落とし穴１３２堀：年末だからこそ国は忙しい (Part1)
**Pitfall 132: The Nation is Busy Because It’s the End of the Year**
**Side: Taizo**
*Scritch, scritch, scritch...*
The only sound echoing through the quiet room was the scratching of pens. It was a sound I had grown accustomed to. Hifi-san and I were simply doing our usual paperwork.
"..." "..."
Without a word to each other, we focused entirely on clearing the documents before us. These were important papers; the lives of the citizens of the Hifi Holy Kingdom depended on them, so we couldn't afford to be careless. Besides, today was the day we would get the answer to a certain choice.
*Scritch...*
I finished my work and respectfully handed the document—now a commemorative piece of history—to my wife, Hifi, the head of state.
"Hifi-san. That concludes it."
"Taizo-san. Thank you. If you’ll excuse me."
Hifi-san immediately began scanning the document, comparing it against the others. And then...
*Scritch...*
She signed it, and the movement of her pen finally ceased.
"..."
"Hifi-san, what was the result?"
"We... we did it! We did it! The final accounts for this fiscal year are in the black. Finally, we have finally stabilized."
"That is wonderful news."
"Yes. Until now, we were supported by the secret backing of Yuki-kun and his people, but this year, we have finally managed to stand on our own."
Hifi-san replied with a radiant smile. Until now, the Hifi Holy Kingdom’s finances had been in a state of constant crisis. Since this was the first year they had finally turned a profit, her joy was immense. Part of the financial hardship had been the debt incurred from budgeting for potential wars, but the bigger factor had been...
"With the start of intercontinental trade, securing food, firewood, and clothing for the winter has become much easier, and the purchase costs have been kept quite low. That is a major factor."
Indeed, it was the cost of winter preparations. In this world, surviving the winter is a life-or-death struggle. Well, I suppose that’s no different from Earth. However, in a world where monsters exist and distribution networks are underdeveloped, surviving winter requires significant preparation and, consequently, significant expense. Even just managing the capital city was difficult, but because Hifi-san always extended her support to every town and village within her reach, the treasury was always strained.
Well, that was precisely why her reputation as the Saint of the Hifi Holy Kingdom was so high. It was something to be celebrated that this year, they had achieved a surplus even without the secret support of Yuki-kun and his group.
"I hope we can keep this momentum going, not just for this year, but for a long time to come."
"Yes. Without this intercontinental trade, we cannot hope for national stability. We must prevent the collapse of this trade at all costs."
"Indeed. This is a vital lifeline for the Hifi Holy Kingdom as well. Yuki-kun really did pull off something incredible."
"Yes. To think he would use the dungeon's gate function to build such a large-scale distribution system. When I first heard of it, I thought it was a dream for the distant future, yet they made it a reality."
It was certainly a delusional idea, but they had accomplished it. That said, they had made proper plans, tackled them one by one, and brought this result to fruition.
"Well, that was partly because we cooperated with them. Besides, Yuki-kun’s true goal is..."
"...to find the cause of the mana depletion phenomenon in this world, Aulito, and improve it. I never imagined he would use dungeons not for conflict, but to make people's lives more convenient."
In this world, dungeons are seen as symbols of calamity from which monsters overflow. That is why the idea of using such things for peaceful purposes simply didn't exist for the people here.
"Now, let’s stop reminiscing. We are heading to Weed as planned."
With that, Hifi-san gathered her papers and stood up.
"Unfortunately, we won't be able to just enjoy the New Year's festivities."
"Yes. Until last year, we could relax as Yuki-dono’s kin, but this year is different. The year-end and New Year events held in Weed serve as an important meeting place for us, the leaders of nations, to gauge the path of the coming year."
As Hifi-san said, from this year-end onward, it wouldn't just be about enjoying a festival. The countries of the Rogali Continent had likely been participating for a while, but starting now, representatives from the If Continent and the New Continent, who were involved in the intercontinental trade, would be showing their faces. If they didn't show up, they would be at a disadvantage in future trade negotiations. Not showing up was essentially the same as declaring that they didn't want to maintain relations.
"However, it is a relief that Weed's New Year schedule differs from the If Continent's."
"Well, there was never a clear, unified date across the continents to begin with."
When the intercontinental trade began, they had to decide on a common date and calendar management. There was some friction over what to use as the standard, but in the end, it was decided to use Weed as the base.
"Most countries prefer to spend the beginning of the New Year quietly. New Year's greetings usually happen between the 5th and the 10th."
"Well, they don't have the national power to celebrate as boisterously as Weed does yet."
"Yes. I hope that one day, we can celebrate the New Year without any worries, just like Weed. Now, let’s go. It’s already the 29th of December, and we’re cutting it close."
"According to Yuki-kun, there are countries that have already set out since the 25th."
"Goodness. They are quite impatient."
Originally, the plan for intercontinental trade was to gather in Weed on January 3rd, but Weed’s biggest New Year events were on the 31st of December and the 1st through the 3rd of January. So, while heading to Weed on December 29th might seem early at first glance, there were meetings with various countries and preliminary negotiations to be held, so sticking strictly to the schedule wouldn't leave enough time. That was why some countries had been staying in Weed since the 25th.
There might be countries that visit on the 3rd as planned, but that could potentially be seen as a lack of enthusiasm for the trade. If that were to happen, it would be a grave blunder for a country participating in the intercontinental trade.
Thinking about such things, we first passed through the gate to Betan. While the Hifi Holy Kingdom did have a direct route to Weed, it was strictly for emergencies. Normally, we traveled through Betan, a Weed territory on the If Continent, just like the other nations.
"Hm? Isn't that Hifi-dono?"
"Oh, if it isn't King Noble."
We had run into King Noble of the Ex Kingdom by chance at the Betan immigration checkpoint.
"Taizo-dono is with you as well? Does this mean you are here for the New Year's gathering?"
"Yes. Are you here for the same?"