第１６３５堀：一応偉い人たちが集まるので (Part2)
That is precisely why it is necessary to decide how to answer the questions that will inevitably be asked.
"Right. No internal police matters. No changes or additional reports regarding the investigation into the dark guild. If anything, maybe the port town? Ratz is leading the development of the resort area, and as for the Alliance, there’s just the matter of Canary starting up a bento shop."
"Ah, I suppose you hadn't mentioned Canary yet, had you?"
"Well, as far as the Alliance is concerned, that’s a closed chapter."
It was a harsh way to put it, but it also meant he had no intention of exploiting Canary. He had provided money and care, but she had been worth every bit of it. By tracking the dark guild, they had managed to round up the fools hiding in the tombs of the Vinoshia royal capital. At that point, their objective had been achieved. Furthermore, they had discovered that the enemy was capable of using Cores, which had led to the current state of chaos. If anything, he felt grateful enough to want to offer her some sort of reward.
Well, thanks to that, the chaos would likely continue for some time. Which meant there was simply no time to spare for Canary. Besides, on the surface, Weed had purchased her as a slave, so she wouldn't be meddling in affairs she shouldn't.
"Understood. Shall I just say that Canary is in the process of starting a bento shop?"
"Yeah, it hasn't opened yet, so just say it's under preparation."
"Very well. Then I shall be stepping away tomorrow afternoon."
"Right, I’m counting on you."
"Count on us."
The conversation paused there, but the mention of Canary reminded me of the sea.
"Come to think of it, how should I report on the sea? Once I bring up Canary, they will surely ask about the progress of the port town."
"Ah, that’s true. Though, we aren't really ready to welcome tourists yet. Canary’s bento shop is the first private business to open there. Only the interior of the resort hotel Ratz is building is barely operational; the staff is still in training."
"They will likely want to see the naval port, the harbor, and the sea itself. How shall we handle that?"
"Blade of Roday will probably insist on seeing the monsters, too."
He certainly would. That king was exactly the type. Yuki seemed to imagine it as well, offering a wry smile.
"Well, that’s to be expected. We’ve sent them information on the monsters, so it’s only natural they’d want to see the real thing."
"Besides, since they’ve invested in the port town, they’ll want to see the fruits of their labor, won't they?"
Indeed. Even if it hadn't been strictly necessary, the port town was officially built through the collective effort of the Intercontinental Alliance to counter the dark guild. If they hadn't invested in it, they wouldn't have the gall to call themselves allies. Or at least, that’s what I would have thought a little while ago.
"Honestly, I think a report should suffice."
"And why is that?"
"As Yuki said earlier, the Cores, the vehicles, the medical facilities, and the customization issues take priority. The port town’s safety is already secured; that can wait."
When I said this, both of them nodded.
"True. If we’re going to spend time on inspections, it should be for a Core operation meeting."
"We can't move forward on anything unless we get our stories straight quickly. The port town is already underway; even if we leave it alone, we’ll finish it on our own. Inspections can happen anytime."
"That’s true. Well, I’ll pass on the news about the port town for now. Oh, and one more thing regarding the Cores."
"What is it?"
"How should I address the Cores we currently possess and any we might discover in the future?"
It was a topic Yuki had strangely avoided until now. It was clear that since the enemy had used a Core, other nations might try to get their hands on them. And to prevent that, they were offering up their own Cores. However, there had been no mention of what the other nations should do with the other Cores they might find. No, he had only told them not to use them because they were dangerous.
"Tell them I’ll talk about that at a later date. It’s too chaotic right now."
" " "Eh?" " "
We couldn't help but wonder why he was saying this now. Well, I understood that he didn't want to add to the confusion, but... appearances are important. Even if you say everything is fine, if it doesn't look fine to those on the outside, then it simply isn't.