第９６２堀：何言っているのか理解できません (Part1)
Chapter 962: I Can't Understand What They're Saying
Side: Eupia Zurable
"Your Majesty. This is Show. I have something to report immediately."
How rare. It’s unusual to receive a communication during the day rather than the usual night hours. Something significant must have occurred. With that thought, I picked up the radio.
"What is it? Did something happen?"
"Yes. A fleet from Hein has arrived at Aurelia Port."
"What!?"
*Thud!*
At those words, I slammed my hand, still clutching my pen, onto the desk. I hope I didn't scratch the wood with the pen tip. But that was the least of my concerns right now.
"Is that the truth?"
"There is no mistake. Yuki-sama of Weed requested that we verify the footage captured by their reconnaissance team."
"Then there is no room for error. And what was Weed’s response?"
"Yes. They met them at the mouth of the bay with an aircraft carrier and did not allow them to enter the port."
"Hmm. Naturally. They are a hostile force to us, after all. Wait—'did not allow'? Does that mean the situation is already over?"
What does this mean? I don't think Show would misspeak.
"Yes. That is correct. The matter is already concluded. Everything I am about to tell you is a post-event report."
"Hmm. I see. Did Weed, led by Yuki-dono, destroy the Hein fleet?"
Surely, if it were Yuki-dono, even the Hein Empire wouldn't be much of a match. As I was nodding to myself, Show gave a report mixed with a confusion that was quite unlike him...
"Er, well... Yuki-sama and Weed did indeed suppress the Hein fleet. There were five ships. And all of them were converted merchant vessels."
"...Hm? Did I mishear? I thought I heard the number of ships was five. And you said they were converted merchant ships?"
"Yes. There is no mistake. Hein intended to occupy Aurelia Port with only five ships—and not even warships, but merchant vessels?"
"No, why are you using a questioning tone?"
"Well, the story was so pathetic that even now, I can only categorize it as a joke."
...It’s rare for Show to be this bewildered. Even if it weren't about Weed, this is the Hein Empire we're talking about. Still, I can't say anything until I understand the details.
"Show. I understand you're confused, but that makes it even harder for me to grasp the situation. Explain it from the beginning. I heard the absurd claim that they tried to occupy Aurelia with only five converted merchant ships—is that true?"
"Y-yes. That is the truth. No, wait—it seems they didn't intend to occupy it, but rather to have it ceded to them."
"Huh?"
I don't understand. Cede Aurelia Port?
"What are you talking about? I don't get it. Why cede it? They came to occupy it, didn't they? ...With those five merchant ships?"
Ah, I see now why Show is so perplexed. With only five converted merchant ships, they could transport at most a thousand soldiers. That’s not enough to occupy Aurelia Port. Furthermore, Weed’s massive ship, the *Kuubo*, was standing by. Even though it’s just one ship, it’s a規格外 (out-of-spec) vessel capable of carrying 5,000 personnel and supplies. There’s no way they could lose in such a situation. And in the midst of that, they asked for a cession instead of an occupation?
Ugh... I don't get it. I don't understand it at all.
"Ah, well, how should I put it? Based on what the Hein Empire's envoy said, they were under the impression that Aurelia Port was still under the ownership of the Gusdo Kingdom."
"...I see. There are no communication methods while at sea, so they didn't know the Gusdo Kingdom had fallen. But even so, why would they ask for a cession?"
Other than this radio, the only way to communicate at sea would be to use our country's flying dragons. Although, the idea of sending flying dragons out to sea only just occurred to me, and I don't know if it's even feasible. Regardless, that's beside the point. Hein sent reinforcements to help the Gusdo Kingdom, but why would that lead to a demand for the cession of Aurelia Port?
"...They claimed that by ceding Aurelia Port to Hein for free and through the marriage of Princess Palfil, the Gusdo Kingdom would become a vassal state of the Hein Empire and be guaranteed prosperity..."
...Huh?
It was spoken in a language I know well, but it didn't register in my brain at all.
"...Forgive me. Could you say that one more time?"
"...They said that with the free cession of Aurelia Port and the marriage of Princess Palfil to the envoy, the Gusdo Kingdom would become a vassal state of the Hein Empire and be guaranteed future prosperity."
"..."
We both fell silent, overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the content. I see—Show wasn't just confused. He couldn't even comprehend it in the first place. I can't make heads or tails of it either. Just as I was thinking that, a third voice cut into the radio.
"Well, you two. Calm down. The way they put it was a bit much, but if you think about it calmly, it’s not *that* incomprehensible."
"Is that you, Yuki-dono?"
"Yes. The situation was just so unique and complex that I asked him to let me sit in on this."
"My apologies for doing this without Your Majesty's permission. The reason... I believe you understand."
"Indeed. I understand the reason perfectly well. It is fine. Honestly, this helps me as well. So, what part of the Hein Empire's demands makes sense?"
"First of all, their premise was wrong."
"Premise?"
"Yes. As Emperor Eupia confirmed earlier, the Hein Empire thought the Gusdo Kingdom was still standing. They claimed they came as reinforcements with that fleet. In other words, they must have thought the Gusdo Kingdom's territory was still intact. Which means..."
Ah, now that he puts it that way, the picture is starting to become clear.
"In other words, the Hein Empire arrived at what they thought was the safe Aurelia Port and demanded its cession to ensure future reinforcements could land without issue. Is that it?"
"Exactly. That makes the pieces fit. The marriage to Princess Palfil would also serve as a sufficient justification for the Hein Empire to help Gusdo in the future."
So they asked for the cession to avoid the hassle of port entry procedures. And they demanded Princess Palfil as a bride to serve as their justification for protecting Gusdo.
"...Well, as Yuki-sama said, their premise was completely wrong to begin with, and they were acting completely condescending. Thanks to that, we were in total chaos here."
"I imagine so. From Princess Palfil's perspective, they were demanding the last bit of territory she barely managed to keep. And I assume she didn't just listen to those conditions in silence?"
"Yes. It seems the Gusdo Kingdom had requested aid from the Hein Empire, but not only did they fail to arrive in time, the Princess was enraged by the demand to cede Aurelia Port and hand over her own person."
"I should think so."
It would be strange if she *weren't* angry.
"And so, they demanded that Yuki-sama and Weed, who were present at the discussion, choose between being branded as rebels of a country they didn't even know, or handing over the *Kuubo* and being let go."