第１４８０堀：伝手は大事 (Part1)
Chapter 1480: Connections are Crucial
Connections are Crucial
Side: Kirue
I am currently attending to my administrative duties, having finished my household chores as usual.
Although I am a maid for Master and Shera-sama and the others, my experience and knowledge have been highly valued, and I have been entrusted with managing a department specializing in maid services.
That said, my work is strictly conducted within Master’s residence.
The environment is fully equipped to allow for that.
However, there are times when I must go out into the field. On those occasions, I leave the house in the care of Sasari, the wives who remain at home, or the subordinates of General Steve and his peers.
The children are still far too reckless, after all.
"Sigh... if only my work were limited to training maids and looking after the children, it would be quite fulfilling, but..."
I mutter this unexpectedly.
The reason lies in the documents I am currently processing.
The content describes gathering intelligence for participating in a slave auction to be held in the Kingdom of Ewai, a non-aligned nation under the Rumel umbrella.
If one were to look only at the text, it appears to be standard intelligence gathering for pre-visit safety verification, but...
"Whew. Senior, I’ve finished my morning tasks—wait? Why are you making such a difficult face?"
Sasari, having returned, said this the moment she caught sight of my expression.
Ah, so it is that visible on my face, is it?
"I am someone who trains the next generation of maids, yet I still have a long way to go if my inner turmoil can be read from my expression alone."
I often meet with dignitaries from various countries alongside my master.
It would be unacceptable for information to leak from me.
"No, no. It’s only because it’s me, Senior. Your expression hasn't changed at all; it’s just that your gaze wasn't moving, so I figured you were troubled by something."
"I see. Is that so?"
"I’m a maid, too, you know. I’d be dead if I let information slip from my own behavior."
That was true.
Sasari is also a fine maid.
Given her experience as a knight, which exceeds my own, she is likely adept at such things.
"So, why the difficult face?"
"Please, read this."
Without hesitation, I hand her the document that had caused my troubled expression.
Sasari accepts it honestly, but her gaze stops as she scans the contents.
Ah, I see.
This is easy to understand.
Thinking that I, too, must be careful, I wait for Sasari’s reaction.
After a few seconds, her eyes return to the top, and she seems to be reading it over several times...
"Is it true that Master and the others are actually going to this?"
Sasari, finally looking up, says this with a conflicted expression.
"Regrettably, it seems so."
I reply, suppressing the urge to mirror her conflicted look.
"For a mere slave auction? Held in a small country, and a non-aligned one at that?"
"The reasons are written there, aren't they?"
"Well, yes, it says it’s to demonstrate externally that we won't act unreasonably toward non-aligned nations, but isn't this just begging to be targeted? We’re currently in the middle of a battle with the Dark Guild, aren't we?"
"Indeed. Well, I suppose there is the objective of drawing them out, but the primary goal is the protection of slaves. Especially rare races. You understand that, don't you?"
That is correct.
In this world, appearances are extremely important.
The fact that they are so well-constructed is what makes this situation so troublesome.
"I understand, but do the heads of state and dignitaries really need to go? It’s going to be a huge nuisance for them, too."
"That may be, but that should be written there as well. For them, and for us, it adds prestige."
For the other side—the small nation—it proves they have the capacity to welcome not only the four great powers but all the major nations of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, and that their security was flawless.
And for our side—the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance—by going together, we can signal that this is the collective will of the Alliance, and highlight our efforts toward slave relief and preventing trouble.
Above all, it demonstrates that we are willing to trade even with non-aligned nations.
This will allow us to place further regulations on the flow of slaves.
We could even intentionally drive up the market prices to buy out all the slaves and goods from the small nation.
In the short term, the small nation might be pleased by the influx of funds, but in the long term, it results in a drain of human resources and materials.
If they can strike a good balance, there would be no problem, but if they were capable of that, they wouldn't be a "small nation" to begin with; they are outmatched in terms of capital and material power.
A turnaround would be quite difficult.
And through those dealings, we can also track the Dark Guild.
Since we will be conducting business with a non-aligned nation openly, it will become easier to request their cooperation.
"If one thing goes wrong, it could lead to the destruction of a nation, you know?"
Even so, as Sasari says with a troubled face, we are putting Master and the others in danger.
If things go poorly, the heads of state could be assassinated, plunging not just the great powers but the entire Alliance into chaos.
There is a possibility that mutual suspicion will take root, eventually leading to the collapse of the Alliance.
No, the mere occurrence of an assassination attempt would be enough to trigger that possibility.
We could find ourselves in a situation where the destruction of a single nation would be the best-case scenario.
"That is true, but we are not the ones who make the final decision."
"Ngh..."
But in the end, if we are ordered, we have no right to refuse.
We are the loyal servants of Master and his wives.
"I would stop them if it were merely reckless, but this is different, and the kings of the Alliance’s great powers are in agreement. We wouldn't be able to stop them even if we raised our voices. You are not the type of person who doesn't understand that, are you?"
"That’s true, but... I still want to complain a little."
"I understand that. Even if we are to conduct intelligence activities regarding the Kingdom of Ewai, we must start by deciding how to approach it."
"That’s true. Wait, aren't external activities the job of Kirika-san’s intelligence department?"
"That is the 'behind-the-scenes' part. What is required of us is our usual information from the streets. Though, it is true that this is difficult."
"Surely we can't just rely on rumors without stepping foot on the ground, right?"
"That is impossible. We will be attending to Master and the others on-site. We need to verify the environment and such. After all, this visit is officially 'unofficial.' It is out of consideration for them, but..."
"It’s not as if we can say for sure that they are prepared... especially since we’re mobilizing all the great powers, not just one."
As Sasari says, even if it is unofficial, it is a good opportunity for them to gain prestige.
They will likely prepare as much as they can, but since they are a small nation and not part of the Alliance, it would be a mistake to expect them to meet our standards.
If we fail in our handling of this, the Alliance nations on the other continent will undoubtedly lower their evaluation of the entire Rogari continent.
As someone living on the Rogari continent, I cannot allow that.
However...
"First, we must address the issue of the diplomatic window."
"They are a non-aligned nation, and above all, they are under the Rumel umbrella..."
We are in a situation where it is difficult for us to even make contact with the Kingdom of Ewai.
At a level where one might ask what a maid is doing with diplomacy, I am fortunate to be Master's concubine and have connections with his wives.
Above all, Gartz, the country I served, is a neighbor to Rumel and maintains exchanges with them.
In that case.
"I don't have the connections myself, but let us rely on my homeland for this."