第７５６堀：大会議の前の食事会 (Part1)

第７５６堀：大会議の前の食事会 (Part1)

Yuki's Side

The Intercontinental Exchange Declaration had been made, the introductions of each nation were complete, and by 1 PM, the general public had already exited the council hall. Now, the Grand Council was about to begin. Since it would involve political discussions, ordinary people were not allowed to observe.

"That was surprisingly grand, my son."

"Indeed."

"It wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't grand."

I was chatting with King Selva of Roschur and King Rocksten of Gartz. Currently, it was still preparation for the Grand Council, or rather, a standing buffet before it. As the saying goes, "one cannot fight on an empty stomach." The Grand Council was scheduled to begin after a sufficient break.

Both of them were taking whatever they liked onto their plates and eating. Normally, high-ranking individuals like kings would have food tasters, but in this place, there was no such concern, so they were eating to their heart's content. They were wearing Narjia's poison-nullifying rings, after all. Ah, not just for this occasion. These rings had been gifted for the future as well, making assassination by poison impossible, and ensuring that succession would not occur unless by old age or sudden illness. More than that, many of the kings of each nation seemed most delighted to be able to eat warm meals without worry, and were happily enjoying their food.

"It was grand, indeed. With this, the people of the Rogali Continent have been informed that the alliance has been formed."

"And a framework has been established where anyone who opposes this is an evil that disturbs peace."

As expected, having been kings for a long time, or rather, having been immersed in the dirty world of politics, they seemed to understand my intentions. And what was surprising was...

"Hmm. With this, our nation can finally open diplomatic relations. Hmm. Delicious."

Saying that, King Fionha of Zilba approached, similarly piling his plate with his favorite foods and eating. Even for this Grand Council, I had thought he might just send diplomats again, but he seemed to be able to read the atmosphere and participated normally. Well, if he had sent a proxy to this Grand Council, he would have been looked down upon within the future alliance, so in a sense, it was natural. However, it was still surprising that Fionha, who had deliberately refrained from major actions until now, had moved.

"Well, if Fionha hadn't come here, I would have questioned his sanity, but may I ask why he hasn't come until now?"

"Indeed. Even during the Demon Lord subjugation in the Kingdom of Last, he maintained a purely defensive stance and never launched an offensive. I fully expected problems to arise between Last and Zilba."

"We also had no such leeway. Immediately after that, another nation visited from the sea."

"Ah, now that you mention it, he did say something like that."

"It would have been fine if it was just a visit, but it wasn't that simple. It became quite difficult, even requiring the dispatch of the Heroes."

"What? You sent the Heroes across the sea? How reckless!"

Crossing the seas in this world was truly the height of recklessness. Even the great battleships of Earth's World War II were said to be unable to withstand storms, so crossing the sea in a wooden ship in a world with giant monsters would be suicidal. That being said, I knew Taiki had summoned an aircraft carrier. He was quite something, and the nation that harbored him must have had many headaches. After all, he was the only one who held control over modern weaponry. That's why they couldn't carelessly form an alliance with us. If things went wrong, it could lead to war between him and various nations. So, they kept the Heroes and their main force away, and were observing our situation, it seems. However, since Fionha's nation had kidnapped those people, it wasn't entirely wrong to say it was their own fault. In any case, since the Heroes and Taiki were safely alive, we had no particular reason to act unless they approached us.

"It couldn't be helped. There are no elite few superior to the Heroes."

"It seems you also have your hands full, having discovered a new continent."

"It's more than just difficult. The languages don't connect, and the cultures are different. Just communicating is a struggle. Well, magic has made it possible to understand the language, but even then, travel is still a struggle. If only we had your gates..."

"That will be in due time. It's not something that can happen immediately."

We currently didn't have the luxury to even look after the new continent Fionha had discovered.

"No, I understand. Yuki and his people are busy dealing with the new continent where King Hyde, King Fyndall, and the Haile religion exist, aren't they?"

"Yes. It's quite embarrassing, but true."

"You're dealing with unknown nations. And a new continent, no less, so it's natural to be busy. Well, I'd like your help if anything comes up."

"We won't hesitate to cooperate in an emergency. That's what the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance is for, after all."

"I'm grateful. And I apologize for not having properly contacted you until now."

Saying that, King Fionha bowed his head. It was unusual, or rather, he had taken in Japanese people from Earth. He couldn't carelessly reveal that. And Taiki was also with them, so it was quite something that he decided to participate here. Well, he probably saw that the possibility of us becoming enemies was low. There was no reason to gather kings from various nations now, only to massacre them. If one were to do such a thing, they would aim for an easier, more effective target.

"No. You must have had your own struggles. It's not as if you used the Heroes as an excuse to request support, like the King of Ranks."

"Indeed. At that time, my nation and Roschur were at war, but even then, they were individuals of character who teamed up with Lowell to subjugate the forest monsters."

"Haha, they said such things were unnecessary. My aim was off. I had intended to become the leader of everyone."

"Haha, you wouldn't think such a thing."

"You also seem to have struggled quite a bit with your subordinates running wild."

"Indeed. It's truly regrettable, despite having learned so much from the two seniors."

For some reason, King Selva and King Rocksten were chatting amicably with King Fionha. No, it wasn't strange for them to be on good terms, but it felt like their relationship was more than just casually friendly.

"Excuse me, but where did the three of you become acquainted? No, it's just that you seemed very close."

"Oh, now that you mention it, my son didn't know."

"Son-in-law. The truth is, King Fionha here, in his youth, was an adventurer just like us."

"Huh!?"

No, I had heard that Roschur's father used to play as an adventurer. Something about his succession rights being low because he had an older brother.

"Haha, these two straightened me out when I was rotten. They're like older brothers to me. My actual older brother was a piece of trash."

"Well, he himself probably intended to elevate Fionha..."

"But it was all in vain. Well, for me too, it was after my brother fell."

"Thanks to that, even after summoning the Heroes, I ended up being hindered by my brother's followers."

...So all the leaders on this continent became kings by inheriting scraps? Is that why they didn't have much ambition for territory? I certainly had the impression that their subordinates were just fighting among themselves. However, it was also true that various problems arose because they couldn't properly control their subordinates. Perhaps it was also because it wasn't a serious war that they were able to lay down their arms. As I was thinking such things, a voice called out from another direction.

"Oh, so the kings of the Rogali Continent are just like me, huh? I was a mercenary on the If Continent, and my older brothers just died off on their own, you see."

Saying that, King August VIII approached, eating a mountain of food piled on his plate.