87 [78] Alliance (Part 1).txt (2/2)

The soldiers, once quieted down, begin to make noise again in surprise.

The first thing that comes to mind is that you should not do that, Vilm-kun. The power of the Spirit-sama is a powerful thing for us. There are plenty of people who will use any means to obtain it.

''Lord Shazar is right. If the fact that the spirits' settlement is known, it wouldn't be surprising to see adventurers and countries like Rustavel who are willing to take forceful measures.

Geord and Shazar, who know the psychology of those who live in the outside world well, try to stop them in a hurry, but to begin with, that's something Virum and the others know more than enough about.

It's a good thing that the two of them are concerned about the spirits (this one), but the number of people who know about the existence of the village has increased too much with this case. It's beyond the point of being able to hide it at the earliest. We've let Rosalia and Larsen get away with it too. No matter how much of a gag order you put in place now, rumors will still circulate.

I don't think that's...

No, but...

It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

I'm sure that if that happens, regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, the fools who seek the power of the spirits will appear. I'm sorry, but we don't trust those from the outside world that much.

''But wouldn't that be the same thing if we announced the existence of the Spirit-sama's village? No, we could end up with a stampede of power seekers, couldn't we?

'Surely that would be the case if we just announced the existence of the Spirit Village... there.

In response to the natural concerns that Shazar had mentioned, Virmu uttered a countermeasure that he had already anticipated.

''At the same time as announcing the existence of the Spirit Village, I want the Dizenaire Demon Empire and the Adventurer's Guild to declare an alliance with the Spirit Village. What we are seeking as a territory is the entire Demon Mist Forest. And a non-aggression treaty to the territory.

I... I see.

So you're here.

In other words, the village of the spirits should be recognized as a country.

Once a country is recognized by the world as a country, it is considered illegal to enter the country without any formalities.

Even though they were defeated by the Rastabelle Empire, if the powerful Dizenaire Demon Empire recognizes them as a country and forms an alliance with them, there will be fewer people who will try to meddle with them.

Even if they were to resort to forceful measures, they have the advantage of being able to intercept the non-aggression pact as a legitimate reason and not worrying about the leakage of information (being seen).

''However, to the outside world, the forest of demon mist is a treasure trove of special materials. I don't think the Adventurer's Association or other countries would recognize it so easily.

'I'm thinking about that too. We can't just give you what you want when you want it, but we will periodically send the materials from the Demon Fog Forest to the market. However, this is only for countries that have joined the alliance with the Spirit Village, and that too in small quantities. But even so, it may exceed the amount currently in circulation, but it will never be less than that.

Having lived in the outside world for a while, Vilm had learned how rare the materials that could be gathered in the Demon Fog Forest were.

And when it comes to materials that can be gathered in the depths of a village, it is something that all countries are desperately seeking.

The reason why the amount of material that was released into the market was partly to prevent the value of the material from plummeting if there was an oversupply, but it also had a strong implication of not affecting the ecosystem of the Demon Fog Forest.

”So you can get a rare material with no risk. If that's the case, I'm sure there will be countries that will cooperate with us. The Adventurer's Association can also avoid losing valuable human resources for nothing... There's no reason to refuse, is there?

If that happened, adventurers who wanted fame would be less likely to get involved for fear of repercussions from other countries. Inevitably, there will be fewer adventurers who are willing to risk their lives to explore the Demon Fog Forest, and it will be more difficult to form a party for the purpose of exploration.

Even Geord and Shazar, who had been negative at first, were before long drawn in by Vilm's story, which was not only about their own interests, but also about the interests of their collaborators and even about creating a difficult situation for their opponents to move in.

''However, under these conditions, there will be a nation that will look down on the Spirit Village in the not too distant future. If you only listen to the story, it can be taken that the village of the spirits was given shelter by paying tribute to us.

''That's right. After all, apart from the alliance, it would be nice if we could prove that the Dizenaire Demon Empire has more than equal relations with the Spirit Village...''

They crossed their arms as they faced each other and twisted their heads to see if they had a good idea, but suddenly, it seemed that Ziold had come up with something, and after pretending to nod a few times, he slowly looked up.

''Mm, mm. Well, if that's the case... Okay, Oma, come here.

His gaze was directed at one boy who had been listening to the conversation between the three of them without looking away.