This is the first part of an explanatory chapter (Part 2).
King Ossian of the Ayrica Kingdom, after reading the personal letter from King Maxim, sighed at the expected outcome.
In the personal letter he had sent the other day, he had written about accepting the Crown, which held great power on the Central Continent.
The reply was interspersed with casual conversation.
The result was that the Florece Kingdom still seemed unable to make a decision.
At the same time, it was also written that they should proceed with their plans without regard for the Florece Kingdom.
Even though it was a personal letter, it was merely an exchange of correspondence, and no official responsibility had arisen.
Personal letters between kings of two nations were treated differently from treaties or backroom deals between nations.
Therefore, just because the personal letter stated they should proceed according to their own circumstances did not mean that protests from the Florece Kingdom would not arise.
It was common for personal feelings and a nation’s position to differ.
King Ossian was well aware of this.
The reason the Ayrica Kingdom, rather than the Florece Kingdom, which should have had stronger ties with the Razekamamiya Kingdom, was ready to accept the Crown first was due to Ayrica’s domestic circumstances.
Although the Ayrica Kingdom possessed vast lands, ranking among the top three in the East Continent, one-fifth of its territory consisted of mountain ranges to the north and vast forest areas to the west.
Both of these terrains were dangerous areas that harbored some of the most powerful monsters on the East Continent.
Therefore, neither was a terrain where people could easily venture deep into.
Much less live there.
Due to these geographical conditions and their proximity to the East Continent, they were strongly influenced by adventurers from the Central Continent, where more powerful monsters appeared.
A nation’s army primarily operated in human-vs-human warfare.
Of course, the army would be deployed if the populace suffered extensive damage.
Dealing with monsters was generally the responsibility of adventurers.
It was only natural that the Ayrica Kingdom, constantly under the threat of devastating monster damage, would pay attention to the status display offered by the Crown.
After all, it provided an approximate level of a person’s skills, albeit as a guideline.
With the Crown cards in their possession, adventurers had a much higher survival rate than what had been previously possible with guilds.
It was important not to mistake this for an increase in quest success rates; it was an increase in survival rates.
Some nations viewed adventurers as disposable tools.
However, in Ayrica Kingdom, where monster damage was greater than in other countries, adventurers were a valuable asset.
Even if they failed to defeat a monster, they were considered most valuable if they returned alive, bringing back crucial information.
With enough information, it was possible to dispatch higher-ranking adventurers or send an army to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers.
Given these circumstances, it was natural for them to recognize the usefulness of Crown Cards.
When Crown Cards first began to circulate, there were attempts to steal the technology.
However, the response from the nation’s magic tool research institutions was uniformly that they were helpless.
Not only was the technology unlike anything they had seen before, but it also had a thorough security measure where tampering with it would erase all data and technology.
The only aspect of the technology they managed to analyze was the part that displayed text on the card; they understood almost nothing about the fundamental status system itself.
Furthermore, later disclosures by the Crown made it impossible to analyze the cards further.
This was because it was announced that the fundamental status system of the Crown Cards was created by an Avatar.
In essence, it was virtually announced that Crown Cards were Divine Tools.
Divine Tools passed down from ancient times had been studied before, but none of them used technology that was even remotely understandable, making them completely unanalyzable.
Under such circumstances, it was understandable that the analysis team could only conclude, “At this point in time, it is unanalyzable.”
As a result, the Ayrica Kingdom could do nothing but wait for Crown Cards to become available to adventurers in the Central Continent.
A change in this situation came with the information that a Crown branch would be established in the Sumit Kingdom of the South Continent.
The establishment of this Crown branch in the Sumit Kingdom sparked discussions within the Ayrica Kingdom about whether they could bring a Crown branch into their own country.
Around the same time, there were rumors that Crown personnel were actively working to gain acceptance for branches not only in the Sumit Kingdom but also in other countries.
These movements led to efforts within Ayrica to seriously prepare the conditions for inviting the Crown.
The matter proceeded with very little domestic opposition, and only the Florece Kingdom, with its deep ties to Razekamamiya, remained as a final concern.
They had not sent a personal letter out of the blue; they had also sought permission regarding these movements through official notifications.
Despite this, the Florece Kingdom’s response was slow, leading to a consensus within Ayrica to stop catering to the Florece Kingdom and proceed with establishing a Crown branch.
It was in response to this that King Ossian sent his personal letter, the reply to which arrived today.
***
One of the retainers, seeing the king sigh, seemed to guess the contents and spoke.
“So, it seems things couldn’t be settled there?”
“Ah, that’s right,” King Ossian replied briefly to his retainer.
He was aware that his country’s circumstances were unusual compared to other nations on the East Continent.
This was likely understood not just by the king, but by all the high officials.
The damage caused by monsters in the Ayrica Kingdom was that significant.
As a ruler, it was their natural role to take as many measures as possible.
In other matters, there would undoubtedly be those who would oppose for their own benefit, but regarding monster damage, most shared the same understanding.
Therefore, while many wished to invite the Crown branch quickly, there were virtually no objectors.
The retainer, looking directly at the king’s troubled expression, asked,
“What do you intend to do?”
“There’s nothing to be done. We will proceed with the invitation as soon as possible. That will likely be decided at the next meeting.”
“Can’t it be stopped?”
“For what reason? Our country has the justification of monsters. Unnecessary noise is irrelevant.”
The “unnecessary noise” in this case referred to the anticipated backlash from the Florece Kingdom.
“It seems the wind will be strong against us for a while,” the retainer said with a sigh.
“Especially regarding the handling of the Teleport Gate, I imagine there will be more sarcastic comments about whether our nation has any pride.”
At King Ossian’s words, the retainer gave a wry smile.
“Well, if it’s just that much, it’s easy enough to understand.”
“Is that so? Besides, the future is more important than such things.”
“Indeed.”
After all, they were going to establish a Crown branch.
Demonstrating tangible results, such as improved adventurer survival rates, would be their strongest claim to neighboring countries.
It would be meaningless if the nation or the Crown intervened and restricted adventurers’ activities.
It was important for adventurers themselves to survive by assessing their own abilities.
King Ossian’s words held such a sentiment.
