In the center of the Kingdom of Blish, people were extremely busy right now.

“Where did those documents go?”

“What’s going on with the case?”

“What’s the progress on that?”

In the rapidly expanding Kingdom of Blish, jobs related to governance are increasing at an also accelerating rate, and even though the previous jobs are not finished, more jobs are piling up one after another. Thanks to bringing in the Former Harold’s Faction of Wessek to help, the work’s barely going around, but even so, even if the civilians and bureaucrats work without sleep, there are not enough hands.

“It’s like a battlefield…”

A fairly young man and another man who looked like a noble entered the government office, which had become a war zone for the civil officials. The two looked at the civilians and bureaucrats running around and sympathized with how difficult it was for them.

“You two there! If you’re free, take care of this!”

“Take this to the department in charge!”

“No… we are…”

And then… even though they weren’t in charge or anything, they were forced to work one after another, probably because the officials thought they were free civilians.

Of course, even from the other side, it was someone they had never seen before. They do not entrust work related to confidential matters. They are simply asked to carry packages and papers, to do simple chores, and to be a liaison. For the civilians and bureaucrats here, anyone who is standing will be used for anything. It was a desperate situation.

“Why do we have to do this?!”

The high-ranking-noble-like man gets angry after being entrusted with mundane chores. But the younger man overcame that.

“There, there… This is also part of the job, Mikalojus.”

“You’re too naive, Kanbee! This kind of work isn’t our job!”

It was Kanbee and Mikalojus who came to the government office in Laudin, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Blish. The two had been in charge of negotiations and entertainment with the Demon Country, the Yamato Empire, and finally came to the Blish Isles.

Of course, negotiations and entertainment itself ended a long time ago. However, just because one job was done, it doesn’t mean that you will be free right away. You needed to clean up the aftermath and also prepare for the next one.

They’ve already reported it to Flora, so there’s no problem on their side. After heading to the Blish Isles once, they were supposed to head for negotiations with the Kingdom of Frasia. However, in the current time when the situation is constantly shifting, there are various problems in going to negotiations without directly exchanging words with Flora. But the all-important Flora is already heading to the next battleground and is not here.

So, until Flora and the others unify the island of Ehrland, she asked Kanbee and Mikalojus to stay in Laudin and help with the work of Blish.

For nearly 10 days after this, Kanbee and Mikalojus were forced to help out with the work of the Blishish government. And the civilians and bureaucrats of the Kingdom of Blish who later learned that the two were senior vassals of King Karruzer were terrified that they might face retribution from the two after all was said and done.

However, even though the two were forced to work hard, they never complained about anything to the civilian officials of Blish.

After Flora finally returned to work in Laudin, they hold a meeting to discuss things with her. The officials of Blish were disappointed that Kanbee and Mikalojus had left, but they had no choice. Since they were only helping from the beginning, they don’t have time to worry about it forever once they go to their original purpose.

For better or worse, Mikalojus was a regular office worker. He doesn’t do anything exceptionally well. However, you don’t have to teach him every detail like a newcomer, just explain the differences in each other’s methods and he will do the rest almost on his own. He can handle the amount of work that a noble who is accustomed to working can normally do, so he has become a valuable force in this desperate situation.

Kanbee was very talented despite being so young, and he quickly won the trust of the people of Blish. He works quickly and gives precise instructions. At the time, some people were a little rebellious as to why such a young man was giving orders to them so arrogantly, but no one complained about his performance.

And when Flora returned, they heard that Kanbee was one of Flora’s confidants, and everyone was convinced that he was capable and could give instructions.

But that’s a trifle. Certainly, it was a great help to have Mikalojus, who was ready to fight in this most tragic scene, and Kanbee, who could be said to be super talented. But… that’s not what the civilians and bureaucrats were seriously surprised by. What surprised them most was…

After Flora came back, their work was reduced to 1/2, no, less than 1/3 of what it was.

For some reason, when Flora came back, the amount of work that had been handled by dozens of people was reduced to less than 1/3rd. Why is that? They don’t even think about that. It’s because Flora alone takes on that amount of work.

No matter how much the previous country’s system, laws, bureaucrats, and officials are used to it to some extent, the Kingdom of Blish is still an emerging nation that has just been created. Unlike the ruling system that was completed over a long period of time, they’re in the midst of trying to establish control right now, and the amount of work is incomparable to other stable countries.

In fact, even for those who have worked in the Kingdom of Wessek, it was an unprecedented amount of work. Most of the work is done by just one person. They know this because they are in this field. Humans aren’t capable of that. It’s a lot of work that can’t be done even if you spend all day working on it.

And yet… it’s actually happening. It’s impossible. The work that comes to them is to clean and finish up what King Karruzer has processed. Organize the work that came into the office, turn it over to King Karruzer, and properly dispose of what was returned to them. These involved sending out notices to various places, executing the budget, and the final filing and implementation parts.

They certainly enjoyed themselves. But… they tremble every time they see King Karruzer. They can’t help but wonder if this person is really human. It’s so unfathomable. There is fear and reverence, that is, awe. The sense of security and exhilaration that this person is their master is not strange.

They want to be of some help to King Karruzer. They can’t help but think so. Why are the senior vassals who have been serving since before the Kingdom of Blish so infatuated with King Karruzer? The new citizens could understand it immediately. All for King Karruzer!

The new kingdom, which had changed its name to the Kingdom of the Blish Isles, was preparing its system at a rapid pace. But Flora can’t stay forever. Flora would return to Caan Knighthood after the skeleton was fleshed out to some extent. And Kanbee and Mikalojus cross over the Blish Strait to the Kingdom of Frasia.

The diplomatic policy with Frasia has been decided after a precise meeting with Flora. Until now, the number of people traveling to Frasia has been growing, because of the idea that it would be better to negotiate after the unification of Blish and Ehrland Islands was completed.

After all, starting with the Kingdom of Angheland, it’s changed names three times in less than a month. If they had negotiated with the Kingdom of Frasia at the time of Angheland, it would have been complicated by now. With that in mind, you could say that it was a good idea to set aside time and start negotiations after the Kingdom of the Blish Isles was properly organized.

“Is that the Kingdom of Frasia, their town of Carais? It really was just right there,” Kanbee said.

“Umu,” Mikalojus said in reply. “If the strait is this narrow, we don’t know when we’ll be attacked. We have to grasp the enemy’s strength properly.”

Kanbee thought it was rich, coming from Mikalojus of the lacking battle command, but he decided to stay silent.

“How~ever, there’s no need to worry,” Mikalojus said. “The unification of the Blish and Ehrland Islands has been completed, and there are surplus ships. With this 10-galleon fleet, we won’t be lagging behind.”

Although the purpose of this time is negotiation, they have destroyed and executed Guillaume and the others and have sunk many ships of Frasia while blockading the strait. It is unthinkable to send only a messenger unprotected to such a place. They have dispatched a decent fleet, including some for demonstration purposes.

Since the Kingdom of the Blish Isles was unified, the galleon ships had plenty of leeway to make this trip possible, so they think it was better to wait until the unification was over before the negotiations. They don’t know what would have happened if they had dispatched only one ship.

“Fuhn. I don’t expect this fleet to lose. I know the fear of this ship better than anyone else,” Mikalojus said. “I’m worried that the enemy will avoid us and surprise us from their positions on the coast.”

Certainly, no matter how powerful the fleet is, if it doesn’t meet the enemy, it can’t demonstrate its power. If it’s this close to shore, there’s a chance they’ll be suddenly ambushed at some point. Kanbee nodded at Mikalojus’s words and glared at the town beyond the continent.

The town of Carais was in chaos. A large fleet of gigantic ships is approaching from offshore. Even the citizens can immediately see that it is the enemy that has been disturbing the Kingdom of Frasia so far. And above all, it was the military men of Frasia who were in the most panic.

The Navy of Frasia is destroyed. Noln, which has a vast territory and tremendous authority in the Kingdom of Frasia, has lost its main power, and Frasia as a whole has also lost a large number of soldiers. Considering other borders and security maintenance soldiers, there is a limit to the number of troops that can be sent here. The enemy came in the midst of them rushing to make ends meet.

“Ah, what are we going to do with those monstrous ships…?”

“No, just because it’s bigger doesn’t mean it’s better…”

Someone always tries to say the words that everyone thinks. But they were stopped.

“You raging idiot! Our fleet has already been annihilated! Already, it’s clear that the enemy’s ships aren’t just big targets!”

“””””…”””””

The meeting room where the upper management had gathered fell silent. Wishful thinking and optimism are not allowed. The Kingdom of Frasia had had dozens of ships sunk, it is not a good opponent to underestimate.

“Unfortunately, the Navy does not have any decent ships at the moment… There is nothing the Navy can do in this situation.

“Carais’ garrison is finally down to just 500. It’s probably not surprising that a ship of that size could have several times or even tens of times as many soldiers as us. If we were to shield the town, it would be taken down in a day……”

“””””…”””””

Silence descends on the conference room again. Of course, they explained the situation to the royal capital. They have asked for reinforcements, and have repeatedly urged them to act quickly. But in reality, nothing has progressed. In the first place, in this era, preparing for war was a big project that took half a year or even a year. You can’t report today and be ready next week.

“What is the enemy’s objective? Landing on Carais?”

“It’s that big of a fleet! What else could they be after?! On the contrary, if things continue as they are, they may move onto the capital next.”

Frasia has lost most of its military force that can be moved immediately. The enemy has so quickly sent a large fleet and a large force. They can only think of one thing from that. Using Carais as a foothold, they will launch a counter-landing and advance all the way to the royal capital. And when that happens, Frasia has no way to stop the enemy. The response from the upper echelons of Frasia is too slow.

“We have to buy time somehow…”

In the dark atmosphere, they come to the conclusion that there’s nothing to do but delay with resolute honor. But then came a messenger.

“Report! A messenger has arrived from the enemy fleet offshore!”

“A messenger? A recommendation to surrender?”

Victory or defeat is already decided. Besides, as a matter of ceremonies before a battle, they would make a speech to each other and encourage the other to surrender.

“Well, that’s… they want to land a negotiation messenger…”

“Negotiation!?”

“A messenger, for that!?”

The upper echelons of the Frasian army did not understand the meaning. As usual, they should proceed with the ritual surrender recommendation, and if they do not obey, they should start fighting. They didn’t understand why such a powerful enemy was sending a request for negotiations now. However, the upper management who had no reason to refuse decided to accept it immediately.

There are several conditions for the messenger to land. Of course, it’s natural not to touch the messenger and his escort themselves, but other than that: do not engage in combat during negotiations. Of course, unlike the army which faces each other from a distance, the navy doesn’t have it so easy. They can’t say that there will never be a surprise attack, such as pretending to be a fishing boat and approaching and setting fire to them.

Therefore, the opponent’s request is that no one should approach the fleet of their flagship more than a certain distance. And if by any chance anyone got too close, they would attack anyone without question. From the beginning, fighting is prohibited during negotiations, so there is no problem with the conditions. It goes without saying that no one would approach such a terrifying gigantic ship, lest the fishermen mistakenly sail near it.

“Thank you for setting up a table for negotiations like this,” one of them said. “I am ambassador plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Blish Isles, Kanbee.”

“And am the Deputy Ambassador, Mikalojus Lazicki.”

At the names of the other parties, Frasia’s upper management tilted their necks with question marks over their heads. First of all, they have never heard of the name of the Kingdom of the Blish Isles. Also, the names of the two ambassadors are completely out of the norm. In most cases, you can know the country by hearing the name. Is Mikalojus a name in a country far east of the Kingdom of Frasia? But they have no idea what country Kanbee hails from.

“Pardon us… we are not aware of a country called the Kingdom of the Blish Isles. If you do not mind, could you tell us what it is?”

Ask while paying close attention to your words. It would be bad if they were too modest and found out that they were weak. However, on the contrary, it is meaningless to say something that offends the opponent and be destroyed. The stomachs of the Frasian representatives ached sharply at that last-minute tightrope walk.

“Our apologies,” Kanbee said. “Our country got its current name relatively recently. It’s not surprising that you don’t know about it. This state is a new nation that united the Blish and Ehrland Islands. We hope to get acquainted soon.”

“””――!?”””

There has never been a time in history when the Blish and Ehrland Islands were united. That’s… in the short time since the invasion of the Kingdom of Wessek, someone else has unified them. It’s unbelievable. But in reality, it is happening. They have to believe.

“On that note. We will return this.”

Saying that Kanbee untied some cloths-wrapped package. There is a wooden box inside. If you open the lid of the wooden box…

“–!–!”

The Frasians eyes go wide all at once, they hold their hands over their mouths and turn their faces away in a panic. It contained a human head, preserved in salt.

“This is the head of Duke Guillaume Noln, whom we killed in the previous war of aggression. We will return it to you.”

“””…………”””

The Frasians tremble so hard they audibly rattle. It’s certainly salt-dried and damaged, but there are traces of Guillaume. In other words, they must have touched the wrath of their opponent, the Kingdom of the Blish Isles. It’s a threat that they will lay their heads with Guillaume, too. The Frasian side took that from it.

Of course, Kanbee has no intention of doing that. In the Yamato Empire, the greater the enemy they killed, the more they respected their necks and skulls. Returning even just the head to the opponent is the utmost respect. If the person destroys a formidable enemy, when the hostilities are over the skull is carefully preserved.

There is respect for the defeated opponent, and it’s not like they’re toying with the corpse or using it as a threat. There was just a cultural difference that they couldn’t understand each other.

DOOOHNN! Don! Don! Don! Do-do-do-do!

“Wha, what’s going on!?”

When they looked outside in a hurry at the sudden roaring sound, the super-huge ship of the Kingdom of the Blish Isles was spewing fire and smoke, generating an unbelievably huge column of water on the surface of the sea. Beyond that was an old-fashioned ship of the Frasian Navy. Apparently, some junior officers and navy men went out of line and rammed into the enemy ships. As a result, the enemy fleet is counterattacking.

Just when they thought the roar had started to ring out, the approaching ships of the Frasian Navy were reduced to smithereens without a trace. All that remains are pieces of wood floating on the water’s surface. Even though it was an old-fashioned medium-sized ship, it was a fine ship with a reasonable scale, and now it was turned into flotsam in just a few moments.

“I, I can’t believe it…”

They couldn’t believe it, but they understood. Why did dozens of ships disappear so quickly? They were able to see it right in front of them.

They can’t win. Ten ships with such power are lined up offshore. With those ten ships, the entire coastline of the Kingdom of Frasia would be destroyed. Or even the royal capital might be attacked by that ship after going up the great river leading to the royal capital.

“It seems to me… that our previous conditions weren’t kept.”

“Hii! Ou-Our apologies! The fault is ours! Please, please forgive us!”

Everyone trembles at Kanbee’s words. If that attack rains down on the town of Carais, one of Frasia’s leading port towns will instantly turn into a mountain of rubble. What lies ahead is negotiation only in name. It’s just that Frasia’s side is given the order to surrender and to swallow the demands of the Kingdom of the Blish Isles.

Those on Frasia’s side who realized that could only tremble and bow their heads.