Hearing the newsboy shouting outside, Odys froze for a moment. "Lenburg Civil War?"
Just as he was about to write to Bazel and ask what had happened, Viscount Daina Arthur, the embassy's deputy ambassador, hurried in with a newspaper in hand. "Ambassador, Lenburg... Lenburg has descended into civil war."
"Don't panic." Odys took the newspaper from him and read it. He relaxed slightly. It turned out that Celt, the governor of Lenburg's Soloto State, had rebelled.
That was nothing surprising.
At this point, the other deputy ambassador, Kallen Sidley, arrived at the ambassador's office along with several key embassy officials.
Odys set down the newspaper. "Gentlemen, even if a rebellion needs suppressing, that is the Ministry of Defense's responsibility, not ours.
"In my view, it is merely one state rebelling. It is no major matter.
"However, the embassy must immediately prepare itself. Lenburg merchants who have seen the newspaper, Loen merchants with investments in Lenburg, Loen political figures, and ambassadors from other countries will likely all send people to ask about the situation.
"You must answer their questions calmly and tell them that the embassy has received neither an emergency notice nor notification that Lenburg has entered a state of war."
Odys's composure immediately reassured the embassy staff. He then assigned tasks in an orderly fashion, and the entire embassy swiftly became busy.
Odys had his secretary remain by the telegraph machine. Any telegram from Lenburg was to be delivered here immediately.
He then wrote separately to Bernadette, Bazel, and Celt, asking about the current situation.
Bernadette's reply arrived first. She did not know that the Lenburg Government had declared Soloto State to be in rebellion, but in Soloto State, people believed their current actions were resistance against the tyranny of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
The people of that