第１７４９堀：嫌な予想は外れてほしい (Part1)
Chapter 1749: I Hope My Bad Feeling Is Wrong
Side: Seraria
"Phew, that settles things with Nina—or rather, with the remote village for now."
"Indeed. It’s amazing how much work keeps piling up, even when we have our own regular duties to attend to."
"It really is. Still, it’s better than being forced onto the back foot."
"This latest incident was a close call. Imagine if high-ranking officials from the Ousano Kingdom and the Ahe Kingdom had actually been abducted by the Ohe Kingdom. The Intercontinental Exchange Alliance would have been forced to take some very harsh measures."
My husband is right. I feel for the people in that remote village, but I’m relieved that no high-ranking officials were actually kidnapped. If this had only come to light after a formal complaint and a subsequent investigation, who knows what the fallout would have been? Or perhaps there was a scenario where Ohe would have invaded us instead. Either way, it would have been nothing but trouble.
"Well, let's just consider ourselves lucky. The Glass Port Town was nearing completion anyway, so this is just one more thing we can report at the completion party."
"That’s quite the 'big news' to drop, but for those war-mongering types you mentioned earlier, it’s the perfect setup, isn't it?"
To be honest, we weren't all that pessimistic about the war situation in the Ohe Kingdom. Problems would arise, of course, but...
"Fundamentally, the human side has their grudges and complex circumstances, which we can clearly see. If they want to fight, they should target the monsters. That’s a situation we can manage."
"So, you’re planning to steer them in that direction? Or rather, are you going to tell them to let the Northern Coalition—the humans—attack as well?"
"They’ll ask for it, no doubt. It’s the biggest source of trouble for the Ohe side. However, once they realize the reality of the situation, they’ll keep their mouths shut. After all, they don't even understand the language or the script."
"Ah, I completely forgot about that."
That’s right. This new continent we’ve reached uses a different language. Thanks to our usual summoning and translation skills, we don't struggle, but it’s a different story for the others in the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. The sheer number of people is astronomical. We can handle the heads of state, dignitaries, envoys, students, and select individuals, but we can't provide for every general traveler.
Recently, we’ve been moving toward a solution by creating spaces within the dungeon where translation skills are automatically granted to travelers, but we can’t just hand out translation tools to every soldier in every nation. Furthermore, there are legal documents and contracts to consider, so there are officials who are properly studying the languages of each continent. Including those in Weed, of course.
"Since they can't even communicate, that’s a problem that precedes any negotiation. If the war effort expands or casualties mount because of that, it’ll be a headache, and the difficulty in coordinating will be obvious. There won't be many who want to invade lands inhabited by people under those conditions. In fact, I suspect the national policy will be to secure the lands held by monsters instead."
"You’re probably right. Even I would think that way."
Eventually, we will need to understand the language of the new continent, but we can't just do it overnight, and the talent pool isn't developed yet. More importantly, when we don't know the intentions of the northern nations, not being able to understand their language makes any discussion impossible. It would only lead to unnecessary trouble, so we’ll refrain from that for now.
"But what if some of them demand we lend them tools with translation enchantments?"
Overall, the current plan should settle things, but it’s only natural that some will insist.
"I’m sure they will. But we aren't running a charity. If we lend out translation tools, we’ll charge a rental fee, and then the issue of profitability comes up. Do you think the higher-ups will approve that?"
"Ah, I see. They’re already spending so much on military deployment and supplies—they wouldn't be able to scrape together any extra budget for that, would they?"
"Exactly. Well, as long as they pay the rental fee and don't interfere with our strategy, I won't have any complaints, but..."
"Once you put that many restrictions on it, the reason to go out of your way to attack the northern countries diminishes. Even if they wanted to, the higher-ups would never approve it. We’re talking about this so casually, but you are still going to request the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance to participate, right?"
I had been assuming the support of the Ohe Kingdom throughout our conversation, so I decided to double-check.
"Request? No, we’re just guiding them to the stage, so to speak."
"You have a way with words. So, you’re just luring the war-hungry types out there, aren't you?"
"Pretty much. There are people in every country who want to fight. There’s no doubt that the world has become more peaceful thanks to us forming the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, but for soldiers, battle is how they are evaluated most highly. Taking that away from them is a ticking time bomb. I heard the Zilba Empire on the If Continent is having quite a hard time with that."
"Jessica mentioned that they were pushing an expansionist policy over there. In fact, by participating, we were able to secure the granary regions and villages centered around Horst’s Betan."
"They were gaining momentum, but then the ceasefire with Enaria happened, and the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance left them with no room to maneuver. Well, there was that trouble with the mass-produced magic swords, but that was only temporary."
"That did happen, didn't it."
Steve had poisoned the water source of the castle where the enemy was holed up, knocking everyone out.
"Anyway, this incident is just a convenient way to resolve that dissatisfaction. They’re free to take whatever land they can, too. We have a contract with the Ohe side to that effect."
"I just hope Ohe doesn't complain about it later."
It’s their own fault for getting talked into it by my husband, really. Not that I can complain—as long as they’re on our side, they’re incredibly reliable. They’re advancing into monster-infested lands and acting as a defensive wall for us without us even having to ask.
"Of course, I’ll make sure to tell them to secure Ohe’s interests as well. Or rather, I’ll make sure those details are ironed out thoroughly."
"As you should."
The last thing we need is internal strife within the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. With that settled, my husband and I reached for our tea to moisten our throats, and a thought occurred to me.
"By the way, how are the people from Ohe doing?"
After the meeting ended, we told them they were free to do as they pleased until dinner, but I was curious about their movements.
"Yes. King Ohe, Princess Suena, and Lord Martin have left the hotel to inspect Weed. Queen Dana is resting in a room at the hotel with Chinau-dono."
Kirue answered my question without a moment's hesitation. They’re being tracked properly, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"Was their stay supposed to be two days?"
"Yeah, they’re still in the middle of a war, after all."
"Usually, one should avoid leaving the country, but when it comes to confirming the safety of the Queen and the refugees, they have no choice, do they?"
"That’s true. Plus, there’s the talk of this place potentially serving as a last-resort evacuation site."
"I’d heard that, but are you serious?"
I asked my husband. It’s true that with the dungeon’s capabilities, we could evacuate the people of the Ohe Kingdom and provide them with land and housing, but...
"If it comes down to it, I am serious. Though, their total population is almost the same as ours."