Chapter 11 : F1 and al-Barbar
This chapter alternates between the points of view of Lysander, the protagonist and Fourth Prince/Grand Marshal of the Holy Britannian Empire, and Galeatus Carbonarius, the Megas Logothetes of the Senatus Populusque Romanus and Senator of the Roman Senate for Provincia Germania Superior.
Galeatus Carbonarius’ Point of View
“So, if you would at least permit a friendly F1 race…”
Arian let out a sigh and shook his head.
“Come on, Megas Logothetes.”
“You know very well that this is not a matter I can decide on my own.”
“Aksum is a republic. Every treaty and agreement requires the consent of Parliament.”
I ground my teeth inwardly.
Why bother with such amateur theater when everyone present already knew the script?
You knew it as well as I did.
Aksum had once been Roman soil.
And you yourself were the predecessor of the Kaisarissa, the former Megas Domestikos.
I did understand why he had to be cautious.
In Africa, at present, only the lands north of the Sahara remained in the Senatus Populusque Romanus.
So, with Aksum surrounded on all sides by Britannian Areas 13, 15, and 16, he had no choice but to watch Britannia’s mood.
But still.
Hiding behind “parliamentary consent” was rather unsightly, was it not?
Just as I was grumbling to myself—
“It has been a while, both of you.”
A low, calm voice.
When I turned my head, he was standing there.
The Duke of Tenochtitlan.
Fourth Prince and Grand Marshal of the Holy Britannian Empire.
Lysander de Britannia.
For an instant, a chill ran down my spine.
The nightmare of that day flashed through my mind.
The day he declared a five-front encirclement and demanded our unconditional surrender.
He raised his wine glass slightly and smiled.
“It is an honor to meet you, Megas Logothetes of the Senatus Populusque Romanus, and Your Excellency Arian, President of the Republic of Aksum.”
I hurriedly bowed.
“I pray you are in good health, Your Highness, Duke of Tenochtitlan, Friend of the Romans.”
Arian also hastily offered his greeting.
“Grand Marshal, it has been a long time.”
Lysander laughed softly and stepped between us.
“Cornelia is with child. I suppose I may now tell the two of you that I have become a proper head of household.”
Arian cleared his throat.
“…My congratulations. It reminds me of when my own daughter was born.”
I forced a smile and added my own words.
“My congratulations as well. My two daughters are treasures I would not trade for anything in the world.”
Lysander lifted his glass a little.
“In that case, I would like to leave a more peaceful era to the next generation.”
“Would you allow Britannia to join that F1 friendly race as well?”
Arian blinked.
“…Britannia too?”
“While we are at it, I think it would be ideal to redevelop the al-Barbar region as well.”
“We could build a circuit in Area 15, the East African region, and hold the event jointly among the three nations.”
“What do you think?”
For a moment, I fell silent.
F1 was our national sport.
But through Lelouch, we had already secured a generous share of the Sakuradite allocation.
And under Her Majesty’s secret orders, we had already agreed to hand over one key technology.
On top of that, Arian was beginning to lean toward him.
“Ha ha ha… If you put it that way, I shall do my best to persuade Parliament.”
In the end, I let out a sigh and nodded.
“I will also seek the approval of both Senates, the Kaisarissa, and the Augusta Basilissa.”
Lysander smiled.
“As expected. You are both most reliable.”
“To the peace of the next generation.”
Clink.
Without another word, we emptied our glasses.
So even the cub of a tiger is still a tiger.
Protagonist — Lysander’s Point of View
The looks on Galeatus and Arian’s faces were truly worth seeing.
All I had done was toss out a single F1 race, and I had obtained the redevelopment of the entire al-Barbar region as a bonus.
Satisfied, I tilted my glass.
“Well then, shall we head to the arena?”
“After all, tonight’s true protagonist is waiting elsewhere.”
The three of us walked side by side.
At the end of the corridor, the lights of the vast arena awaited us.
Author’s Note :al-Barbar refers to Somalia. Britannia Area 12, 13, 14, 15 : Each refers to OTL Western, Central, Southern, Eastern Africa,
Britannia Area 16 : Arabain Penninsula which encompasses OTL Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and southern part of Iraq, Afghanistan(refers to Zilkhstan in this world)