第７６４堀：各大陸の様子 上 (Part1)
### Chapter 764: State of the Continents (Part 1)
**Side: Yuki**
As I entered the conference room, all eyes turned toward me.
It was, quite frankly, a spectacular sight. The kings of the five major nations of the Rogari Continent were all present.
"My son, you seem to have taken your sweet time," the King of Roschur said, addressing me.
"Well, as the host nation for this intercontinental exchange conference, I’ve been incredibly busy. I decided to take it easy for the last two days," I replied.
I hoped they would forgive me for that. I’d been working myself to the bone, and while they were likely busy in their own right, I was no slouch either. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was busier than them, but I couldn't function without a break. I didn't sense any sarcasm in his tone, so I assumed the King of Roschur was genuinely concerned for me, but then...
"Ah, forgive me. I didn't mean to reproach you. Your complexion has improved significantly. Don't you agree, Gartz?"
"Indeed. Compared to the first day, it’s clear the son-in-law's complexion has improved."
"Yes, his expression is much softer now."
"When one is exhausted, their expressions tend to vanish, after all. Yuki-dono was quite like that."
"Hmm. Is that so? To me, he looks no different than he did on the first day."
It seemed that, with the exception of Rumel, the leaders of the four major Rogari nations had become adept at reading my face. It was helpful that they didn't say anything troublesome, but it meant that negotiations would become more difficult from here on out. From now on, I’d have to refrain from playing it close to the chest and focus on logical, point-by-point arguments. Having one's emotions read during negotiations is a significant disadvantage; logic would have to fill that gap.
With those thoughts in mind, I took my seat and began the discussion.
"So, how is it? Have you managed to reach a consensus over the past two days?"
Since this was an official conference, I spoke with a polite tone once seated. I was, after all, merely a consort, not a king. Seraria, meanwhile, was stationed at the Weed government office, prepared for any emergencies. Generally, I was entrusted with full authority over these negotiations, and more importantly, they had specifically requested to speak with me rather than Seraria. Aside from Rumel, these five nations knew I was the true power behind Weed. They understood that going through Seraria would only lead to redundant efforts, which was why they had summoned me. Even so, I couldn't confirm Weed’s trade deals on a whim without consulting her, so the outcome was much the same.
I listened to the report on the two-day conference.
"We were provided with the materials in advance, so there were no major issues," the King of Roschur noted.
"Indeed. Everything is proceeding as planned. Since we already have established trade and negotiations with Weed, there’s no need for us to add new trade goods," added the King of Gartz.
"The other nations will have a difficult time, I imagine. Balancing how much they can extract from Weed versus their trade volume with other continents is a delicate matter," another remarked.
"Still, as the King of Roschur said, the materials were provided beforehand, so I believe our policies are largely set."
"Hmm. For Rumel, the ability to obtain goods from the homeland of our heroes is a great blessing. We will focus our efforts on negotiations with Weed. That is not to say we will abandon exchange with other continents, however."
As expected, everyone except Rumel was focusing on intercontinental trade. They hadn't forgotten about trading with Weed, but they had already recognized the limitations. They understood that we were stretched thin due to a lack of human resources. No matter how much they demanded the inheritance of technology or the disclosure of knowledge, we simply couldn't provide it. The best we could do was have them send exchange students to study on their own.
In fact, the blacksmithing group, led by Narjia-san, had essentially become a collective of technicians. While they still used hammers to forge, they had become captivated by cars and precision machinery, studying and working on developing vehicles powered by magic. Since we lacked factories for precision parts or automated production, we had to supplement materials with DP or build them by hand, making productivity abysmal. Even in Weed, we were playing catch-up with Earth’s technology. We weren't at a level where we could teach them; we were at the level of "please learn on your own, and if you can, teach us."
I had conveyed this reality to them, but I knew the If Continent and the New Continent would still demand the disclosure and provision of that technology. They would assume we were just hoarding it, believing that if they piled up enough money and goods, they could get what they wanted. Dealing with those negotiations was going to be a headache.
"So, there are no objections from the Rogari Continent Alliance, then?"
"Indeed. Everything is proceeding as planned."
"The rest depends on how the If Continent and the nations of the New Continent respond."
"I hope the provision of supplies goes as planned."
"Food is especially important, after all."
"Indeed. We caused quite a bit of trouble for the Demon Realm—no, the Kingdom of Last—led by Queen Liliana. If we can improve the food situation, we can provide support."
"No, no, we caused trouble for the King of Rumel as well, so we are even. But the food is appreciated. We still face difficult times."
With that, Queen Liliana—the Demon Queen—and the King of Rumel chatted amicably. The Kingdom of Last and the Kingdom of Rumel had faced various complications related to the heroes. The biggest issue had been the attack by the subordinates of that perverted "Panty-Eating Demon Lord," Dekira. I had worried that would cause friction, but it seemed they were past it, which was a relief. At worst, it could have led to a war between Rumel and Last, but it had been resolved peacefully. Tanaka’s influence likely played a part in that.
Good. If this was the situation, the Rogari Continent Alliance seemed to have no issues with the exchange. I decided it was time to show my face at the next venue.
"Since there seem to be no issues, please stand by for the Intercontinental Exchange and Trade Conference that is about to begin."
"Understood."
"I hope the other continents go as smoothly."
"Who knows? They likely have their own expectations regarding Weed."
"I don't think it will start on time."
"I share Queen Liliana's opinion. They will try to get a firm commitment from you, Yuki-dono, before the conference even begins to make it easier to set their exchange budgets later. Be careful of being 'won over'."
"Thank you for the warning. Please wait until the scheduled time."
I left the Rogari Alliance waiting room. "Won over," huh? Well, from an outsider's perspective, I was surrounded by many women, so it was only natural they would think that. But had I ever laid a hand on a wife for selfish reasons? Had anyone ever seduced me with a perfect figure?
*Wait, did Lulua or Ratz seduce me?*
As I pondered this, Ria, who was accompanying me as a guard, spoke up.
"The King of Rumel doesn't know you well, Yuki-san, which is why he used the word 'won over.' You’re a gentleman who doesn't touch anyone until you're married, even if they try to seduce you. You didn't even lay a hand on anyone when you were in the bath together, after all."
Whether I was a "gentleman" was debatable, but it was the truth. It was obvious that if I made a move, it would only lead to trouble. If I had laid a hand on Elju or Oriel when they first came to the dungeon, it would have caused a massive headache with Roschur. The same went for Seraria—though, at the time, pride and other factors made conversation impossible anyway. As for Eris and the others that Mauve and his group had bought as slaves, I had intended for them to operate the dungeon as dummies from the start. Besides, since our species were different, I didn't want to deal with the complications of an unusual pregnancy.