第５４０堀：久々の晩酌 (Part2)
"They were saying that, for us, being Yuki’s 'meat slaves' is actually an ideal profession, weren't they?"
"That’s right. We leave the work to our husband and just attend to him. It’s heaven. Rurua, for instance, has recently started saying things like, 'Wait, wasn't I promised to be a meat slave from the start?'"
"Come to think of it, was that the reason Rurua came to Weed in the first place?"
"That was back when I was out with Elju... or rather, back when I had returned to Roschur. It was right around the time we were welcoming the slaves—the Eris group—into the fold. I believe Eris and the others were the ones who decided on Rurua’s treatment. My husband would never just tell Rurua to become a meat slave out of the blue."
"I suppose so. But... *cackle*, so Eris and the others were already doing the kind of work they do now back then? Honestly, Yuki is a harsh taskmaster. I still remember being put to work calculating budgets the moment I was captured."
"He compensates us well enough, though. Still, to be honest, I never expected the work to become this demanding."
"Well, before you knew it, you became an Apostle of God."
"Exactly. At first, it was just a matter of asking for Weed to be recognized so we could live safely. Less than half a year after I married into this family, I looked around and realized it had become a small but respectable independent nation. And for some reason, I’m the Queen."
"To Yuki, it makes for a fine smokescreen, after all."
"I came here intending to keep an eye on my husband, but before I knew it, I’m the one being put to good use."
Despite the complaints, Seraria’s face was wreathed in a smile.
"You say that, yet you’re smiling."
"Oh, I suppose I am. But it’s never dull when I’m with my husband. Perhaps you could call it a sense of fulfillment?"
"Fulfillment, is it? That might be true. Working hard, playing hard, and loving each other—it’s a happy life."
"Yes. Very happy. This recent incident made me realize that all over again. To maintain this, we have to settle the matter of the New Continent."
"Well, the rest depends on how the meetings in Faide and Weed turn out."
"First, the meeting between Weed and Findal. That shouldn't be much of a problem. We’ve had them under our thumb from the start, and no matter how you look at it, General Georgin is an honorable man. With him there, things won't take a turn for the worse. Honestly, I’d like to have him in Weed."
"That gentleman is quite impressive. He’s at an age where he could be retired, yet he serves so diligently. Weed is still young in its history, so we could certainly use a veteran warrior like him."
"Even so, a man who has served his motherland so loyally, holds such titles, and has the deep trust of the royal family would never defect, would he?"
"Indeed."
This is the painful part about Weed; when it comes to personnel, we have no choice but to discover new talent or raise it ourselves. If we were to conquer other nations, we could absorb their talent, but Weed’s policy is strictly one of friendship.
Besides, we would die from the sheer workload of governance if we only relied on our current members.
"If we tried to poach talent clumsily, other countries would lose trust in Weed, and we don't have any territory to spare to share with them anyway."
"On the surface, we’re just a country with a small town, a granary zone, and a dungeon."
"In reality, in terms of military strength, we have my husband’s Earth-based weaponry, plus the magical power of Zargis and Narjia, and the 'Magic-Machine' weapons that fuse sorcery with technology. We could probably defeat the entire coalition if it came to it."
"The aftermath would be far too much of a headache, which is why I am strictly against war."
"Me too. Oh, that reminds me. This is just casual talk, so feel free to brush it off if you like."
"What is it?"
As I asked, Seraria downed her drink in one go and looked at me with a serious expression.
"Phew. Considering this recent incident, and taking into account that we might not be able to use the Gate in the future, I want to establish an Air Force and military airfields, using Earth’s aviation power as our backbone so we can launch rescue operations immediately. Furthermore, I want to launch artificial satellites into orbit to grasp the geography—I want to create a Weed Space Development Department. What do you think?"
She had brought up quite the ambitious proposal. However, her reasoning was sound. This time, we were lucky that we could make contact and use the Gate. I don't expect a next time, but if we were ever sent to a region where magic is sealed off, we would literally be missing in action. That must be avoided at all costs. With satellites, we could even build a communication system. Well, I know the concept, but I haven't the faintest idea how the actual system works.
"I understand the logic, but we know nothing about air forces or space development, do we? What will we do about that? And besides, aren't we already stretched thin with the New Continent and intercontinental exchange?"
"We can just reassign the magic research team to aviation and space development. Our top priority right now is to ensure that we never lose one of our own."
"I see. If that’s the case, I don’t see any particular problem with Zargis and the others handling it."
"Good. Then let’s discuss it at tomorrow’s meeting. I can’t say anything for sure about the budget until I’ve run the estimates, though."
And so, in the dead of night at Aulorito, the talk of space exploration was born.
The Weed staff, finally finding a moment of calm, continues to move forward. Seraria and Deryu remain the pillars of Weed. And now, Seraria shows a burning ambition for aviation and space development.
Stay tuned to see how things develop from here.