第１２６６堀：年齢制限 (Part1)
Chapter 1266: Age Restrictions
Age Restrictions
Side: Kagura
“……I see. So it has come to this. Hmm, hmm……”
Before my eyes, Princess Seria was reading through the documents she had received.
As it stands, Solo is the official diplomat for Weed assigned to Haiden, so he is the primary point of contact for the Princess on a daily basis.
I, too, am a diplomat and the daughter of the Kamishiro Dukedom, but since I am already a ‘wife of Yuki’—a position that makes working for Weed a matter of course—my meetings with the Princess these days are primarily for these kinds of ‘alignments.’
Incidentally, Mikos is not here today; she has begun preparing articles to be distributed within Weed regarding the newly established exchange student system.
It isn’t just to inform the citizens of Weed that students are arriving; it is to provide advance information on what exactly will be happening.
All of this is, in reality, a way to monitor for ‘any suspicious movements within Weed.’
Honestly, I initially thought this was just about welcoming foreign students to a school, but the more we discuss it, the more concerns and issues arise. I’ve realized anew that this is actually quite a monumental task.
While I was lost in thought, the Princess finished reading the documents and looked up with a smile to confirm the details. That smile sent a chill down my spine.
“To put it concisely, the number of students confirmed as exchange students under the jurisdiction of our Haiden is five. Is that correct?”
“Yes. That is the baseline. However, since the only allied nations on our continent are Haiden, Findar, and Seasifo, the remaining fifteen spots for the continent can be decided among the various countries.”
“Logically speaking, one would distribute them equally, but you are suggesting we make good use of this, aren’t you?”
“……Yes. However, Weed specifically requests that we welcome Lady Fusora from the Kingdom of Zufia.”
“Ah, the girl who served as the catalyst for Yuki-sama deciding on this exchange system. I understand. We certainly will. After all, she is the key figure who pushed this system forward. There should be no problem.”
It seems the Princess has judged this to be a good thing; if any fool tries to obstruct Fusora’s study abroad, they can be immediately identified as an enemy of Haiden.
Yes, just as Yuki predicted.
“Also, there is one more concern. This is something that should be discussed not with Weed, but among the countries of each continent……”
“And what would that be?”
“It concerns the age of the students. Lady Fusora is still at an age that can be counted on one’s fingers. But as for the other students……”
“Indeed, it is difficult to accept those who are too young. No, wait—perhaps it would be better to have two or three children of the same age as Lady Fusora, and another two or three around the age of you or Mikos.”
Exactly. Yuki has been quite troubled by this age issue.
He had considered an entrance exam for selecting the students, but he worried that if the age gap were too wide, it would be difficult to foster friendship, even among those from the same country or continent.
One can imagine a scenario where Lady Fusora and Master Feigel come to learn magic as exchange students together, but more importantly, it would require us to provide an incredibly broad range of education.
Consequently, the chaperones responsible for overseeing them would face immense hardship.
Considering that, it is vital to impose some form of age restriction.
That said, this is merely a request from Weed’s side; the judgment of the major powers is also necessary.
Yes, we can put forward our desires as Weed, but…… that is the extent of it.
We intend to lift these age restrictions in the future, but Yuki has strongly urged me to push for this now, as making this first iteration of the exchange system a success is of the utmost importance.
Otherwise, there won’t be a future for it.
“There is also the possibility of hostile factions, as Yuki-sama fears. It would be troublesome if they were to connect with the students and cause trouble. In that sense, narrowing the age range is for the best.”
Yes. Narrowing the age range is also a way to limit the influence of such hostile factions.
Yuki was concerned that if the ages were too scattered, it would become impossible to provide proper care or track their movements.
Of course, we can handle whatever happens within Weed, but what happens outside of Weed is the responsibility of each respective nation.
Naturally, the countries themselves do not want this exchange system to fail, so they will surely manage their students properly, but narrowing the age range should provide a benefit for that purpose as well.
“Yes. Taking that into account, there is one more request from Yuki: he would like for the countries of the Haiden region to decide on a name for this region soon. With the Zlarble Great Empire finally joining, it is becoming difficult to distinguish between the territories.”
“Now that you mention it, that was discussed, wasn’t it? ……This may be the most contentious issue of all, but if we cannot even decide on a name for our own region, it could be seen as a sign that we are not united at all. ……Understood. I will move forward with that discussion as well.”
Despite her words, the Princess let out a deep sigh.
That is how dire the situation in this region is.
After all, the trouble caused by that Aquenoki significantly diminished the power and prestige of the Kingdom of Haiden.
Because of that, other countries began to make their moves.
The Findar Empire and the Kingdom of Seasifo are no different.
In such a situation, for Haiden to take the lead in naming the region could easily be interpreted as picking a fight with the neighbors.
Well, since both Findar and Seasifo have formed bonds of friendship with Weed, I think we can manage it if we include that factor, but……
I should convey what Yuki taught me.
“Princess. It might be acceptable to give it a ‘temporary name’ for the time being.”
“Temporary?”
“Yes. The name ‘Continent of If’ was originally used within Weed as a placeholder for the ‘New Continent.’ It seems it became the standard temporary name after the suggestion of His Majesty Noble of the Kingdom of Ex when our continent was discovered. There is talk of changing it, but since changing it would only invite unnecessary trouble, it seems they have left it as is.”
“I see. It is a name given by Weed, and it can be changed if a different name is decided upon? We are in the same position, as we would be troubled if we didn’t have a name for convenience’s sake…… If you don’t mind, could you ask Yuki-sama to decide on a name for convenience?”
“Huh?”
I let out a voice of surprise at the sudden, outlandish request.
If it were the countries of the Haiden region deciding for themselves, that would be one thing, but if Weed were to decide it unilaterally, it would surely cause dissatisfaction……
“With major powers that haven’t joined yet, unlike Rogari or If, it is clear that if we decide it for convenience, it will only lead to disputes later. Therefore, if we say that when Yuki-sama came here, he asked for the name of this land, and since there wasn’t one, he simply called it that for the sake of identification, then no one could complain.”
“Ah, I see.”
So, rather than entrusting the naming rights to Yuki, we are framing it as something Yuki simply called it on his own.
That way, it wouldn’t cause any friction within the Haiden region, but……