第１１７０堀：正しい政略結婚 (Part1)
Chapter 1170: A Proper Political Marriage
Side: Yuki
"Yo. Long time no see, I suppose? Orelia, Yayui, Hoviss."
Agil greeted the three of them with a casual air.
"Yes. To be precise, it has been three days, Agil-sama."
"Is that so? Only three days have passed since then, huh? Well, it must be tough, being Yuki’s aides."
"N-no. In practice, today is our first day."
"Ahaha. That’s right. Today was the first day, wasn't it? But Yuki has been busy with all sorts of things, so please forgive him."
"Yes. I’ve already been properly briefed on that, so it’s fine."
Oh? They seem surprisingly comfortable with each other.
Well, while Agil holds the status of a noble, his character as a researcher usually takes precedence, which might make him easier to get along with.
As I was thinking that, Kirika spoke up...
"Agil-sama. The pleasantries are fine, but are you prepared to head to Dafaio?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. The preparations are complete."
"Will you be accompanying us as well, Agil-sama?"
"Yes. I’ve been providing technical support to the Kingdom of Dafaio, and I need to check on the status of that. That is precisely why Yuki is here to recruit Princess Fiora."
...Haa, hearing it put into words by Agil again just makes my spirit wilt.
It feels like I’m demanding her personhood while holding her citizenry hostage.
I’m starting to feel like some sort of Demon Lord.
Still, I can’t back out of it now.
The best course of action is to finish this business as quickly as possible and get back.
"Alright, we’re going directly to Dafaio via Gate. I’ve already contacted them, so there shouldn't be any issues. As planned, Tori and Riel will act as guards for Orelia and the others. Kirika, you’re with me. Agil, I’ll leave the explanation of the survey to you."
"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"
After confirming that everyone had responded, we began our movement.
Though, since we’re traveling by Gate, it won’t take much time at all.
"I have been waiting for you, Yuki-sama. And everyone else."
Upon stepping through the Gate, Princess Fiora was already waiting for us, accompanied by her soldiers.
Right. This is how it’s supposed to be.
After all, my position is that of a consort to another nation’s royalty; if they didn't send a proper escort, it would be a grave insult.
It would be tantamount to picking a fight.
Well, even though my enthusiasm is waning, I still need to offer a proper greeting.
"Princess Fiora, thank you for going out of your way to welcome us. I apologize for being so busy lately that I couldn't check on the situation here myself."
"No, you have sent people to handle it, and our own soldiers have been monitoring the situation, so there is no problem. In fact, the magic tools you installed are operating without issue, and the water levels in the river have begun to return. We are truly grateful."
Ah, that’s right. The initial theory was that a Coral that had taken up residence in the mines was drawing the river water into its lair, causing the drought.
So, the prediction that filling in the diversion and returning it to the original route would solve the problem must have been correct.
Thinking this, I glanced at Agil, who gave a nod.
"Well, when we investigated, we found a rather powerful monster hijacking the water. Once we took care of that, everything returned to normal."
"Was that the large aquatic monster you mentioned?"
"That’s right. It was a variant Frogger. A ten-meter-class one, no less. Honestly, a normal adventurer would have been eaten."
Ah, so that’s the narrative we’re going with.
Well, telling them that a dragon named Coral was the cause would only lead to more trouble.
Especially since we kept quiet about taking it into Weed.
Show had advised me to be honest about it, but in the end, it was my decision to keep it under wraps.
No, if I bring her into the fold later, I’ll have to tell her anyway, so is it the same as revealing it now?
Was this part of the plan? To avoid a messy dispute with Dafaio over the unauthorized disposal of a dragon?
...That’s plausible. Even if I do reveal the dragon, it’s easier to handle once she’s one of our own.
Haa, Princess Fiora really is being treated like a tool.
While I was lost in thought, deepening my melancholy, the conversation seemed to have reached a lull...
"Um, Yuki-sama? Is something the matter?"
"Ah, my apologies. I’ve been quite busy, so I might be a little tired."
"That won’t do. Why don’t you take a rest first?"
"No, that won’t be necessary. You see, the number of people I can delegate work to has increased. Let me introduce them. All three of you, step forward."
At my words, the three of them stepped forward with tense expressions.
"From the right, these are Orelia, Yayui, and Hoviss—my personal slaves. I intend to have them handle negotiations with the general public. If you have any matters involving commoners, please pass them on to these three. It must be difficult for you, having to manage these connections, right?"
"I see. Indeed, they have been increasing. People asking for permission to do business in Weed, or wanting to visit Weed... We are already stretched thin. And that’s not even considering matters that require state intervention, but rather the mundane requests of the common folk."
Exactly.
It’s impossible for the state to investigate and teach the procedures for every little thing.
That’s where these three come in.
"That’s the idea. While Agil and I are discussing the earlier matter, I’d like you three to find out what kind of people want to consult with us regarding Weed and what their concerns are. We’ll decide how to proceed based on the information you gather. Is that acceptable, Princess Fiora?"
"Yes. That is perfectly fine. In fact, I would be most grateful. We simply don't have the manpower, so I leave it to the three of you."
"Y-yes!!"
They seemed quite surprised, perhaps not expecting a direct request from a princess.
However, this is the kind of thing they will be dealing with often from now on.
Investigating and resolving the tedious issues that a princess or noble shouldn't have to deal with personally is Orelia and her team's job.
And it will become an indispensable one.
After all, they are the ones conveying the will of the people.
"Then, I shall provide you with a guide, guards, and documents to prove your identities. With those, you won't have to worry about being questioned at every turn, or worse, being treated with disrespect."
"Thank you very much. Tori, Riel, I leave the three of them in your care. They’ll have guards from Dafaio as well, but don’t let your guard down."
"Yes. Leave it to us."
"Leave it to me!"
And so, Orelia and the others headed into the city of Dafaio with Tori and the others, while we proceeded into the royal castle.
Now then, how and where should I bring up 'that matter'?
No, first I have to greet the King of Dafaio.
I’m not here to plunder, and it would be unthinkable to start talking about marriage without a proper greeting.
...Ugh, greeting parents—no matter how many times I do it, it always gives me a stomachache.
Actually, the very concept of 'greeting parents multiple times' is beyond my comprehension.
"Hmm, hmm. I heard about it, but it’s good to see it’s operating properly."
"Yes. Thanks to those magic tools, the villages no longer fear the water drying up, and the cause of the conflict has vanished. Furthermore, thanks to you eliminating the monster that was beyond our control, our military has been able to correct the river that had changed its course."
While I was busy wallowing in my own gloom, Agil was listening to the details in the room we were guided to.
It was the same information I had been briefed on earlier, and it seemed there were no issues.
Well, it was worth the effort to make sure we didn't wipe out too many monsters.