第７３３堀：色々な成果とこれからのお仕事 (Part2)
"That's right. Having Ria participate to a degree that isn't a burden is for her own good as well."
I suppose so.
*Sigh*, that really was a slip of the tongue earlier.
"Listen, everyone. This doesn't just apply to Ria—if you're feeling unwell, don't force yourselves to work. If you collapse, it'll only cause more trouble for those around you."
I raised my voice to address not just Ria and Vilia, but everyone working in the Betan command room. If people start dropping like flies, it really does make things harder for everyone else.
Our organization is not some exploitative 'black company.' We have set hours, people take their breaks, and we even have paid leave. Our nation’s administration is kind to everyone—except Steve.
There are no penalties for taking a sick day. As for treatment and hospital visits, any citizen of Weed receives free medical care and examinations at the Weed Hospital. We do charge a bit for hospitalization fees, though.
Well, those minor details don't matter right now.
"The Holy Sword unveiling is about to begin. Let's give it our all."
"""Yes, sir!"""
After confirming everyone’s spirited response, we began moving toward our assigned positions. Since I was the one lending out the conference hall, I couldn't exactly skip the ceremony. It was a hassle, but it couldn't be helped.
As we moved through the city of Betan, I looked around. Just as Horst, Kiyu, and the various checkpoints at the gates had reported, the city was bustling. It seemed many people had come for sightseeing specifically for this unveiling.
Of course, when I say 'bustling,' it wasn't quite on the level of a major metropolitan train station back home. It was more like a Sunday in Weed’s commercial district.
"It's more crowded than I expected," Vilia remarked.
"Wow, I'm surprised. Betan can actually get this lively," Seraria added.
"There are so many stalls out. But I've seen all of these before. Ria-onee, are these from Weed?" Hiiro asked.
"Eh? Ah, yes. That's right. Originally, Kiyu just had his ramen shop here, but with the intercontinental exchange and all, we decided to set up various stalls to liven things up and promote Weed at the same time."
"Heh. You know a lot about this, Ria-onee."
"Oh, well... when I was helping with the work, I handled the orders for the stalls and such. So I remembered."
I see. Her three days of Spartan training weren't in vain. Ria had learned her lessons well.
"See? You can do it just fine," I said.
"There's nothing to worry about," Seraria agreed.
"Exactly. Ria is a capable wife. There's no way I'd ever throw you away."
"I-Is that so? Thank you very much. I'll work even harder from now on!"
Finally, the anxious look left Ria's face, replaced by a smile. I really need to watch what I say.
"But why were the stall orders handled by Brother's department?" Vilia asked.
"Now that you mention it, she's right. Shouldn't that usually fall under Eris or Ratz's departments?" Seraria chimed in.
"You might think so, but it's different. Or rather, Betan is merely a city under Weed's jurisdiction; it isn't Weed itself."
"Hiiro doesn't really get it."
"I'm sorry, Yuki-san. I don't quite understand either," Vilia admitted.
Hmm. How should I explain this simply...?
"In short, the ruler of Betan is Horst, not Seraria. That means Betan should normally have its own people to manage trade with nearby towns, villages, and other countries... but..."
"Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone like that here," Vilia noted.
"I feel like Jessica or Samantha are always the ones doing everything," Hiiro added.
"Exactly. Betan originally belonged to Enaria or Zilba, but it was ceded to me. When that happened, the personnel related to trade were withdrawn."
"Withdrawn?"
"Maybe that's a bad way to put it. Zilba wanted us to be indebted to them, so they intentionally pulled out anyone capable of negotiating to try and leave us in a bind. They figured if we were struggling, we'd have to go crawling to them for help."
"That's so mean."
"Well, from their perspective, we're a mysterious and powerful group. They wanted some kind of leverage for negotiations. However, I let Horst run Betan freely, so things progressed without issue. And since I act as the intermediary for trade between Weed and Betan, jobs like this end up on my desk. Even though Betan is Weed's territory, it's economically independent, so transactions with Weed are treated as formal trade. We need proper records for procurement and income. Until now, Jessica, Samantha, and Cleena have been working hard to manage all that."
Actually, there wasn't that much interaction with Weed until recently. Things only got busy after Weed's true nature was revealed.
"Once the Holy Sword unveiling is over, trade will begin in earnest—even more than before. It's going to get a lot busier."
"That sounds tough, Brother. But we'll help you!!"
"Well, we are your guards, after all," Seraria said.
"Mm. Hiiro and the others can work hard to help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"...I'll do my best!!"
Ria looked a little pained. I suppose most people don't exactly jump for joy when they're told their workload is about to increase.
"At any rate, first we have the unveiling."
While I was explaining, we arrived at the conference hall. People were scurrying about, making final preparations.
"Alright, talk time is over. Let's get to work."
"""Yes!"""
And so, we began our duties.
It was already a given that Heroes were versatile. And once the intercontinental exchange truly began, the workload would only grow.
Now then, how would this Holy Sword unveiling turn out?