第１０８８堀：未来を見据えて (Part2)
「Yes. As a Royal Guard general, setting that aside, I was initially worried if I could serve Her Majesty, feeling exactly as Tefa and the others do now. But now, I'm like this, so perhaps it's a matter of how often one meets and gets used to it? Didn't Non feel incredibly nervous as Ratz's subordinate at first?」
「Ah, now that you mention it, that's right.」
It wasn't just Non; everyone who came to Weed misunderstood that this country was built by our power, and they paid us the utmost respect.
Conversely, we, who were merely slaves until recently, struggled to get used to such treatment at first.
Amidst all that, Non's naturally easygoing personality meant his stiff demeanor didn't last long, but indeed, serious Tefa and Poni still seem incredibly rigid.
「So, if we're to take Quar's advice, it comes down to spending more time together. However, since they're in different departments, we can't just have them share desks, so what should we do?」
「Well, smooth information transfer and cooperation are essential, so it would be best to get them accustomed by meeting somewhere, no, regularly. Fortunately, they're in the same building, so perhaps we could summon them to have lunch together. Their stomachs might ache at first, thinking it's a direct summons from Her Majesty the Queen for a luncheon.」
「Ahaha, indeed.」
「They'll just have to get used to it. Or rather, they won't be able to complain about such things in the future.」
Seraria, without reacting to Quar's teasing, flapped the documents I had handed her.
「...Do you believe we'll become even busier from now on?」
「Yes. The intercontinental cooperation my husband envisioned—that is, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance—is now in motion. Furthermore, with the matter of the Kingdom of Dafaios, not only major powers but also clusters of smaller nations will begin to participate in earnest. While that in itself is cause for joy, it will become impossible for the chief retainers—meaning just me and Ratz—to handle relations with each country. You both understand this well, don't you?」
「Yes. To be honest, it's impossible.」
「Indeed. Even now, we're completely short-handed. Well, it was good that we had already arranged to entrust the Kingdom of Seasaifo to the Kingdom of Heiden, but dealing with the Great Empire of Zurabul alone is already tight.」
「Exactly. And if all reports regarding relations with these increasing nations are routed through Ratz and Eris, it will become too cumbersome to process. It's time for you all to withdraw from the front lines of your respective departments and completely hand over to your successors. From now on, our main focus will be negotiations with nations in unexplored territories and research into mana depletion. We can't coddle those children forever.」
Indeed, while they're doing well, it's also true that we haven't fully let go yet.
So, now that things have come to this, you mean we should make them stand on their own?
「Furthermore, the incident with the Great Empire of Zurabul and the Heian Empire revealed the existence of Luna and a faction of gods opposed to the High Gods. Senal went well, but that might not always be the case in the future. We, too, must further strengthen our forces and gather information in advance. Therefore, we will focus our efforts there. In fact, I believe if we don't focus there, the situation will become dire.」
「Hmm. Does Your Majesty believe that battles with those individuals will occur and intensify in the future?」
「It would be overly optimistic to think otherwise. Moreover, regarding information gathering, the matter of the Kingdom of Dafaios will lead to more small nations joining. While overt hostility is one thing, there will also be those who try to undermine the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance or Weed itself from within. Roschur and Litea were examples of that.」
「That's right.」
Well, while Roschur's internal strife was caused by Litea's manipulation, the fundamental problem was having fools within the country who would fall for such sweet talk.
「Our nation, Weed, has a very unique political system. While intervention through bloodline is almost impossible, conversely, if one possesses talent, their country of origin doesn't matter. Through this system, there's a concern that people could be sent from various nations to seize control of our internal affairs.」
「Yes. Yuki had concerns about that from the beginning. However, with such thriving international exchange, it would be impossible to overtly favor a specific nation or multiple nations. If we did, it would be exposed to everyone in an instant.」
「It's a matter of there being any number of fools who don't understand that, isn't it?」
「Exactly. And since it's troublesome to have our hands tied dealing with each instance, I think it's better to reconsider our countermeasures for that as well. For that purpose, discussions with the current representatives who know the front lines are necessary.」
So, that's why their rigidity is a problem.
「Understood. I will ask Non and the other representatives for their opinions. Then, based on that, we will devise a way to explore strategies for how we should proceed.」
「Yes. I'll leave it to you.」
And so, this cute rabbit Beastman was about to begin new work.
It seems Weed's internal affairs will use this opportunity to further train their subordinates.
How long will it take until they can speak casually with Seraria?