第１２００堀：準備はいいかい？ (Part1)
**Chapter 1200: Are You Ready?**
**Side: Yuki**
"Yuki-sama, Stasia-sama has arrived. She is waiting in the reception room."
I glanced at the clock after Orelia announced the visitor, confirming it was indeed the time I had set for my meeting with Stasia.
*Man, time really flies when you’re buried in work.* It’s a completely different feeling from study time—though, unlike a game, it’s not exactly "fun."
"Show her in. Hovis..."
"Coming right up! Tea, right?"
Hovis was already preparing the tea before I could even finish my sentence.
"Here you go, Yuki-sama. These are the documents for your meeting with Stasia-sama."
"Yayui, thank you."
Yayui, for her part, always had the paperwork ready before I even asked. These three I’ve recently hired have been working incredibly hard. They’ve essentially become my secretaries. My wives were doing their best to help, but since everyone except Ria also serves as a diplomat to various nations, they simply couldn't handle this level of administrative detail. In that sense, these three are a massive help.
However, because they handle so much, I’m barely moving around, and I’m starting to worry about getting out of shape. Maybe I should start jogging once work is done? Or perhaps join in on some combat training?
But more importantly, Stasia has returned after finishing her explanation to Fiora, and I need to hear how that went.
"Alright, I’m going to go talk to Stasia. Vilia, Hiiro, come with me. Dressa, I’ll leave the three of them in your care."
"Understood."
"Leave it to me. Though, there haven't been many requests for mediation from small nations lately. The Fiora incident really had an impact."
As Dressa said, direct negotiations with me have dropped significantly of late. It seems that taking Fiora in as a "handyman" sent a clear message. That said, there are still general inquiries about visiting Weed, so Orelia and the others have plenty of work to do. Their main job is to coordinate with Seraria, Eris, and Ratz to handle planning, permissions, budgets, and supplies.
*Man, that kind of work is not only a headache, it’s enough to give you an ulcer.* Still, I’ve made sure to guide them on the gaps, and they seem to be handling it well. Of course, there are plenty of times I have to step in and provide support.
"This will likely increase the number of travelers from other countries again, won't it?"
"Hiiro predicts the number of people wanting to immigrate will increase a lot, too."
"Yeah, I’d bet both of those predictions are going to be spot on."
Most small nations don't seem very interested in the concepts of travel or immigration. They seem to view their territory and their people as a single, inseparable set; they don't really fathom the idea of their citizens coming and going, so they don't offer any tax breaks or incentives. Perhaps they also fear that poaching people from other nations would cause diplomatic friction, so they avoid it on principle... but even so, they don't even have a registry system, so there’s no way to prove someone has moved to Weed.
In fact, it’s common for these places to not even have a concept of "nationality" or laws to change it. While the major powers have started issuing citizenships based on my suggestions, the smaller ones are still lagging behind.
For now, Weed records where people come from at immigration, issues a simple ID, and tracks their individual nationality. But since the other side lacks the corresponding laws, there’s nothing to stop people from changing their country of residence, and I have no reason to refuse them. That’s a recipe for trouble. If we don’t get the environment and the laws sorted out, it’s going to be a real problem.
If I leave it alone, there’s a high chance that both major powers and the smaller nations trying to grow will run into serious labor shortages. I’ll have to get each country to adjust their policies sooner or later. If not, we might end up with wars fought over people. And there will surely be some idiots who decide to abolish slavery overnight without thinking through the consequences. Changes to social systems like that are always best handled gradually.
"For now, if problems arise, we’ll discuss them together. Weed is a member of the international community now; there’s no need to handle everything alone."
"Yes. It’s a system you worked hard to build, Brother. It’s important that we all think it through together."
"Yeah, Hiiro thinks so too."
Talking like this, we arrived at the reception room, where Stasia was already sitting comfortably on the sofa. She noticed me enter and immediately stood up.
"Pardon the intrusion, Yuki-sama."
"You don't have to go through the front desk to get to my office, you know."
"No, I believe it’s important to keep those things separate. Unlike the other wives, I am a 'soldier.' I must set an example for my subordinates."
It’s true; Stasia holds a position in charge of one of Weed’s military units. This was done partly to help mitigate the prejudice against women in the New Continent, and partly because her experience as a high-ranking commander is invaluable to Weed. It would be impossible to treat someone like her as just my personal aide, so she holds a military rank. I suppose that comes with its own set of rules.
"Well, I understand your point, Stasia. But don't hesitate if it’s an emergency. You’re my wife, after all. Helping you is a husband’s job."
"Yes. I shall not hesitate when the time comes. But, putting that aside, it’s about Princess Fiora."
"Right. How are Noriko and Fiora doing?"
"I don't see any particular problems. I’ve been with them both yesterday and today, and they were actually laughing together even while Noriko was in her 'Wraith Mode'."
"...I can't believe that. Laughing while facing Noriko-san’s Wraith Mode?"
"Even Hiiro wouldn't want to see that, even in broad daylight."
As Vilia and Hiiro said, Noriko’s Wraith Mode is a technique that instantly sends anyone in the vicinity into a state of panic. It’s a skill that’s impossible to endure without significant resistance. And yet, they were laughing together...
"So, what kind of situation was that?"
"Well, while they were studying by watching ghost manga and videos, Princess Fiora suddenly insisted she wanted to experience what it was actually like once more. I was present for it, as I thought I should know what level of threat Havia might potentially pose."
"And how were you, Stasia-san?"
"Were you scared? You haven't trained for that like Kagura-onee, have you?"
That’s right. As Hiiro pointed out, Stasia shouldn't have had any training regarding ghosts. Back then, we sent Kagura and the others for training because of the ghost incident investigation at the Hayden Magic Academy. Stasia didn't need that kind of training. Well, she’s a general who has been through plenty of battlefields, so that was part of it.
"So, after experiencing it for yourself, how was it?"