Lann quickly noticed the approaching unit of soldiers. He had never attempted to hide his whereabouts, so it was evident that the king had ordered these soldiers to wait for him.
This was normal. Foltest's cold treatment had been the exception.
Lann surveyed the group with a diplomatic mission. In front was not a soldier, but a burly and tall man. Lann, who was more than 1.80 meters tall, was surpassed by the height of this man, who must have been close to two meters. Anyone would call him a giant.
But this robust-looking man was wearing brightly colored silk clothes, he looked like a nobleman.
But Lann knew that the fat man in front of him was neither a soldier nor a court noble, but engaged in a profession that could not be connected with his appearance in any way - a Spymaster.
Sigismund Dijkstra, head of intelligence at Redania. Although he still operated from the shadows, Lann knew that in the future this man would amass great power.
After the death of the king of Redania, Dijkstra would become the de facto ruler. He was astute, determined, with an innate talent for intelligence and a keen political sense, as well as a great love for his country. If he were from Cintra, Lann would have wanted to be his friend.
Seeing Lann step off the ship, the intelligence chief, who had memorized Lann's appearance and clothing, quickly softened his expression, showing a courtly smile on his fierce face.
"Do I have the honor to address Earl Lannister? I am Count Reuven of Redania. His Majesty the King has ordered me to await him here."
Showing such a polite expression with a face like that, and doing so without looking out of place, was a great achievement of facial control and acting.
"I am the Lannister Earl of Cintra. Thank you for waiting."
Hearing Dijkstra's words, Lann also showed a calculated smile on his face. He responded to the other's words, expressing his eternal admiration for the king of Redania and feeling deeply honored by the welcome.
Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings was heard in the air. A large gray owl flew from the direction of Oxenfurt and perched on Dijkstra's shoulder, staring at Lann.
Lann narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly laughed: "Is it your pet? What a magnificent bird, it has beautiful feathers. If possible, would you allow me to touch it?"
Lann continued in a serious tone: "I have a good horse, he is also very intelligent. I think we could talk a lot about caring for animals..."
The owl's eyes suddenly showed a touch of extremely human shock.
Dijkstra coughed lightly: "No, no, this is... a special 'guest' of His Majesty the King."
The intelligence chief winked at him, as if he wanted to put an end to Lann's interest in the owl.
Lann nodded. "I didn't expect Your Majesty to also have an interest in birds of prey. A special guest, I understand. At court, he surely has a higher status than many nobles."
Dijkstra coughed twice and could only say: "The journey has been long, I'm sure everyone is tired. The brave warriors of Cintra already have accommodation prepared. Please follow me."
The king of Redania was at Oxenfurt Academy and was naturally staying in the largest place in the Academy. To facilitate the hearings, Lann's group was accommodated in Oxenfurt.
Oxenfurt is known as the Pearl of the North. The entire city exists to serve Oxenfurt Academy, a city full of color, bustle and sweet aromas. The city is made up of narrow streets and wooden houses with pointed and colorful roofs. Everything in the city depends on the academy, its teachers and students, as well as the visitors that academic research attracts.
Although the academy's professors have developed methods to generate commercial profits by putting their theoretical knowledge into practice, they are still a long way from being completely self-sufficient. Therefore, research and education at the Oxenfurt Academy require significant investments, with the main investor being King Vizimir II of Redania.
This means that, although Oxenfurt enjoys legal privileges that make it independent of any kingdom, in theory, it belongs to Redania, since the territory is part of its kingdom.
In this regard, Lann admires the vision of Vizimir II. He understands well the importance of high-level education and talent.
At this moment, Vizimir II was receiving a financial report from the academy director, probably a request for funds. The king was expected to be free in two hours, the perfect time for Lann to bathe and prepare properly.
Milva's eyes shone with excitement.
Shani also needs to leave Lann's team to register as a new student. She will spend the next few years at Oxenfurt. Although Lann was interested in her talents, he would have to wait for Shani to fully develop.
He believed that the days spent together had left a good first impression. He would maintain contact with her and support her dreams with financial resources. He was sure that this girl couldn't run away.
Now that he was idle, Lann took the initiative to find the receptionist of Oxenfurt Academy and asked: "Is there a free biological dissection room or something? I have a relatively rare biological specimen that needs to be processed."
Shani's eyes suddenly lit up: "Lord Lannister?"
Lann smiled. "Just think of it as a parting gift to you."
A first-year medical student probably would not have access to the dissection room. The title of count did not give him much power in Oxenfurt, but as a guest of Vizimir II, he would receive some privileges.
Lann sent his assistants to help Shani with the dissection of the Aeschna. Zoltan, experienced and bored, also joined in to teach attendees how to dissect such a large monster. Attendees were excited to learn, knowing they would need that skill for the foreseeable future.
When Lann returned to his room, Milva had already put the hot water on. Before setting off from Brokilon, she specifically asked Lann's valet Hardy for advice on the usual procedures for bathing and dressing Lann. She had even brought a few bottles of essential oil, waiting for this moment.
Seeing Milva's hopeful look, Lann reflected. She was the only woman in the group and there was no one better suited to help him.
Rejecting her would be too harsh an action.
Half an hour later.
Lann looked at herself in the mirror, looking at her slightly reddened shoulders and chest, with a complicated expression.
Milva lowered her head, with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, my lord, please punish me... It's the first time I've done this, and I didn't know how to control the force well." She was holding a soft bristle bath brush. "Hardy said this would be very relaxing. Maybe with more practice, I'll get better..."
Lann sighed lightly. Thanks to his strengthened body, he was no worse off. If he were a true aristocrat with delicate skin, now his body would not have something as simple as redness but would be oozing blood.
"I'd better do it myself."
...
"I have heard about your deeds, Lannister. I heard that you are only seventeen years old this year?"
"That's right, Your Majesty."
They were in the largest hall of the Oxenfurt Academy, now requisitioned by Vizimir II, the aroma of scented wood burning in the fireplace filled the atmosphere with constant heat.
"It doesn't seem that way at all from your appearance, much less from the battle reports I've received. Every so often, incomprehensible people emerge on the continent, and it seems that only someone like you can stabilize the situation in Cintra."
"Your praises are undeserved."
The king twirled the ring on his finger, unconvinced by Lann's modesty.
Vizimir II, the current king of Redania, known as 'The Just', leader of the resistance against the Nilfgaardian invasion.
It is said that Vizimir II has always wanted to unite the two neighboring kingdoms to the north, Temeria and Redania, into a single powerful kingdom. There was an agreement between the two kingdoms, and the king of Temeria, Foltest, was to marry the princess Dalimira.
But the plan was foiled when Vizimir discovered Foltest's incestuous inclination, further deteriorating the relationship between the two kingdoms.
Vizimir II deserved the title of wise king, at least while he lived, since no one noticed how many talents there were in his kingdom. However, as king, his political beliefs trumped his personal morals, to a level that Lann could not comprehend.
An example of this is that Vizimir II and Foltest were almost contemporaries, but Vizimir was willing to marry his daughter Dalimira to Foltest for political ambitions. And how old is Princess Dalimira? Lann didn't know exactly, but he did know that she was the sister of the little bald man who was now serving him wine.
Radovid, who in the future would be crowned Radovid V. He is less than ten years old, even Ciri is older than him.
Radovid was named after the founder of Redania, Radovid I. His father evidently had high expectations for him, always taking him with him on his administrative tours.
At this point, letting the heir work as Lann's cupbearer is an absolute courtesy from a diplomatic perspective. He is able to demonstrate Vizimir II's friendly attitude, indicating that he already considered Lann as an equal, a head of state.
At the same time, more than ten guardian knights in the hall were guarding Lann to prevent any threat to the king.
He is both courteous and military, making it hard for people to find fault with him.
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