Enlightened Empire

Chapter 299

Once they were done with introductions, Corco, Sumaci, and Lady Sisa took their seats atop the elevation at the head of the room. As the host of today's event, the lady sat in the middle, with Corco on the right and Sumaci on the left. They were flanked by Saniya's warriors who acted as guards for both him and Sumaci. In addition, Sumaci had taken two maids from Saniya with her to handle her daily necessities. The two trusted warriors of Rasacopa, the ones Corco suspected of creating trouble during the reception, sat right before them, at the foot of the elevation.

At this moment, all of them held steaming cups of porcelain, filled with the strange, hot rice wine that was so typical of the Verdant Isles. Much to his dismay, Corco had been handed one as well.

One by one, the warriors of Rasacopa came up to congratulate the princess and her husband for her marriage and welcomed the guest and ally onto their islands. While Corco didn't mind the flattery, every last warrior who came forward would insist to toast with him. Although this looked like some ploy to get him drunk, especially from simple warriors towards a king, it was common etiquette here.

For Corco, meeting the warriors as almost equals like this would be unthinkable in Medala. Even in Saniya, where he had tried his hardest to tear apart the limitations of the social caste system, there was an invisible moat between him and most of his subordinates. The Verdant Isles were very different in this regard. After all, the Isles only had the five colored kings and their families who were high nobles. Only they could be considered on the same level as the many lords of Medala.

As a result, the Colored Kings had always mingled more with their warriors than their medalan brothers did. With few options to choose from among their own, many of them married women from within the lower class as their queens, and many others treated the bravest and most loyal among them as brothers. Since Corco didn't really care for class differences anyways, he simply went along with the local customs. He just wished they had brought him something more pleasant to drink.

For the umpteenth time, Corco raised his warm rice wine that smelled of pure ethanol and held it forward to greet the guest who was coming towards him.

“A toast to the king from far away,” the warrior slurred and raised his own cup, spilling drops of the disinfectant. On the stained carpet below Corco's seat, the other warriors were already well on their way to 'drunk' status, indulging in their unsophisticated booze. In response to the warrior's enthusiasm, the king hinted at a sip and tried to remain indifferent.

However, the concoction tasted as bad as it smelled, so he couldn't prevent a small wrinkle of his nose. Seemingly satisfied with Corco's actions, the warrior turned towards the second guest.

“Princess Sumaci,” he began. His wrong address made Corco frown, but he stayed silent for now and observed the speaker.

“Princess, can you tell us lowly servants why you would not bring your crew when you came home? My brother has always enjoyed his time on your raidship, but his family would love to see him return sometime and honor his elders.”

This guy's getting on my nerves more and more. What kind of rude question is that?

Unlike Corco, Sumaci seemed to have far more patience with her servant.

“Brave warrior, this queen has always taken good care of her men and would never deny them a return home if they asked for one,” Sumaci defended herself. “In fact, all of this queen's remaining warrior servants have come along on this journey. They are still aboard the Medalan ships in the harbor, but will come ashore together with the other men, as soon as it has been allowed.”

When Sumaci's ship had been sunk near the bat islands, Corco and Sumaci hadn't been the only survivors, though at first it had seemed that way. After they had been saved by Atau, they searched the area for a few days and discovered some of Sumaci's men who had also managed to save themselves onto dry land.

Despite the best efforts of the rescue team, only eleven of Sumaci's warriors had returned from the adventure in the end. While the numbers were depressing, the existence of survivors still had soothed Sumaci's mind. Feeling guilty for the deaths of her warriors, she had spent much time and money to reward the survivors for their loyalty and dedication.

In fact, she planned to spend even more to compensate the families of those who had given their lives on duty. For Sumaci, it would be a natural response to such a tragedy, though Corco also saw a good chance for her to show off her magnanimity as soon as she returned here. However, the warrior who had come for only a greeting wouldn't shut up and play along with her role as gracious princess.

“But... princess, your raidship hasn't been among that fleet in the harbor, has it?” he asked.

“The Green Raider suffered a sneak attack from the Orientals not too long ago,” Sumaci explained the fate of her ship with a pained face. “Despite the strength and bravery of her crew, she sank in the process. Most men were lost to the waves, all while fulfilling their duties like true warriors. You may leave your brother's name, and I can tell you right away if he is among the survivors. I have taken all their names to heart, living and dead. Even if he is not among the living, your family will be eligible to a reward for his bravery.”

“What!?” Unimpressed by Sumaci's deferential answer, the warrior screamed and pointed his finger in accusation. “How dare you call this place your home, when you show up here after you have lost your men, and your fleet! Even more so in those mannish clothes! What sort of captain would let his ship sink and then come back to celebrate, as if nothing had happened!?”

Before anyone else could talk, Tayali spoke up.

“Warrior, do you believe this is the time or place to judge your princess like that? Isn't this in poor taste?” he asked.

“This is about the lives of our brothers, so why care about taste? As captain of a raidship, she is in charge for her men. If she can't guarantee their safety, the little girl should not pretend to be one with that fake dress of hers. What we need right now is a strong leader, someone who can defend the island, not some little girl who can't even defend her own ship!”

All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the room froze. When everyone was still thinking that today would simply be a happy get-together, this one warrior had spoken out what many were thinking. Surely, many of the warriors present thought that Sumaci had come back to take her father's throne, and there would be more than a few who would be opposed to the idea.

All of a sudden, this one man had raised questions on the inheritance of the Green Island, and he had also put Sumaci's claims into serious question. Annoyed, Corco looked around the faces in the room, many stunned, or thoughtful.

He tried to find someone who didn't look surprised, to identify the one who had orchestrated this. However, there were too many people, and they were too hard to read. In the end, he gave up and just broke through the tense mood instead. Someone had to speak up for Sumaci, so it may as well be her husband.

“Are you right in the head, buddy?” The king's sarcastic voice broke through the silence like a knife.

“Excuse me?” the baffled warrior said in confusion.

“No, I don't think I will excuse you,” Corco replied in his sloppiest tone. “A captain needs to defend their men? They shouldn't let their ship sink? What kind of bullshit is that? If you've never lost a ship you've been in charge of then you've not been in a lot of battles. Sometimes, the ship sinks. Sometimes, you can't choose when to engage in a battle. And sometimes, when you engage, you lose. That's part of the job. I don't appreciate how you've been insinuating that Sumaci gave up her ship and her men to save her own skin.”

“I never-”

The warrior began, but Corco interrupted him.

“I was there when the ship sank. It was a sneak attack. The enemy ships approached from a blind spot and weren't discovered by Sumaci's outlooks. By the time they found out, the enemy was already within firing distance. They had cannons, we didn't, and we were outnumbered as well. Sumaci was aboard the ship during the attack, and only left when the main deck was already under water. I'm not sure how much more dedication you can expect from a captain. Or are you just looking for excuses to blame her?”

“I did not-”

“Yes you did,” Corco interrupted again. “And I don't care if you deny it. This isn't a court, so I don't need evidence. Everyone here knows perfectly well why you've said what you said. I don't know what your problem with my queen is or who instructed you to do this, but you best be careful who you offend.”

Corco looked around the room that had once again been stunned into silence.

“As for the men who lost their lives, they're warriors. One and all, they have sworn to protect their princess. They're not unionized workers. They don't have the divine right to be cared for. The notion that a princess has the responsibility to protect her guards, rather than the other way round, is absurd. And it's both an insult to Sumaci, and to the dead men. They died fulfilling their duties. For warriors, dying in the execution of their duties is considered an honor. In return, they get money and status, even in death. The rewards the survivors of the attack have received – and the rewards the families of the deceased will get – are more generous than what should be expected, so why are you complaining? Why the fuck are you talking so much in the first place? If her warriors have any complaints about her, they can tell her themselves. They don't need you to speak for them. Who the fuck are you anyways?”

Angered until he became red in the face, the warrior tried to charge forward, but Corco's own warriors stepped ahead to intercept him. In the face of overwhelming numbers and with no help from the fellow warriors behind him, he had to halt his great plan of punching a king. Even so, he didn't back down and glowered at Corco's indifferent face. Only the words of another warrior in the back broke the stalemate.

“What a bold thing for an outsider to say.” Already, his opening words showed whose side this one was on. “Just coming here and telling us how to treat our own when you can't even hold your liquor. Someone as weak as this, what gives you the courage to talk down on the warriors of Rasacopa? Is it the few guards you've brought into the Green Palace? Who allowed you to break island law and bring armed men here?”

As soon as the warrior's words had fallen, a murmur rose from the crowd. Now Sumaci was no longer in the crossfire, but Corco had become the target of their attacks instead. It was obvious that a visiting king would travel with his guards and advisors, yet somehow it was being interpreted as an attack on Rasacopa's sovereignty. This time, Corco didn't get the chance to speak up first. Instead, someone spoke up for him.

“Sit back down, warrior Oru,” Tayali said with a frown. “You've drunk too much, and you've said too much.”

However, the warrior seemed to not hear Tayali's words.

“Why would no one stop the outsiders when they brought their weapons ashore? Does no one understand that they're dangerous? Just think, why would they come just now, all of a sudden? What a coincidence that the king and his heir have just died, and from nowhere a foreign king shows up, who has just married the princess, and he brings an entire army with him. Who knows, maybe your goals are-”

“That's enough!” This time, Tayali stood up and screamed some sense into the warrior. Finally, the room turned quiet again, as the captain turned towards Corco.

“This warrior needs to apologize to King Corco for the men's rudeness,” the captain said. “They are all drunk, and the last days have weighed heavy on their hearts.”

Despite Tayali's excuses, Corco didn't seem fazed, as if he wasn't affected by the insults at all. To him, every disturbance from the warriors looked like clumsy political games. Had he reacted in anger and spoke up against the warrior first, maybe he would have sparked an uprising among the riled-up drunks down below, but now they had been silenced again.

Now, he could talk again, and it wouldn't be hard to destroy the fantasies of those two warriors with some truth. After all, ever since the succession war, he had relished nothing more than to smash apart political ploys.

“Haven't you made enough enemies already?” he asked towards the warrior who had just insulted him. “You've just lost your king, you're without a leader. I think the last thing you need right now is losing your only remaining ally over some bogus claims, or over how I like my alcohol. You think I shouldn't be allowed to travel with a few guards? You've made enemies with just about every power around you, and you're about to fight a war for the very existence of your island. Why do you think we've brought that many warriors with us? We're not here on holiday, we're here to support you in your war. So this is probably the dumbest conceivable way to lose an ally. Your name was Oru, was it? I invite everyone in this room to remember that name when you stand by yourselves as you fight alone, while your island gets overrun by your enemies.”

At last, the drunk warrior's courage seemed to deflate. His head lowered and he silently ducked back into the rows of warriors, surely wishing to disappear. Despite their numerical advantage, all warriors in the hall appeared weak, and none of them dared to stand up against Corco anymore.

Now they had been reminded of just how dire their position was, and how much they would need the foreign king's help if they wanted to survive until winter. Whatever political games they wanted to play right now, they couldn't just be so blunt about it, or they would be labeled a traitor to their cause. At least until they got smart, Corco would have his peace and quiet.

“This lady believes this is as good a moment as any to end the banquet.” This time, Lady Sisa's voice broke through the silence as she rose from her seat. “Would Queen Sumaci do this old lady the honor of joining her for tea in her private quarters? During these dark and lonely days, this lady has longed for familiar conversation.”

“With pleasure, mother,” Sumaci answered and stood as well. It seemed like both understood that things wouldn't get much better for them today. They had parried their invisible enemy's attacks, but their perceived advantage would melt under even more alcohol. Thus, it was best to retreat while they were still ahead. Corco was eager to do the same and find a quiet place to make sense of what he had seen today, but someone stepped in front of him before he could excuse himself.

“King Corcopaca,” Captain Tayali said. “Since you are free for now, could I interest you in a tour of the palace? I'm sure you have many questions that need to be answered.”