I meant to finish this two days ago, but had to go out of town again suddenly. Rushed to finish this last night and this morning before I head back, so I didn’t get a chance to look over it. As such there’s probably more errors than usual. Sorry about that!

Enojy!~

Negotiations with Eltria

 

 

 

 

 

Negotiations with Eltria

When I return to Zenobia harbor, the first one to greet me is Yuria.

“Ike-sama, I prayed you would be safe.”

Without minding the public she clings to me.

The sailors poke fun, and her chest was glued to me and I didn’t know what to say.

Sati too, was looking over here smiling more than usual, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than this.

I pull her away,

“That’s not conduct that a lady before marriage should do in front of others.”

and warned her so.

She, “Yes!” she abides with a lively smile,

“Then, I think I’ll do it where there are no people.”

She utters a fearless remark.

“…………”

I feared the remarks that were in a certain meaning more bold than the pirates, but boarded the carriage Yuria came in.

We’re heading towards the mansion of Zenobia’s leader Eltria.
The reason she didn’t come to the harbor is, “work is hectic”.
It seems her schedule’s packed as always.

However, it seems she took time to sit with me in negotiations.
Furthermore she freed up her entire afternoon.
I suppose that’s just how much of a debt of gratitude she feels for Carossa’s subjugation.
I plan to leverage that debt to bind a treaty with the Maou Army as advantageously possible.

The office of Eltria’s mansion in Zenobia, when I head there, the first thing Eltria did is hug me.

“Ohh, my son-in-law.”
Like that––––.

It seems she’s happy from the report of Carossa extermination, but I never dreamt she would suddenly hug me.

The woman known as Eltria is Yuria’s mother.
She should have piled on considerable years, but she’s quite a charming woman.
In addition, it might be because of the perfume, but she smells very nice.
It’s that, the charm of an adult woman.
A woman that’s charming in a different sense than Yuria.

Still, I never dreamt that I would receive an embrace from two charming woman at almost the same day and time.

What’s more, from a mother and daughter.

I unconsciously notice the difference in the sensation of their chests, but I’m a gentleman, so as I separate from Eltria I get to the point.

“As promised, I’ve captured Red Beard Carossa.”

As she regains a calm merchant’s expression,

“Ahh, so it seems.”

and said that.

“Although I never thought you would bring him alive.”

“Forgive me. Don’t kill excessively, I received such education from my grandfather.”

“It’s not something to apologize for. Dealing with them will be done by us.”

“……as I thought death by hanging.”

“No,” Eltria shakes her head.

“Staining the new start of a groom and bride with the blood of pirates would be shameful. The underlings will serve 10 years hard labor, and Carossa will be imprisoned for life.”

She said jokingly.

“––––Hans said something similar.”

I make a bitter smile, but floats a smile in response as well.

“Though I didn’t intend it as a joke. Well, let’s talk about that later. What we should speak about is about the treaty between the “Maou Army” and the “Commerce Alliance” that we’re entering.”

“…………”

I stay silent.

She’s evaded like Sefiro until now, but it seems we can finally get to the point.

The Commerce Alliance’s leader Eltria declares in a clear tone.

“I believe it’s fine for us to supply the Maou Army with food.”

“Really?”

“Ahh, merchants tell lies, but they keep their word. If we tie a treaty, we will definitely carry that out.”

“It’s fine if I take that as a statement as the leader of the Commerce Alliance, right.”

“Ahh.”

After she answers shortly, she adds.

“Within the Commerce Alliance there will of course be dissenting opinions. However, since long ago there has been the opinion, wouldn’t it be better to form a connection with the Maou Army while we can?”

“There was that kind of opinion?”

“Is it unexpected?”

“Ehh, well.”

“That’s making light of merchants. The living beings that are merchants are sharp sighted and bold. Naturally, they’ll bet on the side that has the higher chance of winning.”

“However, the other party is the Maou Army. Are you not afraid of demons?”

“I’m not afraid, that would be a lie I guess. However, the Maou Army won’t lose because we’re afraid, and the various towns of the Commerce Alliance won’t become wealthy either. In addition, the town that you rule, various information has flowed in from Ivalice.”

“From my town?”

“Ahh, that’s right. The ruler of this town is different from demons so far. No, the current Maou is completely different from the ones so far. In short, they’ll be business partners, that’s become well known between merchants.”

Certainly, many merchants come and go in the town of Ivalice.
We pay proper compensation to the merchants, and we secure the safety of the region.

I was aware that that was going around and that merchants came to gather, but it seems that rumor reached the of even the executives of the Commerce Alliance.

“In short, the Commerce Alliance executives are figuring that the Maou Army will win?”

“To be exact there’s a group that believes so. In short, opinions are divided in two. There are two factions, the Maou Army is scary, let’s join the Multiple King Alliance and repulse the Maou Army, and let’s form a connection now and after the war secure an advantageous position.”

“……incidentally, which one was Eltria-san?”

“Me? I judged that the Maou Army will win. Since I noticed from the start that this time’s Maou is entirely different.”

Saying that she continues smiling joyfully.

“And that became conviction when I met with my son-in-law.”

As she said that, she held out her hand.
In other words, come bind a treaty with the Maou Army and the Commerce Alliance.
Like this I succeeded in closing the first treaty of commerce between humans and demons.

For a few hours after that we discussed the details of the treaty.

The first topic that comes up is not what we will “trade”, but how we will trade.

Just as had been explained before, there are executives within the Commerce Alliance that fear the Maou Army, in the first place due to political reasons they couldn’t trade openly.

“If we were to do that, then we would incur the wrath of the Multiple King Alliance, and it might become an excuse to invade.”

That was Eltria’s talk.
That’s natural I believe.
There were similar stories in the previous world as well.
Those crusades.

In order to subjugate heretics they would send soldiers to neighboring countries numerous times, but for the reason that they didn’t provide funds for the heretic subjugation they would capture cities of the same christian believers and pillage.

I can’t say that the people of this world wouldn’t do the same.

No, in fact if the dealings with the Maou Army were discovered the Multiple King Alliance would absolutely swoop down on the Commerce Alliance.

The south’s abundant grain producing region and the trading rights of spices, they should be attractive enough to be worth killing.

Giving the Multiple King Alliance a pretext here would be the worst option for the Commerce Alliance.

“That’s why, we can only deal behind the scenes, and we will continue transactions with the Multiple King Alliance as well. I hope you can understand that.”

“Ehh, of course, I understand.”

In short Eltria is declaring that she will continue the food aid for the Multiple King Alliance the same as always.

Naturally, as a brigade commander of the Maou Army I want to ask them, ” Please stop,” here, but I understand her position, and if the aforementioned situation were to occur we would be troubled as well.
There’s danger that the south’s food won’t be obtainable at all.

In addition I’ve met Eltria, Yuria, Hans, as well as the various people of this town, but it’s not my desire to get them wrapped up in the war.

“Sorry. Doing something like having it both ways.”

“No, I’m grateful we can do business even behind the scenes.”

That’s the truth.
With this the Maou Army’s concern of the current food shortage can be solved.

For the time being the conclusion we reached is that while disguising it as individual merchant transactions, they would secretly illegally sell them to us is the idea.

Here I want use a ship and want to deal on a large scale, but it would become terrible if it were discovered that a Commerce Alliance ship entered port in the harbor of a town under the rule of the Maou Army.

We should carefully decided here.

As we both gave out plans for nearly an hour, we came to talk about the “Trading goods”.
The Commerce Alliance will offer grain and spices depending on the season, but what should the Maou Army offer I wonder.

When I ask her.

Immediately she,
“Weapons,”
declares that.

“I’ve heard you know. Right now, in your town it seems that the Dwarf King Gunther is staying there, right.”

“––––Eltria-san really is quick to hear things, huh.”

“The town of Ivalice is, currently, enthusiastically talked about. That it’s changing from an agriculture town to an industrial town. And that some kind of strange weapon seems to be being developed. I want that.”

“…………”

She’s indicating the matchlock guns, but I hesitate for an answer.
With the Arsenum rescue the other day, the matchlock guns and it’s power became known throughout the continent in one go.

There’s no need to keep it a secret at this point, but right now the production of the matchlock gun isn’t keeping up.

Deploying them to my own brigade is the limit, I haven’t even finished distributing them to other brigades.
Making that kind of thing into a commodity is still too soon.

However, the other side wants weapons.
I can’t simply refuse.
It’s not a compromise, but I ask her.

“Come to think of it, in this region magicians are indispensable in naval battle, right.”
“That’s right. It’s standard to toss stones at each other with magic when doing long distance battle.”

I thought this even at the battle with Carossa the other day, as well as when agriculture began in Ivalice, but due to magic awkwardly developing in this world, the technology is is below the medieval times of the previous world.

Until now even gun powder hadn’t been produced, 鉄砲はおろか大砲さえない。
That’s why the profession of magician is so praised I suppose.
At any rate, I decided to make a proposal to Eltria.

“If I said that the number of magicians that board ships could be halved, what would you think.”

“That would be appreciated. Since to employ a first class magician it costs the salary of ten sailors. We could greatly reduce the cost of transportation.”

“Well then, shall I offer a weapon that can halve the number of magician personal for stone throwing.”

When I say that, Eltrai frowns.

“Do you really have that kind of weapon?”
“Yes. It’s called an cannon.”

Seeing the stone throwing battle the other day got me thinking.
If there were cannon, then it would be possible to reduce the magicians.

“Cannon? A weapon I haven’t heard of before, huh? What kind of weapon is it?”

“Into a large iron cylinder, you put a large iron sphere. You blow that away with gunpowder, and pulverize the enemy.”

“Guhn, it’s the large version of that?”
“It’s fine to think of it like so.”

It’s difficult to mass produce matchlock guns. In reality, even in the previous world, before guns cannons were implemented.

It’s structure is simple, and it’s more simple to manufacture.
In the present and in the past, it’s more difficult to miniaturize.

If it’s a cannon, then even human craftsman can mass produce them.
Making that into exported goods would be fine.
I who thought that suggest that, but that suggestion pleased Eltria more than I expected.

“As expected of my son-in-law. You immediately understand what the other party wants, and offer it. You can become first class as merchant as well I’m sure.”

Saying that she once more hugs me.

Once more she sticks that voluptuous chest to me, but at any rate, for the time being the secret treaty between the Maou Army and the Commerce Alliance is settled with this.

It’s something auspicious, but while hugging me Eltria made this suggestion.

“Now then, with this the treaty is settled, what to do next is decided right.”

“What to do?”

“Ahh.”

As Eltria asserted that she said, “That’s announcement party of the engagement with my daughter” and floated a evil smile.

“……are we really doing that?”

Eltria put on a smile like my superior Sefiro,

“If we don’t then we can’t bind the treaty––––, is an outright lie, and well, we can’t publicize the treaty, but I want to hold a party to celebrate that is what I’m thinking.”

and declares that.

I see, which means this person from the very start had the mind to tie the treaty.
If not she wouldn’t be able to prepare for the party beforehand.

No, there’s also the possibility that she really prepared a party for her daughter’s engagement.

Even I can’t conjecture about that.

For many years I have traveled the battlefield and come to know what the enemy is thinking, but even now I can’t understand what woman are thinking.

Most likely, I won’t understand my entire life, but at any rate I decided to participate in the “Treaty Conclusion” party.

That’s the minimum decrom as a human who came as the Maou Army’s messenger.
While thinking that, I was urged by Eltria to formally dress myself.

 

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