Chapter 104

“Yes, I’ve gathered all the French merchants. But.”

“Tell every one of them. Regardless of their individual destinations, they must sail with our ship to Le Havre (port in France). It is mandatory.”

“Pardon? But some of them have only just arrived and begun trading.”

“This will be safer for them. Whether those who arrived early must wait several months or not, it is better than losing everything to pirates, is it not?”

“That is true.”

Manteo nodded in agreement and turned to the merchants gathered at the port. A commotion instantly erupted, but Manteo calmed their fears by pressing a suitable number of Othello chips into their hands.

“Do not worry! This is for the safety of your voyage! One of our own ships will be departing, and you must follow it to Le Havre!”

Le Havre was a port city at the mouth of the Seine, long treated as one of France’s most vital harbors, a gateway connecting Paris to the Atlantic via the river.

In other words:

“We are going to Paris! We are going to meet His Majesty, the King of France!”

We were going to Paris.

Hearing Manteo’s proclamation, Oitotan’s eyes went wide as he stared at me. He seemed shocked that I had suddenly summoned him to the port only to declare we were crossing the Atlantic.

“You went to London and met the Queen of England last time, did you not? This will be much the same.”

“Will it be alright? I cannot speak the tongue of those people.”

“They will know English, so do not worry. I cannot send an Englishman or a Spaniard, so I would be grateful if you would undertake this task again, Oitotan.”

“I-It is my honor to serve our Commonwealth, but, what must I do when I get there?”

***

Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty, famous for his declaration that he would see every peasant in his kingdom have a chicken in their pot every Sunday. And his chief minister, Maximilien de Béthune, the Marquis de Rosny (later the Duke of Sully), who led France’s fiscal reforms.The two would go down in history as a wise king and a brilliant minister who rebuilt a kingdom ravaged by long was,

“Why why aren’t they coming? Why?”

—And that same Henry IV was currently pacing and trembling, on the verge of panic.

The Marquis de Rosny briefly pointed out that his sovereign had just completed his 164th lap around the table, but Henry wasn’t listening. His mind was already a jumbled mess.

“Why? Why haven’t the merchant ships I sent to Virginia returned! Most of the ships I sent!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

It had been months.

When a citizen of a 21st-century developed nation thinks of a ‘remote place,’ they usually mean somewhere without internet or phone service. A place cut off from immediate, external communication. An isolated place.

This is why classic 21st-century mystery novels are always set in ‘a remote place without internet,’ and why the murders always begin after the ‘single telephone line’ connecting it to the outside world is cut by a blizzard or some other event.

A place disconnected from the outside world is the optimal environment for making someone disappear without getting caught.

“Truly, are the seas swarming with pirates? Or did they all take the money and flee to another country? What in God’s name!”

And in this era, the truest ‘remote place’ was an island in the vast, open ocean, or a ship upon it. Once you sent people off on a boat, you simply could not know their fate—whether they lived or died—until they chose to return on their own.

Or perhaps, ever.

This fact was now descending upon Henry IV, the just and lawful King of France, as a personal tragedy.

“Oh, Lord! Do you know how much capital I poured into this? Do you have any idea!”

Seeing Henry IV finally resort to shaking his fist at the heavens, the Marquis de Rosny could bear it no longer.

“Your Majesty, maintain your dignity. Even with only the ships that have returned, we have more than recouped our losses.”

“That’s easy for you to say! Your personal ships were the ones that made it back! Does it make sense to ‘just recoup losses’ in a venture that was meant to be a jackpot!”

“…”

“Oh, please. Dear Lord!”

Rosny sighed and shook his head. A chamberlain entered the room, flinched at the half-mad look in the King’s eyes, and took a step back.

“Y-Your Majesty? My apologies, but I have word.”

“What is it!”

“A-A ship has arrived.”

“A ship?”

In an instant, the King’s face bloomed with joy. Just as Rosny let out a sigh of relief, the chamberlain continued.

“W-Well, it is a foreign ship.”

“…”

The King’s face soured again.

“It is from Virginia.”

“An English merchant ship?”

The King’s face brightened.

“No, Your Majesty. It is not.”

“…”

The King’s face crumpled.

Unable to watch this farce any longer, Maximilien de Béthune was about to tell the chamberlain to get out, but the man shouted in a rush.

“Th-They have sent an envoy from Virginia, with a ship! They are on their way to Paris as we speak!”

In that moment, the chamberlain observed that the King’s face could, in fact, shine brighter than the sun.

It was, truly, a great astronomical discovery.

In any case, Henry IV, having completely regained his prior dignity (and thoughts of wealth), spent the following days fastidiously preparing to welcome the envoy from Virginia.

A few days passed.

“The honorable and holy Oitotan, councilor of the Virginia Council Chief of the Chesapeake and representative of His Great Majesty greets His Majesty, the King of France.”

An American native, speaking surprisingly fluent English, set foot in the Parisian court.

Henry had already collected all available intelligence on Virginia through England. He knew this man, Oitotan, was the same one who had caused such an uproar during his visit to London, and he swallowed hard.

“It is an honor to meet an envoy from such a a faraway land. I hope my hospitality proves to your satisfaction.”

That’s right. This was the man who had reportedly caused a massive scandal by telling Queen Elizabeth to her face, ‘You are poor.’ Henry, therefore, treated Oitotan with extreme caution.

“No, I am happy to come to this wonderful palace.”

Thankfully, Oitotan seemed to have gained a better understanding of European society in the interim. He simply observed the proper etiquette, offering no such bombshells. Henry IV and his court let out a silent, collective sigh of relief.

“And what brings you here, all the way from your distant home?” Henry asked, his smile gentle.

“Pirates.”

At that one word, Henry’s face almost collapsed, but he managed to hold it steady.

The Marquis de Rosny, however, observed the King’s hand begin to tremble, ever so slightly.

“Pirates are plundering French ships entering our waters.”

Oitotan continued, his speech now more comfortable, and rougher.

“Pirates are killing the Frenchmen.”

“We are aware of this fact, but alas, we are unable to respond.”

“You can.”

By this point, it wasn’t just Henry’s hand; the entire throne had begun to vibrate. Rosny discreetly moved behind it, bracing it to counteract the tremor.

Meanwhile, Oitotan took something from his robes and held it out. A nearby chamberlain scurried to take it and present it to the King.

It was written in Spanish.

—’Letter of Marque.’

He mentions pirates, then hands him a Spanish letter of marque.

Henry IV had no trouble reading the implication. His brow twitched as if struck by an earthquake, before he barely regained his composure.

His mind began to race.

He came all this way just to tell me the pirates are Spanish? Why? Obviously, because the disruption of our trade is a problem for him. Why not ask England for help? That’s painfully obvious. England’s entire navy is focused on Ireland, fearing an invasion from there. Even Sir Drake, who was plundering the Caribbean until the very end, headed for Ireland recently.

So, who is in the more desperate position? Us? Or Virginia?

“…”

His calculations complete, Henry spoke with a serene smile.

“’To the bearer of this license is granted the right to plunder and capture the ships of enemy nations, and any ships trading with said enemy…’ Ah, I see. Is this to say we are trading with their ‘enemy’? A fine piece of intelligence. However, there is nothing we can do. We can lodge a protest with Spain, of course, but the problems of those who engage in private trade and get caught in such affairs are their own.”

The meaning was clear.

‘We will not lift a finger for free.’

Of course, most of Henry IV’s personal fortune was currently tied up in this trade.

Of course, he desperately wanted to annihilate that pirate horde this very instant.

Of course, he wanted to tear Philip III limb from limb…

But he maintained his poker face with superhuman patience.

Now, let’s see how they respond…

Henry IV shifted in his seat, his gaze fixed on Oitotan.

And,

Oitotan, remaining perfectly calm, continued, “Is that so? Then, it cannot be helped.”

Henry IV was impressed by his composure, but he had no idea what thought lay behind that unflinching response.

—“Oitotan, remember this. They will almost certainly not agree to help for free.”

—“This Henry IV is a very shrewd man. You must not show any weakness.”

—“If he shows an ambiguous attitude, you will say this.”

He had no idea what kind of deal Kim Lee-sang had prepared.

****

“Oitotan, you can assume they will not help us for free.”

At my words, Oitotan tilted his head. “Why not? His own people are being attacked. Can he stand by and do nothing?”

“Yes. Because he has a peace treaty with Spain. And, more importantly, he likely lacks the resources to start a conflict right now.”

Our Commonwealth’s primary enemy was Spain. England was at war with Spain. But that alone wasn’t reason enough for England to become such a close ally. A community of just a few tens of thousands was not important enough for them to respect us.

Still, England allied with us. The fact that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ was certainly a factor.

But there was a more important one.

“This time, we must make France our steadfast ally. And to do that, we must win over their King.”

We had won over England’s monarch.

Through Raleigh.

Raleigh held the monopoly on distributing Virginia’s luxury goods to Elizabeth. Elizabeth, in turn, resold Virginian furs, grapes, and aluminum at exorbitant prices, reaping enormous profits. That money gave Elizabeth the foundation to wage war against Spain without having to beg her nobles for funds. It gave her powerful royal authority, and finally, the strength to play Scotland’s James VI like a fiddle.

It was the same principle. We had to win over the King of France. We had to help Henry IV in his burning desire to expand his royal power and rebuild his nation.

“Therefore, you will say only this.”

“I understand.”

“And this time, do not make a mistake. A man is not poor just because he does not throw away aluminum.”

“Understood. I will keep it in mind.”

Oitotan nodded, and began to memorize the lines I had given him in English.

***

“A royal charter.”

“What did you say?”

“We have a problem with pirates on the coast. We also want only verified French merchants to come.”

Ah.

Henry, realizing what the envoy was proposing, clenched his fists. His palms were slick with sweat.

“Therefore among the merchants, we will accept only those verified by the King of France.”

Ah. Ahh.

Henry IV finally lost his composure and shot up from his throne. The entire court, stunned, immediately rose to their feet in deference. “Y-You mean to say that in the future, you will only accept merchants sailing to Virginia who carry a royal charter?” Henry asked, struggling to suppress the hammering in his chest.

“Yes.”

At that one word, Henry let out a silent, victorious scream in his mind.

Finally…

Finally!

I, too, can now monopolize the resources of the New World, just like Elizabeth!

“Envoy from a distant land, we will take your proposal with the utmost seriousness! And we are deeply sorry that our problems have forced you to make this long journey.”

In other words, this meant: We gratefully accept the royal charter, and we will do our absolute best to put pressure on Spain.

Hearing this, Oitotan smiled faintly.

Henry smiled broadly.

And behind the throne, the Marquis de Rosny pumped a victorious fist.

Drunk with joy, Henry forced his trembling hands to be still and looked around the room. Seeing the various reactions erupting from his court, he boomed:

“Today is a joyous day! We have welcomed our Christian friends from afar! Oitotan of Virginia, I pray you enjoy our hospitality!”

And so, they moved to the banquet hall, where Oitotan, as the guest of honor, was seated at Henry’s right hand. Henry, before lifting his cutlery, offered a prayer before the meal and said with a smile:

“I once vowed that my people, who starved during the long wars, would one day have a chicken to eat every week. It feels sinful to enjoy such a feast among ourselves, so I have prepared something a little modest.”

“Oh, dear.”

Oitotan’s face filled with genuine pity and sympathy. Henry chuckled.

“Ha, haha! Do not worry! As a result of my tireless efforts these past few years, my people, well, if not every week, they can now at least.”

“I, too, as Chief, would be sad, if I could only feed my tribesmen one chicken a week.”

Oitotan, bearing Lord Nemo’s command in his heart, said what he had to. Don’t mess this up. Match his context.

“What did you say?”

“To not eat a chicken every day. It is sad. Are chickens so rare here?”

“That, in front of you, is a chicken.”

“Oh. This is a chicken? I thought it was a chick.”

“…”

“…”