第５７５堀：３度あることは４度ある？ (Part2)
"No, not really. If the opposition wants to protest, they should do so through proper, legitimate channels. It’s their fault for skulking around in the shadows. Well, if they can't propose something that outweighs the national benefits brought by intercontinental exchange, they’ll just be branded as fools who can’t read the room."
"Doesn't that mean siding with the opposition is a guaranteed loss?"
"Exactly. Which is why the number of opposition members and war hawks will only continue to dwindle."
"...Further attrition of their fighting force. It’s like being strangled with silk thread," Seraria mutters with a bitter smile.
Well, Seraria is sharp enough to figure that out, and every nation plays these kinds of games. All it takes is a trigger. They just lacked one until now. I simply provided the spark.
"But what if there is a backlash? In that meeting earlier, if things had gone poorly, it wouldn't have been strange for one of the Six Great Powers to pull out, you know?"
"We have Ex, who controls the gates, and White Forest, who are practically family. Two of the great powers are already on our side. If the remaining four tried to attack, we could just blow them away with a righteous cause, topple their current regimes, and prop up a faction that wants to get along with Weed. Besides, Zilba and Enaria have seen our true strength with their own eyes; I don't think they’d dare to antagonize us."
"...In other words, even if they became enemies, it would only be August and Roday, and we could just stop the logistics by closing the gates, leaving them to be attacked from all sides by the other nations. Actually, since they understand the utility of the gates, once Ex sides with Weed, the possibility of them turning hostile is virtually zero."
"That’s the gist of it. In a sense, it was a rigged game from the start. August moved because they couldn't gauge our strength until now, but after this, they know exactly how much influence we have. I’m actually dissatisfied that the talk ended so peacefully."
"There seem to be plenty of people within August who are dissatisfied with you, after all. It’s a shame you lost the chance to crush them. People who pretend to be allies are far more troublesome than those who openly act as enemies."
As Seraria says, I’m frustrated that the King of August settled things so mildly. The other nations were busy playing damage control, too. Well, I suppose if a war started now, it’s obvious that intercontinental exchange would be delayed. It’s likely the correct judgment, but I’m still not happy about it.
"Regardless, after the finer details are ironed out, we’ll have a meet-and-greet with the members from the Rogali Continent. But they’ll probably need to sort out their domestic affairs first, so that’ll be a while."
"They’ll need about half a year, right? Two or three months at the earliest. Do you intend to push forward with the New Continent in the meantime?"
"Yeah. The intercontinental exchange is already well-structured on Weed’s end, so I’ll leave the rest to everyone in Weed to handle."
"It’s a good opportunity for us, too. I wonder how much the people of Weed have grown?"
"It’ll work out. If they fail, we’ll just provide proper support. If they succeed, we’ll praise them. That’s the job of a Queen, after all."
"So, both failure and success become their flesh and blood. You're right. There is no experience better than actual combat."
"Exactly. There is no experience better than actual combat. That’s why I’m going to do my best at raising my children."
With that, I approach Yuri, who is being doted on by Firia.
"There, there."
"Waaah... huh?"
"Ah, Brother."
"Are you alright, Firia?"
"I am fine. Look, it’s your father."
I take Yuri from Firia. Her ears twitch as she looks up at me. Yes. Adorable.
"...You wanted your father, didn't you? Firia is a little disappointed."
"Then, Firia, I shall hold you instead."
"Whoa! Sister Seraria."
I hold Yuri, and Seraria holds Firia.
"...Darling. You didn't say that just so you could laze around with your daughters, did you?"
"Who knows? Oh, there, there."
"Giggle, giggle."
With this, they’ll be busy cleaning up their own internal affairs for a while! They can fight as fiercely as they want for a moment of family peace with my daughters!
"Seraria, leave it at that. Yuki failed again this time."
"Big Brother. You were holding your bladder and rushed to the bathroom right at your limit, weren't you?"
"And because of that, you were in the bathroom for a long time... *Sigh*, you should have just gone earlier; holding it causes things like cystitis."
...Yes. I failed again. This time, it was the result of holding my bladder. I held it until the very limit. No, I could have held it for a few more seconds, but my wives told me, "You're being annoying, just go to the bathroom already. If you have an accident, we won't let you see the kids," and I rushed off right at that moment.
...What’s wrong with a useless father who couldn't be there for the birth trying to make time for his children?!
And so, the three daughters have been born safely. Yuki’s little mishap was just par for the course. Now, we’ll take a brief detour through a pitfall. After that, it’s back to the New Continent!!