第１３２７堀：そっちの交渉は？ (Part2)
A woman with skin as pale as snow appeared, her long white hair cascading down not just to her waist, but reaching all the way to her thighs. A diamond-like stone was embedded in her forehead.
"Hmm. It looks like it would hurt to sleep face-down with that on her forehead."
"I suppose so."
I couldn't help but nod at Cleena’s off-the-mark observation. I mean, it’s protruding right out of her brow; it would be incredibly painful if that made contact with a pillow, wouldn't it?
"Ah, that’s not an issue. The Gem-folk don't sleep face-down. Because it hurts."
"I’d imagine. Well, most of the details are written here, so this should suffice. Is there anything else being kept hidden?"
"There may be, but I have yet to extract it. Please use the information I’ve just provided to issue warnings to the various nations. I have already made it clear that we cannot punish anyone caught outside of these parameters."
"If you've already told them, then that’s fine. Well, we’ll just have to deal with trouble as it arises."
"Yes. That is all we can do for now."
Hmm. I know from experience that these things never resolve in a single discussion.
"Continue to maintain good relations with the rare races. I’m sure they don't want to be on the receiving end of magical bombardment from the skies, either."
"Of course. We will continue our negotiations. Besides, the sweets from Weed have been quite effective lately."
"They like sweet things?"
"Yes. I’ve been consulting with Alfin to have various items prepared."
"..."
We all fell silent at those words. Yuki, however, was the only one who reacted differently.
"I did open a sweets shop and café recently. So that’s where you’ve been putting in the effort?"
"Yes. If you ask, they’ll even create original items, which makes them very convenient for gifts."
"So, they’ve become a royal purveyor, then? Alfin has really come up in the world. Back in the day, she used to force-feed us cakes until we had to run for our lives."
Yeah. We still have those memories. We certainly like sweets, but there’s a limit. Cleena and I can manage two whole cakes at most. Yet, Alfin would make about five per person; we learned the hard way that having the ingredients and equipment isn't enough. You have to consider the people on the consuming end, too. Because of that, I still find myself bracing for impact whenever I see Alfin.
"Ria, Cleena. What’s the matter?"
Fiora noticed our change in demeanor and asked, but...
"We had some experiences back in the day."
"Hmm. Humans have a limit."
"Pardon?"
Fiora and the others don't know yet. Or perhaps they never had the chance to find out? Things have calmed down quite a bit since then, after all.
"Well, let’s go visit Alfin sometime and hear some stories."
"Yes. She makes all sorts of things, so you could even offer them as originals. There aren't many people who can serve sweets to royalty with such confidence."
That’s true. Alfin is practically family, and given her background, she doesn't have much trouble speaking with kings and queens. She can handle poison detection, too—she’s a top-tier pastry chef.
"Whoops, we’ve drifted into small talk. Thanks for the report. I’ll make sure to warn the other nations."
"Yes. I leave it to you."
"Also, this is a separate matter, but have you heard anything about the Dark Guild in the Kingdom of Last?"
I thought Yuki was going to bring up the issue involving Lilishe, but for some reason, Liliana’s expression turned even more serious than before.
"I have. Through Elju, I’ve heard that they are indeed becoming more active in Rumel as well. Is it the same in Weed?"
"No, there hasn't been anything direct in Weed, but near the border villages of Roschur and Gartz, bandits were torturing those who opposed the unification of the villages and selling them off."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"I don't follow."
"I’m about to explain."
And so, we began to discuss the border issue with the Kingdom of Last.
Alfin. She is the very synonym for sugar, and the great person who taught us that moderation is key in all things.