Chapter 575 - Chapter 1: Two Duchies
With the Harvest Festival in September just a day away, people were busy with the final preparations for the festival. The countries involved in the war were compensating for the stagnation of economic activities in the countries directly involved in the continental war through trade. In Sertoria, the effect of spending most of the reparations obtained in the previous war on the construction of trading ships and the maintenance of the road network was fully realized. The royal family and merchants also earned greatly by selling various supplies, and the country was boiling with a boom that was said to be the greatest since its founding. Especially toward Engrio, which actually went to war, large and small merchants earned greatly because there was no connection between the royal families. As a result, the donation to the festival reached a considerable amount, and rumors were circulating through the town that a Harvest Festival on an unprecedented scale was being prepared. The boom even affected the wages paid to general citizens, and everyone had obtained sufficient money. The people of the town were all looking forward to it.
The boom is reflected in the people's goodwill toward their rulers. The King of Sertoria had gained a reputation as a wise ruler. Of course, that wasn't limited to Sertoria. It was the same in the countries not involved in the war, from north to south: Finis, Northern Gram, Medioland, and Regnentes.
Harris, while watching that vitality, had just returned to the Royal Capital yesterday by taking a trading ship from Medioland and then the Amphisbaena. (T/N: Referring to the ship.) Immediately upon returning, he finished his report to the Archbishop and came to the Royal Palace today to report. He had returned to the White Island from the Ice Island about two weeks ago, but he had been staying at the Medioland Royal Capital Great Cathedral to compile a report on the events on the Ice Island together with Price. The date of his return was later than planned, but because the Medioland Royal Capital Great Cathedral was able to successfully conclude an agreement with the demon called the right hand of the Demon Lord in Northern Gram, he was rewarded with not just an annulment of the delay but with the maximum praise from the King. This was also partly because Harris had given Jeanne a letter detailing the circumstances and had her report along the way. Also, by making the agreement between the Medioland Royal Capital Great Cathedral and the Vice-Demon Lord public... though only the royal families of the related countries and the Royal Capital Great Cathedral would be informed... some legitimacy also emerged for Sertoria secretly having an agreement with the demons of the Northeastern Forest. It was also related to the fact that the mental burden on the King, who had experience almost being branded a heretic due to a certain event, had lightened to some extent.
「The preparations for the Harvest Festival are more brilliant than usual.」
「It seems we can expect quite a turnout for this year's Harvest Festival.」
Evans answered while handing Harris, who was talking about the state of the town in a good mood, a beer he had cooled himself.
In the waiting room of the Sertoria Royal Palace Audience Hall, where Harris's report had finished, the usual prominent figures were sharing beer around the King of Sertoria. The King and Queen, State Chancellor Evans, General Victor, and Captain Hughes. Among the comrades, the King's brother Roberts and special guard Jones are at their posts as usual.
「I hear the donation amount to the church will also be quite a sum.」
Harris, who hadn't shown his face at the church for a month, had heard good stories from the Archbishop and other church executives last night.
「By the way, I heard a rumor in Medioland that East and West Liber have concluded an agreement for a temporary truce.」
Harris hadn't been informed of the details. Even if they are allied nations, a bishop from another country cannot directly interact with the King of Medioland. The information he heard was only part of it, shared through Price's goodwill. The reason for the truce is plague countermeasures, and from now on, the countries of the White Island must cooperate to prevent the spread of the plague from the continent. Naturally, the Great Cathedrals of each country will take the lead in acting.
「It seems so.」
「Is there no impact on our country?」
「Well, the conflict between the two countries might continue for a long time from now on. There are factors that will make it so. Accordingly, there will be a corresponding impact on our country.」
When Harris asked Evans, the answer came immediately. It seems information had already been organized and countermeasures devised while Harris was away.
「It sounds complicated. What on earth is the cause? Is it the founding of those duchies?」
「Yes.」
As a future prospect, during the truce period, two duchies were founded in the two regions occupied mainly by the Engrio army. However, the condition for the lords of the duchies seems to be fealty to the King of East Liber. The Duchy of Germania, founded in the northwestern part of West Liber, is fine. That's because the monarch is Theresia, the daughter of the King of East Liber. The problem is the Duchy of Roland, founded in the lowlands of the northeastern part. Roland was originally divided into east and west across a single river. The east district was controlled by East Liber, and the west district by West Liber. During the war, the west district was occupied by Engrio due to the efforts of Crown Prince Richard. Normally, both the region that became the Duchy of Germania and the West Roland district would become the land of the King of Engrio. However, receiving a request from the King of Engrio, the region that would become the Duchy of Germania was exchanged for East Roland. And the east and west Roland districts were integrated to form the Duchy of Roland, but Richard, the lord of this duchy, was made a vassal of East Liber.
「In other words, if Crown Prince Richard succeeds King Seldic and becomes the King of Engrio, will he become a vassal of East Liber?」
「There is that possibility. Regarding the governance of Roland, he will likely have free discretion, but diplomacy, including war, will be greatly influenced by the intentions of East Liber. And if Engrio carries out an expedition to some country on this island, East Liber might come to actively participate.」
The worst possible result... East Liber has ambitions for the White Island...
While Harris feigned composure, he inwardly chewed on a bitter pill.
「What are the countermeasures? Is there some way?」
「It's simple. We will consider an alliance with West Liber. Of course, only on the surface.」
「On the surface?」
「Yes. If we truly conclude an alliance, we will be dragged into the continental war.」
「How will you do it?」
「You know the Northwest Coast Treaty, don't you? We'll use that.」
The Northwest Coast Treaty is a military alliance with Medioland as the leader, concluded by six countries—Finis, Northern Gram, Medioland, Sertoria, Regnentes, and Primordia—to counter the threat of Engrio. Originally, it was an alliance of west coast countries, but the destroyed Septanaquila dropped out, and Finis and Northern Gram joined after the previous war. If the current conflict between East and West Liber hadn't occurred, they were going to add Sertogne, but they couldn't achieve that because Sertogne joined East Liber's anti-West Liber network.
「In other words, the treaty countries will all together form an alliance with West Liber?」
「Yes. We will make such a threat. If possible, I want to add Sertogne.」
「If that actually happens, Theresia-sama's Duchy of Germania will likely fall easily.」
「Yes. The Duchy of Germania is, for East Liber, a blade pointed at the West Liber Capital. If the possibility of it falling early becomes great...」
「The East will be unable to move.」
「That's what I want Engrio and East Liber to think, though.」
Will it go that well? Harris crossed his arms. The King and the other comrades said nothing. It must be because they understand it's a difficult alliance. The most effective time to form an alliance with West Liber would be now. However, we would surely be dragged into the war currently in progress and expected after the truce. No citizen of Sertoria wants such a thing.
「Currently, Northern Gram is acting as a mediator for the truce. At the same time, Medioland is working to make them conclude the truce quickly, and it seems they are hinting to both the East and West at that time. If they don't take proper plague countermeasures, they have ideas.」
Considering the difference in national power from East Liber, it's an incredible intimidation, but if countries centered on Medioland were to invade Engrio at this stage, there's a possibility that the encirclement network East Liber built would collapse. For West Liber, it would be a godsend, and it would have a sufficient effect.
「What happened to the war situation?」
「As expected. The town the King of East Liber was besieging has surrendered. East Liber has also achieved certain results. Since they have the noble cause of taking plague countermeasures, the truce must have been concluded.」
Well, rather than worrying about the future, first was the truce. Above all, that was the priority.
Harris, who had the spirit of anti-war drummed into him since his teens, thought so.
「And also, regarding the plague on the continent, is it that bad?」
「It has mostly subsided in the coastal areas. It's the effect of Jeanne's magic water. However, it's showing signs of spreading in the inland areas, so there's no sign of it ending.」
「A major epidemic, huh. I hear it's rare for the disease currently prevalent, though.」
「Records do exist. However, the damage is worst in the summer, so by the end of autumn, there should be some prospect. Until then, it's a matter of how far the damage spreads, and what will happen next summer.」
Regarding the inland areas, there's no way to act from the White Island. Transporting magic water, which has a limited effective period, takes too much time; on the other hand, improvement of the transportation situation cannot be expected at present. Since magic cannot be used, this also has its limits.
Next year looks suspicious too. Harris sighed.
Harris's fear lies in the system of West Liber. Compared to East Liber, the King's power was not strong. The territory of West Liber was divided among large and small nobles and the church, including the King, and each had gained autonomy. Among the powerful great nobles, there are even those who conduct diplomacy with other countries independently. To put it simply, the King was like one of those great nobles, and even plague countermeasures were carried out on a lord-by-lord basis, never on a national basis. Even for wars with other countries, there were cases where dispatching troops was refused. Everything was just a request, not the King's command. For that reason, in the inland areas where magic water couldn't be used, only traditional treatments could be done. When it spread rapidly, they often couldn't respond sufficiently and just closed the checkpoints so patients from other territories wouldn't flow in, closed the gates of towns and villages, and prayed to God while prescribing a few herbs.
「That aside, a letter has come for Your Majesty from Theresia-sama, who was mentioned earlier.」
「From Theresia-sama?」
When he looked at the King, he was nodding with a slightly bitter expression.
「Yes, since she has become the monarch of the duchy as planned, she wants to invite Jeanne as a state guest.」
Come to think of it, there was such a talk. I believe Henry-sama met with Theresia-sama directly.
Harris remembered. He had heard it from the King.
「Bishop Phillips is also expected to be invited. And also Bishop Cadogan and Bishop Sianya of Primordia, and Bishop Anri, who could be called a guest.」
「Haha, I see, so it's that grand alliance.」
「I think so. So, sorry, but I want you to go with them.」
「Me? I don't know anything about plagues.」
「I know. I want you to accompany them to prevent the two of them from being used as political tools.」
「Ah, I see. So, from our country, it's just the three of us, including me?」
Probably the traveling merchant Henry Party will be with them too.
Harris thought so.
「No, Mary is going. And Hughes is going as an escort, so please be prepared for that.」
When Harris looked at Hughes, the Captain of the Royal Guard, who had recently started drinking one cup when the comrades gathered, lightly raised his right hand.
「Is the Henry Party not going?」
「Only for the round trip to Primordia. Since magic cannot be used at the destination. There's no back door.」
Is that really true?
Harris muttered to himself while stifling a laugh.
◆◆◆◆
After returning from the Ice Island, we had a banquet at the farm with the souvenirs given by the Vice-Demon Lord as snacks. On the way, we stopped by Finis and also obtained top-quality liquor. This time, since we were especially helped by the Salamander and Alex, it's a token of appreciation separate from the reward.
「So, this is the souvenir from that Vice-Demon Lord? It's quite delicious.」
It's smoked sea birds, of which there are many on the Ice Island.
「Heh, the Ice Vice-Demon Lord, huh. I didn't know about him at all.」
Violet apparently has no acquaintance with him.
「I invited him to the banquet here, but he can't leave the Ice Island due to his contract with the Demon Lord.」
「Ahaha, he's the right hand of the Demon Lord, right? If I met such an amazing demon, I'd be freaked out.」
That's unexpected. She had such a side to her. When I looked at Keira, she was nodding her head vigorously.
「But Jeanne is amazing too. You really managed to invite him.」
It was Renata. She might have been exasperated.
「He was a good person.」
「But he attacked with bugs at first, didn't he? Ah, was it Wyverns?」
Alex seemed to like the souvenir and was chewing on it forever.
「The ones who attacked with bugs were the former human ghosts. The Vice-Demon Lord apparently didn't know until word reached him.」
「Former humans were living with a demon?」
「Yeah. They were Demon Lord worshippers.」
「Demon Lord worship? What on earth is that?」
Spirits might not understand. I explained this and that.
I heard from the Vice-Demon Lord during the banquet on the Ice Island that the Alarm, the Wyvern and bug attacks... and more importantly, that sulfur smell itself was the work of the ghosts. The Vice-Demon Lord said that when sulfur is burned, that poison is generated. In the lower part of the crater where we didn't go, the ghosts were burning a lot of sulfur to create air containing poison. After becoming evil spirits, they cooperated with the Vice-Demon Lord, who took care of them, and prevented humans from invading the depression through various means. Fortunately, the Salamander and Alex cooperated. The Wetlands Priestess was also there. If everyone hadn't been there, we wouldn't have been able to enter that forest in the depression. Eleanor-sama agreed on that point too. Unfortunately, we couldn't meet the ghosts. After all, we're a group of priests. It's no wonder.
「Heh, even though they were originally human, they worship the Demon Lord instead of the Goddess and attack humans. There are all sorts, aren't there?」
Renata probably can't understand it. She's tilting her head.
「Well, there are people like Jeanne too.」
Keira huddled close to me.
「Come to think of it, that's true. Inviting the right hand of the Demon Lord...」
「Thinking about it, it's an incredible thing.」
「Wahaha, that's for sure. This is what you call being fearless.」
Umm. Am I being misunderstood somehow?