Fasleen had been more of an artist than a politician, but after her husband died, she had no choice but to take up the mantle of leadership to protect her newborn son. She learned quickly, and in just a few years, she became a formidable queen. From what I gathered, Kuwol had its troubles, but for the most part, things were going well. If there were any significant issues, Birakoya would surely inform me.
“Our political system has generally been stable, so there’s little to worry about. The nomads have become less of a problem too, now that many of them are choosing to settle in the cities. This is also thanks to you, Lord Veight.”
“I didn’t do anything. Once a nation grows wealthy, conflict naturally fades as long as that wealth is fairly distributed.”
The conflict between sedentary farmers and pastoral nomads was a tale as old as time. In Kuwol’s case, the farmers had an overwhelming advantage since they had access to the Mejire. Now that the nobles and farmers had grown wealthy from the sugarcane trade, the nomadic tribes couldn’t hope to match their military might. The nomads weren’t foolish enough to pick a fight they couldn’t win, but if the farmers and nobles mistreated them, they could be driven to revolt. As long as the nomads were treated fairly, that wouldn’t be an issue, but I wasn’t sure the nobles would be so accommodating.
That said, I couldn’t afford to stick my nose into other countries’ internal affairs all the time. If I kept doing it, people would find my presence overbearing, and if Kuwol thought I favored the nomads too much, it would have diplomatic ramifications.
Man, it’s no different here. Just like in Meraldia, I had too much influence to speak freely.
Seeing my expression, Birakoya gave me a quizzical look. “Why do you seem so worried now that we finally have peace, Lord Veight?”
“It’s precisely because we have peace that I don’t want to lose it.”
I felt like that was a reasonable response, but Birakoya looked at me with concern.
“When I first met you, it seemed like you were carrying a great deal on your shoulders. And as the decades have passed, your burden has only grown.”
“You might be right. There’s more to do than ever.”
Quietly but firmly, Birakoya continued, “Don’t try to take on too much. Even a hero has their limits. Eventually, you will have to pass your burden on to someone else. I’m not long for this world, so I’ve already learned to pass mine on.”
It was true. Birakoya looked and sounded far older than she used to. In fact, it was entirely possible this would be the last time I’d see her alive. The day would come when I would die too. I’d died once already, so I knew it was inescapable.
I looked down and muttered, “I guess one of our jobs is to raise people who can take on our burdens, huh?”
“Absolutely. Did you not build your university precisely because you understood the importance of that?”
True enough. The university was established partly to address the shortage of Meraldian engineers and scientists, but also because I wanted to foster the next generation of leaders. That was why I created the elementary branch—to start teaching kids while they were young. As a result, Ryuunie and Myurei grew up to be fine viceroys, and it was thanks to them that the meeting the other day had gone so smoothly. I was proud; they’d stood up to people their parents’ age and convinced them to adopt their proposal.
Birakoya chuckled and said, “You’re smiling again. Thinking about your students?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Oh, it was.”
Crap, that’s no good. I’m here as a diplomat right now, not a teacher. I need to focus on work.
Still smiling, Birakoya said, “I hope you look after Shumar with that much passion as well.”
“Of course.”
I intended to turn Shumar into a skilled leader. That reminds me—we’ve got a meeting with Queen Fasleen after this.
Noticing another change in my expression, Birakoya said, “I hope this old lady’s words were of some use to the Black Werewolf King.”
“Absolutely. Thank you for your wisdom, Lady Birakoya.”
“It was nothing, dear.” She gave me a motherly smile as she saw me off.
In truth, I wanted to get to Mount Kayankaka as quickly as possible, but due to my position, I needed to stop and visit many places along the way. Birakoya had warned me that if I went straight to the palace, I’d hurt the nobles’ standing because it would appear the Black Werewolf King didn’t deem them worthy of a visit. It was a pain, but I had no choice but to stop and visit every noble along my route. Most places gave me an extremely warm welcome, which was tiring in its own right. Thankfully, our route passed near the one place I actually wanted to visit. And so, I made my way there.
“When you said there was one place you absolutely had to go, I figured it’d be here,” Parker said with a smile, walking up to me.
I turned away and said, “Yeah. This is where Kuwol’s king, Pajam the Second, met his end.”
Indeed, I had come to the site of Pajam the Second’s murder—the city ruins where Zagar had lured him out and assassinated him. I’d rather not have had anything to do with it, but Zagar had used my name to draw Pajam out, so I had become involved regardless. Incidentally, Friede and the others were currently being shown around the city of Karfal. I hadn’t wanted to force the kids to come here just to watch me mope. Parker, however, had ignored my wish to come here alone and followed after me.
“Back then, we were able to summon Pajam the Second’s spirit, but it doesn’t seem to be here any longer,” Parker mused. “There’s no trace of his spiritual residue. He must have either reincarnated or returned to the afterlife, where all souls merge together.”
“I’m glad he finally got to rest in peace,” I said, walking over to the well where his corpse had been dumped.
I placed a bottle of Meraldian wine, Rolmundian whiskey, and Wa sake next to the well as an offering. Kumluk, who’d insisted on coming with me, helped arrange the offering with tears welling up in his eyes. He’d been tricked by Zagar and discarded like a disposable pawn, so he had a strong connection to this place.
I first softly spoke a prayer for Pajam in Kuwolese.
“Long time no see, Your Majesty,” I said after finishing my prayer. “I brought alcohol from three separate countries as an offering today. I hope you enjoy it with your royal guards in the afterlife.”