第１４３５堀：色々な意味で大味な会食 (Part2)
"Honestly, their methods are so transparent. 'I'll make it worth your while,' they say. Hah! They clearly have no grasp of the magnitude of the stir they’ve caused."
Enora-san’s expression hovered somewhere between weary detachment and genuine irritation. I suppose if they had been single and unattached, one might have entertained the notion, but...
"Ahaha, it’s rare for anyone to see me as a woman in that sense, but the other party has absolutely nothing to offer. If the suitor were Yuki-sama, I’d become his concubine without a second thought, of course."
"Well, you’d be setting conditions just because it’s Yuki’s place, wouldn't you? But setting that aside, Kinauf’s terms are completely out of the question. Even if they talk about 'getting along' in the future, there’s no merit in it for us."
Ah, it seems they had approached the unmarried Shou-sama and Menou-sama with similar tactics. But those two are the right hands of the nation—figures who, in some cases, wield more influence than the Prime Minister. They hold a higher standing than even us. To think they had the audacity to speak to such people with such disrespect. Fortunately, the two of them didn't seem particularly bothered by it.
"Um, if I may ask, didn't you find that offensive?" I ventured to ask.
The only reason they were accompanying us as envoys was because they happened to be staying in Weed. They weren't in the position of being Yuki-sama’s wives like we were; they were there strictly for work.
"Oh, heavens no. Something like that is hardly worth getting offended over."
"Exactly. You should see some of the places that don't know the state of the world—it gets much worse. Having weapons pointed at your throat is practically a daily occurrence."
"That’s true. Though, those types usually lack any real skill, so a quick thrashing is all it takes to make them behave. In a way, they’re easier to deal with."
"Right, right. People who are that ignorant usually accept reality once you show them your true strength. They don't have anyone whispering strange ideas in their ears like these people do."
Indeed, those who know nothing of the world tend to be that way. The real bottleneck, it seems, is the Dark Guild. And that reminds me.
"There was no sign of concern regarding the food, was there?"
"Ah, no issues there. No need for alerts. The Dark Guild folks seem content to just sit back and watch."
Agil-san answered my query. Jessica-san and Stasia-san were nearby, their eyes scanning the surroundings...
"There’s no killing intent from the other side. It’s more like they’re afraid of us, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, sending women to negotiate like this carries an implicit expectation of... certain services. Under normal circumstances, anyway."
Jessica-san described the situation, and Stasia-san added her own mocking assessment. It is true that sending women as negotiators sometimes implies that the conversation might take a different turn—the idea being to seduce or compromise the other party. The opposition likely knew that, but in this specific instance...
"We aren't even on the same level to begin with. We came as envoys at the request of our husbands and our home nations; they clearly don't understand that they’re dealing with representatives of a great power," Agil-san said with a look of exasperation.
"Come to think of it, did they approach you with such offers as well, Agil-san?"
"Hm? Ah, well, we do command armies, but we are here in the capacity of envoys. Though, given my appearance, I mostly just listen. What about you, Jessica, Stasia?"
"Hm? Well, we’re in military uniform, so that didn't really come up."
"Indeed. And perhaps because the continent is different, I wasn't looked at with any particular strangeness just for being a female soldier. That’s one good thing, at least."
Ah, the Haiden region where Stasia-san was from had strong patriarchal tendencies, where women serving as soldiers was unheard of. Compared to that, the Rogari continent, where strength is the only currency, is certainly better. Still...
"What shall we do from here? There’s no conversation to be had, after all."
"I don't see why we shouldn't just eat our fill and take it easy."
True enough. As long as they don't interfere, there’s nothing for us to do. We want information on Kinauf, but selling ourselves for it would be utterly meaningless.
And so, we spent our time critiquing the cuisine while enjoying our meal in peace. A banquet is, after all, a battlefield. Both in terms of politics and in terms of what’s on the plate. You want to secure the popular dishes at a buffet—it’s exactly the same thing.