第７６１堀：中間報告 (Part1)
### Chapter 761: Interim Report
**Side: Yuki**
"For now, it seems the small nations on each continent are behaving themselves."
I felt a sense of relief after reading the reports from Taiki and Taizo. It confirmed that we wouldn't be disturbed during the Intercontinental Exchange Conference. Seraria and the others, who were looking over the same documents, seemed to share that sentiment.
"Indeed. There are a few points of concern, but no one will make a move while this conference is underway," Seraria said.
"If anything were to happen, it could lead to the cancellation of the conference. Even if it weren't cancelled, the nation that caused the trouble would lose all face, which would be a straight path to war," Rurua added.
"Well, that said, the only one who would dare pick a fight with this coalition is the Demon Lord. Oh, wait, I have no intention of picking a fight, mind you!" Deryu chimed in.
As the two of them pointed out, any trouble would be a matter of national pride, but more importantly, picking a fight with this intercontinental alliance is a one-way ticket to annihilation.
"Though, there is the possibility of the smaller nations forming a coalition to oppose the alliance head-on..."
"That's impossible, Yuki-san," Rurua interrupted.
"Exactly! The transport capacity for goods and people via the Gates is just too different, and besides..."
"Yuki and our Weed are here," Tori added.
As they said, anyone capable of judging the situation calmly would realize they couldn't win. The facilities using the Dungeon Master's teleportation traps to create long-distance Gates have significantly shortened the distance between nations, allowing for the circulation of goods and a sudden surge in prosperity. It also means that moving people—and, if necessary, deploying an army—is simple.
"Well, Yuki has been spreading the word about the effectiveness of the Gates on the Rogari Continent, and Noble has been doing the same on the If Continent, so I doubt any nation would be hostile," Labyris remarked.
"That's true. Besides, not all small nations are dissatisfied; many are happy about this intercontinental exchange. Like the High Elf nation," Shera noted.
As Labyris said, my efforts to go around and promote the Gates—"They're amazing, you should make good use of them"—were worth it. And as Shera pointed out, while the reports might make it sound like all the small nations are unhappy, many are actually pleased. Joining the intercontinental alliance means receiving the benefits of the Gates and having their safety guaranteed. For small, powerless nations, it’s a godsend. Well, they’re called "small nations" precisely because they lack power, but there are varying degrees of strength even among them. That’s what I meant.
"That's true. Oh, speaking of small nations, Brother, Queen Miyabi is supposed to be here in Weed, right? But I haven't seen her anywhere."
Aslin and Firia tilted their heads in confusion. Jessica and the others nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, as Aslin and Firia said, we haven't seen them either. We diplomats from the If Continent haven't met them yet, and we were hoping to offer our greetings."
"Quite right. I wanted to meet the wonderful woman who, with a Japanese Hero as her husband, has protected the country her husband loved for so long."
"Strong person. I respect her. Want to meet her," Riel added.
It seems these three are quite interested in Queen Miyabi. She is undoubtedly a strong person, that much is true. However...
"Eh? Queen Miyabi? She ate too much street food at the festival yesterday and had a stomach ache, so she's at the hospital..."
I immediately covered Ria’s mouth.
"Listen, Ria. There’s no need to ruin their image of her. It’s true that she’s a strong person, isn't it?"
"Ah—yes."
After receiving a report from Surakichi-san, I had rushed to the hospital to confirm, only to find the entire High Elf delegation had been emergency-transported there for stomach aches and overindulgence.
*'Umm, Yuki-san, what should we do?'*
*'It’s a national embarrassment, so keep it quiet.'*
*'...Right, of course.'*
Elju, who was working at the hospital, had given me a wry smile when we spoke. I had even called Rurua to confirm, and it was nothing more than a simple case of overeating and drinking. I had been worried it was poison at first, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
As I looked around, Seraria raised her voice slightly to gather everyone's attention.
"Well, we can finally take a breather. Starting today, the conference shifts from the general assembly to individual country meetings."
"Indeed. The constant barrage of questions was getting tiresome," Ratz sighed.
"Yes. Plus, there were still some people who were looking down on us," Eris added.
Ratz and Eris, the two giants holding the funds and supplies for Weed, looked relieved. Although they are technically deputy representatives, they had been standing in for Non and Tefa, which made things quite difficult. And as I’ve thought before, the fact that they are my wives carries a lot of weight. The various nations hadn't taken Non and Tefa seriously enough. It seems it will be a while before I can fully step back from these roles...
"Ahaha, Ratz and Eris, you two had it rough," Milly laughed.
"True. But Milly, you were surrounded quite a bit too, weren't you?"
"Oh, that. They wanted me to show them the real monsters after I explained them. They asked how strong the adventurers were and how we differed from the Mercenary Guild."
"We were surrounded too. They asked about the details of our military. Especially Steve," Tori said.
"That happened, too. But our departments are different," Riel noted.
"If anything, we've only been doing police work lately; we haven't been putting much effort into the military," Kaya added.
"It can't be helped. The regular soldiers of Weed are basically under Qual's jurisdiction. The monster units are headed by Yuki-san. Tori and the others are the unit that gathers volunteers in times of emergency. The bigger problem is this: some places even asked to buy strong monsters," Milly said.
It seems Tori, Riel, and Kaya were grilled about the Goblin Military Band that performed at the opening ceremony. They couldn't ask Steve, as he was busy with security. As for the man himself...
*"I'm actually grateful for the security duty this time,"* he had said.
I really don't know what to do with that unmotivated goblin. Well, he does his job properly when it counts, so maybe that's fine?
However, I consider what Milly said to be quite a serious issue. I understand they want to know about the monster ecosystem, but I want to place regulations on exporting monsters, as I'm not sure what would happen in areas experiencing mana depletion.
But only the upper echelons of each country know about that. The relationship between monsters and mana isn't clearly understood by everyone. While it’s vaguely accepted on the Rogari Continent, that’s not the case on the If Continent or the New Continent, where the variety of monsters has dwindled and their habitats are limited. Consequently, the general public there doesn't connect mana with monsters.
Moreover, people on the If Continent and the New Continent who have never seen monsters don't realize how much of a threat they can be. The area around the Lancer Magic Academy on the If Continent might be an exception, but the rest are clueless. If we were to trade powerful monsters to such places and it caused casualties, it would be a disaster.
I need to have a serious talk about this with Milly and the kings of each nation.