第７９掘：王様乗り込む (Part2)
When Father said that, the minister who had been complaining turned pale.
Indeed, while the Adventurer Guild is headquartered in Litea, its scale extends across this entire continent.
No, rumors even suggest that it spans beyond this continent, reaching the lands across the treacherous seas.
It is said that their power is such that no single nation could stand against them.
Both in terms of human resources and financial might...
The head of that guild is currently visiting; to suggest we treat them with disdain is equivalent to picking a fight with the Adventurer Guild itself.
"That point is handled. Today is the third day of the council. It has only just begun. The Grand Master is interested in the lifestyle here, so he finished his work early and is currently enjoying himself in various ways."
"I see, then that is fine. Now, to the main topic: do you have any explanation for this incident with Litea?"
"Huh? For starters, the wealth personally sent from Litea to Seraria was effectively used for reconciliation with the Gartz Kingdom. Is that a problem?"
"Th-that part is fine!! The problem is why you took it upon yourselves to initiate hostilities with Litea!!"
They hit a sore spot right away.
Yes, we came to question the responsibility of opening hostilities—even if it was against the Litea hardliners. But under Seraria's direct command, that battle was an overwhelming victory.
As a result, the hardliners lost their standing in Litea, and because they angered someone with the peerless combat power of Seraria, they had their private assets confiscated. As an apology—or rather, a reparation—Seraria received those assets and transported them here so that we, Roschur, could use them as compensation for Gartz.
The total sum of those private assets was approximately 30,000 platinum coins.
It is a massive fortune, roughly one-fifth of our annual national budget.
The conflict with Gartz was deemed to be the result of the Demon King's machinations, meaning neither side was truly at fault, yet both had suffered significant damage.
However, both sides had fallen into a vicious cycle where neither wanted to pay reparations.
Seraria provided the funds to break that deadlock.
By using those funds for the compensation to Gartz and to supplement our own national coffers, Gartz was satisfied, and the tension was diffused.
"I see. So, Father, Sister, and you ministers—you wanted us to abandon Rurua, let the hardliners seize power, and continue the war between the three nations?"
"..."
"Then, shall we have you return the compensation money given to Gartz? I provided that out of concern for the nation, but to think you actually desired war... As for Litea, we shall dismiss Rurua, send her back, and immediately enter a state of war with the Roschur Kingdom."
The ministers, who had intended to extract warnings and reparations from this dungeon for supposedly endangering the nation, turned deathly pale.
We hadn't come with quite as much hostility as the ministers, but we did want to urge them to realize their responsibilities as lords...
It seems we were the ones lacking in self-awareness.
I hadn't realized that the three nations could be plunged into a state of war at any moment based on Seraria's whim, or that she would actually take such actions.
"There are no dissenting opinions, then? In that case, to initiate the state of war, let us begin by executing Rurua, who is currently in this city."
"What are you talking about? I know that you protected Lady Rurua and sent her to Litea. But Seraria, the way you speak, it sounds as if Lady Rurua is here in this dungeon?"
"She is. As an apology from Litea and a gesture of reconciliation, Rurua has married my husband. If I were to dismiss and send back Rurua, who is a symbol of that reconciliation, the current Saintess, Lady Alstaire, would surely take action immediately."
This is bad. This is far too bad.
To think that Lady Rurua had married Yuki-san.
If we were to publicly denounce this dungeon, it would be tantamount to broadcasting that helping Litea was a mistake.
With Lady Rurua married into this place, the importance of this dungeon to Litea is immense; we cannot afford to touch it carelessly...
"Do you understand now? Then, I shall now proceed to dismiss Rurua..."
"Wait, wait just a moment!! Seraria!!"
"What is it, Sister?"
"We will not hold you responsible for this!! So, stop the execution of Lady Rurua!! Our country does not desire war!! Isn't that right, Father!?"
I pressed Father for agreement, caught up in the momentum.
"Indeed. We shall consider this matter closed. However, as a penalty for your unilateral actions, there will be no rewards. Is that acceptable to everyone?"
The ministers nodded vigorously on the spot.
"What's with that now? It's not like you've ever given me a reward anyway."
Seraria made a very disgusted face.
"...Ahem. Then, the inspection will continue tomorrow, but Seraria... no, I have one more matter to discuss with your husband."
"With me? Not Seraria?"
"Yes. I was worried about how Litea would react to this, but if Lady Rurua is already married to him, there should be no problem."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You understand that we received a large sum from Seraria, which led to the reconciliation with Gartz, correct?"
"Yes, I am aware."
"However, this leaves Gartz's pride wounded. Even though Roschur opened hostilities first, it was the Demon King's scheme. Yet, we were the only ones who had to bow our heads and pay a large amount of money."
"Ah, so you're saying it would be reported to foreign nations that Gartz is a rude country that didn't offer anything in return?"
"Indeed. So, we have taken a princess from Gartz."
"...I have a very bad feeling about this."
"She is the 7th Princess. She was sent to our country as a return gift. To foreign nations, it will be presented as a gesture of gratitude..."
"Is the real intention to get rid of a nuisance?"
"...It is difficult to say, but that is the case. We cannot simply marry her off to one of the ministers."
"The 7th, huh... It would be troublesome if we took her in and our internal affairs in Roschur were leaked, but if we treat her poorly, it might damage our trust with Gartz, right?"
"Exactly. To them, it wouldn't hurt or itch if she disappeared. The 7th Princess has no standing left in Gartz anyway."
"Well, she is the 7th. Her older siblings have likely already claimed any positions of power. This is truly just getting rid of a nuisance."
"That is where your husband comes in!! He doesn't know the intricate details of Roschur, and he has already taken in Lady Rurua, a high-ranking figure from Litea, after Seraria. If your husband accepts the princess, Gartz will be satisfied!!"
"...Don't tell me, did you bring her with you?"
"Yes!!"
As soon as Father answered, Seraria lunged at him with tremendous force.
"You shitty old man!! Dieeeeeee!!"
I understand how Seraria feels, but we will be in trouble if he doesn't accept her.
The rest depends on Yuki-san.
Oh, I wonder if this counts as getting a little bit of revenge?
Another wife added.
Well, whether she's treated well or kept in confinement is a different matter.
In a way, we've managed to build a connection with Gartz. lol