第５６７堀：イフ会談前哨戦 (Part1)
Chapter 567: Prelude to the Ife Summit
Side: Popuri Lancer, President of Lancer Magic Academy
Well, it’s sudden, but I, Popuri, am currently in a bit of a bind.
What spreads out before me isn't silence, but an intentional hush.
No one is opening their mouths to one another.
Normally, I’d think, "If that’s the case, why not just leave?" but the people present here don't have that luxury.
The reason is simple: the kings of the six great nations of the Ife Continent are all gathered here.
It’s not just a matter of the atmosphere being unpleasant.
A battle of national pride has begun, and it started with this silence.
Naturally, I doubt they would choose war here, given the important summit looming ahead, but at this rate, nothing will progress.
What to do...
Actually, I have to consider why they are all gathered here in the Royal Capital of Enaria, including nations that don't get along.
To begin with, this gathering is for the upcoming summit with Weed.
It stems from the incidents about six months ago, where the six great nations were attacked by their own royal capitals using "Simplified Magic Swords."
The true cause was the answer reached by my mentor, Comet, the Goddess Hifi who leads the Hifi Holy Nation, and King Noble of the Ex Kingdom, after much deliberation.
The plan was to mass-produce magic swords, annex the nations, create a unified state to bring peace, and tackle the problem of magic power depletion.
There were such hidden circumstances, but all of it was thwarted by the actions of Yuki-dono and his group, who came from the Rogali Continent.
They were completely and utterly shut down.
Moreover, as befits "hidden circumstances," the incident was officially concluded by pinning the blame on a large-scale criminal organization that had unearthed the simplified magic swords.
And as a result of his defeat, Noble, the mastermind behind the incident, agreed with Yuki-dono’s philosophy and began focusing on building a distribution system using Gates to ensure no more wars break out on the Ife Continent.
He even went so far as to take the fall, claiming the criminal organization that caused the incident was based in Ex.
Well, he used that as a pretext to install Gates—which he claimed were confiscated from the criminal group—as reparations to each country, effectively wiping the slate clean. He’s quite the operator.
With the installation of these Gates, even the skirmishes between the six great nations are subsiding.
If anyone tries to start a war, the other five nations will immediately turn against them.
The distribution system via Gates isn't just for goods; it makes the movement of people easy, too.
In other words, reinforcements can arrive instantly. And not just from one country, but from five simultaneously.
For an aggressor, this is a nightmare. While supplies aren't infinite, they can be transported endlessly, and troops can be replenished. It’s obvious that the attacking nation would run out of steam first.
Because of this, King Noble of Ex specifically praised Yuki-dono—the very person who proposed the Gate distribution system and prevented the magic sword incidents—and declared he was from a foreign continent called Weed, leading to the current situation.
As a result, everyone is desperate to establish a connection with Yuki-dono, who hails from an unknown continent.
Normally, one would just select a diplomat to handle such matters, but this time, the kings themselves had to step out.
The reason the top leaders had to get involved was because of Yuki-dono’s standing on the Ife Continent.
By the time he arrived at my Lancer Magic Academy, he already held an inexplicable position as a blood relative of the royal families of both Zilba and Enaria, even if he lacked direct succession rights.
The reason for this was to save face; they claimed it was a "family member" who went on a rampage, rather than admitting that a mercenary group of fewer than ten people had seized their royal castles. It would have destroyed the authority of the leaders otherwise. In a sense, it was a reasonable move to maintain the current regime.
Even that is abnormal enough, but at my Lancer Magic Academy, he married two students: Cleena, the granddaughter of the former Chief Royal Magician of August, and Samantha, the second daughter of the Duke’s house of Roday. He received respectable status from both countries and maneuvered to prevent magic sword incidents in both. Oh, and for August, it was about avoiding war with the Hifi Holy Nation.
Then there were the remaining nations: the demi-human nation of White Forest and the Ex Kingdom, the mastermind of the incident.
As I mentioned, Ex was shut down by Yuki-dono’s group, and White Forest had been in a state of absolute obedience to my mentor, Comet, from the start, so they were allies from the beginning.
In short, every country was already indebted to Yuki-dono long before they knew he was from an unknown continent called Weed.
And now, it’s been revealed that he is not only from that unknown continent but is also the consort of the King of Weed.
I can practically see the heads of the nations holding their own heads in their hands.
Well, if they knew he had formed friendships with multiple gods and was under the direct command of the High God known as Luna-dono, they’d probably faint.
Because of this, they all tried to contact him first to secure future friendship and favors, and this is the result.
"If I talk to one country first, the others might think I’m prioritizing them. That could lead to future discord, so I will hold a joint summit. Please consult among yourselves and come to Betan together."
That was the message that arrived, leading to this gathering in the Enaria Royal Capital, which is closest to Betan.
Actually, there was a proposal to gather half on the Zilba side and half on the Enaria side, using that as a pretext to discuss future strategies before heading to Betan...
"PS: Just have all six countries gather in one place. You can travel directly, right? I don't want you guys colluding behind my back. Do it for each other's sake. Oh, and some of you are basically my kin, so it’s useless to try anything sneaky."
That threat from Yuki-dono killed that idea.
I don't know if that’s the reason, but in the Enaria conference room, the kings are gathered, perhaps suspicious of one another, not saying a single word.
The Enaria maids present to serve them are stiff with tension.
Poor things.
"...Hmm. It is pointless to remain silent forever. I am in your care today, King of Enaria. It is difficult to deal with our mutual kin, is it not?"
"Indeed, King of Zilba. Since you have all come to my Enaria, I must treat you all grandly. Is that acceptable to the other kings?"
The one who finally opened his mouth was the King of Zilba. Even though it’s an empire, he’s called a King for some reason. Well, "Empire" was a label given by other countries. Zilba is a newcomer compared to these six great nations.
I believe it was founded only about 200 years ago? It’s a young nation that doesn't even know the Demon King War, but it earned the title of Empire for its achievement in defeating the nations that remained after the war to build the current Zilba.
And responding to the King of Zilba is the King of Enaria, the host of this gathering.
To be precise, the Holy King. As you can tell from the name, this country was founded after the Demon King War by a hero who wielded the "Sia Enaria"—the convenient, overpowered sword commonly known as the Holy Sword.
The content of the conversation was about how it’s pointless to stay silent, and perhaps a bit of posturing about how they are all close to Yuki-dono, or maybe commiserating over the trouble of having him rampage through their lands.
"Oh. I don't mind, Enaria. I like the food in this country."
"Staying silent won't get us anywhere. Shall we start with a meal? I look forward to it, King of Enaria."
The ones giving such safe replies were the King of Roday and the King of August.
The King of Roday is, as always, a muscle-brained, intuition-based type.
The King of August, despite his age, shows no signs of decline and remains dignified.
"Come to think of it, does the King of White Forest have anything he cannot eat?"
"Thank you for your concern, King Noble. I have no particular likes or dislikes."