kscans

Chapter 155 - Chapter 21: Second Half - Hostage Negotiation??

"I'm taking you and Mia back to the Empire. No matter the sacrifice. Doing so would mean a practical victory in this war."

Maytyl looked rather serene. Her acceptance was a relief to me. After all, I’d be the one in deep trouble if she refused.

"If you think you can get your hands on this just by doing that, you're sorely mistaken."

I pointed to the magic semiconductor Maytyl was cradling. And give that back. I never said you could have it.

"Why not? If I have you and this girl..."

"How much peripheral technology do you think is needed to create this? Even if you take Mia and me back with you, just reproducing it would take more than ten years, even if you gathered every last scrap of luck in the world."

I was only stating the facts. Creating this semiconductor requires the full might of Central Garden, plus two exceptional mages, Fulsy and Noel. Incidentally, I consider the fact that we assembled that team to be an event so improbable it makes me question the second law of thermodynamics.

My knowledge alone is insufficient to even create a single culture medium. I certainly don't remember the exact recipes. I only have a vague recollection of Vinaldira's chemical manipulations. On top of that, I barely witnessed the actual process of making this little toy.

"Furthermore, we only succeed in making one of these for every ten or so attempts. That's a yield of less than ten percent. And that’s with just three elements. With six, it drops to one in a hundred. With nine, one in ten thousand. Of course, I believe we could improve that yield with our team."

Alright, ten years was a slight exaggeration, but five is realistic. Just lacking Fulsy's measurement techniques would make it take ten times as long. They'd be using an uncooperative me, with uncooperative Imperial personnel, and my only ally would be an Imperial Princess whose reputation has likely tanked because of this war… Yeah, ten years sounds about right.

"Besides, those two-colored magic catalysts are made from materials found only in the Kingdom."

I suspect the Empire's Red Forest has bacteria that produce magic catalysts with similar properties, though they might not be exactly identical. Of course, I have no intention of telling them that.

"On top of that, there are at least five other types of magic catalysts with different effects back in the Royal Capital."

"Five other kinds like this!?"

"And that number might be growing as we speak. Of course, I don't know how to make them. I'm not the one producing them, after all."

I wasn't lying. They're made from bacteria discovered by chance. It's like winning the lottery. Although there is a way to buy tens of thousands of lottery tickets. But even that relies on the talent pooled in Central Garden.

"Growing as we speak..."

Maytyl swayed, looking faint.

"There is only one way for the Empire to benefit from this technology. You must provide the Kingdom with commensurate technology and conduct a joint investigation of the Blood Mountains. Of course, this must be done under the Kingdom's supervision. In other words..."

This is it, the moment of truth. The enemy before me has been masquerading as some shrewd old acquaintance, but it's time for that act to end. I'm going to shatter the position you've built for yourself as royalty and make you pay for abducting Mia.

"I just have to go to the Kingdom, is that it?"

"There's no way that... W-wait, what? Y-yeah, that's right, but."

Shatter... huh? Did I say something wrong? I glanced at the other Imperials.

"Magus-sama, come to your senses!" "You mustn't be deceived, Your Highness!" "Damn you, you must have poisoned her somehow!"

Of course, they were in an uproar. Good. For a moment there, I worried that common sense worked differently in the Empire and the Kingdom.

"...I have no choice. At this rate, the Empire's sorcery will fall far behind the Kingdom's. I don't want to go, but I must. This is a necessary duty for me, as the one responsible for Imperial sorcery."

This was strange. I was supposed to be punishing this woman, who could have been the next Empress, forcing her not just to abandon her position but to become a captive.

"Princess Maytyl, there is no way the homeland will approve such a reckless..."

"Lisabet, you will be the one to persuade the homeland. If that new city plan comes to fruition, you stand to gain a great deal. Isn't that right, Ricardo Vinder?"

"Ah, yeah, that was the angle I was going for, but."

"Besides, it would be bad for the homeland if our anti-monster forces don't return as soon as possible, wouldn't it?"

"...You probably shouldn't be saying that to me."

"Oh, but you already anticipated that, didn't you? What's more, you mentioned a joint observation of the magic veins. Considering the land you requested, your target is the Mountains of Despair, isn't it? So my fears weren't unfounded after all."

Maytyl stared at me intently. Is she misunderstanding something? I also place great importance on observing the Blood Mountains, the center of the magic veins, but it seems there's something else at play here. What could it be...?

"Listen, Lisabet. Tell them this back home. That land is worthless to the Empire. In fact, by luring the Kingdom into monster territory, we can wear them down..."

And just like that, the final negotiations were being led by the other party. How did it come to this?

"However, I'm not keen on the idea of having this new knowledge forcibly extracted from me while I'm imprisoned or something."

Maytyl finally brought up her own safety. As a professional at self-preservation, I'd say her priorities are out of order. Oh well, I've already planned for this.

"You're right. Regarding Princess Maytyl coming over, I'd like you to attach one condition for the Kingdom. Actually..."

I couldn't help but lower my voice, given the nature of my proposal.

"Ricardo-dono. You are..."

Lisabet looked completely exasperated. She should already know by now that I'm an incorrigible schemer.

"We have our own circumstances to consider."

"I accept. They should feel honored to have me as part of an exchange."

Alright, it's settled. Now I can head back without any worries.

"Well then, I'll be taking Mia and heading back."

It went a little differently than planned, but I'd say I scored about an 80.

"Oh, I'm afraid not. This girl will remain here with me until I arrive in the Royal Capital. I need a guarantee, too," Maytyl said.

I slammed my hand on the table.

"What's that supposed to mean? Then the deal's off. This whole negotiation is cancelled."

If I can't get Mia back, none of this means anything.

"Calm down a little. I said I'll bring her with me to the Royal Capital. Now think about your next move. Where is it safer for Mia to be? Here, or the Royal Capital?"

"Ghh. But..."

"Senpai. I will remain in Kurtheite."

"Mia."

"I am not a hostage. This is a business deal between the Vinder Company and Princess Maytyl. As a co-manager of Vinder, I am simply here to iron out the details on the client's end."

"It's settled, then," Maytyl said.

It was true. Considering the next negotiation, that final, delicate stage of this tightrope walk, I couldn't afford to expose my greatest weakness within the Kingdom.

"Still, the Kingdom and the Empire really are different in so many ways. I never imagined the very meaning of the word 'merchant' could be so different."

Maytyl said this and broke into a wide grin. I wonder whose fault it is that a regular merchant like me was forced into a situation like this.

◇◇

Before leaving Kurtheite, I was given a little time alone with Mia.

"It seems my 'business trip' will continue a while longer. I am worried about Vinder's finances in my absence, though."

"My dad told me, 'You can die for all I care, just get Mia back.' Right... If you're staying, then I should..."

"Senpai. Calm yourself. The negotiations aren't over yet."

It's true that the trickiest dealings will come after I get back.

"But still. We've already walked a dangerous tightrope to get this far."

I had waged a high-stakes information war, focusing their attention on the magic inhibitor and making them believe I was Vinder's true mastermind, all to prevent critical information from leaking to the Empire.

"Thanks to that, my treatment here wasn't bad at all. I might have even considered changing jobs."

Mia smiled.

"Well, I'm a co-manager of Vinder, so that's not an option. ...Besides, this isn't like you, Senpai. What happened to your hobby of prioritizing self-preservation?"

"It's not a hobby."

"There was a high probability that Princess Maytyl would have simply abducted us both."

Mia looked at me reproachfully. I know that. It's not like I could have predicted that Maytyl was the Empire's version of Fulsy.

"............Well, you know. In the worst, absolute worst-case scenario... it's better than you being taken to the Empire alone. Of course, I took meticulous self-preservation measures to prevent that..."

"Hmph! ...W-well, I will grade your self-preservation plan when I get back to the Royal Capital. Though I'm sure it'll be a failing grade."

"No, no, I meticulously balanced the interests of the Kingdom and the Empire..."

For the sake of my pride as a strategist, I must insist I've never thought harder about anything in my life.

"I'm sorry, but it's time."

The door opened and Lisabet stepped inside. I looked at my precious secretary one last time.

"...See you in the Royal Capital, then. I'll make sure things are safe for you to come back."

"Yes, in the Royal Capital. But I think that will be quite difficult. From here on out."

It didn't go quite as planned, but the enemy abroad has been dealt with. Next up is the enemy at home.