第１４３４堀：賠償会議の様子出来レースとおバカたち (Part2)
It is a bitter pill to swallow that such people have been the ones propping up Kinauf all this time, and that they are, to some extent, necessary for the people’s survival. There is nothing more catastrophic than a state of anarchy; it is always the powerless who suffer the most.
As these thoughts churned in my mind, the King, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Understood. The finer details will need to be ironed out, but if this is what it takes to put this matter to rest, I accept your terms."
"That is good to hear. However, please remember that this peace holds only as long as the agreement is honored. Do not forget that. The upper echelons of Litea are truly incensed by this affair. Our standing within the Alliance has been compromised. Do you understand? There are many great powers in this world equal to Litea. If Litea were to deem this place unnecessary, not just Kinauf, but all the nations under our umbrella would be swallowed whole in an instant. I suggest you reflect deeply upon that."
Lady Lilishe concluded the discussion with those words. She was effectively telling them that while they pride themselves on their petty territorial squabbles, from the perspective of the Alliance, such things are trivial. She was telling them to open their eyes to the wider world.
Yes, once upon a time, I, too, was ignorant of the world. No, in truth, I likely still am. That is why I must continue to learn, more and more. One needs both the grand perspective and the minute one. These were lessons Yuki taught me, and whether these people can grasp them remains to be seen.
The world is no longer confined to Kinauf, its neighboring small states, and the great powers. These fools must now face the reality of an international stage.
I exited the conference room, lost in thought. I could not read the expressions of the Kinauf officials left behind. Were they still obsessing over the reparations, or were they stunned into silence by the sheer scale of the world they had just been confronted with? Regardless, the answer would come soon enough. We need only wait for their next move.
Once the meeting concluded and we returned to our assigned quarters, I immediately contacted Yuki.
『Good work. I’ve been listening in. But how did everyone on the ground feel? Does it look like they’ll make a move?』
"…They seem to have accepted the reparations. But as for the Alliance, I don’t think they’ve fully grasped the implications yet."
"I agree with Cleena. They seemed to be wondering why people other than those from Litea were even involved."
Ah, that explains it. As Samantha noted, the way they were looking at us felt strange—it was because they couldn't fathom why the Alliance would interfere in matters concerning Litea’s subordinates. They clearly hadn't understood the connection to the Dark Guild.
"Ideally, they should have been treated as equals to Litea, but..."
"I bet they're turning pale as we speak, aren't they?" added Schans and Ratz.
Indeed, if they truly understood the weight of Lady Lilishe’s final words, they might well be trembling in their boots by now.
『Ah, I see. Since they aren't part of the Alliance yet, they have no concept of how vast the world truly is. They probably operated under the assumption that as long as they could handle Litea, everything would be fine. That’s the danger of being ignorant of the international community. They’ve been living as if the world ends at their own borders.』
Yuki shared my assessment.
『The only question now is whether the reparations talk will proceed and come to a proper conclusion...』
"Leave that to me. I’ll make sure we secure rights for free investigation within Kinauf territory, too."
『Oh, I’ll leave that to you, but keep in mind that’s an outrageous demand. It’s essentially the same as allowing the Alliance to trample all over Kinauf’s internal affairs.』
"If we leverage the Dark Guild incident, we can make it happen. I’ll fill you in on the support details later, so it’ll work out."
『Ah, so you haven't talked about that part yet?』
"I’ve cleared it behind the scenes, though. Now it’s just a matter of getting the others to agree."
Yes, Lady Lilishe is truly capable. I am content to leave this in her hands.
That leaves only one thing... the Dark Guild. Will they make a move? Or will they watch from the sidelines?
In discussions where a conclusion must be reached, the outcome is often decided beforehand. If it weren't, the talks would drag on forever, stalling work and wasting time. In that sense, this was little more than a performance for the sake of appearances.