第９４３堀：晩餐会の意図 (Part1)
### Chapter 943: The Intent of the Banquet
**Side: Yuki**
I had arrived at the venue for the welcoming banquet held at the Imperial Palace of the Zurable Empire, but I still hadn't managed to organize my thoughts.
The reason for my mental block was Princess Parphil, the sole survivor of the Gusdo Kingdom.
Initially, I had pegged her as the tragic princess—the starting point of some story—whose country had been destroyed by the wicked Zurable Empire. But as it turns out, the flow of the narrative had shifted. The Zurable Empire was far more rational than I had anticipated and was showing a clear willingness to engage in dialogue.
In other words, since it looked like we could avoid a war, reclaiming the Gusdo Kingdom was becoming increasingly difficult.
That left us with the thorny issue of what to do with Princess Parphil, just as Seraria had pointed out. If it had been a war, we could have used her as a banner, but in a peaceful negotiation, I had no idea how to handle her. I certainly couldn't negotiate for the return of her territory in parallel with peace talks. Doing so would likely sour our relationship with the Zurable Empire.
Well, I suppose things would become clearer as we gathered more information, but even so, having saved her, simply tossing her aside now that she was "useless" would be a terrible blow to Weed’s reputation. It would look as though we had deceived a princess we promised to save and sold her off to an enemy nation.
"Husband, you seem quite troubled."
"Ah, Rurua. You can tell?"
"Of course. I am your wife. I am your other half. We all are."
When she said that, I looked around and saw my wives nodding, their faces filled with concern.
"Yuki, you’re just too kind. But we haven't even spoken properly with Emperor Eupia yet, so let’s just take it slow and think about it later."
"Riel is right. There’s no point in stewing over it now."
"…Yuki said the same thing himself just a moment ago."
Hearing that from Riel, Tori, and Kaya finally helped me regain my composure.
"Right, you're all correct. First, it’s vital to confirm the true intentions of the Zurable Empire."
"Yes. I was careless to bring up Princess Parphil there, too. It’s just that you tend to overthink things. Nothing has been decided yet, so let’s just clear our heads for now. It’s not as if Princess Parphil is going to die this instant."
Seraria said this, helping me shift my perspective. I suppose because I had declared I would "subdue the enemy," the fact that they weren't actually enemies had made me worry all the more.
"Right. And to hear those true intentions, this banquet is crucial. Quar, I’m counting on you for security."
"Yes, sir. Leave it to me. Though, with the wives present, perhaps security isn't even necessary."
"I can't afford to be lax, given our position. We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Be especially wary of poison and surprise attacks."
When I said that, everyone nodded, acknowledging the necessity. Poisoning is a staple of these kinds of banquets, after all. Though, thanks to the "broken" rings Narjia had crafted for us, we could completely nullify any toxins.
"If there is poison, secure the evidence and find the source. That is how a nation should respond. Just because we can neutralize it doesn't mean we should play dumb and eat it anyway."
"Yes!"
They all seemed to understand; no one offered a counterargument. Handling poison is a delicate matter—one wrong move and the blame could easily be shifted back onto us. The Zurable Empire had clearly earned the resentment of the old imperial faction, so if we were careless, there might be those waiting to frame us—Weed or Sea-Cypho—for any incident.
"…Still, it’s a pain to have to be this cautious about every single meal."
"Yuki, I understand how you feel, but that is the norm, isn't it?"
"Indeed. As Deryu-san says, both my father and brother always had their meals thoroughly inspected before they could even meet with you, Yuki."
"That old man can eat cold leftovers for all I care. Oh, but I’m truly grateful that Sister Aria can finally eat warm food now."
"Ignoring Seraria’s comment, I really don't think it's worth it to become royalty if you can't even eat a warm meal."
The idea that you couldn't enjoy a hot meal simply because you held a high position was just too tragic.
As I was thinking this, music began to play from the stage, and as if on cue, Emperor Eupia appeared from the wings.
"Indeed. I have prepared a modest offering for tonight's banquet. Our guests of honor are the envoys from Weed and Sea-Cypho, who have traveled from far beyond the Great Mountain Range."
As Emperor Eupia introduced us, the gazes of everyone in the room converged on us at once.
"Hmm. Do you think Emperor Eupia intends to use this banquet to verify our identities with the influential figures here?"
"I think Ratz is right. These are different people from those we were with during the day, so we should take this as a sign that they hold us in high regard. What do you think, Yuki?"
"Well, I’m not sure what kind of 'high regard' it is, but I don't think Ratz and Eris's assessment is far off. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of hosting this banquet on the second night, when they’re still questioning if we’re the real envoys. They’re likely showing us off to various power players to see if any information surfaces."
They were trying to confirm if we were truly envoys from Weed and Sea-Cypho. Seeing them rush the verification process like this, they were clearly desperate to determine whether we were friend or foe.
…They seemed to be juggling quite a few troublesome issues behind the scenes.
Well, looking at Emperor Eupia’s age and the blessing of the Goddess, it was obvious they had a mountain of problems, but I had no intention of sticking my neck into that.
As I pondered this, the banquet began.
"Now, to the arrival of our envoys from afar, and to their courage—cheers."
"Cheers!"
With the toast proposed, the participants all drank their wine. Even though it was a standing banquet, the fact that they could organize it so quickly spoke volumes about the Zurable Empire’s underlying strength.
Moreover, the drinks were perfectly chilled. This wasn't due to the season; they were using artificial ice. The servers, who were actually mages, were creating and supplying ice right there in the hall. Several were on standby, ready to fulfill any request. It showed they had enough surplus to use mages even for mere entertainment.
As far as I knew, the only person who used magic so extravagantly—creating ice on the spot to put in drinks—was Samantha. This alone proved that the Zurable Empire had a very deep pool of mages. And considering the 2nd Expeditionary Force’s flying magic unit alone had 1,500 members, I could only imagine how high the caliber of their mages truly was.
Well, enough analysis. I took a sip of the wine I’d been served.
"Mmm, it’s a white wine."
"It is. Though, it’s a bit too astringent and leaves a bad aftertaste, which is a pity."
"You’re harsh, Milly."