Direct Conference

The site of our conference was the living room of the villa. There were

two couches, and Maria and I sat across from one another in them with our

respective assistants sitting next to us. Near the door was Gunther, and by

the window on the opposite side of the room stood Aisha, guarding the

room, and making sure there were no eavesdroppers. It felt like too much

security for a conference between two friendly nations, but because we

were in the territory of a third country, it was inevitable.

"This is a valuable opportunity to meet in person. There is something I

would like to take this chance to discuss with your country," I said, cutting

right to the point.

"Something you want to discuss... You say?" Maria's brow furrowed and

she cocked her head to the side. "Is it something you couldn't have said

over the broadcast?"

"It's not that I couldn't have, but there are emotions, the feeling of the

room—factors that can't be transmitted over the air. In order to accurately

convey those things, I felt it really was best that we meet in person. If I

poorly communicate what I want to talk about here, I believe it could form

a crack between our two nations."

"...Let's hear it," Maria said, looking at me with probing eyes.

I took that to mean she wanted to hear what I had to say, first. I looked

into her eyes, and gave it to her straight, "In the near future, I expect that

my country will be sending a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago

Union."

Maria quietly closed her eyes, while Jeanne cried out in surprise,

"Wha?!"

The Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union was a group of states in

the sea east of the Kingdom. Though they had a shared leader, each island

had a strong sense of independence, and their own political systems, so they

weren't unified.

Jeanne slammed her hands down on the table and glared at me. "Do you

mean to fight another war among humans, at this late date?! You

experienced the demon wave for yourself! In these times, when mankind

doesn't unite as one—"

"Jeanne," Maria called out to her, and Jeanne fell silent.

Maria's expression had not changed, and she hadn't spoken especially

loudly, but behind her single word, I felt the weight of a person who carried

a great nation on her shoulders. It made me sit up straight and pay attention,

too.

"For now, let's hear all of what Sir Souma has to say."

"...Thank you. Hakuya, the map."

"Yes, sir."

I pointed at the map Hakuya spread out and explained, "Our nation

shares a sea border with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, and

the relationship between us is currently strained by issues surrounding the

fishing industry. Ships from their region are coming in large numbers to fish

in the waters near us, and they regularly cause trouble with our fishermen."

Maria nodded. "I've heard the situation. But is there no way you can

clamp down on it peacefully?"

"It's impossible. There are armed ships in their fishing fleets, and they

interfere when we try to stop them. They seem to be skilled, so they're

likely part of the Archipelago Union's regular forces. In other words..."

"...The state is behind the illegal fishing?"

I nodded in response. "If we don't strike at the root of the problem, all

we're doing is playing whack-a-mole. That is why we will send a fleet to

the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, deal with the matter, and

secure the safety of our fishermen."

"A fleet... Do you mean to open hostilities at sea?"

"The Archipelago Union is not a signatory to the Mankind Declaration,

the same as us. I do not believe the Empire needs to protect them."

"I see..." Maria stared at me. There was no anger, sadness, suspicion, or

anything like that. It was like she was staring into the core of my being.

That stare is hard to deal with... Though I tried to pretend I was perfectly

fine, there was a sweat beading up in my hands.

"...Do you have any questions?"

Maria remained silent, as if she were thinking about something. I had

expected to be criticized, or at least questioned when I told her we were

sending a fleet to the Archipelago Union, so this silence was unexpectedly

awkward. I felt even more like I was sleeping on a bed of needles than I

might have if she'd called me out for it.

It seemed the silence was just as unbearable for Jeanne, and she spoke

up. "Sir Hakuya! Was this your plan?!"

"...It did not originate with me, but I have considered it in depth with

His Majesty."

"You're in agreement with it, then. Why...?"

"Jeanne..." Maria cut her off again. "After negotiating with Sir Hakuya

over the Jewel Voice Broadcast, you must know what kind of person he is,

right?"

"Yes... But, right now, I can't figure out what he's thinking."

"At times like that, you look at the other person's face."

Their face? I touched my own. Was it that strange?

When she saw my reaction, Maria chuckled. "If they have something to

hide, it will show on their face—whether they're trying to act agreeable so

as not to offend us, trying to deceive us, or getting tense as they think their

plot will be discovered... Right? In your eyes, does Sir Hakuya's face look

any different from how it usually does when the two of you are

negotiating?"

"...No. I think it was the same."

"Sir Souma's face felt the same way to me." Maria looked straight at my

face. "To make it simple, you've got some reason you're doing this, don't

you?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Can you tell me what that is here?"

"I cannot." I looked straight back into Maria's eyes as I spoke. "It's not

that I don't trust the two of you, but if the information leaks, everything I

have done to prepare will go to waste. I absolutely must avoid that."

If she could tell when people had something they were hiding through

their eyes, I wanted her to see through me.

"I swear it is nothing that will disappoint our sworn friends," I assured

her.

"Then let me trust the word of my sworn friend."

Maria's response came more easily than I expected.

"Sister..."

"However, do not forget that if you do anything to betray that trust, I

will be forced to rescind our secret alliance, the medical pact, the research

agreement, and our cooperative stance towards you to a blank slate."

Though she was bold enough to trust us, she didn't forget to make her

stance clear. She truly was a woman who was carrying a great nation. I had

nowhere near her capacity.

"I will take that to heart," I said. "Because I do not want to fight you."

"I feel the same. So... If you went out of your way to tell us something

that you knew might upset us, you must have some reason, right?"

Detecting the certainty in Maria's words, I gave up and nodded. "Yes.

There is something I want the Empire to help us with."

"If you want to attack the Archipelago Union with a pincer attack from

the east and west, I can't do that, you know?"

"I wouldn't ask for any such thing. I'd like the Empire to act as a

mediator of peace."

"Peace...?" Maria had a difficult look on her face again. I had already

told her I was sending a fleet, but now I was asking for her to mediate

peace, the exact opposite course of action, so I couldn't blame her for being

suspicious. "Is it safe to assume you mean with the Nine-Headed Dragon

King?"

"No. It seems the Nine-Headed Dragon King is already gathering a fleet

of his own. I don't think we can negotiate with him. Therefore, though this

will be a lot of work, I'd like the Empire to persuade the rulers of each

island of the risks of fighting us. I want you to tell them, 'If the Kingdom

decides to fight, they will likely bring all of the Nine-Headed Dragon

Archipelago under their dominion. That's why you should avoid conflict,'

and stir up their sense of danger."

"Ah! ...That's not likely to avert conflict." The look in Maria's eyes

became sharper. "Historically, that country was founded by those who came

together after being chased off the continent for some reason. The rebellious

spirit is deeply rooted in the people, and they epitomize the saying, 'If you

would be made the butt-end of a spear, become the cutting edge of a dagger

instead.'"

That was a saying from this world. In my old world, we would have

said, "Choose to be the mouth of a chicken, rather than become the tail of

an ox." It means it's better to be at the head of a smaller group, rather than a

follower of a large one.

Maria continued, "When we called on them to join the Mankind

Declaration, not a single island responded. If I tell them, 'Your enemies are

strong, so avoid fighting,' in this case, it would actually rile them up more.

If that happens... Ah?!"

Maria's eyes went wide.

"No, don't tell me that's what you're aiming for?!"

It seemed Maria had an accurate grasp of my intentions. Is she gonna

get mad? I thought, but instead she thought about it even more. That was

unexpected, and I looked to Hakuya. He seemed bewildered, too. Jeanne,

meanwhile, was looking back and forth, from Maria to the two of us.

I waited quietly for Maria to speak, and eventually she slowly opened

her mouth. "...It's vague, but I believe I'm beginning to see what it is that

you're trying to do."

"Huh?"

This time, it was my turn to be surprised. No way... That was all it took

for her to figure out our plan?

"We're always gathering information on other nations, too." As I

remained speechless, Maria smiled at me. "We have some amount of

information on the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, and I could

detect no lie in anything you've said. If I compare what we know about that

country with what you've said, Sir Souma, I am able to get a vague idea of

what you want to do."

"I see..."

What an incredible person. It seemed like she'd more or less figured out

our goal, even if not perfectly. I don't know how many times I'd thought

this now, but she was just too amazing. Not only did she have natural

charisma, she was incredibly wise, too.

Maria clapped her hands. "I understand. The Empire will offer the

Kingdom our full cooperation on this matter."

"S-Sister?! Is it all right to decide on the spot like that?!" Jeanne

protested, but Maria seemed unconcerned.

"If my prediction is right, it's something that will be meaningful for the

Empire, as well. But I think we'll have to agree that you owe us one, right?"

she said, smiling playfully.

I slumped my shoulders, all malice sucked out of me. "...Consider us in

your debt. I'll find some occasion to repay the favor."

"Hee hee, don't forget you said that."

With that, things were sorted out with the Empire. Ultimately, Maria

showed us she was on a much higher level than we were, but there was no

denying we'd managed to secure the Empire's cooperation. That made this

whole trip worthwhile.

Now we can send a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union

without reservation. I was still surprised by Maria's sagacity, but it still felt

like a load off my shoulders.

With the most important discussion out of the way, we moved our

negotiations to a number of other topics. This was an extension of the

things we usually discussed over the broadcast, so it ended without issue,

and so did my first direct meeting with Maria.

Afterward, we were to have a friendly get-together using this villa. If we

were to leave and try to return to our own countries now, it would mean

traveling by night, so the plan was that we would stay here overnight, and

then head home in the morning. The food for the get-together was made by

chefs from both the Kingdom and the Empire, using ingredients provided

by this country. Each side tested it for poison, too.

If anything were to happen to Maria or me, that would elevate the risk of

Zem being attacked from both sides, so I didn't expect them to pull

something, but we still took safety precautions just in case. It made me

painfully aware of how difficult it was for the heads of two nations to meet.

Also, in regards to who the chefs from the Kingdom were, we weren't

going to be able to properly protect any more VIPs than we already were,

which meant that Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Poncho, and his

pregnant wives Serina and Komain, couldn't be here. In their place, we

brought the staff who worked at the Ishizuka restaurant.

"""W-We will serve you with wholehearted devotion!"""

When tasked with making food that the Empress of the great land to the

west would eat, they were petrified, but... it looked like they would still

give it their all.

"Oh, gosh. The outside is crispy, but the inside is juicy." I could tell by

looking at the beaming smile on Maria's face as she stuffed her cheeks with

tatsuta chicken that she was enjoying it.

Because we had limited space this time, we had gone with a buffet

format where people would stand and eat. People from both countries were

talking to each other about whatever they liked.

"Munch, munch. Was the Kingdom's food always this good?"

"We do have a bunch of picky gourmets in our house, after all."

Mio and Naden were chatting. Naden, aren't you forgetting yourself

there?

"Sir Gunther! I daresay, those are some fine muscles you have there!"

"...You, too, Sir Owen."

"Ohohoho, Sir Gunther, you're acting uncharacteristically shy."

The commanders, Owen, Gunther, and Krahe, seemed to be getting on

well, too, and the get-together continued with that relaxed atmosphere.

Compared to the times when I was invited to late-night parties by the

nobles, the lack of anyone coming up to me, rubbing their hands together

with a fake smile plastered on their face, was a huge relief.

When Maria and I were talking, even our subordinates would hesitate to

approach. Perhaps because of that, Maria was able to savor her meal to the

fullest.

"You've taught us the recipes, but authentic cuisine really is different.

Even the scent of the soy sauce you use is better than our country's."

"Well, that must be the fruit of the mystic wolf race's daily struggle to

improve their methods."

"It's so delicious my fork won't stop." Maria grinned as she scarfed

down the food.

Somehow, I suddenly felt a sense of kinship with her. Jeanne said she

was a bit of a disappointment in her private life, but to think she was this

kind of easygoing woman... While I was thinking that, Aisha came along

and offered Maria a dish.

"Madam Maria, this stew is delicious, too."

"Oh, my, Madam Aisha, is that true? I'll have to try it."

For some reason, she was hitting it off with our dark elf glutton just as

well.

"Um, Madam Maria? If you go too crazy, won't Madam Jeanne get mad

at you again?" I asked out of concern, but Maria just chuckled in

amusement.

"It's fine. Jeanne is in another room sulking right now."

"Ahh... Is that so?"

Hakuya and I hadn't talked much about our intentions with sending a

fleet out towards the archipelago, and though Maria seemed to have it

figured out, she didn't talk about it. In fact, she probably kept quiet to help

preserve secrecy around the matter. Seemingly out of the loop on this,

Jeanne became very sulky. Obviously, she wasn't going to openly sulk

during a friendly get-together with another nation.

"I'm sorry. I'm feeling a little under the weather, so I'll have to ask you

to let me excuse myself." She had made that excuse, then withdrawn to

another room. But, in her sister Maria's eyes, it was clear that she was

feeling down because she had been left out.

Maria bowed her head. "I'm sorry—for leaving Hakuya to take care of

Jeanne."

"Don't worry about it. Hakuya's not good with these sorts of lively

events to begin with, so he may have just been looking for an excuse to

escape."

"Do you think so?" Maria cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

"Yeah. And besides..." I trailed off, before telling her my jerkish opinion

on the matter. "I think that smugly unmarried guy could stand to be swung

around at a woman's whim every once in a while."

◇ ◇ ◇

"...Hmph." In another room, Jeanne turned her head to the side

peevishly.

Hakuya was standing nearby with a slightly troubled look on his face.

Despite having a brilliant mind for politics and strategy, he was still a single

man who had spent his entire life as a bookworm before coming to serve at

the castle. There weren't many chances to interact with women, so naturally

he had little clue how to mollify one when they were in a sour mood.

If this was going to come up, I should have paid more attention to how

His Majesty interacts with his queens... Souma and his queens got along

well, but they got into little spats all the time. Liscia might get mad at him

for his indelicacy some times, while Souma might sulk about his wives

banding together and disregarding his opinion other times.

To give an example, they had just recently had an argument over the

future direction of Cian and Kazuha's education. Though, everyone who

overheard them just got exasperated, because it was way too early to be

talking about it, anyway. However, those arguments were just a little

friendly tussling between husband and wives, and if they left each other

alone, they were ready to make up in no time. In Souma's native world, it

was apparently said that, "Even a dog would turn up his nose at a fight

between a husband and wife."

Hakuya had no desire to get involved in another family's marital

disputes, so he did his best to stay out of it. Now, he was seriously

regretting not having paid attention to how Souma calmed his wives down

when they got mad at him.

"Um... Madam Jeanne?"

"...What is it, Sir Hakuya?"

It looked like she was at least willing to respond.

"Um... Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad... I'm indignant."

"I do apologize. But we can't speak when we don't know who might be

listening. We had no intention of leaving you out of the—"

"That's not it." Jeanne cut off Hakuya's explanation and turned to face

him. "The one I'm indignant at is myself, for being so useless."

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest, and cast her eyes downward,

looking sad.

"For as long as my sister upholds her ideals, the Kingdom will walk

alongside the Empire... It was King Souma who said that, and now he's

talking about invading the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. That

on its own should have been enough to make her furrow her brow, yet, for

some reason, my sister accepted his request."

"That's because... No..." Hakuya was about to say something, but

stopped himself.

"It appeared as if you and King Souma had become totally different

people, and my sister had cast aside her ideals... I have no idea what all of

you were thinking."

Jeanne shook her head.

"But what I do understand is that all of you have something that you're

thinking about. It's just a matter of me not knowing the situation. That's...

intensely frustrating. Especially when my sister was able to correctly

discern your intentions from only a few small hints."

Hakuya let out a small sigh. "Madam Maria is a smart woman. We

hadn't anticipated her seeing through us like that, either. Even if it made

relations tense for a while, so long as Maria continued to act like her usual

self, that would have been fine. But, having more or less figured out what

we were up to, Maria promised to cooperate. It's terrifying just how

perceptive she is."

"My sister is too easygoing in her personal life, but she's a very smart

person." Jeanne smiled weakly. "That's why we rely on her. Too much.

When I see Sister constantly shouldering the burden of being empress, I

want to be there to help her, but... if only I had more strength."

Unable to find the words to say, Hakuya gave her an empathetic look.

"I'm sorry. For whining to you like this."

"No, I understand."

They were both in the position of having to support the leader of their

nation. Souma was exceptionally good at delegating tasks to those who had

the capability to do them. He had gathered so many people they called him

a personnel maniac, and that meant they were able to pursue policies in a

variety of different directions. The downside was that it was harder for him

to do his work as king outside, and he looked rather plain to the people, but

if the state was well-run, the people weren't going to complain about that.

But... What if?

What if Souma had possessed Maria's ability and charisma? If he could

do everything on his own, wouldn't he have done so, and pushed forward

on his policies instead of recruiting personnel? Because it was faster that

way? Solving issues all on his own would have earned him more popularity,

and led to greater expectations for him. The more he lived up to people's

hopes, the greater those hopes would become...

I see... Madam Jeanne is... It must have felt irritating, watching a sister

like that. Maria was such a genius that Jeanne couldn't even say, "I wish

you would rely on me more."

"Watching my sister perform as a lorelei in addition to her political

duties, it made me think. Isn't this closer to what my sister really wants to

do?" There was a pain in Jeanne's voice. "The failure of the combined

offensive of the forces of mankind led by the Empire, and the death of the

last emperor... Sister ascended the throne in a time when the people were

gloomy and dejected. She told me, 'I want to make the people smile.' That

was what motivated her to bring the Empire together once more, and give

them the hope that was the Mankind Declaration."

"...I think that's incredible."

"Sister only wanted everyone to smile! Perhaps... Perhaps she didn't

even want to be empress. She seems so full of life when she's singing and

dancing, and the people love to see it. Honestly, I wish I could let her do

nothing but that, but... it's not an option."

There was nothing Hakuya could say in response to the sadness in

Jeanne's voice. As a foreign national, he had little flexibility, and as a high

ranking member of the Kingdom, he couldn't speak carelessly. If there was

one thing he could do, it was quietly listen as Jeanne vented.

Suddenly, Jeanne slapped her own cheeks.

"Madam Jeanne?!"

"I can't keep acting gloomy like this." Then, she gave the surprised

Hakuya a smile. "Not when I've been blessed with an opportunity to talk to

you, Sir Hakuya. I'm wasting time."

"...I don't mind."

"Well, I do! Let's drink the night away!"

"Ah! I don't hold my drinks that well..."

"Ohh, that's right, huh?" Jeanne grinned. "It's okay. If you get wasted,

I'll tend to you."

"I can't let a VIP from another country see me in that sort of wretched

state..."

"Oh, what's the harm? Let loose every once in a while."

"No, what I'm saying is..."

"Come on, now that that's decided, let's go get some food and drinks

from the party."

Jeanne took Hakuya's hand and started to walk off with firm steps,

dragging him along. Hakuya had an uncharacteristically bewildered look on

his face. Well... this is better than her looking depressed like before.

Seeing the happy look on Jeanne's face, he prepared himself to keep her

company the whole night through.

◇ ◇ ◇

Not long after that, a bewildered Hakuya and happy Jeanne came into

the room. Jeanne was pulling Hakuya along by the sleeve. It looked like she

was feeling better now.

"It seems like your sister's in a better mood."

Maria had also noticed them, and was smiling softly. "Speaking of little

sisters, is Trill doing well?"

"Yeah. A little too well. She's hard at work on developing the drill with

Genia. I actually wanted to bring her along, but she firmly refused..."

I thought it would be a good chance for the three sisters to get together,

but...

"Not a chance! If I were to meet my sisters now, I'd surely receive an

extended lecture about not interfering with Big Sister Genia's married life!

Big Sister Jeanne is so strict, I might even be taken back to the Empire! I

absolutely refuse to accompany you!"

...Trill wasn't having it.

Granted, I couldn't be too firm with her given her own status. I had

Jeanne's permission to be strict with Trill, but I wouldn't have wanted to

upset her and delay the drill development project as a result. That was why I

was letting her do as she pleased, within reason. If things got out of hand,

I'd have her sisters scold her, though.

Maria chuckled. "That's so like her. Always free-spirited. I envy her a

little."

"Speaking of free spirits... Everyone here is acting pretty free-spirited,

huh?"

I looked around, and people from the Kingdom and Empire were

mingling in quite a chaotic scene. Naden was passionately regaling Krahe

with the story of how the two of us met. Her face was a little red, and her

eyes were unfocused. She looked tipsy.

"So, like I was saying, Souma, he told me I had individuality. It... made

me really happy."

"Oho, I see, I see. That is a wonderful way to have met. Here, have

another drink."

"...Hic."

It looked like Krahe had wheedled her into telling him everything. Well,

him knowing how the two of us met wasn't going to cause any problems.

There were guards nearby, so if it sounded like she might divulge anything

that ought to be kept secret, they'd probably stop her. But Naden... if she

still remembered this when she sobered up, she was going to be writhing in

shame, wasn't she?

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the room, Mio was knocking back a stiff drink.

"Urgh... What am I even doing here...?"

"M-Madam Mio? Aren't you drinking a little too much?" Owen

commented, attempting to stop her.

Mio shouted, "You think I could get through this without drinking?!"

and helped herself to another. "I was surprised enough that the Elfrieden

Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia had been unified, but we're on

friendly terms with the Empire now, too...? What happened to the Kingdom

while I was away? I feel like a traveler coming back home after a decade,

and shocked by how everything's changed... Hic."

"A lot happened. Oh, geez, you're drinking too much. If you're

hungover, the gondola ride is just going to be that much harder on you, you

know?"

Though Owen was trying to calm her down, she wasn't listening to him.

Hrm... If it was going to be like this, maybe I should have brought

Colbert and her mother, too... Mio's mother didn't seem like the type to be

intimidated by this type of thing. Before parting ways with Colbert, I'd had

the opportunity to speak with her briefly.

When I asked her what she thought about Georg, she'd said, "This is the

path that tactless man chose. No matter what others think of him for it, I'm

sure it was the best choice he could have made. As his wife, I can only

believe in him, and accept it." What a strong woman. I doubt the sight of

her daughter drowning her confusion with alcohol would have fazed her.

Looking around closer, I found our bodyguards Aisha and Gunther

glaring at one another.

"......"

"......" (Munch, munch.)

Gunther stared Aisha down, standing upright and unmoving, while

Aisha was returning the stare, but held a plate with a variety of dishes on it,

and munched on them as she glared back at Gunther. Seriously, what was I

looking at here?

"Um... Why is Gunther glaring at Aisha?" I asked Maria.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That stern look on Gunther's face is normal for him. He

likely wanted to speak to his fellow bodyguard, but couldn't find the words,

and their eyes happened to meet, so he couldn't look away... I suppose?"

"He's shy, even though he looks like that?!"

When we first met, I thought he must not have a good impression of me,

but was he actually just feeling tense? When I thought of it that way, the

rough old man started to look kind of cute.

Maria chuckled. "Everyone looks like they're having fun."

"...Yeah, they do."

"By the way, Sir Souma? I'd like to talk alone for a little while," she

said in a mischievous tone.

Taken aback by her sudden invitation, I panicked a little. "Alone...?

That's not good. We're both leaders, you know?"

"Madam Aisha and Gunther should still be able to see us on the balcony

over there, so I don't think it should be a problem?"

"That's... fine, then."

We told Aisha and Gunther we wanted to talk alone, so we'd like them

to guard us from a distance, and then headed out to the balcony. I was afraid

of getting sniped out here, but there were members of the Black Cats

positioned around the villa, so it was probably fine.

Maria's shoulders trembled a little. "It's a little chilly outside, huh?"

"Well, it is autumn, and we are in the mountains, after all."

She was right about it being chilly, but I couldn't even tell how many

layers that dress she was wearing had, and I was dressed pretty heavily

myself, so it was tolerable. Decidedly, we stayed out on the balcony.

Maria was the first to open her mouth, "Now, in regard to the dispatch of

a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union..."

"...I can't reveal any more to you at the moment, you know?"

"I won't be asking. What I'm about to say is in regards to the favor

we're owed. You did say you would pay us back someday, didn't you?" she

said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Wait a sec. Um... If you ask for anything too unreasonable, it's going to

be a problem."

"Hee hee, the agreement we made was a verbal one, not committed to

paper. It only counted as a favor to you because you believe that we'll

follow through on it. So, I'd like you to make me a verbal promise, too."

"Return the favor with a promise?"

"Yes. If, at some point in the future..."

What Maria said to me after that, despite the calmness in her voice when

she said it, made me doubt my own ears.

"Huh?!" I looked at her, eyes wide.

Maria just... smiled.

These must have been Maria's true feelings, which even Jeanne didn't

know. Even after I listened to everything she said, I couldn't say anything

for a while.

After a silence that felt especially long, I finally managed to reply,

"Don't say anything so ominous..."

Maria chuckled. "It's important to be prepared. So, how about it? This is

a verbal agreement, not committed to paper, but can I ask you to do it?"

"I..."

This... wasn't something I could just nod and agree to so easily. If what

Maria had just spoken about came to pass, I would have to gather Hakuya

and my closest retainers and debate the matter for days. But only if it truly

happened. For now, it was only one future possibility. If I told them I

wanted to debate the matter now, they would tell me I was worrying too

much.

I, myself, couldn't believe it was going to happen, after all. Oh... That's

why it's a verbal agreement. This way, she'd be happy if I did as I

promised, but I couldn't be faulted for not doing it. It was the same as when

I asked her for a favor. Still, Maria and I both believed that if the other

promised something, they would follow through. She must have spoken

about it because she trusted me. In case the time should ever come.

"...I understand." I looked Maria in the eye and nodded. "If that sort of

situation arises, the Kingdom will act as you wish."

Maria gave me the biggest smile she had yet today in response. The way

she looked as she gently lifted the hem of her skirt in the moonlight was

entrancingly beautiful.

Then, in a gentle voice, she said, "I believe you, Sir Souma."

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, we each returned to our own countries. Gimbal, King of

Zem, came to visit in the morning, so he, Maria, and I were bidding one

another farewell.

"Sir Gimbal. I thank you, in my capacity as empress, for providing us a

place to talk like this."

"I thank you on behalf of the Kingdom, too. We were able to have a

fruitful meeting as a result."

As Maria and I both thanked him, Gimbal shook his head. "If the

Kingdom and Empire are on good terms, we won't be caught in the middle

of your wars. Well, assuming you two don't happily invade us together, that

is."

He'd said that jokingly, but a lot of truth is said in jest. Gimbal wanted

to avoid us being so hostile to one another that his country became the

battlefield for our wars, but he didn't want us to be so close that we decided

to invade him together either. That's why he provided a place for us to

meet, doing both of us a favor, while letting him probe what our

relationship was like. He was a seriously tricky one to deal with.

Maria and I both replied with plastered-on smiles.

"Like I said before, if you remain genuinely neutral, the Kingdom will

not start any trouble with you."

"Hee hee, the Empire won't be breaking the Mankind Declaration when

we were the ones who issued it to begin with."

Gimbal replied with an equally fake smile. "Ha ha ha, that's reassuring

to hear. If you wish to use this place for conferences in the future, just say

the word, and I'll lend it to you anytime."

"Thank you for that."

"We're grateful for it, Sir Gimbal."

We all shook hands as our retainers looked on. It was a theatrical way of

showing we had a relationship of trust, but that sort of display was

important, too.

And so, we each returned to our own countries.