第６７８堀：めでたしではなかった (Part1)
### Chapter 678: It Was Not a "Happily Ever After"
**Side: Yuki**
My visit to August had resulted in an incident, but thanks to our ability to predict it, we managed to resolve the entire situation within a single day. Well, I say "predict," but I certainly hadn't expected them to come at us quite so head-on.
Thanks to that idiot, sovereignty within the August capital returned to the Royal Family, and the Duke’s house—the ringleader of the anti-government faction—was immediately seized. Naturally, the Duke himself was captured after a "life-or-death struggle" between us and Princess Inis. (A massive lie.)
Because of all that commotion, our original purpose for visiting—to discuss the establishment of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs—had been sidelined. While we did manage to get the official documents signed, we hadn't been able to have a proper, formal discussion. It was only natural, given that the Duke we were supposed to negotiate with had decided to attack us instead.
Under normal circumstances, we would have just left and come back another time, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs project needed to move forward urgently. Furthermore, the issues weren't limited to August; Zilba and Enaria had their own problems. Since I hadn't explained those yet, I had to stay.
However, what had occurred was, frankly speaking, akin to treason, so we couldn't exactly jump straight into talking about foreign policy. As a result, we ended up waiting in the August guest quarters for several days. Thanks to Weed’s teleportation technology, we kept only the bare minimum of personnel on-site, while the others returned to Weed to attend to their own work.
By the way, the meeting between Cleena’s daughter, Prol, and her grandfather, Feigel, still hasn't happened. I can’t exactly bring Prol here, and I certainly can’t bring old man Feigel to Weed.
Oh, and for the record, I had already sent immediate updates and progress reports to the other nations regarding the resolution of the August crisis.
With that, despite being "on standby" in August, we spent five busy days there before finally securing another audience with the King of August.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The King of August, who greeted us in the reception room, looked much more haggard than he had when we last met. It wasn't just him; the Chancellor and Princess Inis, as well as old man Feigel, all looked equally worn out. Well, considering what had happened, they had likely been working nonstop for the past five days, so it was no surprise they looked like that.
"How are things? Since then?"
"Ah, for the time being, our dominance within the capital is established. What remains is issuing warnings to those remaining in the Duke’s territory and the seizure of his lands. Since that requires organizing troops and making decisions on-site, it won't be finished immediately. We’ve already sent messengers to various regions to inform them of the situation, so we don't expect much resistance. We have the top of the ducal faction, Duke Feigel, and his eldest son, Hikky, already in custody. They won't be able to rally any banners now."
I see, I see. It seems the Royal Family is managing to bring the situation to a close without any further issues. Well, with the head Duke captured, there isn't much else they can do.
"In that case, may we proceed with the explanation regarding the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other matters?"
I asked just to be sure, though I suppose they wouldn't have granted me an audience if it weren't okay.
"Yes. I would like to hear the details."
"Understood. Please, take a look at these documents. First, on the first page..."
And so, I began the same presentation I had given in other countries to the people of August.
"...And that is why the purpose of establishing this Ministry is to create a unified set of rules regarding exchange and trade, aiming for simplification and smoother operations. Do you have any questions?"
It took about an hour and a half, but I finally finished the explanation.
"...I see. There is no reason to oppose this."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. As for the finer points, those will be decided in future meetings, so we can iron those out as we go."
The King and the Chancellor didn't seem to have any particular questions and appeared to be in favor of the Ministry's establishment.
"So, simply accepting the proposal without conditions wasn't the only benefit, then."
"It is a truly logical organization. It will also serve as a new source of employment for those who have been unable to find work until now. The only issue is how those currently working as diplomats will react."
Princess Inis aside, old man Feigel was worried about the same thing that had been a concern in other countries. It seems everyone thinks the same way, regardless of where they are.
"If you understand, I would like the six great powers to hold a conference to discuss and decide on the various matters concerning the Ministry. We also plan to hold a meeting in the Rogari Continent to consolidate things there. I have included an excerpt of the agenda for the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs establishment meeting, so you shouldn't have any trouble with the proceedings. Please, let's resolve the prepared agenda items first, and then move on to the next meeting."
With that, I handed over the agenda for the first meeting. It mainly covered the basics—things like what to do about the building and how much the budget should be. The finer details would be carried over to the next meeting or the one after that.
"I understand the intent. Now, when will this Ministry of Foreign Affairs establishment meeting take place?"
"I would like to say we should coordinate schedules among the nations, but unfortunately, like August, some are currently facing their own problems. Therefore, we need to hear about those situations and wait until there is a prospect of a resolution before we can set a schedule."
"Other countries, too? Are there internal rebellions happening elsewhere?"
"Well, it varies. Conveying that information is also part of the reason we visited August."
"I see. Would you mind telling us?"
And so, the conversation moved to the next set of documents. Mainly...
* **Zilba Empire's Problem:** There has been an invasion in the small nations near their border using a large number of mass-produced magic swords. The Zilba Empire wants to deploy almost their full strength to deal with it and is requesting a pact from the five great powers not to attack them during this time. Ideally, they might even want the participation of other nations to strengthen the unity of the If Continent Alliance.
* **Enaria's Problem:** The rift between the Holy Royal Family and the Sia Church. They want cooperation in resolving the suspicion that the current wielder of the Holy Sword is a fake. Those involved believe that if they reveal the truth during the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs meeting, the situation will calm down.
* **Roday and Ex:** No particular problems. There is a slight amount of surprise and dissatisfaction regarding the sudden formation of the If Continent Alliance, but no immediate issues. They are willing to lend as much help as possible to resolve the problems of other nations.
* **White Forest's Problem:** Cooperation in correcting the long-standing exclusionary sentiment toward demi-humans. For the sake of exchange with other continents, it is desirable to resolve this issue as quickly as possible within the If Continent Alliance. In the Rogari Continent, demi-humans live normally, and there are many countries where demi-humans are royalty. Furthermore, in the New Continent, demi-humans hold a special position as priestesses of the spirits, and if either side were to discriminate carelessly, it would undoubtedly lead to bad blood. However, "early resolution" is easier said than done, so they have proposed increasing exchanges starting from the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs meeting.
I explained it simply, but it was still quite a lot. Other countries were carrying their own burdens, too. Well, at least none were in a situation where they might collapse or break out into civil war by tomorrow, like August...