Chapter 184

“Are you going to help the Volmisian Empire, Yuri-dono?”

“No, King Raven. I have no intention of doing so.”

When asked by King Raven, Yuri responded immediately.

“We don’t have diplomatic relations with the Volmisian Empire, so we have no obligation to help them. In fact, if you take into account the fact that this country has caused more than a little trouble to the Duchy of Selsia in the past. The Volmisian Empire is a ‘virtual enemy’ to the country that is its protector. I don’t have to explain to you the folly of taking actions that benefit the enemy, do I?”

“I see… You are right, that’s true.”

“And that’s all for now, I guess. If you want to talk about the ‘real’ reason, the main reason why we don’t help the Volmisian Empire is because ‘my beloved children hate the Volmisian Empire’.”

“Hohoho… Why do they hate the Volmisian Empire?”

“I think you should ask them rather than me.”

Yuri then took a glance at Partita, who was standing next to her.

Partita, the captain of <Nadeshiko>, also nodded slightly in response to Yuri’s gaze.

“We, the Yuri Empire, or rather the 359 of us who are Master’s ‘real wives,’ are certainly not happy with the Volmisian Empire.

As for the reason. I’m sure you’ll understand if I just say that we don’t need two empires in this world.”

“I, I see…”

King Raven’s face twitched slightly as he heard Partita’s words.

We don’t need two empires―――these words were extremely arrogant.

Still, arrogance or not, for Yuri, there is nothing that should take precedence over the will of her beloved children.

If they say that the Volmisian Empire is an ‘enemy,’ then it must be a clear ‘enemy’ for Yuri herself.

“I don’t have much of a will of my own. However, I often feel that I desire to serve the will of those I care about.

So if the children I love don’t favor the Volmisian Empire, you can be sure it’s the same for me. There is no desire to cooperate with this country, at least not in our country at this time.”

Yuri’s will to save that country is not even remotely present in herself.

Still. If there is a reason to get involved in the Volmisian Empire, it is―――  

“―――But not if Lydina wants to save the Volmisian Empire.”

“Lydina-sama, the Goddess of Healing?”

“Yes.”

Despite the ‘pretense’ and the ‘true intentions’. To be honest, Yuri thinks that the Yuri Empire will eventually have to help the Volmisian Empire.

Regardless of whether she wants it or not. If Lydina asks her to help the Volmisian Empire, Yuri has no choice.

“Partita. Are you able to find out about the food situation in the Volmisian Empire?”

“Yes. Food is in short supply in all cities, and the prices on the market are on the rise. It seems that the Volmisian Empire relied heavily on the villages surrounding the cities for food production. This is because the majority of the villages were destroyed by the Mud Wolves, and the food stopped coming in.”

“So that’s what’s going on…”

Yuri let out a sigh as she received the expected answer.

In most of the nations of this world, the densely populated ‘cities’ are mainly responsible for commerce and industry, and the surrounding cities are responsible for primary industry.

In most cases, the production of agriculture, the most important primary industry, is low in the cities, and most of the citizens’ consumption is covered by bringing in food from the surrounding cities.

So, if the villages are the first to be destroyed by the overflow of demons, as in this case. The problem of ‘famine’ will come to the cities soon.

As more and more people demand food, the price of food on the market will rise. If the state and the nobility start to purchase food with a lot of money, the price will quickly reach a level that the common people cannot afford.

The pain of famine is unbearable, and it lasts for a long time.

Yuri already knew that such ‘pain that is inflicted on people for a long time’ was the most difficult thing for Lydina to ignore.

“This is just my prediction, but around the time when food shortages become more serious in the Volmisian Empire and many people begin to suffer from starvation, Lydina will ask me to ‘help that country’.

… As a sign of my trust in everyone here, let me tell you about one of my weaknesses. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Lydina, and if she asks me to do something, I will never be able to refuse. So if she asks me to do something, then I will have to save the Volmisian Empire. Regardless of my own will.”

“Such a great favor… Does it have anything to do with how Yuri-dono became a god?”

“No, it has nothing to do with that. I joined the ranks of Gods of this world at the behest of Lydina, not because I wanted to be one myself. ―――Well, I’ve been using my position as a god to my advantage a lot lately, so it’s not very convincing to say so.”

With a slight chuckle, Yuri replied to King Raven’s question.

Yuri believes that whatever there is, it should be used without hesitation. It’s not like he has the self-control or integrity to hesitate to use his position as a god when it could be useful.

“If we decide to help the Volmisian Empire, I may ask for some help with that, so I hope you’ll be willing.

―――Ah, and of course King Raven doesn’t have to help. I understand that the Kingdom of Rapier needs food right now to stabilize its new territory, so it can’t afford to give it to other countries.”

“Thank you very much. That’s very kind of you to say.”

“Altorius and Cadain, you will have to help us in some way when the time comes.”

“Yes.”

“We have a good supply of food this autumn, and we have plenty to spare. No problem.”

In response to Yuri’s request, Altorius and Cadain nodded in agreement.

The Yuri Empire also has a considerable surplus of food, but even so, I’m not too sure if there is enough to cover the vast land of the Volmisian Empire.

The Holy Land of Nimun and the Duchy of Selsia are both large countries, with large enough landmasses. If the three countries cooperate, they should be able to provide enough food to stop the famine in the Volmisian Empire without any problems.