第６６掘：おかねちょうだい？ (Part2)
"Well, the way you spout lies so fluently is something else, isn't it?"
Kiyu is reasonably strong in terms of stats, but in this dungeon, he’d be lucky to even crack the top ten. I couldn't exactly reveal our full hand, though.
"Ah, I haven't finished my explanation yet. The 'time' I mentioned isn't for convincing the upper echelons of Litea."
"……What do you mean by that?"
"Let's see. The higher-ups wouldn't be convinced to spend a fortune to save something they’ve ignored until now. And even if you tried to convince them, your only evidence is a story heard from Seraria, via Lady Alstaire."
"That is correct."
"So, why not suggest this to the dissenting faction who won't be convinced? Tell them, 'I have decided to negotiate with Lady Seraria. Those who object are welcome to conquer the dungeon by the deadline.'"
"Heh, that’s a good plan. And as a bonus, I get to cut down the trash of Litea, don't I?"
"Th-that is…"
"If you do this, the dissenters will either be wiped out, or the survivors will realize the sheer recklessness of picking a fight with us. With that, the aid will be officially approved, and we’ll even save on personnel costs for the military. Don't you think that’s wonderful?"
"If I were to be detained in Litea, the whole deal would be off…"
"That won't be a problem, as I’ll have Kiyu accompany you as a bodyguard. How was the talent in Litea, Kiyu?"
"Hmm, from what I saw, there was no one quite on my level. That Deryu person over there is out of the question, and obviously, neither is Brother."
"Wh-what!? You mean to tell me Kiyu-san wasn't your top combat asset?"
"No, he is a top-tier asset. But I never said we only had one of them, did I?"
"Fufufu… Alstaire. Stop trying to play mind games with my husband. The situation is currently unfavorable for Litea, but I’m sure there are various benefits for you too, aren't there?"
"Oops, caught me."
"What is this about?"
"It’s about Covil, who is with Rurua."
"Eh, me?"
"No, not Covil herself, who is currently chugging cookies and cola, but her race."
"The Fairy race!?"
Alstaire seemed to realize what I was getting at.
"Exactly. Interaction with the Fairy race through Rurua. In other words, with this gate, we can easily obtain Fairy goods. Naturally, we could also export the items you’ve seen in this dungeon."
"I see, you're quite wicked. It would have been nice if you had mentioned this from the start..."
"I don't want you to misunderstand. I want to make it clear that we hold the superior position, and that we have the military strength to crush you if we wanted to."
"……Why?"
"As Seraria said, this is a place where the residents live for their own sake. We have to prevent fools with twisted ideas from coming here and causing chaos. If negotiations go through without bloodshed, there’s a very high probability that idiots who don't know our true power will come here for a 'tour' and cause trouble."
"……So you’re saying that spilling blood will settle things?"
"It will certainly reduce the trouble compared to a bloodless approach. It serves as an example of what happens when you don't follow our laws. Think of it as a preemptive investment. If we do it without bloodshed, the dissatisfaction will likely lead to more political strife in Litea or a complete severance of ties with us. Therefore, this is necessary—both to prove that Alstaire’s judgment was correct and to reduce the amount of blood spilled in the future."
"And for that, you would have soldiers die?"
"That is your job—to minimize those casualties. You’d better persuade them well so that the number of fools who try to challenge us decreases."
"……I understand."
Alstaire muttered, looking frustrated.
There are many things in this world you don't truly understand until you feel the sting yourself, aren't there?
After that, the discussion shifted mostly to how Alstaire would handle the upper echelons. Well, I hope the casualties are kept to a minimum. Personally, I’m a bit dissatisfied because it means fewer examples to make of people, but so be it.
Now then, time to go prepare some pit traps.
Oh, right, we have that dungeon farm... I pray it doesn't get trampled...
And so, next time, for the first time in a while, there will be combat in the dungeon.
Now, let the carnival begin!!