第４９８堀：ウィードの惨状 (Part1)
### Chapter 498: The Tragic State of Weed
**Side: Ratz, Former Weed Commercial Representative, Current Vice Representative, Wife of Yuki**
It has already been four days since I last heard the voices of my dear brother or Shans in person.
No, not even a hug. Four days of living in a hell where I cannot touch them.
I think I’ve held up well, all things considered.
I desperately suppress the urge to go on a rampage from time to time.
On the first day, I was so pathetic that I screamed and nearly lost my mind, forcing Seraria to knock me unconscious.
Even though Seraria is in the same boat, it’s truly shameful of me.
But... but, it was so painful. It was so heartbreaking.
I keep remembering that child who ran back to retrieve her rabbit toy during that incident.
I will make sure those pieces of trash who caused us this pain pay for what they’ve done...
"Um, Senior? Are you alright?"
"Eh? Oh, what is it?"
When I came to my senses, Non, the current Commercial Representative, was looking at me with concern.
"Your eyes aren't focused, and you've snapped your pen in half."
"Oh dear."
It seems I had put enough strength into my hand to break my ballpoint pen without even realizing it.
"Is the connection to the New Continent still that busy?"
"Yes, indeed. The languages are different, so there are all sorts of minute adjustments that need to be made."
"Haa... I finally understand why you seniors stepped back from the front lines of Weed. To think that Weed was connected to another continent entirely. And that there are multiple nations there, too... There’s no way we rookies could be expected to handle all that, is there?"
As is evident from Non’s words, the high-ranking officials of Weed have already been informed that we are connected to the New Continent.
Furthermore, they’ve been told about our plans to establish diplomatic relations with the nations there.
Since the kings of the three great powers are involved, it would be strange for Weed to be kept in the dark, so we’ve made sure they are informed and ready to act at a moment's notice.
"There were dangers involved, too. We even got caught up in something like a war."
"Whoa. And you all made it back safely? Usually, that’s a 'war has broken out' level of incident, isn't it?"
"We handled that by keeping it within the inner circle of the upper management. We kept things quiet so we could settle it behind closed doors."
"Behind closed doors, huh. You made sure to get what was owed, right?"
"Of course. We collected compensation for all the trouble they caused my brother and us."
"Ahahaha, as expected of you, Senior."
Well, that is already in the past.
The current problem is that my brother, our daughter, and our companions have been kidnapped to yet another continent.
This situation is still known only to a very small handful of Weed’s top brass and those close to my brother.
Because...
"But, Senior, please don't do anything reckless, okay? I’m not as mature as you are. If you were to come back as a corpse, I don't think I could ever forgive that country."
"……Non."
"No, this is likely the consensus of all of Weed. Teffa, Poni—they would definitely say the same. To us, you seniors are the precious, important people who built this comfortable country of Weed. I’m not mature enough to stand by and watch you be treated so poorly."
That is exactly why I’m worried that the citizens might go on a rampage.
If word got out that they were kidnapped, it’s obvious that the entire nation would fall into chaos to save my brother, who is even more popular than I am.
If that happens, the bloodshed would be unstoppable.
"So, leave the trade and commercial matters to me, and please go home and rest. You should conserve your strength for the important connection to the New Continent. Things will run just fine without you for a while."
"……Understood. If you insist, Non, I will leave the arrangements for the supplies to be sent to the New Continent to you."
"Eh!?"
"The documents have already been circulated to the Chamber of Commerce, so it is their job. I was going to process them myself, but if you are that motivated, there is no need for me to do so. This is a good opportunity for you to see what kind of goods are needed in the New Continent."
"……Ngh. Fine. Leave it to me!! Since I’ve said it, I’ll get it done!!"
Oh? I thought she might come crying to me, but she held it together.
"So, please, really, get some rest. You look terrible—I’ve never seen you look like this before."
"Eh?"
When she said that, I looked at the mirror in the room and saw a rabbit-kin with a terrifying scowl etched into her brow.
It was me, but I didn't look like the adorable rabbit who usually stands by my brother’s side; I looked like a "Head-Hunting Bunny."
"Haa, I didn't realize I looked that bad. As you said, I’ll call it a day."
"Yes. Please, get some good rest, Senior. Tomorrow is a day off, and it’s a long weekend, a long weekend!! You should go on a date with Yuki-san and recharge your energy."
...That brother of mine isn't here.
I couldn't exactly say that, and if Non kept talking about him, I felt like I might snap, so I hurried out of the office.
"……I can't get any work done. Haa, would my brother be disappointed if he knew I was like this?"
No, knowing my brother, I’m sure he would be kind to me.
But even though we were told that such a situation could occur, I realize now that we were more dependent on him than I thought.
I thought I would be able to respond calmly if the time came, but that was impossible.
It reminds me of my first time commanding during the skirmish with Litea.
I thought things would work out, but in the end, I was just being pushed around.
Haa, they say everything is an experience.
Well, there won't be a second time regarding my brother.
Narjia-san, Zargis, Comet, and Taizo-san—our current top-tier brains—are already working on countermeasures.
In truth, a method to deal with this had been established from the start, but they had intentionally chosen not to use it.
The reason is that if you equip an individual with a system that inhibits teleportation magic, you become unable to summon them.
This can be deactivated at will, but conversely, unless the person themselves deactivates the inhibition system, we cannot provide rescue from our side.
If they were to fall unconscious or suffer a severe injury and become unable to deactivate it themselves, we would be unable to whisk them away remotely.
Because of that, my brother apparently decided not to create the teleportation inhibition system.
Since the Gate is also a form of teleportation ritual, there was also the issue of having to deal with it every single time.
It is a vexing problem, but since Narjia-san and the others are developing a new solution, it should be fine.
"Oh, and before I knew it, I’m at the General Government Building."
While lost in thought, I had walked all the way to Weed’s General Government Building.
This isn't my main workplace, but it is my second.
I often help out with administrative affairs, after all.
Seraria and Eris, who are working hard here, must be having a rough time.
My brother and Labyris are gone, and Deryu, our accounting apprentice, is busy looking after the children.
"I didn't mean to head here subconsciously, but I might as well check on them while I'm at it."
If they are in as bad a state as I am, I need to drag Seraria and Eris out of here.
I doubt my brother would want our personal feelings to bring the nation's work to a standstill.
The moment I arrived at the accounting office...
*"Enough already! That’s the third one! Don't go snapping your pens and staining the documents!! Eris-san, you’re in the way right now!! Get out!! Come back once you’ve fixed that face of yours!! Don't show your face in the accounting office until then!!"*
I heard a shout, and Eris was tossed out through the door.
Eris stood there, her eyes wide with shock at the sudden turn of events.
"I’ve never seen Eris get scolded by Teffa before."
"Ah, yeah. It was my first time, too. Wait, Ratz? Isn't it still work hours?"
"I did something similar, though not as intense as Eris, and I was told to take the day off."
"I see. Same as me, then?"
She said that, showing me the snapped pen clutched in her hand.
"No. At least I didn't stain the documents or break three of them. I only managed to break one."