第９２２堀：絶望か希望か (Part2)
The aircraft carrier was so massive that I had no trouble finding a place for it, but it’s certainly not the sort of thing that fits inside a typical building.
As I pondered that, my eyes adjusted to the surroundings, and the scene began to clarify. A large brick building stood before us, and we were surrounded by a phalanx of goblins armed with firearms. I hadn’t doubted it for a second, but it seemed the reports of a complete pacification were true.
"This way, please."
As we followed the goblin’s guidance to the main gate of the lord’s mansion, we found it occupied by more armed goblins, with a crowd of people gathered outside.
"Who are you people! Get out of the way! I have urgent matters to report to the Princess!"
"The Princess is currently handling an emergency, so please wait a while longer. Furthermore, if you intend to resort to force, you will end up just like those individuals over there."
The goblin gestured toward a group of soldiers who were bound and tossed onto the ground.
"Guh... I heard that mysterious goblins had raided the lord’s mansion, but to think it had gone this far. Do you have any idea what the current situation is? If the Princess is detained now, Aurelia will be..."
"That is exactly what we are discussing. I understand your feelings, but please, wait."
"Nghhh... Is the Princess safe, at least?"
"That, I can guarantee."
Well, there seem to be plenty of issues, but at least they appear to be capable of rational discussion.
"It seems things have settled down, at least for now."
"Yes. There were some minor skirmishes at the start, but as you can see, it has been quiet since. However, considering the army deployed outside, I suspect we only have until nightfall before things reach a breaking point."
"Understood. I’ll wrap this up as quickly as possible."
"I appreciate it."
As Yuki and the goblin exchanged these words, we entered the mansion. Following them into the grand entrance hall, we were met by Steve and General Rake.
"We’ve been waiting for you."
"We have been expecting you."
They greeted us with those words. Looking at them, they didn't appear to have a scratch on them. That meant there was no one in this port town of Aurelia capable of exceeding the strength of Steve and his men, which gave me a small sense of relief.
"What’s the situation since then?" Yuki asked, not breaking his stride.
"We interrogated the people from the lord’s mansion we captured, and the stories are mostly the same," Steve replied. "The Zurable Empire invaded, and the capital of the Gusdo Kingdom has fallen. There are a few cities left, but communication has been cut off, and their status is unknown. The Princess fled to the port of Aurelia and was in the process of establishing a provisional government to stand against the Zurable Empire, but..."
"It seems the Zurable side already discovered that the Princess had fled here, and an enemy pursuit force is closing in," General Rake added. "With no reinforcements to hope for and facing total annihilation, our Seasypho delegation arrived. They saw it as a stroke of luck and begged us for asylum. That is the current state of affairs."
...That’s absurd.
You can’t just demand asylum from a diplomatic delegation and expect an immediate answer. It’s something that requires taking the matter back home, careful deliberation, and meetings before a decision can be made. Unless there was a prior agreement regarding asylum, a country that only has trade relations via distant ships isn't going to just grant it. As the diplomat Menou said, there is no merit for Seasypho in accepting them. For Seasypho, it would be far more profitable and less of a headache to simply renegotiate trade with whoever ends up ruling Aurelia next.
"So, when they didn't get the answer they wanted, they resorted to detaining the delegation out of desperation?"
"That’s about the size of it," Steve said. "Well, if we had waited around for a formal answer, the remnants of the Gusdo Kingdom would have been wiped clean off the map by then."
"It was likely a desperate measure," the General mused. "A heartfelt wish that, if nothing else, the Princess might escape. They couldn't bear to lose the banner of the Gusdo Kingdom."
"The timing couldn't be worse," I noted. "It feels like Seasypho’s desire to resume trade as quickly as possible backfired in the worst way imaginable."
"Agreed," Yuki said. "But from the perspective of the Gusdo Kingdom, this is their last glimmer of hope."
He was right. To the Kingdom of Seasypho, this was merely a nuisance, but for the Gusdo Kingdom, a path of hope had opened where none existed.
"Regardless, is the entire delegation safe?"
"Yes," Steve confirmed. "Everyone is in good health. We found them under house arrest in this mansion. The crew is also being held in a warehouse at the port, but they all appear to be safe as well."
"The fact that there are no casualties is the only saving grace," General Rake said. "If people had died, negotiations would have been off the table entirely."
He was right. If they had accidentally killed the delegation, there would be no room for negotiation. That was the one sliver of luck in this terrible situation.
"I understand the situation," Yuki said. "Now, I’ll hear it from them directly. Let’s see if they are worth our cooperation, or if we should just let them fall."
"I wonder which it will be."
As Yuki said, we needed to determine if she was worth using as the Princess of the Gusdo Kingdom, or if she was merely dead weight. As a member of the New Continent, and as a member of Weed, I would judge for myself.
For Kagura, this was a scene she had witnessed before. Would Yuki become a beacon of hope for the Gusdo Kingdom, or would he be their despair? What would Kagura and the others see in the Princess of the Gusdo Kingdom?