Water Magician-Chapter 628: It’s been some time

Editor: Tseirp

“Queen Iliaja, it’s been a while.”

“Your Majesty, it’s been some time.”

Abel and Ryo bowed and greeted her after being invited into the room.

“King Abel and Duke Rondo, it’s good to see you both.”

Queen Iliaja answered with a delighted smile.

The ones who were flustered, however, were the two who had been greeted.

“Ah, well, that is…”

“Abel told me to keep quiet, so I had no choice…”

“Don’t blame me for it.”

When they had been staying in the Sujee Kingdom, they had not openly announced their ranks as king and duke.

It wasn’t that they intended to hide it, but…

“No, it’s fine. I noticed on my own. I’ve also received a report that the Lord Protector mentioned it when you met in Darwei.”

“Yes…”

“I heard that.”

At Queen Iliaja’s words, Ryo and Abel scratched their cheeks and replied.

“If possible, like before, Ryo, Abel will suffice…”

“Understood. Ryo-san, Abel-san.”

Queen Iliaja accepted Ryo’s proposal with a smile.

“Oh, right. Before I forget, here—”

She picked up a book from the desk in the back and handed it to Ryo.

“This is… ‘Abel, the Hungry Swordsman II’… oh, the latest volume!”

Ryo exclaimed happily, riffling through it and opening the cover.

“Yes. It was published in the kingdom based on the manuscript you entrusted to the Lord Protector. Consider this a complimentary copy to the original author.” ṛαΝɵ𝖇ĚṢ

Queen Iliaja smiled as she spoke.

Indeed, the copy given to Ryo was written in the Central Countries’ language.

Had the Central Countries’ edition been printed just to give to Ryo?

“In fact, we printed a few Central Countries’ language copies of the first volume, and they sold surprisingly well.”

“What?!”

“Many of our kingdom’s people know the original author is Ryo from the Central Countries’ Knightley Kingdom. Some of them wanted to read it in the original language… some even bought both the archipelago-region edition and the Central Countries’ edition and compared them as they read.”

“My goodness…”

That was a use even the original author hadn’t expected.

“It’s a very entertaining story. If this encourages people to learn the Central Countries’ language, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I read it myself.”

“Oh…”

How wonderful books are.

After that, butler Ronk brought drinks.

“Coffee!”

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while.”

Ryo said in surprise, and Abel nodded repeatedly.

In Darwei, they had mostly drunk tea.

Neither disliked tea, but the scent of coffee after so long was special.

“Ah… the smell of coffee calms me.”

“Indeed. It also brings a nostalgic feeling, strangely enough.”

Queen Iliaja watched the two, smiling as they drank happily.

Then Ryo suddenly remembered something.

“Now that I think about it, when we stayed here before, the cafe at the Freedom Breeze Inn served coffee, didn’t it?”

“Oh… I vaguely remember drinking some.”

“Yes, I drank something called Mandheling coffee. But I didn’t see it listed on the menu when I rested earlier.”

Queen Iliaja answered Ryo’s question.

“You two are staying at the Freedom Breeze Inn, right? I heard the Darwei negotiation delegation has rented the entire place…”

“Yes. Actually, we came on a ship with the Darwei delegation. Ah, of course, we’re officially observers at the Eastern Countries’ Joint Conference… advisors invited by the Grand Duchy of Atinjo.”

“I see. Actually, coffee beans harvested in the archipelago region are beginning to flow to Darwei.”

“What?!”

Ryo was astonished by the unexpected development.

Abel said nothing but opened his eyes wide.

Their surprise was understandable.

Both had been in the Darwei capital Hanlin, had the Emperor’s favor, and sometimes even visited the Imperial Palace… they should have been fairly well known there.

Yet neither of them recalled ever getting coffee in Darwei.

They hadn’t advertised that they liked coffee, of course, but…

“It seems merchants from Kwebasa are at the center of shipments to Darwei. When Kwebasa was a free city, coffee consumption was considerable… But now purchase prices have surged, and beans are being carried past Kwebasa straight to Darwei.”

“But we’ve never had coffee in Darwei.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Queen Iliaja tilted her head at Ryo’s words.

Then spoke as if remembering something.

“If I recall correctly, Prince Kouri, the Second Prince, became the center of coffee trade in Darwei. I heard merchants close to Prince Kouri are handling it.”

“I see… so that’s why it didn’t come to us.”

“Merchants gain an overwhelming advantage from handling rare goods. Prince Kouri seems to be popular not only with the Shitaifu class but with merchants as well.”

“Financial backing from merchants is the strongest support for those competing for power. With money, you can bring Shitaifu members and soldiers—who sway with money—onto your side.”

“So he is skilled in those kinds of political and financial maneuvers.”

Ryo and Abel didn’t regard that as dirty play.

Ryo saw such things in Earth’s history, and Abel had observed them at the center of state affairs as king and prince; both recognized it as commonplace.

Of course, if it crossed the law, they might frown, but…

“Let’s have Prince Ryun counter that!”

“Coffee with coffee? But where will we source it?”

At Abel’s question, Ryo silently looked to Queen Iliaja.

“I heard from the Lord Protector that the Imperial Palace is divided over the next emperor… the rivalry around the next crown prince. You two are backing Sixth Prince Ryun, aren’t you?”

Queen Iliaja asked with a smile.

“Yes, actually we are.”

Ryo briefly recounted the events so far. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“So, if Prince Ryun can secure the coffee beans from the archipelago region, Darwei merchants will come to him. Naturally, some brokerage money will flow to Prince Ryun. To fight and prevail, you need money!”

Ryo argued strongly.

Queen Iliaja tilted her head slightly.

“We could divert the coffee beans produced in the Suje Kingdom to Prince Ryun’s side… we have that kind of leeway.”

“Oh!”

“However, there are no ships to transport them.”

“Huh?”

Ryo couldn’t understand Queen Iliaja’s words at first.

“The kingdom’s merchants already have all their ships operating. Of course we’re building new ships now… but there are no merchant vessels available to carry coffee beans.”

“Ah…”

Ryo understood.

Even if they could acquire the coffee beans, there were no merchant ships to bring them to the autonomous city of Kwebasa.

There might even be no ships to carry them from Kwebasa to Darwei…

But then came a glimmer of hope.

“I don’t know beyond Kwebasa, but surely there are merchants who can at least bring them this far?”

“Are there such people?”

“There are those who are particular about handling coffee.”

“Those kinds of people…”

Ryo thought hard.

He thought a lot.

Then he had an idea.

“Blue Jade Trading Company!”

Yes—the firm behind the Blue Jade Special Blend, a very tasty coffee bean blend.

But the Blue Jade Trading Company is…

“They’re a trading house from the neighboring Komakyuta Principality, not the Suje Kingdom.”

So, a company from the neighboring, rival Komakyuta Principality.

“That’s true. But Queen Iliaja is familiar with that trading company.”

“Yes. They were the ones who escorted and returned all the people who remained in the Principality to me. I remember them.”

Indeed, the Blue Jade Trading Company had carried out that repatriation project properly.

“And Ryo’s book…”

“Book? Oh, ‘Abel, the Hungry Swordsman’. Try to remember the name at least!”

“I do remember it; I just didn’t want to say…”

“I heard they’re negotiating the rights to sell it within the Komakyuta Principality. Those publishing rights belong to the Suje government, don’t they? So…”

“Yes, the relationship between the Blue Jade Trading Company and the Suje government is quite good.”

Queen Iliaja nodded repeatedly.

True, they represented a rival nation’s trading house, but the relationship was good.

Which meant…

“Cross-border cooperation…”

“Rival nations helping each other—what a stirring development!”

All for the sake of coffee.

No—everything, really, so that Ryo can drink coffee.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

If you like my translations, please support me on Patreon and unlock early chapter releases! 7 day free trial is available for Bronze tier now!