第４７８堀：異文化交流への準備と…… (Part2)
"……I understand. It’s just the way of time, I suppose."
"That’s about the size of it."
"And yet, Yuki-dono, you still insist that the future of Betan belongs to us."
"It’s a bit of an escape on my part, too. I’m not keen on taking all the responsibility. If everyone decides it together, then I can just say, 'Not my problem.'"
"Haha! You have a way with words. In that case, we must strive not to crush the potential for Betan to be called the largest trading hub on this continent. We can't just snuff out those possibilities without asking the residents first."
Honestly, I feel like the choice of which path to take is already a foregone conclusion.
But, surprisingly, the opinion that Betan should remain a granary zone might actually win out.
If that happens, a new kind of city will take shape.
All I can do is create an environment where it’s easy to talk so that opinions don't get stifled.
After all, this place is destined to become the face of the New Continent.
Even so, for us in the upper management, it starts with paperwork.
"……I hope the paperwork decreases in the future."
"……Indeed. It feels unfair that we are the only ones buried in documents. I’d like to add some physical labor to the Lord's duties."
Didn't some king work a side job repairing castle walls?
I wonder if we could incorporate something like that.
Thinking that, I wrote "Castle Wall Repair (Manual Labor)" into the future duties of the Lord. When Samantha saw it, she...
"Yuki-sama. Please, even as a joke, stop that. It is a disgrace to Roday."
"……Hmm. I suppose that king is a bit of an outlier."
"Where else would you find a king who repairs his own walls?"
"Well, there was one. In Roday."
"Ahhh!? Blade-heika, I despise you!!"
Samantha covered her face and slumped over.
Ah, yeah. Honestly, my bad.
"……Um, does Blade-heika of Roday really repair the castle walls himself?"
Hearing that, Horst asked the slumped Samantha with trepidation.
"Th-that is not the case at all!! Please, Horst-sama, make sure you never attempt to repair the walls yourself!!"
Seeing Samantha give such a vehement denial that sounded like a confirmation, Horst nodded and whispered to me.
"For some reason, I feel like I might get along with Blade-heika..."
"Hmm. I don't know if you'd get along, but the leaders of the Six Great Nations will be gathering in Betan soon, so you can talk to him then."
"……That sounds like a stomach-churning prospect. Well, I shall look forward to the audience with Blade-heika and do my best."
Good luck with that.
Personally, I don't think that intuition-based guy would hit it off with Horst.
If anything, he might get along better with Samantha’s father.
While thinking about such things and working on various documents...
*(...elp. ...ease, help me.)*
A voice reached me.
It sounded like a woman’s voice, but it was so faint and garbled that I couldn't be sure.
And where was it coming from?
"Is something wrong?"
As I pondered this, Jessica noticed my hand had stopped and spoke up.
She didn't seem to have heard anything, but I decided to ask anyway.
"Did you hear a voice just now?"
"A voice? No, I didn't. How about everyone else?"
"No. I didn't hear anything."
"……Neither did I."
"I didn't hear anything either. Besides, this office is soundproof, isn't it? It couldn't have come from outside, and surely not from a Call?"
Samantha was right; the soundproofing here is quite robust.
If no one else heard it, it must have been a Call.
"Hmm. There don't seem to be any incoming messages. And usually, a Call comes with a notification sound. Is it just my imagination?"
"Are you tired?"
"It's not even noon yet. I doubt it. Besides, if I take a break, tomorrow will be a nightmare. It's better for me to finish the paperwork and clear the schedule."
"Understood."
Dismissing Jessica's suggestion and assuming it was just my imagination, I went back to work.
Auditory hallucinations, huh?
*(...Why!? ...people are coming... even so!! If things go on like this...)*
I could hear it again, but it was still fragmented.
Ah, is this like remembering a scene from a movie or a book?
Like a playback in my own head?
That feeling where you can almost remember something but can't quite grasp it? Like remembering a line of lyrics but not knowing who sang it.
Am I really that tired?
Well, those of you reading this story can probably guess what’s going on, right?
It’s a classic trope, but then again, maybe not.
Man, the thing I asked Luna to do...
Well, look forward to it.