第１８２掘：ジルバ帝国の落日 意外な結果の章
**Dungeon 182: The Sunset of the Zilba Empire, Chapter of Unexpected Results**
**Side: King of the Zilba Empire, Fionha Reiga Zilba, Zilba VIII**
Am I dreaming?
Not only did eight people calling themselves mercenaries brazenly march all the way to my throne, but the goblins they keep as pets defeated my finest warriors—the Magic Sword Users.
Then, when the man who appears to be their leader provoked me, nearly thirty of my subordinates flew into a rage and attacked him.
Yet, just as that man predicted, every single one of them was sent crashing into the windows, becoming nothing more than decorative objects, down to the very last detail.
Moreover, the man himself didn't move an inch.
Everything was handled in an instant by the women surrounding him.
Of course, part of this is surely due to the demi-humans among them, who possess superior physical abilities and magic. But the fools who don't realize the significance of him commanding them without slave collars are now trying to provoke him.
"You bastard!! Aren't you ashamed to be protected by women all this time!! Why don't you fight fair and square!!"
"No, you guys came at the nine of us with nearly thirty people; what part of that is 'fair and square'? And if you want to talk about that, even your 'King' (provisional) over there is being protected by a female Magic Sword User."
"The King is the symbol of this country!! There is no need for him to do such dangerous things!!"
"Well then, as a commander, I can't afford to do anything that would tie up my hands either."
"Guh..."
It is an undeniable, logical argument.
Far from provoking him, I was silenced by his logic, and it feels as if I am the one being provoked instead.
As proof, the man who started the provocation is now foaming at the mouth, trying to strike him down, but...
"Too bad. With that level of skill, you won't even be able to lay a finger on my Yuki-san."
The demi-human, who likely carries the blood of a cat, moved with speed too fast for the eye to follow, slicing through the soldier’s sword and delivering a kick that added yet another ornament to the window.
"Now then, according to your logic, a King who cannot judge criminals is not a King, right?"
"..."
I never imagined the words I spoke would be turned around and pierced back into me.
"...What is your objective? My head? Or the ruin of this country?"
I finally arrived at a correct assessment of their strength.
Force is not an effective means against these mercenaries. No, we cannot even stand on equal footing with them.
In this world swirling with war, I have been made to realize that these mercenaries already exist on a plane above us.
Yet, despite having that power, my head is still attached to my shoulders.
Given their composure, it would be easy for them to slaughter everyone in this castle, or even the entire royal capital.
But the fact that they did not do so, and instead came to the royal castle—no, came to see *me*—means they have another objective.
"If that were our intention, we would've taken your head from the start. If we wanted to ruin this country, do you think we'd bother walking all the way to the royal castle? You're an idiot for asking something so obvious."
*Ngh.* I hold back, trying not to follow the same path as the soldiers, but this is getting under my skin.
"Well, now that even the 'provisional' King over there and the big shots have realized the gap in our power, our trip here was worth it. If we were introduced by someone else, we'd just be looked down upon, and that’s a hassle."
Indeed, even if a powerful noble had facilitated a connection with these mercenaries, I would have only perceived them as being of lower standing than myself.
So, they came here specifically to prevent that?
"Anyway, we can finally get to the main point. Let's keep it brief. We have three main objectives. First, your military picked a fight with us three times, so we eliminated them, including three Magic Sword Users. We let them live and return so you could realize the difference in our power. Anyway, that’s annoying enough, so stop the invasion from Fail City to the demi-human villages. If you do it again, it’ll be a pain, so I’ll take this royal castle. Lives included."
What is this? This is effectively a demand for unconditional surrender.
"Second, we want to do some research, so give us permission to view the documents held by the royal capital. Consider this compensation for the trouble you caused us. Third, I want you to provide guarantees for the Magic Sword Users who were defeated by us."
"...The second point is fine. But what is the meaning of the third? The Magic Sword Users have their own authority, which I recognize. They attacked you, and the result is a sword being held to my throat. I cannot avoid punishing them."
"What are you talking about? You were looking down on us at first, too. When I talked to that Magic Sword User, Air, in the conference room, she ignored the facts I told her because she thought they were impossible. If we're talking about who committed the overall blunder, it wasn't the Magic Sword Users, but you, the King, who stands above them. Well, since you have to maintain your authority, just go ahead and confiscate their magic swords or something."
"That is no guarantee. Without their magic swords, those girls are merely competent commanders. They would immediately be brought down by those who have been harboring dissatisfaction against them."
"We'll handle the follow-up for that, so it's fine. Though, aside from the sisters, I'll have to recall the Wind Princess Knight from the front lines to take her sword, which sounds like a huge pain."
Indeed, lowering our offensive strength against the Holy Kingdom right now is not ideal.
"...I have a question. Why protect the Magic Sword Users? They are the ones who actually laid a hand on you."
"That's simple. We had a few injuries, but no deaths. In other words, they weren't even a threat worth worrying about. Because of that, they provided us with information, and they were good collaborators. They attacked us, but after being defeated, they started listening to us honestly. Every one of them cooperated to stop the invasion of the country."
"I see. You mean to say that my head is still attached because of the achievements of the Magic Sword Users?"
Hmm, in a sense, this is convenient.
I can claim that they held back such a force, and I have managed to meet them with a proper understanding of the situation.
Fortunately, word has not yet reached the various military corps.
If I can bury this incident, accept their demands, and get them to accept some of our own, it will be a profit for this country.
I can establish a relationship with a powerful individual who has already defeated four Magic Sword Users, including Air, without killing them.
From our conversation so far, I don't think he is a man who makes unreasonable demands.
No, he *is* making unreasonable demands, but it isn't the kind of absurd nonsense like telling a bird to live in the sea or a mole to fly in the sky.
He is simply stating things that are achievable. In fact, regarding the punishment of the Magic Sword Users, he acknowledged the necessity of punishment by suggesting the confiscation of their swords. The "guarantee" must be related to their lives and property.
At worst, there will be those who hear these rumors and try to pick a fight with these mercenaries, but in a way, that can be used to dispose of disruptive elements.
"Oh, and the reason I made the second point of compensation 'information access' is because I figured money would cause various problems. I said it to reduce the number of idiots who try to pick a fight with us. Don't use this as an excuse to have us eliminate your unwanted subordinates, okay? If your soldiers come at us, I'll just take the compensation from your treasury. You could try using assassins or other means, but I wouldn't recommend it. Since even your Magic Sword Users couldn't lay a finger on us, give strict orders not to do anything that would provoke us."
"...Understood."
Does this man see through everything?
Does he have experience as a statesman? He has been dignified from the very beginning.
I could just call him a mercenary leader, but I cannot shake the feeling that he is something entirely different.
"Well, I think that's about it for our demands. I'll tell you if anything else comes up."
"Is this not the end?"
"The defeated don't have the right to speak. That's your rule, isn't it? Well, I won't say anything unreasonable. Ruining the country would just cause chaos. As long as it benefits us, we'll cooperate. That's fine, right?"
Good. It's subtle, but I got him to say he would cooperate.
This will serve as material to persuade the stubborn elders who will oppose this.
"...By the way, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Well, you seem ready to accept, but we're still in the stage of stating our demands. First, go have a meeting or something. You're a King, so you should know that if you push things through by yourself, it'll just cause trouble later."
"Ngh."
Indeed, while I had no other choice, for the sake of appearances, I must hold a meeting to persuade the others.
A country cannot function with the King alone.
"Ahem. I understand your demands. However, I cannot make a decision immediately. About a week..."
"Idiot. Three days."
"...Understood. I will convey the results in three days, so you would do well to stay in the castle for a while."
*Kuh*, he won't even give me time?
I must think of a way to negotiate from a superior position within these three days.
An event that lasted only one day, which does not exist in the public history books.
On this day, the Zilba Empire’s royal castle fell, and was returned, both spectacularly and in secret.
With this, the Zilba Empire can no longer openly pick a fight with Yuki and his group.
Well, I'm sure they'll try to control things from the shadows, but...
That is why the children, including Aslin, came to the royal castle together.
You understand, right? The future developments.
Showing them the bait.