Chapter 99

“I am concerned you may be getting your hopes up too high. Henry IV is currently trying to reduce the outflow of national wealth by cutting down on the import of foreign luxury goods, so…”

Ah, I’d heard this several times already and seen it in the catalog. Henry IV was the king who had ended the decades-long Huguenot Wars¹ only to inherit a kingdom in ruins. Together with his favorite, Maximilien de Béthune, he had enacted reforms and had to scrape together funds from every possible sector to rebuild France. As such, he was extremely wary of unnecessary expenditures and was unlikely to welcome imported luxury items.

But none of that was important. “Walter, the specific quantity is not important.” What mattered was the ‘symbolism.’ The symbolism of the wine I had painstakingly crafted from the grapes I grew, a wine that was surely sending a thrill through the King of France… that was what mattered most! This was the moment that ‘(Ameri)can-made’ wine finally made its debut on the world stage!

Of course, I couldn’t say that to Raleigh, so I just mumbled the rest of my thought.

“I see. So this is a way to inform the French that we, too, are a nation belonging to Christian civilization.”

“Also, for now, I think it’s enough just to let them know of our wine’s existence and its unique qualities! Since it’s a wine that can be preserved for a long time, it will be difficult to replace!”

At that, Raleigh and the others began to invent some profound, farsighted strategy that I never had, and I just nodded along with a suitable smile. Besides, they had a more pressing topic on their minds, so their attention quickly shifted.

“The quantity of luxury goods coming in… it has increased, hasn’t it?”

“It has, Hewitt. Thanks to that, much of the burden of building the cathedral has been eased.”

“The stonemasons told me the quality of the marble is much higher as well.”

The attitude of the French merchants… had changed somehow. More cooperative, perhaps? Or were they trying harder to get on our good side? I tried to deduce what might have changed in France, but in the 17th century, the Atlantic was too vast an ocean to discern the affairs of the lands beyond it. For now, I set the thought aside.

“Isn’t the important thing that the cathedral is being built well thanks to this?”

“Well, yes, it is.”

I nodded at Raleigh’s words and looked up at the cathedral, where the pillars were rising one by one. Of course, this cathedral would take decades to complete. But we planned to quickly finish the usable spaces first, so it wouldn’t just sit idle. With the help of excavators and other equipment, the work would accelerate. Still, among the Apostles present, there was probably no one who would live to see this space completed. Maybe Eleanor had a chance.

…Suddenly, my mouth felt a little bitter. As I frowned, Raleigh came closer to check on my complexion. I just waved a hand dismissively and made an excuse.

“What is it, my lord?”

“No… ah, on second thought, aren’t we, for all intents and purposes, members of the Church of England? I was just thinking we might need to summon a priest.”

It was a needless worry, of course. It’s not like we were going to advertise this construction to the world. And England, with its large Puritan population, probably wouldn’t care much anyway. But Eleanor, who had been pondering my words, made a suggestion.

“Well, since Her Majesty the Queen is nearby, what about inviting her? She is the head of the Church of England, after all…”

“I don’t know. We have no idea how she will react upon meeting Sir Nemo.” Raleigh stroked his beard in response, then looked at me. “Ah! Her Majesty has indeed been wanting to meet you, Sir Nemo. To be more precise, it seems she is growing bored with life on Roanoke…”

“Tell me in detail, Walter.”

“Well, she is, for all intents and purposes, confined to Roanoke Island without knowing why, is she not? It seems she is feeling quite frustrated.”

“…”

“…Yes, of course, meeting her would be difficult.”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just that not meeting her is also problematic.”

It wouldn’t do to give the impression that we were detaining Elizabeth. The alliance with England was still important. Besides, a foreign monarch had entered my territory, and I hadn’t even shown my face? That in itself was a tremendous discourtesy. Elizabeth was just tolerating me at this point.

I thought for a moment, then asked Raleigh, “Hmm… how has the Queen been these days?”

***

It had truly been a turbulent life. Born the daughter of the hated queen, Anne Boleyn, she had watched her mother beheaded. She had fallen from her place as heir to the throne to that of a common prisoner. She had lived in fear, facing the threat of death several times. And. She had emerged victorious from a lifelong struggle. It was she who was now leaning back in a comfortable chair, resting in peace. Not her damned sister Mary, nor her sickly brother Edward. It was she who reigned as the monarch of England, Ireland, and Scotland. The irritating Spaniards were also being tormented to the fullest extent, so she could not possibly be more satisfied…

‘…or could I.’ The sudden thought made Elizabeth frown. The attendants, who had been watching her expression, quietly exited the room to await her command.

Some might have called it reckless for the head of the church and the ruler of the kingdom to be abroad, especially in a land where an enemy nation’s colony was just a stone’s throw away. But her judgment had been clear, rational, and cold. If the current King of Spain had even a modicum of common sense, she was in no danger at all. For one, Spain had nothing to gain by threatening her. With a co-monarch in place, they couldn’t even induce political chaos in England. Furthermore, Spain itself must be exhausted by now, with public opinion clamoring for peace. They had more important enemies than England. In such a situation, it was unlikely they would choose to prolong the war with England by capturing her, killing her, or doing anything else to her.

Therefore, Elizabeth was safe. Therefore, there was no reason for Elizabeth’s actions to be restricted. Therefore, there was no reason for Elizabeth to be trapped on this island. Like some kind of prisoner…

“…” 

…Yes. Like a prisoner. Unpleasant memories surfaced for a moment. Memories of being treated like a prisoner before. Just as Elizabeth was chewing on the bitter past, reliving old pains and old hatreds… 

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

“Your Majesty, Sir Drake requests an audience.” The voice of a servant.

“Let him in.” 

As she replied, the door opened and a man with a cheerful disposition walked in. 

“Your Majesty! I have come in response to your summons!”

Elizabeth gestured with her chin toward a chair across the table, and Drake sat down and spoke to the Queen at once. “Your Majesty, may I speak frankly?” 

“You may.” 

“Going to meet the ‘Emperor’ is madness. You must stop at once.” 

“…What?” Elizabeth tilted her head. What on earth is he talking about? After saying he’s met him himself? Thinking it was just another one of his typical nonsensical ramblings, she looked up to meet Drake’s eyes, but…

“…” 

“…” 

His uncharacteristically serious gaze left her speechless. Drake did not speak at length. 

“In that place… there is a secret I cannot describe in words. You must not carelessly set foot there, nor should you carelessly speak to the people of that place.”

“…And you?” 

“I am a hardy man of the sea, so I am fine.” 

“…And Raleigh?” 

“It is a similar case with him. You could say he is already accustomed to the tricks of the sea.”

“…” 

“…” 

Silence again. 

She had called him thinking she could get some advice before meeting the native Emperor, and all he was doing was spouting strange nonsense. 

“You must not take this lightly. You must be careful.” 

“What in the world is going on?” 

“I… I really did not want to say this…”

“…” 

“The Emperor’s true identity is… probably…!” 

“Probably…?” 

“A sea monster.”

Ah. No. What he had been saying before was perfectly sane in comparison. 

“…” 

“If you meet him, you will have strange experiences that are hard to describe. I myself have been having frequent hallucinations since meeting him!”

This was, of course, due to a lack of vitamins in his system from spending all his time at sea instead of returning to England. “Then he had me take some strange medicine, and the visions scattered in an instant. Perhaps the mysteries of the sea were testing me…”

It was a vitamin supplement. 

“In any case, you must be careful. Your Majesty, I do not wish to lose you! Are you not the one to whom I have offered so many treasures and so much affection and respect?”

In other words, I’ve paid a lot of tribute, so you’d better live long enough for me to get my money’s worth. After that, the proud naval leader of England, Sir Francis Drake, spent thirty minutes passionately declaiming on all the various mystical dangers one could encounter on the sea. Thanks to him, Elizabeth was able to learn in vivid detail just how far the human mind could break due to causes such as vitamin deficiency or adrenaline overdose.

“…” 

“…” 

“I have heard you out.” 

“…Then!” 

“However, am I not the monarch of a nation? No matter what dangers may come, no matter who the other party is, if I must meet them, I shall.”

“…” 

“You are dismissed.” 

Elizabeth quickly gave up on the idea of having a proper conversation. It was no use trying to talk… with someone who had clearly lost their marbles. It felt as if common sense itself was collapsing. The Queen shook her head, and Drake left the room with a disappointed expression. And he thought to himself. 

The Queen truly is a strange person… To go and meet the mysteries of the sea even after I warned her…! There’s no point in a sensible person like me trying to talk to her for long. 

And so, the two most unreasonable people in England thought of each other and shook their heads.

While Elizabeth and Drake were starring in their own little farce, another farce was unfolding across the Atlantic.

***

“…Why do we not capture the Queen?” Another farce was unfolding across the Atlantic.

***

As mentioned before, although she had traveled far, Elizabeth’s safety was guaranteed. Spain had many enemies, and because of that, England was a lower priority. And attacking a queen who was not even on English soil should have been an even lower priority.

“Did you say… the Queen is on Roanoke Island?” 

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.” 

“Then if we capture the Queen, the war is over, is it not?” 

“…Pardon?”

That was why, when Philip III spoke, his ministers, great and small, were horrified. 

“Your Majesty, the Queen may not have much longer to live anyway. If we were to threaten the Queen of England in this situation, it would become impossible for England to ever surrender!” 

“Who said anything about killing her? I said all we need to do is capture her as a prisoner.”

“…” 

“…” 

Things could not possibly proceed so simply. 

From the perspective of England’s co-monarch, James, Elizabeth was a thorn in his side. Even if she were captured, he had no reason to ensure her safety. If Elizabeth were to die of old age, England would have a change of dynasty, and he could probably negotiate an end to the war with various conditions. But to kidnap her now? To attack? It was a foolish idea. It had to be stopped at once. But in the King’s words, there was not a hint of hesitation or retreat.

“Duke of Lerma, what are your thoughts?” 

“Ah… of course, it is a sound plan! It would not be an exaggeration to say this is our last chance to end the war with England on favorable terms!”

And the King’s last safety brake, the Duke of Lerma, Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, casually agreed with him, plunging everyone into despair. The Duke of Lerma… was more preoccupied with his current project of moving the capital (and his real estate speculation).

“We must strike now, while we have had success in Ireland! Prepare the fleet and the soldiers at once and get ready to capture her!” 

Having received confirmation from his favorite, Philip III became even more ecstatic. 

“In the name of the Lord! We shall deliver divine punishment upon that heretic queen!” 

…There was no way things would turn out like that. Everyone trembled in fear.