Kousuke and the others were shown to a room at the inn where the envoy was staying.
There, Dudone bowed his head to Kousuke and the others once more.
“I apologize for any trouble we have caused.”
Seeing this, the man who had been bothering Kousuke and the others until just before spoke in a flustered manner.
“Du, Duke Dudone! Why would you…? They’re just adventurers.”
“Silence!”
Dudone rebuked the man before he could finish speaking.
Dudone’s gaze was clearly directed at Floria.
Floria, who had noticed Dudone’s gaze even before entering the room, suddenly clapped her hands as if she had finally remembered.
“Ah, I see. Weren’t you here as an attendant to the Crown Prince during my abdication ceremony?”
At Floria’s words, Dudone’s expression turned surprised.
“You remembered me?”
“Of course. Or rather, I wish I could say that, given that I don’t remember your face specifically. I only remember which companions were with you.”
Floria replied so casually that Dudone offered a bitter smile.
“No, I think that’s amazing in itself…”
An abdication ceremony for a King or Queen draws many guests from all over the world.
Ordinarily, one might remember the kings or crown princes of each country, but it is unusual to remember their attendants.
“It’s nothing significant. More importantly, how did you recognize me?”
Floria’s appearance had been subtly altered to change her impression, as she was in travel mode.
It wasn’t quite a disguise, but it was designed so that only those very close to her would recognize her.
Dudone nodded solemnly at Floria.
“To be honest, I didn’t recognize you at first. However, after hearing the report and seeing the crest on the carriage, I became certain.”
“Ah, I see,” Floria nodded.
Considering he was an attendant to the Crown Prince, it was understandable that he would have seen her up close at some point.
And if he noticed the royal crest, then it would be possible to recognize her, no matter how much her appearance had changed.
While the two continued their conversation calmly, despite their thoughts, the man looked dumbfounded and whispered a question to his superior standing beside him.
“…Um. Do you know that woman, Duke Dudone?”
To the man who continued to refer to her as “that woman,” his superior shot him a fierce glare.
“Be quiet! You fool!”
The superior, who managed to scold him quietly, then looked away from the man and refocused on Floria and the others.
The man, realizing that his superior was no longer paying attention to him, looked at Floria and the others with trepidation.
Judging by Dudone’s demeanor, Floria was clearly being treated as someone of higher status.
Dudone himself was the legitimate heir of a ducal family in a certain kingdom.
There weren’t many people he would need to show such an attitude towards.
Conversely, Dudone’s attitude implied that Floria possessed a status of considerable weight.
The man, recalling his own behavior moments before, felt a cold sweat break out internally.
Ignoring the man’s inner turmoil, Floria and Dudone’s conversation continued.
“Well, be that as it may, what about this current matter?”
When Floria asked, Dudone’s expression turned serious.
He understood that the following conversation was important for him as well.
Dudone had originally heard about this matter while resting at a high-class inn on the fifth floor.
He had been informed by the Razek Amamiya subjugation force that a man was causing a disturbance with adventurers.
If that had been the extent of the report, Dudone would not have come all the way to the West Town himself.
At most, he would have sent one of his immediate subordinates.
However, the moment he heard that the party causing the disturbance possessed the royal crest, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
Possessing the royal crest meant that, even if they were adventurers, they had the right to directly petition royalty.
Even if he hadn’t caused the disturbance himself, if the people he brought as his assistants caused trouble within the country of Razek Amamiya, it could affect future negotiations.
Dudone, judging this to be the case, immediately headed for the West Town where the disturbance was occurring.
On the way, he hurried to the scene while hearing the details of the commotion.
And there, he noticed Floria among those causing the disturbance, and his blood ran cold.
Instead of the matter being indirectly relayed to the royal family, Dudone found himself dealing with a member of the royal family. At the very least, he could not let it result in an impact on the envoy’s activities.
With that thought, Dudone decided to first remove the biggest obstacle.
“First, those who caused this disturbance will be sent back to their home country immediately. As for their punishment, I cannot decide that instantly, so I believe you will be contacted later.”
“…Hmm. And then?”
Upon hearing Dudone’s proposal, Floria urged him to continue without changing her expression.
Seeing Floria’s attitude, Dudone momentarily wondered if the punishment was insufficient, but he inwardly shook his head.
In negotiations between nations, one side does not unilaterally bear the fault.
This is true even if one side acts in the most egregious manner.
Negotiations are only possible because both sides have something to gain from the other.
Sensing that Floria was waiting to hear his demands, Dudone decided to state his request clearly.
In such situations, proposals made from a weak stance are often rejected, even if they might otherwise be acceptable.
If he was going to make a demand, he figured he should do so with confidence.
“Our request is that, at least on the surface, this incident be considered as if it never happened.”
“…Hmm.”
Hearing the request, Floria folded her arms as if in thought.
After a short while, Floria nodded.
“Very well. Is… that all?”
“Yes. That is all from our side.”
Dudone had not expected to be agreed to so easily, and he was inwardly taken aback, but he only nodded without showing it.
Dudone braced himself, expecting to hear what the other party’s demand would be, and was utterly dumbfounded by Floria’s next words.
“Very well. Then, this matter is settled. In the future, it would be best if neither of us brings this up again.”
“…Huh?”
Dudone replied with an involuntary, spoken “huh?”, and Floria gave a small laugh.
“It’s not that surprising, is it?”
Hearing Floria’s words, Dudone realized he had been outmaneuvered.
He now realized that Floria had intended to make this incident disappear from the start.
Given that the former Queen was staying at this inn instead of immediately returning via the teleport gate, it was imaginable that she was in the midst of a journey.
From that, he could deduce that she wanted to continue her journey while keeping her identity hidden for as long as possible.
To achieve that, if they could both pretend this disturbance never happened, that problem would be resolved.
Dudone, who considered himself a skilled negotiator as the leader of his envoy, finally understood that everything had progressed according to Floria’s plan. He let out a great sigh after Floria and her party had departed.
This concludes Dudone’s side of the story. In the next chapter, Kousuke and the others will quickly depart on their journey.
