205 - Blackmail
The Duchy of Galleria.
In front of Glacia-san, the Acting Duke, I wore a smile.
Internally, I was nervous, but if she knew my true state of mind, negotiations would be impossible.
The Duke's manor.
In the office, Glacia-san and I faced each other. She is two years older than me, but the difference in her atmosphere and presence likely comes from the fact that she carries the weight of the nation on her shoulders.
(She's different from Princess Rolfis or Aura-san, the Saint)
Seated in a luxurious chair, she frowned as she looked at the letters lined up on the desk. There lay letters of introduction from Zain, Rolfis, and Beim.
Zain and Rolfis had written them easily. Fidel-san, perhaps thinking I intended to enter the service of Galleria, had written one with great pleasure. Given that he said things like, "Just thinking that I won't have to see your face anymore makes me feel like I can sleep soundly," I began to worry that I might have provoked him too much.
I hadn't actually said I would enter their service, but Fidel-san seemed to have misunderstood. The previous heads of the family told me that they found this amusing and deliberately kept quiet, so they are just as bad.
Glacia-san, her silver hair tied back, let out a sigh and leaned back against her chair while glaring at me.
"What is it you want? Money? Women? An adventurer of your caliber shouldn't need Galleria if all you seek is status, right?"
The final letter on the desk was from Elsa-san, the Queen of Lusworth. I had snatched it from the adventurer acting as the messenger, and I was using it as leverage to negotiate with her like this.
It is true that Galleria is a collection of lords.
If I were to enter service, the treatment in Lusworth would likely be better. However, that would take too long to climb the ranks. Unless it was Galleria, where things are still flexible, our plan would not proceed smoothly.
"I wish to enter your service. Also, I will take over the delivery of letters. That adventurer was originally a vassal of the Galleria Ducal House... but he's been chased around town and wanted posters have been circulated. He won't be able to operate around here."
Glacia-san looked at me with irritation, but it seemed she wasn't thinking of killing me. After all, I have companions. She likely judged that even if she killed me alone, it would be dangerous if my companions moved.
"...A strategy of the enemy. Honestly, the Witch of Lusworth uses filthy methods."
She claimed it was the opponent's strategy, but I kept my smile.
"Is that so? Then, will it be war without any further exchange of letters? While watching both nations exhaust themselves, I'll also have to consider inciting Zain and Rolfis."
Glacia-san's eyes narrowed, and the room was suddenly filled with bloodlust. It was suffocating. It felt as if the temperature in the room had risen several degrees in an instant.
Glacia-san looked frustrated.
"The Holy Knight of Zain... for someone with such a name, you're quite filthy. ...What is it you want?"
Without letting my smile slip, I replied.
"Everything in Galleria. Though, when I say everything, I don't actually want Galleria for myself. I want you to form an alliance or a union, just as Zain and Rolfis have."
Hearing this, Glacia-san looked at me, and it seemed she understood.
"Is it your fault that the two nations suddenly drew close? You've done too much... If you lot hadn't interfered, it would have been fine for us to just fight Lusworth."
"So you aren't thinking of absorbing Lusworth."
Glacia-san scoffed at me.
"I heard you were originally from the landed nobility, and from the prestigious House of Walt at that, but perhaps I overestimated you? ...Expanding territory is important, but everything comes with a hassle. The distribution of land. Changing fiefs, and various other tasks... if handled poorly, it could even lead to civil war. Isn't maintaining the status quo safer than such hassles?"
Recently, I had been focusing my information gathering especially around Galleria. And we had noticed the problems Galleria faced.
The issue was that the system of governance did not fit the current situation.
A few decades, or perhaps a hundred years ago, it would have been fine.
Because the Galleria Ducal House was powerful in the region, and those around them were extremely weak. Therefore, in exchange for cooperation, the Ducal House provided support to those around them.
It had become customary for the Ducal House to lend money without interest or collateral to the lords of territories that became battlefields.
However, over the last few decades, the surrounding lords had gained power. In contrast, the Ducal House had lost a great deal of its strength. It was only natural. The resources that should have gone into internal affairs were being drained by the surrounding lords and the war.
"It's not exactly safe either. From my perspective, it just looks like you're exhausting yourselves. You're placing too much importance on the war."
"...I know that without being told. But even if it looks that way from the outside, there are different perspectives from the inside. If you know our current situation, this will be a short conversation. Stop trying to pull Galleria to your side. It's strange for me, the Acting Duke, to say this, but Galleria is a nation held together by the existence of an enemy. If the enemy disappears, they will certainly bite you."
To prevent that, we decided to take a troublesome approach.
If we absorbed both nations, it would take time to govern them again. At worst, we might end up harboring enemies within. It would be a nightmare if the knights of a destroyed nation ran wild in the acquired territories.
After all, the enemy knows the geography better, and if things go poorly, the locals might side with them.
"Well, I'm thinking of various countermeasures for that. Besides, winning the war isn't my goal."
"What do you mean?"
"The ones entering service are Miranda Sarkrai, Shannon Sarkrai, Clara Bloomer, and Monica—four people."
"...You aren't entering service?"
"I'm not. After all, I have the job of delivering letters. Ah, I'll help out, though. I'll be in Rolfis's territory, so if anything happens, you can just call me there. If you tell Monica, the message will reach me immediately."
"You... what exactly do you want to do?"
I replied with a smile.
"I want the Galleria Ducal House to regain the power it once had. Also, if everything goes well, could you build a port for me? It would be a waste not to utilize the sea when you have one."
Glacia-san looked as if she were about to hold her head in her hands.
"The sea is complicated due to the vested interests of the lords. Some of the lords are even engaging in piracy themselves."
"Let's persuade them. Well, it doesn't have to be done immediately, so we can leave that for another day."
Glacia-san looked at me with a disgusted expression.
"I haven't said I'd hire them yet?"
"It'll be quite troublesome if you don't. Besides, I'm not seeking profit for myself alone. If things go well, we might be able to reconcile with Lusworth without a war."
Hearing that, Glacia-san looked down with a troubled expression. After a while, she looked up with a face of resignation.
"...Elsa and I don't exactly hate each other. We are both in positions where it wouldn't be strange if we were killed if the other didn't exist. I like that you aren't saying you'll unilaterally crush them. I'll allow the service. However, if you show any sign of betrayal, your companions will die."
That was my intention as well. My companions entering Glacia-san's service would become her vassals, but at the same time, they would be hostages for me.
With this, even if Glacia-san doesn't trust me, she'll feel somewhat secure knowing she has hostages in her hand.
Well, I have no intention of betraying her.
"I'll bring the four of them immediately. Miranda can handle anything. Monica too, but she's versatile with housework, so please treat her as a maid. Clara's amount of knowledge is amazing. Shannon is... Miranda's assistant."
Glacia-san looked anxious hearing my explanation.
"Hey, they'll actually be useful, right?"
"I guarantee they are capable."
Yes, they are capable. Even the woman who is like a spider, the one who is useless except for her Mystic Eyes, the existence who is wrong even as a maid, the one who loves books and has some issues otherwise... they are all excellent.
"...They are excellent. They are excellent."
"Why did you say it twice?"
Glacia-san looked a little uneasy.
Leaving Miranda and the others in Galleria, I returned to the village where I was staying.
It's a secret that I thought it was a bit nice to see Novem doing housework for the first time in a while.
In the rebuilt house, I looked at Valkyrie No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 wearing maid outfits.
"Why are these guys holding buckets of water?"
Inside the room, No. 1 explained to me with an expressionless face while holding a bucket of water.
"We performed housework in order to surpass that Monica."
Then No. 2 followed.
"I broke the plates we purchased."
Finally, No. 3 added.
"And so we are receiving punishment."
Hearing that, thinking it was a bit too much, I said to Novem.
"Isn't this a bit strict?"
However, although Novem was smiling, I could feel a will that absolutely would not budge. It seemed she would not forgive the three of them.
"No. It would be fine if they had destroyed all the plates, but in the end, the three of them were throwing plates at each other. They fought over who would do the work. Thanks to that, the amount of cleaning increased."
When I looked at the three of them, all three averted their eyes.
(...Are Monica's sisters useless too?)
Since I had returned, Novem asked about the matter in Galleria.
"How did it go for you, Liel-sama?"
I nodded.
"As planned, I suppose. It seems that those inside can't see the situation as well as I thought... no, from the inside of Galleria, they're probably being serious."
From the outside, I wanted to tell them to do it better. However, from the inside, there might be a different way of looking at it. I decided to leave that judgment to Miranda.
"Approaching Galleria first, and then Lusworth. I hope it goes well."
At Novem's words, my shoulders slumped.
"If it doesn't go well, the only path left will be to destroy Lusworth. I absolutely want to avoid that."
Destroying a nation is very troublesome.
While avoiding that as much as possible, I want to preserve their military strength and pull them to my side. The difficulty is too high and it's tough, but it's not impossible.
I looked at Novem.
"When we infiltrate Lusworth, I'll need Novem and the others to work hard too. I'd like to do something about that Blundering Chancellor, though."
Information on the internal affairs of Lusworth was gradually starting to gather. However, the more I heard, the more I realized that the Chancellor was only respected in the capital and its surroundings. That's exactly why he's troublesome. He is popular in the center. Even if I were to drag him down, that popularity is a nuisance.
Novem, perhaps happy to be relied upon by me, said with a smile.
"Please leave it to me, Liel-sama."
That's what she said.
――The three mass-produced Valkyries were conducting an investigation in the territory of the Galleria Ducal House.
Clad in robes and bearing the crest of the Galleria Ducal House, no one tried to stop the three of them.
The place the three of them visited was a river that looked as if it would overflow the moment it rained.
"If we improve this, wouldn't the national strength recover immediately?"
When one said that, another pointed a finger. Because they were wearing visors, their expressions weren't visible, but they seemed quite displeased.
"This is the boundary between the Ducal House's territory and another house's territory. It would be difficult to handle just this spot."
The remaining one looked around.
"People gather where there is water... which means there are many lords here."
At the very least, in that spot alone, the Galleria Ducal House and two other houses had territories bordering the river. Because of the river's vested interests, it was a place that had been left alone for decades as it was difficult to take measures.
"...I will send the information to Master. I hate that the irritating Monica will be the one summarizing the information, but considering Master's burden, it can't be helped."
Looking frustrated, one of the mass-produced units sent the information using the line with Liel――.
――Galleria Ducal House Manor.
Monica, who was reluctantly cleaning the room, let out a sigh.
"Those inferior products... making eyes at my chicken coward. I've explained many times not to send image data because it's heavy."
Muttering complaints, she cleaned the room while shaking her blonde twin-tails. From Monica's perspective, it was sloppier than usual, but the people around her seemed satisfied with her work.
She had a good reputation for being thorough with her work among those around her.
However, for Miranda and the others who knew the truth, it was obvious that she had no motivation.
An exasperated Miranda, sitting on the sofa and crossing her legs, said to Monica.
"Monica, Liel asked you to do an important job, so do your work properly. Besides, even if they call it the Ducal House, in terms of territory, they're just the largest among the surroundings."
Miranda, who was organizing documents, summarized the future policy while checking the contents of the territories Monica had investigated.
"...It seems that if we implement flood control, the national strength would recover quite quickly."
Clara, who was peeking at the documents from the side, voiced that opinion. But if it were possible, Glacia would have done it from the start.
Miranda pressed her hand to her forehead.
"The territory is in a delicate position. Moreover, it seems they're arguing over vested interests. I can see why they'd want to leave it alone. Even if they were to do flood control, just deciding who pays how much and what happens to the interests... they've been arguing for decades over that... aren't they idiots?"
Clara looked at Miranda.
"Is it impossible? With this terrain, I've read several flood control methods in books, so I know them."
Miranda looked through the materials.
"They obey the Ducal House, but they'd probably take up arms and fight for their own profit. It seems they've even rejected the idea of us taking over all the flood control while maintaining the interests as they were. Guarantees in case of failure and those kinds of agreements... ugh, this really kills my motivation."
Clara also seemed to realize the severity of the situation after hearing Miranda's explanation.
Liel had chosen and sent Miranda and the others, but even Miranda couldn't believe that this situation could be fixed.
Miranda asked Monica.
"So, has there been any contact from Liel?"
Then, Monica looked back with a disgusted expression.
"...He said to do what we can. For now, it seems Reold-kun will be tasked with building a track record in internal affairs. Instructions came to prepare two or three pioneer villages."
Monica said only that, sighed, and returned to work.
"...I feel like that chicken coward is crying because he misses my cooking."
She was complaining, but Miranda ignored her.
"Well, I understand we have no choice but to do what we can, but I wonder if the current situation will change just by creating two or three small villages?"
Miranda thought about the plan to start the pioneer villages with Reold as the lead, as per Liel's instructions――.
'The world is cold. Especially to young people who don't know the world, it is very cold. But it is also a fact that the words of young people who don't know the world lack persuasiveness!'
Inside the jewel.
While listening to the Fourth Generation's protest, I was being taught a solution to break through Galleria's current situation.
I raised my hand.
"Um, so how does that connect to the pioneer villages?"
The Round Table Room.
A three-dimensional map of Galleria was displayed on the round table. Using a thin rod-like object, the Fourth Generation pointed to a certain part.
'Currently, it's obvious that if we improve this, the national strength will recover significantly. There are many other points that can be improved, but this is the most important.'
It was a place where territories of other houses were intertwined, and it was a place where flood control simply couldn't be done.
"It seems they've been making various excuses to avoid flood control. If it were me, I'd start immediately."
When I said that, the Fourth Generation slapped the rod sharply against the round table.
'Naive! You are far too naive, Liel!'
"Eh, really?"
The Fourth Generation denied my naive thinking.
'How much time and money do you think flood control work takes? The same goes for manpower. If you execute it—and fail—you can't just say sorry. If the lords think failure will lead to a terrible situation, they would rather not touch it at all.'
Honestly, I couldn't understand that feeling. As far as the map showed, flood control was possible through several methods. If the overflowing river could be handled with this, it was absolutely better to execute it.
'Or rather... does the current Galleria have any specialists regarding flood control? Even in terms of internal affairs. They can maintain the status quo, but can they hope for any further development?'
I thought for a moment.
"They don't. I've looked into some of the vassals, but most of them are specialized in combat..."
'Exactly! Galleria, which sat comfortably on this rich land and did nothing until now, is the worst! In my time, it was tough because there was nothing! The land had many wastelands, and there were no industries, no local specialties. I was suddenly given a land with nothing and made a Baron. Thinking back now, His Majesty seems like a nasty fellow.'
As the Fourth Generation said this, the Third Generation burst out laughing.
'Too late! You're too late in realizing it, Marks!'
The Fourth Generation adjusted his glasses.
'I was just that busy, so I couldn't pay attention to other things. Now, here is the problem. If the Galleria Ducal House tells them to cooperate because they're doing flood control, would Liel trust them?'
"I wouldn't."
Indeed, I felt there were more reasons for anxiety. Or rather, I understood the feelings of the lords who wanted them to just leave it alone.
'That's where building a track record comes in. There's a suitable piece of land right around here. Flood control is necessary, but if that's done, several villages can be created.'
The place pointed out was a location where a small river that overflowed easily flowed. Also, there were many monsters there, and it was a place that had been left untouched because it was difficult to develop.
"Develop this place?"
'That's right. Flood control is necessary, and it has a certain level of difficulty... if this succeeds, it will become Reold-kun's track record. It will take a few years to stabilize, but once the form is established, there will be no problem.'
It seemed that letting Reold-kun build a track record was important.
By doing so, Reold-kun would be recognized as a person suited for internal affairs. Lords who hate war and want to put effort into internal affairs would gather around Reold-kun or follow his instructions.
"Will it succeed?"
'You make it succeed. Liel, you... can use magic, right? And you have the Valkyries and such.'
"Eh? But you said it's not good to use magic for this kind of thing!"
'It's not a problem if no one is watching! We'll handle a certain amount of the foundation, and leave the rest to them! Or rather, the lesson for mages is not to settle everything with magic! If you create the foundation and put people in to work, a village can be made easily! ...Well, the biggest problem is maintaining it.'
It seems that maintaining things in the world is quite difficult. There are changes in the situation, but villages are often destroyed by the appearance of monsters.
"Once a track record is made, we can then tackle the main target?"
'The possibility becomes higher. There's a difference in persuasiveness between having a track record, however small, and not having one. Also, let's have the elves spread songs about the success in internal affairs. Eva-chan was kept around for that purpose, after all.'
I nodded and decided to move according to the Fourth Generation's instructions. And the Fourth Generation――.
'Now, this is getting exciting!'
――he shouted energetically, but the reactions around him were lukewarm.
The Fifth Generation, for instance.
'Sigh, it's no use... I want to set traps at the point where Lusworth will invade and wipe them out in one fell swoop.'
Mireia-san looked displeased.
'It would be solved immediately if Liel just pushed Glacia-chan down. That girl definitely seems to be struggling because she has no encounters.'
The Seventh Generation, for example.
'...It would be easier if the Galleria Ducal House just attacked and destroyed the surroundings. Or rather, since the territories are delicate, wouldn't it be better to force them to either obey or fight at this point? If you find a reason to gain a justification and win, the surroundings will shut up.'
After learning about the troublesome internal affairs of Galleria, they started saying we should just make them obey.
You guys, please be more united.
Thinking that, I believe I'm not wrong.