第１６０６堀：どこも考えることは同じ (Part1)
"Hm?"
As I was heading to Yuki's office to relay the information from the Zilba consulate, I stopped in the middle of the corridor, in a slightly wider area that seemed to be a lounge. There, I saw Cleena with a sullen expression, and Samantha watching her with a wry smile.
It wasn't unusual for the two of them to be chatting in a place like this. After all, it was common for me, Aurelia, and the others to take a break and relax in the lounge. It was also true that if we stayed in the office, the conversation often turned to work.
However...
"What's wrong? Cleena, are you feeling unwell?"
It was rare to see Cleena with such an obvious look of displeasure. Her default expression was a blank one, and she was the type who couldn't easily read emotions. Well, having known her for a long time, I could understand what kind of emotions she was feeling. That's precisely why I became concerned.
"Oh, Jessica-san."
"...Jessica."
As soon as I spoke, both of them seemed to notice me and turned their faces towards me. Cleena's expression had returned to its usual blankness, so she probably wasn't feeling sick.
"Hello to you both. Are you on a break? I'd say that, but Cleena, your expression... did something happen? You're not feeling unwell, are you?"
I decided to confirm, at least. Cleena immediately shook her head in denial.
"It's simply a matter of my emotions. My health is perfect. Princess Inis and the old man toyed with me."
"What do you mean?"
"When I pointed out that they had manipulated me with their rhetoric and easily pushed through their main point, this is how they reacted."
When I listened to the details, it turned out that Princess Inis and Lord Feigel had taken control of the conversation with the matter of showing their child, and then, when asked to convey the main point to Yuki, Cleena had readily agreed.
"Well, that's a common occurrence, and fundamentally, I got married to get such matters through, so isn't there any problem?"
"I think so too..."
"I had a promise that they wouldn't use me for political purposes. Well, it's become a mere formality now."
"That promise, huh? Well, that's more of Princess Inis's fault."
"Indeed. They underestimated Lord Yuki, mistaking him for a mere mercenary. But when it all came out, he was the King Consort of Weed, and the country's actual power surpassed even that of the great nations."
"Princess Inis and Lord Feigel, who have that connection, wouldn't be able to avoid using Cleena, who is connected to them, would they? You understand that, right?"
Samantha said, looking at Cleena.
"...I understand. However, my own requests were barely granted. That's unfair."
"That's because it's an almost impossible request to not interfere politically through Cleena."
"Indeed. I can understand how she feels, but if they were to make requests that couldn't be granted, it would only make Cleena unhappy. From their perspective, they would want to grant what they can and keep Cleena in good spirits."
That's right, they didn't want to worsen their relationship with Cleena. That's probably why they were focusing on matters like the children, but the fact that they broke their initial promise was something Cleena was still bothered by. If this continued, not only Cleena's position but also Princess Inis's and Lord Feigel's would likely worsen.
Therefore, they would try to grant requests that Cleena could accept...
"Aside from 'don't use me for political purposes,' do you have any other requests?"
"…Yuki is providing all the money, materials, and space, so I don't particularly feel the need for anything."
Right. Yuki provides all the money, materials, and space. Far more perfectly than her home country.
"If I had to say, I'd want a space surveillance satellite. If I could monitor Arrowlit from space, it would be very convenient."
"That's true, but it's impossible."
"Weed is only just beginning to venture into space."
That's right, in Weed, led by Haviar, they were starting to establish an organization for space exploration, or rather, the preliminary steps. However, space is a field that requires the integration of all disciplines, so they were still short on personnel and were diligently accumulating knowledge. Even if they asked August, who knew nothing about space, all he could do was provide funds, materials, or...
"Ah."
I suddenly thought of something.
"Ah?"
Both of them tilted their heads and looked at me at my words. They seemed to be asking if I had thought of something, so I continued.
"Regarding the space exploration I just mentioned, there was something missing. Well, it's not that Yuki can't prepare it, but I think more space is better."
"What?"
"What do you mean something is missing?"
They urged me to continue.
"Land. It's not that I want it as a territory, but a rocket launch site."
"Ah, I see."
"...Indeed, it's not impossible to do it on Weed's ground, but it's unavoidable that people will gather."
"Yes, that's right. Securing a rocket launch site while ensuring safety would be a difficult task. However, if it were land on another continent..."
"Certainly, if we could get uninhabited land, there's no reason we couldn't use it that way."
"...But they'll definitely ask what it's for. And Yuki, considering safety, wouldn't be able to not tell them."
"Well, that's true, but it's already a territory granted to Cleena, so couldn't we just say it's for Cleena or Weed's experimental grounds or field military training grounds, and get permission normally?"
"That's true."
"Hmm. If that's the case, I think we could get it, but if it's for that kind of talk, wouldn't Samantha, and Jessica, and everyone else's home countries also be willing to offer land?"
That's certainly true. However...
"This time, the fact that Cleena can receive it is a strong point."
"Indeed. If our countries were to get involved, it would inevitably be a loan to Weed. Of course, there's a possibility that we might go through the procedure of it being on our territory, but..."
"There's no reason to go through such a troublesome process?"
"Exactly. Besides, we don't necessarily have to use it for space development; we could also use it to collect data on lands with low magic in the If Continent. There are clear locations like Betan, Lancer Magic Academy, and the capitals of various countries, but uninhabited land is rare."
"That's right. Well, in the end, isn't it fine to just talk to Lord Yuki about it? If we just dither here, it will only be talk within this room."
"Indeed. For now, the matter of the port town is the priority."