第１４７８堀：知らないこと (Part1)
Chapter 1478: The Unknown
Side: Yuki
A week had passed since the protection of the Water Spirits was established.
There hadn’t been any major movements since then, but I had spoken with the upper echelons of the Alliance regarding the aftermath of the Great Flood and our future countermeasures. Specifically, I proposed tracking the movements of the slave markets and investigating the supply routes used by the branches of the Dark Guild following the collapse of their headquarters. To my surprise, everyone jumped on board with the plan.
Or rather, as expected of a great power, they seemed to have already anticipated such a situation and had prepared accordingly; the response was remarkably swift.
Even the decree regarding slave trading was already drafted, and it was scheduled to be issued tomorrow.
I held the document in my hand.
"It seems every nation is paying close attention to the slave issue now."
"I imagine so. Even hearing about it gives me a massive headache."
It wasn't Seraria who answered my mutterings, but rather, for some reason, Lowell.
"Wait, this is Seraria’s office, isn't it?"
"Yes, that is correct. This is Her Majesty the Queen’s office."
Qual answered me.
Right, if the Captain of the Royal Guard is here, there’s no mistake.
"Um, excuse me, but why is Lady Lowell welcoming us?"
Fiora asked the question for me.
As she pointed out, I had come to the office at Seraria’s summons, yet Seraria was nowhere to be found, and Lowell was there instead. Anyone would tilt their head in confusion.
"Seraria had to step out for a moment. Since you arrived while she was away, I, her friend, took the liberty of welcoming you in her stead."
"I see. And Qual, what is this about Seraria stepping out?"
"Exactly as she said. She will be back shortly."
Qual stated this without any sign of alarm. If she’s not worried, it must be fine, but I wondered where she had gone.
"Yes, yes. I’ve brought the coffee. Oh, my, you and everyone else are here too. Perfect timing. Come on, have a seat."
"Ah, so you were preparing coffee?"
"That’s right."
"You’ve started doing that quite a bit lately, haven't you?"
"Whose fault do you think that is? Whose?"
"Eh? My fault?"
"Exactly. Originally, my focus was on baking and tea. But you were the one who recommended coffee, weren't you? Didn't it start with the King of Haiden?"
"Ah..."
Now that she mentioned it, that did happen. I think I might have recommended my own special blend.
"So, it became a trend?"
"Yes. Thanks to that, I’ve even started grinding the beans myself."
"It’s delicious. It’s really something, isn't it?"
As Seraria said this, Lowell agreed, tilting her cup to take a sip of coffee.
I mean...
"The room is filled with such a rich aroma, but is the ventilation alright? There might be people who aren't fond of the scent of coffee, you know. Is everyone okay?"
I felt concerned and checked on Fiora and the others. It was certainly a fragrant scent, but there were bound to be people who disliked it, especially children.
"Um, Yuki-sama. Why are you looking at me and Yayui?"
"Yes, is there a reason?"
Prof and Yayui tilted their heads in an adorable fashion.
"No, it’s just that you’re both quite small. You’re more susceptible to these kinds of strong scents. I was the same way when I was little."
I used to get terrible motion sickness and the like, after all.
"Ah, I see. No, I like coffee, and the scent is quite pleasant."
"Yes. I drink coffee too, so I’m fine. It smells wonderful."
"I’m glad to hear that. Now, is everyone alright with coffee? I have water and juice as well, if you’d prefer."
"Oh, in that case..."
I felt like having water, but when I looked at Seraria, she gave me a bright smile.
"Black, please."
"You do love your coffee black, don't you?"
"I don't know, I’m just not good at mixing things. I prefer to drink it as it is."
I’m not good at altering what’s served to me, and frankly, it’s a hassle.
"I’ll serve everyone’s black, so feel free to adjust the flavor with milk or sugar if you like."
With that, Seraria began preparing the coffee for everyone.
"That’s all well and good, but tell me, why did you call me here?"
"Ah, that would be me."
Lowell, who had been leisurely sipping her coffee, answered.
"Lowell? Does this have to do with the slave trade?"
"Exactly. Since then, I’ve been investigating which areas are thriving through slave trading, while also making inquiries with the Adventurer’s Guild. That’s when I received word about a large-scale auction."
Saying this, Lowell handed me a piece of paper.
I took it and checked the contents...
"A small nation under the Rumel umbrella..."
The content was a notice announcing a slave auction. In Japanese terms, it was a flyer. They were being quite blatant about it.
No, perhaps that’s exactly why it doesn't seem suspicious? If they do it openly, people assume they have the proper permits.
"Yes, it’s about as blatant as it gets."
"It’s troublesome, isn't it? Rumel does participate in the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, but because of the trade with the continent discovered by your friends and the Heroes, they have a high degree of independence. That said, since we help them with transport via Gates, we can’t exactly ignore them, but they are a nation under that umbrella that hasn't joined the Alliance."
"Well, it’s a cover, or rather, the Alliance’s influence is likely low there. And to think they’d hold it near Rumel, where the Dark Guild’s headquarters were located and subsequently destroyed... No, hmm, is it better than holding it under the umbrella of the other three nations?"
"It’s probably better, yes. As a result, it took time to pinpoint this location. And we don't have concrete proof yet. But..."
"They’re blatantly advertising rare races and people who know the location of lost national treasures. I wonder if anyone actually believes such dubious claims? Oh, and they also mention beautiful girls and handsome boys. Regardless of the latter, they are definitely using rare races as the main attraction, so they must be sourcing them from somewhere."
"You're right."
The advertisement introduced the star slaves to be sold.
However, rare races aside...
"The description for the beautiful girl says 'former princess,' but has there been any news of a country falling recently?"
That was the thing—what was this about a former princess being a star item? As far as I knew, I hadn't heard of any country falling due to war. Furthermore, I had never seen or heard of the name of that country before.
At that, Seraria and Lowell exchanged a subtle look.
"It fell. If you put it that way, it’s true, but..."
"In terms of the circumstances, it was effectively annexed."
"Ah, that kind of situation. Was that a side effect of our Weed?"
"No, that has nothing to do with it. You’ve always been the one most careful to avoid destroying small nations over such interests, haven't you?"
"I suppose so. Still, no matter how careful you are, you can't have zero impact, right?"
There are bound to be areas where we compete. Especially with luxury goods; the products from Weed—or rather, Earth-made goods—are overwhelmingly superior. Of course, we try to buy their products to ensure there isn't a trade deficit and to keep their economies from collapsing, but... there’s always that "even so" factor.
"It really has nothing to do with it. Because that country fell back when Weed was first founded."