Volume 3 Chapter 3 Part4 (1/2)
TN: Apologies for going incommunicado for the last month, real life has been … unrelenting. I’m still feeling a bit unwell right now, but here’s a chapter.
The place we led Jeanne to was the government office. I thought this place was perfect for us to sit down and negotiate. It’s quite s.p.a.cious and there were lots of pen and paper, and we can also get any necessary materials easily. However, it seems that what drew Jeanne’s attention the most when we entered the room was the bed in the corner …
“King Soma, that bed is?”
“Mine. This place is also my private room after all”
“Do you sleep in the government office!?”
“To our utmost embara.s.sment …”
Jeanne’s astonishment was answered in embara.s.sment, not by me, but Hakuya. However, it looks like what astonished Jeanne wasn’t the fact that I was sleeping in the office itself.
“I never though there would ever be a royal who does the same thing as Elder Sister …”
“What?”
Elder Sister … Lady Maria she means? Eh, the Imperial Holy Maiden sleeps in her office!? When I asked her, Jeanne replied awkwardly.
“Well, she’s a woman after all so she does have her own room, but when she’s busy with government work she sleeps in a bed in the office”
“……”
… somehow, right now, I feel like I really really get this Holy Maiden.
“Since Elder Sister is the Holy Maiden ruling over a vast territory, I told her to stop because she would make a bad example to her subordinates, but all she said was [It’s okay, right?], she never listens, at all”, said Jeanne with a sigh. For some reason Hakuya nodded enthusiastically.
“I know. I also repeatedly told His Highness to provision a room for himself to sleep in, but each and every time, all he said was [It’s more efficient, right]”
“I know. I get that Elder Sister gets tired when she’s working, but I wanted her to behave herself in front of her subordinates. Especially that she has the image of the Holy Maiden to keep up. I wish she doesn’t show her miserable side too much”
“I know, but, I’ve already given up on that point. His Highness still bears the name of the [Hero King] but what he does is unheard-of …”
Oi oi Hakuya. Don’t you think you went too far? Well, I didn’t really want to carry the Hero name, you see, and my unprecedented act got you guys hired, right?
… or so I wanted to say but it looks like I was going to get scolded even more so I gave up.
“I thought it’s good that King Soma does it out of being calculated. Elder Sister was only being slovenly. She’s a bit of an airhead, you know”
“Isn’t that great? It makes her a bit more cute. In His Highness’ case, it’s unseemly exactly because it was calculated. Why is it that he listens to counsel when it comes to work but not when it comes to private life”
“It seems Lord Minister has quite his share of troubles”
“As do you Lady Jeanne” 1
Jeanne and Hakuya were hitting it off. They look like they were going to break into a vigorous handshake 2 at any moment. Right then and there, the “Victims of Lazy Lieges Alliance” was born. … this is no laughing matter. I faked a cough and prompted Jeanne to get herself seated at the long table in the center of the office.
“Anyway let’s put that aside and get the negotiations started”
“Yes. Understood”
Jeanne got herself back in order and sat down. We were seated facing one another with the long table between us.
“Now then,” said Jeanne while looking my way, opening the negotiations.
“First, regarding the current occupation of Vannes. I regret to say that I promised Julius this. The Empire must do what it must”
“Well, let’s not go to straight to the end already. Here we have the Kingdom’s Head and the Empire’s Number Two having direct negotiations after all. There should be lots of things to talk about and information to share here. We can leave the unpleasant stuff for later, no?”
“… I suppose so. Also, I would like to summon our bureaucrats waiting in the other room, will that be okay?”
“Very well. If they would submit to a body check, that is. … Is anyone there?”
I shouted at the door and then Serina came in saying, “Excuse me”.
“Huh? Weren’t you handling Julius’ reception …?”
“‘Reception’ is over,” said Serina coolly. … It’s still three in the afternoon now, but it’s already over? … Like I thought, Serina is a frightening girl.
“What will it be Your Highness?”
“Ah, bring our bureaucrats and the bureaucrats Jeanne brought along. And check that they’re not carrying weapons first”
“Understood”
As I watched Serina gracefully leave, I resolved myself to “never make an enemy of her”.
A council is a dance. A bustling whirl of activity.
“So how is the situation with the Empire’s crops this year?”
“Thankfully we are generally getting a good harvest. Wheat is particularly bountiful. How about Elfrieden? You just came out of a food crisis”
“We’re getting a good harvest too. We managed to change crops in time, so there’s no need to worry about food anymore. Rather, it’s the emergency stores that’s worrying me. Even if we have it good this year, we might relapse next year or the year after”
“Well that goes for the both of us, doesn’t it. Harvest goes by the will of the heavens after all”
While Jeanne and I were talking, the Royal and Imperial bureaucrats were quietly trotting around. Some were frantically making notes of our discussion, because even a verbal promise can be an official commitment if written down on paper. Yet others were confirming what the things in those notes meant in order to not misinterpret what those commitments are. There were also those on both sides presenting prepared materials for each other, comparing what either country had in abundance and what they lacked. Since we shared no borders it would be hard to give each other direct aid but it should be possible with a third party intermediary.
It was a battlescene. Hakuya was eyeing each and every doc.u.ment in detail, and Liscia was helping me. Only the guard, Aisha, was standing at attention, but she wouldn’t want to look at numbers. She looked bored. … It feels really nostalgic, reminds me of the initial days of me having been handed over the throne.
In real diplomacy, even if the respective heads only met for a few minutes, both countries’ bureaucrats would negotiate for weeks or months behind the scenes. The Kingdom and Empire hadn’t been able to do that since the Demon King Territory appeared, which was what led to the current hecticness. For that reason, the first thing on the list for Jeanne and I to discuss was the Reopening of the Shuttle Diplomacy between the Grand Chaos Empire and the Kingdom of Elfrieden.
“Speaking of food, those Susanna root dumplings are really delicious, aren’t they. They’re made from the rhizomes of the bewitching susanna, right? We would like to know how they are gathered”
“I don’t mind. Well, according to Poncho, he learnt the bewitching susanna harvesting methods from a mountain tribe within the Empire. It should be easy to get their cooperation to introduce them”
“Oh my, there are people like that in the Empire. It embara.s.ses me to not know what our own country has”
“That’s how it always goes, right. You can’t always see what’s under your own feet”
I took a sip of the coffee Serina prepared and looked towards Jeanne. “Agreed,” she said as she also took a sip from her tea. I tried putting a little bit of sting in my words to see how she would react but her expression never faltered. It was unthinkable that she was the same age as Liscia.
“Since we’re telling you about the susanna dumplings, we’d like to have some information as well”
“Alright. What kind of information do you want?”
“Food in exchange for food, that should be fine, right? I wonder if there’s some uncommon food the Empire knows of?”
“… then let’s give you that right away,” said Jeanne with an ominous smile.
“It’s demon meat”
“… hah?”
“You can eat demon meat”
Demon … meat? Eh, what, really? Is she serious?
“Have you … eaten demon meat?”
“Yes. It tastes surprisingly ordinary”
“……”
I felt my legs becoming unsteady. Since I’ve heard about the Kobolds helping the Mystic Wolf Tribe from Tomoe, I was thinking of negotiating with the Demon King Army if circ.u.mstances allow, but … did she say they taste ordinary? To be in a literal the-strong-eating-the-weak relations.h.i.+p with someone you’re going to negotiate with. It didn’t seem like it will end with just one side eating the other …. I asked with a strained voice.
“Did you possibly eat … a goblin or something?”
Jeanne looked at me blankly for a moment then shook her head in a fl.u.s.ter.
“Perish the thought! What we ate were ‘demonic beasts’, not ‘demon race’. … ah, I see, Elfrieden doesn’t know much about the Demon King Territory, right”
Jeanne seemed to understand something and nodded.