Chapter 228

In addition, in the text, it is also stated that the people will be informed that the dragons of the Yuri Empire are not a threat, so they can fly freely as before.

Come to think of it, Governor Fleur had originally only requested in her earlier letter that『 our country be informed of the circumstances of the dragon's flight 』. I don't think she was requesting that the dragons stop flying in the Yuri Empire.

If the other side is okay with it, then it's fine.

In fact―――it would be interesting to send instructions to the dragons of each tribe through Lindworm to actively fly over the Republic of Aneka.

According to what I heard beforehand from Partita, the captain of <Nadeshiko>, demons in the high 40s have been frequently seen in the badlands of the Republic of Aneka.

This is a somewhat formidable category of demons to be encountered on the ground of the Mekia continent.

The people of the Yuri Empire, trained in the Labyrinth, can probably defeat them without a problem. I heard that the soldiers of the Republic of Aneka had a lot of trouble dealing with them.

On the other hand, the dragons that have gathered in the Yuri Empire, even if they are inferior dragons, have appropriate abilities, that is, they are at least level 100.

From the point of view of the dragons, the demons living in the badlands of the Republic of Aneka are nothing but small fry.

To get the people of the Republic of Aneka to lose their aversion to dragons, it seems to me that the quickest way is to show them that dragons contribute to their lives.

Therefore―――I would like to dispatch dragons from the Yuri Empire to actively “exterminate” the demons nesting in the badlands in the eastern part of the Republic of Aneka.

If we do this, we can greatly improve the impression of dragons in his country.

“Ilorina. I'd like to negotiate with the Republic of Aneka about the contents of the letter of intent, how much leeway do you have?”

Yuri asked Ilorina frankly.

If it is a knight or a soldier who delivers a letter of intent, it is just a messenger. When a person of appropriate rank or a relative of the lord of the country brings a letter of intent, the messenger often doubles as a “diplomatic envoy”.

In this case, the envoy is given a certain amount of discretion in negotiations, and can directly negotiate with the envoy himself. So Yuri's statement was nothing more than a way to confirm whether or not Ilorina was capable of doing so.

“My mother has entrusted me with all the authority to negotiate with Her Majesty Yuri. Of course, I am somewhat limited in what I can negotiate―――”

“Very well. Well then, let's change places and let's discuss a few things.”

Although we always receive envoys from other countries in the audience hall according to diplomatic protocol. I think the distance between the throne and the ground floor is a bit too far in the large audience hall of the Royal Palace of Yuritania.

Frankly speaking, it was not a suitable place for a close dialogue.

So, Yuri and the others moved to the reception room to face Ilorina again.

After all, facing each other on the sofa is the best distance to have a dialogue. In addition to that, it is better to have tea and sweets for a long discussion.

“The extermination of demons by dragons…? I hadn't thought of that.”

When Yuri proposed to send a dragon to the Republic of Aneka to destroy the demons, Ilorina showed a very surprised face.

“We have a hard time dealing with the demons that live in the badlands, especially the ones that fly in the sky, even if we send knights and sorcerers.

It's a good thing for us that the dragons of the Yuri Empire can take care of this extermination for us… Are there that many dragons being raised in the Yuri Empire?”

“Lindworm. How many dragons do we currently have in our country?”

“We have a total of 2,080 dragons under our command at the moment. This number does not include me, Radragulf, and the other dragons that are Yuri-sama's personal servants.”

Lindworm, who was standing next to the sofa where Yuri was sitting, answered Yuri's question immediately.

Yuri knew that there were more than 1,000, but she had no idea that the number of dragons had increased to more than 2,000 until now.

Lindworm's answer made Ilorina blink.

The fact that there are 2,000 dragons in the world, when just one is considered a “natural disaster,” must sound like a bad joke.

But the fact that the people of the Republic of Aneka have seen a large number of dragons flying over the land of the Yuri Empire is almost proof of this fact.

“If the dragons are going to enter the country, we need to make sure that everyone knows about it, otherwise, it could cause a lot of confusion. It is necessary to inform not only the cities of Harakio and Scion, but also the inhabitants of the surrounding villages…”

“Is it difficult? If it's too difficult, I'm not going to force you.”

“No, we can't ignore the national benefits of reducing the number of demons. It will save the lives of the soldiers who deal with the demons, and it will greatly reduce the danger to the merchants who travel the trade routes. I will be happy to at least inform the people about it.

However… what should our country prepare in return for the dispatch of a dragon from the Yuri Empire?”

“We don't need anything. If we can establish a friendly relationship with the Republic of Aneka, that will be enough for us in return.”

“Eh? W-We can't afford not to thank you for what you've done…”

“Is that so? Then let me ask you for a ‘date’ in return. In exchange for dispatching the dragon, I'd like to have Ilorina date me once in a while.”

“Eh, ehhhhh!?”

At the very least, that would be enough of a reward for Yuri.

The thought of a reward would motivate everyone.

“You don't want to go on a date with me?”

“N-No! Of course, that’s not it…”

“So it's decided. How about we start sending the dragon at the beginning of next month? I'm sure we can get the word out to the public by then.”

“Ah, yes. I think that will be fine.”

The Republic of Aneka is a small country, and its land area is not that large.

There are still more than three weeks left, so the remainder of this month should be enough to get the word out.

“So, let's talk about “trade” from here on out, shall we? As I wrote in my previous letter, I am prepared to transport the necessary items from the Yuri Empire to the cities of Harakio and Scion by air. Are there any specific items that are lacking in these cities?”

“Both of these cities have no subsistence crops, so food would be great. The residents usually only eat food that lasts a long time, so any fresh food would be great. There is also a shortage of medicinal herbs―――”

Yuri then spent about two hours in the reception room discussing various matters with Ilorina.

Despite her young appearance, Ilorina was a very clever girl, and she had enough knowledge to be a good negotiator.

It was agreed that trade with the Republic of Aneka would begin at the beginning of next month.

Eventually, we would like to conclude an alliance and broadcast in his country as well, to gather more faith for Lydina.