第１６３４堀：不真面目で真面目な話 (Part1)
Chapter 1634: A Frivolous Yet Serious Conversation
Side: Samantha
"In other words, it means I can have instant ramen shipped in as much as I want!"
It had been a few days since the talk about providing the cores. I had come to discuss the usage restrictions on those cores, as well as the additional offer of vehicles and medical equipment we could provide. This was the very first thing Blade, our King of Roday, said. Everyone in the meeting, myself included, slammed their heads onto the table in unison.
Wait, what? We were discussing the provision of dungeon cores that could shake the foundations of nations, the maintenance of vehicles, and the production of medical facilities—a conversation that would effectively change the world—and his takeaway was *ramen*?
Everyone thought the same thing, and simultaneously...
*“““Of course he’d say that.”””*
Even Chancellor Ronri managed to hold back a shout, though his expression mirrored the rest of ours. Why didn't we scream? Because...
"...Blade, you're being serious, aren't you?"
"Huh? Of course I'm serious. Being able to have the authentic taste of Earth, even if it is instant, delivered whenever I want? That’s a dream."
"...And what do you intend to do about the vehicles and the medical equipment?"
"Huh? We’re obviously going to accept them. Is there anyone left who would oppose that? The important thing is the byproduct. I’m grateful that I can at least stock up on things like ramen and snacks. I honestly thought everything like that would be completely off the table."
That’s right. Surprisingly, King Blade actually thinks things through.
Moreover...
"If I say it's for the ramen, more people will be convinced. If I just bring in things that sell well, the money won't circulate among the commoners. It’s better for us nobles to consume the luxury goods. As for the ramen, we can have the noodle shops in the downtown district serve it, and that will give back to the people."
He was even thinking about the economy.
What he was attempting to do was a method that could effectively silence any complaints from other nobles. The King’s whims. That alone was enough to convince those around him. We, the people in this room, were proof of that.
"...I suppose that’s easier to understand and more profitable than trying to weave complex logic," Chancellor Ronri agreed, looking as if he had just bitten into a bitter bug.
Indeed, rather than bringing in items that would only benefit specific factions, using the King's hobby as a pretext—and making it something he himself would go out to eat—meant there would be no room for complaints. If anyone dared to scream about tyranny or dictatorship over ramen, they would simply be met with cold stares, wondering why they were getting so worked up over food.
Setting that aside, however.
"Um, Your Majesty. 'As much as you want' isn't quite right. It will be limited to what remains of the DP after we allocate it to the vehicles and medical equipment you mentioned earlier."
"I'll just save up and squeeze it out of the budget."
*“““That is absolutely the wrong priority.”””*
We all denied his statement in unison. Ramen was supposed to be the extra, not the primary focus.
"I know, I know. Still, we have to keep in step with the other countries, don't we? Even if we want to mass-produce, we can't just snap our fingers and make it happen."
He sounded like he was joking, but in reality, he was being quite serious...
"Haa... I wish you would just speak seriously from the start. The difference in national power will depend on how much effort each country puts into the vehicles and medical equipment. And then there's the question of whether it will even go well."
"That's exactly it. Our country is blessed with kind subordinates who listen to my opinions, so we won't have many problems. But if my reading is correct, the Haiden and Zlabul regions have only just emerged from war. They won't be able to reach a consensus and start production immediately. And regarding the quantities, there will be a need to coordinate between the nations."
"If they are misused, it will become a significant problem. Especially if they are repurposed for military use; the threat level would rise considerably. You understand that, don't you? My son wouldn't be unaware of such a thing."
My father said this while looking at me.
"Yes. Yuki-sama would never tell us this without understanding the implications. However, being stingy with the cores could lead to other countries seeking them out on their own."
"Well, yeah. Even I, if someone told me a core might be usable, would go searching for it just for the sake of more ramen."
*“““...”””*
Everyone suppressed the urge to retort.
What he just described was exactly how other countries would act if we didn't provide the cores.
"That is the only way to stop the other countries from using the cores they've acquired."
"We can't say for certain that the only cores out there are the ones the Dark Guilds obtained. Not hiding that information is also for the sake of Weed's reputation moving forward."
"That’s why he offered them for free and made them usable. Well, the sides receiving such favorable conditions are likely just as confused as we were, holding meetings of their own. It’s not the kind of thing you can easily consult your subordinates about. Thanks to that, I ended up having a summit while eating yakiniku."
Yes, I heard about that from Kagura.
After Yuki-sama's declaration, they gathered at a yakiniku restaurant to discuss their future. I can only offer my condolences to Kagura for being bombarded with questions.
"I thought about the yakiniku beforehand, but it couldn't be helped. It is fortunate that we were able to coordinate with the other nations. To return to the topic, remaining silent would have had a negative impact; Weed was in a difficult position as well. So, Samantha, from the perspective of your son—or rather, from Weed's perspective—is this situation good?"
"Whether it is good or bad is irrelevant. I do not know what their goal is, but we are in a situation where we don't even know how many 'rigged' cores exist. This declaration and these measures are meant to stop that. If we handle this poorly, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance itself could collapse."
That’s right. If we stayed silent, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance itself might have been dissolved. That is precisely why Yuki-sama, in addition to providing the cores, offered the high-value technology of vehicles and medical equipment to keep the nations tethered together.
"Yuki would do something like this. In fact, we jumped at the bait he dangled. We definitely won't be touching any cores of unknown origin now."
"Indeed. Providing the vehicles, the medical technology, and the cores as production equipment—in exchange for not touching other cores—is a good move. But it is not absolute."
"What do you mean by that, Chancellor?"
At Chancellor Ronri's words, I narrowed my eyes.
After going to such lengths, are they still planning to touch those mysterious cores behind our backs?