CH 292

Chapter 292 – Preparing For the Visit of Diplomatic Envoys

“A messenger from the Holy Kingdom, huh?”

I sat on my usual couch and leaned my weight on the backrest while looking up at the ceiling and thinking.

Just a few minutes ago, Sir Leonard, who is in charge of protecting the east, sent word that a group claiming to be envoys from the Holy Kingdom had appeared near the border with the Holy Kingdom. It is said that those claiming to be envoys appeared in an imposing manner, flying the flag of the Holy Kingdom and a white flag.

“They said they were visiting for the return of prisoners of war and to negotiate a truce and peace.”

Sir Leonard’s voice over the golem communicator was grim. Sir Leonard wanted to guard the eastern border in order to be the first to wield the sword in the coming decisive battle against the Holy Kingdom. He was probably dissatisfied that his first task was to guide the envoys to negotiate peace.

“It won’t be that easy to make peace. Don’t worry.”

I was impressed by Sylphy’s reply to Sir Leonard. Sylphy, too, has an irreconcilable grudge against the Holy Kingdom. Sylphy would not be able to easily accept peace with the Holy Kingdom, which has robbed her of her family, oppressed her people, and taken the lives of many of her people and her father over a period of 20 years.

“Humans are troublesome. Why don’t you just stop killing each other?”

Grande said as she sat on the couch, using my lap as a pillow. I want her to stop doing that because it’s inevitable that her horns are going to hit me no matter what. It hurts so much.

“You say so, Grande. But I don’t think it’s that easy for someone who’s had their family and people are taken away from them.”

“Hmm? Is that how it is? If a dragon is killed by a human or a monster, it is the fault of the victim that they are weak.”

“Hmm, it’s more like the law of the jungle, or survival of the fittest, or hyper-individualism…”

Dragons are born strong. It would be difficult to hold the same values as humans, who are weak individuals and inevitably have to protect themselves by huddling together and building a community.

“What is dead is dead. I don’t understand why people would risk their lives for something that is dead. It is understandable if you want to kill someone because you have been treated badly or because you don’t like them.”

“…Well, I think that’s how it is in the end if you take all the pretense away.”

They took our country, killed our friends, sold us out, and took the lives of our families! I’ll never forgive you! I’ll kill you! That’s what they really want to do, I guess. To put it bluntly, I think they are saying that they kill because they are pissed off. However, unlike a fistfight in a bar, a war between countries costs a lot of money, and the number of lives lost is far greater than in a fight in a bar. Such a war of extermination is not something that happens very often. Normally.

“We have to be careful…”

The current Merinard Royal Army has the capability to make the Holy Kingdom feel like a piece of armor. Mass production of magic rifles is steadily progressing, and air bombs for harpies using magic crystals also seem to be in development. Air boards are also being mass-produced, as are magic rifles, and the preserved foods I invented last year, such as canned food and dried noodles, are also being mass-produced at a rapid pace.

In addition, at the rear base in the Omit Wilderness, where the vein hole is located, magic crystals, magic iron, and magic steel are being mass-produced, and weapons using them are being steadily made. We are also making progress in taking control of the cities in the country and expect to receive tax revenues from them.

Of course, there are many problems, large and small, in the country, but the country has enough power to compete with the Holy Kingdom on equal terms. After all, there is a technology gap of at least two generations. If I were to join in, the Holy Kingdom would not be able to compete, no matter how big a power it may be.

“About what?”

“I mean so that Sylphy and Sir Leonard don’t kill for nothing out of hatred for the Holy Kingdom. I don’t intend to say anything about killing now, but just be careful not to overdo it. Since I brought in weapons from my world because I was in favor of Sylphy and the others, I have some responsibility to some extent.”

“Is that how it is? It is up to Sylphy and the others to decide how to handle the power they have been given, and whatever they do with that power is not Kosuke’s responsibility, but Sylphy and the others.”

“I wonder if that’s so… Hmm.”

It is true that a murder committed with a kitchen knife does not incriminate the blacksmith who made the knife, even if it was a sword or an axe, but it seems to me that this is not the case if the weapon or technology was clearly provided for use in warfare. And it’s not a business; it’s a personal relationship. I am now on the side of the conflict between the Kingdom of Merinard and the Holy Kingdom, not a third party to it.

“You’ll always be Kosuke, won’t you?”

“That’s right. I am not a saint with unshakable determination and a will of steel. I’m just an ordinary human being with a lot of indecision and hesitation.”

“I don’t think a man who kills thousands and tens of thousands of his fellow human beings with impunity to make an example of them in order to achieve certain goals is an ordinary man, though.”

“…Yes, that’s right. You are absolutely right.”

I have killed tens of thousands of people with my own hands as a necessary sacrifice to show my or the Merinard Kingdom’s military might―a milestone in order to thwart an invasion from the north and realize peace between the two northern countries. Is it too late for me to be worrying about how to prevent as many deaths as possible?

Even so, yes. I still think it’s best to minimize unnecessary sacrifices. If I have to kill anyway, I should do it efficiently and effectively. I am going to hell anyway. Then, let’s just be open and honest about it and thoroughly select and account for the lives we take.

“Don’t look so scared. Kosuke despises himself, but I must say that you are not the ordinary man you think you are. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

“Is that so…? Well, I’ll try not to get too worked up about it.”

“Umu, you shall.”

The Holy Kingdom’s envoys are traveling by horse and cart from the border areas. Even if they hurry, it will take them a good number of days to reach Merinesburg.

“I wonder what kind of discussions will take place.”

“Will there even be any talks at all?”

“That’s the thing… I think the fact that they sent envoys means that it’s alright.”

The fact that they sent envoys is proof that they at least recognized the Merinard Kingdom as a nation. It is impossible for a great country like the Holy Kingdom to send envoys to bandits who only ruled their own country by force. However, it would be a different story if the bandit established diplomatic relations with several nations and was recognized as a legitimate nation by them.

The Kingdom of Merinard now not only has economic and political exchanges with the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom and a group of minor states in the west but also has diplomatic relations, albeit limited, with the Kingdom of Tigris and the Duchy of Dihart in the north, and the Varyag Empire, the arch enemy of the Holy Kingdom, has an ambassador in Merinesburg. The Holy Kingdom must have been forced to recognize us as a nation after all.

“Should Kosuke be excluded in this case?”

“It seems that you want to keep me out of the eyes of the Holy Kingdom.”

I was the one to bear the brunt of the negotiations with the two northern countries. This time, the Holy Kingdom suddenly dispatched a diplomatic mission because they found out about my existence, didn’t they? Sylphy and the others are becoming increasingly wary of the situation.

Therefore, it was unanimously decided that I would not appear in the diplomatic negotiations this time, including not only Sylphy and Melty but also Seraphita-san and Driada-san, as well as Ellen, Archbishop Deckard, High Priestess Caterina, and other Adol nostalgic faction members. With that, most of the personnel got busy for the meeting, so I suddenly had a lot of free time.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

“If you want to go, I’ll go with you. I’ve been told never to let Kosuke go out alone.”

“Then let’s go together.”

It’s about time Qubi’s fur grew back to its original soft and fluffy state. It might be a good idea to go teasing him. Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to ask Kirilovich, the ambassador of the Varyag Empire, for his opinion on this matter.