第９４９堀：問題を片づけたらまた問題が出てくる (Part1)
**Chapter 949: Solving One Problem Only to Find Another**
**Side: Yuki**
It was so unexpected that I found myself double-checking the facts: Hairen—yes, that airheaded flower-child—had actually managed to secure the export agreement for the Magic Gear from the Haire Religion. It seems she’s capable of acting like a proper goddess when she’s in front of her believers.
"I’m so sorry, Master. I couldn't find a way to break the flow of the conversation..."
"Archbishop Enol ended up having to go to the Zurable Empire."
"No, I truly apologize. I never imagined things would turn out this way."
"Indeed. I was asked to handle it, and I am deeply sorry for this outcome."
Rurua, Enora, Archbishop Enol, and Sota stood before me, bowing their heads deeply in unison.
Honestly, with the four of them there—not to mention Lilishe tagging along with Hairen—I had assumed the situation would devolve into total chaos, making any kind of agreement impossible. There was no need for them to apologize. In fact, given the company they were keeping, I wanted to praise them for managing to pull off an agreement at all.
However, praising them too overtly would imply that Hairen was an idiot, so I had to tread carefully.
"No, you’ve done a great service by settling the matter. I honestly thought it would be much more contentious."
...Mostly because of Hairen’s idiocy.
I swallowed that last part and offered them vague, appreciative words.
"I was surprised that Archbishop Enol ended up joining the delegation, but there’s no better way to keep a tight leash on how the Magic Gear is used. It’s always better to have someone with firsthand experience speaking on these things. I doubt Emperor Eupia would ignore someone like him. He’ll likely weave the tragedy and the heroic tale together to boost his own nation's morale."
"But Yuki," Enora asked, looking worried. "How are you going to bring Archbishop Enol along? How far do you intend to take the talks with the Zurable Empire? You aren't actually planning on having them join the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance just like that, are you?"
"Well, I’d like to steer the conversation toward them joining the alliance eventually, but it’s too early for that. There are too many unknowns regarding the situation in that region. First, we need to gather information on the former Imperial faction."
"Master," Rurua interjected. "I agree that we need intelligence, but if we do that, the Zurable Empire will surely place us under surveillance. If we aren't careful, they might label us as enemies."
She was right. Emperor Eupia had told me that if I sided with the former Imperial faction, we would be at war. And if it came to that, we would indeed have to fight. That Emperor would exhaust every resource to protect his country; he wouldn't leave a potential threat unchecked.
"Don't worry about that. I’ll form a separate detachment to handle the investigation. In any case, things with the Zurable Empire will be a slow process."
"What do you mean?"
"Our primary objective was to assist the emissaries from Seasifo. Now that we’ve reached a tentative reconciliation with the Zurable Empire, the first thing we need to do is contact them."
"Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot."
It was easy to lose track of the original mission amidst the unexpected developments. We had gone to the Zurable Empire solely to negotiate an end to the hostilities so we wouldn't get dragged into the war. Since that was settled, returning to report was the logical next step.
"Diplomat Menou and General Lake have already returned to their home country, haven't they?"
"Yeah, we’re waiting for their reports. After that, we have to deal with Princess Palfil, whom we rescued. That’s the most troublesome part. Plus, we need to decide who will oversee Aurelia Port."
"..."
The group went silent. They had completely forgotten.
It was easy to get caught up in the Zurable Empire and the conflict with the former Imperial faction, but we had a massive problem looming right in front of us: the reconstruction and administration of Aurelia Port. Now that the Zurable Empire had officially recognized our claim to the territory, we were responsible for governing it.
We couldn't just leave it to Princess Palfil to "comfort" her; that would be a violation of the treaty with the Zurable Empire. Besides, if we left Aurelia in her hands, she might just end up attacking the Zurable Empire from behind.
"Good, I’m glad you remembered. So, let’s discuss it. Who do you think we should put in charge of Aurelia Port?"
"..."
When I asked, they all stayed silent. That was to be expected. Weed’s human resources were stretched thin. That was exactly why they had been so reluctant to go to war in the first place—they couldn't handle ruling any more territory. But because of our negotiations with the Zurable Empire, we couldn't use the personnel from the former Gusdo Kingdom. If we had just gone to war, we could have simply installed them as the new administration.
"It can't be helped. We’ll all have to sit down and talk it over. That’s where we start."
Everyone nodded. And so, I gathered everyone to discuss the task at hand.
"This is bad," Seraria said, her brow furrowed. "I mean, the Magic Gear situation is fine. If Archbishop Enol is going to speak about it himself, Emperor Eupia will have to take it seriously. The real problem is the administration of Aurelia Port."
"Indeed," Rurua added, looking equally troubled. "Because of our promise to the Zurable Empire, we can't just leave it to the people of the former Gusdo Kingdom..."
Both Seraria and Rurua were former rulers—one a queen, the other a saintess. If they were wearing expressions like that, the situation was clearly dire.
"Indeed," Deryu chimed in. "Perhaps the Emperor anticipated this much and left the administration of Aurelia Port to us on purpose."
Deryu had a point. He wasn't the kind of Emperor who would miss such details.
"That’s highly likely," Shera agreed. "Besides, even though you’re a consort, Yuki, would an Emperor really sit down for alliance talks with a mere emissary? Usually, that’s handled by subordinates."
"Shera’s right," Agil added. "The whole situation was incredibly unnatural. Though, I suppose since you’re always barging in on the heads of state, Yuki, it didn't feel strange to you."
They were right. It was bizarre for an Emperor of a Great Empire to deal with an emissary from a country of unknown standing.
"I don't think it's that strange," Cleena said quietly. "He came out himself because he felt threatened by the power of Weed. The other kings we’ve dealt with were the same."
"Cleena is right," Samantha added, supporting her while still looking skeptical. "My own sovereign, His Majesty Blade, was the same, and I’m sure the kings of Kagra’s homeland were too. Though, as Shera says, when the scale reaches that of a Great Empire, it does raise questions."
"Well, we can think about the Emperor’s motives later," I said. "The current problem is who to station at Aurelia Port. Since the Weed and Seasifo members are currently in the Zurable Empire for negotiations, the administration of Aurelia Port can stay as it is for now, but..."