Chapter 22 – 2. Marginal Reconstruction Period (2)
Oriane, the margrave’s wife, dressed in an antique dress and fur, took a step forward. She was accompanied by an unarmed knight in light casual clothes. It was as if she had given him the place of her husband her, a widowed Marshal.
“The gatekeeper? Open the gates.”
“Ancient!”
The gatekeeper in her chain mail saluted immediately. Judging by the way he gave orders to the soldiers under his command his, his discipline his was tightly held. After the suppression of the rebellion of her former vice-count, a competition for allegiance to her began among the soldiers of the citadel.
There were many reasons, but the main reason was that she was a person who was respected for her virtuous conduct her and that power within her her domain her was concentrated. For her under her she were the powers of her five vassals her, as distributed as her assigned responsibilities her and her roles her.
Drrrr
The heavy iron gate moved according to the principle of a lever. Climbed on a well-maintained pulley and opened wide. Then, as soon as he came down from the watchtower, he checked the entourage he had summoned for the last time and prepared for the welcome of the Camag delegation that was right in front of him.
“Marion?”
“I am ready, madam.”
Seven maids, led by the maid Jean Marion, carried her hands her. All were dressed in neat Gaulish servant uniforms, and boasted the best thieves in this estate.
“Then shall we go, Sir Dior?”
“Just give me orders.”
Oriane stepped in her snow and stepped in front of her. Thanks to her overshoes her to prevent slipping her, her steps her were graceful and unstoppable. It was also a proof of her orthodoxy that she was practically a native of her country due to her long northern life her.
Even if it seems like giving too much meaning at first glance, in the lives of those in power with heritage, starting with the nobility, such trivial things gather and create awe.
As the expression, “In person” Fits, the Marquis Marquis marched outside the citadel and eventually faced the Camag delegation who appeared leading the party.
“Welcome, warriors of the Great Snowfield.”
Oriane was the first to speak. She spread her arms lightly to show her hospitality her, revealing me with the dignity that was wrapped around her body her. Even though she was deceived, she seemed to have enough qualities to rule the frontier.
“My name is Oriane Lemoang, and I am the acting lord of the Margrave of Lemoang. I am very glad that this opportunity to discuss peace with the warriors of Camag, with whom we have been at odds for many years, has come.”
His calm yet powerful voice her highlighted his image her as a benevolent and wise ruler.
“The warchief, Temuryo, who leads the Camag Tribal Union. As a warrior, I pay my respects to Madame Lemoang, the lord’s representative, who wiped out the long-standing evil customs and evils of the north. In addition, we will follow the old customs of the Great Snowfield and prove the guests who deserve to be entertained here.”
This time, Temur said. He stretched out his hand from his waist, carrying two axes, and immediately raised it high.
Thud!
The sharp blade of the ax hit the snow-covered ground. Just as a monk entering the holy ground purifies himself, he put down both sacks and directly expressed that he had no intention of fighting.
“Madam, laying down your arms in the great snow is no small thing. For those warriors who regard life as a struggle, their weapons are their alter ego. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to return the respect he gave me.”
Rom stood beside him. It was accompanied by an explanation of Carmag’s etiquette.
“Okay. I knew it first.”
The appearance of the heads of both sides interfering in the conversation could have been seen as somewhat out of courtesy. Even if he was the one who saved Youngji. After all, the Kingdom of Gaul was a strict caste society.
Of course, none of those gathered here would be able to fault his behavior, but rumors are still unknown. To put it bluntly, Dior’s Romuald was an ordinary knight without a title yet. He was also an outsider who had no official relationship with Baekryong, the border.
‘The fact that he, who knows that better than anyone else, gives me this kind of tip…’
No matter how much it is part of the ceremony, the sight of a man as large as Temur raising his weapon high is truly threatening. In that context, Rom was worried about Oriane getting scared at least once in a while.
‘I wonder if he’s more concerned about me than his reputation…’
It was because of that she, the lord of the north, couldn’t express herself outwardly. She was second only to whether her alliance would be promoted well if it were hard, and her kama might look down on her from that side.
“Chief Temur, we in Gaul have the same customs of hospitality as your people. So, I declare it here and now. As the legitimate rulers of Lemoang, I will treat you generously as guests.”
“Thank you. May the spirits bless Madame Lemoang.”
“I have prepared a place to rest outside the fort. I will help the children behind me to stay comfortable. First of all, why don’t you release the nodok there. Of course, we are unwavering in our intention to conclude an alliance treaty with Camag, but we would like it to be concluded in detail while holding several meetings with working-level officials on both sides.”
“It is said that a one-year alliance is concluded through a covenant, a ten-year alliance is concluded through practice, and a hundred-year alliance is concluded through trust. I agree with Madame Lemoang, as she is indeed right. But before that, there is something I need to hand over.”
Temur signaled to his entourage, who was one step away from me. It was the same archer who had shot an arrow at Rom the other day. As can be seen from the names that followed, his name was Sorgal, and he was in a position to oversee the warriors within the Camag tribe alliance.
“Sorgal?”
“Yes, Chief.”
Sorgal gave a signal to his warriors. Most were stuffed in leather satchels, and a few were in charge of carts pulled by musk oxen.
“This…?”
“It is a woolen fabric that the women of our tribe woven stitch by stitch. I used yarn made from musk ox hair. The pattern was embroidered with a sheep dove in hopes that your family and its estate would be peaceful and prosperous. Think of it as the mind of Kamag.”
Temur placed what appeared to be a cloak on both hands and spoke. Oriane expressed her willingness to accept it, and received it through Rom.
“It’s an object with magical powers.”
If it hadn’t been for the article’s comment, I would have been surprised. Oriane felt the heat radiating from the cloak in her hand.
“Like he said. The most famous shaman of my tribe has imbued it with the power of the elements. Not even the cold of the far north can penetrate the cloak.”
“Other woolen fabrics contain the same or similar magic.”
Sorgal added. He also told me that what was in the cart was a ball of musk oxen yarn that had not yet been woven. It seems that the decision was made after much thought, perhaps because it was difficult to find a suitable gift for the people of the Far North, who were more barren than the Marquis Baekryeong.
“It is warm. What a precious gift. We will prepare a return gift as soon as possible.”
“A gift should never be a burden on the recipient. I hope that Madame Lemoyn will not be too concerned with our feelings.”
Temur only wished that this woolen fabric, its fiber, and the 10 musk oxen they had brought could be preserved and used for the Marquis.
“I will.”
Oriane nodded lightly and replied.
“Marion, take her guests to their quarters of her.”
“Yes, madam.”
Marion and her seven maids guided the twenty-something delegation, including Temur, to their lodgings. In the meantime, Oriane ordered the gatekeeper who was in charge of the gate to call in soldiers, and ordered the musk ox and cart to be moved to the right place.
And after a while
The meeting ended like that. Oriane stood side by side with Rom and watched the soldiers carrying gifts. He kept his distance from others, making it perfect for a private conversation.
“I didn’t know a cloak could be such a warm thing. I heard that the magic and spirit culture of the nomadic peoples of the north had great power, but I didn’t expect it to be this powerful. There must have been a secret that the people of the snowfields were able to survive in the far north.”
“No, it’s true that the shaman and elemental magician among them are great…”
Rom shook his head and continued his words.
“I heard that they are very rare, and it is not easy to make something like the one you received. It would be more correct to view it as a luxury item accessible only to the chieftain and some members of the elite.”
“Yes? If so, how can they live in the colder limits than here?”
“I would have had to give up a lot. Sometimes, it must have been a loved one. That’s why he must have been waiting for the crime committed by Kobin and his gang. As a knight, the decision made by Temur deserved praise. It is never easy to pursue a noble cause rather than a pitiful life in this world of extreme cold, where even surviving is urgent.”
“You have received a gift that is more precious than I thought…”
A gold coin given by a rich person and a gold coin given by a poor person are inevitably different in weight. Rom suggested that the confederation of the Camag tribes roaming the snowfields had high hopes for the Margrave.
“Temur is a good leader. The reason he rose up was because he could no longer see the suffering of his own people. In this environment, it is easier for a unified union to survive than a scattered tribe, and we just need to pioneer this land by coexisting with them.”
Before we knew it, the soldiers were moving almost all of their luggage. Pointing to the remaining musk ox and Temur’s two axes, Rom advised.
“It would be good to leave the musk ox to the barnkeeper to raise it well. If you grow it well, you will be able to make one of the specialties of the Margrave of Lemoang. It seems that Carmag also intended that to some extent.”
“All of the barn keepers who raise cattle and horses in a place like this have no choice but to be skilled. If you tell me, the number will be called in no time. I guess I will have to go and see if I can commercialize it.”
“Temuru’s ax is best guarded by two soldiers in turns. As you can guess from the fact that I didn’t add it, it’s also a kind of symbol, so it’s not polite to pick it carelessly.”
Oriane shook her head. Rome said that it would be difficult for the soldiers who would guard her ax in the open air to endure the cold, so it would be better for her to borrow an item containing cold spells, like the cloak she was handed to her, to wear.
It was very remarkable that he was very considerate of even the smallest parts of his soldiers.
“But how does Sir Dior know so much about them?”
“I’ve been through it.”
“Have you been to the North before?”
“No, not now.”
“… ?”
It was a word with no meaning.
“Anyway, I’m glad there’s Kyung.”
“If you have time after this, let’s discuss some issues together. For example, pioneering a snowfield trade route leading to another country through Camag. In fact, this is my real goal.”
The important thing was that he was a man you could rely on.
“Snowfield Trade Laura, that’s definitely what everyone in the North dreams of. If it is really possible, the finances of this Lemoang Tundra will be abundant. The problem is that it is infinitely near impossible, and it would be difficult to even try.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t have enough money to spare.”
“Ah…”
