第１９０６堀：北の国々の在り方 (Part1)
Dungeon 1906: The State of the Northern Nations
The State of the Northern Nations
Side: Yuki
The Fiana Kingdom, central to the north.
A nation dedicated to supporting the countries that uphold the various northern front lines.
At first, I wondered what that meant, but it's not so strange.
While having separate command structures is certainly troublesome, it also has its advantages.
Namely, there's no need for time spent on unification, and each region can be left to its own devices.
No, I thought, "What kind of advantage is that?", but it means there are virtually no false reports.
You might wonder what I'm talking about, but...
"Thanks to this unique structure, not only the central Fiana Kingdom but also each nation absolutely refrains from exaggerating in their battles against monsters. After all, if they lose, their citizens will be slaughtered by monsters, and that's something a nation absolutely wants to avoid. Therefore, they absolutely maintain their connection with the central authority."
"The Fiana Kingdom, in times of need, acts as the one to step in and fill the gaps."
"I see. If they were unified, discussions of demotions and such would become involved, potentially creating vulnerabilities."
"Exactly. Precisely because they are separate nations, I believe the information remains accurate."
Indeed, if a single nation were to support this front line, securing personnel and similar matters would become crucial.
No, one might think the current system is fine, but it's natural to reallocate forces if better ones become available.
In such a case, demotions, or rather, shifts in status, would occur.
To avoid this, not only would false reports emerge, but internal disputes would also need to be resolved.
If the front line were to collapse under such circumstances, they've determined it would be impossible to rebuild.
"So, the situation in the north is that severe?"
"Indeed. That said, I haven't heard of any national front lines collapsing."
"That's right. I've heard it's touch-and-go, but I also haven't heard of any nations responsible for defense falling."
"Is there a possibility that the Fiana Kingdom is imposing an information blackout?"
"I can't say there isn't, but there's no point in doing so..."
"Even without making a mistake, they would end up supporting a collapsed nation themselves. As for whether the revenue would be positive..."
"It's questionable whether they could take control of a nation constantly supporting the front lines and govern it without chaos. And the balance of payments would undoubtedly be negative."
After discussing the methods myself, I clearly understood how reckless it would be.
It's impossible to make the balance of payments positive in the end.
While it might differ from what one calls 'war,' monsters actively come to kill people.
Well, they don't emerge from their habitats, but surprisingly, in the north, they've been moving south and clashing with human settlements, so all those losses would have to be absorbed.
It's impossible for the balance of payments to be positive.
However, a question arose then.
"I was wondering, the balance of payments for each nation we just discussed, it *is* positive, isn't it? Otherwise, a nation couldn't sustain itself, could it?"
Yes, while there's talk of them struggling, it's still at a level where they can maintain their nations.
That applies to both their military strength and their financial balance.
Without the necessary amounts of either, they would gradually decline and be unable to cope.
"Ah, that's right. They sell monster materials and gain revenue through the Fiana Kingdom. Of course, each nation also has at least some industries besides that."
"Indeed. However, regarding military strength, I've heard that the pressure from monsters descending from the north has increased in recent years, leading to a rise in both injured and deceased. There was talk of a problem arising concerning how to replenish those forces."
"Wait a moment. 'Recent years'? Did the Clearstream Church declare the Demon Lord's existence and begin the expulsion of demi-humans from various nations only recently?"
"Hmm. Come to think of it, I hadn't considered the timing there. Chancellor Daeda?"
"Yes, sir, the timing aligns. It was within the last five years that they began claiming demi-humans were the Demon Lord's pawns, acting for the Demon Lord."
"I see. Well, the logic holds. The Demon Lord is launching an offensive against humans, and demi-humans are one of the causes. It's an outrageous accusation, but if that were true, then the nations responsible for defense would have fallen long ago."
"Yes. That would be easier even for a scoundrel like the Demon Lord. Why bother with demi-humans, whose success is uncertain..."
At that, Chancellor Daeda's expression froze, as if the color drained from his face.
He seemed to have realized something.
"Yes, it's strange. The movements are as if they're convinced that demi-human expulsion will succeed and trigger internal strife. Yet, the northern nations have suffered no damage. There's still no sign of them collapsing. In that case..."
"Ah, by the looks of it, either the Demon Lord has infiltrated internally, or some group is the mastermind, eroding national power?"
"Yes. There are various other possibilities, but the Giadana Kingdom is literally on the verge of losing its standing as a protector of demi-humans. Clashing with the south and depleting forces, that would have been the central faction, wouldn't it?"
"...That's right. If they wanted to cause trouble, the north would be better. Yet, considering that problems are arising centered around *my* Giadana, it's strange to call it 'internal,' but it's a human-to-human issue. Some kind of agenda is at play. It seems far more likely than anything to do with the Demon Lord."
"Indeed. This is quite clear."
Yes, it doesn't feel like the Demon Lord was the cause from the start.
In both the south and the north, the Demon Lord's name is mentioned, but ultimately, their true identity remains unknown.
Yet, only the Demon Lord's existence is hinted at.
Well, let's set that aside for now.
"Excuse me. I got sidetracked. We'll delve into that discussion later. Now, about the Ioa Kingdom. So, it's not particularly strange for them to gather adventurers from elsewhere?"
"Hmm? Oh, that's right. The Ioa Kingdom, or rather, the northern nations, regularly gather skilled adventurers. The Adventurer's Guild also recognizes that if the north collapses, it would mean the collapse of nations, or rather, the collapse of humanity. So, there shouldn't be any talk of trying to take over a nation. As we just discussed, even if one nation falls, it's difficult to provide support."
"I see. So, the Adventurer's Guild and the Clearstream Church wouldn't do anything to bring down a nation."
"I can definitively say that from my perspective, they wouldn't. As the King said, they can't provide support, and there's no successor. It would only exacerbate chaos."
Neither of them seems to believe that the Adventurer's Guild or the Clearstream Church is trying to seize control of nations.
Well, if their accounts are true, I also don't see any benefit for the Adventurer's Guild or the Clearstream Church to take control.
I won't make a definitive statement, as there might be other, different benefits, but I understand that the probability is low.
"Understood. In that case, the members operating as adventurers can proceed as planned, correct? It seems unlikely they'll get caught up in any clumsy conspiracies."
My biggest concern was that Vilia and the others might be conveniently used and end up making an enemy of a nation.
Well, even if we made an enemy of a nation, we could manage, but the damage would be immense.
And in such situations, the greatest victims are always the innocent people.
"Ah, indeed, getting involved in something like that would be a major issue. We need to be careful. We can't say that no power struggles are occurring."
"That's right. We cannot deny such internal conflicts."
"It's possible, then?"