Fwoosh! King Benettogna clenched his fists to keep from wetting himself in fear as the Bone Dragon's enormous torso soared into the sky.
"Eek..!"
His only intention was to save his kingdom from the brink of disaster and have a discussion with the madman who invaded his land with the Bone Dragon. It never crossed the king's mind that he would glide through the air on the Bone Dragon's hand.
Ha! Eek! Ack!
Fwoosh! Whoosh! Fwang! Swoosh! As Yong Yong fanned his wings and sped forward, the headwind slapped against the king's face and the rest of his body. His shoulder shrank in fear. He desperately prayed not to fall on the ground, braced his shaky legs, and struggled to uphold his remaining pride and authority as a king.
"Wh-What! What! Eek! What are you doing?!"
The monarch yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice wasn't shaking. He did not duck down or lower his body, proceeding to stand up tall with pride instead. Even at the risk of his own life, he was determined to appear strong. It was Lloyd who was taken aback by this sight.
"Ugh! Come on!" Lloyd reached out and grasped the king's shoulders, preventing him from freefalling out of the sky. "Please forgive me for kidnapping you in this manner! But there seemed to be no other way to convince you!"
"Convince me?"
"I mean the construction of the rift railroad in the Pantara Range! If you can't believe me, I will show you!" "Show me? Are you still stuck on that nonsense?"
"I'm trying to prove that I'm not talking nonsense! So, please! Duck down for a bit!"
"Eek!"
Lloyd's tight hold crushed his shoulder, causing him to lower his posture The king became furious, and his beard trembled in irritation. He was about to shout at Lloyd, but it was the latter who spoke first.
"Um, do you see that over there?" Lloyd said as he pointed somewhere.
"...What?" The king missed his chance to go on a rage.
Lloyd took advantage of his confusion by quickly pointing in one direction and tempting him to turn around, "You will understand all my actions if you look over there."
"What now?" the king observed, half-dazed and half-doubtful. His eyes followed Lloyd's fingers until they were looking down on the Pantara Range. He let out a gasp without realizing it. The peaks and rifts that used to exist below them had been neatly trimmed down and tidied. Of course, the land was still full of steep slopes in any case. But... "Huh? What is that?"
There were zigzag lines along the mountain slopes. Upon a closer look, it appears that the lines weren't merely markings on the ground. They were elevated roads with two metal bars running directly parallel to each other. Not only that, a large and long coach that he had never seen before was clunking its way uphill on one part of it, following the two metal bars.
"This is the railroad and train I mentioned before," Lloyd clarified as the sides of his mouth turned upward. As expected, it was the right move to run the test mule, so it would come at the perfect time. Thinking that to himself, he glanced at the king and continued speaking, "The idea is simple. It's to place two metal tracks at an equal distance from each other and make a train with precisely sized wheels run along them."
"But what about the slope-"
"Well, the project utilized various techniques. But they are a trade secret, so I can't tell you more."
The king became gravely silent.
Meanwhile, Lloyd's voice became more serious. "First, please forgive me for behaving in such an impertinent manner to you, the rightful ruler of the Benetto Kingdom. I only caused such trouble for fear that our conversation would draw out and the atmosphere would turn hostile. Regardless of my intentions, the reckless way I brought you here deserves reproach without a single doubt."
“...”
"I thought it would be best to let you confirm my words with your own two eyes, even if it meant taking slightly offensive measures. It was the most effective way to avoid damaging our relationship with unnecessary misunderstandings and the resulting disputes."
“...”
"I know this is just another excuse, but please forgive my rudeness with your boundless mercy," Lloyd said, his voice somber and sincere.
Of course, that doesn't change the fact that I abducted the king. I myself wondered if I went a little overboard this time.
Lloyd had hesitated. However, he ultimately chose to proceed with the method as it was obvious he would waste far too much time and energy otherwise.
For them, Yong Yong was demolishing the peaks just a few days ago because of the different perceptions of time caused by my skill. They obviously wouldn't believe that I've built a railroad across the range.
He would have had to invest an enormous amount of effort to persuade them of the entire affair. Given how tense Yong Yong had made them, it seemed doubtful that anything positive would come of it. This was why Lloyd decided to just show the king. You have to see it to believe it, right?
And now, it's my turn to appease him. I was honestly a little rude.
All the blood drained from his face, the king was still as pale as a sheet. Feeling guilty for shocking him with a kidnapping, Lloyd removed his winter clothes and carefully placed them over the king's shoulders. Instead of saying anything, he remained silent and waited for the king to respond.
King Benettogna's full, white beard twitched in surprise. He didn't expect Lloyd to apologize.
Did he just apologize to me?
It was rather out of the ordinary. He had assumed that, having been captured helplessly, he would be killed in his defenseless state. Instead, he was given an earnest apology from his captor, who had the most genuine and kind look in his eyes. At the same time, he was showing him there was a railroad that crossed the Pantara Range as evidence for why he was left with no other choice.
Does that mean this fellow was telling the truth?
Of course, it could be a trick to make him lower his guard. No, that was more than likely the case. But the monarch shook his head in the end after much thought.
No. There's no need for him to use such a trick when he has the upper hand. Right now, I am nothing but a weak, old man that has been kidnapped by them. They could easily harm me if they wanted to.
Yet, Lloyd Frontera did not harm, threaten, or intimidate him in any way. He calmly showed him proof of the claim he made earlier. And now, he was politely and cautiously asking for his forgiveness with a sincere apology.
If he wanted to take my life, he wouldn't have to apologize. He could just finish me off right here. The same is true for my kingdom.
If that man's goal had been to destroy the Benetto Kingdom, he wouldn't need such an elaborate plan. Lloyd could simply take his life, charge into the capital, and make the Bone Dragone lead a destructive and bloody massacre. Without the king's leadership, the kingdom's defensive forces would have been rendered useless.
But he isn't doing that.
At this point, King Benettogna finally lowered his suspicion to a certain extent but was still displeased about being kidnapped. With a gaze reflecting his remaining doubts, he sourly threw a question at Lloyd, "What a terrible character you possess. Let me ask you a question then. Lloyd Frontera, is this how you always are?"
"Oh, no, it is not."
"Then?"
"I am slightly more terrible and vicious than this on average."
“...”
"Ah, I'm sorry. That wasn't a threat. I didn't mean it to sound that way. Sincerely."
That just now did sound like a threat, thought King Benettogna as he licked his bitter lips. And then he realized...
I've been on the losing side of this negotiation from the very start.
In any case, Lloyd had a huge advantage in this negotiation and was backed by the hegemony of the Magentano Kingdom. So the king knew he should be grateful that he wasn't harmed and his kingdom wasn't invaded. However, he felt like he was receiving a notice from the Magentano Kingdom rather than engaging in a negotiation with them.
"Then, let me hear it." The king responded, his expression betraying his attempt to conceal his sorrow. The situation was a little humiliating, but he had no other choice.
"The will of my queen?" asked Lloyd.
"Yes. That seems to be the place for that."
"Thank you for your generosity."
"I should be the one to express gratitude. That is, to the House of Magentano for choosing not to invade us." The king joked with a smile, though the words he said seemed sincere.
Lloyd spoke more courteously and said, "I understand. I will then convey the message from Her Majesty. Queen Alicia Termina Magentano desires to directly engage in trade and commerce with your kingdom."
"Trade? Commerce?"
"Yes," Lloyd said, "As you should know, the Magentano Kingdom has always wanted to pave a path toward the southwest region. However, we couldn't seem to overcome the tough natural barrier formed by the mountains, and our attempts were thwarted."
"Yes. The Pantara Range."
Lloyd agreed, saying, "In light of this, my queen has specifically ordered me to build a trade route that enables safe passage over the Pantara Range."
"Can't it possibly be a route for invasion?"
"Sire, the fate of the railroad down there is in your hands. Whether it is for trade or invasion is entirely up to you," explained Lloyd calmly.
"Are you implying that you just fulfilled your responsibility to open a path and that politics will determine how it's used? That is irresponsible."
"I'm sorry. But that's the truth."
"Yes, that is true. I will not deny it."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Do not be." King Benettogna clicked his tongue. The more this conversation dragged on, the more despicable and desirable he found Lloyd Frontera. From his subtle way of dodging responsibility to his brazen yet calm attitude, the king noticed it all. He was annoyed that Lloyd was his opponent on the negotiation table and wondered what it would have been like if he had him under his command.
I am envious. I never expected that a day would come when I would grow jealous of that greedy and ferocious woman, Alicia.
Lloyd, who was not hesitant to cross any lines to gain an advantage and use it to steer a negotiation, made the king jealous of her. His tactic put them both in a position where they had to play the game that he had set up. At the same time, he was also astute enough to play it safe and avoid harming his opponent as much as possible.
"You are not trying to push the political responsibility to an old man like me with your sweet talk, are you?" the king asked, sounding Lloyd out and subtly demanding to know what he would gain by agreeing to the deal. Sure, he wasn't in a position to make demands. However, he still had to test the man's sincerity in the latter's suggestion for partnership. His wrinkled eyes shined with curiosity and anticipation as he waited to see if Lloyd would respond to his prodding.
Lloyd grinned broadly as if he had come prepared to provide the monarch with exactly what he was looking for. "Of course."
"Of course?"
"Yes," Lloyd answered as if he were a salesman skillfully satisfying every need of his customer. "After-sales service is a necessary step after a successful transaction." This was the golden rule of business, as it allowed companies to extract the maximum amount of value from their clients. Lloyd then flashed a radiant smile filled with kindness, generosity, and his dreams of exploitation.
