Chapter 234

“By the way, I'm not here for the Republic of Aneka, but for Governor Fleur personally. I have brought a gift for you.”

“Oh, what is it? If it's a gift from Her Majesty Yuri, it's very promising.”

“I'm not sure it will live up to your expectations.”

As she said this, Yuri took a small box from her <Inventory> onto the table and presented it to Governor Fleur.

To make it look like a gift, Yuri asked Partita, the captain of <Nadeshiko>, to wrap the box this morning.

“Can I open it right now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Then, if you'll excuse me… “

With a dexterous hand, Governor Fleur unwrapped and quickly opened the small box.

From the looks of her, I'm sure she's quite old. She hadn't lost her touch as she got older.

“Hmm… What is this?”

The box is filled with vials of elixir.

By the way, there are 100 vials in total. If I told you that they were made by the children of <Red Plum>, you would immediately know what they were.

“As you can see, it is a kind of elixir. I'd be happy to tell you what it does―――but I'm sure you'll find it hard to believe even if I explain it verbally.

If there is someone in this governor's office who possesses the skill <Appraisal>, I think it would be more satisfactory if you call him or her to investigate.”

“Hmm… In that case, my husband has <Appraisal>, so I will call him here.

Since we’re going to have Ilorina as your concubine, it would be better for Her Majesty Yuri to meet my husband once.”

“Oh. I'd love to meet him.”

“Ilorina, there's no need to rush, can you go get him for me?”

“Yes, mother. Now, Your Majesty, if you'll excuse me.”

Ilorina told her and walked out of the reception room.

After watching her go, Yuri sipped her tea again.

In the city of Hourai, which has begun to recreate an environment according to the seasons, the effect of the【 Temperature Control Ward 】is currently set to a temperature suitable for the “spring moon”.

At the moment, the temperature is comfortable and spring-like. When the month changes and we enter the “summer month”, the temperature will naturally be set again to match that.

In the summer heat of the city, the mint tea that Yuri is sipping now is sure to be a cool and popular drink.

I want to make arrangements to import it stably through trade.

“I've heard that this tea grows in bad places. Is it plentiful?”

“It's Roes grass. It is said that its habitat is suitable for badlands, and it is incredibly common in the area. However, it is difficult to dispose of them if you collect too many, and the cost of collecting them is ridiculous since there are many powerful demons in the badlands, so we have only secured the minimum amount necessary… 

If the Yuri Empire would accept Roes grass as one of the trade goods, it would be a great thing for our country.”

“I would be delighted to do so. I'm sure this tea will be welcomed not only in our country, but also in the countries with which we have alliances. Are you already exporting to the Holy Land of Nimun with which you have diplomatic relations?”

“We do export some of it. However, it only lasts about two months after drying, and it gets damaged quickly, especially in the hot desert areas of Holy Land of Nimun, so we don't export that much.”

“In our country, we have entrusted the trade of dragons to the Rostine Merchant Association, which is a close friend of ours. If you leave it with them, they will be able to use the dragon's wings to quickly deliver it to the allied nations. If you're willing, we'd be happy to provide you with a substantial amount as one of our trade goods.”

“It would be great to see the spread of our products. It will also lead to an increase in the number of industries in the badlands cities, and we would really appreciate it!”

It was decided that the Yuri Empire would provide food to the badlands cities, but Yuri was unsure of what he should receive from the other side, so the fact that these tea leaves could be harvested in large quantities was gratifying to him.

After that, Yuri had a close conversation with Governor Fleur to confirm what they were both looking for in terms of trade.

According to Governor Fleur, the mines in the badlands still yielded gold and precious stones.

Gold can be found in the Labyrinth in the city of Eureka, and gems can be dropped by the undead demons that appear there. In that sense, both are resources produced in the Yuri Empire, but―――

Aside from gold, there are only a few types of gems that can be obtained in Eureka's Labyrinth. Since gemstone materials are often used in alchemy and the production of magic tools, we decided to actively import those that we could not procure in our own country.

In addition, Yuri explained to Governor Fleur that the Yuri Empire and the countries with which it is allied have abolished the Beth coin and have adopted their own gita coin.

I have given samples of the『 Gita 』coins to Governor Fleur, and she praised them as works of art. It would be unreasonable to ask the Republic of Aneka to adopt the same coins out of the blue.

So, at this point, Yuri just explained that we were adopting a different coin.

As for the previous Beth coins, we melted down most of them in the national treasury to extract the precious metals contained in them. In the meantime, about 10% of it is stored without being melted.

The『 Beth 』currency that we have in storage will be sufficient for our transactions with the Republic of Aneka.

After exchanging various conversations with Governor Fleur, Ilorina eventually returned to the reception room.

Next to her, there was an elderly man. But even though he looked old, he still had the impression that he had not lost to old age, as his back was Despitestraight.

The man approached and bowed deeply to Yuri.

“I am Dren, Prime Minister of the Republic of Aneka.”

“I am Yuri, Empress of the Yuri Empire. Are you the husband of Governor Fleur?”

Yuri asked while responding to the greeting, and the man who introduced himself as Dren nodded his head.

“Yes, you're right. My wife has always been the center of my attention.”

“My, that's quite a statement. It's not every day you get a husband who's so sweet.”

“Hahaha. If we had talked about it to some extent, Empress Yuri would have already known that I have a black belly. The “sweet” part is ridiculous.”

The man who introduced himself as Dren was a man with the air of a good-natured old man.

He and Governor Fleur exchanged a few light words, but it was only because they had forgiven each other that they were able to have such a conversation.

Yuri, who was watching from the side, could immediately see that neither Dren nor Governor Fleur had any sternness in their expressions.

“Mister Dren.”

“I'm just an official. Your Majesty, there's no need to call me “sir”.”

“…I see. So, Dren, I'm going to take your daughter as my concubine, and if you have anything you want to say to me, you can say anything you want, okay?”

“I heard about it from Ilorina before I came here. She admitted it, so it's not something that her parents can say anything about.

It may not be the best daughter, but I hope you will keep her by your side, Yuri-sama.”

After saying this, Dren bowed deeply to Yuri again.

There was no hint of falsehood in Dren's words. The fact that he wanted to put Ilorina's will first and foremost, and that he had no intention of ordering his children to do so, was probably the honest feeling of Dren.

It seems that Ilorina has been blessed with really good parents.

“By the way, I want you to take a look at something that Her Majesty Yuri gave me.”

“Oh, that's why you called me. I forgot all about it.”

“If you're an old geezer, I'll have to think about appointing a new prime minister.”

Governor Fleur was trying to be light-hearted. In spite of his words, it was clear that his tone was filled with affection.

As a homosexual, Yuri can't understand the feelings of heterosexuality. If we put that aside, the relationship between Doren and Governor Fleur, who have cultivated a mutual affection even as they have grown old, seems to be the embodiment of the ideal.

“………………Ha?”

He checked the elixir in the small box that Yuri had just presented to Fleur.

In a matter of seconds, the smile that had been on Dren's face for so long disappeared.

Now, Dren's face is filled with nothing but astonishment.

“Dear? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, you… Where did you get this…?”

“Nothing much, it was just handed to me by Her Majesty Yuri as a personal gift.”

After Governor Fleur's words, Dren's astonished expression turned to Yuri.

Well―――it's not an unreasonable reaction. Rubetta, the head of the Rostine Trading Company, said that in this world, “rejuvenation potion” is a kind of item that is considered a legend, and there is no such thing as an opportunity to see or pick up the actual item.