第２２７掘：細かい今後と…… (Part1)
**Dungeon Excavation 227: Future Details and...**
**Side: Seraria**
This certainly isn't the kind of story that needs to be exposed bit by bit. After hearing about the friendship between Jessica and that girl Hivia, I’ve grasped the general flow of things.
"I see. So, basically, our opinions will be easily accepted in this situation, right?"
"Yeah. The Enaria army was forced to retreat due to the appearance of Mino-chan’s army. But that’s a threat to the Zilba Empire as well."
"I don't mean to speak ill of Mino-chan, but it’s a huge help that he’s a monster known as a legend over there."
"It’s fine, really. As long as Lady Seraria and everyone in Weed like me, that’s all that matters."
"My, what a wonderful loyal subject. I wish I could make my superior, who keeps getting rejected by women everywhere, learn from him."
As I said that, I looked at Steve, who was wrapped up like a sushi roll, and saw him soaking the floor with his tears.
...Though, even if I say so myself, he really is pitiful. I’ll have to follow up with him later.
Well, more importantly, we need to move the meeting along...
"So, that’s why Mino-chan is set to negotiate with Zilba. Our role is to deliver that message. With the track record of driving back the Enaria army, plus being a legendary monster that also possesses wisdom and military command—they wouldn't think of chasing down the Enaria army while ignoring these monsters, would they?"
"But even if the Zilba Empire is happy about taking territory, the Enaria army can't just pull back, can they? They lost land. Even if they retreated for now, wouldn't they just prepare, sign a non-aggression pact with Mino-chan’s army, and then attack?"
"It’s a possibility, but highly unlikely."
"Why is that?"
"For one, we took prisoners, and those prisoners happen to be Magic Sword Users. Plus, to show that Mino-chan has no hostility, we’ve handed over some 'tributes'—the third-rate items that didn't meet Narjia-san’s standards."
"Wait, Narjia-san’s standards!?"
The weapons Narjia-san creates range from swords and armor to the firearms from Yuki’s homeland. What makes them troublesome is her ability to use a special skill called "Enchanting" to create weapons embedded with magic. By incorporating Yuki’s knowledge, some truly absurd weapons have been born recently.
"Oh, don't worry, Lady Seraria. These weren't things I made, but rather the rejects that the Blacksmith District decided not to place in the dungeon."
Phew, that’s a relief. As expected, they wouldn't just go around scattering those weapons of mass destruction.
"I see... and just how powerful are these items?"
"Well, let's see. They’re about as good as the magic swords Marly-san, Olive-san, and Mist-san showed us earlier, maybe a bit better."
"...Isn't that an absurdly high-quality item from the perspective of the New Continent?"
"Exactly. How do you think the other side will judge someone who hands over such things so casually?"
"...Even if they try to mock us by saying we don't know the value, they can't ignore it. If they think they might get their hands on a large supply of magic swords, they’ll want to sign a ceasefire with Zilba quickly and get close to Mino-chan’s group... And if they try to seize them, Zilba would interfere, which would be a huge nuisance, so they will definitely agree to a ceasefire."
I see. So that’s the leverage for the ceasefire. Enaria wants more magic swords, and having Mino-chan’s army around acts as a shield against Zilba.
"Conversely, if they ignore this and invade, we can cook them however we like."
If they’re stupid enough to do that, they’re disqualified as a negotiating partner, and it would just prove that spending time on them is a waste. Hmph, it’s a good opportunity to test their mettle.
"That’s how it is. Well, they’re both great powers, so they’ll surely fight for their own interests."
"True. Being the side that was invaded, they’ll lodge a protest, but that’s just for show. In the meantime, they can just get on good terms with Mino-chan’s group. Zilba owes them for driving back Enaria, and they’ll learn the value of the supplies Mino-chan’s group possesses after Enaria does."
"By then, Enaria and Mino-chan will likely have already signed some kind of agreement. Zilba won't be able to attack and will have no choice but to negotiate."
"Right. By then, Mino-chan and Enaria will be essentially allied, and if Zilba tries anything, they can use the excuse that they’ve brought Mino-chan’s group in as allies and claim Zilba broke the ceasefire agreement."
If they’re capable of thinking rationally, a ceasefire is the only option here.
"Well, that’s the gist of it. And in order to sign that ceasefire, there’s a high chance Princess Miffy will head to Enaria."
"True, to sign a ceasefire, a representative of the country must go. It would be most efficient to have Princess Miffy, who is luckily already on the front lines, act as the representative to sign the treaty."
"Ideally, the kings should meet face-to-face, but..."
"In this case, neither side wants to show their face, right?"
"Yeah. Zilba wants to be cautious even though they accepted the ceasefire because they’ve taken territory, and they want to immediately deploy their remaining troops elsewhere since they’re fighting with others."
"And Enaria lost territory, but they’ve gained a connection with Mino-chan’s group, so they want to secretly get ahead and strengthen themselves through trade and negotiations, right?"
"That’s it. So if Princess Miffy receives orders from the Zilba King regarding the ceasefire, we’ll either be the ones to deliver the news or go along as her escort."
It wouldn't work for mere mercenaries, but the fact that the Zilba King impulsively called her a descendant of royalty will come in handy. There’s enough reason for us to tag along. We can’t be official representatives of the country, but participating on the Zilba side won't be a problem.
"...Hm? Come to think of it, in that scenario, it seems Mino-chan’s group will be participating separately."
"Exactly. Mino-chan’s group is currently the Third Army. They’re a powerful force in many ways that can’t be easily provoked. Since they’re the biggest reason Zilba and Enaria are ceasing fire, they can’t exactly stay hidden."
"I see... Ah, I understand. You’re making them the center of attention."
"Normally, a mercenary group with demi-humans like us would stand out, but with the legendary Minotaur army, that will be a trivial matter."
Enaria will be busy dealing with Mino-chan’s group and will want to sign a ceasefire quickly to start negotiations, so the risk of us being in danger is definitely lower than if we had fought Zilba and Enaria head-on.