The two continued their conversation, oblivious to Yoome’s bewilderment.
“Since there’s a possibility they’re vanguards from another world, a negotiation from a position of superiority will secure more favorable terms than an equal footing. It’s a method that even goes against the customs of the beastkin of Valentia… Initiating force isn’t inherently a bad option. Like me, they obey the stronger one.”
Ursula’s words were met with a smile from Kuroie. She seemed to convey that Yoome felt the same.
“Ursula, I’m sorry to bother you, but could you go make a small disturbance? No fatalities, for now… it’s fine to injure them a bit. When you take them in, make sure they thoroughly understand their captive status. I’m sorry, but I need you to play the villain, so be prepared for that. I’ll bring the necessary personnel via teleportation magic, so tell me who you need.”
Ursula replied, “Yes… If you could bring in someone like Coltva, the ‘Fierce Arm’ from the Royal Guard, that should be sufficient. And as a support unit, one special operations platoon would be good… Also, if some supplies could be prepared… As you know, we have our weaknesses…”
“Oh, that’s more modest than I expected. But then again, two Red Ogres are practically strategic weapons! …Just try not to go as far as redrawing maps or anything… And don’t involve innocent civilians unnecessarily! If you must fight, hold back! Also, while you’re at it, go to the convenience store and buy out all the pudding! No, I mean plunder! Plunder it all and bring it to me!”
“Understood. I admit I don’t quite grasp the concept of plundering the last of the pudding. However, it’s an excellent development, quite to my liking. Then, I shall fully unleash my martial prowess.”
“Ah, and bring Aage from the Royal Guard with you. Pudding is perishable, and if she’s with you, you can keep it frozen solid, right?”
“You’re fixated on pudding… But Aage? That lazy girl won’t be of any use.”
“It’s fine. Aage is just the pudding procurement officer! Think of her as a cooler box.”
“Haa, understood. Please expect good news!!”
“Handle it as you see fit… And Yoome, I’m sorry, but this is the plan, so you’ll help out too. Order Param to find a suitable reason and detain the leader, whoever he is, on-site… Understood?”
“Haa, understood…”
After the two had said what they wanted and left the security team’s office, Yoome sat heavily on a nearby chair, looking utterly exhausted, and cradled her head.
Her own policy had been to proceed cautiously, seeking connections with the people from the other world… from Japan, while offering them preferential treatment and seeking to pacify them through various means.
With Kuroie, the de facto leader of the country, and the Royal Guard, a nest of powerful warriors, involved, there was nothing she could do. And Kuroie’s reasoning was not without merit.
However, based on reports from Radcliff, an old acquaintance, and Param, who was dispatched to the scene, Yoome’s impression of Takakura, the Owner, was that of an exceptionally kind and benevolent young man.
He had no intention of causing chaos or destruction in the other world. Instead, he planned to employ the local Wolf Tribe and Meow Tribe, provide them with various jobs and pay them for their work, thereby integrating them into the economy and aiming for coexistence and mutual prosperity.
He didn’t force people to obey him; rather, people naturally assisted him and supported him on their own accord. He was the kind of leader that the ruling class of any country dreams of.
In fact, several merchants were actively cooperating with him in various ways, and in a remarkably short period, he was building his own economic sphere.
Given the considerable distance to the local area, the first group was only just beginning to return. However, merchants with quick ears had already dispatched purchasing teams to stock up on goods from the convenience store, and various influences were starting to emerge elsewhere.
Merchants, by nature, were often selfish and only thought of their own profits, but this Owner clearly considered the profits of those around him and as many people as possible… That was Yoome’s assessment.
This was something to be welcomed, and in normal times, Kuroie would surely have been pleased. However, she also understood that the current situation did not permit it.
The annexation of Zarin and the advance of the Imperial Army. Yoome and her associates had been negotiating with the Empire through the Merchant Guild… This decision seemed to be the Emperor’s own initiative and was pushed through despite significant opposition from within the Empire.
If the Emperor of that country went rogue, he would become uncontrollable. It was clear that his closest advisors, represented by Prime Minister Flannel, exercised some degree of control, but given the precedent of the Valentia annihilation war, and the Empire’s tendency to act as a single, unified entity like an insect colony, it was difficult for moderates to apply any brakes—such was the nature of their state.
The Empire, though having exhausted considerable military and economic strength in the series of wars with Valentia, had rapidly recovered its national power since the conflict with France, with which it had been at odds for many years, subsided.
And, using Zarin as a stepping stone, they would once again plunge the West into a vortex of war… Yoome could easily envision such a bleak future.
She longed for hope… for someone like the former King Ryosuke, who once guided this country, or King Valas, the Hero King who unified Valentia.
But now, she knew, that was an impossible wish. Because she had been Ryosuke’s personal friend, she knew he would never return…
Perhaps Kuroie had long since realized this cruel reality, but she stubbornly insisted on maintaining the status quo, believing he would eventually return, and was unable to formulate any concrete course of action herself.
Kuroie, Ryosuke’s biological daughter, was an exceptional individual and his successor, perfect in Yoome’s eyes… Unlike Ryosuke, who was a true Otherworldly person, she was too bound by the conventions and entanglements of this world, and most importantly, she was too young…
Those in the Royal Guard, like Ursula, were a nest of warriors who had shown their valor in the anti-Imperial war, a purely martial group. With such individuals serving as her close confidants, her decisions inevitably leaned towards reliance on military force.
When Ryosuke was alive, the Royal Guard served him well. He was a wise king who could embrace both the pure and the corrupt, and skillfully alternate between hard and soft tactics—an ideal king, one could say. He united individual warriors of outstanding prowess, defeated several monstrous generals of the Empire, and threatened their powerful forces from behind, cutting off their command and supply lines, leading them to self-destruction, systematically annihilating them, and ultimately saving many lives in the Valentia annihilation war.
It was undeniable that Ryosuke and his covert operations played a role in the Empire’s defeat in the Valentia annihilation war. Furthermore, the currency crash and severe recession that struck the Empire were also orchestrated with the help of the Merchant Guild.
However, even when the Imperial Army lost its ability to continue the war, faced a large-scale invasion by France, and suffered economic chaos such as unimaginable hyperinflation, it did not reach the point of overthrowing the Empire’s regime. Attempts to assassinate the Emperor were repeated, rumors of his death circulated countless times, and there were instances where he disappeared from public view not just once or twice… Yet, the Emperor always returned.
Even when facing several Apostles of the Goddess and enduring hardships that would have caused lesser nations to perish, the Empire remained unshaken… The ruler of the Empire, Gazmeyer, an anomaly from another world… Yoome understood that he was the root of all evil… but he somehow survived, by what could only be called bizarre luck.
Most importantly, Prime Minister Flannel… his intelligence and foresight were formidable, and the Merchant Guild had suffered at his hands on numerous occasions.
And Ryosuke, whom she had relied upon, saw his incurable illness, which he had contracted even in Japan, worsen. As his last wish, he returned to Japan and never came back.
If Ryosuke were still alive… Yoome often dreamed of such a scenario, but it was an impossible wish.
The Apostle of the Goddess who appeared in Ormechia. He was also said to be an Otherworldly person, but Yoome saw him as nothing more than a revenger, a destroyer who would drag everything around him to ruin. Yoome also suspected, as Kuroie had theorized, that he was the cause of the chaos occurring in France. It would have been better for Ormechia to negotiate a moderate truce with the Empire, but their overwhelming victory emboldened them, and they were now uncontrollably determined to defeat the Empire.
Chaos reigned everywhere… That was the reality created by the Apostle of the Goddess… It could be called a disaster. To save this chaotic world, a destroyer like him was not the answer.
Someone like Ryosuke, a kind-hearted altruist, would have been ideal. Amidst the hellish Valentia annihilation war, he had rebuilt the small maritime nation of the Romeo Kingdom into an ideal commercial state, organized a volunteer army, and presented a possibility for peacefully unifying this world. If only he had had a little more time… perhaps it would not have been impossible.
That was precisely why Yoome saw hope in the nature of that Otherworldly convenience store owner… the young man named Takakura… His existence was still like a small flame… but Yoome could not help but harbor the hope that he might one day become a beacon of light for this chaotic continent…
However, that immature head of state seemed intent on subjugating him by force. Yoome personally wished she could object more strongly, but her position did not allow it… That was her limit.
“Um, Yoome-sama, what will happen to me now?” the merchant, who had been brought by Ursula, asked timidly.
“Hmm… they mentioned bribery, but no one has ever been caught for that. For now, you will be placed under probationary supervision, and we will take custody of you. By the way, you have actually met the owner of that convenience store… may I hear details about it?”
With that, Yoome smiled at the man. Yoome was determined to take the initiative to change the flow of events. The first step was to hear about Takakura’s character from this merchant.
And as she listened to his story, she would become convinced.
It was the reappearance of a wise king.
Should I perhaps increase the update pace? After updating consecutively today and tomorrow, I plan to return to updating every other day starting Monday.
