"All right, here we go, Payne."
"Thank you, Master Ars. The Memento Army was in a state of engagement with the Fontana Army, but we made a pact based on this draft as we aimed. In turn, they are expected to leave the army where they are staying."
"Well done, Payne. If the Mementos leave the army here, it will be winter soon. That would make it impossible to march in the snow. The old Arborest realm in the west seems to have managed to stabilize, and now we have a little respite on Fontana territory."
"But I think we're still in danger. Has Mr. Lion contacted you since?
"Oh. Lion is now getting information gathered and reported around Wang Capital. Apparently, the talks currently under way on the trinoble alliance have not yet come together. It is Lion's expectation that this will take until next year to officially name a hegemonic nobleman."
"I see. So will the temporal respite for now be when next year's snow melts and the harvest ends? But then it's hard to decide how to move in the future. Fontana's way of pretending to be a hegemonic nobleman."
"Right. If possible, I would like to remain in contact with the three houses of the Trinity Alliance individually. I'm pretty sure you'd rather have that connection, like a wheat deal with the Memento family."
"It's still diplomacy. But diplomacy remains a bit of a challenge for Fontana territory, right? With all due respect, no one seems to be very good at diplomacy..."
Surely Payne is right.
I've been thinking for a long time that this faction is a little uneasy about diplomacy.
Well, I'm responsible for that, too.
Originally, the Fontana family was not that much of a house with diplomatic problems.
That can also be seen in part from the fact that Raymond once put this Fontana territory together exactly.
Raymond defended and maintained Fontana territory when there was only Carlos at an early age.
That was also because of his diplomatic skills.
Besides interacting with aristocrats and knights bordering territories to the east and west, they also had quite a few relationships with distant aristocrats.
but its diplomatic power is not currently left in Fontana.
That's because Fontana's diplomacy at the time was due to Raymond's connections.
Connection.
Networks about how they know other nobles can be surprisingly powerful in the politics of this world.
Raymond, who has long worked as the official housekeeper of the historic Fontana family, faced other nobles and knights.
But I'm not.
I don't know anything about any other noblemen.
No other nobleman would take the condition that I am temporarily acting as Fontana's principal proxy, which I am not familiar with.
At least I can't even negotiate decently unless they decide I'm quite capable of cutting and spinning Fontana territory.
Raymond was suddenly taken over by me, and Carlos, who quickly showed up at the head, died even more abruptly.
As a result, many of the pipes with other nobles have been lost.
Its lost connections are not a substitute for immediate recovery.
However, you should still make sure that only the connections left for once are exactly connected to the next.
"Pleasure, Payne. You did your job as a messenger this time to achieve harmony with the Memento family known as the Three Nobles. Acknowledge that achievement and take Paine as a knight."
"Uh... Ha, thank you, Master Ars. I won't forget this thank you. I will continue to work in good faith for Master Ars."
"Nice to meet you, Paine."
"... So, what are you going to do? All of a sudden, you think you're gonna turn me into a knight?
"No, it's not a big deal. I was hoping you could be a success story."
"Success stories, is it?
"That's right. Payne, you are a former knight of Urk, and you have engaged this one. That you came down to me, worked and became a knight. But that's never just working on the battlefield. It was negotiations with the Memento family, in particular, that became the last deciding factor. I mean, it wasn't force, it was taken from me by negotiation."
"Ha ha, I see. In other words, do you want to extend to others the ability to negotiate with other aristocrats as one of the achievements, rather than just working in battle to have them recognized as knights under Ars?"
"That's right. Finally, it also makes sense that Payne is from Urk. If the one who was originally in Urk or Arborest also makes you think that it's up to you to work hard and then you can get me to recognize you as a knight, I guess there are people out there that I haven't seen yet?
"Right. Now I would like to propose one thing to Master Ars as he crosses the line. May I?
"Yeah, what the hell, Paine? Suggestions?"
"Can I get you anything else besides being a knight? Well, I think the money would be nice if I could. Wouldn't you appreciate me for the high pay, too?
"... why? I know Payne's competent, but do we need a hefty reward?
"Yes. It was not until this year that I worked for Master Ars. Suppose that I received a high rating from Master Ars for my identity and money. Then what do those who hear it think? If a man named Payne would appreciate that much, he might appreciate himself, but no, because he's more competent than Payne, there's got to be someone out there who thinks he'll hire me as a member of the Fontana family for a higher reward."
"There's a better one than Payne? Is he in there, or is he in there?
"I think he's here, Master Ars. Because I have originally honed the way I work in battle as a knight of the Wolk family. It won't be uncommon for people to be more competent than I am in some areas. The same applies to the diplomatic field. I'm sure you'll find some good people."
Um, is it true?
I also feel like when I used Kyle's magic as bait to gather talent before, all the freaks gathered for me.
But at that time it was Kyle's magic, which had no generally recognized attacking system of value, which brought people together almost exclusively from the common people.
But this time, you're going to feed on my magic.
In the first instance, there is an attack magic called [Shotgun], and [Ice Spear] from the Fontana family will be available.
Plus, my name value is getting pretty good, and I'm gonna play a reward on it.
As Payne put it, people may gather for a place of Barca magic, money and activism.
Having admitted Payne's claim, I decided to name Payne in church as a knight before having her officially work for a highly paid treatment.
And made it so that the story spread throughout Fontana.
Little by little, motivated talent from the former Urk Arborest realm began to gather under me.