第１２５７堀：義理の妹聖女 (Part1)
"Long time no see, Brother-in-law. Or has it been a while?"
Elju, the younger sister of my wife Seraria, tilted her head as she greeted me.
It was undoubtedly this woman who had plunged me into a whirlwind of trouble ever since she entered the dungeon that fateful day.
Ah, so she's the root of all evil?
"Um, I feel like I'm being stared at quite intensely... Oriel, did I do something?"
"Hmm, I wonder. Well, I believe we've caused quite a bit of trouble... especially recently..."
Oriel, her guard, also tilted her head in unison.
Come to think of it, she was the one who initially attacked me, deeming me untrustworthy.
Well, it doesn't matter now.
In this world, there are hardly any trustworthy people to begin with.
The public safety is so poor that thieves are commonplace. For women, it's a common occurrence to be helped only to be raped and sold off.
Worse still, if you're unlucky, you might be thoroughly violated, assaulted, and then killed.
That's why she didn't trust me back then.
But that's all in the past.
If I think about how it led me to Seraria and my other wives, it wasn't all bad.
"Well, if you say it's been a while, then yes. It's actually been about two months since we last met. However, you return to Weed about once a week, right? I hear about it often from Aslin and Hiiro."
Elju rarely has a reason to meet with me, but this Saintess often comes here as an intermediary between the heroes of Rumel and Tanaka.
She's also the founder of the hospital in Weed.
Therefore, like Rurua, she holds the position of director, but she's not in Weed much these days, so it's just a nominal title.
However, she comes when called, and she visits Aslin and the children frequently, so everyone likes her.
"Yes. I do return to Weed quite often. And I have been reporting, haven't I?"
"There are no issues on your end either. I've also been contacted by Tanaka. It's good to hear that you're continuing to explore deeper into the continent you discovered."
I suspect the location they're exploring is somewhere on the new continent, so I feel it's connected to Heiden and Zrabur, but that's not important right now.
There's no point in telling them; it would only cause problems, and Tanaka is likely aware of this and letting it be.
If I get involved, it would mean meddling in Rumel's affairs.
Currently, Rumel's position in this Intercontinental Exchange Alliance is not very high.
The reason is that one individual, or rather, one country, has exchanges with another continent.
But it was the hero party, forcibly summoned to Rumel, and Tanaka who brought that about.
Well, perhaps that's why they seem to fear that if they get too involved with us, they won't be able to return.
After all, it looks like a kidnapping from any angle.
However, such efforts are futile...
For now, they seem to be taking it easy over there, so it's not something I need to intervene in.
After all, with Tanaka there, there's no need for me to say anything.
In fact, if they die safely, I'd be overjoyed.
...There's no point in thinking about that now.
Elju is here today for work.
"Enough about recent events. Do you know why you were called here today?"
"No, I haven't met with Chi-nee-sama yet."
"Is that so? Is Seraria still busy with work?"
It seems Seraria hadn't informed Elju of the reason for her visit.
So, I'll contact her to confirm if I should explain...
"Ah, you're already here? Then you explain it. I still have some meetings and paperwork to sort out. I'll join you later."
"Understood."
After replying, I turned back to Elju and the others.
"Seraria is busy, so she's asked me to explain. She'll join us later. So please, have a seat for now."
"Yes. Understood."
As Elju and the others said this, they sat down in front of me.
"Now, before I explain, do you know these four?"
I asked, indicating Fiora and the others.
Yes, Elju hasn't been staying in Weed much lately, so I wondered if she'd had a chance to meet Fiora, Orelia, Hobis, and Yayui.
"Yes, I do. Tori-san and Riel-san introduced me. It's been a while, all four of you."
As Elju said this, the four of them quickly bowed their heads.
"You knew them? Huh? But didn't you say at first that your schedules didn't match?"
"I don't know when 'at first' was, but I only met the four of you very recently."
"So, it wasn't when you first took office?"
"Yes. I met Elju-sama a little before Yuki-sama headed to the goblin village."
Orelia replied.
So, it was around the time the recreation ended.
Well, that real-life gunfight back then was fun, though.
"Then, introductions aren't necessary. I'll begin the explanation immediately."
So, I explained the plan to launch the planned exchange student system and the need to provide explanations and certifications to various countries for the protection of rare species that might be a concern.
"Haa, I understand the gist of what you're saying, but what does that have to do with me? I'm not involved in state affairs, and I don't know anything about rare species."
"Elju-sama. Isn't it about your influence?"
"As Oriel says. I want you to lend us your strength as a Saintess and as a representative of the alliance."
"Um, I still don't quite understand?"
"Well, to put it simply, we've learned that there are rare species in Liliana's Last Kingdom, but it's problematic for us to ask Liliana directly, and it's also problematic for Liliana to act independently due to her position. Therefore, if Elju, as the Saintess and representative of the alliance, were to convey the message, it would proceed smoothly without prioritizing any particular country."
"Um, I understand the flow of the conversation, but why would it go smoothly if I were the one to speak?"
"Elju-sama. Perhaps it's because it would be problematic for Weed to achieve further results, and the Last Kingdom of Queen Liliana, in addition to the previous Demon Lord issue, is thought to possess not only magic-gifted demons but also rare species that are powerful in various ways?"