第１４８８堀：細かい打ち合わせ (Part1)
Chapter 1488: Detailed Coordination
Side: Labyris
"This is unexpected. I never thought we’d be working alongside Dressa."
I said as much to Yuki.
I had been wondering how Aslin, Firia, and I would be handling this upcoming slave auction, but it turned out that the proposal Dressa made had been approved.
And what’s more...
"I’m even more surprised that Shera is coming along, too."
That’s right. For some reason, it wasn’t just Dressa; the princess of Gartz was joining us as well.
I thought that might be pushing it a bit too far, but...
"It’s the opposite. I want Shera’s presence to be publicized so she can accompany us. The same goes for Mikos."
"Why?"
"To ensure our safety. Besides, we’re gathering members primarily from within the Rogari Continent, so having participants from another continent requires a recommendation from somewhere. It wouldn't look good if it seemed like Weed was just forcing its way in."
"Wait, isn't it a fact that we *are* forcing our way in?"
There are no other royals or nobles participating from other continents.
If that’s the case, it’s painfully obvious that Weed is the one pulling the strings.
"Well, that’s certainly true, but it seems the other continents want the pretext that they cooperated in probing the situation."
"Ah, I see. That kind of game."
I was convinced.
It’s true that the current issue is contained within the Rogari Continent, but for the other continents to sit idly by and offer no help would mean they couldn't claim any favors.
More than anything, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance is being obstructed by the Dark Guild, making them stakeholders as well.
They probably feel that if they don't do something, they’ll lose face.
"But sending in a bunch of small-country nobodies who don't know the situation would be..."
"A recipe for even more trouble. That’s why the presence of Dressa and Mikos is so incredibly significant."
They are individuals who know the circumstances, possess real capability, and are trusted by the great powers of other continents.
Yeah, they really are convenient.
"So, I’m counting on you all."
"Yay! We’re going together, Shera-chan!"
"We are!"
"Yay!"
Aslin, Firia, and Hiiro were all delighted.
Well, having friends along makes visiting a new land much more reassuring.
"Come to think of it, don't you need to spare some people for Mikos's side?"
According to Yuki, Shera, myself, Aslin, and Firia will all be with Dressa.
Doesn't that mean Mikos will have absolutely no one accompanying her?
"That side is fine. I’m planning to send Nairua and Wazfi."
"Excuse me? Those two are from Lancer on the If Continent, aren't they? Isn't that a different continent?"
"That’s fine. I’m going to introduce them as being from the Haiden region."
"Ah, I see! The two of them are in a delicate position on the If Continent. So you’re introducing them as Mikos-sama’s relatives, right?"
"Spot on, Firia. For now, we’ve been patching things up by saying they’re from Weed, but, well, it’s a bit shaky."
Indeed, Nairua is in a particularly bad spot.
She is the child of a minister who led a rebellion in the Holy Kingdom of Enaria.
Principal Popuri managed to hide her at the last second to avoid execution by association, but if she were found, she could still be put to death.
Well, the possibility has dropped significantly since she arrived in Weed, but Enaria still has to execute her to uphold the law.
A country can't exactly look past the escape of a criminal without losing face.
Wazfi isn't in quite as dire a situation as Nairua, but his standing isn't great either, so returning to his country isn't really an option.
That’s why they came to Weed.
Still...
"I’ll ask just in case, but if you’re concerned about them, shouldn't they stay hidden or change their appearances?"
"That’s one way to do it, but I want to avoid them living a cramped life if I can. The two of them said they’d cooperate, too."
"Haha, what Labyris says is logical, but you know how Yuki-san is."
Shera followed up with a wry smile to smooth things over for Yuki.
"Sigh. Fine, whatever. So, with this, Nairua and Wazfi will officially be recognized as 'look-alikes' by the King of Enaria and the heads of other countries?"
"That’s the plan. I’ve already cleared it with them."
My goodness, should I call this meticulous, or just say he takes advantage of every possible situation?
I thought we were just going to accept them in Weed and call it a day, but to think he’d go as far as getting them recognized as look-alike nobles from another continent to ensure their safety.
Normally, people would call that insane, but if it ever leaked out that we were hiding them in Weed, our position would worsen, and the other side would be forced to pursue them.
That’s exactly why he’s getting it officially recognized here.
Once that’s done, they can officially be judged as different people, and anyone who lays a hand on them would be creating a diplomatic incident.
After all, that fact will be known not just to Enaria, but to the kings of other nations as well.
It forces them to ask: is it worth ruining their reputation in the Alliance just to execute them?
As I was mulling this over, Aslin suddenly asked a question.
"Big Brother, aren't there any participants from the Zurabl region? As a small country, or in a noble capacity?"
Oh, right.
As of now, the only participants from other continents as nobles are Dressa and Mikos.
That would mean the Zurabl region is missing.
It’s not a huge deal, but it is a discrepancy.
I doubt people like Eupia or Shou would let that slide...
"Ah, for that, Shou is going to participate as a local lord, just like Mikos."
"Shou? Isn't he the Prime Minister?"
"No, he’s not the Prime Minister. Shou’s role is that of a military strategist during wartime. There’s a separate Prime Minister, and he also holds territory to govern. You remember he was absent when we went to the Zurabl region, right?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, that’s right."
I recall it was just Eupia at first.
It felt like Shou joined up later on.
"The Prime Minister is certainly one of the people who supports the country, but he’s more of an internal affairs guy. Shou can handle both war and internal affairs, but he can’t do both at the same time."
"I see, so the Prime Minister stays to keep the country stable while Eupia and Shou are away?"
"Exactly. Shou could probably do it, but at the time, it made more sense for him to be on the front lines commanding. Well, the fact that he’s young probably plays a part, too."
Indeed, Shou himself is young.
If someone like that were to take the seat of Prime Minister, there’s a chance the people around him wouldn't follow.
Because Eupia looks young, one might think Zurabl was founded recently, but thanks to the gods—or rather, the curse—they are ageless, so Zurabl was actually founded a long time ago.
It seems they only expanded their influence in the last ten years, but that was only possible because of connections that existed long before.
Thinking about it, it really would be difficult for Shou to be Prime Minister.
"I understand the situation. So, school is on break again?"
"That’s right. For about a week. You can talk about it normally. You should ask around for souvenirs or something."