The Jade Palace was allotted a fairly large plot of land in the Imperial Capital to serve as a guesthouse in the Empire. After passing through the archway of the main gate, visitors will see an elegant stone building in the center of an open space cut out of the forest and covered with grass. This is a coveted environment for the inhabitants of this bad neighborhood who, due to the scarcity of land, build houses wherever there is a small space where a human being can lie down. There are also small springs and streams in the forest. It’s like a nature park with wild birds and small wild animals. If one were to liken this atmosphere to a place, it’d be like “Shinjuku Gyoen” or “Hibiya Koen”, an oasis of greenery in the middle of a concrete jungle, might come close.
However, in terms of purpose of existence, to house state guests and their equivalents, it wasn’t a place where citizens could just drop in for a bit of fun. On the contrary, if one entered the premises, they would be chased away or arrested by the guards. Therefore, the residents of the area could only take advantage of the natural environment nearby by walking along the outer edge of the forest that surrounded the Jade Palace.
Even so, Sherry and Casel ventured into the forest surrounding the Jade Palace. As expected, their path was blocked by Piña’s Knights. Even though the sky to the east had only begun to lighten slightly, the road leading to the main gate of the Jade Palace was firmly fortified with heavily armed Knights. They thought that it would be better to enter the grounds through the forest by the side road, but this too was heavily guarded, with soldiers carrying spears and swords scattered here and there on patrol.
[Hmmm. I had heard that Imperial Highness Princess Piña’s Knight Order were a group made up of old soldiers who just wanted to have a leisurely retirement, and women and children playing soldiers, a group only for ceremonies, but looking at them like this, they don’t look like they can be trifled with.]
Even at a time like this, a young girl who appears to be an Apprentice Knight is patrolling with an old Junior Officer, receiving instructions on how to keep an eye on things and how to be attentive. The soldiers who were being instructed by the girl were also looking at her as if they were watching over their daughter or granddaughter, and they were not bothered by the slightest mistake, but rather were giving her words of advice to correct the situation in an appropriate manner. The girl, too, never snubbed her nose at the difference in status. She listened attentively to the words of the old soldiers, whose depth of experience on the battlefield was unrivaled. That is probably why, whether you look to the right or to the left, there are no gaps in the security of the Knight Order.
Realizing this, the two knew that it would be impossible for them to get close to the Jade Palace without being seen by the guards. As he muttered “I guess we really had no choice but to wait for the ceremony of changing guards huh”, Casel hid behind the trunk of a large tree.
[Marquis. With the situation like this, I think we should just confidently reveal our presence and have them guide us.]
Sherry, crouched in the cover of the undergrowth, said.
[What?]
[If we can’t get close enough while hidden, I don’t think we have any other way.]
[After we reveal our presence, what then?]
[Can’t we just tell them…… that we had business with the Jade Palace?]
“Why do we have to sneak around?”, or so Sherry asked with a serious expression on her face.
[No, that certainly might be the case, but will they just let us through when we tell them that?]
[The Knights don’t seem to have blocked the Jade Palace, so I believe they would allow those who come to the palace for business to pass through.]
[That might indeed be the case. However, I still don’t think they will allow us to visit.]
[But that would be up to the Japanese, wouldn’t it? That’s why, I think that if we were to confidently come forward, they would at least try to announce our arrival to them.]
[I suppose so…… Indeed.]
Casel acknowledged the correctness of Sherry’s words. Returning back to the path they took, he and the young lady then took the road to the main gate of the Jade Palace. There, lightly dressed, the two of them formed a line and proceeded without sneaking around. Then, with one hand raised in the air, they walked up to the unit of Knights who were blocking the gate.
The guards’ response to their approach wasn’t one of questioning because a suspicious person approached, but instead, they received him in a polite manner. Even with Casel’s dingy appearance, it was fortunate that what he wears somewhat looked like what a prominent noble wears.
[Under the Imperial Decree of his Majesty, the Emperor, the Jade Palace is currently restricted to visitors. I’ll ask this as part of our job, but may I ask what is your business here?]
[Umu, you did well fulfilling your role. I am Senator Casel. I have come to visit the Japanese envoys for a very important matter.]
[I- If it isn’t Marquis Casel…… You and the young lady have come alone at this hour, on foot, unaccompanied by an escort?]
The soldier who had come out to respond looked around to find the ride in which Casel should have ridden and the personnel accompanying him. It seems like she had mistaken Sherry as Casel’s daughter.
[Umu. In addition to the urgency of the situation, the city was also in an uproar. That’s why we’re in this state. My apologies, but I’d appreciate it if you could announce our arrival as soon as possible.]
[Y- Yes. I will report to my superiors immediately, so please wait for a moment.]
And thus, a messenger soldier was forced to run out of breath. After a while, a female knight arrived to greet him. It seems that their attempt to confidently come forward was correct. Just like that, the two had successfully crossed the line of vigilance that they had been cautious of earlier.
The Jade Palace was only a short distance away. Now that they were in the inner circle of the Knights, they no longer had to worry about being taken by surprise by the sweepers. Perhaps because of this, they even had the mental composure to joke around with each other. Casel, who had become talkative, asked the female knight who was guiding him about various things.
[You said you are now acting as the person in charge of the Knights?]
[Yes. Her Highness, Princess Piña, is currently at the Imperial Castle.]
[Then, who is the acting commander now?]
[It’s Knight Commander Bozes Co Palesti.]
[Hoho, the young lady of the Palesti house huh. She’s a fine one indeed.]
When they eventually came to the front of the command tent, the female knight told them to wait a moment, before opening the doorway and began to exchange words with someone inside. Meanwhile, Sherry’s eyes were glued to the Jade Palace building. This place where she is standing now is technically already within the grounds of the Jade Palace. However, judging from the way the soldiers of the Order were guarding it, it seemed as if there was an invisible line somewhere, which the soldiers were guarding.
What is this boundary line that separates the Jade Palace from the place where Sherry currently stands? Where is it? Wondering about this, Sherry looked around for it.
[Whoa there, young lady, you can’t go any further than that.]
Thereupon, a soldier in his mid-forties, who was standing in attention with a spear in hand, called out to Sherry. The soldier, who had been standing as still as a mannequin, suddenly moved, making Sherry so surprised that she fell on her buttocks. The soldier took Sherry’s hand and helped her to her feet.
[Beyond this point would be the Jade Palace. The border, so to speak.]
Hearing his words, Sherry’s eyes around a few paces towards the Jade Place from the tent that the soldier pointed to with his spear. However, she couldn’t find anything that looked like a line anywhere, so Sherry couldn’t understand what the soldier meant for a moment.
[No matter how hard you look for them, you won’t find any lines drawn anywhere. It’s just a convenient boundary that was set for the implementation of the agreement between the Empire and the Japanese. In case you’re wondering, this lawn over here marks the other side’s territory.]
[I see. So beyond this area would be Japanese territory huh.]
Saying this, Sherry looked at the boundary where the color of the earth changes from the earthy brown to the grassy green. The soldiers said they just decided it for convenience, but even so, beyond this line was defined as another world where even the laws of the Empire couldn’t reach. For Sherry, threatened by the laws of the Empire, this line is the most reliable barrier she can rely on. And right now, it’s right in front of her.
As long as she crosses this line, she will be safe.
Just the thought of this made her want to start running towards that side right away. In fact, it would be easy for her to slip past this soldier if she suddenly started running without warning. However, it seems that Sherry’s intentions were clearly expressed from the look in her eyes. That was probably why the soldier guard spoke, seemingly calling her into attention.
[Just don’t go any further than that, okay? Our job is to make sure that no one crosses this line without our permission. We’re even told to do whatever we have to do to do that. You know what this means, right? Unless you have permission, you can’t enter.]
[Yes, I understand.]
Letting out a sigh, Sherry nodded. At that moment, a voice called out from behind her.
[Sherry!]
When Sherry turned around, she found Casel waiting for her. Behind him, a female knight was opening the entrance to the tent, as if to say they may enter. Meeting up with them along the way, Bozes first offered them a chair. As the two sat down, Casel and Sherry couldn’t help but relax their shoulders in relief. Seemingly as if he haven’t had the time to relax until that moment, “Ahh, I would love to just go to bed now”, Casel grumbled.
[I’m glad to see you are safe.]
[Yeah, I somehow managed. However, most of the people in my family were cut down.]
Casel thanks the squire girl for the drink she offered and holds out his hand. His figure looked as if he had aged a decade in the past few days. Sherry, on the other hand, looked intrigued to see a girl almost her own age serving in the military, even as a squire.
[By the way, regarding your request to announce your presence to the Japanese envoys, the person I sent as a messenger has returned. Unfortunately, the reply from the other party was, “We have no reason to meet with you, so we decline”.]
[……A flat refusal huh.]
Casel’s shoulders slumped.
[As I thought, you had intended to seek asylum to Japan huh? They seemed to be very wary of that though.]
[You saw through it immediately huh. I take it that others have tried the same?]
[Yes. We’ve had a number of people come to us, asking for protection.]
[From the looks of it, it seems like their pleas didn’t work. By the way, how were they doing now?]
[As long as we don’t attract the attention of the sweepers, we can manage to guide you out of the Imperial Capital, but from there you’ll have to make do with your own abilities……]
[I see. In that case, would it be alright if we ask you of that too? We can’t get out of this place with the uproar they’re making.]
Even when one doesn’t listen carefully, they would still be able to hear the sound of beaters chasing away their prey. As if those sounds had really driven their prey to flee, Casel can’t bring himself to be close to those sounds.
[If you’re fine if it’s just bringing you out outside the Imperial Capital…… That would only be as long as we don’t get discovered though.]
If they had been discovered, they would be asked to hand them over. If that were to happen, the Knights would have no choice but to comply.
[That’s good enough for me.]
It would even be difficult to get out of the Imperial Capital, so if that could be done, it would be enough, or so Casel thought. However, Sherry wasn’t satisfied with that. She wasn’t satisfied with just one round trip by messenger, for she didn’t believe that negotiations with the Japanese had been conducted properly. They said they had turned them down, but was that really Sugawara’s intention? In the first place, did they give her name? If Sugawara knew she had come, he should have reacted a little differently.
[Ummm, well, could I at least meet Sugawara-sama?]
[Sherry-sama, the place they’re in is a foreign country. Please don’t ask for the impossible.]
Beefeater, standing next to Bozes, chided her.
[But if you let him know that I am here, Sugawara-sama may receive us.]
[Ohh, you’re quite the confident one. What is your relationship with Sugawara-dono?]
[S- Sugawara-sama is the man who will eventually become my husband.]
[……………………]
Upon her words, Casel just shrugged, Bozes warmly smiled at her, and Beefeater asked again, seemingly astounded by her words.
[What did you say?]
[As I said, he’s my husband.]
Hearing a young girl talk about her dreams for the future is very amusing. However, for such a child to brandish her dreams in a situation like this would just trouble the adults around her. Furthermore, if they were to rely on such vague information in a situation where their lives are at stake, it’s like saying, “There’s an oasis over there,” and then heading off into the depths of the hot desert with a random guess without even looking at a map.
Such a way of thinking must be stopped at all costs.
[How old are you?]
[I’m twelve years old.]
[That would be too early of an age for anyone to marry, don’t you think?]
In this world, the age to be considered an adult is fifteen.
[It’s up to the person concerned to decide what they think, not those around them.]
[That’s indeed true in our Empire. But from what I read, Japanese laws dictate that a woman must be at least 16 to get married.]
Bozes, who had researched the Japanese marriage system during her language training in Alnus, shared her knowledge here. But this only served to make Sherry even more stubborn.
[Then, we’ll just have the official marriage when I turn 16!]
If she insists so forcefully, even Beefeater has no choice but to move. They must move to confirm the facts, and make the girl properly confront reality.
[I understand. If that’s what you want to talk about, we will discuss this matter again with Sugawara and bring up your name.]
[Can I leave it to you?]
At Bozes’ request, Knight Leader Beefeater sat up while casually responding.
[Yeah. It’s not much trouble.]
Just like that, Beefeater went to the Jade Palace as a messenger. The sun had not yet risen, and it was still twilight. Even at that hour, the diplomats and military officers in the Jade Palace, including Vice Minister Shirayuri, were already awake, gathering and analyzing information. Rather, they have been working for some time now, hardly taking a satisfactory break. Even in the Jade Palace, one could sense that the Imperial Capital has been enveloped in a turbulent atmosphere ever since Zorzal seized power, and one only needs to read the text to understand that the implementation of the special Oprichnina Law would push the situation in an unforeseen direction.
In fact, the JSDF’s intelligence network spread throughout the capital was reporting in real time that the arrests and detentions by the Oprichnina were progressing to the level of a blood purge. Especially since yesterday, their arrest has become a veritable hunting and gathering of people, as if at the instigation of someone else. It was as if they could hear the ground shaking and falling apart from all the efforts they had made so far to make peace.
[Ahh, it may be impossible to peacefully conclude a peace agreement now.]
[I wonder if anything can be done about it. With a situation like this, we can’t even negotiate the return of the people they took captive.]
Loudly clicking his tongue, Sugawara raised his voice, as if in desperation.
[We are now in a situation where all our efforts are ruined because of how slow the politicians decide. Can’t we at least try to hide or rescue the pro-peace faction or invade the Imperial capital? Japan and the Empire are at war, so it doesn’t matter if we bomb them or not.]
[O- Oi, Sugawara.]
Sugawara kept his mouth shut at his colleague’s warning. The representative of those politicians he had been dissing, Shirayuri, was also in this room. Shirayuri laughed and said, “I don’t mind. I won’t get angry just for idle complaints.”. However, it was clear that an awkward feeling had overtaken the meeting. Perhaps that was why Sugawara turned to his colleague and spoke.
[Could you try contacting the Ministry again……]
However, the answer he received was still the same: “Refrain from doing rash actions. Wait and see.”
Of course, he could understand the logic that saving one person would mean having to save two more, and saving two more would mean having to save four or five more, and so on without limit, which would irritate the Oprichnina and make the situation even worse. But it is the human heart that still wants to reach out and suffer. That’s why, in their eyes, Kano and Prime Minister Morita seem to lack decisiveness and make them want to spit out a swear or two.
At that moment, a call came in from one of the knights guarding the Jade Palace. Since phones don’t exist in this world, the Knight who is the messenger came to them and verbally told them their message. This would not be the case if it were a daily, regularly scheduled business contact, but most of the time, those who abruptly visit them were people who want to seek asylum. At times like this, Sugawara and his staff regretted that they should have had the phone line connected, even if it was being unreasonable of them.
Refusing a request while making eye contact with the other party, even if they aren’t dealing with a person they’re connected to, can be quite a heavy mental burden.
If it weren’t for Lady Beefeater, who came as a messenger, and who was particularly cold-hearted in her role, the guilt of abandoning an acquaintance who was seeking help would surely have been more than enough to make him want to give up his work. Unusually, however, Lady Beefeater had come to visit them consecutively within the same morning. She also pointed out Sugawara by name and said she had something to tell him. Sugawara, while his colleagues looked on, offered Beefeater a seat and went to sit down in the chair across from her.
[What is it? Another request for asylum?]
[No, it’s regarding those people who just requested asylum earlier.]
[If that were the case, I believe I should have already declined.]
Probably feeling irritated that they brought up something that he once turned down, his tone was somewhat strong.
[Marquis Casel is a leading figure in the pro-peace faction. We indeed would like to help him, but the notification from the government of our country was still the same.]
However, Beefeater, who usually withdraws with a straightforward “I see,” as if to oppose the tone of his words, responded with a stronger tone.
[However, the Marquis’ companion has asked me to ask you to repeat this request…… and especially naming Sugawara-dono, she has a message for you.]
At that moment, a girl’s voice echoed from outside the window.
[Sugawara-sama! It’s Sherry!]
Spontaneously standing from his seat, Sugawara looked outside.
[Sugawara-sama! Sherry has come to see you!]
Far beyond the window, he could see soldiers guarding the Jade Palace and a girl who looked like Sherry. Everyone here knows her. She was well-liked by everyone, as she had spoken welcoming words in fluent Japanese at the celebration for the repatriations of the prisoners of war. That is why everyone’s eyes turned towards Sugawara.
[I brought you a message from that girl.]
[From Sherry?]
[Ohh? That means her words weren’t necessarily a lie huh.]
Beefeater’s eyes opened wide in surprise. At the very least, it proved that Sherry’s mention of a personal relationship with Sugawara had not been constructed entirely in her wildest dreams. This at least means to make her understand that there seemed to be no doubt that the relationship was more than an acquaintance.
[From what she told me, she apparently intends to have Sugawara-dono as her husband.]
[No way.]
As for Sugawara, he had no choice but to respond to those words. In fact, he had never made such a promise, and he had never said or done anything to raise such an expectation from her. Beefeater nodded her head in understanding.
[No, it’s alright. I don’t think you cheated her or did anything for which you have to take responsibility. I experienced something similar when I was her age. I ran wild because of something I misunderstood. Just a little kindness had turned my mind into a pink flower garden. I become hopeless when I’m being protected and stuff like that.]
Perhaps recalling some sweet experience she had in the past, Beefeater giggled with a slight blush on her cheeks.
[I- I’m glad you understand.]
Sugawara sighed with relief. However, Beefeater continued with a frown on her lips.
[However……]
Saying this, the young girl’s voice was still echoing in the Jade Palace at dawn.
[Still, it’s not like my assumptions just ran wild without any trigger. How can you be so sure you didn’t say or do something to make her think that? I understand. I know you would never lay a finger on her. But on the contrary, this makes the situation even more difficult. That makes her feel like you found her precious.]
Saying this, Beefeater turned her gaze away from the window and looked at Sugawara.
[She came all the way here because she put her trust in your kindness, this thought process that you made her believe in. She literally put her life on the line to come here. Well, how about it? Why not act like a man here for her?]
Those words weren’t something Sugawara could bear. To refuse a request for asylum is equivalent to cutting off the life of the other party. On top of that, it was pointed out to him that he had a fair share of responsibility for her adoration of him. Up until now, as an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a cog in the machine, Sugawara has thought and acted with the words “orders from above” as an excuse, but now that he has been asked to show his worthiness as an individual and as a man, he cannot be allowed to run away using the national interest as a shield.
[If you can’t do that, cover your ears and close your eyes. She’ll eventually give up and go somewhere else.]
[Somewhere else? ……To where exactly?]
[Dunno. ……Cover your ears and close your eyes, and you wouldn’t need to know that, don’t you think?]
Not wanting to indulge his question, Beefeater didn’t answer. She rested her body gingerly against the backrest and looked at the ceiling.
[Sugawara-sama! Please, won’t you at least let me hear your voice?]
“Whatever”, muttering this, Beefeater sat up. Thereupon, seemingly having remembered the message she brought, she narrated it just the way Sherry had spoken it.
[“I am very much aware of the trouble I am going to cause you, but I beg you to show me some mercy. If that is not possible, please tell me you don’t know me and go somewhere else. That way, I can give up”…… or so she said. Seriously, what a courageous child, she is.]
As if she had finished her business in this place, Beefeater walks away. However, Sugawara could not approach the doorway to see her off. If he approached the doorway, he would be able to see Sherry from there. It would also make him visible to her.
[Please. Just let me see you!]
Sherry kept raising her voice from outside the security net of the Knight Order, just like a baby bird calling its mother. She may be a young girl, but her voice surprisingly resounds well. Sugawara wanted her to stop now. If she kept raising her voice like that, she would surely attract predators that were stalking their weakened prey.
However, it was too late.
The members of the Oprichnina ominously made their appearance.
[Bozes-sama.]
Entering the tent, a messenger whispered something to the Acting Commander’s ears.
[What did you say? A squad of sweepers?]
[Yes, a squad of about a hundred men. They have come to demand the extradition of Marquis Casel and Lady Sherry.]
The speed with which this was done exceeded her expectations, and biting her nails, “Aren’t they here a little too soon?”, Bozes said.
[They might have been watching this place. There were reports of suspicious shadows being sighted nearby.]
[We have no choice. Bring their representative here.]
After instructing him to do so, Bozes looked back at Casel and disappointedly spoke.
[Marquis. We can no longer take you out of the Imperial Capital.]
“Yeah, I heard you. They sure are quite enthusiastic with their work.”, Casel said in response, his hands covering his face. He then held his head up, rubbing his hands straight up from his forehead to the back of his head.
[Those sweepers are a little too obstinate.]
[They probably have their own reasons. Not that it matters to us though.]
At that moment, the entrance to the tent was opened wide, and Gimlet, the Committee Head of the Oprichnina, appeared with several of his subordinates. Looking around the tent, he spotted Casel and chuckled.
[Well, well, if it isn’t the Marquis. You were here? We’ve been looking for you.]
[I wasn’t expecting visitations from you after all.]
Shrugging his shoulders at the Marquis’ curt attitude, the Committee Head walked up to Bozes.
[Splendidly done. With this, I’m sure his Highness Zorzal’s opinion of Princess Piña will improve.]
Upon hearing the mention of Princess Piña’s name, Bozes tilted her head. She couldn’t understand why Piña’s name was mentioned.
[Yes, that’s right. Princess Piña’s position is rather precarious right now. Her position is so delicate that your actions may bring her to danger……]
Hearing this, Bozes turned pale and her body slightly trembled.
[Her Highness might be in danger…… because of me……]
Seeing this, Gimlet confirmed the power of his words and affirming her words, he smiled in satisfaction.
[By the way, I feel like I’ve been hearing a chirping chick for a while now, but what in the world was that?]
[I- It seems like she wanted to meet someone at the Jade Palace.]
[I see. And yet, that person is ignoring her calls. How pitiful.]
The Committee Head of the Oprichnina looked sympathetic in a rather exaggerated manner. Seeing this, Casel snorted, as if he had just heard something stupid.
[I doubt she wants any sympathy from the lot that killed her parents.]
[We ourselves have lost plenty of our comrades. You should be grateful that we aren’t trying to avenge them here.]
Walking up to him, the Committee Head condescendingly urged Casel to leave his seat.
[I suppose I have no choice. It seems like this is the end of the road.]
With Piña as their prisoner, Bozes could do nothing but watch in silence.
[Her behavior is admirable, but it would be best for her if she were to give up sooner. She’s just wasting her time.]
The Committee Head signaled his subordinates to take Casel away. Thereupon, the members of the Oprichnina left the tent with Casel in tow. Outside, Sherry, standing just in front of the lawn separating the Jade Palace from the Empire, was shouting over and over again. The young lady looked as if she were a crying child separated from its parents. Her throat was hoarse from screaming so loudly, and her face looked like a puppy abandoned on the side of the road, with tears welling up in her eyes.
A soldier was standing by her side, keeping her from crossing the boundary. Upon such a Sherry, One of the Oprichnina approached to seize her and took her hand, saying, “Come on, let’s go.” However, Sherry shook off his hand and continued calling Sugawara’s name.
Inside the Jade Palace, Sugawara could not hide his irritation. He got up from his seat, sat down, and got up again, repeating this cycle. When it seemed like he had made up his mind and tried to step out of his seat, his colleagues suddenly gathered around and held him down on his shoulders.
[Don’t do it, Sugawara.]
[That’s right. Endure it, you need to control yourself!]
Pressured by his colleagues standing around him, Sugawara sat down again.
[D*mn it, why am I this irritated!]
Not caring about the people around him, Sugawara yelled. Seemingly adverse from a growing tumor, everyone backed away from him.
[It can’t be helped. The other party is someone you’re actually acquainted with. Moreover, she’s a little kid. It’s natural for you to be upset. However, you have to bear it. It’s your job. Understand?]
[D*mn it.]
Sugawara could only hold his head in his hands.
[Enough of that!]
The Committee Head twisted Sherry’s arm and yelled. The intimidation brought about by his voice made Sherry’s body tremble. But still, she fought to stay where she was. She was determined not to give up hope unless she was directly told to give up by Sugawara. Otherwise, she just couldn’t give up.
She understands that she was being selfish.
Sugawara had no obligation to help Sherry, nor reason to tell her to give up. It would be a mistake to expect him to do so. Everything up to this point has been just her own self-serving assumptions that roused within her. She was clearly bothering Sugawara. And yet, even if that’s so. No, it’s probably because it was such, that she wondered if her thoughts had reached Sugawara.
And she wanted to know what Sugawara really thought of her.
She wanted to find out. For that reason, it was okay for her even if Sugawara told her, “I can’t help you, so give it up.” If Sugawara told her that, she would have obediently accepted it with a smile and an open mind, knowing that it would be the end of her, not holding it against him. That is why she would not move.
Until she hears the answer from Sugawara, she will not move. She would not move even a muscle away from where she stands. One of the Oprichnina, perhaps annoyed, clicked his tongue and began to carry her up as if she were a piece of luggage. Sherry tried fighting back though, clinging on to the weeds growing from the ground. However, he was an adult, while she was but a child. Even the old Casel was able to carry her up. There was no way that the strong member of the Oprichnina would not be able to lift her up.
In the blink of an eye, her legs left the ground, and with the sound of weeds tearing in her grasp, she was lifted high in the air.
[Aaaahhh!]
A scream erupted from Sherry’s throat.
[No! S- Sugawara-sama! Help me!]
If all she had done was call out his name repeatedly, he could have somehow managed to endure it. However, hearing her voice as she called out for help, he wasn’t able to stand it any longer. As if he had snapped, Sugawara stood up, pushed aside his colleagues who were trying to stop him, and ran outside in the blink of an eye.
[That idiot!]
Sugawara’s colleagues looked on with pale faces as they watched his back. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Shirayuri sighed deeply with a depressed look on her face. She then nodded to the officers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force who had joined the delegation, as if they had already arranged something. Then, with a somewhat refreshed smile, she looked towards the bureaucrats.
[Alright. Regardless of how much we flounder, our hands will eventually get dirty. In that case, we might as well choose to act to save someone we know. Please contact Minister Kano as soon as possible. At this moment, we will begin accepting those who seek asylum……]
Sherry, carried like a piece of luggage by the Oprichnina, continued to resist, flailing her arms and legs. However, she was as strong as a child throwing a tantrum. She was easily overpowered by the power of an adult.
[Get your filthy hands off her, you d*mned sweeper!]
At that moment, Sugawara’s voice rang out. Hearing his words, everyone turned at once. Sugawara, who had rushed in gasping for breath, was supporting himself with his hands on his knees. It seemed that he had run as fast as he could.
Seeing him, Gimlet said disdainfully, “My, oh my, Envoy-dono. Do you have business with us?” He asked. Thereupon, as if trying to suppress his rising emotions, “I told you to get your hands off her”, Sugawara said. However, Sugawara was stopped from stepping outside the grass line by the outstretched spear of the sentres, and, unable to get any closer, repeatedly stuck out his index finger at Sherry.
[Why should we follow the instructions of an enemy?]
[I’d appreciate it if unrelated people keep out of our matters.]
The members of the Oprichnina said their piece. However, Sugawara refuted his words.
[I’m related to that girl, so I’m not unrelated! I have every right to interject!]
Hearing his words though, Beefeater annoyingly interjected.
[Oh, come on. You saying you’re related to her doesn’t really convince anyone here. What kind of relationship are you talking about? You just saying you’re related to her won’t make the situation change.]
In response to this provocative question, Sugawara took a deep breath and desperately shouted.
[Waiting for her to turn 16, I was planning to make her my wife! That’s the kind of relationship we have! That’s why, release that girl! I’m taking her back!]
[Alright, she’s got the approval! Get that girl inside!]
If one were to think about it, it is a strange logic. Even if Sugawara declared that she was to be his wife, no procedure had yet been completed. However, to make people take action, they need a convincing reason. Conversely, as long as the reason is emotionally satisfying, it will work as a sufficient trigger. For the Officers of the Knight Order, who were angry at the arrogance of the Oprichnina, Sugawara declaring “Sherry is my wife” had enough power to make them move.
Quickly reacting to Beefeater’s order was the soldier who had been blocking Sherry from crossing the boundary. He snatched up the girl, who was carried on the sweeper’s shoulder, and threw her toward Sugawara, as if he were throwing some luggage.
[Make sure you catch her, ladykiller!]
The sweeper reaches out to retrieve her. However, just as his toes stepped on the grass marking Jade Palace’s territory, Beefeater quickly drew her sword and cut the man down. Thereupon, she gave her order.
[Form up!]
As if they had been waiting for this order, the soldiers of the Knight Order stood in front of the members of the Oprichnina. All of them stared at the Oprichnina with eyes like bloodthirsty predators, with their hand on the hilt of their sword or lined up with their shield and spear. Behind them, Sherry clung to the man, while he held the girl in his arms. This would have been the most exciting and famous scene in a stage play. However, it was a shame that they had to turn their backs to such a stage.
[Even though you gave me that pearl necklace, I ended up using it on the way here.]
[Don’t worry about that. I can just buy you another one.]
Listening to the conversation behind their back, one could already imagine the scene happening.
However, that alone made the scene quite exciting. No, it is precisely because they had to rely on their imagination that the rate of beautification is so high, making it even more exciting. The Knight Order, with its high ratio of women and old people, is overwhelmingly vulnerable to such romance scenes. In everyone’s mind, a composition was neatly formed, as is often the case in plays with a rewarding-good-and-punishing-evil theme, where two people in love and the dastardly ruffians who stand in the way of their love.
And now, the heroic role of exterminating these ruffians was held by them. At that moment, they felt like they were standing on a grand stage. A gush of power welling up from within them, hostility filled their bodies. So much so that they even struggled to wait for orders. Still, being well-trained, they were like drawn arrows, waiting for the moment their superiors would let go of their reins and turn them against their prey. The Oprichnina, facing them head-on, responded with fury. They believe they are the righteous ones. People can act more brutally when they are convinced that they are doing the right thing.
And because they know they’re acting brutally, they are unable to let go of their position that they are righteous. The whispers of fear of what would happen if they failed in their mission also contributed to their ferocity. The unrestrained scolding of the incoming Praetor stuck in their ears like an auditory hallucination, and the image of a colleague punished simply for not being proactive in his duties were burned in their minds’ eyes.
Even the slightest sign of trepidation could tip off a colleague that the man was not up to the task. If you don’t snitch on anyone, even that can be accused of being a sign of negligence. Since the formation of the Oprichnina, they have always felt as if a cold blade were pressed against their backs. The only way to escape its sharp edge was to move forward. With these thoughts in mind, the members of the Oprichnina glared at the Knights opposite them.
[Y- You b*stards! Do you intend to rebel against the Empire!?]
In response to his words, “Hmph, don’t be ridiculous”, Beefeater snickered.
[Our actions are perfectly legal, a security action based on the Diplomatic Agreement. Under the Imperial Decree, anyone crossing this boundary must have the approval of the Japanese government. Do you have permission from the Japanese government to enter?]
[Who doesn’t need anything of that sort to capture criminals!]
The Oprichnina, which was trying to force its way onto the grounds with great vigor, also switched their broom to their weapons, and a few moments of standoff ensued between them and the Knights.
[Rout them out!]
Seeing the two within their arm’s reach, the Committee Head, unwilling to give up, ordered his subordinates to rush in. Since he could not retreat, he had no choice but to give the order.
[You lot, protect the bride! Draw your swords!]
With Beefeater’s warcry, the Knights unsheathed their dazzlingly beautiful weapons. Even though their opponents were people under Crown Prince Zorzal’s command, they showed no sign of hesitation.
[You’re just asking for a beating! Women and geezers should just get out of the way!]
[Anyone who interferes with another person’s love life will be better off eaten alive by Kobolds!]
Amid a flurry of curses, Beefeater heartily proclaimed.
[This is the envoy’s mansion protected by diplomatic immunity! A foreign country beyond the Imperial Authority’s reach! I, Beefeater E Caty, swear upon the Emperor’s name that I will strike down anyone who attempts to force their way in! Charge! Forward!]
With the clash of the two armies, the battle finally began. In the blink of an eye, casualties fell in both camps. Still, the Knight Order’s soldiers, who were more than a little moved by the crying girls and the man who ran out to protect her, were not intimidated. Their hearts were filled with animosity and anger toward the sweepers. And it was obviously a heavy burden for the sweepers, who were lightly armed and had only faced unarmed opponents up to this point.
At the moment of the clash, they were evenly matched, but when they saw their comrades falling one after another, their will to fight started waning, and they were easily crushed. They were speared, pushed down with shields, and stabbed with swords, and they died without time to regret their misfortunes. Their helmets modeled after Kobolds were smashed, and a great amount of blood spurted out mercilessly, forming a reddish-black stream on the earth.
Faced with the tragedy brought upon by the decision he made, Sugawara trembled with fear. He then covered Sherry’s eyes, trying not to show the bloody hell that had broken out before his eyes. But Sherry, her face wet with tears, shook her head to escape from Sugawara’s hands and spoke.
[No, I have to look. Please watch over me, Sugawara-sama, and rejoice that you have chosen Sherry’s safety over the tragedy that befell these people whose names I do not know. If it bothers you, you are free to scorn me, as I came here knowing that this would happen. Thus, for my own sake, I can’t turn my eyes away from those who are dying here. Please allow me to look at them.]
Hearing this, Sugawara was overwhelmed by the enormity of her resolve. Thereupon, he realized something. Saving or protecting someone is an act that may result in such a sacrifice. Of course, there may be situations where no one needs to sacrifice. There may be times when everything goes well and the situation ends with a big happy ending.
However, that is not the norm.
There is always the possibility that, in some cases, everything will backfire, and a string of casualties will ensue. They must be prepared for that. But even if that’s so, people will still send specialists to the fire, to the various scenes of crimes, and to the battlefield to help others. Otherwise, they will not be able to protect anyone from the malice of fate, much less from the malice of mankind. Those who fear to shed blood, whether it’s from a friend or from a foe, must less themselves, they won’t be able to protect anyone.
Faced upon such a situation, Sugawara thought. Why didn’t he realize something this simple? No, he knew, but he did not understand. Seeing it in person like this made him realize it, even if he didn’t want to. That the him before this has had a blessed life.
Knowing that they could handle random criminals by escaping and calling 110, they haven’t thought about the fact that the possibility that the police officer who rushes to the scene will die in his place isn’t zero. When they cry out for help for the children trapped in a fire, they haven’t thought that this act will drive the firefighters close to their deaths. When they run to the hospital for fear of an unknown contagious disease outbreak, they do not consider how likely it is that the doctors and nurses who are treating them are more likely to be infected with their disease, compared to the average person living in the community. When they plan a reckless climb up the mountains or have an accident while setting up their fishing gear on a dangerous beach in the middle of bad weather, they think that a rescue helicopter would fly in their rescue anywhere, anytime. However, they never thought about how likely it is that the aircraft will suddenly lose control and crash. They can go about our daily lives without considering these things at all. However, this is not at all surprising. In a sense, it’s as unnatural as something suddenly floating in the air. If such a happy state of affairs persists, it’s because someone has worked hard to maintain it.
They should be prepared for that even before they stand before the funeral of those who have been killed in the line of duty. That’s something one must understand. They are willing to die, not because they are paid to do so, but to fulfill the mission they have set for themselves. When viewed in terms of the price of life, the salary they receive is a surprisingly small amount.
He must think about this again.
He wondered…… Is the numerical formula of putting dozens of people at risk in order to save just one person really viable? Even so, responding to the call for help makes one human. It’s impossible for people to consider profits and losses around those times.
His community is made up of a highly divided society. In the name of division of labor, they leave to others the misfortunes that, in the primitive age, would have been something they had to take care of themselves. Because they don’t have the strength to do so, they ask those who have accumulated the skills and strength to take over for them. By doing so, they create a safe space and gain peace of mind on a daily basis. By doing this, they could also remain uninvolved.
As long as one benefits from the safety that comes from someone else putting themselves in danger, even if they aren’t directly involved, their hands are undoubtedly stained by the blood that someone else has spilled. It’s strange for one to think that they aren’t dirty. It’s the equivalent of eating meat and fish every day and claiming that you have never killed an animal. It’s the cowardice of turning a blind eye to this fact and believing that one’s hands are clean and that one is a good person that leads to all kinds of mistakes.
Sugawara doesn’t consider himself a good person, but he doesn’t have definite consciousness that his hands had been stained. But for once, standing before the battle, he had to accept that he was one of the perpetrators. He could no longer look away. And thus, the two of them, bathed in blood and with streams of blood soaking their feet, stared at the battle unfolding in front of them, at the deaths of others unfolding before them.
[Sugawara-sama. Do you regret your decision?]
If he feared making the sacrifice, he could have chosen to stay out of it and watch from the sidelines. However, shaking his head, Sugawara said, “No, I don’t regret it.”.
If he had just stood on the sidelines and watched things happen, he would be abandoning Sherry…… In other words, she would become the sacrifice he would make. That is to say, no matter what decision he makes, his hands would be sullied. The only difference between his choice is whether the blood in his hands would be the enemies’ blood or Sherry’s blood.
Yes, no matter what he did, his hands will be sullied and the stain will continue to grow thicker. It’s not something that he can just wash away. Neither remorse nor regret will never purify his being. This sinful deed he had done would be something he must carry with him for the rest of his life. In that case, what would be the best thing he could do? What could he do? As the perpetrator, he must bear the guilt of this sin. If he wants to do something, he should think about how he can make “the least amount of sacrifice”. That was the conclusion Sugawara arrived in. Thinking about this though, he thought about what Kano had told him.
[So this is why Minister Kano told us to wait huh.]
Kano hadn’t told them not to do anything. What he told them was “to wait”, because he was working out the ways and measures, and inferring the timing that would require the least sacrifice. However, Kano’s calculations were fragile. Sugawara saw Sherry alone as more important than the others. To him, Sherry’s safety came first, and the dozens or hundreds of deaths it caused were a trivial sacrifice. This is Sugawara’s crime, and realizing this, he held his head in his hands.
[I might not be able to buy another pearl necklace.]
When one makes a mistake on their job, they may be fired and become unemployed. If that happens, he won’t be able to afford to buy expensive things. However, Sherry softly giggled and replied.
[That you had intended to buy me one makes Sherry happy.]
Sherry had a small smile on her lips. Perhaps, she may never be able to smile as innocently as before again. That was what Sugawara thinks. Stepping into the lawn of the Jade Palace, Casel approached the two of them and tapped their shoulder.
[Son-in-law. Sherry…… Should we go now?]
According to the Imperial Customs, Casel is supposed to be Casel’s guardian. In other words, he would be Sherry’s stepfather. By Beefeater’s logic, if he’s her stepfather, he would have to accompany his stepdaughter to her wedding as their second. Just like that, Sugawara headed for the Jade Palace accompanied by Sherry and Casel.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
At the Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign Minister Kano and Defense Minister Natsume, who had come directly to the Prime Minister’s Office after they realized that their conversation over the phone was heading nowhere, were engaged in tough negotiations with Prime Minister Morita. Kano, for example, looked so intense that one would have thought he was threatening the Prime Minister with a yakuza gang with the squint in his eyes and the belligerent tone of voice.
[I want you to authorize the plan to evacuate Vice Minister Shirayuri and her group immediately!]
Morita, however, was just taking it in stride.
[Errr, no. We can’t.]
Hearing his response, Natsume, restraining the enraged Kano, spoke.
[And why is that?]
[If we make any big moves now, those were observing the situation and the media in Alnus will know about it. That’s why we can’t do that.]
[I don’t think we have any choice at this point, do we? It’s more important to get Shirayuri and her group out of that dangerous place. Am I mistaken?]
[Wouldn’t they be alright? It’s not like they’re defenseless. The Knights over there will do their best, won’t they?]
[Excuse my rudeness, Prime Minister, but how long do you think they can hold out? Frankly speaking, they don’t have much time left.]
[But doesn’t this evacuation plan call for temporarily occupying a part of the Royal Capital? Why don’t you just capture the entire Royal Capital and end this war then? With our personnel, we can definitely do that.]
[Just as we had explained to the public, Japan doesn’t have the capability to completely finance an entire empire right now……]
As if to cover Morita’s explanation, Morita said.
[You know, this isn’t just about our people. Various other countries were also watching our movements.]
[It’s just as I said, isn’t it? I told you not to accept their observers, but you just had to ignore that and decided to accept them. You want to act like some goody two shoes to everyone, and this is the result.]
Upon his words, the Prime Minister’s mouth twitched.
[What’s the point of bringing that up now!?]
Natsume’s rosy cheeks, which made him often teased as a boyish old man, turned even redder as he intervened in what he was seen as pointless banter.
[Let me ask you then, Prime Minister. What do you intend to do in this situation?]
[Haven’t I said it already? We’ll wait, at least until the observers and the media leave the Special Region. After they are gone, you can do as you please.]
[You mean we’re just supposed to leave them like this for another week, doing nothing!?]
[We’ll just have to make them exert some effort to hold out in this situation.]
Slamming his hands on the Prime Minister’s desk, Natsume leaned forward, bringing his face close to Morita.
[And I’ve already been telling you this, but that’s impossible! Can you even imagine what will happen to the pro-peace faction who have taken refuge in the Jade Palace once the Knight Order and their soldiers have been breached? ……In the end, it will be you who will be criticized for your inaction.]
[The fact that this happened would be Kano-san’s responsibility. In the first place, you weren’t supposed to accept the request for refuge from the pro-peace faction, were you? That’s why I had been relieved before this. And yet, why is this happening?]
[It’s a decision made by those on-site. Nothing more, nothing less.]
[In that case, have those who were on-site do something about it. Why are they bringing their mess to us?]
[It’s our job to clean up the messes made by those on-site, isn’t it? We are here, in a safe place, and no matter what we do, we can’t see what’s happening in the field. If they decide they have to act, we have no choice but to accept it!]
[Are you saying that we should just let those on-site run wild?]
[You’re wrong! We’re the ones who are supposed to follow-up with them to keep them from running wild! If we just stand idly by here, the field may run even more out of control!]
[In that case, wouldn’t it be better if we’d just take over the Imperial Capital? Since you lot want this war to end quickly, you want to tilt the country in favor of turning the field into a blazing hell to restore stability to that war-torn region?]
[Can’t you listen to what people are saying? First of all, you have to properly explain to the public that it would be unreasonable to occupy the Imperial Capital. Our country did not send the JSDF to the other side of the “gate” to conquer the Empire. We just want peace and reparations. Wasn’t that our basic policy that Houjou-san established when he was the Prime Minister?]
[But you see, there’s no way that the idiotic media would remember such a thing. All of them will definitely criticize us. They’ll say we’re deliberately stalling the war. That we’re standing idly without doing anything in a winnable war. There are even some smart-asses in our own party that’s telling us to occupy the Empire and seize every last bit of their resources. If they defected en masse, a motion of no confidence in the Ministry will definitely be held. Then, an election would happen, which we would lose. Are you sure about this?]
Morita insisted that, in his own way, he was thinking from a broader perspective. However, an incomprehensible gulf had developed between Morita, who saw things only from the standpoint of the leader of the governing party, and Kano and Natsume, who spoke from the standpoint of Japan.
[I would rather lose an election than regret not doing what I should have done.]
[I, too, believe it is our responsibility to make decisions when they need to be made.]
Upon hearing Kano and Natsume’s words, Morita shook his head in disbelief.
[So you two are telling me to quit being the Prime Minister?]
Morita looked at them both with a disappointed expression on his face.
[I understand. If you two insist so much, I’ll give my approval. However, you’ll be taking responsibility for this. Is that okay?]
[Yes, that’s fine. Whatever responsibility that is, I accept it.]
[Do what you want then!]
And just like that, the two left the Prime Minister’s residence. As they sat in the back seat of their official state car, Kano spoke.
[Sorry about that, Natsume-san. You got the short end of the stick as well.]
After Natsume responded with “Don’t worry about it. I was prepared from the start” with a light smile on his lips, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
[It’s Natsume. The Prime Minister’s permission has been received. Start the operation immediately.]
With those words, the black official state car in which they were riding blended into the night of Nagata-chou.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
For Mochizuki Noriko, life in Alnus was a life of idleness. She had no hope for the future, and spent her days idly waiting for the time to pass. However, when a delegation from the United Nations and a group of reporters from the media arrived in Alnus, she suddenly found herself very busy. She was seen by the media …… especially by foreign journalists as a coveted talent, as they compete with each other for her services. Of course, there are also others who can simply translate the language. For example, there are other people on the Special Region’s side, such as Elder Sage Cato of the Alnus Community, the children who are engaged in business with the Japanese, and the vendors.
But they were not cooperative, to say the least.
The media had quickly given up on the idea of asking them to interpret for them. Interpretation isn’t just a matter of being able to communicate their thoughts. For the press, interpretation is an understanding of both sides’ cultures and way of thinking, as well as the language itself. It was difficult for the children of the Special Region, where the concept of “news reporting” did not exist, to understand the meaning of news gathering. In this sense, the trainees dispatched by the Imperial Princess Piña would be more suitable for the job. They were originally intended to serve as interpreters, and they were working hard to understand the Japanese language, Japanese society and Japanese culture (albeit they were heading in a somewhat skewed direction).
Unfortunately, however, it’s no longer possible to ask them to interpret for them
They had developed a serious dislike for the media over what the media deemed as a “minor misunderstanding”. They are noble ladies of the Imperial nobility. That is why they hate people who have no sense of propriety. However, from the very first day they set foot in the Special Region, the media has been asking them rude questions, flaunting their money to show off, and nearly broke down to a bloodshed for their attempt to push the proud women around. Since then, the girls have completely disregarded the media.
However, as the girls are the Imperials within the immediate area, they were very important targets of interviews. The fact that they can no longer even talk to them makes the staff wonder if they will be able to do their job properly in the future. In fact, such incidents are a major hindrance to their work. Returning to the topic at hand, it’s Japan that possesses the largest pool of interpreters. More than 200 JSDF officers and Ministry of Foreign Affairs bureaucrats, led by members of six reconnaissance units, are already proficient in the Special Region’s language to the extent that they have no trouble communicating.Even if they could speak in broken language, such a number would already be more than enough. However, the journalists could not rely on them.
They are all government officials. A truly autonomous journalist would want to understand the situation in the Special Region without the filter placed by the Japanese government. And so, they asked.
[Aren’t there any civilians we could ask?]
And thus, Noriko, who was the only civilian allowed to stay in the Special Region, had been selected for that job. Rather, requests of such nature incessantly came her way. Of course, any journalist in their right mind would know the reason for her presence in the Special Region. The tragedy that befell her and her family was widely reported. However, they see that as no reason to waste the skills she has acquired in her desperate attempts to survive, namely the language of the region. They negotiated, persuaded, begged, and coaxed her. Noriko, who at first seemed to find the request bothersome, was compelled by the eagerness of their request. And thus began her busy days.
[Noriko. We’d like to interview that cat girl in the store, but can we ask you to interpret for us tomorrow?]
[Even though there were some holes in her vocabulary, she can speak Japanese, you know?]
[Please. My people weren’t actually very good at Japanese. They want to do the interview in French. Besides, after what happened yesterday, I think they learnt their lesson. We’re counting on you.]
[In that case, stop asking any strange question. You’re the ones who’ll get in trouble.]
The other day, this French guy asked a cat-eared waitress working in a restaurant a somewhat vulgar question, which earned him a sharp cat punch on the side of his face. Noriko isn’t the kind of person who would translate even such joking questions with a straight face, but when it comes to those remarks, Noriko shows her earnestness and uncompromising attitude. This is because when she was abducted by the Empire, she had been forced to suffer too much due to misunderstandings and troubles caused by her inability to understand the language. Noriko’s temperament has become such that she cannot tolerate lies, laxity, or impropriety.
[Noriko! Recording of an interview at a bar. Let’s start!]
[Eh, I thought you said you’d start at 8:00 pm? Also, this isn’t a bar, this is a restaurant.]
[No matter how I look at this place though, this really looks like a pub…… Also, it’s already 8:00 pm.]
[Ahh, that won’t do. We need to go now.]
Noriko runs off with the cameraman and others. They entered the restaurant at night with a group of reporters from North America, who looked like they were getting tired of waiting. A large Chinook helicopter flies over the twinkling stars. The sound of their explosive roars were so loud that their recordings were interrupted several times. The JGSDF has more than 50 Chinooks in its fleet, but only 11 of them, including spares, have been brought to the Special Region.
And tonight, ten of them took off. A large formation of other helicopters also took off and followed them.
[They’re so noisy. Is it always like this?]
[That isn’t the case. It seems like there’s something special happening today.]
As they looked up, the helicopters disappeared to the east.
[Alright, let’s get back on track and resume recording!]
There are some difficult people in the cafeteria who are uncomfortable with having a TV camera pointed at them and become angry, but those who are uncomfortable quickly leave their seats, leaving only those who generally react well. Those who remain are generally in a good mood, and they answer in basically the same manner as when dealing with a drunk customer. They don’t seem to understand the purpose of the questions, but they would answer amiably as long as they didn’t interfere with their work, so the joint reporting team…… North America, the EU, the Coalition of Emerging Nations, and Japan, who set foot in the Special Region, each had at least one camera in the cafeteria. good material for television.
(T/N: Coalition of Emerging Nations may be referring to BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.)
The sight of so many different kinds of Demi-Humans gathered in one place is quite good material for television. The common topics that were brought up was, first of all, their feelings toward Japan and how they viewed the activities of the JSDF in Alnus. Next, they move on to questions that ask their personal thoughts about the war and the extent of their knowledge about other countries. In addition, questions about culture and customs sometimes followed, based on their interest in the Demi-Human they’re interviewing.
Although not the French journalist mentioned earlier, questions that would embarrass the person being asked were sometimes asked with a straight face, and Noriko often had a hard time cleaning up the small tragedies that occurred each time. Nevertheless, Noriko’s impression of the JSDF expressed here in Alnus was that it was all very good.
[Were they telling the truth?]
However, it was not the reporting team dispatched from the emerging countries, whose main focus was on the use of anti-Japanese ideology in their policies that had asked this, but rather the team from Japan that expressed skepticism about these reactions of the residents of Alnus. He says it is strange to get so much goodwill from the inhabitants of a war-torn land. This was a statement by a man named Komurazaki or something like that. This man was the most senior member of the team dispatched to Japan, so he was looked up to by everyone in this joint team, which included personnel from various media outlets such as broadcasters and newspapers.
[But given the city’s origins, there wouldn’t be any factor that warrants their animosity, so I don’t think there’s anything strange about it.]
Nanami Kuribayashi, a member of the joint reporting team, raised her hand and countered. Nanami is the younger sister of that Kuribayashi who had played a major role in the rescue of Noriko. Though not for that reason, Noriko supplemented Kuribayashi’s opinion with the knowledge she had gained during her stay in Alnus.
[The people here have never been involved in the battle or suffered any damage. So when we asked them about their impressions of the war, I don’t think they had a clear idea of what they were talking about. Even the JSDF only gave them the impression that they were protected from banditry.]
Alnus was essentially an empty wilderness. The city began as temporary housing for refugees from the protected Coda village. Since then, Alnus has never been involved in a war.
[In other words, this is a Potemkin village.]
Potemkin villages are the villages and towns visited by the Empress Yekaterina during her Imperial Russian pilgrimages. They were always large, well-designed structures with newer and more splendid buildings, and the serfs who lived there were well-fed and dressed in good clothes. The Empress Yekaterina, however, was apparently satisfied that her reign was going well. The village was ironically named after the trickster and called Potemkin’s Village.
Komurazaki summarized Alnus as a village staged for the media.
[In the first place, don’t you think it’s strange how we can’t move freely around the Special Region? This place is definitely staged. Once we leave the area where the JSDF breathes, people’s reactions towards them should be the exact opposite. The fact that there are restrictions on people not leaving the area for security reasons is proof of that.]
People often project shadows of themselves onto others, and then question or criticize them based on these shadows. For example, there is a religious group that continues to be investigated by the police because of incidents in the past, and the parties involved criticize each investigation, calling it a suppression of religious freedom. However, the religious group calls other faiths “evil sects” and does not allow its followers to question or even leave the group.
Another political ideology group loudly claims that its freedom of speech and association is threatened whenever it is investigated by the police, but in fact, there is no such thing as freedom of thought or speech within the group, and the state, which operates on the same ideology, even has an ideology prison. In short, people think that “what they usually do is something that others do too”. Komurazaki’s statement also highlights his attitude toward his daily work.
Flipping through her schedule book, Noriko made a suggestion.
[I think there’s an inspection team going to a nearby village tomorrow. I could accompany you.]
[The JSDF will just show us what they want to show us, right? It’s worthless.]
Noriko, as expected, laughed at this.
[You guys just cut out what you want and show the public what you want too, don’t you? Doesn’t that mean what you’re doing is also worthless?]
Hearing this, Komurazaki raised his voice.
[I’m carrying out my mission as a journalist!]
[Is that so? I don’t see how you’re keeping neutrality for having a preconceived notion that it’s strange that there are no negative opinions among the people you’ve interviewed. The truth is what you see and hear, right……]
[There’s no such thing as neutrality in journalism!]
Noriko was stunned by this. It’s good to have a sense of mission. The question is which direction that sense of mission is pointing. However, if a journalist denies their own neutrality, then the information they give can no longer be trusted. Despite being a layman, or rather, it’s because she was a layman that Noriko thought of this. Puzzled, Noriko asked.
[Is that all right? Even if it’s difficult to be completely neutral, shouldn’t you at least make an effort to remain neutral? If you guys aren’t neutral, who are we, the audience, supposed to trust?]
[That’s not the responsibility of the media. We’re just doing business here. We do what we can to make money.]
[That’s quite irresponsible of you. That explains why you don’t bat an eye when reporting strange things.]
That is why they don’t oppose the violent release of documentary-style propaganda films composed of hidden shots, malicious editing, and narration, saturated with the power of money, in the name of freedom of expression. This is because they don’t care about the claims of those who are hidden in the film. When the people pointed this out to them, they had already decided to respond with “Say your complaints after you actually watched it”. At first glance, this may sound like a reasonable statement, but in other words, what they’re saying is “Pay up first”.
This clearly shows that they are determined to spin a system that will line their own pockets first. They pretend to lend an ear to the criticisms that come out of this, saying, “That’s a topic for the future,” but they think they can just put it behind them, saying, “Yes, yes, let’s move on, next topic,” and that’s good enough for them. All they left behind was a messy, trampled “something” with what they had done.
Such is the freak show nature of the mass media.
It’s not that what they’re doing is evil. They, too, make their living by spinning the system, so if one were to ask if what they’re doing is natural, one could say that it is. It’s also fine for them to do their best to maintain their business. And it is not wrong for them to be willing to deal with any kind of information as long as the product they are dealing with is something that can excite people’s interest and attract their attention. The only thing Noriko can’t forgive is how they proclaim that they “report the truth”.
To Noriko, this man Komurazaki seemed to symbolize the Japanese media itself.
[What the hell is with those rude remarks? Are you trying to insult me?]
[Oh, no, not at all. Just thinking about how I would be reported if I were to insult Komurazaki-san really terrifies me. Even now, there are enough terrible things being written about me. It should be pretty clear to me about how the Japanese media isn’t what we, the audience, expects it to be.]
Since her rescue, Noriko has been the subject of curious stares. In particular, she has been mentally tortured by the weekly magazines, sports newspapers, and news variety shows that try to supplement the events of her captivity by Zorzal with their vile fantasies. The fact that the contents of these programs were often accurate made it all the more difficult for her to deal with them. The reason Noriko is staying in the Special Region and not returning to Tokyo,…… isn’t only because she has lost her home and family.
Of course, Furumurazaki knows this.
That is why he was frightened by Noriko’s contemptuous glare. He was afraid that he would be seen as one of them. He was already in the same boat, and it was too late for that, but the way he thought he’s different is already irredeemable.
[Ahh, I forgot. That’s right, isn’t it? You were saved by the JSDF. Of course that would make you side with the JSDF. If you are such a person, you would be offended if someone looks at the JSDF in a critical way. And isn’t Kuribayashi-kun’s sister a JSDF officer too? It would certainly explain why you can’t see things neutrally. However, how about you look over there?]
Komurazaki pointed in the direction of the runway. The long, vertical runway extends to the southern end of the hill and can be seen from the streets of Alnus. The night lights illuminated a group of about two hundred men lying there with their equipment acting as their pillow.
[Look at that lazy lot. When the public isn’t paying attention to them, that’s what they’re up to. The JSDF is simply a gathering of such people.]
Furumurazaki quickly wrapped up the conversation, seemingly as if there’s no point in having a serious argument with Noriko, and said such things out loud. In short, he decided to ignore Noriko. And at this moment, Noriko was thinking the same thing. Noriko also thought there’s no point in dealing with such a man. He is just good at using the media’s profit system to get his thoughts out there. If a freak show that calls itself journalism can use the power of money to spread information convenient for them, he can do whatever it wants.
And at that moment, Noriko thought. She too will take advantage of that. She will distribute the information that is truly necessary for the recipients. From a different point of view, it’s possible to say that Komurazaki is a benefactor to Noriko. For from this moment on, Noriko, who had no choice but to simply pass the time as she was swept along, actively decided how to live her life, even if it was out of animosity.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
On the other hand, unlike Japan’s mass media, the members of the observer team sent by the government of various countries seemed to be satisfied with the interpreters provided by the JSDF. Today, they are walking around the Alnus Hill area, guided by a public relations officer sent by the Japanese government. Anyway, they were feeling covetous and were willing to see, hear, and touch anything and everything, whether they were uniformed military officers or plain-clothed civilians. They want to see what kind of place the Special Region is, and to confirm the extent of the discrepancy between the information disclosed so far by the Japanese government and the reality.
The observation route was to go to a restaurant where they could see at a glance the large number of races living in the Special Region, where they exchanged a few words with the people of the region, even though they would clash with other TV stations for the recovery of information, and then visit the Union Office and the temporary homes that was built when Alnus was also known as a refugee camp.
[So, you’re saying that the refugees from these two temporary home units formed a business entity called the Joint Cooperative and started doing business, which, small as it may be, led to the construction of this town?]
[Yes. That’s correct, but our involvement was only minor and only at the start. We just gave the locals the chance to build this place.]
The female public relations officer, First Lieutenant Himeji, emphasized that it was the refugees who created this city. Still, a woman dispatched by the French government exclaimed in Japanese with admiration, “It’s wonderful”. Since Japanese is becoming a good means of communication in Alnus, the members of the observer team were all fluent in Japanese. Perhaps, this is because they want to negotiate directly with the local residents. The question is what they hope to gain from direct negotiations, but since they were allowed to visit, the JSDF weren’t allowed to restrict them and can only monitor them.
[This is quite a well-implemented self-sufficiency program. I would like to introduce it as an aid program for developing regions in our country. Could we see some of the more detailed papers later?]
Thereupon, Himeji seemed like she couldn’t find the words to say.
[……Errr, you see……]
[What, are you going to keep even that a secret? I hope you won’t be that stingy.]
[N- No, it’s not that we’re being stingy. I- I’ll ask the one in charge of that.]
First Lieutenant Himeji, who had never expected such a high evaluation, “Did we have any self-sufficiency program in place?” she thought to herself, as sweat began to pour from his forehead. It was hard to believe that Second Lieutenant Itami had built this refugee camp with such a “self-sufficiency program” in mind. In her opinion, it was probably a haphazard, spur-of-the-moment decision, and it just happened to be the right one.
[May I ask who’s the one in charge of that? I would like to meet them.]
[U- Ummm, it’s…… S- Second Lieutenant Itami.]
Upon hearing those words, everyone’s eyes lit up.
[That Lieutenant Itami!?]
[You know him?]
[What are you talking about, First Lieutenant? He’s the one who saved many civilians in the defense of the Double Bridge and was also called to the National Diet for chasing away a Dragon to protect the refugees in this town, right? And more recently, wasn’t there also the time where he went into the enemy Capital to rescue those abductees? That’s a great achievement if you ask me.]
[Yes, well, I suppose.]
“Arehh?”, Himeji tilted her head. Although they are supposed to be talking about the same person, she can’t help but feel that they are talking about different people. Rather, she thought they were definitely talking about different people.
But when she thought about it again, it was that Itami they were talking about.
There’s a rumor going around in the unit that he has also become a noble who owns a huge amount of assets (a huge diamond ore) which assures him ease and comfort for the rest of his life and was even bestowed the title of Lord in this Special Region.
[Arehh?]
Himeji felt that his evaluation of Itami was about to become incredibly distorted. What has gone wrong? The monster that should have looked so hideous and unsightly suddenly looked beautiful. Having such a frightening thought though made Himeji’s skin crawl.
[They’re talking about…… that tax thieving slacker of an otaku, right? That dunce who got no hope in getting ahead in life?]
Himeji tried hard to recall the rumors she had heard about Itami on a regular basis and reconfirmed her perception and the evaluation derived from it. However, the guests from overseas were unaware of Itami’s daily work attitude, and his reputation was very high, probably due to the deceptive information released by the JGSDF Special Forces Group.
[I see, so he’s the one who created the self-sufficiency program huh.]
[The program certainly turned out to be excellent, but that’s only possible because of the business opportunities here in the Special Region. I think we should also keep an eye on that aspect. If they can develop to such a large scale just by bringing in a few daily necessities from Japan, I have high expectations for how far they can go if a major trading company is entrusted with this project in earnest.]
A government official from the US spoke up as if he were speaking for the business community. Perhaps, they really may have sent for such a purpose.
[It will be interesting to see how the Japanese government plans to proceed with the development of the Special Region. It will be interesting to see how much of the market our country is able to get involved in.]
[But from what I see in these materials, I think it would be best to start with a joint venture with Alnus Community. It seems that they are expanding their branches in the Imperial Capital and the neighboring countries, centering on Alnus. It’s just, I’m not sure if they understand the concept of a joint enterprise yet.]
[If there’s going to be a problem, it’s the narrowness of the “Gate”. It’s about 16 yards wide, right? I’m also concerned about the geographical conditions of Ginza. If the roads are that congested, mass transportation is impossible. This would reduce its attractiveness by half. The Japanese government should consider measures to deal with this as soon as possible.]
[Rather than depriving the Special Region of goods and resources, our country was considering the approval of immigrants instead. We were strongly suggesting this to the Japanese government. I hope they will agree to this request.]
A scholar-looking man dispatched from China was saying something like that. The others wryly smiled when they heard this. It was clear that he was speaking directly from the policy of his home government, which wanted to prevent a decline in its influence as a resource-exporting country. China is known for its intimidation diplomacy by threatening embargoes on natural resources and indirect invasions using immigrants.
[By the way, how is the public order around here? Since you’re still at war with the empire, it can’t be good, right? Even today, things seemed strangely tense. It seems as if you’re about to conduct some large-scale operation.]
To this, Imazu, Head of the Second Department, replied.
[Alnus and the nearby village we’ll be visiting tomorrow are firmly under our control. But past that area, security is deteriorating due to banditry and Imperial guerrilla activities. Especially recently, there has been a political upheaval in the Empire, and the military has been active. As you can imagine, the troops are tense, because they’re prepared to respond to their movements.]
Unlike usual, Imazu was speaking with a broken accent today. He seems to be trying to speak in Japanese using words that’s easy to understand for the foreign guests.
[Weren’t you in the middle of peace talks?]
Hearing his words though, the French woman from earlier voiced a question.
[We’ve yet to actually sign a cease-fire deal. It was within the bounds of possibility that the Empire was conducting military operations in order to make the peace as favorable for them as possible.]
[On the Empire side, if things continue as they are now, signing such a cease-fire deal would be tantamount to unconditional surrender. They were probably trying to reel back this situation a bit.]
A military officer dispatched from Russia added.
[The question is how they’re gonna do that.]
A military personnel sent by the US muttered. The fact is, there are not so many options available to the disadvantaged side in terms of strength, weapons, and other factors. If they can’t win even if they try to do it properly, the only tactics that the inferior side can choose are to build a strong fortification to protect it or to use guerrilla warfare to hide themselves and exploit an opening. The US military officers’ expressions were bitter because of their experience of being plagued by guerrilla warfare in Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Russian military officers also have a similar expression on their faces because they have suffered so much in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
[According to our information, the Imperials have decided to switch to guerrilla tactics.]
[Handling this would take quite an effort. I wish you the best of luck in your peace talks.]
The uniformed soldiers seemed to have a premonition that this war might be surprisingly dragged out. At that moment, looking at her watch, Himeji spoke.
[Well then, let’s move on. We are going to see some special local products in the Union’s warehouse. Dinner and free time will be after that.]
The observer team followed Himeji in a group to the Community’s storehouse. After confirming at the Community’s warehouse what kind of crops could be harvested in the Special Region, or conversely, what kind of products would be in demand in the Special Region, the group had dinner, spent some of their free time at the PX (Garrison Procurement Department), and then entered the JASDF area at the foot of the hill.
The purpose was to see the facilities and circumstances of the JSDF. The JASDF area is, in essence, the area around the runway and the hangars that accompany it. However, there is no strict division between the two areas, so they could also see the JGSDF personnel coming and going, and the cover of various JGSDF artillery guns within the reach of the nighttime lights. In some places, the lights were unnaturally turned off, suggesting that there was something in the reach of those lights that they did not want the observers to see.
At that moment, they heard the sound of jet engines and looked at the runway. Two F-4 Phantoms were about to take off. Two more Phantoms were emerging from the hangar, bringing the total number of Phantoms sent to the area to four. The Russian and American military officers groaned when they saw this.
[Those are quite the antiques they got there.]
[Umu. The JSDF sure likes keeping things for a long time.]
[However, since there are no satellites or electronic equipment in the Special Region, these antiques certainly would be easier to use.]
Even though the gazes of the civilian observers had changed upon seeing these equipment, it was the uniformed military personnel that really seemed to be interested in this aspect. What caught their interest in particular was a C1 medium-sized transport aircraft, as its engines roared in what appeared to be a trial run beyond the mobile meteorological radar and mobile control tower set. It’s a transport aircraft with a legend that its range was intentionally shortened for various political reasons, and like the Phantom, it is also a vintage aircraft nearing decommissioning.
[Ohh, I wonder how they got that in through that narrow “Gate”?]
[No, no, wouldn’t it be more difficult to get that through the Ginza district?]
[Yes. We disassembled it, brought it in and assembled it here.]
Himeji said it as if she had done it herself, but it was the JASDF maintenance crew who did the hard work.
[Transport planes are used to carry goods from airfield to airfield. But Japan’s only base here in the Special Region is here in Alnus.]
[That means it’s extremely limited in its use…… I think I’m counting about 5 of those planes right now.]
[As I recall, the distance to the Imperial Capital is approximately 600 kilometers.]
[There’s a little more distance than that, but that’s about right. This will greatly expand our radius of operation.]
The military officers saw a line of troops lying at the end of the runway. The military officers had already guessed who these men were and what was about to take place.
[Those aircrafts are just right for a round trip.]
Thereupon, the German military officer quickly unraveled a drawn map he had obtained from the PX of the Arnus cooperative and confirmed the location of the Imperial Capital indicated on the map. The reason is that by using the distance between Alnus and the Imperial Capital as the basis, he could estimate the scale of the map he had obtained. This was made in the Empire, and its accuracy is about that of the old maps made before Ino Chukei’s map. It was centered on the Empire and showed the size and location of the surrounding countries in a general way. The reason why the German military officer obtained such a map was because the Japanese government had not published detailed maps of the Special Region.
The information on the geography of the Special Region was classified as a protected secret, and only a simple schematic map was provided to the members of the observer team. Of course, through backroom deals and the exchange of information on various levels, a certain amount of information was conveyed to countries with which Japan had close relations. However, since there were participants in this observer team from countries that had not received any information at all, basically everyone was conversing on the assumption that they did not know about the undisclosed information. Despite that though, information that was supposed to be important was leaked in an extraordinary way. As a matter of fact, they just found it sold at a store.
[I never thought there would be a map on the bookshelf in the PX.]
[We ourselves weren’t aware of that.]
[However, for an item that costs 380,000 yen to be sold there……]
[We’re well aware of the value of information. If one can buy information for 380,000 yen, it’s only natural that it would make people have a different look in their eyes. Please, keep your eyes peeled around those stuff……]
Imazu later reiterated to his colleagues the importance of information preservation. Not realizing how precious things around them puts them in danger. This applies to “information” and “technology” as well. “The Japanese should be a little more cunning and stingy,” Imazu reiterated. In fact, the German military officer was so excited when he happened to pick up a map while rummaging through the PX.
[Ohhh, they sell a complete map of the Special Region’s world!]
The eyes of the members of the observer team lit up. Immediately, they began to fight over this one and only copy of the map. The problem, however, was that it was priced at 380,000 yen, an expensive price for a single item. This was expensive. Really expensive. The difference in the value of this item was reflected in its price. Particularly here in the Special Region, where printing wasn’t yet a common method, hand-writing on parchment was the mainstream method, so the price of published items was inevitably relatively high. However, this was not the problem. The excitement in the eyes of the members of the observer team was because they saw the price of 380,000 yen as inexpensive.
The problem arose a bit more elsewhere. More specifically, everyone’s wallets contained only three or four 10,000 yen bills at most. When everyone opened their wallets and once again confirmed this fact, they all looked hopeless. The first to make a move was a military officer from China, who had recently been enjoying an economic boom. He took out his credit card from his wallet, and while everyone else was frozen looking at the contents of their wallets, he leisurely picked up the map and went to pay the cat-ear clerk waiting for him at the cash register.
However, the cat-eared clerk only responded with “What’s this nya?”.
In the Special Region, commodity transactions are basically conducted in gold and silver coins, which have their own value. Only in Alnus can yen bills, which are simply printed on a piece of paper, be accepted. Therefore, plastic cards are no more useful than a dog tag. To shop here, you need to have at least some cash on hand. However, in the age of credit cards, it is rare for people to carry such a large amount of cash when traveling abroad. That being the case, they had no choice but to give up on individual purchases and bring the Japanese yen in each of their wallets to bring the total to 380,000 yen.
First, people from the same country began to collect money together. But it wasn’t enough. This was a time when the character of each country, or rather the degree of friendship between each other, really came into play. Just as the countries connected through NATO, UK, Germany, France and US formed an alliance, China and Russia formed an alliance against them and ripping off those dispatched by the emerging nations, they made them turn over their wallets, and scraping up all the 500 yen coins, 100 yen coins, 50 yen coins and 10 yen coins, they made a fuss with each 100,000 yen they gathered.
[Is there any left in your pocket?]
A uniformed military officer could be seen jumping up and down while other such officers surrounded him, looking as if he was some junior schooler being blackmailed out of his pocket money. Incidentally, the South Korean military officer approached every JSDF official in the vicinity and asked to be lent money. However, no matter how good-natured the Japanese were, they were not so good-natured as to believe that a foreigner they had just met would return money they borrowed, but it was already too late for the South Korean military officer to find people to form an alliance with.
Thus, the leading role went to the German military officer. After all, the deciding factor was the number of friends they have. When Imazu received the news, he rushed to the scene, gasping for breath, to find that the German military officer had already paid for the map with a smug look on his face. It was already too late.
Imazu sighed.
No one even thought how strange that a map, a valuable source of information, is being sold on a bookshelf in a bookstore. He was dismayed at the lack of sensibility about the concept of intelligence on the part of his colleagues, who simply stood by and watched while the observer team looked like a pride of lions upon seeing prey.
[If they’ve seen that happening from the side, they should’ve at least stopped them from selling it. Otherwise, they could’ve bought it themselves!]
In the end, it would be him who must take responsibility for the leakage of confidential information. Incidentally, there was a sequel to this fiasco.
[They’re selling dragon scales!]
Ever since the National Diet discussed the damage caused by the first-class vermin and their ability to fly was described as comparable to that of a flying main battle tank, interest in the creatures that inhabit the Special Region has increased enormously. In particular, the toughness of dragon scales has been widely publicized, and military officials from many countries have shown keen interest in what kind of material it is. Therefore, obtaining samples was a top priority. And yet, here they were, on display in the PX as souvenirs. Of course, all of these items were damaged, so-called “imperfect items”.
They were too small to be sold wholesale to arms dealers, or had bullet holes or chips, and had to be discarded. When they were made into cell phone straps and key chains, the JSDF officers were delighted with them as souvenirs. Naturally, the members of the observer team’s eyes lit up again, just as they had done with the map earlier. They could get a sample of a new material that could be used in secret weapons, information so important that a whole spy movie could be made about it, for about the same price as pocket change.
[H- Hey. I’d like to purchase this…… How much is it per piece?]
[500 yen.]
[I’ll take everything you have.]
At that moment, a stack of crumbled 10,000 yen bills was piled up in front of the cash register where the cat-eared clerk waits. When everyone turns around, Imazu stands there, and behind him stands JSDF officers with teary-eyes, their wallets empty.
[We’re going to take these as souvenirs, so don’t leave any behind and wrap them all up……]
Just like that, the information leak was prevented with minimal damage, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Imazu and other JSDF officers.
However, this sense of relief created an opening in Imazu’s vigilance.
[Is something the matter, Diabo-sama?]
[No, it’s nothing. It’s just, they’re making a massive deal of a single map. So, I just found it amusing, thinking how much they would pay for a prince of the Empire.]
Diabo, hiding in the woods on the outskirts of the town of Alnus, watched the observers as if he were price gouging them as they walked from place to place like a bunch of countryside bumpkins.
[That’s an extremely bad taste of you, to compare yourself to a slave who is being auctioned off.]
[Don’t say that, Metomes. In fact, I may as well be a slave right now. I can’t even create my own destiny on my own. So why don’t I sell myself to the highest bidder?]
[But that’s dangerous. I am worried about how His Highness will be treated. What if you were used as a bargaining tool against Zorzal-sama?]
[I suppose you’re right. Alright, here’s what we’ll do.]
Seemingly having thought of something, Diabo clapped his hand and began to undress.
[W- What are you doing?]
[Metomes, why don’t you undress as well?]
[Telling me to take off my clothes, what in the world are you talking about? I’ll say this in advance, but I’m not attracted to men.]
[Like hell I’m doing such behavior in this place. I’m telling you to swap clothing with me.][Swap clothing?]
[Yes, that’s right. From now on you are Diabo, Prince of the Empire. I shall hereby call myself the servant, Metomes. That way, I’ll be safe even if you become a bargaining tool.]
[Then what will happen to this Metomes?]
[You don’t need to worry. Even if you are used as a bargaining tool with Zorzal, it is a fact that you are but a chamberlain. When the time comes, you can tell them that you are just a chamberlain, and not one of them will hurt you.]
[I see, so that’s what you mean.]
Metomes was satisfied with that, and quickly took off his clothes and exchanged them.
[Your Highness. With that being the case, I recommend that you choose as your negotiating partner one who has failed in the struggle for the map.]
[Why is that?]
[Because those who made a mistake would loosen their purse strings more than usual in an attempt to gain back the disadvantage they incurred.]
[I see. What a keen insight.]
Diabo nodded at Metomes’ words and turned his attention to the Chinese military officer, who was dejected because he had failed to buy the map.
[Alright, let’s try negotiating with that guy.]
[The problem is that we don’t speak the language to negotiate with them. What should we do?]
[We can leave the initial contact to one of Piña’s underlings. As for the rest, we can take this easy…… Puff out your chest, Metomes. Show your pride. From now on, you are the Imperial Prince Diabo.]
Having switched positions with his servant, Diabo headed for the town of Alnus, looking for an opportunity to make contact with an envoy.
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