The Water Magician

"It was a wonderful ascension ceremony."

Ryo said happily.

Ryo and Abel were leaving the grand audience hall and heading towards the gazebo at the White Retreat.

Queen Iliriaja and Lord Protector Kavui Somaru seemed to have reports to make to the heroic spirits and a dinner party with foreign ambassadors later that night, but the work for the two of them was almost finished.

Though they had been asked to attend the dinner party, it was not as guards but rather as honored guests, just like at the ascension ceremony.

"Well, considering the commotion right after everything, I think we did quite well," Abel replied.

"Abel, even though the whole country is in a festive mood... saying something so cynical won’t make anyone happy. People will drift away from cynics," Ryo said.

"No, it’s not meant to be cynical..."

Ryo didn’t want Abel to become someone who only spoke sarcastically.

The trend of viewing cynics and critics as cool was already outdated!

"People really do prefer sincere individuals. If you are to be king, you must recognize this first," Ryo advised.

"Why is that the case for a king?"

"The sarcasm of a powerful person is a weapon. If a king wields such a weapon, the nation will falter."

"I see... I believe I am quite sincere."

Generally, King Abel was perceived as straightforward and bold by leaders of neighboring nations.

That evaluation was likely the opposite of what schemers would conclude.

"Please be a dignified and pure king, Abel. Leave the dirty work to those of us around you."

"Are you going to do it, Ryo?"

"Yes, leave it to me. If I say the Debuhi Empire is a nuisance, I will have the emperor sacrificed. If I say the alliance is troublesome, I will freeze the capital. Leave the scheming to us, and you remain a good king..."

"Well, that’s not scheming. And I don’t desire that kind of thing."

"Don’t tell me you’re hoping to annex the entire Central Nations in one leap..."

"Of course not!"

The ambitions of the first duke and the king seemed unlikely to be realized.

The British Prime Minister Disraeli once said:

"The world is driven by figures that are quite different from what the general public imagines, who are unaware of the back world."

Even if the world changes, and the times change... there are still parts that remain unchanged...

When the two entered the gazebo, a mannequin had been added.

It was Abel’s leather armor.

"Oh, it has been repaired."

His voice was slightly buoyed.

As a swordsman, he was pleased to have his equipment repaired and returned.

This leather armor had been sent to a repairman by Kavui Somaru.

Today, Abel was wearing formal attire for guests, and for the past few days, he had been dressed in something akin to the imperial guard captain's outfit, based on white.

In the meantime, it had been repaired.

"It truly looks impressive. I can't even tell that there was a big hole," Ryo remarked as he approached and poked it to check.

Abel's leather armor was crafted for the king in the Naitorei Kingdom.

It was made for fighting on the battlefield, and since Abel had loved wearing leather armor since his days as a swordsman, it seemed he continued to wear it even after becoming king.

That said, it was certainly the highest quality for a king.

While practical, it had just enough embellishments to avoid being overly ostentatious, and Ryo felt it was quite stylish.

"Is this the same repair technique used in the Komakyuta Feudal Kingdom?"

"Well, probably the same," Ryo nodded in response to Abel's question.

Without alchemy, such perfect repairs would not be possible.

"Alright, I've made a decision. Let's practice this on the ship."

"On the ship?"

"Yes. Now that the princess, no, Queen Iliriaja's ascension has been successfully completed, we should be off duty, right? Then we could be sent to the continent, on that ship."

"Hmm... I wonder when we will be able to leave."

While Ryo's thoughts were already on the route to the continent, Abel was firmly focused on the ground beneath him.

"The Gegish-Lou Federation is in civil war, and the Duchy of Atinjo’s relationship with the Sujay Kingdom has deteriorated... right?"