第５３９堀：まだまだ続くよこの仕事は (Part1)
**Chapter 539: This Work Just Keeps On Going**
**Side: Yuki**
During the relaxing time after dinner, I heard from Seraria about the audience held today with the Haiden delegation led by Princess Carrie and her group.
Normally, such reports would come through morning meetings or official documents, but we simply didn’t have the time, so we were discussing it here in the comfort of our family circle.
“...And that is how it went.”
““We are terribly sorry.””
The ones bowing their heads after that explanation were Eris and Kirue.
Apparently, because these two were absolutely furious, they ended up drawing their swords and resorting to physical intimidation.
It’s rare, to say the least. I never expected those two—who usually vie for the top spot as the most level-headed members of our household—to take such actions. I had figured someone else might do it. You know, like the battle-crazed queen sitting right in front of me.
“What was that?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
That said, if your family is kidnapped, it’s a natural reaction to be angry. Since it didn’t lead to a broken engagement or anyone losing their head, there’s no real reason to scold them.
“Well, no actual harm was done, and Princess Carrie and her group clearly understood that we are beyond furious regarding the summoning, so it should be fine.”
“Even so, that Princess has no diplomatic leverage against us, does she? She was desperately making empty promises, and she even brought up the possibility of the Duchy of Kamishiro falling into our hands as a worst-case scenario.”
“In that case, our job would just be to defend the Duchy of Kamishiro from Haiden, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, out of pity for her desperation, I didn’t press her on that.”
“If you say that, then the initial situation with Seraria and Elju was much the same, wasn’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“So, you trusted her on that point? Didn’t we have this same conversation before?”
“I feel like we did. Or rather, in the first place, there’s no point in us expanding our territory any further, is there?”
“Exactly. Baide is one thing, but we don’t need the Duchy of Kamishiro.”
We don’t have the manpower to manage it, and the backlash caused by a change in ruler is a massive headache. At a civilization level comparable to medieval Europe, ceding territory is one of the highest forms of apology, but that doesn’t make it a good thing for us. If our workload increases any more, I’ll die.
“That’s true. Well, we did succeed in making them misunderstand that point, at least.”
“True. Unlike the ‘Highball Strategy,’ we didn’t demand it, but they raised the stakes on their own.”
“Yes. Now, if Haiden tries to push back against the Princess’s proposal, we can demand support for connecting with other countries in exchange. Even if they don’t push back, we can just say we can’t manage the ceded territory and ask for connections to other nations.”
“And through those connections from Haiden, we can investigate the lands of countries friendly to them.”
“Luckily, we’ve already established a connection with the Findar Empire, which is anti-Haiden, so we can investigate most of it. Actually, that Princess understood that while she was talking, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. I’ve told her repeatedly that I don’t want any territory. This was likely a ‘Highball Strategy’ not for us, but to suppress the backlash from her own people.”
“Stubborn people wouldn’t accept ceding territory to another country. So, by bringing it up first, she can push through what she really wants, right?”
“Well, they’re probably terrified because they can’t predict what that ‘real desire’ is. Regardless, we have to clear the immediate issues first. Also, as for uncertain factors, the remnants of the Lila Kingdom using monsters and the remnants of the mid-level gods that Luna mentioned—those are concerning.”
“I heard about that. Rather than surprised, it’s more like… as expected, it’s troublesome. Tell me, do you think the remnants of the Lila Kingdom and the remnants of the mid-level gods are connected?”
“I don’t have enough information to judge right now. But if I had to guess, I’d say they’re definitely connected. It’s better to abandon any naive thoughts when dealing with this type of opponent.”
“You’re right.”
The other wives were listening with bitter smiles. As you can see, anything brought up by Luna is universally recognized as a major headache.
“By the way, Yuki-san. How were the preparations for Baide while we were dealing with Princess Carrie and her group?”
Eris asked about my work for the day as if she had just remembered.
Yes, I left Princess Carrie to Seraria and the others because I was busy.
Primarily, I was welcoming the envoys from the Findar Empire.
Furthermore, because George suggested that the Haiden members, including Princess Carrie, should also be involved, I had to reinforce everything. From last night until tonight, I was busy with Catherine, Shera, and Labyris, scrambling to adjust to the changes. On top of that, I had to guide the Findar Empire members to Weed, so the preparations in Weed were in total chaos.
Between basic diplomacy and the intercontinental exchange, the dedicated inns for welcoming envoys and state guests in Weed are now packed to the brim. Securing those inns and finding meeting spaces for different countries has kept me running back and forth.
This is the busiest I’ve ever been.
After all, we’re the only ones who can handle this. Most of Weed’s resources are being used for the diplomacy of the Rogali Continent and the coordination of the intercontinental exchange.
Ratz mentioned that if this kidnapping incident—the summoning—spreads even within Weed, it could lead to an all-out war. If Weed cries “war,” the alliance we’ve formed will all join in. After all, Weed is the lifeline of the alliance in many ways, and they’d want to curry favor with us. Even fools would join the fight.
If that happens, the intercontinental exchange could come to a halt. And if word of our kidnapping reaches the If Continent, even more countries will want to join the fray. Jessica represents the Zilba Empire, Cleena represents August, and Samantha represents Roday—they are all my wives. There’s no way they wouldn’t join.
Well, if that happens, the situation will become incredibly difficult to resolve. That’s why we have to work desperately with our small numbers until things settle down to some extent.
Moreover, in the New Continent, monsters are recognized as dangerous, so we can’t even use our monster troops. You might say, “Just bring human soldiers then,” but unlike the monster troops, they aren’t bound by designated protection, and I can’t grant them skills, so I’d have to teach them the language from scratch—which just makes us even busier.
So, we have no choice but to manage with our family and the local forces.
Heh heh… we’re cursed.
“Um, Yuki-san?”
“Ah, sorry. Eris mentioned it, and I started thinking about the future and felt at a loss.”
“There is a lot to do, after all. We just have to finish things one by one. And, sorry to ask twice, but are the preparations for Baide finished?”
“Yeah, they’re done. They should arrive tomorrow or the day after, so we’re safe. As for the Weed tours and meeting preparations, you and Ratz helped, so you know how that’s going.”
“I do. However, it’s tough when so many things overlap, isn’t it? Oh, by the way, there’s talk that the intercontinental exchange might be held in Weed soon, too.”
“Seriously?”
Is it really coming to that? I looked at Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha.
“Yes. The Magic Sword Users—in my case, it’s Marly-sama—now know exactly where you stand, Yuki. I told them you are royalty in Weed. Noble-dono from the Ex Kingdom has already conveyed the information regarding Gate technology, so the countries on the If Continent must want a connection with Weed at any cost. Marly-sama has personally requested that the Emperor be allowed to see Weed. If this is how it is for me, a mere aide to a Magic Sword User, then for Cleena and Samantha…”
Jessica looked at Cleena and Samantha as she said this.
“That damn old man… no, Master Feigel, sent me a letter asking if he could negotiate with you using me as leverage. The delegation is also relying on me. I won’t forgive him for breaking his promises again.”
Cleena said this, her anger simmering quietly.
Ah, that’s right. When we visited August, because of Hifey, they used the fact that Cleena belonged to August to force us to use Amanda as a combat asset, didn’t they?
If I recall, they said if I helped with the work, they’d recognize my marriage to her and promise not to involve us in these kinds of political issues in the future?