kscans

Chapter 55 - A Secret Meeting

The time for the Founding Ceremony was finally upon us. Well, there was still a week to go, but for us, the ceremony had already begun.

"My lady, the envoy from the Centaur Race has arrived."

"Then show them to their quarters as planned."

"As you wish."

Although there were still a few days until the ceremony, the envoys participating would arrive at the location well in advance. This other world, sadly, wasn't like my past life, where you could show up on the day of thanks to airplanes and bullet trains. Carriages are slow, and they can be attacked by bandits or monsters. Not to mention, there's no such thing as GPS, so there's always the risk of getting lost in unfamiliar territory.

"Though we've worked hard on establishing highways, so you wouldn't get lost unless you were coming from some really remote village."

And so, we waited for the envoys from the various nations and races that had announced their attendance at the Founding Ceremony to gather. But we weren't just waiting.

"We are truly grateful for your granting us an audience before the ceremony, Your Majesty."

"Hahaha, this is an unofficial meeting, so please, make yourselves comfortable."

I urged the Centaur envoys to relax.

"No, as a representative of my chief, I cannot act in a discourteous manner."

So formal. Still, considering their situation, they couldn't afford to make a single mistake, so it couldn't be helped.

"Then let's get the difficult conversation out of the way. Your request is to avoid being dragged into the war between the Carmanta Nation and the Tarcorya Nation, correct?"

"How did you know!?"

The Centaurs were flustered that I had gotten to the heart of the matter before they could even bring it up. I had been holding unofficial meetings with the envoys who had come to attend the ceremony. However, I was only meeting with those from the nations and races that had arrived early.

In other words, it was a service for those who were quick to make a decision, and for those who placed importance on our existence. The plan was to instill a sense of hierarchy and urgency among the envoys.

"Hehe, we have a surprising number of allies, you know."

In reality, it was information gathered by my Vampire Bats. But we decided to take the opportunity to make them think we had many allies working behind the scenes. After all, a nation of races hostile to humans was bound to be viewed with caution, and openly fostering relations with a country that could be attacked by humans at any moment was risky. So, we were putting on an act to show that we had many allies who were secretly cooperating with us.

"You are correct. Our Centaur settlement is located along the border of the two nations. Because of this, we have been continuously threatened to cooperate in the humans' conflict."

"If I recall correctly, your territory is technically within the borders of the Carmanta Nation, isn't it?"

"Yes. Originally, it was land where we Centaurs lived, but before we knew it, the humans were telling us that it was their territory, and if we didn't become citizens, we had to leave."

"And when you refused, they made a show of force, putting you in a position where you had to obey, right?"

"Indeed. In terms of individual combat strength, we have the advantage, but if they were to set traps and attack us with an army, even we would be at a disadvantage..."

The Centaur Race has the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a human. Being part horse, they are incredibly fast. And they literally have horsepower, so their physical strength is not to be underestimated. With such a body, they are far more stable when shooting a bow from horseback than a human. Naturally, there isn't a country that wouldn't want such a born-and-bred cavalry race on their side. They're useful not only as a fighting force but also as messengers.

So, the two nations bordering their village had been putting pressure on the Centaurs to pledge allegiance to them. But if they sided with one, they would earn the hatred of the other. It would have been better if they lived deep within one of the territories, far from the other.

"The land we live on is a grassland rich in food, so it would be difficult for us to live away from it. Moreover, the grassland also extends into the territory of the Tarcorya Nation..."

Originally, they lived a nomadic lifestyle, migrating across the grasslands. When food became scarce in one area, they would move to another, and when that ran out, they would return to the first place.

"How have you managed to placate both nations until now?"

"Following a plan from a past chief, we split our village into two, pretending to be two separate tribes, and served both nations."

Heh, that's pretty clever.

"By doing so, we were able to go easy on each other when we had to fight, reducing casualties... but because we kept up the deception for so long, the fighting between us became half-hearted, and the humans started to get suspicious."

"Ah."

So they got too used to fighting their own kind and let their guard down.

"So they told us that in the next battle, we have to kill our opponents to prove that we are fighting seriously."

I see.

"But even though we have split the village, we do not wish to kill our own kind for the sake of another race's power struggle. That is why we have come to seek your wisdom, Your Majesty..."

That's a tall order. However, a race like this, which isn't hostile to humans but whose position could crumble at any moment, is one I'd definitely like to have on my side. They could blend into human society and provide us with various conveniences, and if something decisive were to happen to their standing, we could incorporate them into our forces. In fact, this is exactly that 'just in case' moment. So, I'll offer them a solution befitting an undead.

"In that case... how about you have the undead fight each other?"

"The undead...?"

That's right. Dig up the corpses of the recently deceased, expose them to the Miasma of my country to turn them into undead centaurs, and then have your people 'defeat' them on the battlefield. I think that would be enough to deceive the humans.

"Oh! Such a method exists!"

The Centaurs cheered, thinking it was a revolutionary way to deceive the humans.

"But digging up corpses and defiling them... is that not a desecration of our ancestors?"

However, among the Centaurs, some frowned, wondering if using corpses in war was not against the path of decency.

"That may be so, but this is a problem for the entire tribe. If we are found out, we could be wiped out by the humans or captured and enslaved."

"I understand, but still..."

Well, I can understand not wanting to see the corpses of your kin treated poorly, but I'd rather they didn't dither about it.

"Everyone, if this discussion is going to take a long time, please continue it back at your lodgings."

Adolnel's sharp voice cut through the Centaurs' argument.

"There are others who wish for an audience."

She was implicitly telling them they weren't the only ones who wanted a relationship with me, and if they were going to dither, they should just leave. Adolnel was being harsh.

"!? M-My apologies, that was rude of us..."

A perceptive envoy realized this, apologized hastily, and made his still-oblivious companions bow their heads as well. After that exchange, the Centaurs decided to take my proposal back to their homeland to discuss it and decide whether to go through with the undead plan.

"I hope you can make a decision before the war begins."

"We will send a messenger at once, so we should have an answer by the time the ceremony ends!"

Having been told by Adolnel that they would be abandoned if they dawdled, the Centaurs hastily departed, saying they would send a messenger immediately.

"It's a demerit that they didn't send someone with the authority to make decisions. Well, I suppose that's why they ended up in this mess in the first place."

Adolnel is so strict.

"Next up is the Dwarf Race. They are a species friendly to humans, but due to their incredible dexterity and their lack of physical strength because of their size, they are often exploited by other races and nations. Therefore, the purpose of their visit could be anything from seeking protection, to pledging fealty, to requesting the rescue of their kin. It's difficult to narrow it down."

In other words, they're a race that's involved in so many incidents that their purpose could be any of those things. What a pain. But being incredibly dexterous is a useful trait. If they want to move here, I'll gladly offer them protection.

"Alright, call them in."

And so, we continued to lay the groundwork even before the ceremony began.