtaining three small game pieces in such a short time, the possibility of him having obtained one big game piece is still much bigger, don’t you think?” (Fabio)
Fabio’s reply was reasonable. Above all, the number of people at Puyol Guillén’s side recently has only increased by one.
The queen considers her secretary's answers for a while, eventually giving an order.
“Gather information about Lucinda Guillén, the legal wife of Puyol Guillén, again. Investigate her abilities of course, but also her personality.” (Aura)
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” (Fabio)
The secretary bowed courteously upon the queen’s order.