The Water Magician

In front of the Embassy of the Duchy of Atinjo, a large crowd had gathered.

Among them were some people Ryo and Abel had seen before.

"Is that the owner of 'Joyful Dining Hall'?"

"Oh? Ah, it's you two. I’m sorry for bothering you again after you just came by earlier."

There was indeed the owner of 'Joyful Dining Hall'.

Upon closer inspection, the captain of 'The Gluttonous Shop' and other chefs from different restaurants were also present.

"They all came to ask us to stop hoarding the ingredients..."

The requests from the gathered individuals were the same.

Of course, it seemed that not only restaurant personnel were present, but also those related to the market itself.

However...

"No one is coming out, and there’s no explanation."

"Well, that makes sense."

Everyone was speaking up, but Abel understood why the embassy remained silent.

There was only one reason.

They were under no obligation to explain.

And it was a custom that one should not enter the embassy without permission.

Even the city guard, responsible for maintaining public order, could not enter as per tradition.

This custom, found in all the Central Nations and Western Nations, also seems to exist in the southern part of this continent of Eastern Nations.

Among the gathered crowd, there were some who appeared to belong to the city guard or similar entities, but they too could do nothing, which further supported this assumption.

At that moment.

"Please open the gates!"

A resounding voice echoed around.

Even Abel momentarily did not recognize whose voice it was.

But a moment later, he understood...

"Can Ryo really produce such a voice?"

That murmur was unheard by anyone else.

From Ryo’s perspective, having practiced kendo, it was natural for him to be able to project his voice from his belly...

However, there was no response from the embassy.

"If you want us to come in, then please open the gates."

The voice rang out again.

But the content was perplexing.

No matter how one looked at it, there was a lack of consistency with the initial words.

And in the next moment.

The gates of the embassy vanished.

Yes, almost everyone present recognized that they had 'disappeared'.

If there were anyone paying close attention, they might have noticed that the gate had been astonishingly finely shredded.

Even those who noticed could not discern what had shredded it so finely.

"Is it Ryo's water line?"

Only Abel, who possessed knowledge of water jet, could infer.

In any case, the embassy's gate was gone.

That was synonymous with it being open.

"Such a magical disappearing gate is impressive! Thank you for opening the gates!"

Ryo's voice rang out a third time.

The embassy personnel were taken aback.

That was only natural.

The gate had vanished suddenly.

Of course, there were no magical mechanisms designed to make the gate disappear.

It was impossible for it to open in the first place.

Ryo confidently entered the premises.

After saying, "If you want us to come in, then please open the gates," the state of affairs had now become one where it could be interpreted as having opened...

Thinking he was invited in, he proceeded.

Later, he could claim that as an excuse.

Even if everyone recognized it as a lie, as long as the formality and pretense were maintained, it would pass.

That is the essence of diplomacy.

Ryo had shaped the circumstance with his words.

And the situation continued to unfold as per those words.

Thus, he entered the embassy.

Diplomatically, there should be no problem.

And here, in the embassy, the center of diplomacy.

It would be difficult to accuse Ryo of illegal entry into the embassy.

Of course, all of this was achievable because of 'power'.

One must not forget this fact.

Without power on our side, the other party would take advantage and exert pressure.

That too is an essence of diplomacy.

"I'm going to talk to them, so everyone stay here."

When Abel said this, those who had gathered in front of the embassy nodded.

Though the gate had suddenly disappeared and a mage had entered saying, "I'm coming in," they hesitated to enter themselves.