第７０２堀：思い切った判断 (Part1)
**Chapter 702: A Bold Decision**
**Side: Yuki**
"Phew. I'm exhausted."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Shera was the one who offered those words of comfort.
This meeting—or rather, the explanatory session regarding intercontinental exchange—was also meant to serve as a screening process for Princess Carrie’s retainers. From our side, it was best to explain things clearly so that no idiots would cause a scene, which is why I brought the rabbit-eared beauty, Shera, along.
Well, she is indeed a beautiful girl, but that wasn't the reason; she was accompanying me as a representative of Baide.
If I had brought Catherine, she would have been looked down upon in this land, where the custom of male chauvinism is deeply rooted.
Shera is also a woman, but since she holds the position of a beastman and a priestess of the spirits, I figured there would be few who would dare to complain.
Additionally, I brought Enora, the acting bishop of the Haiden royal capital for the Haire Church, from Weed.
Thanks to that, leaving aside Vilia, the likes of Dressa and the others were groaning in silence because their workforce had been reduced.
Hang in there, youngsters. That’s just how work goes.
Anyway, thanks to Shera—or perhaps thanks to the Princess, who never let her absolute-zero smile falter—no one caused a ruckus during the meeting, making it easy to manage.
"Now that I’ve conveyed what needed to be conveyed, we can withdraw."
"What about Findar, then?"
"Ah, right. Catherine sent a reply. But since it’ll take time on their end, we’ll head back to Weed for now and get back to work."
"Yes, that would be best."
"But you can't just keep working, you know. You need to take a proper break. You went to the High Elf country and the Beast God country, then straight to the New Continent, and now from Baide to Haiden... you’re going to be exhausted."
"That’s right! Let’s take a break, Big Brother."
"That is correct. Breaks are necessary."
"I suppose so. Once this is over and we’re back in Weed, let’s take two or three days off."
Labyris and the others are right.
I don't want to work without a break.
Precisely because I’m doing important work, I have to take proper time off.
If I get too tired, I might make a stupid mistake.
"Yay! Then, Jessica, let’s go shopping. I heard a new store opened in the shopping district."
"Indeed. Let’s have Samantha and the others take over guard duty, and I’ll show my face in the Weed shopping district for the first time in a while."
Ria and Jessica started planning their time off.
Ah, these two have been guarding me the whole time, too.
Jessica also serves as a mediator with Zilba, so she definitely needs a break.
During that time, I’ll either play games or sleep while the diplomats do their work, making sure not to be a nuisance to Samantha and the others.
My vacations without plans usually consist of gaming or sleeping.
That is bliss. I considered fishing, but it’s surprisingly tiring.
Everyone expects a catch, and then I have to work hard on the cooking afterward.
Ah, I suppose I could just increase the number of sacrifices. Like Taiki, Taizo-san, or Sota-san.
Wait, we never held a welcome party for Sota-san and the others, did we?
Should I schedule that during the long weekend? Sota-san and the others are top officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are quite busy. I could give them a few days off under the guise of asking for progress reports.
As I was thinking about my vacation plans, Princess Carrie brought the King of Haiden over to Kagura.
"Did something happen?"
"No, the screening was completed successfully, so I came to thank you again."
"Thanking me is all well and good, but is it really okay to judge everything based solely on that intercontinental exchange briefing?"
"Yes, there is no problem. Isn't that right, Uncle?"
"Indeed. If there are fools who cannot understand the importance of establishing a Ministry of Foreign Affairs for intercontinental exchange after such a thorough explanation with easy-to-understand materials, then we have no need for them. Besides, you look well, Yuki-dono."
The King of Haiden said this with a wave of his hand as a greeting.
"You look like you have a stomachache, King of Haiden. Want some coffee?"
Judging that we were off the clock, I returned the wave casually and offered him some coffee.
"I'll take you up on that. I’ve grown fond of coffee since I received it as a souvenir. Mmm, delicious. This bitterness is quite something."
"You take it black?"
"Yes. It’s not that I don’t add sugar or milk, but I prefer it black. However, I was surprised when Catherine showed me the list of imports; there are so many kinds of coffee. Truly, Weed is a force to be reckoned with. Such wonderful development."
Actually, it’s not Weed—it’s Earth-grown.
We import well-roasted beans from famous coffee regions like Kilimanjaro and Blue Mountain.
"By the way, coffee tastes completely different depending on how you brew it. That part is important, too."
"What? Is it really that different?"
"Well, tea tastes different depending on how you brew it, right? Coffee is the same—it depends on the master."
"Master? You don't mean a maid?"
"Ah, well, a maid is fine, but for a drink with this kind of bitterness, doesn't it have more of a masculine image than a feminine one?"
"Now that you mention it, I suppose so."
"Besides, while it might be natural to have a maid do everything from start to finish, there’s a joy in blending coffee yourself. Creating your own preferred flavor is surprisingly nice, you know?"
"Blending it yourself?"
"Tea uses fixed leaves, but with coffee, I often blend various beans to make an original brew. It’s a hobby. You can blend tea too, but, well, we’re talking about coffee."
"Ho. How do you do it? My interest is piqued."
Just as I was about to let the coffee conversation bloom...
"Ahem. Yuki-sama, Uncle, could you save that for later? We didn't just come here to greet you."
" "Ah, yes." "
Princess Carrie’s words made the King of Haiden and me stop talking immediately.
No, that smile of hers is intense.
I finally understood why the people who participated in the meeting didn't complain to me once.
The pressure is incredible.
"Hey, don't you think it would be better if Carrie took over after me?"
"I understand the sentiment, but if a woman were to ascend to the throne in this land, wouldn't it cause nothing but problems?"
"May we begin our business?"
" "Yes, please." "
"What are you doing to the King, Yuki... well, I understand, though."
"Yeah, yeah, I get the feeling, right? Right, Solo?"
"E-e-er..."
"You three over there, is something the matter?"
" " "No, nothing at all." " "
"Haa, honestly... Now, regarding the matter at hand: the intercontinental exchange and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs establishment conference, which is just two months away..."
Since it was work, I prepared my materials and notebook to listen.
Ria prepared an IC recorder to start recording.
She’s used to this. Ah, of course, Kagura and the others on the Haiden side were also ready immediately.
They’ve been well-trained...
"No, it’s not a question. We of Haiden will also be participating in this Ministry of Foreign Affairs establishment conference. Naturally, I will be the assistant, and my uncle will be the representative."
"Ho. That’s a bold decision. Isn't the country still unstable? Whose decision was this? The King of Haiden? Or Princess Carrie?"
"No, it wasn't either of us. It was the consensus of the two of us—or rather, the consensus of everyone who participated in that meeting."
"Consensus? The reaction didn't seem very enthusiastic."
It felt like a new-employee training session where they were just listening.
Then again, it’s more likely they were just terrified of Princess Carrie’s smile.