The Cost of Strength

I had just arrived at the private airstrip and was currently waiting outside for my partner's arrival.

"Honk!"

'Looks like they're here.'

"Kuzan!" The girl skipped the introductions as she got out of her car, instead deciding it better to leap directly into my arms for a hug before saying a 'hi' or 'hello'. 'Not that I mind...'

"Ahem!" Her 'bodyguard' coughed aloud, finally making his presence known.

I rolled my eyes at the antics of this overprotective uncle who was currently giving me a death stare, as if warning me to stay away from his precious princess.

"Hello Mr. Lander, I hope that you're doing well. I have some decongestants if your throat's really bothering you recently?" I decided to quip with the old uncle while extending my hand for a handshake.

"Don't worry about it, Kuzan," the old man returned my handshake while giving me an annoyed glance at my question. "I'm so sorry we couldn't make time to have that meeting I suggested before."

'Ah, so he's still a bit irritated about that. I completely forgot.' I could easily identify the true meaning of his statement as it was not him but myself who refused to get back to him to set up a time for a talk.

'Come on, Mr. Lander, I didn't even have time to spend with Diana. How could I have booked a meeting with her uncle instead?'

I hid my true thoughts behind my words. "Yes, it was no problem at all. That's why I invited all of us to travel together as I believed it would be the best time to catch up and talk about some proposals I had in mind."

The man seemed satisfied with my response as we entered the aircraft and sat down in our seats. Diana, of course, took the window seat while Mr. Lander decided to squeeze in between us to the middle seat. Left with no other choice, I took the aisle seat to ensure we had a fluid discussion.

As a result, all three occupants on the private aircraft decided to take up a single row rather than spacing themselves out, as it just worked out that way.

"So, Kuzan, I'm intrigued. What proposals did you have in mind?" the man gave me a questioning look as I nudged my head toward the little princess who had been spending her time looking at the scenic view outside her window since take-off. The old man was clever enough to instantly understand my worry about the girl hearing our discussion and assured me that everything was alright.

"Don't worry, Kuzan. Diana isn't a little girl anymore. I'm sure she can be a part of any discussions among us. She knows more than her fair share of 'secrets' regarding the royal family. I'm sure that anything you can say to me you can say to her."

"Are you sure, Mr. Lander?" I asked the man again, not wanting to receive his anger when his statements undoubtedly got proved incorrect, only receiving a nod in response to my question.

"What about you, Diana?" I asked, only to receive a great nod of the head, this time accompanied by longing eyes reminiscent of a golden retriever, as if guilt-tripping me for questioning its loyalty in the first place.

"Ok." We all leaned closer to each other as I revealed my proposals, making sure to start off with a hook to get them interested in my offer.

"Yujiro Hanma."

I dropped the name that I was sure would send shivers up the spine of any high-ranking government official in the know. 'Seems as if I was correct.' I thought as I watched the color drain from Mr. Lander's eyes when understanding the weight of my proposal.

"Before I continue, Mr. Lander, I'm sure you understand the concerns even discussing such a topic can have on the national security of the United Kingdom. However, I assure you that nothing I propose will anger that 'man' or potentially bring harm to your home country."

"Still, I need to ask; otherwise, these discussions are useless..."

"To what extent can you represent the stance of the entire royal family, and even of Great Britain in general?"

The man finally shook off the shock of my words, clearly not expecting me to mention such a 'heavy' subject in our discussions. Still, for a while, he was unable to respond to my question, perhaps trying to determine which answer to give.

'He must have thought I was proposing some kind of business deal, and although I'm not opposed to extending our reach into that market, that's a discussion for Uncle Albert to have with him. I'm simply far too busy to care about such small things.'

Finally, the man seemed to have reached a conclusion, letting out a small sigh while giving his stance. "Depends, Kuzan, it highly depends on what you're proposing. I've known you for a long time, my boy, and I'm sure that you've always been a clever young man."

"You wouldn't be thinking of doing anything stupid now, would you?" The air tensed as he directed a question in turn, awaiting my response.

"No, not at all, Mr. Lander. I was just wondering, if the United States has the Ogre, what would the United Kingdom be willing to give for a person of similar stature?"

"HAHAHAHAHA," the old man let out a bellowing laugh from the deepest parts of his lungs, scaring even his own niece, who was used to his uptight and serious attitude, no matter the circumstance.

The man continued to chuckle for minutes at the absurdity of my 'statements,' not even considering them as a real offer.

"HAHAHA-wait, wait," the old man continued in his fit, doing his best to catch his breath while he did so, "just give me a second, -Haha, wait a sec."

He finally let the last of it out, finally answering my question while still wiping tears from his eyes. "Kuzan, my boy, you've really changed since the last time I saw you. I never thought you were the joking type. You're hilarious when you try."

"Humor me then, Mr. Lander. Consider it a joke, a question born out of the curiosity of a young fighter like myself. What would your country be willing to give up to have his support?"

The man seemed to take my statements to heart. "Fine, Kuzan, if you want to lighten up the discussions before getting to the real matter at hand, I'll indulge you."

"How much support are you talking about, young man? I'm sure you know that he would never be 'constrained' by any force on this planet. Even just getting him to consider one measly request of theirs once every four years caused the United States to enter into a friendship treaty with that man."

'Hmmm...' I considered the old man's words carefully, understanding where he was coming from. Even theoretically, that man would never willingly choose to 'concede' to any other power. It would just be an illogical assumption, even for the land of fantasy.

"How about mutual benefit? If the man were to set his own terms and be willing to 'consider' the requests of the nation at his own discretion, how much would the country be willing to 'pay' for that simple option?

"Not to 'hire' him for a bodyguard position or something, but to ask him for a request that he would be willing to consider when the interests of both parties are in line." I continued to nudge the man forward to answer my question as I wanted answered.

"If I'm understanding you correctly, boy, you're trying to understand how much a country would 'concede' to have the man participate in a war on their side, for example." The man continued to think realistically, having much more knowledge about the inner workings of his government than I would ever know.

"Hmm,... I'm sure that you know that no amount of money would be able to move a man of such strength. It would simply be useless. If we're speaking in terms of land, if the country's really desperate, anything that that man 'conquers' would be his for the taking."

"It would be more like a discussion between two heavily armed nations rather than a discussion between the country and a mercenary, for example. His very existence is a threat to the safety of any other 'man in power.' He's simply too unpredictable."

"The only silver lining to him is that he rarely deals with outside affairs, as if bored by the whole situation. If such a man were to concern himself with things like war again, it would lead to untold disaster and ruin." The man shivered, obviously recalling some information that I was unaware of.

"You seem to know a lot about the man, Mr. Lander," I finally chimed into the man's rant, as I was still not getting the response I was hoping for, not that this discussion wasn't extremely useful up until this point for my future plans. "If I didn't know any better, I would even consider you a fan of his."

"Kuzan," the man spoke in all seriousness, while staring directly into my eyes, "I'm sure you're aware that there isn't a man alive, especially those in high-ranking positions and in the know, who isn't a fan of his."

"Then please stop dodging my questions, Uncle Lander." I tried a different route this time, pretending to be a 'child' who was getting annoyed at his uncle 'hiding' things from him, glancing encouragingly at Diana to do the same.

It seemed the girl had no qualms about betraying her beloved uncle, as she followed my lead and pleaded further, obviously having much more experience convincing the man, "Yeah, come on, Uncle Lander, you have to answer Kuzan's question. I'm dying to know."

"What would a nation be willing to give to have that man perform an 'assassination,' for instance, or to fight by their side in a war?" I asked my question point-blank, leaving no room for discussion.

"Fine, boy, if you're gonna make me say it, then I won't tease you further..."

"If the Ogre—"

"Or someone of his strength," I corrected the man's statements, taking them as a vow moving forward.

"Yes, yes, or someone matching his strength were to ally themselves with the United Kingdom or the Royal Family for instance, then the parties would, in effect,..."

"Give the man whatever he wants."

"Anything?" I asked again, just for confirmation, while raising my eyebrows as if in shock and disbelief.

"Anything." The man continued to nod his head as if defending his words.

'Perfect!'

I exclaimed in my head while finishing my hidden recording of his statements, winking at Diana in celebration of our plan panning out perfectly, just as we had expected.

"I know that you're a man of your word, Mr. Lander. I'll believe you." I patted the man on his shoulder in happiness at the success of our mission while giving a small fist bump to my partner in crime.

The man seemed happy with his statements, taking them at face value, not understanding the grave he had just dug for himself down the line.

'I hope that you don't come to regret it later.'