kscans

Chapter 206 - Insider?

"Yes, I understand. Good work. I'll speak with the President... Huh? Ah, I see..."

Norman, sitting across from me, was on the phone with someone. I knew who it was, of course. Claire Walker, the one in charge of the witch.

"Understood. You two continue to keep an eye on the Guild and wait for the witch's call."

Norman hung up.

"How did it go?" I asked immediately.

"Yes. It was from Claire. It seems she heard the details about the matter from the witch."

So they finally got through.

"And? What did she say?"

"The matter in question was not a fabrication. It is apparently a genuine area of Frontier."

I knew it... I had suspected as much ever since the name of Frontier's king, Charles, came up...

"Why did the witch obtain such a thing?"

"She seems to have evaded that question. She only said that she went to Frontier and met with the royal family."

So she met them... The King of Frontier, whom only a handful of people have ever met...

"How can she meet him so easily?"

"It must be that letter. It's likely she was genuinely invited."

So the information leaked by the Japanese politician was true.

"Something must have happened during that hearing a while back."

"Probably..."

"She either made some kind of deal there, or something was discovered."

"That would be my guess. Thinking back on it, their response was a little strange."

They couldn't prove she was from Frontier. She might be a real witch.

"It certainly was a response that seemed to protect the witch."

"It's hard to believe she has leverage over them, so she may genuinely be Frontier royalty. Even if not a princess, someone of a certain standing."

Is that possible...

"Or, there was some benefit for the Frontier side."

"A buyout, perhaps? In that case, it would mean the witch is procuring those items personally."

"So she isn't importing the potions and item bags from Frontier..."

That might be more realistic. And with that, she bought an area of Frontier.

"The words 'she might be a real witch'... Could she be making them?"

An image of a ragged old woman stirring a suspicious liquid in a cauldron floated in my mind.

"Perhaps."

"Either way, there is no doubt she is a person of importance."

"Indeed. And she is truly a golden goose."

We cannot afford to lose her.

"Also, regarding the true meaning of her 'final auction,' it seems she plans to go into hiding for a while because she has attracted too much attention."

It feels a bit too late for that, but I can understand.

"What about her contract with Claire?"

"That will continue as is."

Whew... Good. It would be a disaster if that route were cut off.

"Then that's fine. In fact, we can consider it a near monopoly."

"Indeed. This is a benefit for our country."

It was a good thing we made contact early. Thanks to that, we were able to build a certain level of trust. It's terrifying to think what would have happened if she had connected with another country.

"And the matter we discussed?"

"She has agreed to that as well. It seems the witch is only interested in gold. Apparently, as long as money goes into her pocket, she doesn't care about anything else."

As expected of the Golden Witch. She is truly pragmatic, or rather, straightforward in that regard.

"In that case, our partner should be Japan, shouldn't it?"

"I believe that would be best. The witch is in their country, after all, so they won't want to miss this chance. Besides, Japan will pay up, and they can be trusted."

One should have the best of allies. It is unthinkable that that country would become an adversary of these States.

"Do you think they will demand something in return?"

"I believe they will."

"We'll have to let the State Department handle that..."

Japan's Foreign Minister is a shrewd one.

"Regarding that, taking too much time would be a bad idea."

Hm?

"What do you mean?"

"She has made a demand on our country in exchange for not telling other nations about this joint lease plan."

"A demand? What is it?"

"To announce our participation in the auction tomorrow, and to allow an auction led by our country."

Hmm, well, there's no disadvantage for us in that.

"What's her true motive?"

"She seems to be in a hurry to hold the auction. Apparently, she has an impatient personality."

Frontier people are impatient.

"So she wants us to light a fire under the Guild."

"Precisely."

"To be honest, it would be preferable for us to host it."

That way, we can collect commissions and other margins, and we'll gain public support, which will increase the budget we can allocate for the auction.

"The Guild will never agree to it."

"I imagine not..."

So that's why she's using it as a threat...

"But in that case, Japan will have us over a barrel."

"Given the circumstances, Japan won't make excessive demands. They must be desperate as well."

"Understood. I will compromise to a certain extent and aim for a swift agreement."

If we show some willingness to meet them halfway, they shouldn't complain.

"That would be best."

"However, what will the auction currency be? Dollars? Yen?"

The witch would probably prefer yen, but...

"That will be difficult."

We could just print more bills. But that would lead to massive inflation...

"It might be something with a stable value."

The Golden Witch... What she likes is...

"Gold."

"That's plausible. Shall we start accumulating some?"

"Let's. Once this is decided, gold will be traded at an outrageous price."

"Why don't we leak this to the witch? Apparently, she acquired some gold bars from an underground ruin the other day."

So if the value of gold rises, the witch also benefits...

"So we guide her to suggest it herself. That's a good move."

And we ourselves will gather gold before other nations can. We must make the most of our weapon, our connection to the witch.

"Let's have Claire pass it on subtly. The witch is a terrifying being, but she's also just a little girl interested only in gold."

"Understood. I will also notify the various agencies immediately and speak with Japan."

"Acknowledged."

Yes, yes! The winds are turning in our favor!