第４２１堀：農耕神と女王陛下 (Part1)
**Chapter 421: The Agricultural God and Her Majesty the Queen**
**Side: Seraria**
...To be honest, I have a bit of a headache.
It’s because I’ve come to realize that the gods we once worshipped are, in the end, not much different from us. No, perhaps I already knew that deep down, but until my husband pointed it out, I think I simply refused to accept or understand it.
After all, if my husband hadn't reasoned with us, we would have been content to simply crown him king and prattle on about building the greatest nation in the world. We thought we were the ones who were right, never realizing that such a mindset would prevent us from ever truly moving forward.
"...We were so foolish."
"...It couldn't be helped. Even if they are gods, they were originally just people. It’s a matter of the education they received in their time."
"...As a ruler, I’m filled with an immense sense of guilt."
"...As am I. We have played our part in mass-producing such fools, after all."
""*Sigh...*""
Samantha and I let out a synchronized sigh as we walked down the corridor. We were on our way to see Faide, as it was about time for her to start eating the ice cream.
However, my heart felt heavy after hearing my husband’s explanation earlier. While we aren't directly responsible, the fundamental problem lies in the low level of technology and civilization in this world.
"The Hero Summoning, my husband’s role as a Dungeon Master... for our world, these are events that push us forward, but..."
"The self-loathing is quite draining, isn't it? Abducting people from another world and pressing them into service... If it were something contained within this world, I could perhaps wrap my head around it."
"But dragging them here from someone else's home... it’s honestly embarrassing," I admitted.
"If a diplomatic channel were ever opened with Earth, I don't feel like we could win a single negotiation," Samantha added.
"My husband said the same. Forget winning; he said they’d find any excuse to invade. I would do the same in their position. Having your citizens kidnapped and enslaved is a perfectly valid reason for any country to declare war."
"And since they would likely use their latest weaponry without hesitation, I would raise the white flag immediately."
"Me too. There’s more of a future in that. But..."
"The gods are the ones who don't even understand that state of affairs..."
My head really did ache. The gods, who should have been the ones to contact my husband before we did, were apparently so obsessed with their own turf wars that they understood nothing.
"I just hope that if they must be our enemies, they have a decent reason for it, like Hifi or Noble."
"Indeed. If it were the result of some deep-seated conviction, it would be somewhat more bearable."
"If it’s just because they want to be number one, it’s beyond embarrassing as someone living on the same continent."
"...Let us pray that isn't the case."
"At any rate, for now, we must bring Faide over to our side as my husband suggested. There is no better person to help us understand the opposition."
"I hope she finds the ice cream persuasive."
"Faide herself seems quite earnest. It won't just be the ice cream; our persuasion and attitude will play a major role as well."
"The responsibility is heavy."
"That’s why I, the Queen, and you, Samantha—a Duke’s daughter—are the ones going."
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
In terms of official standing, Rurua or Shera would technically be higher, but Rurua is essentially Lilishe’s subordinate, and Shera might be underestimated because she looks like a child—or worse, it might be seen as a high-pressure negotiation since she’s a princess of Gartz.
Naturally, I couldn't bring Eris or the other representatives who rose from slavery, as Faide might have preconceived notions about them.
That’s why I brought Samantha. She is a Duke’s daughter from the New Continent, possessing impeccable knowledge and etiquette, and she has no prior influence on this continent. Furthermore, she hasn't been here long and her name isn't well-known outside of Weed. Since she isn't a long-standing heavyweight of Weed like Eris, I thought she would be perfect for lowering Faide’s guard.
As we discussed these things, we arrived at the church. Now, we just had to wait for Lilishe and Faide to finish their ice cream tasting.
*『Hey. Looks like you’ve arrived. They’re taking the ice cream out of the fridge now, so you shouldn't have to wait long.』*
A message came in from my husband. Even though I had timed our arrival, I expected to be off by a bit, but it seemed luck was on our side. I hate sitting still in a waiting room.
Since we still had a moment, Samantha and I began brewing some tea when Hifi poked her head into the room.
"Oh? Are you ready already?"
"No, we made too much ice cream, so we’re currently distributing it."
"I see. So that’s why you came to contact us directly."
So they weren't just making Faide do heavy labor out of spite while they relaxed and made ice cream.
"That’s not the only reason. As I said, we’re distributing it. To the children as well."
"...Ah. I see. How devious."
"You intend to tell the children that Faide-sama made it for them and have them thank her, don't you?" Samantha asked.
"Yes. No matter how logically or rationally we explain things with evidence, it isn't easy to convince the heart. Therefore..."
"The children," I finished.
"Yes."
Lilishe certainly thought this through. Or was this my husband’s idea? Since the ice cream was his suggestion to begin with, it seemed likely.
"Well, putting that aside, Faide-dono should be eating the ice cream right about now. Her initial shock should have subsided, so I’ll lead you in. You just 'happened' to be here, after all."
"Yes. Quite a coincidence. We just happened to be passing by and decided to pay our respects to the church of an allied nation."
Speaking with intentional theatricality, we walked toward the room where Faide was.
"This is truly incredible. To think something like this could be made so easily..."
"It wasn't easy~! It’s the crystallization of human ingenuity. I understand you might want to call it a miracle or the power of Luna-sama, but do you realize how incredibly rude your words are to the people who actually created this, Faide?"
"I... I apologize for that."
Hmm.
It seemed Faide had accepted the ice cream much more easily than expected and was convinced that it wasn't the result of Luna’s power. It really did look like she came here as a mediator rather than an enemy.
Now, it was up to me.
I caught Hifi’s eye and gave a small nod. She nodded back and knocked on the door.
"Lilishe. Her Majesty the Queen has arrived. What shall we do?"
"Oh my~. Faide, what do you think~?"
"The Queen... so, Yuki’s..."
"Yes, his wife~."
"This is convenient. Can you arrange for me to meet with Her Majesty as well?"
"She says yes~."
Lilishe called out for us to enter, so I opened the door and stepped inside without hesitation.