Chapter 143 - The Future of the Earth Dragon Kingdom and the Resting Summer Bird
Just as we were all playfully mobbing Cecily and Aira, Kuria approached, so we broke apart.
"Mash-sama, thank you for subjugating the Earth Dragon King. Our king awaits you at the royal palace. Might we trouble you to come?"
He bowed his head to me reverently. He had always been polite, but was he ever this formal?
And now, just like Yanan, he was calling me Mash-sama. It made me feel a little sad.
In any case, the king was summoning me. I was about to head toward the palace when Maira stopped me.
"Please wait, Yanan-san. Did you see the form of Racshell-sama?"
"Yes, she was a divine and beautiful sight. And our kingdom's people are deeply moved by her assistance."
"Mash here is an agent sent by Racshell-sama. Surely you understand that. Does your king intend to summon us only to make us kneel?"
Kuria's expression froze at her words.
"B-But…"
"I was dispatched from the church in the city of Richelle. I will report your conduct to the church as conduct toward Racshell-sama herself."
I looked at Maira in surprise. She was directing an icy gaze at the flustered Kuria. Where had the cheerful older sister who was just fooling around with us gone?
"We have fulfilled your request. Therefore, we will be returning to the farm. Please consult with Siril about what comes next."
"W-Wait, please. We will prepare a room for you to relax. Please, give me a moment."
"A room with a lock on the outside, I presume?"
"N-No! We will prepare a room you can enter and exit freely."
After hearing that, Maira looked at me.
I felt sorry for Kuria, seeing how panicked he was. I didn't understand why Maira was being so harsh. Her attitude surprised me more than it did Kuria. Perhaps it would be best to go along with what she was saying for now.
I decided to try and neutralize the tension in the air, to put Kuria at ease.
"If you don't have a room, one with a lock is fine. And you don't need to call me '-sama'. Also, I don't need any kind of reward. I'm supposed to get that from Siril… from his boss. But, let's see, if you can spare some potatoes and sparkling wine, I'd like to get some. I'll pay for them."
Feeling like I should say something more to calm him down, I searched for words, only to notice that Kuria's face had turned even paler than when he was speaking with Maira.
We returned to the room we'd been assigned as a waiting area before the battle.
All the members of Levante were here except for Aira. I'd asked her to go tend to those injured in the fight.
Apparently, there was a church in this cavern, and she was there now. The Earth Dragon Tribe's church was independent and had no connection to the churches on the surface, but its doctrine of believing in multiple gods was the same.
Maira had stayed behind to coordinate with Kuria.
Fam, Maira, and Cecily were eating fruit. Black tea had also been prepared, but after smelling so much of it, I wasn't in the mood to drink any. Mizuki was lying face down on a bed, completely exhausted. If only she'd shift her angle a little and point her butt this way…
"Maira, what was all that about just now?"
I wasn't sure what she was angry about, so I asked.
"They were planning to send you away with some token reward. But before they could even say it, you refused any special treatment or reward."
"…"
So that's why Kuria had gone pale. It seemed I'd been played by Maira's strategy and said something terrible. But that wasn't what I wanted to ask about.
"Their attitude angered me a little."
She answered before I could ask another question.
"Did someone grope your chest?"
"No one groped me!"
She covered her chest.
"Was it because they were trying to use me to restore the king's dignity, or rather, his authority? That can't be helped, can it?"
They had lost their home on the great plains. They had no way to fight back against their enemy and were driven to the brink of extinction. Their salvation came from an outsider. There was no royal dignity to be found in that. To reign as a king, one must display power both internally and externally. The quickest way to restore trust was to make a divine envoy kneel.
"There's another thing. The king wants to preserve his dignity as an Earth Dragon."
So he wanted to display the dignity of the Earth Dragon Tribe by making us humans kneel.
"This is why I can't stand other races,"
Cecily said, as if spitting the words out. Her feelings probably weren't so different from the inhabitants of this world. When we first met, she looked down on Fam, and she viewed slaves as inferior. But only a transfer like me would think that's wrong. While I have issues with racial discrimination, a hierarchy of status does have its uses in stabilizing a society.
Of course, there are exceptions. Maira was different. From the very beginning, she treated Fam, a member of the dog-eared race, without prejudice. Perhaps for her, as a servant of a god, the only classifications were god and human, those who follow god and those who must atone. Was it the attempt to create a new boundary there that she couldn't forgive?
My eyes met Fam's. If she were to have an audience with the king and kneel, would that mean the Earth Dragon Tribe was superior to the dog-eared race? The thought of it made me laugh. I was overcome with the urge to send her to meet the king by herself.
"Mmph, you're thinking something rude!"
"No, I'm not!"
Seriously, how does she know what I'm thinking?
"Fam, do you hate humans or the Earth Dragon Tribe?"
"I don't have any particular feelings about the Earth Dragon Tribe. As for humans… I still don't really like them. But Okita Soji was human. And after meeting you, Master, I've come to understand that it's not about being human. That is…"
"That is?"
"I'm sorry. I don't want to explain. Everyone will laugh at me, so I'll tell you when we're alone."
She looked down. If I were to borrow her feelings, it would seem that discrimination mainly occurred between humans and other races. But Riley of the black panther tribe had clearly looked down on the dog-eared race.
Anyway, let's get back to Maira.
"Maira, is that why you acted that way toward Kuria?"
She seemed to be pondering her answer to my question, and it took her a moment to reply.
"No, that's not it. It was personal indignation. I simply cannot tolerate seeing you treated with disrespect, Mash."
It couldn't be that simple. A thoughtful person like her wouldn't vent a momentary emotion on a nation's minister. She fundamentally acts according to her conscience. But it seemed she had no intention of elaborating.
"Master, my sister isn't angry at Kuria. The underlying feelings may not change, but it doesn't mean things will stay the same forever."
"Fam…"
Maira cut Fam off. But if Maira wasn't angry at Kuria, then the only one left was me.
"…The cause is that I'm treating Racshell's existence too lightly, isn't it? I'll be careful not to react so casually from now on. I'll check with you first, Maira. But I want you to know that I don't really like flaunting authority."
"Why is that?" Maira asked.
"In my original world, there was once a Pope, the agent of God, and an Emperor who ruled the lands. An incident called the 'Humiliation at Canossa' occurred there."
The emperor at the time appointed those under his rule as priests and bishops to strengthen his own influence. The pope, believing his authority had been encroached upon, excommunicated the emperor. The emperor begged for forgiveness and knelt before the pope.
"Isn't that just as it should be?"
Maira replied after hearing my story.
"In my original world, no one has ever seen God. His very existence is doubted. The pope claims to be God's agent, but he can't show any proof."
And since it's history, there's a follow-up.
At first glance, it was an event that demonstrated the pope's power to the world, but the emperor never forgot that humiliation. He used military force to drive the pope out of the very church God had supposedly commanded him to build.
"And the incident that happened in a later generation was the—"
"The Anagni Incident!" Mizuki shot up and cut me off to answer.
"…the A—" "The Anagni Incident!"
Frustrated, I tried to say it again, but Mizuki retorted in kind. I thought she was exhausted, but she seemed full of energy.
However, that thought was fleeting. She flopped back onto the bed.
"Mash…"
"What?"
"The emperor and the king of France both cornered the pope, but they didn't deliver the final blow. He died of indignation, but still… An area guardian's room is one thing. But pointing your sword at an enemy that's trying to run away is just disheartening."
To anger someone to the point of death and then act as if you've shown mercy by not finishing them off… I have my own thoughts on that. But that wasn't what Mizuki was trying to say.
"I thought so too. I feel bad for making you do something so awful. Next time, I'll do it."
Mizuki thrashed her legs back and forth.
"If you feel that way too, Mash, then it's fine. I'll do it."
She stopped moving her legs and went still. Had she fallen asleep?
We'd gotten sidetracked, but I brought the topic back to Maira.
"Basically, what I'm trying to say is…"
"You shouldn't corner someone too much. Balance is important, is that it?"
Maira said. I wonder if she understood.
There was a knock on the door.
Kuria and Yanan entered. Both of them looked tense.
Kuria and Yanan sat side-by-side at a long table. We sat on the opposite side. Mizuki also got up and sat at the end.
"Please, allow us to cancel the audience with the king."
"That's fine with me. I didn't ask for it in the first place."
The king had his own reputation to maintain. If neither of us could kneel, then not meeting at all was a perfectly good option.
Kuria nodded, looking relieved at my words.
"Now, about your reward…"
"I don't need one."
"We cannot allow that. Please, let us at least provide the potatoes and sparkling wine you mentioned earlier."
He glanced at Maira. Maira said nothing, maintaining a composed expression.
"Alright. I have a proposal, if you'll hear it."
"Yes."
"We managed to achieve victory in this battle. But if something similar were to happen again, it might be difficult for your country to handle it alone."
"That is true. Setting aside our living conditions, there is no one who would come to our aid in a crisis."
"I know this is meddling, but I have connections to House Starunion in the city of Migul."
"You're telling us to engage in diplomacy. With elves. However, we cannot offer them anything they would desire. We do not wish for a one-sided beneficial relationship."
"A little bird told me that there are moves to strengthen the information network between Migul and Heilong. Perhaps the Earth Dragon Kingdom could cooperate in that?"
Marmie had mentioned it as a rumor, so it should be fine to say.
The great plains spread between Migul and Heilong. The Earth Dragon Tribe, who rules the underground realm, should be able to offer plenty of assistance.
For Migul and Heilong, building a relationship with the Earth Dragon Tribe would be beneficial as well. They surely wouldn't want to find tunnels being dug under their city walls should the tribe ever ally with the Demon Kingdom.
"An information network… I see. That could be a starting point for expanding our diplomatic ties."
"The network they're trying to build is in preparation for war with the Demon Kingdom. If you make a wrong move, you might get dragged into it, so that's a decision you'll have to make for yourselves."
Kuria nodded. It's not like they were isolationists living deep underground. This whole incident came to our attention because they were seeking an entrance to the surface. And on a civilian level, they must be purchasing grapes for their sparkling wine, which means they must have something of value to trade.
By establishing diplomatic routes during normal times, they could avoid being isolated in an emergency. Depending on their actions, they could prevent a situation like this, where they were left without any support.
"Also, if you want to expand your trade, there's a trading company I can introduce you to."
Words I didn't want to say during a serious discussion. A trading company I can introduce you to.
The entire group fell silent with complex expressions. Were they trying to hold back laughter? Or were they debating whether to make a sarcastic comment?
"You're saying that besides relations between nations, we should also build connections on a civilian level, correct?"
I nodded at Kuria's words. I've already offloaded other matters onto the Mateo Trading Company. I don't know if they have the capacity to expand their operations further, but a familiar company is better than an unknown one.
"If you need to contact us, it will also be through that company."
"That won't be necessary," Kuria said. For a second, I thought he was rejecting my proposal, but that wasn't it.
"Actually, there is one more thing we would like you to accept. For that purpose, we asked Siril-dono about your preferences, Mash-sama."
"Siril did? He knows my preferences?"
Kuria nodded. I've barely spoken with the man. What could he possibly know?
"And so, we were wondering if you would allow Yanan here to join you on your journey?"
"…What did you say?!"
"The truth is, she is the daughter of the king's concubine. The king's only other child was a prince, born to his official wife. However, the prince lost his life in the battle with the Earth Dragon King."
"You don't mean the one who died this time was the prince?"
Kuria shook his head.
"The prince lost his life in a battle six months ago. Therefore, she is now the sole person with rights to the succession."
"What are you talking about? You want me to take a girl like that with me?"
I understood what he was trying to say. But my mind couldn't keep up.
"That is correct. We wish for you to take Yanan on your journey. It need only be until she is with your child. After that, we will take responsibility for raising the heir to the throne."
This conversation was escalating too quickly. Could they really make such a decision in such a short amount of time?
"Wait. We already have six members in our group. Besides, there's always a chance she could be killed."
"No, there is no safer place than by your side."
After Kuria's words, Yanan stood up and bowed her head deeply.