Chapter 78

The people of Europa define the Northern Alliance like this:

A meager land where the extreme cold from the north blows throughout the year, freezing even the sea, a cultureless place inhabited by reckless and barbaric marauders and rustic serfs.

However, my investigations since I was in Croilet revealed that the Northern Alliance does not consist solely of lands dominated by extreme cold.

Rather, there are places so rich and expansive that even the serfs can eat meat once a month, and there are areas where the breath does not turn white even in winter.

Instead, because it is far from advanced countries boasting splendid cultures like Elaline, Franche, Romania, and Italica, their culture seems barbaric from the perspective of the nobility.

For that reason, I was confident that by conveying the culture of ‘Elaline’ and new things to them, it would surely be a hit, and I headed towards the imperial capital of the Northern Alliance, Narthel.

As soon as I disembarked, I heard the voice of a nobleman filled with joy, clearly waiting for my arrival.

“Are you Your Excellency SIEL von Croilet? I am Nikolai Sherenbovsky, the court baron. The Foreign Minister has instructed me to serve you well.”

When I was a baron, even if I had come here, it would have been a knight receiving orders from a court viscount, not the Foreign Minister…

Now that my status has risen, it amazes me that even in a foreign land, a court baron comes to wait on me… It’s a new experience.

“I am SIEL von Croilet, the legitimate lord of the Croilet territory. Thank you for your assistance, Baron.”

“It is an honor. Please come this way. The Foreign Minister has prepared accommodations for you. If there’s anything you desire…”

Though they say ‘anything you desire,’ they clearly intend to extract a cost greater than I receive.

If I fall for this, it would not be wise, but if I refuse entirely, it would insult their honor…

“In fact, I came with a girl named Ela, so please bring some delicious food that we might both enjoy.”

Upon hearing that, the baron’s expression became slightly displeased, perhaps filled with anxiety about being unable to fulfill the directive given by the Foreign Minister, as he replied.

“I will serve you borscht and shashlik. Since you mentioned dining with a lady, I will prepare the shashlik as lightly grilled as possible.”

“Thank you, Baron.”

Then, I handed the baron something and whispered.

“Baron, please read this letter and pass it on to the high-ranking members of your faction. I assure you it contains content that will surely satisfy them.”

Upon hearing my request, the baron took a deep breath, enough to make his long mustache quiver, and replied.

“It is an honor, Excellency!”

“Very well. Please hurry. I am quite fatigued.”

**

After the journey, Ela and I opened our eyes around noon, or rather, in the afternoon.

After we groomed our hair and clothes, we entered the dining room prepared for us.

Inside, the floor, ceiling, and walls were adorned with pure white marble, and on the pillars supporting the ceiling, there was a small black eagle, the symbol of the Northern Alliance, snatching its prey, gilded in gold.

The table where Ela and I sat was an extravagant piece made of ebony marble, and the various dishes were engraved with golden patterns.

On it were precious dishes of the Northern Alliance such as borscht and shashlik.

Ela seemed somewhat anxious about dining, or merely being in such a lavish place, looking around in a bit of panic.

So, I lightly called out to Ela to calm her down.

“Ela, settle down.”

Upon hearing me, Ela stopped trembling and focused on my words.

“You’ve always said you want to be helpful to me since you were little, right?”

“Yes, Master… I want to be of help to you.”

Seeing Ela say this was heartwarming, so I unconsciously patted her head lightly and whispered in her ear.

“You’re always helpful to me, and I’m always grateful. But today, I need your help. Can you assist me?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. Then, Ela, don’t mind the people around us. Just show me the elegance you exhibit when dining with my father. Even that alone would be a tremendous help to me.”

At my words, Ela smiled brightly, nodded, and replied.

“In exchange, can I look forward to tonight?”

That slight smile was a bit frightening, but I nodded in agreement to achieve my purpose.

“Of course.”

Then I clapped to signal the conductor, musicians, and painters I had brought.

The painters set up their canvases and various art supplies around us, and the conductor instructed the placement of all the instruments.

Once the conductor gave the command, the workers of the Northern Alliance cautiously began to move the instruments, as if they were precious.

About 30 minutes later, a grand performance began with the delicate sound of a violin.

Ela and I dined with a touch of dignity, unlike usual, accompanied by the music.

We poured borscht into our bowls with small ladles, and when it came to the borscht larger than our mouths, we cut it into small pieces with the knife placed before us and ate it.

Ela, who was already cute, looked like a squirrel with a mouth full of acorns when she opened her small mouth to eat the borscht.

When eating shashlik, she used a small knife to detach the meat from the bone, then chopped it and put it in her mouth.

As our meal was nearly concluding, I spoke to the butler standing next to me.

“Bring ice cream, meringue cookies, and marshmallows.”

“Yes, understood.”

Then I nudged Ela’s foot to signal that she no longer needed to uphold her elegance.

A little later, the butler came back with ice cream, meringue cookies, and marshmallows arranged in very luxurious dishes.

The pristine white ice cream, pink, yellow, and white meringue cookies, and the neatly arranged marshmallows were breathtakingly beautiful.

Ela and I first had the marshmallows, followed by the different colored meringue cookies.

Unlike usual, perhaps due to the extra sugar, the Ela before me was truly happy, munching away with glee at the marshmallows and meringue cookies.

Then we scooped the ice cream together, and the taste was astonishing.

Thanks to the use of really fresh milk, eggs, and plenty of sugar, it felt like it was completely melting in my mouth, and the flavor was so delightful that it almost felt like my head was going to be sweetened.

Especially Ela, who loved sugary things since childhood…

She was vibrating her smile like the sun, bright and cheerful.

The painters seemed eager to capture that moment, moving their pencils at incredible speed.

After finishing our meal, I gently stroked Ela’s cheek and said.

“Well done, you’re the best, Ela.”

Her cheeks flushed bright red like an apple at my words.

And I sought to rest separately to wait for the guests coming tonight.

**

As I lay on the luxurious bed, idly gazing at the ceiling of the room, I heard someone calling me from outside the door.

“Your Excellency, the Foreign Minister has arrived.”

I thought I would first have practical discussions with a high-ranking official from the Foreign Ministry, but to think the Foreign Minister would come directly…

“Tell him to enter.”

As that was said, the Foreign Minister opened the door and walked in.

I felt a moment of shock when I saw a man in his 60s with a long beard like Santa entering, dressed in a long-sleeved black fur coat.

However, I made an effort to conceal my feelings and bowed my head while speaking.

“I am SIEL von Croilet, the Count with lawful dominion over Nante, and I greet Your Excellency, the Foreign Minister, who is the eagle of prey.”

Hearing my words, the Santa-like Foreign Minister smiled warmly like a good-natured uncle.

“I am Alexeykov Rollsroy, the Foreign Minister of the Northern Alliance and the legitimate owner of the Rollsroy territory. Though I may be a minister of the Empire, since we hold the same title, you may speak comfortably.”

“Even if our titles are the same, Your Excellency is a minister of a nation. How could I speak comfortably? Moreover, I have come not as Count of Croilet but rather to sell the goods and culture of my territory to the Empire.”

The Foreign Minister stroked his beard thoughtfully and replied with a relaxed voice.

“Then proceed as you wish. By the way, you’ve come not only to sell goods but also culture… what do you mean by that?”

“As I mentioned, we will bring the refined cultures of Spania, Italica, Romania, Elaline, and Franche to the imperial family of the Northern Alliance. Use that culture to enhance the dignity of the imperial family.”

The Foreign Minister widened his eyes and asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is as I stated. The dignity of the Union’s imperial family can be shown through military power, economic strength, and diplomatic influence, but true dignity manifests from the respect they inspire in the hearts of the people. The best method for that is culture.”

In fact, culture can exert a power as immeasurable as one could not imagine.

An example that few people know is the Philippines.

They lived as Spain’s colony for hundreds of years and were a country that was exploited.

However, unlike Korea, they hold no national grievance against Spain, and rather they view it positively, enough to erect monuments to their independence fighter, Lapu-Lapu, and the spearhead of their invasion, Magellan, side by side.

What made that possible was not because of the kindness of their rulers or the economic development they provided, but purely because the culture of Catholicism made people follow the Philippines.

Such a powerful culture is likely an attractive condition for a confederation of kingdoms with weak imperial authority.

The Foreign Minister appeared somewhat convinced by my words and asked.

“It seems you are not entirely wrong, but still lacking.”

I never thought they would accept me with merely this degree of understanding, exclaiming “Wow! Advanced culture! That’s amazing!!”

Even inciting a bit of curiosity was a significant achievement.

So, I opened my mouth to persuade him further and suggested.

“We will bear the costs; please support the venue and the servants and chefs. I will personally present results that would convince you, Your Excellency, or even His Majesty the Emperor.”