**Side: Prim**
I never imagined such a prominent figure would show up in person. That was truly unexpected.
The prominent figure in question was the first princess, and next in line for succession. She was the future empress of Retisencia, making her a troublesome person for Amister to handle. Retisencia couldn’t simply abandon her either, so a war could very well break out soon. Even if they did go to war, Amister’s victory and Retisencia’s destruction were already decided. However, a new concern has arisen.
Normally, Amister would have no reason to lose to a mere Retisencia. In fact, I believe that moving even one-third of the Order’s Guild forces would be enough to conquer Retisencia’s imperial capital. The difference in national strength between Amister and Retisencia is that stark.
But then there’s this Demon Crystal, which can produce An, that was apparently gifted by Abaricia. This is truly dangerous. Judging from the actions of the Murder Bee, it seems they cannot be controlled. However, given the example of the Evil Drake that was a familiar of Saches, if Retisencia can indeed control these An, it’s possible they could turn the tide in terms of resources and troop quality.
They say it’s a prototype, and it seems to have been manufactured in Abaricia, so it’s unlikely Retisencia can use it easily. But we don’t know how true that is, and if Abaricia were to join the fray, it would be problematic in many ways.
Frankly, it’s the worst-case scenario. If Abaricia joins, Solemne will undoubtedly make a move, and I don’t think Valentia or Libertà would stay silent either. If that happens, the Philia Continent will erupt in flames, and several regions might be occupied by Abaricia.
“Abaricia, if I recall, has attacked the Philia Continent several times before, but each time they were repelled, right?”
“Yes. They’ve never even managed to land on the Philia Continent.”
Abaricia has marched to conquer the Philia Continent multiple times, but the Philia Continent has always fended them off. At first, each country individually repelled them, but while Amister managed well, Retisencia was on the verge of being invaded. Therefore, other countries cooperated, and in the end, due to positioning and military strength, Amister took the lead in driving Abaricia back. The one who opposed this all along was Solemne. The last time Abaricia advanced was about 70 years ago, if I remember correctly?
“I see. So, Abaricia’s forces have likely recovered, and they’ve resumed their invasion of the Philia Continent, is that it?”
“Probably. But given their past battles, they must understand that Amister is a formidable opponent, so they’re likely targeting Retisencia first.”
“And probably not through direct combat, but through espionage and sabotage.”
“Most likely. As a result, Retisencia has been occupied, but Abaricia hasn’t informed the surrounding nations. It’s possible that even the upper echelons of those countries are unaware. Retisencia is probably doing its best to conceal it as well. They can’t do anything on their own, yet they possess an immense pride.”
Even if Abaricia has invaded and occupied Retisencia, Retisencia would absolutely not admit it. If they were to admit it, they would thoroughly conceal that fact. Retisencia is likely in a state of de facto occupation by Abaricia. The people we encountered earlier used the word “gifted.”
However, it’s possible that Abaricia is not interfering much with their politics. If Retisencia were truly occupied, rumors would spread rapidly no matter how much they tried to hide it. Yet, I’ve never heard any such rumors. What could be going on?
“There are possibilities, but I imagine this princess will tell us. Given how far this has gone, unless she’s incredibly spineless, she’ll likely seek some form of reprisal. Once we’ve extracted all the information, won’t she be executed?”
It’s a difficult judgment to make, but that possibility is high. There’s little doubt that this princess was at the forefront of the Feel raid. While it’s possible she was there for a morale boost or something similar, this was during an operation using An. It’s natural to expect the worst, and ordinarily, one wouldn’t consider going to such a place.
This princess has a high level, and she has evolved into a High Human. She also appears quite accustomed to her Battle Dress, suggesting considerable combat ability. Anyone can easily deduce this much; it would be harder to be wrong. Perhaps her intention was to acquire Mylight before her enthronement to increase her power and influence?
“That’s the logical assumption. Well, it’s not for us to decide. Once we hand over this princess, it will be over. Of course, if a war breaks out, we intend to help.”
“Me too. It’s only been a few days since I arrived in Feel, but I’ve already suffered considerable trouble, and the people of Amister have truly helped me. I am grateful. Most importantly, Meena and Flam are in Feel, and in the Royal Capital, there’s that child. I have no intention of forgiving Retisencia for doing something that would make them cry.”
**Side: Yamato**
After exiting the forest, we boarded Jade and Fluorite, and are heading towards Feel with Princess Marianne of Retisencia tied up with ropes and placed on top of a cart.
I had bought this cart thinking it could be made into a makeshift Beast Carriage by loading a tent onto it when we went to Mylight. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well. Even with a tent, it was a two-meter cube, so it had to be securely fastened to the cart, and more importantly, it looked unappealing. Without a driver’s seat, it clearly couldn’t substitute for a Beast Carriage, and it ended up being a waste of money. I never expected to actually use that cart, though.
We’re having Jade pull the cart. It doesn’t seem like much for Jade, as it’s walking normally. I had considered having Fluorite and Jade pull a Beast Carriage together, but depending on the size, Jade might be able to manage on its own.
“This place… Huh! You! Untie these ropes at once! Do you know who I am!?”
About twenty minutes after leaving the forest, the princess in question seems to have woken up. I expected her to be arrogant, but honestly, she’s just annoying. Should I knock her out again?
“Who are you? Aren’t you the next empress of Retisencia? I didn’t expect someone so important to show up, but since you were there, you must have been prepared to die, weren’t you?”
“You speak disrespectfully even though you know who I am. That’s bold, but I do not tolerate disrespect. You will be executed immediately.”
She’s as arrogant as I thought. More importantly, does she understand her situation?
“Do you understand your position? Right now, you are just a prisoner. No, you’re an perpetrator who released An in Feel, so you’re just a criminal. If word gets out that the next empress of royalty was involved, it’s tantamount to Retisencia launching a surprise attack on Amister, isn’t it? And with the others dead and you captured like this, do you really think you’ll be saved?”
“You are the one who doesn’t understand my position. If you execute me, Abaricia will not stand idly by. It is precisely because we, the Amister Royal Family, restrain Abaricia that the Philia Continent remains peaceful. If I, the next empress of that royal family, were to have my life taken by Amister, Abaricia would never forgive Amister. They would undoubtedly lead their entire army and destroy the foolish Amister Royal Family.”
Her thinking is self-centered, dependent on others, and wishful to an amusing degree. It’s as good as confirmed that Retisencia is under Abaricia’s control, but even so, it’s unlikely they would dispatch their entire army to rescue this princess.
More importantly, she truly doesn’t understand her position. While killing royalty or nobles would indeed mean immediate war, judging by the Provincial Governor’s words, Amister doesn’t fear war, and the Hunter’s Guild, having suffered significant damage, won’t remain silent either. I don’t know about the hunters within Retisencia, but hunters from other countries might join Amister’s side upon receiving requests from the Hunter’s Guild.
In Retisencia, royalty and nobles hold strong positions, and commoners are looked down upon. Despite that, they are thoroughly educated in distorted patriotism from childhood, even in the smallest villages. This doesn’t change when dealing with hunters; they treat not only G-rank hunters from other countries but also P-rank hunters and Grand Hunter’s Masters as inferior. For whatever reason, Retisencia’s hunters are also of low quality, with apparently none exceeding level 50. Other countries’ hunters are well aware they are looked down upon, so no one visits Retisencia without a reason. They might only use it out of necessity when passing from Amister to Valentia. This seems to be the case not only for hunters but also for Traders and Priests. The internal security of Retisencia is poor, with many thieves, leading to many deaths.
I believe these issues would be resolved if Amister were to develop a proper port in the Nadal Sea, and there are many who desire this. However, only Prada Village faces the Nadal Sea. Prada Village itself is situated on a narrow strip of land between Veil Lake and the Nadal Sea, making it difficult to develop a port.
If a port were developed, trade would begin, and they wouldn’t need to go through Retisencia, which would lower prices. Currently, escort requests through Retisencia are universally avoided, leading to nearly double the reward. Naturally, the Trader’s Guild would quickly move to establish a branch, and other traders would gather. Prada Village, in its current size, wouldn’t be able to handle it, so it would definitely grow.
However, there is no land for this, and the water is shallow. These are major reasons why a port cannot be developed in the Nadal Sea. That’s a separate topic, so let’s leave it for now.
“Is Abaricia really that kind of country?”
“…What are you implying?”
“How far do you think it is from Abaricia to Amister? Gather troops, procure weapons and food, and then they have to travel for days by ship to attack Amister. Just off the top of my head, all of that is necessary. Moreover, is Abaricia’s morale really going to be high for the sake of rescuing a princess from a vassal state, or for revenge?”
I agree. Abaricia likely made Retisencia a vassal state as a stepping stone to operate on the Philia Continent. Like Amister, Retisencia faces the sea, but there is an incomparable gap in national strength. It is said that if Solemne were to fall to Libertà, Retisencia would be swiftly conquered. This also means that if Amister, which possesses military power equivalent to Solemne, were to take action, they could destroy Retisencia immediately.
“Vassal state!? Are you trying to insult my homeland!?”
“It is a vassal state. It seems you were gifted something called a Demon Crystal, but it looks like it was brought to you for experimentation. Moreover, it’s a prototype, so you don’t know what will happen. In fact, the Murder Bee attacked you.”
“That’s impossible! Retisencia and Abaricia are bound by a deep bond! That is why they immediately gifted the newly developed Demon Crystal to the Royal Family!”
I want to say “that’s impossible,” but it’s pointless to argue. The hunters were like this too, so it seems best to assume that Retisencia people are unreasonable.
“Yes, yes, bark all you want. But you need an identification card to enter Feel. I doubt you have one, and I don’t think you’ll willingly hand over your Library, so go back to sleep.”
There’s no point in conversing with someone you can’t communicate with. So, I used Shock Flow, a fire-element C-class attack spell that can be used with the same sensation as a stun gun, on Princess Marianne, and she fainted. I was curious and tried to talk to her, but it was just unpleasant. Next time, I’ll knock her out as soon as she wakes up.
