Erdene was the first to turn her head. Following her, Belen and the others also looked towards the direction of the sound.
The smuggler leader, still dressed in a shabby manner, looked between Erdene and Belen with a smiling face.
He smiled sinisterly at Erdene, whose face was covered by a veil.
“I’m shaking to meet such an important person. My name is Merv. Heh...”
As he approached, holding out his hand as if to shake hands, Belen blocked his path with a menacing expression. He looked as if he would cut off his wrist if anything happened.
“Back off, you insolent brat! What do you think of Her Majesty the Queen of Vetor?”
The smuggler leader, Merv, licked his tongue over his chapped lips and looked around.
He could tell that he was not at all discouraged, even though he was only pretending to back down.
Erdene said,
“Leave her alone, Master Wiziard.”
The voice coming through the veil sounded lower and more majestic than usual.
Only then did the leader Merv look at the mature silhouette beyond the veil, his whole body tense.
Her eyes seemed to glow blue, but he thought it was his imagination.
Erdene said,
“I heard you have something to show me?”
Merv immediately bowed and rubbed his hands.
“Yes, yes. Of course. But before that...”
Erdene’s eyebrows twitched beyond the veil.
Of course, it wasn’t a big change that others would notice, but Belen, who was standing right next to her, suddenly felt a chill and shrugged his shoulders.
Merv said,
“Since this is such a big deal, we... would like to confirm that you are really the Queen.”
Belen tried to step forward with an angry face again, but Erdene was faster than him.
Something red and heavy crashed to the ground, and Merv instinctively reached out and caught it before it hit him.
It was a ruby the size of an adult’s fist. It wasn’t properly polished, but if it was that size and quality, it would be worth a lot of money even if you didn’t include the labor cost for the work.
“You don’t want to confirm whether I’m the Queen or not, but rather an entrance fee?”
Merv’s mouth twitched as he accepted the ruby at Erdene’s words. He barely managed to hold back a burst of laughter.
“Come this way. Be careful where you step.”
He guided Belen, Erdene, and the three vice-captains disguised as smugglers to Maple Mansion.
It was as if it was his own home, and it was obvious how long they had been coming and going here.
Around Maple Mansion, there were several groups of Kensilom's smugglers, all of whom were heavily armed and had no intention of hiding it.
There were two long swords on their waists, and one wielding a bludgeon that could weigh as much as an adult.
Belen, who was standing close to Erdene, spoke quietly.
"Your Majesty, there are many armed men."
Erdene answered.
"I have eyes too. Don't worry. Are you afraid?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Then keep quiet. You shouldn't spoil the meal that's already been cooked."
Belen shut his mouth tightly and took a step back.
The inside of Maple Mansion was cold and dreary, and there was no sense of being inhabited.
Some of the furniture that had once been in place when Sabnake and her father lived there was broken and scattered.
'I don't see that Trivi or toad guy. He must be involved in this kind of deal, and he must be hiding somewhere.'
Erdene looked around and thought.
The condition for Erdene to agree to this deal was that 'the real owner of Salgal must come to the table,' so Count Trivi must be hiding somewhere. Even if it weren't for that condition, there was no way that someone so greedy that he could strip the Queen of a country would stay still, even if his feet were itching.
"Please sit over here."
Merv, the leader of the Kensilom smugglers, offered Erdene a worn-out sofa.
Erdene sat down on the sofa without any fuss, and Merv nodded to the subordinate who followed him.
It was the one holding a long object wrapped in cheap silk.
He carefully—if only pretended—put down what he was holding on the table.
Merv started talking nonsense before he could even unwrap the silk.
“Your Majesty, you must know about the Salgal sword. You must have heard of it. Of course. Since ancient times, aren’t military officers people who go crazy wanting to see this sword even in their dreams? Well...”
He carefully unraveled the silk—this was also a show.
It was an old sword, no, it was made to look old. The sword itself was excellent, but there was a slight crack on one side of the guard, and the hilt was worn and dusty.
Erdene almost laughed at the meticulous handling.
“This is the Salgal.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. Hold it! Someone like Your Majesty would be able to tell if it’s real or not just by holding it once.”
Erdene did as he said.
She stood up from her seat after holding the hilt and shaking it a few times as if stabbing the air.
Boom!
There was a sound as if cutting through the air.
Merv realized after a few seconds that the sharp blade had just barely passed his Adam’s apple.
It was so fast that no one around him could react.
A cold sweat ran down his spine, causing goosebumps.
Erdene said,
“Yes, it is indeed a famous sword. But I wonder if it is really a Sargal. Even in my country... Hirschsten, no one has ever actually seen a Sargal.”
“Ha, ha... Oh, that, that.”
Merv’s pale face convulsed. He rolled his eyes and looked at Rusmov.
It was by no means to help Merv, but Rusmov knew that this was the moment he had to step forward.
“Your Majesty, you may not know because you only live in the palace, but there is a person in Kensilom who collects such legendary weapons at great risk. Of course, he is not as good as Your Majesty, but he is also a noble person, so he can do anything to get what he wants, and he can pay as much as he wants. I heard that he sent people all over the continent to find this Salgal, and searched every nook and cranny, even the arrowheads dropped by bandits. For six years!”
“Six years? The entire continent?”
Erdene’s voice rose slightly, and the veil around her mouth fluttered.
The smuggler leader, Merv, picked up his heart that had dropped and licked his lips, saying that things were going well.
That talkative guy was quite helpful.
“That’s great sincerity.”
“That’s right. When you finally found Salgal, do you know who had this? I heard it secretly from Mr. Merv. It’s a skeleton. They say that this sword was held in the arms of a skeleton of unknown origin, like a baby.”
Merv looked at Rusmov, who was involving himself in such a gruesome tale, with astonishment, but he quickly nodded in agreement, sensing Erdene’s gaze on his face.
“That’s right. Heh heh... Perhaps he didn’t want to lose this sword even in death. He may have been an unlucky thief, or maybe he just got lucky.”
Erdene said in a tone of even greater admiration.
“Yes, that makes sense. If a living person had this sword, it would have come into my hands long ago.”
The smugglers of Kensilom exchanged furtive glances.
It seemed to them that Erdene was completely enamored with the fake sword. Things were going well.
All that was left was to strip this stupid Princess—now Queen—of her clothes and rip her off for good.
Before Merv could even try to bargain, Erdene said,
“Here, I’ll give you twenty chests of gold.”
The smuggler leader Merv's mouth almost split open with joy.
Twenty chests of gold for a crudely made sword that could be bought at any blacksmith's shop for a few silver coins!
But he was a swindler through and through and believed that anyone who accepted the price offered by the other party in such a bargain was a fool who didn't need to carry a brain.
And what kind of sword was this? It was said to be worth a few silver coins, but this woman believed it was the Sargal of the tales!
"I understand that Your Majesty wants to pay generously. But..."
"I'm not finished yet. Twenty chests of gold are just a reward for your trouble. I'll give you two mines on the northern border of Kensilom and Vetor. One is a gold mine, the other is an iron mine. They're still relatively new to development, so they should be worth a lot. What do you think?"
Merv was speechless at the unexpected suggestion and just opened her mouth.
At that moment, Belen, who was standing behind her like a stone statue, was shocked.
“Your Majesty! What are you saying...! It belongs to the royal family of Vetor, and it is not something Your Majesty can buy and sell privately! Are you saying that you will give up the territory for a single sword?”
The excited atmosphere cooled down as if cold water had been poured over it.
Still holding Salgal tightly in one hand, Erdene slowly turned her head towards Belen.
Merv realized after a few seconds that the sharp blade had just barely passed his Adam’s apple.
It was so fast that no one around him could react.
A cold sweat ran down his spine, causing goosebumps.
Erdene said,
“Yes, it is indeed a famous sword. But I wonder if it is really a Sargal. Even in my country... Hirschsten, no one has ever actually seen a Sargal.”
“Ha, ha... Oh, that, that.”
Merv’s pale face convulsed. He rolled his eyes and looked at Rusmov.
It was by no means to help Merv, but Rusmov knew that this was the moment he had to step forward.
“Your Majesty, you may not know because you only live in the palace, but there is a person in Kensilom who collects such legendary weapons at great risk. Of course, he is not as good as Your Majesty, but he is also a noble person, so he can do anything to get what he wants, and he can pay as much as he wants. I heard that he sent people all over the continent to find this Salgal, and searched every nook and cranny, even the arrowheads dropped by bandits. For six years!”
“Six years? The entire continent?”
Erdene’s voice rose slightly, and the veil around her mouth fluttered.
The smuggler leader, Merv, picked up his heart that had dropped and licked his lips, saying that things were going well.
That talkative guy was quite helpful.
“That’s great sincerity.”
“That’s right. When you finally found Salgal, do you know who had this? I heard it secretly from Mr. Merv. It’s a skeleton. They say that this sword was held in the arms of a skeleton of unknown origin, like a baby.”
Merv looked at Rusmov, who was involving himself in such a gruesome tale, with astonishment, but he quickly nodded in agreement, sensing Erdene’s gaze on his face.
“That’s right. Heh heh... Perhaps he didn’t want to lose this sword even in death. He may have been an unlucky thief, or maybe he just got lucky.”
Erdene said in a tone of even greater admiration.
“Yes, that makes sense. If a living person had this sword, it would have come into my hands long ago.”
The smugglers of Kensilom exchanged furtive glances.
It seemed to them that Erdene was completely enamored with the fake sword. Things were going well.
All that was left was to strip this stupid Princess—now Queen—of her clothes and rip her off for good.
Before Merv could even try to bargain, Erdene said,
“Here, I’ll give you twenty chests of gold.”
The smuggler leader Merv's mouth almost split open with joy.
Twenty chests of gold for a crudely made sword that could be bought at any blacksmith's shop for a few silver coins!
But he was a swindler through and through and believed that anyone who accepted the price offered by the other party in such a bargain was a fool who didn't need to carry a brain.
And what kind of sword was this? It was said to be worth a few silver coins, but this woman believed it was the Sargal of the tales!
"I understand that Your Majesty wants to pay generously. But..."
"I'm not finished yet. Twenty chests of gold are just a reward for your trouble. I'll give you two mines on the northern border of Kensilom and Vetor. One is a gold mine, the other is an iron mine. They're still relatively new to development, so they should be worth a lot. What do you think?"
Merv was speechless at the unexpected suggestion and just opened her mouth.
At that moment, Belen, who was standing behind her like a stone statue, was shocked.
“Your Majesty! What are you saying...! It belongs to the royal family of Vetor, and it is not something Your Majesty can buy and sell privately! Are you saying that you will give up the territory for a single sword?”
The excited atmosphere cooled down as if cold water had been poured over it.
Still holding Salgal tightly in one hand, Erdene slowly turned her head towards Belen.
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