kscans

Chapter 143 - The Future of the Earth Dragon Kingdom, and the Resting Summer Bird

As we were all mob-hugging Cecily and Aira, Couria approached, so we broke apart the circle.

"Mash-sama, thank you for subjugating the Earth Dragon King. Our king is waiting in the palace. Might we trouble you to come?"

He bowed his head to me respectfully. He had always been polite, but had he been this polite? And now, following Yanan, he too was calling me with '-sama'. It made me feel a little sad. In any case, the king was calling. I was about to start walking toward the palace when Myra stopped me.

"Yanan-san, please wait. Did you see the form of Laciel-sama?"

"Yes, her form was divine and beautiful. And our kingdom's people are deeply moved by her assistance."

"Mash, who is here before you, is one sent by Laciel-sama. Surely you understand that. Does your king intend to summon us only to make us kneel?"

Couria's expression froze at her words.

"B-But…"

"I was sent from the church in the city of Richel. I will report your conduct to the church as conduct toward Laciel-sama herself."

I looked at Myra in surprise. She was directing an icy gaze at the flustered Couria. Where had the cheerful older sister who had been frolicking with us just moments ago gone?

"We have fulfilled your request. Therefore, we will be returning to the farm. Please discuss what comes after with Cyril."

"W-Wait, please. We will prepare a room for you to relax in. Please, give me a little time."

"A room with a lock on the outside, is it?"

"N-No, we will prepare a room you can enter and exit freely."

Hearing that, Myra looked at me. Seeing Couria's panic made me feel sorry for him. I didn't understand why Myra was being so harsh. Her attitude surprised me more than it did Couria. Should I just go along with what she was saying for now? For the time being, I decided to try and neutralize the atmosphere so Couria wouldn't feel so stressed.

"If there's no other room, a locked one is fine. You don't need to call me with '-sama'. And I don't need any kind of reward. I'm supposed to get paid for this by Cyril… by his boss. But, let's see, if you can spare some potatoes and sparkling wine, I'd appreciate a little. I'll pay for it."

Feeling like I should say something more to calm him down, I was searching for words when I noticed Couria's face had turned even paler than when he was talking to Myra.

We returned to the room that had been assigned to us as a waiting room before the battle. All the members of Levante except Aira were there. Aira had gone to tend to those injured in the fight. There was apparently a church in this cavern as well, and she was there. The Earth Dragon church was an independent entity with no connection to the churches of the surface world, but their doctrine of believing in multiple gods was the same. Myra had stayed behind to act as a coordinator with Couria. Famu, Myra, and Cecily were eating fruit. Tea had also been prepared, but after smelling it so much, I didn't feel like drinking it right now. Mizuki was lying face down on the bed, looking exhausted. I wished she would shift her angle a little and point her butt this way.

"Myra, what was all that about just now?"

I didn't really understand what she was angry about, so I asked.

"They were going to give you a token reward and send you away. But before they could even say it, you refused any special treatment or reward."

"…"

So that's why Couria had gone pale. It seemed I had been played by Myra's strategy and said something terrible. But that wasn't what I wanted to ask about.

"Their attitude angered me a little,"

she said before I could ask another question.

"Did someone grope your chest?"

"I was not groped!"

she exclaimed, covering her chest.

"Was it that they tried to use me to restore the king's dignity or authority? That can't be helped, can it?"

They had lost their home, the great plains. And they had no means to fight back against their enemy, driven to the brink of extinction. Their salvation was carried out by outsiders. There was no royal dignity in that. To reign as a king, one must show strength both internally and externally. The quickest way to restore trust was to make a messenger of the gods kneel.

"There's one more thing. The king wants to maintain his dignity as an Earth Dragon."

Did he want to show the dignity of the Earth Dragon Race by making us humans kneel?

"This is why I can't stand other races,"

Cecily said, as if spitting the words out. Her sentiment was likely not much different from that of the residents of this world. When they first met, she had looked down on Famu. She had also looked down on slaves. But only a transmigrator would think that was wrong. While I had issues with racial discrimination, a hierarchy of status also has a necessary role in stabilizing society. Of course, there were exceptions. Myra was different. She had treated Famu of the dog-eared race without prejudice from the very beginning. For her, as a servant of a god, perhaps the only classifications were god and human, those who followed God and those who atoned. Was it the attempt to create a boundary there that she couldn't forgive? My eyes met Famu's. If she had an audience with the king and knelt, would that mean the Earth Dragon Race was superior to the dog-eared race? The thought of it made me laugh. I was struck by the impulse to send her to an audience with the king all by herself.

"Hmph, you're thinking something rude!"

"No, I'm not!"

Why did she always know what I was thinking?

"Famu, do you dislike humans or the Earth Dragon Race?"

"I don't have any particular feelings about the Earth Dragon Race. As for humans… I still don't like them. But Okita Soji was a human. And after meeting you, Master, I've come to understand that being human doesn't make a difference. 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. To borrow her feelings, did that mean racial discrimination was mainly practiced between humans and other races? But Riley of the black panther race had clearly looked down on the dog-eared race. Anyway, back to Myra's story.

"Myra, was that why you took that attitude with Couria?"

She seemed to be pondering her reply to my words, as it took her a while to answer.

"No, it's not that. It was personal anger. I cannot stand to see you treated with such disrespect, Mash."

It couldn't be that simple. The thoughtful Myra wouldn't lash out at a nation's prime minister over a fleeting emotion. She basically acted according to her own conscience. But it seemed she had no intention of talking about it.

"Master, my sister isn't angry at Couria. The root feeling might not have changed. But it won't always stay the same."

"Famu…"

Myra cut Famu's words short. But if Myra wasn't angry at Couria, then the only one left was me.

"…It's because I'm treating Laciel's existence too lightly, isn't it? From now on, I'll be careful not to react so carelessly. I'll check with you first, Myra. But I want you to know that I'm not fond of flaunting authority."

"Why is that?"

Myra asked.

"In my original world, there was once a Pope, the representative of God, and an Emperor who ruled the land. And an incident called the 'Humiliation at Canossa' occurred."

The emperor at the time appointed his own subordinates as priests and bishops to strengthen his influence. The Pope, feeling his authority was being encroached upon, excommunicated the emperor. The emperor begged for forgiveness and knelt before the Pope.

"Isn't that only natural?"

Myra replied after hearing my story.

"In my original world, no one has ever seen a god. Their very existence is doubted. The Pope claims to be God's representative, but he can't show any proof."

And since it was history, there was a 'what happened next'. At first glance, it was an incident 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 church that God had supposedly commanded to be built.

"And the incident that happened in the next generation was the 'Out—'"

"Anagni Incident!"

Mizuki shot up and interrupted me to answer.

"…The 'Out—'"

"Anagni Incident!"

Feeling vexed, I tried to say it again, and Mizuki countered in kind. I thought she was tired, but she seemed full of energy. But that thought was short-lived; she flopped back onto the bed.

"Mash…"

"What is it?"

"The emperor and the king of France both cornered the Pope, but they didn't deliver the finishing blow. He died of indignation, though… In an Area Guardian's room, it can't be helped. But pointing my sword at an enemy that's trying to run away is disheartening."

To make someone so angry they die, and then not deliver the final blow as if showing mercy, was questionable in my opinion. But that wasn't what Mizuki wanted to say.

"I thought so too. I feel like I made you do something terrible. Next time, I'll do it."

Mizuki thrashed her legs about.

"If you think so too, Mash, then it's fine. I'll do it."

She stopped moving her legs and became still. Had she fallen asleep? We had gotten off topic, but let's get back to Myra.

"In short, what I'm trying to say is…"

"You shouldn't push them too far. Balance is important, I see,"

Myra said. I wonder if she was convinced.

There was a knock on the door. Couria and Yanan entered. Both of them had tense expressions. Couria and Yanan sat side by side at the long table. We sat on the opposite side. Mizuki also got up and sat at the end.

"Please cancel the audience with the king."

"That's no problem, since I wasn't the one who requested it."

The king had his own image to maintain. If neither of us could kneel, then not meeting was a fine choice. Couria nodded, looking relieved at my words.

"Now, about the reward…"

"I don't need it."

"We can't have that. Please allow us to provide you with the potatoes and sparkling wine you mentioned earlier."

He glanced at Myra. Myra didn't offer any particular opinion, maintaining a prim expression.

"Alright. I have a proposal, if you don't mind?"

"Yes."

"We managed to achieve victory in this battle somehow. But if a similar situation arises, it may be difficult to handle it with only your own country's resources."

"That's true. Our living environment is a factor, but there is no one who would come to our aid in our time of need."

"I know this is unsolicited advice, but I have connections with the Star Union family in the city of Miglutt."

"You are telling us to engage in diplomacy, I see. With the 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 Miglutt and Heilon. Perhaps the Earth Dragon Kingdom could cooperate in this?"

Since Marmi had mentioned it as a rumor, it should be fine to say. The great plains spread out between Miglutt and Heilon. The Earth Dragons who ruled the underground should be able to cooperate in many ways. It wouldn't be a loss for Miglutt and Heilon to establish relations with the Earth Dragons either. They wouldn't want the Earth Dragons to suddenly ally with the Demon Kingdom and have a tunnel dug under their city walls.

"An information network… I see. That could be a starting point to expand our diplomatic circle."

"The information network they're trying to build is in preparation for a war with the Demon Kingdom. If you make a wrong move, you might get dragged into it, so you'll have to make that judgment for yourselves."

Couria nodded. It wasn't as if they were holed up underground in isolation. This whole incident came to our attention because they were seeking an entrance to the surface. And on a private level, they must be purchasing grapes for their sparkling wine, and they must have something to offer in return. By establishing a diplomatic route under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be isolated in an emergency. Depending on them, they should be able to avoid a situation like this one, where they were completely isolated.

"Also, if you wish to expand the scope of your trade, there is a trading company I can introduce you to."

Words I didn't want to say during a serious conversation. A trading company I can introduce. Everyone fell silent with difficult expressions. Were they trying to hold back laughter? Or were they wondering if they should make a sarcastic comment?

"You're saying that besides the exchange between nations, we should also have connections on a private level, is that right?"

I nodded at Couria's words. I had already thrown other things at the Mateo Trading Company. I didn't know how much capacity they had to expand their reach, but a familiar company was better than an unknown one.

"If you need to contact us, you will also go through that company."

"That won't be necessary,"

Couria said. For a moment, I thought my proposal was rejected, but that wasn't the case.

"Actually, there is one more thing we would like you to accept. For that purpose, we inquired about Mash-sama's preferences from Sir Cyril."

"Cyril? He knows my preferences?"

Couria nodded. I had barely exchanged any words with him. What could he possibly know?

"And so, about Yanan, who is here with us, would you be willing to add her to your traveling party?"

"…What did you say?!"

"The truth is, she is the daughter of the king's concubine. The king's only other child is a prince born to his legal 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?"

Couria shook his head.

"The prince lost his life in a battle six months ago. Therefore, she is currently the only one with succession rights."

"What are you talking about? You want me to travel with a girl like that?"

I understood what he was trying to say. But my feelings couldn't catch up.

"That's correct. We would like you to take Yanan with you on your journey. It would only be until she is with your child. After that, we will take responsibility for raising the child as the heir to the throne."

This conversation was jumping ahead too fast. Was it possible to make such a decision in such a short time?

"Wait. We already have a full party of six. Besides, there's a possibility she could lose her life."

"No, there is no safer place than by your side."

After Couria's words, Yanan stood up and bowed her head deeply.