第６９４堀：獣神の国の王様 (Part1)
**Chapter 694: The King of the Beast God’s Country**
**Side: Tori**
We are currently waiting in the reception room of the castle in the Beast God’s Country.
There haven’t been any real problems—things have actually proceeded more smoothly than in the High Elf country—but there’s so little for us to do that I’m starting to wonder why we even tagged along. Well, I suppose having nothing happen is better than the alternative, but I was so fired up that it’s a bit of a letdown to have no chance to shine.
Riel and Kaya seem to feel the same way; they both look rather unsatisfied. It feels like Eris and Rurua are doing all the important work while we’re just standing around. Plus, since Queen Miyabi came along with us, she’s pretty much handled all the explanations herself...
As I was thinking this, the door to the reception room opened, and a soldier entered, followed by an old man who was presumably the King. We stood up to greet them.
"Ah, thank you for the polite welcome. But you are the guests here, so please, do sit down," the old man, who looked every bit the King, said with an incredibly humble demeanor, immediately urging us to take our seats.
I wasn't sure how to react, but since Yuki-san sat down without hesitation, we followed suit.
"I’m afraid I’m not as young as I used to be; standing is quite a chore. If I left my guests standing, I wouldn't be able to sit myself, would I? My apologies for the late introduction. I am Wild Tra, the current King of the Beast God’s Country."
The old man—Wild-san—said this and immediately sank into the sofa in front of us. He had indeed walked in leaning on a cane, and he was quite frail. His appearance reminded me of a withered tree. We have many elderly people in Weed who find it difficult to stand for long periods, so I couldn't help but see the resemblance.
However, I’ve seen many kings and queens alongside Yuki-san until now, and while Wild-san didn't seem to lack energy, there was something about him that felt different from the other rulers.
"Ho ho ho. Is it strange that someone as weak and lacking in ambition as me is King? You there, young lady of the Wolf Beastman tribe?"
Ah, it must have shown on my face. He’d called me out. This is bad. Even if I didn't mean anything by it, the fact that I made it *look* like I was thinking something rude is a disaster. And he’s a King! Yuki-san has important things to discuss, and I’ve gone and offended the host before he could even start!
"N-no, that is absolutely not the case!!" I denied it in a panic, but it sounded like a flimsy excuse. It *was* what I was thinking, so it was an excuse, but I can't be a burden to Yuki-san!
"Ah, don't worry. I didn't take it in a bad way," he said.
"?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, Wild-san opened his mouth again with a chuckle.
"You had a worried look on your face when I walked in. Actually, you were the first. Everyone else had the same expression. I’m happy to see that concern. You are all kind children. I wish this country could have a change of leadership with that kind of spirit..."
"How can you say that? It is precisely because Your Majesty is here that the peace of this country and the Beast God is maintained."
"Hah. Like this, you mean? You work an old man to the bone. You should be a bit more considerate of the elderly, like these young ladies here. Don't you agree? Weed’s Consort, the former Saintess Rurua, and... old hag Miyabi."
" " "Pfft!?" " "
The members who were drinking tea suddenly spat it out at his words. Even the soldiers looked shocked. He just called Queen Miyabi an "old hag"!
"Hah! To think that after thirty years, the first thing you do when we meet is call me an old hag—you’ve got some nerve, Wild. You’re still just a young pup; you should be worked until you die. Honestly, when we first met, you used to follow me around calling me 'Big Sister,' but you’ve only grown more bitter with age."
"Hah. That’s plenty for a woman who keeps herself looking young after crushing my first love."
Ah, I see. So there was a love story there, much like the one between Popuri-san and Cleena’s grandfather, Faigel-san, at the Lancer Magic Academy.
"Anyway, that old hag brings these youths, and foreigners at that. What on earth happened? Did you find some Japanese people or something?"
It seems Wild-san is also aware of the secrets of the High Elf country.
"Indeed. We found them. But that is irrelevant now. This time, I am simply accompanying Yuki-san and his party. That tiger is a lazy one, after all. I figured if I didn't come, he wouldn't listen to a word they said."
"Tra-sama has never had any interest in worldly affairs. You know that."
"You received the letter of advance notice, didn't you? Yuki-san will explain the details, but it is the flow of the times. The world is moving faster than we anticipated. If you choose not to move after careful consideration, that is fine, but I cannot accept stagnation born of mere inertia. You, little one, you just follow the lead of Tra and the Beast God."
"Ngh... I cannot deny that..."
"That is why I came along. This is not just a matter for the Beast God’s Country. The future of my own nation depends on it. This is a top-level summit as well."
"...Understood. But as you can see, my body has grown quite weak lately."
"You’ve been frail since you were young. Your job is to use your head. If you can't move, I’ll carry you myself."
"Alright, alright, just stay back."
With that, Wild-san used his cane to quickly back away from the encroaching Queen Miyabi.
"Hmph. You have no choice but to nod in the end, so you should have just done so from the start without acting or complaining. You’ve wasted so much time. It was definitely the right choice for me to come. If it were just Yuki-san and his group, I doubt you would have even agreed to see them."
"It wasn't an act, though. I just think it's natural to listen carefully..."
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"No, nothing at all."
We couldn't help but smile bitterly at their exchange. It seems Wild-san is quite the crafty one himself. He isn't serving as King just for show. And if he claimed to be in poor health, Yuki-san wouldn't have tried to force the explanation on him. In that sense, Wild-san’s evasive attitude might have been the correct move... but if he kept that up, this country would just be left behind by the times.
Yuki-san has said that as long as the fact remains that he came to explain, there is no problem. There is no need to spend time persuading someone who is determined to push back, and no point in wasting time on such things. After all, Yuki-san and the rest of us have plenty of other things to do after this.
"Ahem. Now, Yuki-san. Please explain the purpose of this visit in detail to this tanuki-old-man-pup."
"Understood. Then..."
And so, Yuki-san began his explanation regarding intercontinental exchange.