Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Education can sharpen one's mind, making it more receptive to new ideas. Given this, I suggest..."
Paul Grayman, the newly-appointed Marquis of the Kingdom of Aldor, was hunched over his desk, writing furiously. A stack of thick papers lay on the right side of the desk.
As he thought about what he could and could not say, his hand moved quickly, translating his thoughts into written words on the page.
At times, he struggled with how to express himself, occasionally crossing out a sentence he had written or crumpling up a sheet of paper.
Though this was addressed to the king, Paul subconsciously treated the letter as something more permanent, a manuscript that might eventually be published, and he didn't want any crude or juvenile language to be seen in his writing.
After getting stuck on a particular passage for a while, massaging his temples and deciding to wrap up his work for the morning, a servant entered and reported.
"Captain Gran requests to meet with you. He has good news—he has brought back the members of the exploration team who were captured."
"Gran?" Paul leaped out of his chair, "Have they reached Crystal Glare?"
"Yes, the fleet is resting at Frand Port. Mr. Gran came south on the flagship to find you."
"Quickly, please bring them to the meeting room."
A year ago, the Western Exploration Fleet completed the first circumnavigation in the history of this planet's civilization.
They had discovered another unknown continent inhabited by strange races—some with the heads of cattle, others with the heads of cats. These seemed to be the true "beasts" compared to the orcs of the Old Continent. Among them was a group of people whose faces resembled humans, though they had long, ram-like horns. They called themselves the Serdans and had a much higher level of civilization than the other species on the continent.
Unfortunately, the exploration team was attacked by the Serdans, and five members were captured.
After the fleet returned to the Northwest Bay for a brief rest, Gran, with Paul's support, quickly repaired the ships and replenished the crew to set out once more, vowing to rescue the captured team members.
Now, they had finally returned.
Paul hurried to the meeting room, where only a few people were present—Captain Gran, a few of his subordinates, and the five team members who had been captured by the Serdans.
"Thank the heavens, you're all right!" He recognized one of the captives, Vito.
After an enthusiastic greeting and some pleasantries, Gran, as the leader of the exploration team, began to explain their journey.
"We reached the land again, just as I told you before. There's a strait dividing it into two parts—north and south."
"The fleet followed the same route as last time and went straight to the Serdan port. The officials there were very friendly, even apologizing for the events that happened last time. Honestly, I thought they would immediately meet us with hostility."
"They said their queen had ordered that we be treated with respect if we returned, and they even invited us to their capital."
"Out of caution, we didn't immediately accept the invitation until they returned Vito and the others. Our team members are in good condition, looking well-fed and unharmed. But they said that initially, some of the Serdan nobles treated them as slaves, and it was these nobles who orchestrated the previous attack. But once they were sent to the Serdan queen, she restored their freedom."
Paul nodded, relaxing his furrowed brow, "She seems like a decent person."
At this point, the team members exchanged glances, and Paul sensed something strange.
"What's wrong? Is there something unspeakable?"
"Ahem," Gran cleared his throat and continued, "After some consideration, I decided to visit the Serdan queen in their capital. And then..."
His eyebrows raised, and an expression of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"I saw her. You wouldn't believe it, but the queen looks exactly like someone you know."
"Who?" Paul asked, intrigued. Since it was the queen, it must be someone who resembled a woman.
"Lady Ladia Setia Gerald," Gran exclaimed.
Paul frowned, "Ladia? Oh, this is quite an interesting coincidence, haha." Then he asked, "How much do they look alike?"
Gran replied solemnly, "Exactly the same, as I just said."
Vito, standing nearby, added, "The face shape, eyes, hair color... all the details are indistinguishable. Oh, except for the horns on the queen's head."
Paul couldn't help but laugh. "You haven't spent much time with Ladia, have you? When it comes to details, perhaps you should take a closer look."
He looked toward the servant at the door. "Please bring Lady Setia here."
The green-haired female advisor soon arrived at the meeting room, and upon seeing the room full of people, she froze for a moment.
"Good news—the Western Exploration Fleet is back. This is Captain Gran, whom you know."
"And this is Lady Ladia Setia."
Paul introduced the two, and aside from Gran and Vito, not many of the guests had met Ladia.
Immediately, almost everyone in the room turned their gaze toward Ladia.
"Identical!"
"Really, exactly the same!"
"I thought I was seeing the queen again."
Faced with such intense stares and exclamations, Ladia's face turned a little red, an unusual reaction for her. She was confused about what was happening and glanced at Paul, a little awkwardly.
Paul asked, "Now that you've looked closely, do you still think they look alike?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well, this is an interesting matter," Paul explained to Ladia. "According to them, the queen of another continent—actually, the Serdans, you know, the race with horns—looks exactly like you."
"Such a thing?" Ladia sighed in relief, thinking her identity as a sorceress had been exposed.
The advisor, at Paul's gesture, sat down gracefully. "There are many people in the world who resemble each other. There's no need to be so surprised."
"However..." Vito couldn't help but comment, "You two are basically twins. No, you're like a copy of her."
Ladia smiled politely, remaining silent.
Paul, aware that the advisor didn't want to draw too much attention to her other identity, quickly changed the subject. "Let's talk about something else."
"The Serdan queen expressed goodwill toward us. She allowed us to purchase land at the port for a guesthouse and promised that if we engage in trade, she would protect our merchants according to their laws."
"That's a good thing," Paul said approvingly. "Transoceanic trade requires larger ships. The shipyard at Northwest Bay should be strengthened."
"And we've left behind a small fleet to map the coast. When they return, they'll bring detailed sea charts and hydrological data."
"Also, we've brought back the mineral you mentioned—the one formed from bird guano."
Paul exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's it! How much did you gather?"
Gran opened his right hand. "Five full ships."
Marquis Grayman stood up, walking around the floor in excitement.
"We need to send a message to the Council of Affairs immediately to organize experiments. If this mineral is truly an incredibly rare natural fertilizer, it could greatly benefit agriculture."
(End of the Chapter)
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