第６６８堀：その後と今からの話 (Part2)
"Good work. It seems you managed to bring them here properly."
"Yeah. It was a hassle."
"Where is His Majesty Blade?"
When I asked that, everyone looked at each other and gave a wry smile. As I wondered why, Cleena enlightened me.
"...He was at Kiyu's ramen shop. Eating ramen. He ordered a full course: ramen, an extra serving of noodles, fried rice, and gyoza."
Hearing that, I felt my strength leave me. To think he really came just for the food... Well, Kiyu-sama—or rather, Yuki-sama's ramen shop—is delicious, so that much is understandable. But for a king of a nation to be at a street stall...
As I was pondering this, Yuki-sama turned a question to me.
"By the way, what about Horst?"
"Ah, Horst-dono is currently preparing hospitality. It is already past noon, and since a meeting is to follow, he insisted that we could not possibly welcome you without a dinner."
"I see. Sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. The ones who caused the trouble were originally..."
As I said that, I looked toward where...
"Guh!"
"You brute..."
"Hahaha!! You claim to be busy with internal affairs, but because you don't train your bodies, you both lost to me! Train more! It won't do to be unable to move when the time comes!"
King Blade of Roday stood there, smiling brightly after having knocked the other two down.
...What should we do about this disaster? The Roday soldiers who came as guards remained frozen, unsure how to react to their superiors' antics.
"For now, leave it at that. You've eaten and calmed down, haven't you?"
"Hm? Well, I suppose so. Alright, you two, thank Yuki. I'll be retraining you at a later date."
"...Indeed. This place is unsuitable for setting you ablaze."
"...Yes. Quite right. Shall we rent out the training grounds for that?"
"Fuhahaha!! I don't feel like I'll lose to you two, even if you're lazy! That just sounds like sour grapes!"
"..."
...Hmm. I don't know what to make of these three. I'm starting to lose track of what to think about my father and his friends—the people who are supposed to be heroes.
"Blade, stop provoking them and take your seat. Don't delay our meeting any further."
"Oh, right. Come on, you two, don't just lie there, get to your seats."
"It can't be helped."
"Indeed. We cannot show any more unsightly behavior to Weed."
I feel like Roday's reputation has already hit rock bottom, but let's leave that aside. Now, I must convey what needs to be conveyed to Roday.
That is Yuki-sama for you. He immediately cut through the farce and began to speak fluently about the purpose of this visit.
"...And so, that is the request from Zilba and Enaria."
"I know about Zilba; is it true that those mass-produced magic swords are the cause? Well, I understand the situation. I will issue a formal letter. As for Enaria, since they are our neighbors, I have already received word from the Church of Sia."
"From the Church of Sia?"
"Yes. They say a king who uses fake holy sword users is not worthy of trust."
"And? Are they asking for help with a rebellion?"
"In a sense, yes. They want support from the factions within the Church of Sia. They promised deeper exchange and friendship if their faction takes the throne."
...The movements of the Church of Sia in Enaria are more problematic than I thought. To think they are already bringing such matters to the kings of other nations.
"Did that come from the Archbishop?"
"No, a local bishop. Well, for me, if things get chaotic due to a civil war, it's nothing but a headache. If I get involved, there's a high chance of being dragged into the conflict, which would create a rift in the coalition. So I refused. Besides, it's not just the Church of Sia; there are also envoys from the Holy Kingdom of Hifi. It wouldn't be much of a blow if the Church of Sia turned their backs on us. Especially since the Gate was built."
"Ah, is that because of that place?"
"Exactly."
Hm? What are Yuki-sama and His Majesty Blade nodding about?
"In other words, those idiots at the Church of Sia want to secure a source of income before their competitor, the Holy Kingdom of Hifi, moves in?"
"That's it. They probably think they should have signed a contract properly. They don't want their customers stolen by the Holy Kingdom of Hifi."
Ah, I see. They are both nations that sell "healing," and while it wasn't a problem before because they were on opposite sides and rarely crossed paths, it has now become an issue.
"So, even if they show off that they can use holy swords, they won't just settle down."
"Indeed. If the King of Enaria thinks that will solve everything, it's proof he doesn't understand the situation. It's worrying, isn't it? Didn't he tell you, Yuki?"
"No, nothing like that... Hmm. Religion-related matters. What a pain."
"Yeah, it's a pain. If this were heard in Roday, it would be even more troublesome. People would say I'm playing favorites."
"...So that's why you came here."
"Who knows what you're talking about? I just came because I was looking forward to the food."
...I see. His Majesty Blade came here with that in mind. But now, it's the Church of Sia and the Holy Kingdom of Hifi... What could possibly be the solution to this?