第１５０９堀：渡りに船かな (Part1)
Chapter 1509: A Boat to Cross the River?
Side: Prol
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
No, that’s a rather poor idiom, isn’t it?
Let me see... what would be the most fitting proverb for this situation?
Hmm, nothing comes to mind.
Well, in a sense, since it involves rumors of a less-than-pleasant nature, perhaps it isn't entirely wrong...
But for it to happen with such impeccable timing, one can't help but feel a strange sense of fate.
And so, the matter that Micos-sama brought to us was:
"Is this about whether I should report Bamai-dono to Princess Carry, or rather, to Haiden?"
"Yes. You see, I heard the story from Yuki-sensei, but isn't his trading company currently at odds with the Dark Guild?"
"Micos, choose your words more carefully. He is fighting the Dark Guild because of his family."
Indeed, it was about Bamai-dono, whom Nina-sama had been discussing just moments ago.
Whether to call this timely or inevitable, it is truly something.
The fact that he has managed to establish contact even with the daughter of a baron who participated as a local noble of Haiden—one wonders if that is the mark of a truly capable merchant, or if it should be viewed with suspicion.
After all... we are currently agonizing over how to approach or negotiate with Bamai-dono’s Danaddemi Trading Company.
"Hmm. Tell me, Yuki, shouldn't we consider this a boat waiting to cross the river?"
"I agree. The timing is perfect, isn't it? Since they were the ones to provide the contact information, using Micos as an intermediary would serve as a perfect smokescreen."
As I sat in silence alongside Yuki-sama, Deryu-sama spoke up, and Jessica-sama voiced her agreement.
Indeed, for Yuki-sama to speak with Bamai-dono directly could potentially carry risks in more ways than one.
Bamai-dono himself might not be connected to the Dark Guild, but there is no guarantee that the Danaddemi Trading Company as a whole is clean.
The larger an organization grows, the harder it becomes to prevent such elements from infiltrating it.
Therefore, sending Yuki-sama into that environment would be far too dangerous.
Even if he isn't involved, if the Dark Guild were to receive a report that their enemies had made contact, they would surely become vigilant, and Yuki-sama could become a target.
I was organizing these thoughts when Micos-sama, the person directly involved, looked confused.
"Um, a smokescreen? What do you mean by that?"
"Indeed. What are you talking about?"
Kagura-sama and the others were tilting their heads as well.
That is only natural.
It should be explained properly, but that is a task for Yuki-sama to lead.
"Ah, that was sudden. Wait a moment, Nina."
"Understood. The explanation, right?"
"Hand over the documents. You and I will explain it together."
Ah, that’s right—it was Nina-sama who brought this information.
We must be sure to give her the credit she is due.
And so, after about thirty minutes of explaining the current situation...
"...And that is why we have been struggling with how to approach Bamai-dono."
"I see~."
"Exactly. It means Bamai-dono’s company is supplying goods to someone who might be connected to the Dark Guild."
"In other words, the earlier talk was about how it’s risky for Yuki-sensei to meet Bamai-san directly for safety reasons, so you’re suggesting that I, or someone else, should go in his place to gather information?"
Micos-sama stated this while reading through the documents.
As expected of someone who handles this kind of intelligence gathering, she seems to have grasped the situation immediately.
"Indeed. That is it. Yuki meeting him personally would likely increase our credibility with the other party, but we don't know how the Dark Guild would react to that. Well, we do intend to summon him eventually, though."
"But wouldn't the Dark Guild find it suspicious the moment he's summoned to Weed?"
"As Kagura says, summoning him to Weed would indeed raise suspicions, but sending him outside is also dangerous, and I don't think Yuki would allow Micos to leave the territory."
When Jessica-sama said this and turned her gaze toward Yuki-sama, he replied:
"That goes without saying. I generally don't do things that put my wives in danger. The auction was already pushing it. The same goes for Saurus, Kinauf, and Irinau. For the time being, I want to operate from my own base."
"I’m relieved to hear that. I don't know if it's my place to say, but Yuki-sama is surprisingly eager to go out into the field. It was the same with me, after all."
Fiora-sama said this with a wry smile.
It is true that to save Fiora-sama’s home country, we came to Weed and succeeded in bringing Yuki-sama out to her nation.
Of course, Yuki-sama himself did not go to any dangerous locations, but even so, traveling to another country is a very rare occurrence for him.
"Yeah, I think that’s fine for Micos-chan, too."
"Indeed. Like Fiora, I don't know if I should be the one to say this, but Yuki should stay firmly rooted at his base."
Kagura-sama said the same with a similar wry smile.
Indeed, that was the time we put Yuki-sama in the most danger yet.
We summoned him in the flesh, along with the other wives and even the daughters, to Baide in Haiden.
At the time, even I, knowing the circumstances, thought a war was inevitable.
Kagura-sama and the others were absolutely determined to kill them cruelly back then.
"So, the negotiation will be within the range where we can receive support from Weed or the dungeon. The problem is who will go to hear him out. The current flow suggests Micos is the candidate—how does that sound?"
"That's fine by me~. But aren't there other candidates? I can do it, but wouldn't Eris-san or Ratz-san be more suitable for this?"
"Ah, as I explained earlier, it’s not good for it to look like he’s talking to the heavyweights of Weed. In other words, it would be best to avoid me, as well as Eris, Ratz, Rurua, and Seraria, who participated in that auction."
"Ah, I see. But Yuki-sensei, Micos-chan is also one of your wives and a heavyweight, isn't she? Is that really okay?"
"It’s important to consider how the other side perceives the contact. If we use Micos instead of us meeting him directly, the Dark Guild might just think it’s a standard business transaction. After all, during the auction, she was officially there as a representative of a Haiden baronial house, right?"
"I see, so you’re also checking to see if they’ve done their homework on us."
"Exactly. Well, if they investigate normally, they’ll find out Micos’s true background, but since she isn't the one controlling Weed’s finances or logistics, they’ll likely assume it’s a connection stemming from Haiden."
As Yuki-sama says, the identity of the person handling the negotiation will change the level of importance the Dark Guild and others place on the interaction.
If Yuki-sama, Eris-sama, or Ratz-sama were to show their faces, it would be seen as an interaction with the core of Weed.
The surrounding parties would surely assume there was some important matter at hand.
However, if it is Micos-sama—if I may be so bold—she is only known for being the editor-in-chief of a magazine that people still don't quite understand, and a diplomat for Haiden.
And since she is the daughter of a baron, not many would assume she is treated as someone of great consequence.
The intention seemed to be understood immediately.
"Indeed, normally, Micos would just be seen as a mistress-level figure."