第５６５堀：大陸間交流動き出す (Part1)
### Chapter 565: Intercontinental Exchange Begins
**Side: Yuki**
"I see. So, Milly told her family?"
"Yes. Milly-sama's younger sister, Sherry-sama, was a bit distraught, but she seems to have been persuaded by her family. There were no other particular issues."
Ah, well, Sherry is still young. She’s in the upper grades of school, but she’s still just a child who’s studying. Well, she’ll grow up eventually. The future of Weed is for the children of the future to handle. Honestly, I don’t have the energy to worry about things that far ahead.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. The two representatives from the Adventurer Guild who heard about the New Continent had their faces twitching."
"I bet. That’s synonymous with their workload ballooning again. If it were me, I would’ve pretended I didn't hear a thing."
In this hellishly busy schedule, why would anyone be sad enough to add more work to their plate?
"Continue to look after Milly’s escort."
"Understood. Leave it to me, Master."
With that, the communication from Kirika ended. She’s certainly enthusiastic. As a Dullahan Assassin, Kirika is part of the undead roster, so she seemed frustrated about not being able to go to the New Continent. It can't be helped; even if I wanted to give her other missions, she’s part of my direct intelligence unit, so I had ordered her to stay in Weed to be ready to move to the New Continent at any time. She’s been on standby in Weed for the last month.
Plus, she’s been stuck in a state of "being left behind" under the guise of guarding Aslin. Well, Aslin’s Ten Demon Beasts are biological in origin, so they can function even without magic stones, which is why they were able to tag along. That’s probably another reason for her frustration—she’s the only one being left behind. She was the first to volunteer for Milly’s medical escort, so at least her mood has improved.
With that settled, it’s time to focus on the intercontinental exchange.
"So, the first order of business is for every country to have a face-to-face meeting with me, right?"
Today, we aren't in the usual office; we’re holding the meeting in the administrative building’s conference room. It’s a meeting where the main players are the Weed diplomats, along with all the other executives.
"Yes, that is correct. From the Rogali Continent, the kings of three of the four major powers—Roschur, Gartz, and Lithea—have requested a seat at the table to discuss future matters. From the If Continent, all six major powers have requested an audience: Zilba, Enaria, Ex, August, Roday, and White Forest. And while not a country, the Lancer Magic Academy has also requested a meeting."
Eris answered my questions fluently. This time, she’s standing by my side as my secretary, not in her role as accounting and financial manager. Tifania is handling the accounting for now.
"There are also requests from smaller nations, but we should prioritize the nine major powers first, then move on to the smaller ones."
"What about Taiki’s Ranks?"
"Taiki-sama cooperated with our exploration and investigation, so he has his own unique channels established from that time. He said that if he were to join these meetings, it might invite unnecessary jealousy from other countries, so he has declined. He said it would be fine to meet with the smaller nations at a later date."
Damn it. That guy is definitely just making excuses so he can grind through his new games. Whatever. I’ll use him as the vanguard for gathering intel on bosses I haven't seen yet. I’ll take that advance information and proceed with the攻略 (conquest) smoothly.
Well, that’s fine. Back to the intercontinental exchange.
"All of these are meetings with *me*, right? Not with Seraria?"
I asked Eris with a glimmer of hope, but she gave me a terrifyingly sweet smile...
"All of them are requests for meetings and discussions with you, Yuki-san. Especially on the If Continent, you have more influence than Seraria-sama. That’s also why the kings of the Rogali Continent wish to speak with you."
It’s me, after all. I was hoping it might be someone else, but I guess that wasn't meant to be. Eris was radiating enough pressure to tell me to just give up.
"Fine, I get the picture. So, in what order does Weed want them to tour? Or are we bringing them here? What about the budget?"
"Yes. Regarding the location, the meetings with the Rogali Continent kings will be held here in Weed. The meetings with the If Continent kings are scheduled for Betan. As for the order, we intend to hold the meetings with everyone together so as not to show favoritism."
"Well, that’s probably for the best."
Going on a tedious tour of countries is a waste of time, and depending on the order, some might get offended. Everyone’s face is important, after all. What a pain. I’d love to tell them to just figure it out without Weed, but that’s obviously impossible. I’m the common link for the If Continent, and it’s only by going through me that things can stay peaceful.
"Regarding the budget... I’ll leave that to the accounting representative, Tifania-dono."
"Yes. The budget available for this intercontinental exchange and the preliminary meetings is..."
From there, she began explaining the budget for the Rogali-Weed meeting and the If-Betan meeting while looking at the documents. It was so detailed it was almost absurd—not just labor costs, but even the cost of writing utensils. They don’t seem to gloss over things with "miscellaneous expenses" like they do in Japan. I wondered where they’d get the funds if they ran short, but apparently, there’s a reserve fund for that. However, since the budget is set with plenty of leeway, they’d need to file a very detailed application if they ever needed more. Well, it is tax money, so it can't be helped.
After the budget explanation, we moved to the Q&A session, but there were no particular issues. Actually, Tifania looked like she was ready to snap if anyone complained, so it wasn't that there were no questions—it was that everyone was satisfied with the results.
"Next, regarding the orders to the Commercial District from this budget..."
From here, Non, Ratz’s junior, began the explanation. She used documents as well, and there didn't seem to be any problems. However, I couldn't help but think the Rogali kings were underestimating Weed. As I looked at the documents, Poni, the Chief of Police who is handling security for this preliminary meeting, raised a question.
"Regarding the budget for the food we’re serving, the If Continent side is fine, but why is the Rogali Continent budget significantly lower? This only covers enough for about 10 to 20 people, doesn't it?"
Indeed, just as Poni said, the material costs for the food served to the kings and high-ranking officials of the Rogali Continent were less than a tenth of those for the If Continent. Since the kings themselves are traveling, it’s only natural they’d have a proper entourage. Even with only three countries participating, 20 people is far too few. It’s only natural for Poni to think that way.
"Ah, Poni. The kings of the Rogali Continent have already visited Weed many times, and I’ve heard they often come incognito, right?"
"Ah, I’ve heard that, yes. Does that have something to do with it?"
"This meeting is to talk with Yuki-san. They don’t want to waste money. They probably figure that if something happens in Weed, there’s nothing they could do about it anyway."
"...I see. They trust us that much."
Poni gave a wry smile, finally understanding Non’s point. That’s right—it’s Weed, they’re practically family, and since it’s not the main summit, they don’t need a crowd. Or rather, they probably thought, *'I can't relax after the meeting, so let's go with the bare minimum staff!'*
Seraria, Shera, and Rurua, who likely reached the same conclusion as me, were holding their heads in their hands.
"That damn old man..."
"...Father."
"Alstaire-sama, there is such a thing as dignity in all matters..."
And Poni, who will likely be in charge of security, now has to decide how to deploy guards for the kings of each country. Since there are almost zero guards, you could say the peace of the Rogali Continent rests on Poni’s shoulders. It’s enough to make you just want to smile bitterly.
"Well, regarding the Rogali Continent, we have the know-how from previous visits, and the other side already knows how Weed operates, so it shouldn't be much of a problem."
For now, I’ll put the Rogali meeting talk on hold. Even if we discuss it now, there’s nothing we can do about kings who just pop in and out through gates. I’ll just send a letter to Roschur, Gartz, and Lithea later telling them to at least bring a guard or two for appearances' sake. The real problem is...
"If the If Continent could move as freely as this, the meetings would be much easier."
"That is impossible. On the surface, the only gate in Betan connects to Weed. The installation of gates to each country is being led by King Noble of the Ex Kingdom, but it’s only been a few months; they’ve only just managed to install gates between the royal capitals."
"Oh, that sounds easier to travel than I thought."
"Yes, it is easier than expected. That’s thanks to King Noble working hard to set them up."
Noble is serious, after all. I consider him the most reliable among the gods. As a king, his subordinates are all top-tier, too. If we hadn't intervened, I think he might have conquered the If Continent. Well, they would have been locked in a quagmire war with the Holy Nation led by Hifie, so it’s hard to say who would have won.