第４９０堀：お話を聞こう (Part1)
### Chapter 490: Let’s Hear Them Out
**Side: Yuki**
It has been about two days since we were summoned. We are currently facing our second dawn here. While there are problems aplenty, nothing truly critical has occurred yet.
Milly and the other pregnant women have been cleared by remote check-ups via call—no issues there. The children, like Shuten, are treating this as a bit of a trip and have been well-behaved. At this rate, we should be able to hold out for the three days until the gate is scheduled to open. As for the magic students of Baide and the 100,000 imperial soldiers who attacked, keeping them under lockdown in the dungeon for another three days shouldn't be a problem. I fully intend to charge them DP for the trouble they’ve caused us.
"So, today is the discussion with the Lord of Baide and the Findar Imperial Army, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
I’ve already finished breakfast and am in the office, hearing the day's schedule from Shera. The room is clearly a rush job; the shelves are completely empty. Thinking about the work involved in moving files and materials once the gate opens makes me feel depressed. This is one of the reasons I dislike expanding our bases. Even if I can summon supplies with DP, I have to arrange all these little items myself. Plus, Seraria mentioned she’d be forwarding reports and documents regarding the cross-cultural exchange later, so my workload just keeps piling up.
"…Is something the matter?"
"Oh, no. Just thinking about how the work never ends, as usual."
"That is true. I hope we can take a vacation someday and just relax with everyone."
"Yeah. Maybe go to the beach with the family, just... let loose."
It feels a bit wrong to be complaining when Shera is working so hard. She was the one who essentially orchestrated these negotiations with Baide and the Findar Imperial Army. As expected, she’s not a diplomat for the Weed-Gartz region for nothing. Much like the super-maid Kirue, her master, Shera, is a super-princess. Well, I knew she had that talent from the start, but still.
"Still, I’m impressed you got both sides to agree yesterday."
Usually, when an unknown force appears, it takes months just to explain things to one another, but Shera got them to nod in agreement in just a single day.
"As you saw, Yuki-san, we didn't exactly hold back in showing off Weed’s power. Besides, this isn't a normal negotiation. Both sides already have their necks firmly under our thumb."
"I understand that we needed to hold talks early, but I didn't expect the other side to be this compliant."
"I agree. I, too, thought Baide and the Findar Empire would put up more resistance."
Even if they know there’s a massive gap in strength, it’s not easy to just swallow your pride, dignity, and concerns about your homeland.
"Well, I suppose it’s a stroke of luck that they’re reasonable people?"
"There’s always a chance of a trap, so please don't let your guard down, Yuki-san."
"Of course."
Getting someone to drop their guard and then stabbing them in the back is a classic move. I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.
"Shall we head to the reception room?"
"Yes. The meeting with the Findar Empire begins in about an hour."
We leave the office and head toward the reception room. Our guards, Cleena and Samantha, are out acting as guides for the Findar and Baide delegations, so Dressa, Vilia, and Hiiro are covering for them.
Labyris, Aslin, and Firia are currently busy preparing tea and snacks for the meeting. We’re doing this because the DP cost for items is 5,000 times higher than usual, so I’m hesitant to just "pop" drinks and snacks into existence with DP. Fortunately, when I deployed this dungeon, we had a stock of ingredients, so we’re using those. As it turns out, among our summoned members, only Labyris, Aslin, and Firia know how to bake. Milly, Tori, Riel, and Kaya have done a little bit of baking, but only to the extent of cutting out cookie dough. The pregnant group has declared themselves "professional eaters," so it can't be helped. No, they can cook normal meals just fine; it’s just that baking is a specialized skill.
Vilia and Hiiro could do it, but that would leave us without guards, so they were assigned to protect us. Sending them to act as guides would just invite trouble. As for Dressa, she’s still at the "helper" level when it comes to cooking. That’s understandable; she hasn't even been in Weed for a year, and her unique status meant she couldn't be bothered with such chores.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Since she’d definitely get defensive if I told her she was a guard because she couldn't cook, I just slotted her into the guard role from the start.
"Hmph. I never said I could make snacks for guests..."
"Right. It’s quite a high bar for guests..."
"Hiiro, I’m not that good."
"Fufu, let’s practice together sometime."
Shera chats happily with the three of them. I’ve received reports from Seraria that some of the monsters who were likely chosen as taste-testers have developed a strange fear of sweets lately. Why would they be afraid of snacks? Were they dragged to some cake buffet? No, we don't have cake buffets in Weed. I should ask about that later.
While I was lost in thought, we arrived at the reception room. It seems I had just enough DP left to make it look like a proper reception room. Being poor is tough. It reminds me of my student days, constantly checking my wallet and agonizing over lunch. Even buying a single juice was a luxury.
"Hey, Shera. Come to think of it, why is the Findar Empire first instead of Baide?"
Dressa, who was checking the room for any deficiencies, asked Shera as if she’d just remembered.
"Oh, I was wondering that too."
"Hiiro is curious as well."
It seems Vilia and Hiiro had the same question.
"Simply put, I don't trust Baide—or rather, the Hayden Kingdom behind them. The ones who summoned us were the Princess and the Duke’s daughter of the Hayden Kingdom. It’s no exaggeration to say they are our greatest enemies."
"Well, that’s true... but this was Hayden territory, wasn't it? Shouldn't we have talked to them first?"
"No, that won't do. That would imply we are deferring to the Hayden Kingdom. Under no circumstances should Weed be seen as inferior to Hayden. While it might avoid unnecessary trouble, there is no way they would approve of a meeting with the Findar Empire. If we act submissive, they’ll immediately demand the execution of the Findar Imperial Army."
"Ah, I see. We can't afford to lose 100,000 imperial soldiers right now, can we?"