At 9:00 a.m. on June 7, diplomat Pringles Kubo arrived at the guest house to greet Gaju Tsuga and his party as announced.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Thank you for meeting us."
They exchanged perfunctory greetings and headed for the royal palace in the same golem car they had driven yesterday.
I hope you had a good night's rest last night.
"Yes, thanks to you.
That's great.
......By the way, Mister Kubo, are you from Mitsuho or Huso?
So far, I've been able to get some goodwill on this topic,
"......No, I heard that my family is from a remote area called ."
After answering, Pringles Kubo falls silent.
".................."
On the one hand, Gaju Tsuga's group felt that they had heard a bad thing, but on the other hand, they also felt a sense of criticism, wondering whether a diplomat could be so emotionally attached to his guest that he would ignore him.
Without exchanging another word, the golem car carrying the group arrived at the royal palace.
The car stopped at the gate and showed the guards a document that looked like a permit, but the rest of the trip was almost nonstop.
As one would expect, the grounds of the royal castle were paved with cobblestones.
"It's a solid structure, isn't it?
The Royal Castle of the Duchy of Jagus was a stone castle with a solid and sturdy atmosphere.
The architectural style was a blend of the Kingdom of Cerroa and the Shoro Kingdom.
It is a rectangular building with spires standing in various places.
If Jin saw it, he might say, <>.
The golem car drove toward the square in front of the castle.
About 200 soldiers were lined up in the square.
Gaju Tshuga and his entourage got off at the front and walked down the yellow-carpeted aisle in single file, in the order of Gaju Tshuga, the official ambassador, Fiona Fiasse, the deputy ambassador, and Manon, the valet.
The diplomat Pringles Kubo led the way.
On either side were a hundred soldiers, each holding a sword at his side.
At the end of the yellow carpet, a mature man was waiting.
"Welcome, Messenger of Friendship. I am Beyax Gere, Prime Minister of this country.
Beyax Gere was a thin man with gray hair and blue eyes.
"<>.
The prime minister and Tuga shook hands.
Fiona Fiasse and Manon then introduced themselves.
"My name is Fionn Fiasse, deputy ambassador.
My name is Manon, your valet.
The two men did not shake hands with the Prime Minister.
Please come this way. The king is waiting for you."
With these short words, the Prime Minister turned himself around and began to walk away.
This time, they proceeded down a red-carpeted corridor.
Gaju Tsuga guessed that they were going to a hall.
As he had guessed, he arrived at the hall.
At the end of the red carpet, there were about 10 steps up, and on the top of the steps was a throne on which sat the Duke of Jagus, Niestor Cirillo Jagus.
On the right side of the throne sat a woman who appeared to be the queen.
Both the Duke and the Duchess were fat ......, no, fat.
Gaju Tugu thought that the royalty here seemed to be well-fed, compared to the previous three duchies, where most of the people were too skinny.
The group walked to a break in the red carpet, kneeled down, and hung their heads.
They then proceeded to greet each other.
"My name is Gaju Tshuga, <> envoy of the Friendship Embassy. It is a great honor for me to meet you.
Concealing his heart, Gaju Tshuga greeted as planned.
"Well, welcome. I am Niestro Cirilo Jaguars, Duke of Jaguars. ...... allow me a direct reply. Raise your head.
"Thank God for happiness."
Gaju Tugga looked up.
For the first time, he sees the king up close.
His sandy hair and gray eyes give him a ruthless look.
He is tall enough to be recognized even sitting on a chair.
But he is even wider than that, and if it were not for the custom-made throne, he would be more than halfway out of the chair.
The same is true of the queen. She is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and well-made, but her flabby cheeks ruin everything.
Perhaps they were both beautiful in their youth, Tsuga thought with a wry smile.
"I will allow the vice-envoy and his valet a direct answer, since I am in a good mood today."
"Thank goodness for that."
Fiona Fias and Manon bowed deeply.
"Now, what is the purpose of these people? I have heard that they are friendship ambassadors, but let's hear it from their own mouths again.
"Well, I'll tell you."
Gaju Tugga stepped forward.
"Avalon is a place, and the organization is called the World Congress, in which the nations of the East are represented, and through their councils the interests of all the member nations are pursued."
Gaju Tugga paused and waited for the Prince to speak.
"Well, go on."
"Yes. The countries participating in the ...... are called , and they exchange technology, personnel, and products with each other."
"How ....... Go on.
"Yes. The center of the ......<> is <> to which I belong. I mentioned earlier that it is the name of a place, but I think it is safe to say that it is a group equivalent to a country.
"I see. I would love to hear more about ....... But this is not the place to talk. Let's move on. ...... Prime Minister, are you ready?
Your Highness. I've prepared a meeting room for you.
Very well.
And so Gaju Tsuga and his party moved from the hall to the meeting room.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Gathered in the council room were the king Niestor Cirillo Jagus, the vizier Beyax Gere, a man who looked like a minister, and two men who looked like knights of the Kingsguard. Then came Gaju Tuga, Fiona Fierce, and Manon.
They are seated around a huge table made of polished black stone.
The highest seat is, of course, occupied by Prince Niestro Cirilo Jagus. The lowest is Manon.
The two knights are standing behind the king on either side of him.
"Let me introduce you. The Minister of Foreign Affairs: ......"