第１２５２堀：ハイレ教を渦巻く今の状況 (Part1)
**Chapter 1252: The Current Situation Swirling Around the Haire Church**
Side: Yuki
"You’re incredibly busy, yet I’m surprised you could see me so soon," I muttered as I stood before the embassy of the Seisifo Kingdom.
"What are you saying? You are the consort of Weed, Yuki-dono. Other matters are naturally pushed to the back burner."
For the record, Enol, an assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is accompanying me today. Of course, the New Continent members—Kagura, Mikos, Stasia, and Enola—are here as well. And naturally, our support staff, Fiora and Orelia, are in tow. After all, we hadn't been formally introduced yet.
"…Right. I suppose I’m not going to be very popular for this, am I?"
"…I couldn't say for sure, but if it were me, I’d be feeling murderous."
"Exactly my point."
Since I forced my way into her schedule during such a hectic time, she had no choice but to kick other appointments to the curb. On top of that, her mountain of paperwork would have to wait. It’s only natural that she’d be irritated.
"Yuki, I understand your melancholy, but waiting around won't make your schedule any lighter. It’s something that has to be done eventually. Besides, you know full well that this kind of trouble is par for the course when it comes to diplomatic power dynamics."
"Yuki-sensei, you usually meet with kings and queens and chat with them quite casually, don't you? I think this is the same thing, isn't it?"
"It’s that thing, isn't it? Because you know each other too well, it actually makes things more awkward."
"Ah, Enola hit the nail on the head. Menou was Japanese in her previous life, after all. That actually makes it feel more awkward."
Truth be told, most of the monarchs I meet are looking for a breather, so they seek me out. It’s easygoing for me, too. But Menou has had absolutely no contact like that until now. In other words, she is genuinely, incredibly busy. If you steal time from someone like that, it’s no wonder they’d want to kill you.
"Still, standing here forever won't get us anywhere."
"Yes. I’ve already cleared it with the guards, so it’s fine," Orelia said. When I looked, the guard at the side of the now-opened embassy gate was bowing his head.
Yes, having competent subordinates is a wonderful thing. Since the gate was open, we had no choice but to proceed inside with composure.
Incidentally, the interior of the embassy is designed the same way as all our others. This is to prevent the idiotic excuse of "I didn't know which areas were off-limits." There were concerns that this might make it easier to identify and steal important documents, but that was shot down with the argument: "Are you planning on having such sloppy security?" If anything, it limits the areas that need guarding, making it easier to protect. Plus, we have the dungeon surveillance system, so such theft is practically impossible anyway.
While I was thinking about that, we arrived in front of Menou’s office.
"Please, come in," the butler said, opening the door immediately. I had no choice but to step inside promptly. I steeled myself, walked in, and couldn't help but remark...
"Surprisingly little paperwork."
"That’s quite a thing to say, isn't it?"
Menou, with dark circles clearly visible under her eyes, was smiling behind a high-end wooden desk.
"I heard you were coming today, so I scrambled to clear away the remaining documents. If you leave those for later, it’s nothing but hell."
"And what about today’s scheduled tasks?"
"For those, I just mentioned your name, and everyone was satisfied. Well, I’m grateful for that much. I even got to take a two-day break because they were all sympathizing with me, saying, 'It must be so hard being pushed around by the higher-ups.'"
"Oh, so you do take breaks when it counts."
"You know how I died in my previous life, don't you? I’m not going to be that stupid. Besides, I told Emerald I’d take my breaks freely. Anyway, sit down already. Having you stand there looks terrible for my reputation."
"Fair point."
With that, I quickly took a seat. The key figures followed suit, though Orelia and the others remained standing behind me.
"Sorry, it’s a bit cramped. Could you bring some extra chairs?"
"Certainly."
"N-no, we are..."
"It’s fine. I want to hear from you all as well, and besides, it’s unthinkable to keep guests standing. More than anything, it makes me restless."
As she spoke, Menou pushed the documents in front of her to the side. Seeing this, the maid immediately prepared tea for her. We had already been served ours, so I assume that was her signal for her own tea.
"Phew. So, what’s this about? Judging by this lineup, is it related to the New Continent?"
"Exactly. It’s not so much that I need to talk to you, Menou, but it would be a problem if I didn't get the Seisifo Kingdom’s opinion beforehand."
"If you need to go through the country, why not just set a date, hold a discussion in Weed, and have a mini-summit?"
"No, you know that if I don't clear it with you first, it’ll become a problem, right?"
"Is it that big of a deal?"
"Yeah, a huge deal. You remember the meeting we had about the study abroad program the other day?"
"Ah, yes. I was hoping to hear more about that, too. The Queen told me to get the details."
"Details? Nothing’s been decided yet. More importantly, we need to establish rules for each continent first. That’s what this is about."
"Rules for each continent? Like common sense or the criteria for accepting students?"
"Exactly. To be specific, it’s about the 'treatment of beastmen.' Right now, visitors from the New Continent are limited to nobles who have obtained government permission, and buying beastmen to take home is forbidden. But once the study abroad program begins..."
She seemed to grasp the implication immediately; she set down her tea, her eyes sharpening.
"Some idiot will bring beastmen back and start deifying them as spirit priestesses or warriors... That would be a direct declaration of war against the Haire Church."
"Hmm, it’s not just the Haire Church, is it? Wouldn't the Seisifo Kingdom take a massive hit, too?"
"Yes, well, I suppose so."
Her reply was evasive. I thought about it for a moment, and it clicked.
"I see. The Gusdo Kingdom."
"Oh, your understanding is truly helpful. Aurélia Port is managed by your side now, but in the past, they used to source beastman slaves from there. To sell to the Church, of course."
At those words, a murderous aura erupted from Kagura, Mikos, and Enola.
"You’re all so young. Can you really support Yuki properly like that? Besides, they only sourced them because they were asked to."
"Asked to..."
"Oh, Kagura-dono, it seems you’ve figured it out. But I’m surprised Bishop Enola didn't know. It was a request from your own upper echelons, after all."
Menou spoke with such composure because she knew from the start that the Haire Church was involved. I suppose she can speak so boldly precisely because the request came from the very people most likely to complain.
"…I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is this a recent development?"
"Ah, no, it isn't. If I recall, the last time they were handed over was when I was a child. Well, spirit priestesses are long-lived, after all."
"Hmm, I suppose such things happen. Trading slaves isn't exactly a rare occurrence, after all."