The next day dawned.
We had a hastily prepared VIP seat made at Santos Diner, where Kuroie and Aage were invited.
From the Merchant Guild, Param and Rana were there as representatives.
Kirika, Manager, and I.
Wakako was also invited to join us, as she seemed reliable for such occasions.
However, she was seated in a place where she wouldn’t be caught on camera and was told to remain silent.
In any case, with that group, after various discussions, we were about to proceed to the main conference.
The negotiation partner was… via remote TV conferencing system using a laptop and internet connection. Representing Japan were the usual faces, Ms. Kashima, and an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Sasazaki.
Also attending as an observer was Lieutenant Colonel Totsuka of the Ministry of Defense.
It seemed several other people from various relevant departments were monitoring this conference, but fundamentally, Ms. Kashima and Mr. Sasazaki were the counterparts.
Well, in principle, it was to report to Japan the situation, the damage assessment from the Empire’s series of invasions, and the details of negotiations with the Empire.
Although there was no such obligation, figures for such damages were said to be useful as bargaining chips in negotiations with other departments, so we were asked beforehand to consolidate them, and they also wanted to discuss future response policies.
More than anything, because the Japanese side specifically requested an audience with Kuroie, it became an inter-otherworldly nation conference that also served as a meet-and-greet.
Incidentally, for the Japanese side, this was their first attempt at negotiation at a national level in this world. Thus, instead of a ministerial-level discussion, the current meeting was arranged as a preliminary negotiation between Ms. Kashima and a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of external negotiations.
They on the other side said something like, “It’s just a meet-and-greet, so take it easy…” but for us, with Kuroie, the head of state of the Romeo Kingdom, suddenly appearing, it was effectively close to the actual negotiation.
We are strictly in the position of observers for Kuroie, providing advice as needed.
Like Param and the others, we are essentially in supporting roles… but we should provide as much covering fire as possible.
“…And so, Kuroie, the head of state of the Romeo Kingdom, and her chief aide and representative of the Elf Tribe, Lord Aage Florencia. Also, Param, the Deputy Chief of the Romeo Branch of the Merchant Guild, who oversees merchants in this world, and Rana, the younger sister of Guild Master Yohm. These individuals are the representatives from this world. Well, Ms. Kashima probably knows the two from the Merchant Guild, as she has spoken with them several times on business matters. Then, participating as observers are myself and my two close aides… Kirika is the daughter of the chieftain of the influential Wolf Tribe, so I believe she has the authority to be present here, and Manager, who defeated the Empire’s strongest forces, is undoubtedly an important figure.”
Aage being the representative of the Elf Tribe was, well… a bluff.
In reality, Aage has considerable authority over the Elf Tribe, and we’ve confirmed with the chieftain of the Forest Elves that it’s okay to say so, so we decided to go with it for a show of strength.
I had heard that Rana was related to Yohm, but I didn’t realize they were actually sisters. That Yohm would send someone like that to be under my command shows his immense support for me.
“Yes, Owner Takakura, thank you for the kind introduction. It’s the first time I’ve met and spoken with you and Param and the others with our faces shown like this, but I’m always indebted to you. It’s my first time meeting the two from the Romeo Kingdom. I am Kashima, from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Otherworldly Affairs Bureau. I apologize, but I must refrain from stating my full name and title due to various circumstances.”
“Kashima, please be accommodating. I am Romeo Clan Veran Croix, who serves as the representative of the Romeo Kingdom. I hope we can get along. Is there no introduction for the other person? I have heard the conversation, but since we are meeting for the first time, isn’t it only polite to introduce yourself?”
“Oh, my apologies. I am sorry for the late greeting. I am Sasazaki, a secretary from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs… a public institution specializing in external negotiations. Normally, I would offer a business card, but instead, I have sent some documents and a congratulatory message from our Prime Minister via email. Takakura, could you please confirm?”
I operated the computer and opened the PDF documents attached to the email that had been sent in advance.
They were locked until just a moment ago, but they were already unlocked and opened normally… it seemed to be time-locked.
Wow, a message from the Prime Minister right off the bat… I thought these things were usually done through formal letters.
It seems they didn’t make it in time… the actual document is supposed to be delivered with the noon flight.
Originally, we were supposed to wait until the set of documents arrived, but Kuroie said, “Waiting for the arrival of such paper is putting the cart before the horse,” and the meeting was scheduled for the morning.
Such things have ceremonial meaning, and it’s not just about that.
I, for one, was swamped with setting up the unfamiliar government-spec electronic conferencing system… I wish they had waited until noon. Kuroie, didn’t you forget what I said about leaders not needing to rush?
By the way, on the other side of a single fusuma, Zero One was on standby as a wireless LAN relay point and for perimeter watch, in a hot-and-idle state.
Well, it will serve as a watchdog.
The content of the congratulatory message essentially said, “Nice to meet you, Kuroie. We look forward to working with you in the future,” padded with long-winded rhetoric and difficult expressions… it was truly just a greeting.
There were also various details about Mr. Sasazaki’s profile in the documents… briefly listing the names of over a dozen well-known and unknown countries where he served as ambassador.
Hmm, it seems he’s a veteran diplomat with decades of experience.
“Hmm, I am not familiar with those countries, but you have served as a diplomat abroad for many years. You are likely experienced in this type of external negotiation. I have also seen the congratulatory message from the Prime Minister of Japan. I would be grateful if you could convey my sincere thanks for his polite greeting.”
The document was entirely in Japanese, but Kuroie…
She seemed to have grasped the content with just a glance… impressive, as always.
They had wanted to prepare a letter in the local language, but I told them it wasn’t necessary since she could read Japanese, and they were quite surprised.
“I am humbled by your praise. Ms. Kashima, I am truly grateful for being invited to such an important meeting today. May this be the first step towards a good relationship between both our sides.”
She bowed slightly without changing her expression at all.
Hmm, truly an iron mask… this will be tough.
“The honor is ours. I sincerely hope this is a good encounter. First, I will explain our nation’s position and current situation regarding the Empire’s recent invasion… is that correct?”
“Yes, please do.”
Ms. Kashima responded with a pleasant smile.
Well, as always, her tone is polite and gentle… but people like her are troublesome because they don’t flinch no matter what you say.
“First… regarding the damage situation of this incident, with information from the Merchant Guild and the survey results from your flying machine, Zero One, we are finally beginning to see the full extent of the damage, albeit provisionally. We believe this is information you would want to know, so we would like to share it. Lord Parham, please.”
Yes, Kuroie is not backing down so far.
She seems to understand that he is a high-ranking official, but she remains perfectly calm.
“Yes, for now, I will report the results of the joint investigation with the Olmekia Merchant Guild. As it has only been a day, these are still provisional figures, but we are certain that the number of casualties has exceeded even our worst-case projections. First, our Merchant Guild’s reconnaissance team of 50 members has been completely wiped out… to date, not a single survivor has been confirmed. Several settlements on the outskirts of the Olmekia forest region have also been completely destroyed… Well, it is said that the Empire’s pseudo-beasts… biological weapons, prey on anything that moves indiscriminately, so it seems they were unfortunately caught in their path…”
“…We had anticipated considerable civilian casualties from the information provided by Zero One. We did not expect it to be this severe…”
“That’s right. It is believed that approximately 30 caravans, estimated to be over 100 people, were caught in the area at the time, and they are all presumed to be dead. In addition, about 10 members from Owner Takakura’s private security force were also lost. The anti-Imperial rebel base located to the east of the forest also appears to have been destroyed. If we include those, it is estimated that between 500 and 1000 lives were lost.”
Param stated the figures calmly.
To think that such damage had occurred… hearing it again makes one feel utterly devastated.
It’s hard to say whether 500 is a large or small number… as a number of disaster victims, it’s quite significant.
As a war casualty figure, it’s still minor… but this number is likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Whether it’s caravans or settlements, these are only figures that the Merchant Guild had accounted for.
The Olmekia side has also hastily dispatched investigation teams, so as the investigations progress, these numbers will likely become more concrete.
More importantly, there were refugees who had settled there without permission and several beastkin tribes who had moved in on their own, who are not included in the figures provided by Param and the others.
The number of bandits, travelers not involved in business, and tourists were also not included in these figures.
If these were taken into account, the numbers would swell considerably.
According to Zero One’s reconnaissance reports, in the areas where the slime army was active, not only were no survivors found, but the animal population had also drastically decreased. It looked as if literally half of the forest had been destroyed.
This vast forest, reduced to such a state in an instant… it was nothing short of a mass-destruction weapon.
To deploy such a thing secretly and without hesitation, indiscriminately involving civilians… it was an unforgivable act of violence.
“…Thank you for your report… Hearing the numbers, I am once again realizing that the damage was far greater than we imagined. I am truly ashamed. We had anticipated it, but I apologize again for our delayed response due to slow situation assessment. …I am truly sorry.”
“Oh no, it’s not your fault. We didn’t even anticipate this ourselves… Moreover, when dealing with pseudo-beasts, no matter how well prepared we are, it would have been difficult for us alone… In fact, the anti-Imperial rebels, who had gathered considerable forces, were wiped out with almost no means to fight back… It is a regrettable outcome, especially since we provided them with considerable support.”
The anti-Imperial rebels were preparing to launch an attack with hundreds of soldiers to conduct harassment against the Empire, and they were in the process of preparing for deployment with financial support from the Merchant Guild…
Actually, we had indirectly provided them with some material assistance.
Although they were a ragtag group, there were quite a few of them… but facing such a deadly enemy with that number… they probably couldn’t cope.
If we could have at least given them a warning, it might have made a difference…
“This incident was entirely unexpected for us as well. Our country generally maintains minimal military strength, but precisely because of that, we place great importance on intelligence and have been closely monitoring the Empire’s movements. However, what we were monitoring was solely the movements of their regular forces. The deployment of thousands of pseudo-beasts like that was completely unforeseen… By chance, my aide, Lord Aage, was on site, and along with Lord Takakura and your nation’s forces, fought valiantly, thus preventing the worst-case scenario of the entire forest being swallowed. It is a profound shame that in this unprecedented national crisis, we were on the verge of abandoning those we were supposed to protect. I have heard that your nation’s assistance was of great help to our victory in the previous battle… I am infinitely grateful.”
Yes, it’s the explanation we agreed upon beforehand.
Because Aage fought valiantly with his life on the line, the Romeo Kingdom was able to maintain some semblance of order.
I had told him beforehand that this was something to emphasize.
Moreover, it is a fact that Aage scored the highest in the actual battle, having destroyed the vanguard in a single blow.
Radcliff, Kirika, Prado, Riedway, and the others also fought hard…
It’s certainly significant that not only Zero One and Manager, but also the strength of the people in this world played a role.
By the way, “chief aide” is a position that was hastily created, but since Her Majesty Kuroie personally wrote it out, it has become an officially recognized position.
Although it hasn’t been officially announced in the home country yet, we’ve been in contact with the administrative staff there, and an investiture ceremony will be held later.
Furthermore, its authority is explicitly stated to exceed even that of the Royal Guard.
…To keep Aage here, Her Majesty Kuroie also showed her sincerity.
However, my appointment as Prime Minister… is still being strongly pushed, but I am currently putting it on hold.
…I have my own reasons for that.
