第１０６３堀：政治の汚いところ (Part1)
### Chapter 1063: The Grimy Side of Politics
**Side: Show**
“……And so, please treat the woman who claimed to be a goddess and used that Magic Gear as having died.”
“At least make a show of hiding the truth.”
“Understood.”
His Majesty and I were receiving a report from Yuki-sama regarding the fate of “Senal,” the woman who had crashed the decisive battle while claiming to be a “goddess.”
“Well, even if we hide it, people will eventually want to know the truth, won’t they?”
“Well, that is certainly true.”
“Hmm. Not hiding it is a form of sincerity, I suppose.”
To think that the one who called herself a goddess was actually… the real deal?
“Still, even coming from Yuki-dono, it’s hard to believe. A goddess who has done nothing until now, suddenly doing this? And interfering in that decisive battle, of all things.”
“Indeed. It defies reality. This is no different from being told to let a bandit go free, is it?”
What is most incomprehensible is the claim that she caused the very suffering we endured simply to save the lives of her companions.
Are we to silently let such a dangerous individual go? No matter how much I respect Yuki-dono, that is a joke of the highest order.
Well, I have no way of knowing how much of that story is the truth.
“So, are you going to designate the Seraphina Church as an enemy? It seems she had plans to trigger various things across the land the moment she died.”
“That is the problem. Hans wouldn’t agree to that, either. Hostility toward the Seraphina Church would become another massive spark for conflict. That priestess, Senal, was apparently a military medic. Her reputation is exceptionally good. If we were to behead her as a traitor, the backlash would be inevitable.”
“Even if we announced that she was merely posing as a priestess and was actually a god who brought chaos to this land, no one would believe it. It would just sound like an incomprehensible, baseless accusation. If anything, to an outsider, she looks like nothing more than a victim who was pushed around by the foolish successors of the Hain Empire.”
Ugh, this is a troublesome matter.
Since she was with those foolish successors, we could technically apply the charge of treason… but as His Majesty says, considering her reputation thus far, that would be difficult to justify.
“Be that as it may, we cannot simply leave her be. After all, the monsters she summoned with that Magic Gear at the time were undoubtedly disaster-class. The mere fact that she can command such things is a sufficient threat.”
“That’s why I’m keeping her under protection. We’re also being jerked around by idiots claiming to be gods, so I’ll use her to flush those types out. You lot do that sort of thing often enough, don’t you?”
“……Well, I suppose. It is a standard tactic.”
“Yes. We do indeed do such things as a matter of course. But even so, the opponent this time is…”
The power involved is simply too great. It is something we could never hope to contain…
“Hmm. However, it was Yuki-dono who captured her. We have no right to interfere from the sidelines. If Yuki-dono says she is dead, then she is dead.”
“Haa… I suppose that is all we can say.”
Yuki-sama’s request this time was for us to treat the priestess Senal, who claimed to be a goddess, as dead.
Under normal circumstances, he would have no obligation to even inform us of that fact. The fact that he did so is a testament to his trust in us, and a clear signal that he has no intention of deceiving us.
Regardless of everything else, we desire a good relationship with Weed moving forward.
Doing something to sour that is something we must avoid even more than letting Senal go. Above all else…
“Judging by Yuki-dono’s words, there may still be other companions of this ‘goddess,’ so I understand the need to keep her as a source of information.”
“Ah, that is certainly one aspect of it. If there are others who can summon monsters of that level, we must definitely flush them out. Yes. If we think of it that way, there should be no problem.”
His Majesty seems convinced by my explanation.
That’s right—if there might be remnants left, there is no point in rushing to execute her now. If we handle this poorly, her companions might cause another incident just like it.
That is something we absolutely must avoid. It would cause us to stumble in our future governance.
That is likely why Yuki-dono made this choice.
“Still, a ‘god,’ huh? And is there a possibility that she is related to the state of my body?”
“Well, I’m still in the middle of interrogating her. I haven’t even been able to ask about the immortality yet. So, what will you do? If you find out the solution, will you give up your immortality?”
“Your Majesty…”
At Yuki-sama’s question, I found myself speaking out in unison with His Majesty.
That’s right—His Majesty had mentioned that one day, she would leave this country.
…I never imagined that day would come so soon.
“Wait, wait. Why are you both making faces as if it’s ‘already the end’? Do you think I would abandon this country in such a state? Even old man Hans wouldn’t allow that.”
“My deepest apologies. You are quite right. Besides, you said you would wait until you found me a husband, didn’t you?”
“Indeed. Furthermore, we have only just begun our association with Weed. Our participation in the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance is just getting started. I still need Show to work for me for a long time yet. So, Yuki-dono, even if I get an answer regarding the immortality, I have no intention of undoing it. I don’t know what kind of backlash that might cause. However…”
“However?”
“I do want to ask why she made me immortal. Was it merely a whim? Or was there some intention behind it?”
Indeed, why choose His Majesty and go through the trouble of making her immortal? That is a major question. After all, His Majesty was merely a young girl in a small village at the time, and she didn’t have any particular talent that stood out…
No, the fact that His Majesty stands here today proves she was never mediocre. One must assume that “the god saw through to this talent.”
“That is certainly something to be curious about. Understood. If you were talking about suicide, I’d have to stop you, but if it’s just a conversation, that’s fine.”
“Indeed. I leave it to you. And I cannot afford to die just yet. After all, I have promised to watch over Aslin and the others as they grow, and to play with them. Once my work here settles down, I intend to head to Weed for the Intercontinental Exchange negotiations and soak in the hot springs to my heart’s content.”
“Indeed. As for me, I would love to visit the hot springs once I finish my survey of the Great Mountain Range and return.”
“Oh, that’s right. You were called away from your survey of the Great Mountain Range to come to me, weren’t you? So, how is it? The survey?”
“Ah, I’m curious about that too. Aslin and the others returned to Weed as soon as Show went back to work. They brought the monsters they’d tamed with them, too.”
“Wait, I know Aslin-dono and the others returned, but shouldn’t Agil and Milly have remained behind?”
That is correct. When I returned, Aslin and the others took their “friends”—no, the monsters they had protected—back to Weed for the sake of research… or rather, for safety. But Agil and Milly should have remained at the site to continue the investigation.
“Ah, Milly was reassigned to support the decisive battle. As for Agil, she returned to Weed to pick up some equipment, but she flew right back to the site as soon as she was done.”