第８１８堀：仲間は海の国へ (Part1)
Chapter 818: The Comrades Head to the Sea Kingdom
Side: Seraria
“...I see. So, things went well with Baron Jama.”
I say this while reviewing the report.
“Well, to begin with, there’s no reason for anyone with a sound mind to refuse, is there?”
“Ratz is right. Though, since it was a royal decree, he wouldn’t have had much room to refuse anyway.”
“Still, I’m glad the villagers accepted them. Right, Tori?”
“That’s true. It’s hard to get things done if the relationship is sour.”
“...Being on good terms with the villagers is a good thing.”
Voices of agreement rise from everyone in response to my assessment. As Eris pointed out, the possibility of trouble or a refusal regarding the Baron Jama territory was infinitesimally low from the start. It was merely a foregone conclusion. Hearing the actual situation just puts my mind at ease.
Furthermore, they’ve managed to build a positive relationship with the local populace. Discord with the residents is something I truly want to avoid. And the primary reason they were able to build such a rapport is...
“Allocating the budget for the super sento was the right call. Thanks to that, things proceeded smoothly, and the situation remains favorable even now.”
“Calling it a ‘remote backwater’ might be rude to Micos and Baron Jama, but I was surprised when Yuki-sama said he was going to build a super sento in such a small village.”
“I never imagined the goal was to lure people in from the Royal Capital.”
“...Mm. Yuki’s ideas are as outlandish as ever. That said, this effectively ties the Baron Jama territory and the Royal Capital of Haiden together. In the event of an emergency, the Haiden military will be the first to mobilize. Thanks to that, we won’t have to divert our own resources.”
Exactly. That was the purpose behind constructing such an inappropriately luxurious building on the land we borrowed in Baron Jama’s territory. It ensures that if something happens, the Haiden military will act. If we were to step in any further, it would cause Haiden to lose face; and if Haiden failed to protect a Weed facility—which is open to the public with their own authorization—it would become an international incident and invite fierce criticism from within their own country.
Admittedly, there is a certain absurdity in needing to borrow our power via the Gate for that very purpose, but let’s turn a blind eye to that for now.
When soldiers and civilians come to the Jama territory, they will inevitably see our Weed facilities and our stationed troops. Yuki’s secondary objective is to suppress the lingering anti-Weed sentiment through that exposure. The King of Haiden had mentioned that his headache was the militant factions still smoldering from the time the Haire religion’s machinations ended without a full-scale war. We’ve provided a solution to that problem right here.
“We won’t be leaving defense and public order entirely to them, but as Cleena said, we can avoid splitting our own combat strength. The Weed facilities are also being operated by volunteers recruited from the Jama residents.”
“Yuki-sama always thinks about local employment, doesn’t he? This will foster intimacy with the Jama residents, and it should reduce any tyranny from the Haiden military or tourists toward the locals. Things like that are bound to happen to some extent, after all.”
“And while I wouldn’t go so far as to say they are adjacent, this will also serve as a deterrent against the Margrave. They’ve been reaching out to Micos-san, but with us doing this much, I don’t think they’ll push their agenda so blatantly. It would be an act of picking a fight with the Royal Family, and by extension, picking a fight with Weed.”
Our preparations against the Margrave are also perfect. With this, we can finally...
“Yuki and the others can head to the Kingdom of Sea-Cypho without worrying about their rear.”
Now, we can move toward the main objective. It was quite a roundabout process, but such is the difficulty of dealing with nations—there are just things that must be done.
“It took quite a while, didn’t it?”
“True. So, have Yuki-san and the others already departed?”
“...Going by the time, they should be leaving the Kingdom of Haiden by now. They’ve already left Baron Jama’s territory and are on the verge of crossing the border.”
I follow Kaya’s lead and look at the clock in the room; it’s already past eleven. The Kingdom of Sea-Cypho’s army, which had been scrambling to prepare for departure since last night, moved from the Haiden Royal Capital to Baron Jama’s territory this morning and is currently heading straight for the border.
“They really pushed themselves, doing all that in just a day.”
“They probably want to show off the utility of the Gate to Haiden, Baron Jama’s territory, and the Sea-Cypho army. This way, not just the bigwigs, but the rank-and-file soldiers will learn of Weed’s technological prowess.”
“And shortening the travel time is a blessing.”
“Well, it depends on how the people on the other side view it.”
“If they see this and decide to view us as a threat, then so be it. If they get in Yuki-san’s way, I’ll cut them down.”
I think Milly’s statement is a bit extreme, but if they do get in the way, we will use force. More than anything, this is a good way to cultivate a pro-Weed faction within Sea-Cypho in preparation for the event that they turn hostile. It’s good to have people in Sea-Cypho who want to avoid a direct clash with Weed. That will likely drag the enemy’s feet when the time comes. Well, General Lake and his retinue are likely the leaders of that faction.
As I’m thinking about this, Riel reacts to Milly’s comment.
“But still, after going to all this trouble, do you think anyone would actually try to pick a fight? Sea-Cypho doesn’t seem to have the luxury for that, what with their sea problems.”
“I understand what Riel is saying, but people who think of nothing but trouble are everywhere. Look at Aquenoki, for example.”
“...Come to think of it, there was someone like that. How are things on that front?”
Indeed, I hadn’t heard any news regarding Aquenoki’s movements lately.
“Kirika. Are you there?”
“Yes. I am here.”
“And the situation with Aquenoki?”
“Aquenoki is still in a country other than the Kingdom of Sea-Cypho. They haven’t shown any movements that could be called such. They are unrelated to this current matter, and there is no sign of them intending to move and take advantage of this trouble.”
“...From the sound of it, it seems we can focus on Sea-Cypho for the time being.”
“Yes. However, we must not let our guard down. It is precisely at times like these that situations change suddenly. ...And yet, the Master would not allow us to go ahead.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. We don’t know how the influence of Hairen’s barrier will manifest, and we cannot afford to lose you and your subordinates over something like that. My husband’s opinion—that we should move you only after establishing a situation where you can withdraw immediately—is only natural.”
Kirika and the others are indeed my subordinates, but they are not disposable. That is precisely why my husband and the others, who know there is no influence, are going ahead. They can manage by using Cores to increase their bases along the way. If something were to happen to my husband and the others, they would be able to withdraw immediately using the established bases.
“I understand the worry, though. The ‘what if Yuki-san and the others are attacked...’ part.”
“Nah. Tori, you don’t need to worry about that. After all, Yuki-san and the others are traveling in that vehicle.”
“...Right. They’re in the usual Marauder. The only things that could destroy that are modern weapons. And even then, it would have to be a direct hit from a tank cannon.”
And the reason we aren’t overly worried is that this time, they aren’t traveling on foot or by carriage, but by automobile, accompanied by General Lake and his retinue. If it had been on foot, I might have stopped them, but since the car makes the travel time so short, I gave them the green light.