第５４２堀：会談始まる (Part2)
"Do you have any concerns regarding Haiden?"
"No, none at all. If anything, they are pale with anxiety, fearing that the fault for this incident may lie with them."
"Because they let the bandits slip into another country?"
"Precisely. The scale of the incident is different, and with the emergence of things like monsters—events that should be impossible outside of the Lira Kingdom—it would be difficult for them to offer excuses if they are held responsible for failing to contain the remnants of the Findar Empire."
"And the matter of the secret talks with Princess Carrie?"
"That is still pending. I felt that if I brought it up now, the discussions with Weed might end up being neglected."
"So, the priority is to solidify the relationship between Weed and the Empire first, then?"
"Yes. I would appreciate it if we could proceed in that order."
As we were discussing this, a soldier stationed outside the conference room reported that the envoys from the Findar Empire had arrived, and they were ushered inside.
Well, as George said, we cannot move forward until we conclude the talks between Weed and the Empire.
"Please, have a seat."
I gestured for the Prince and the envoys to take their places.
"First, I would like to thank the Findar Empire for believing in such an outlandish story and attending this conference."
"Not at all. It is an honor for us to establish a relationship with a nation possessing such magnificent technology and sorcery as yours."
It seemed Prince George was the one responding to my greeting. He was the most prominent figure among the envoys and, effectively, the one in charge of this mission. George had been left behind to guard Baide, after all.
Following that, everyone proceeded with brief self-introductions. Midway through—or rather, right from the start—Princess Stasia, who followed Prince George, stood up without removing her helmet.
"I apologize for appearing in this state, but I am the First Princess, Stasia Findar."
At her words, the Findar envoys and guards visibly frowned, clearly about to speak up, but I cut them off first.
"There is no need to apologize. I have heard the reasons why Princess Stasia keeps that helmet on at all times, so I am not bothered by it in the least. I hold your resolve in high regard; I have no intention of criticizing you. It might be rude to say this, considering you are a woman, but it is not a feat easily accomplished by many."
"…Your consideration, Yuki-sama. I am grateful."
"I hope that one day, when peace arrives, the day will come when you can remove that helmet."
"…Yes."
When I said that, Princess Stasia visibly relaxed. Usually, people would demand she take it off.
However, the Emperor of Findar, who knew about this issue and sent her as a proxy, is quite the operator. He was testing our character. He wanted to see if we would react with anger or understanding to determine his future approach.
The problem is obvious; if we, the people of Weed, had voiced complaints, it would have provided the perfect excuse to drag Princess Stasia down from her position—killing two birds with one stone. Though, perhaps there was also the thought that this might be a way to force her to remove the helmet, utilizing her not as a general, but as a princess.
After interjecting during Princess Stasia’s greeting, the rest of the introductions went smoothly, and we moved to the main agenda.
"Now that the introductions are over, I would like to explain the purpose of this conference. Vilia."
"Yes."
As I called out to Vilia, Dressa and Hiiro moved a large whiteboard from the corner of the room.
Wait, Hiiro looks so small moving it—does it look like I'm abusing her? I’m starting to feel very uneasy.
W-well, let's just get the explanation over with.
Usually, one would distribute documents, but in a region where parchment is the standard, explaining things every time is exhausting, and introducing printing technology would lead to a chain reaction of other requests. That is why I am using a whiteboard to write things down and explain.
Right now, even if they asked to export such technology, we are far too busy to handle it.
And so, Vilia began writing on the whiteboard as planned:
*Conference to establish diplomatic relations between Weed and the Findar Empire.*
Yes, this is a preliminary meeting to establish diplomatic ties. We are currently only in a state of truce; we have not yet reached a formal ceasefire. While neither side has the will to fight, it is merely a verbal promise because it hasn't been put into writing. In this world, formal procedures are essential.
"I assume you have heard of us, the people of Weed, but I will explain from the beginning, just in case..."
With that, I began to recount the circumstances of our arrival on this new continent.
Honestly, we’ve finally made it this far.
Well then, the conference has finally begun. In Yuki and the others' timeline, about half a month has passed. But in our time, it has been from New Year's until now, in June. It has been a long road. A road filled with quite a dense series of events, though.