第１３７４堀：共通の認識を持つ (Part1)
Chapter 1374: A Shared Understanding
Side: Kagura
The room to which we were summoned by the King of Sulus was not the audience chamber from before, but a separate conference room.
Initially, the maids and guards—who had made the laughable suggestion that the "escorts" should wait elsewhere—had turned pale and scrambled to prepare seats the moment they heard the names of our wives, Menou-san, Shou-san, and Difes.
After all, the previous conversation had been entirely dominated by Lilishe.
And so, the meeting began with this…
"To the envoys of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, I offer my sincerest apologies for our discourtesy."
With those words, not only the King of Sulus but his chancellor and all other Sulus officials present bowed their heads.
Under normal circumstances, such a thing would never happen. But they had committed a blunder of that magnitude. It isn't just a matter of "mood"; in this world, such an insult is often used as a pretext for a nation to be invaded and conquered. That is the reality. When I was first brought to Weed, I had been prepared to lose my head for far less.
However, our goal here is not to threaten Sulus into submission.
And so, the response…
"Apology accepted. As the representative of the Enaria Holy Kingdom, I, Agil, accept it on behalf of everyone. This matter concerns the very survival of the nation. There is nothing to be gained by making a scene here. Your apology is sufficient. We shall keep the previous incident between ourselves."
"I am grateful."
The King bowed his head once more. To be able to bow so properly—perhaps he is a good king after all. Well, considering Lilishe-sama had already given him a "lesson," he had better have learned at least that much.
We had discussed Agil’s response beforehand. If we didn't handle it this way, Sulus would be driven into an even deeper predicament, and neither we nor Yuki and the others desire that. Back in our homelands, there are those who would seize this opportunity to strip them bare, but if we were to do that, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance would lose its meaning. It is an alliance meant to protect small nations, not to exploit them.
That is why we are choosing to act as if the earlier incident never happened. We cannot bring them into the alliance otherwise. If they had been rude and arrogant from the start, we could have turned them away, but this was a minor… let us call it a "misunderstanding." To do otherwise would look as though we were slapping away the hand of someone who had come seeking help.
"Well then, now that the apologies are out of the way~, how did the meeting go?"
Lilishe-sama didn't seem to care much about the apology, asking only for the results of the conference. Well, interjecting into the previous topic would only lead to trouble, so this was the correct approach.
Now, had Sulus decided to accept our investigation by the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance?
"First, the motion to borrow the strength of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance for the defense of Sulus has been passed unanimously."
"That’s good to hear~. And what about the bases and the investigation?"
"We would like to grant permission, provided that we may have our own envoys accompany yours. Would that be acceptable?"
"That should be fine~. Well, we’ll have to talk it over, but the people who know this country best are its own citizens~. We couldn't possibly handle the investigation and reconstruction of the destroyed western town on our own, anyway~."
"Understood. For now, I shall arrange for the necessary communications to be sent to the higher-ups."
Sending envoys is only natural. It is unthinkable to allow a foreign military to roam freely within one's borders without any oversight.
"And so~, we understand the defense part, but how do you intend for us to operate? We would like to hear your wishes, at least."
Lilishe-sama spoke as if she were respecting the will of Sulus, but that wasn't the case. She was asking what they thought about the information blockade she had mentioned earlier.
Sure, one or two letters might go missing due to a simple mishap, but our envoys are capable individuals, and carrier pigeons are never sent in ones—you send multiple to prevent unforeseen accidents. While it is not impossible for every single one to meet with an accident, the probability is practically zero. There are other means of communication, too: the Adventurer’s Guild, and the envoys from Litea. That all of them failed to arrive is proof of an intentional information blockade.
Her words carried the weight of: "Have you grasped this, and is your own house in order?"
The meaning seemed to have been conveyed clearly…
"I have just sent my trusted aides to the Adventurer's Guild to confirm. It is true that the information had arrived. News that Litea had mobilized the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, that the northern town had been successfully defended, and that envoys had departed—all of it."
"That’s good~. And what is your response to that?"
Yes, what she was asking was only natural, but the pressure was immense. Even the ministers across from us were sweating so profusely they couldn't even bring themselves to reprimand her for speaking so casually to the King.
Well, setting aside the crushing of letters and messages, having envoys go missing is a grave matter. If it were an accident, that’s one thing, but if they were murdered, it is tantamount to a declaration of war from Sulus.
"First, we are forming units to search for the missing envoys immediately. As for the information blockade, there are suspicious individuals, but nothing is confirmed. Without evidence, we cannot act. I hope you understand that."
"Well, naturally~."
The King of Sulus was being reasonable. If you press charges without evidence, you only end up with the culprit destroying the proof.
"That leads me to a question: how much information have you gathered? Do you know who is behind the information blockade?"
"That’s exactly why we came here to investigate~. At this point, some were even suggesting that Sulus might be doing this on purpose to drag Litea into the fray~."
"That is impossible!"
The King of Sulus immediately denied Lilishe-sama's words. Of course he would; if he didn't, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance would surely crush them.
"I know that, we’ve been associated for a long time~. Which leaves us with the process of elimination—doesn't the neighboring country seem suspicious~? I can't imagine a distant country would have any merit in teaming up with a Dungeon Master to devastate Sulus~."
"Is there no possibility that they were targeting the visit of the Prince Consort of Weed?"
"What are you talking about~? The problems started before the visit, didn't they~? Which means Sulus's reputation just drops, and that leads us back to the same conclusion~."
"I see… so you believe there is a specific objective against our country…"
"So, what do you think~?"