The words I had spoken with confidence: I know the steppe tribes well.
That confidence did not come merely from a single word like beyler.
If I swaggered around on only that much, I would be left without a bone to stand on.
This world was hardly so easy, either.
‘The people of the Empire may not know this, but even this vast grassland has an end. And beyond that end lies a desert wider than the grasslands themselves.’
Since the days of the Empire. Since the days of Condor. No. Since far, far before that.
People believed the place they lived was the center of the world.
That was why Condor had been an empire, and why the Empire now was the Empire.
But geographically speaking, this place was only the eastern part of the world.
And the steppe tribes had not begun here. They had come from the opposite side.
Though they were now influenced by the Empire, their roots lay in the desert.
When I thought of the desert in my previous life, what came to mind was, naturally, Islamic culture.
And considering that this world followed the historical research of an author from Earth…
If I could also recall the common knowledge I had possessed in my previous life…
Then even as a man of the Empire, I could thoroughly follow the way of life of the steppe tribes.
‘When invited to dine in someone’s home, you must sit on the floor. This isn’t meant to provoke the other party. It means they are receiving you as an honored guest. Whether in the desert or on the grasslands, a guest from afar is not merely someone to be fed, but someone precious and welcome who brings news from outside.’
A meal taken seated on the floor, conversing as it continued.
Exchanging information. Determining what purpose this guest held.
So to speak, it was a kind of interview in which each side assessed the other.
Now, tribes interacted with one another. They even had exchanges with the Empire.
So there was no longer any need to rely on a single guest for information.
But that custom had remained, become etiquette, and been passed down to this day.
Unfortunately, people on the Empire’s side would not know much about such things.
They would think, what sort of etiquette could people who had not even formed a nation possess?
One could call it the limitation of those who saw themselves as the center.
You could ask if they were fools, but that was not entirely true.
Realizing the world was far wider than one imagined came much later.
I simply knew it first thanks to the memories of my previous life.
“Thank you, Beyler.”
First, I offered my thanks for the exceedingly warm welcome and sat down.
At that moment, I took great care not to show the soles of my shoes.
Showing the soles of one’s feet at an invited meal meant, in effect, go to hell.
I crossed my legs entirely, cutting off that possibility altogether.
At my actions, the Urut Beyler smiled as if to say, not bad.
He had read my firm determination not to commit any rudeness.
I had shown, not merely in words, but in action, that I truly knew the steppe tribes.
“It may be lacking compared to what you ate in the Empire, but eat as much as you like.”
“This is a splendid dinner, one worthy of comparison to what I ate in the Empire, Beyler.”
This was not a region where cultivating crops was outright impossible.
But it was not common, either, so the bread was naturally the host’s right.
I ate only what the Urut Beyler served me and did not touch any more.
The same went for the honey and milk set out as accompaniments.
As the guest, I was not to reach for those things on my own.
‘It’s exactly the same as being invited to eat at a neighbor’s house in my previous life and rummaging through this side dish and that side dish. Do that, and you’ll never be invited to eat again.’
So that I would not make even the smallest mistake. So that I would not give them even the tiniest pretext.
I was cautious, then cautious again. Before moving, I kept thinking first.
Trying my absolute best, I could hardly tell whether I was even eating.
But considering that I was an envoy right now, it was something I had to bear.
I had not come all the way to these distant eastern grasslands merely to eat a single meal.
I had come to conduct diplomatic work. I had come to build my future.
The safety of my family and house now rested upon these shoulders.
In my current state of mind, I could bite my tongue and drive even drunkenness away.
“See here, Ethan.”
“Yes, Beyler.”
“You are someone my brother sent, and you seem to know the etiquette of our grasslands fairly well, so I will speak comfortably.”
The Beyler swallowed the lamb he had been chewing, sighed, and spoke.
“To tell the truth, our Urut are in an extremely difficult situation at present. The neighboring minor tribes complain every time, asking why we keep taking the Empire’s side. Within the tribe, people keep rising up, saying we should plunder the Empire as well. It is so noisy I can hardly live. In the past, I stopped all of them, but these days, even I have begun to question it. How long can I truly continue stopping them?”
“…”
“No. Was there any reason to stop them in the first place? My friendship with my brother has now become a thing of the past, and the positions we each hold are completely different. Worse still, over the long years since, my brother seemed to have forgotten this younger brother of his.”
You know we have been stopping the plundering of the Empire and enduring it too, yes?
But since we are doing this for free, it is getting rather hard now.
There is supposed to be affection going back and forth. Does the Empire perhaps have nothing for us?
Does your emperor even know how much hardship we are enduring?
“First, on behalf of the Empire and His Imperial Majesty, I express my gratitude that the Urut tribe has upheld its trust. I believe you must have felt as much from the letter His Majesty sent. Beyler, you called your friendship with His Majesty a thing of the past, but to my eyes, those words are not your true feelings. If they were, you would long ago have led your warriors and attacked the border.”
“Ahem.”
“The founding of a nation was an unprecedented undertaking, and His Imperial Majesty was exceedingly busy. If you ask whether that means he forgot the Beyler, then no, that is not so. Rather, His Majesty trusted the Beyler. He trusted his brother. He believed Urut would continue to remain an ally.”
Please do not overdo the lies. If you had other intentions, you would have turned away long ago.
You have already been managing the tribe well, and you have made good use of your justification all this time, have you not?
And though you know full well how busy the Emperor has been, you keep saying this.
If you do this while we trust you as a friend, we may feel a little hurt too.
“You are indeed worthy of being the one my brother carefully chose after screening and screening again.”
You certainly know how to speak. The Beyler indirectly revealed that meaning.
Then he asked if I wanted more lamb.
Refuse once, appropriately. If he offered again, accept then.
The seasoning was slightly bland, but I refrained from saying it needed more salt.
Asking for more salt meant, your family’s cooking skills are fucking awful.
“An ally, is it? In truth, is that not a word convenient only for the Empire? Everything about us is different. The language we use. Our culture. Our etiquette. Even our appearances differ little by little. And yet, between such parties, allies.”
“We are allies, Beyler. If each side uses the other out of necessity, and also allows itself to be used. If you consider it that way, is that not also an alliance?”
He seemed to keep trying to test me, but by this point, I thought it was enough.
The probing was over. From here on, it was time to break through proactively.
“Uses and allows itself to be used?”
“To the Empire, the Urut tribe is the best choice.”
“Are you saying we have become some implement of the Empire? That is somewhat unpleasant—”
“And to the Urut tribe as well, the Empire is the best choice.”
That the Urut tribe was the best choice for the Empire meant exactly what it sounded like.
Among the many steppe tribes of the east, they were the ones with the strongest personal ties to the Founding Emperor.
They had in fact interacted often with the Empire, making them people with whom conversation was at least possible.
Among the neighboring steppe tribes, they were the tribe with the strongest pro-Empire inclination.
To set them aside and join hands with another tribe would be a waste of material and human resources.
As long as there was no loss, the Empire had to continue holding on to Urut.
Seen this way, it seemed like a relationship needed only one-sidedly by the Empire.
But if that had been all, the Beyler would not have arranged this meeting.
The reason I had said in front of the Beyler that the Empire was the best choice…
For Urut, maintaining its relationship with the Empire was the path to survival.
Nearby, there were not only them, but many other minor tribes.
Unlike Urut, they harassed and plundered the Empire’s border.
The imperial army did mobilize at times, but Urut also stopped them.
Urut cited its friendship with the Empire as the reason, but was that all?
“The Urut tribe has been ‘using’ its friendship with the Empire to prevent the surrounding tribes from growing in advance, has it not? At the same time, you do not wipe them out completely, maintaining an appropriate level of tension.”
They left the sprouts of the plundering tribes alive to show their own value to the Empire.
Look. Without us, your borders will be in a troublesome state every day.
Though we are not a nation, but merely a single tribe.
The fact remains that you would regret our absence, so you, Empire, had best think carefully.
At the same time, they suppressed the surrounding tribes at the Empire’s “request.”
It was not an order. It was a form of pride they had obtained alongside trade.
With this, they possessed both the justification and power of a regional ruler.
The Empire would support them, who minimized plundering.
As long as this transaction continued, Urut would remain a great power in the region.
Even if attacked by another tribe, they could expect aid from the Empire.
After all, there was no guarantee the tribe that pushed Urut aside would be pro-Empire.
“Beyler, you already know this. Too much time has passed to change this relationship. That is why you called me all the way here, to receive an official assurance outright.”
“You see things too easily. I think the Empire may abandon my tribe.”
“You say things you do not mean. One of the people who knows His Imperial Majesty well is none other than you, Beyler. Was the His Imperial Majesty you remember a man so narrow-minded as a petty villain?”
“That is not so. But there is no law that says others will not be.”
He was right. The Founding Emperor would not remain emperor forever.
But this man, the Beyler. He knew everything and yet kept making me say it.
Was even this what he was aiming for? For me—for the Empire—to make it clear?
“The Urut tribe is the best choice for the Empire as well. At this point, too much time has passed between us for either side to seek a new partner. More than anything, the Empire has only just been founded. In such chaotic times, is a friend who takes your hand not one who can become a sworn ally for a long time?”
Having said that much, my throat grew dry, so I briefly moistened it.
Meanwhile, the Beyler watched me with a strange look in his eyes.
Interest? Admiration? Whatever it was, it carried a rather positive air.
“Ethan. Ethan Montebello. Is that right?”
“That is correct, Beyler.”
“In my youth, I knew my brother. After that, I do not know much about those around him. What sort of man was your father?”
“He served His Imperial Majesty with all his heart and soul, and afterward, his contributions to the founding of the Empire were recognized, raising him to the rank of a founding meritorious subject. However, he passed away not long ago, and I inherited that position.”
“A founding meritorious subject. And his son. I see. A sheep could hardly be born from a wolf.”
Smiling, the Beyler brought over a leather pouch.
When he opened the stopper, a sour smell rushed over my nose.
“Have a drink.”
“It is airag.”
“Oh? You know even this?”
Airag. Fermented mare’s milk. The liquor and beverage drunk by the steppe tribes.
By imperial standards, one would wonder why anyone drank such a foul-smelling thing.
But if I thought of the makgeolli from my previous life, it was more or less drinkable.
“Drink.”
“Should I simply drink? Or should I drink to the friendship between the Empire and Urut?”
It meant, I think we have talked enough, so give me your answer.
At my blunt words, the Beyler finally burst into hearty laughter.
“Your spirit alone is truly remarkable. Very well. I pledge this in the name of the Beyler. The Urut tribe wishes to remain friends with the Empire. I do not know how the tribe will change after my death, but at least while I live, there will be no such thing as us becoming enemies. This is a pledge made before the Blue Wolf of the grasslands and—”
“The White Doe, is it not?”
“Ha ha ha! This is the oath of the warriors of the grasslands. You even know its contents?”
It is thanks to the historical research of an author from Earth. Thank you, Secret History of the Yuan Dynasty.
“Khah.”
The Beyler drained the airag refreshingly and set down the cup.
“See here, Ethan. There is something I would like to ask.”
“Please speak, Beyler.”
Naturally, I assumed he would ask about the future relationship between the Empire and Urut.
So I was organizing model answers for that one by one.
“By any chance, are you married?”
“…Pardon?”
As expected of the steppe tribes. I had been properly struck by an ambush I had not even imagined.