第６７０堀：再び一緒に…… (Part1)
**Chapter 670: Together Again...**
**Side: Kagura Kamishiro, Second Daughter of the Kamishiro Dukedom of the Haiden Kingdom, New Continent; Weed Diplomat**
"Haa..."
I let out a sigh.
The mountain of paperwork that never seems to end no matter how hard I work, and the reports that need to be summarized. To top it all off, we have meetings, and we are busier than ever.
"...Kagura. Don't sigh like that. It makes me feel tired, too. Mikos-chan will get angry, you know?"
"Ah, sorry."
I apologize to Mikos, who is busy organizing documents right next to me.
It’s not just me who’s having a hard time.
I thought I was just becoming a regular diplomat, but... the cultural differences are immense. I was being taught the Weed-style of diplomatic paperwork, but it didn't stop there. They declared the establishment of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs to unify the disparate diplomatic practices of every nation. Sota-sama, Enor-sama, and Hairen-sama were pulled away for it, and the Princess was left in tears...
"But, it can't be helped. The work just keeps piling up..."
That comes from Solo, who is equally buried under a mountain of paperwork.
As part of the assistance for establishing the Ministry, she is officially treated as an exchange student from the Academy. Well, Solo was originally going to be employed as a diplomatic assistant anyway, so it works out...
"...Why am I doing this?"
Enora, with her cute cat ears, has her face buried in the desk next to her calculator.
Enora was originally the representative of the Haire Church who came to inspect Weed, but due to Yuki’s proposal to establish the Ministry, she was sent straight to work for it, told to learn the ropes just like the rest of us.
She’s good at math, so she picked up Arabic numerals quickly, and I’ve entrusted her with the accounting using the calculator. But as you can see from the mountain of documents, there’s no way it’s ending anytime soon.
And this is just the preliminary calculation.
Above us are the superiors of the Ministry. We are merely subordinates; if anything is wrong, it all has to be redone.
"I know I’m one to talk, but complaining won't get it finished."
"...I know that. After all that chaos, I thought we’d be able to take it a bit easy, but then this. But, if they’re leaving the paperwork and calculations to us, where did Sota-sama and Enor-sama go? Hairen-sama is off doing goddess training, but..."
"Who knows? Maybe they’re out gathering materials for the Ministry’s establishment or something..."
"What do you mean, 'materials'? Isn't this a first-time endeavor?"
"Um, apparently it’s an organization that existed normally on the Earth where Sota-sama and Yuki came from? They say that on Earth, there were many countries, and after 'airplanes' were invented, the number of countries interacting increased all at once. That was when they established unified rules for diplomacy..."
"I see. So Sota-sama and the others are following the examples of their predecessors. That’s why they’re searching for materials. I wish there were materials that would make our lives easier. Like, wouldn't it be great if we could just copy the rules as they are?"
"Yeah. That would be nice."
For some reason, I couldn't honestly feel happy about what Enora said.
I should hate being busy, too... I wonder why?
Perhaps Enora noticed my reaction. She lifted her head and looked at me with a curious expression.
"You’re being a bit vague, aren't you? Do you like being busy that much? But didn't you just tell Mikos you were tired earlier?"
"She did, she did. Sighing like that will bring Mikos-chan down. You should give her a piece of your mind, Enora."
"Right? But now, it sounds like you enjoy being busy. What’s that about?"
"Who knows?"
We both tilted our heads, looking at each other.
By the way, Enora and Mikos seem to get along surprisingly well, and they often go out to play in Weed’s commercial district together.
Oh, of course, they drag Solo along. Solo is so used to being alone that she often holds back, so they’re helping her spend less time by herself.
It’s not that I’m against her having time alone, but there’s a lot of socializing involved in our work, and they at least go out for lunch or occasional shopping.
I’ve told Solo to report to me if these two are being annoying.
Well, she seems to be hanging out with Amanda and Eoid as well, so I don’t think she’s being forced into it against her will.
...Yeah. I fall into self-loathing, wondering if I’ve become too absorbed in my work to think about things like that.
"Ah, you’re self-loathing right now, aren't you?"
"True. Were you thinking about something lewd?"
"Eh!? Kagura-senpai thinking about something lewd!?"
"Hey!! Who would think about something like that!!"
Honestly, I get lost in thought for a second and this happens.
The Enora and Mikos combo is just too noisy.
Mikos is one thing, but Enora is now a deputy bishop; I thought she’d be different from when she was a child, but apparently not.
"Good grief. Oh, by the way, Eris-san and the others aren't coming to the meeting today, so you know we don't have to wait for them for lunch, right?"
"Yeah, I know. It seems like there’s a lot going on with the If Continent, or whatever it’s called."
"It’s progressing steadily, isn't it? It’s about what Yuki-sensei said regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs being communicated over there, right? As expected of Yuki-sensei."
I agree with Mikos’s words.
Yuki’s skill in these matters is as brilliant as ever.
It’s no wonder he managed to wrap not just us, but the Haiden royal court around his finger.
Though he himself just calls it 'deviousness.'
Having been saved by him so many times, I find him incredibly reliable. I can trust him from the bottom of my heart.
"We’re getting more and more materials regarding diplomatic rules from Jessica-san and the other diplomats on the If Continent, too. Just sorting through those is a huge task."
But, with that one remark from Solo, my spirits sink again.
That’s right. The harder Yuki works, the more the work for establishing the Ministry just keeps piling up.
Solo’s main job is organizing the collected materials—things like culture, customs, diplomatic rules, and requests. Plus, miscellaneous chores like shopping.
Mikos extracts the culture and customs from those materials to summarize the common sense of each country.
Enora investigates the finances, such as salaries and equipment costs for diplomats from each country, and estimates the annual budget.
And my role is to summarize the current diplomatic rules of each country and the requests for common rules to be implemented upon the Ministry’s establishment. I also look over the materials everyone else has created and deliver them to Sota-sama and Enor-sama.
By the way, I’m also the one who has to deliver the 'rejections,' so having to tell them to redo the materials they worked so hard on... well, honestly, it gives me a stomachache.
"Still, it’s easier than when we were at war."
"That’s true. Mikos-chan doesn't want to see a battlefield like that ever again."
"In that case, I suppose it’s better than being tortured."
"A-ahahaha..."
Solo answers with a hollow laugh.
Solo was supposed to have been attacked by bandits, too, though.
Well, it’s hard to compare paperwork to things like that.
As I was thinking about that, Solo, who had been giving that hollow laugh, looked out the window and opened her mouth.
"But, this might be imprudent of me to say, but there are times when I feel like something is missing."