Side: Yuki
"Alright, shall we get some sleep soon?"
"Yes."
Ria and I were relaxing in the private room that had been prepared for us, bringing the day to a close.
"The bed is a bit stiff, but I guess it can't be helped."
"Yes. Weed is the exception, after all."
The two of us touch the bed and smile bitterly.
Still, the fact that we're dissatisfied even in a place like this makes me wonder if the standards in Weed should be lowered a bit.
If things stay as they are, the children who will eventually leave Weed to venture into the world might fall into absolute despair over the outside world's conditions and end up becoming shut-ins.
Well, calling them shut-ins might be a stretch, but there's a high probability they simply won't ever want to leave Weed... This is something that should probably be brought up at the next general meeting as one of Weed's problems. I'd especially like to hear the opinions of the residents.
While I was lost in thought, Ria spoke up with a slightly worried expression.
"Um, Yuki-san..."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Is it really safe to leave things as they are? No matter how strong we may be, if we are separated into different rooms and subjected to a coordinated ambush..."
"If we are?"
"Well, suppressing them would be easy, but wouldn't the negotiations become troublesome? And I’m worried about Asurin-chan and the others staying in a separate room."
Ah, so her primary concern isn't the negotiations themselves, but rather the safety of Aslin and the others.
However, this part of the setup is entirely indispensable.
"I understand your worry, but this is also part of the plan. Bear with it for now."
"Part of the plan?"
"Yeah, exactly. Based on our initial scouting and the actual strength of those female Magic Sword wielders, we already concluded from the very beginning that there isn't a single enemy on this continent who surpasses us, right?"
"Yes."
"Which means you knew all along that we'd seize the royal castle and dictate terms to the King, right?"
"No, I actually thought you were planning to install yourself as the new King, Yuki-san."
No way in hell.
Who would willingly take on a massive chore like that?
"Well, it's a shame I can't fulfill your expectations, Ria, but trying something like that would take far too much time just to win over the citizens and the existing vassals of this country. That's why I negotiated in a way that gives us complete freedom of movement. Our primary objective here is to investigate the mana depletion, so we can't afford to be tied down by a nation."
"I understand that part, but why did you approach the negotiations with the King of Jilva so overtly, in a manner that practically guarantees making enemies? Because of this, I feel like Aslin-chan, Tori, and the others staying in the separate rooms are in danger. Couldn't you have just threatened him secretly behind closed doors? I mean, compared to your usual methods, Yuki-san, this feels incredibly reckless, doesn't it?"
Ria expressed her doubts about my actions this time.
She wasn't wrong.
Compared to what I did on the continent where Weed is located, this time I was putting myself front and center.
Back in Weed, I set up Elju to take the stage, brought in Seraria as the feudal lord, and worked desperately to keep my own existence concealed from the public eye.
"That's true. That's how I handled things in Weed. But the purpose here is different, so the methods I use are different too."
"Um... but our goal has always been preventing the world's mana depletion, hasn't it?"
"That's the final goal, yes. But there are various stages and objectives along the way."
"Stages?"
"Think of them as milestones toward reaching that ultimate goal. You know Weed was the first place I arrived in this world, right?"
"Yes. Luna-...sama brought you here and you began acting to save the world, correct?"
You know, you can just call her Luna without the honorific.
"Right, that's where I started. Back then, I was completely penniless and utterly ignorant of this world's common sense. Because of that, I had to utilize the dungeon to accumulate power and negotiate with various nations to lay down the groundwork for countering the mana depletion. That involved having people reside within Weed—the dungeon—to secure DP, and using the dungeon's functions to pacify wars as much as possible, things like that."
"So in the end, it really was all for the sake of stopping the mana depletion?"
"Yes, but that's a goal set far in the future, which is why I focused on building a rock-solid foundation first. In the beginning, I couldn't even summon Doppels, so my own personal safety was the absolute highest priority. However, our objective on this new continent isn't just about preparing for the mana depletion anymore."
"Ah, so because the preparations are complete, you’ve started taking more active measures?"
"Exactly. If we tried to gather resources and technology any more covertly than this, it would turn into a multi-decade project. Luna went out of her way to guide us to a continent where the mana is beautifully depleted. Rather than making quiet, meticulous negotiations only for things to get complicated later, I figured it's better to intentionally trigger the complications right off the bat, so we can secure our freedom of movement as quickly as possible."
"I see. Doing things secretly like before would definitely take much longer. And your personal safety is already guaranteed through the Doppelgangers, while the dungeon is protected by Mobu-san and the monster forces, so there's nothing to worry about. Ah... when you said 'intentionally trigger the complications right off the bat'..."
Ria finally seemed to catch on.
"Did you intentionally have Aslin-chan and the others stay in separate rooms just to provoke an incident?"
"The ones causing the incident will be the Jilva Empire's side, though. We're just going to spend these three days relaxing."
"So even if nothing happens during these three days, an issue is guaranteed to arise the next time we show up, right?"
"Exactly. If something happens during these three days, it'll make future negotiations easier. But even if nothing happens, there's no way the officials who weren't present today will simply accept this story after hearing about it later. That's why I shortened the time limit and deliberately pressured them instead of giving them a week to discuss things calmly. Conveniently enough, Lia and I, Tori's group, and Aslin's group are all separated. There are bound to be people who'll think, 'If we're going to act, now's the time.'"
That’s right. It’s essentially telling them to reach a conclusion in three days.
On top of that, the demand is basically "listen to everything we say."
So anyone who wasn’t at the scene will naturally oppose it.
After all, it’s like suddenly showing up at someone’s house and demanding the right to do whatever you want there.
And there’s no time to persuade them properly. Therefore, those who couldn’t persuade the others will act on their own against us.
"Well, it'll make things a whole lot easier for us if they do come at us."
"Because you could squeeze money out of them?"
"No, no. It would give us another opportunity to demonstrate our strength and increase the number of people who properly understand who we are. People are always suspicious of secondhand stories. So we'll make sure they recognize us through whatever trouble happens next. Make it clear that they shouldn't interfere with us. And while we're at it, I'd also like permission to deal with any tyrannical local lords who cause us problems when we travel around the continent. Having to contact the king every single time would be a pain."
"...Um, that sounds like something a tyrant would say, Yuki-san."
"This is simply the most efficient means toward our objective of investigating the mana depletion on this new continent. I happen to think it's faster than any alternative. Information will be far easier to gather this way, and we won't have the state apparatus actively trying to obstruct us."
"No, I understand the logic, but... how should I put it? This is a methodology that is only possible because of Weed, or rather, because we are the ones executing it, right?"
"Of course it is. That's precisely why I spent so much time setting up all those preparations back in Weed, after all."
Now then, I wonder if our opponents will truly be able to restrain themselves for the next three days.
