How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 166: Leading the Flock (1)

The orders of Spanish King Philip III were immediately transmitted to the Council of the Indies (Consejo de las Indias), the most important administrative body exerting influence over Spanish America.

And the council made a judgment regarding the royal command.

"Nonsense."

More precisely,

"Bullshit! How are we supposed to capture the Queen!"

It was as stated above.

All the Council of the Indies and its subordinate officials screamed in unison. It was a foolish judgment even to those ignorant of the local circumstances in the American colonies, but to them it was...

A disastrous decision.

To others, all that was visible was the international diplomatic stage surrounding Queen Elizabeth and the internal political circumstances of England.

But they had detailed maps and exploration records of the area near Roanoke Island where Queen Elizabeth resided. Therefore, their conclusion was clear.

"Sending soldiers to Roanoke Island now is no different from sending them to their deaths."

Even setting aside everything else and looking at it purely geographically, Queen Elizabeth's residence on Roanoke Island was extremely difficult to attack.

The island, situated inside Pamlico Sound, was protected by complex rapids and reefs, and was surrounded by other islands like a barrier.

In such an environment where simply landing was difficult, what if there were troops constantly monitoring and defending the place, along with various defensive installations?

The difficulty of conquest would increase exponentially.

In other words, there was a high probability of wastefully spending many troops and warships without even capturing the Queen.

"But what choice do we have? These are royal orders. Commands issued by the most noble and exalted authority in this kingdom. We cannot disobey."

"True. We can't disobey. But wasn't this council established to advise His Majesty? Perhaps we could try to persuade him somehow..."

"Already failed."

"..."

"..."

"..."

It was a bleak situation.

The military conquest of Virginia had already been concluded to be 'virtually impossible without mobilizing substantial forces.' In such a situation, to carry out the king's orders?

They would have to prepare for massive loss of life and property.

That couldn't be done.

"For now... while following His Majesty's orders, we need to approach this differently. Since success is unlikely, we should first think about how to show our sincerity rather than achieving the objective itself."

Thus, the goal of 'capturing the Queen' was shipwrecked from the start. Failure was already predetermined.

Instead, they set a target to present to the king as an excuse.

That is, when saying, 'Everyone fought valiantly, but we failed to capture the Queen of England this time. However, we achieved these subsidiary accomplishments...,' those 'subsidiary accomplishments.'

They could easily think of them.

"We should focus on checking the Virginia colony and breaking its growth momentum."

"Everyone, be tense. What we are about to discuss must not leak out."

Thus, the conference continued for several weeks.

They reached a conclusion.

Soon, the council's orders were delivered to the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

==

N. E. M. O.

Having written those four letters on paper, Elizabeth stared at him blankly before smiling slightly.

"...Nemo."

An interesting name.

"Did he perhaps receive a new name when baptized?"

"No. I heard he originally had that name."

"Really? 'No one.' How peculiar. Truly peculiar..."

At Margaret's words, the Queen stroked her lips.

"I don't remember exactly, but what's the plan ahead?"

"Yes, first, he will come directly to Roanoke Island to escort Your Majesty. Then after guiding you to Chesapeake Bay, the formal talks will begin..."

"You said the Emperor has lost his voice? And that conversation must be conducted through written notes?"

"...Yes."

"Hmm, that's unfortunate. A native who has learned Latin and English must surely possess tremendous intellect..."

Elizabeth murmured thus and then asked Margaret.

"You said you've met the Emperor before."

"...What? Ah, yes."

"What was your impression? Please tell me in detail about his appearance, manner, and so on."

"..."

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As soon as the Queen asked that question, Margaret seemed to pause momentarily, then spoke as if reciting.

"He is... hard to express in words..."

Ah, not again.

This isn't the first time she's asked this question.

The native Emperor has been a crucial ally who played a key role in expanding her royal authority over the past decade. Naturally, she had asked Margaret, Raleigh, and others several questions about him.

And every time, those who heard the questions invariably showed the same expression.

"Ah... he is, noble and..."

That expression.

A reverence for the unknown is glimpsed in their eyes. Unconsciously, they adopt a respectful posture and modulate their voice.

As if 'he' were watching from nearby.

"The Emperor's true identity is... probably...!"

"Probably...?"

"He must be a sea monster."

Suddenly remembering the foolish conversation with Drake, her interest wanes. In the end, the facts the Queen knows about this Nemo are only two.

That he exudes an atmosphere 'hard to express in words' and that he 'might be a sea monster.'

...Come to think of it, it seems there's only one fact she knows.

The Queen lightly touches Margaret, who still has a dreamy expression, to wake her up.

"...Oh, where was I?"

"You haven't said anything yet except that he's noble. Phew, never mind. At least tell me about his attire. He doesn't walk around half-naked like other natives, does he?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Does he also walk around half-naked?"

"Ah, no. That's not the case. However..."

"This can't also be difficult to express in words, can it?"

"...You're right. It's difficult to express in words."

"..."

"..."

It's always like this, so it's bound to be perplexing.

They are now near the port of Chesapeake Bay. That means they will meet the Emperor soon.

Yet she still knew nothing about the Emperor. Due to those strange reactions people show whenever she asks about the Emperor.

Elizabeth sighed and touched her forehead.

"...Very well. If both atmosphere and attire are difficult to express, what choice do I have? Anyway, at least I know he doesn't walk around naked."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Not at all. Just tell me about the Emperor's appearance. That shouldn't be difficult to express in words, should it?"

"Ah, o-of course! First... he has slightly curly black hair and deep brown eyes."

Margaret stands up, stretches her arms upward, and says.

"And his height is about this much!"

"That's quite tall."

"Yes! Additionally, his skin was clean, and his body was moderately slender but muscular..."

"What about his beard?"

"Pardon? Ah, he doesn't grow a beard. If he were smaller in stature, he might have been mistaken for a boy."

"Mistaken for a boy? Exactly how old is the Emperor?"

"Uh... that..."

"..."

"..."

"...Perhaps, he seems to be in his twenties."

"Then when you first saw him, was he a teenager?"

With that casual remark, Margaret suddenly hesitated and stopped speaking. No, if he's in his twenties now, he would have been a teenager about ten years ago, wouldn't he? Isn't that obvious?

"Well... thinking about it again, he could also be in his thirties."

...I wonder what she actually knows.

As the awkward silence continued, someone knocked on the door. As the two went out of the cabin and onto the deck, everyone was busy.

Approaching the railing, thousands of people had gathered around the port.

Through them, one person came out and entered the gangway, stopping right in front of Elizabeth.

"Walter."

"Your Majesty."

It was Raleigh.

Margaret had already moved away from her side, hopping onto the gangway and mixing with the people. In the distance, people welcoming her could be seen.

Thus, with just the two of them left, Raleigh bowed to the Queen.

"Let's go. 'He' is waiting."

"Yes. The man called 'Nemo.'"

"Yes, Nemo is waiting."

"What a curious name, isn't it? Like Odysseus trying to capture Polyphemus. I hope he doesn't stab my eye and tell me his real name when I enter his dwelling?"

The Queen made this joke with a quiet smile. And as she looked at her lover's face again...

"..."

"...Water?"

His expression was strangely rigid. For a moment, keeping silent, he soon seemed to realize his mistake and spoke again with a gentle smile.

"Don't laugh too much. Can't you see his humility in that name?"

"Humility...?"

"Yes. The natives here often change their own names. He too, probably named himself thus to signify that before the Lord, he remains a being of nothing, a being of no one."

"...Hmm?"

"Did he perhaps receive a new name when baptized?"

"No. I heard he originally had that name."

"Why do you ask?"

At Raleigh's words, the Queen recalled the conversation she had with Margaret in the cabin.

"According to what I heard from Margaret, the name Nemo was definitely originally his... that its overlap with Latin was just a coincidence."

"..."

"...Walter?"

"Margaret must have been mistaken. As far as I know, he chose that name to draw closer to the Lord."

This is truly strange.

Neither age nor the circumstances of naming - nothing is certain.