第１１５１堀：幽霊ってなに？ (Part2)
"Oh, now that you mention it, I suppose that does make sense. Not that I’ve ever seen a docile ghost, mind you..."
"Regardless, continued observation is necessary. If she can manage to fully manifest during that process, or if we happen to find Hivia’s remains or bones, she might be able to return as an undead."
"Yeah, she looks like a ghost, but the instruments show absolutely no magical energy. Her current state is truly a mystery. Or perhaps the very concept of a 'ghost' is a mystery in itself? I understand the theory about the remains, but it’ll likely just be bones. It’s been at least two hundred years since she passed."
"I suppose bringing her back—or rather, turning her into an undead—might be considered madness."
"...That, we shall have to discuss further."
Hmm. A return in the form of a skeleton, is it? That would certainly be a shock for a woman. Then again, I have subordinates who are skeletons yet still possess the capacity for thought. Where exactly do they do their thinking? The nature of magical energy is truly unfathomable.
Well, Hivia’s situation can wait for now.
"Anyway, there don't seem to be any immediate issues, so please continue the investigation. I’d like to have some kind of lead by the time Wazfi finishes his training."
"Wazfi, huh? How is that going, actually? He’s supposed to be joining us for our Great Tree Sea run, isn't he? Deryu is training him, but is he really going to be up to the task?"
"Ah, they’re both primarily hand-to-hand fighters, so they’ve actually become quite close. They were exhausted on the first day, but now they’re gleefully beating the hell out of each other. Poor Naruia is gasping for air just trying to keep up."
"Well, she’s being dragged into a brawl between a combat-specialist Demon Lord and a mage who loves fisticuffs. It’s no wonder Naruia, a standard mage, is struggling. Besides, Deryu is practically immune to magic tools."
Indeed. Deryu is the type to overwhelm with raw power. While she remains cautious against opponents of similar caliber, like myself, the gap in ability between her and the likes of Wazfi and Naruia is so vast that any clever tricks are meaningless. Even so, Naruia is doing her best to support Wazfi while mostly focusing on evasion. The fact that she can even hold her own against a Demon Lord of that stature is proof of how much her skills have improved.
Deryu is surprisingly good at teaching, and she knows how to pull her punches. She shows no mercy to those who slack off, so the fact that they are 'holding their own' is proof enough that Wazfi and Naruia are putting in the work.
"So, for now, we’re just waiting on Wazfi and holding this position until the Great Tree Sea exploration day?"
"That seems to be the case. There’s nothing else we can do for now. We have plenty of work, though, with all the research data pouring in from various places. By the way, Yuki, what will you be doing?"
"Ah, as for my schedule... I’ve found myself in a position where I need to select some slaves, so I’m going to get that over with."
I said it quite casually, but Taiki, Taizo, and Sota froze, their faces turning deathly pale, while Comet and Agil looked equally stunned.
"Eh? Yuki? What on earth has gotten into you? You... selecting slaves? ...Ah, wait. Is this for work?"
"Ah, right! That makes sense. I couldn't imagine you wanting slaves for any other reason."
"Exactly. Things are starting to settle down regarding the Dafaio Kingdom incident, and I’m facing another mountain of meeting requests. It’s a waste of my time to handle every single one of them personally..."
"So you’re looking for someone to handle them in your stead. Ah, that sounds like a headache."
"Weed is small as a national organization, so we’re bound to be short on negotiators for that sort of thing. But even so, can a slave really handle negotiations with a nation, however small?"
"Indeed. There are few slaves capable of dealing with nobility."
"Actually, for the smaller nations, the plan is to have Princess Fiora of the Dafaio Kingdom handle it. It seems that just offering to lend them an experimental site wasn't quite enough of a draw."
Honestly, Seraria told me that other countries have been practically begging to come here, offering to lend us as many experimental sites as we want. Well, I suppose the experiments with water-generating magic tools are necessary in various places, but do they really expect me to go to every single one of them?
But when it comes to that, I need a negotiator who stands on equal footing. Hence, Princess Fiora.
*Sigh.* I tried so hard to resist, yet here I am, right back where I started.
"Ah, that makes sense. Even I would think, 'If I can get a famous person to visit, along with incredible tools I’ve never seen before, just by providing an experimental site, then by all means!' Plus, it helps the country prosper."
If even Comet says that, then I suppose my attempt to escape the situation was truly pathetic.
*Sigh.*
Now then, how should I go about choosing these slaves?
Tell me, what do you think defines a "ghost"? It’s fun to ponder such definitions, isn't it?
...What? It’s not fun?