Chapter 21 – The Envoys
Yukinoshita Haruno followed the narrow path in the open-air courtyard until she reached the Hall of the Double Axes.
It was a grand and spacious hall—an imposing sight for this era. From there, heading west and descending would take her to the Throne Room.
The Throne Room was by no means a pleasant place, at least not in Haruno's opinion.
Its walls were covered in murals depicting supernatural forces, the floor was blood-red, and stairs descended layer by layer into mysterious chambers below.
The room was suffused with a heavy religious atmosphere. In fact, the priestesses spent far more time here worshipping the gods than handling state affairs. Every time Haruno entered, she felt as though she'd walked straight into a cult's lair...
And she didn't think this was just her own bias—even the foreign envoys, all people of this era, never looked comfortable in this place.
So today, she was genuinely curious to see the expressions of the Hittite and Egyptian envoys.
She was still a rookie and had never met representatives from either country.
After passing through the sunniest and most splendid area of the palace, she once again stepped into the dark, eerie inner sanctuary of the western palace. This time, it didn't take long for her to reach the Throne Room, its floor laid with blood-red tiles.
A number of priestesses had already gathered there, but none were seated. Instead, they stood in neat rows near the northern wall by the throne. A boy sat atop the throne.
The youth's appearance was quite handsome, though his skin was somewhat pale. He wore a short robe, a cloth wrap around his waist, and a cloak.
His curly hair draped over his shoulders, with bangs on his forehead. A headband adorned with brightly colored feathers decorated his head.
When he saw Haruno approaching, his eyes lit up with joy.
"Pinaruti, you're here."
"Great Minos," Haruno smiled faintly and bowed to him.
The so-called Minos was actually Haruno's own terminology. In essence, this kingdom was just a fortified city-state. Its real name was Knossos, and Minos was simply a title for its rulers.
Haruno could feel the gazes of the senior priestesses beside the young king settling on her—none of them friendly.
But she wasn't surprised.
After all, she aligned more with the royal family than with the temple, and expecting these priestesses to like her would be a stretch.
"Servant of the Earth-shaker, why do you arrive so late?"
No sooner had she completed her greeting than someone raised a challenge.
She turned toward the voice. It was the eldest among the senior priestesses—dressed similarly to Haruno, but with snake embroidery on her belt.
This woman was a high priestess of the Snake Goddess.
Though honestly, Haruno had always felt that no matter how desperate a deity was for female assistants, this one clearly had a… strong stomach. What Haruno had seen when she was first brought here from China had been enough to prove that.
"I was merely speaking with the great Poseidon," Haruno replied, completely calm, not even blushing, as she boldly lied in front of these ancient people.
She had no choice—ever since becoming a priestess, she had developed a terminal case of if-I-don't-brag-I'll-die syndrome.
"Rubbish! How could the gods so easily bestow their divine voices?" the Snake Priestess snapped, clearly offended, as if Haruno had insulted her intelligence.
"Really?" Haruno chuckled. "Could it be the great Snake Goddess simply doesn't like you that much? It seems the great Poseidon is quite fond of me."
In a way, this wasn't entirely a lie.
With her family once shattered, Haruno had come to understand many things. Over three millennia later, this Earth-shaking God would have his power seized by Hikigaya Hachiman.
If divine power defines a god, then Hikigaya was Poseidon. Saying they were close wasn't exactly wrong.
And to a senior priestess, this kind of retort packed quite a punch.
At the very least, the Snake Priestess was visibly disgusted, her face darkening as she fell into a stunned silence.
"Let's not waste any more time—the honored guests have arrived," another priestess interjected. She gestured toward Haruno. "Servant of the Earth-shaker, please come forward."
"Very well." Haruno knew when to stop pushing. She smiled without provoking further and stepped to the throne's side, taking her place facing south like the other priestesses, and said no more.
"Let the envoys of Hatti enter."
The priestess who had just spoken raised her voice in command.
A few eunuch male priestesses bowed and quietly exited. After a short while, they returned, leading in a group of people.
They looked rather unadorned.
Haruno scrutinized them.
The Hittite envoys wore long-sleeved robes that extended to their ankles, with cloth headwraps, their hair hanging naturally. They bore little in the way of decoration but all had short swords at their waists.
They seemed unbothered by the Throne Room's cult-like decor, but visibly uncomfortable around the eunuchs leading them. One of the Hittites, standing closer, even pinched his nose in distaste.
The envoys stopped a short distance from the throne and gave a formal chest-salute.
Their leader then began speaking rapidly in Hittite—a language Haruno didn't understand—before handing a clay tablet to one of the eunuchs.
But the eunuch didn't just take the message and leave. Instead, he turned toward the young Minos and the assembled senior priestesses and began translating:
"Great Minos, esteemed high priestesses—envoys of Hatti, brothers to the Hittite King himself, offer their respects. They seek an alliance with Knossos to stand against the ambitious Pharaoh of Egypt. As a gift, the King of Hatti offers 1,660 pounds of gold and 10,000 pounds of copper."
Haruno looked around.
Little cutie Minos was still all smiles and innocence, while the senior priestesses exchanged meaningful, knowing glances.
Haruno could guess their thoughts with her eyes closed.
With teammates this dumb, it was a miracle Knossos hadn't already been conquered.
Clearly, Egypt's diplomatic efforts were even worse.
Still, Haruno couldn't help but pity the adorably dumb little king.
She wasn't keen on watching him get duped by a bunch of women who seemed to have invested all their nutrition into their chests. So, before the other priestesses could speak, she stepped forward:
"Understood. Allow us some time to deliberate. A response will be given shortly. Please let the envoys rest in the meantime."
The senior priestesses, momentarily stunned by the massive gift offering from the Hittites, were now taken aback by Haruno's interruption. Immediately, their faces twisted in fury.
But Haruno didn't give them a chance to respond. She quickly added:
"Next, let the Egyptian envoys enter."
Then she shot the women a cold glance.
"Egypt is renowned for its wealth—surely we all want to hear what the Egyptian envoys have to say?"
"Yes, indeed. We should at least hear from them before replying," the peacemaking priestess chimed in, her emotional intelligence clearly above average, feigning sudden realization.
Apart from the Snake Priestess, the others swiftly adjusted their expressions and agreed with Haruno's suggestion.
Minos, meanwhile, remained blissfully unaffected by the near-argument happening behind him.
Swinging his little legs, he impatiently waved his pudgy hand at the eunuch priest, motioning him to proceed.
Upon hearing the translation, the Hittite envoys showed no signs of disappointment. They maintained their composure, saluted once more, and retreated respectfully.
After a while, with the senior priestesses craning their necks in anticipation, the Egyptian envoys finally appeared.
But this time, with just one glance, Haruno almost cried out in shock.