Chapter 29 - 29 Diplomatic Negotiations
On that day, Steve had been summoned by Aurora. The agenda was an order for supplies.
"Can you deliver ten additional telescopes, 5,000 of the spears used in your territory, and as much steel as possible?"
Aurora, whose lips were unusually red and exuded a bewitching charm, broached the subject to Steve.
Note that the spears used in the Archibalt Territory were essentially iron pipe versions of bamboo spears. They were excellent items—good for thrusting, good for striking, simple to manufacture, and could be melted down for reuse if they became unnecessary.
"May I ask the purpose, just in case?"
"Judging from the reports I've received, the possibility of war breaking out is extremely high."
"I thought as much. So it truly cannot be avoided?"
Steve let out a sigh.
"It would be inefficient to station soldiers along the border and gather supplies there only to do nothing."
"But isn't there a possibility they're just applying pressure to carry out negotiations more favorably?"
"With the movements of Margrave Bradle's army, plus the fact that even the national army is moving this way, there's no room for doubt."
"But do they have a chance of winning? Since we are prepared like this, I don't think it will end without a clear result, as it usually does."
"If it's a head-on collision, that is."
There was an implication in the way Aurora spoke.
"Are you saying there are other schemes like those bandits from before?"
"Who knows? Unless they're incompetent, they'll have some kind of plan ready. I can't judge whether their counter-intelligence is excellent or if they're truly thinking of nothing, given that no such information has come in yet. So, is procurement possible?"
"Regarding the condition of 'as much steel as possible,' would it be acceptable if it's as much as can fit inside this castle?"
"Now that you mention it, that's right. With your magical power, it would even be possible to cover this entire country in steel."
"No, I won't go that far, obviously."
Aurora laughed at her own joke, but Steve answered with extreme seriousness. In reality, if he took enough days, it was indeed possible to bury the entire country in steel. He simply didn't do it because there was no merit in doing so.
"Honestly, instead of preparing for a war like this, I'd like you to share some of the results from the various research projects you're conducting over there."
"Regarding that, I'm only providing the ideas. As for the research, the Chief Engineer compiles it into reports, and the Royal Research Institute conducts the research based on those. If you want the results shared, please go through them."
Aurora grasped the contents of the Royal Research Institute's research through the connections she held. However, she couldn't grasp all of the results. The King had forbidden the public disclosure of research that would be problematic if released to the world. Telescopes and microscopes were prime examples, and their manufacturing methods were kept as classified secrets.
Furthermore, even among things not forbidden from disclosure, some had not been compiled into documents sufficient for public release. Education for commoners was one such example. Commoners could learn literacy and calculation, but there were individual differences in the speed of learning, and the cause of those differences had not yet been confirmed. Therefore, researchers could not report it as a research result stating, 'Many commoners can learn if done this way, but if they cannot, this is the cause.'
Even so, if a certain number could be educated, a lord would want to put those educational methods into practice to secure such human resources.
Since Steve didn't know exactly what was forbidden from disclosure, he had reached the conclusion that it was best not to speak of everything. Thus, even at Aurora's request, he would not teach her the research results.
"Between you and me, it wouldn't hurt to tell me, would it?"
"His Majesty would be angry with me."
"If you put it that way, it can't be helped. I'll personally ask His Majesty to promptly disclose any useful research results. It would be a waste for things like that spinning machine to sit idle in the institute."
Regarding the Spinning Machine, Aurora had been quick to perceive its utility and had established a workshop specializing in Spinning Machine manufacturing within her territory. While a dull lord wouldn't care about the poor work efficiency of their people, Aurora invested her private funds into mass production, believing that if efficiency increased, she could have the people do other things.
As a result, she reduced the number of people engaged in spinning thread and increased tax revenue by allocating them to other tasks. Because of that success, she wanted information even on things still in the middle of research.
"In that case, would you be interested in something else?"
"Oh, if you had something, I wish you'd said so. What is it?"
Aurora's face brightened. Since she was trained not to show emotion normally, this was a business smile, but internally she was excited to see what kind of information was coming.
"Following futures trading, I have a proposal for financial businesses: banking, insurance, and securities."
"Banking, insurance, and securities... those are unfamiliar words. Could you explain them?"
"Yes. A bank plays a role similar to a moneylender and a money changer. Insurance is, for example, receiving money if you have coverage when a ship sinks. Securities are... patrons, I suppose?"
From there, Steve used the knowledge from his previous life to explain to Aurora how useful these businesses were. Aurora, who was already profiting from futures trading, was positive toward the financial businesses Steve proposed. After listening to the explanation, she confirmed Steve's intentions.
"It's a wonderful proposal, but I wonder why you don't do it yourself?"
"I suppose it's because of a labor shortage. It's the same as with the futures trading."
"In that case, we should make it a licensing system this time as well and grant licenses to the merchant guilds you favor, right?"
"That would be a great help."
"And I'd like you to tell me one more thing. Why don't you offer this idea to His Majesty?"
"The Archibalt Territory has poor soil and is not suited for agriculture. However, if it's a financial business, the poor soil doesn't matter. If agriculture and industry reach a dead end, I hope to feed the people through finance. For that, it's more convenient for Sowell Land, which is close by, to become a financial city."
It was Steve's idea to shift to the tertiary industry if the primary and secondary industries failed. This was a concept that other territorial nobles focused on agriculture would never think of, and it was a thought unique to the Archibalt Territory, which was unsuitable for agricultural production.
While Steve and Aurora were discussing war preparations, Cecil Ashley, a diplomat of the Kingdom of Cascade who was conducting negotiations in the Kingdom of Forest, was in trouble.
"I am telling you that the man we captured, Jack Olgren, is a subordinate of Margrave Bradle and has confessed to raiding our country's villages under his orders!"
"That man is likely trying to shift the blame onto us. Or perhaps it is a performance staged by your own country? I have confirmed with Margrave Bradle, and he replied that he has not employed anyone by that name."
"No, no, we have already investigated and found that Margrave Bradle kept a double-magic user who can use both Body Enhancement Magic and recovery magic."
"That could simply be a coincidence of having the same double-magic user. Was he wearing any proof of service to Margrave Bradle?"
The diplomat of the Kingdom of Forest had prepared his answers in advance. This wasn't because he knew they had been captured alive, but because he had anticipated this outcome if the banditry continued.
He never imagined that almost all of them would be captured alive, but even so, the situation had not exceeded the scope of the answers he had prepared beforehand.
Meanwhile, Cecil of the Kingdom of Cascade gritted his teeth. Despite having received information that Margrave Sowell had captured the bandits alive and made them confess, at this rate, he would have to return home without any results. If that happened, it was clear he would be branded as incompetent, and there was no telling what kind of department he would be demoted to.
"So you insist that he is absolutely not a subordinate of Margrave Bradle?"
At the intimidating tone, the Kingdom of Forest diplomat sneered inwardly.
"It seems your country wishes to blame us with false accusations. It is almost as if you are looking for a pretext for war."
"That is not the case!"
Cecil denied it strongly.
War is an extension of diplomacy, but diplomats in any country wish to pursue national interests without going to war. This is because once it becomes a war, the military steps in and takes all the credit. The sense of protecting the organization is inevitably stronger than national interest.
Due to these circumstances, Cecil's tone had become sharp.
"However, demanding apologies and reparations from us, who are innocent, is an excessive discourtesy no matter how you look at it. The price for that will be high."
The Kingdom of Forest diplomat grinned as if mocking Cecil.
Cecil wanted to kick his chair and leave the room right this instant, but he had enough reason left to realize that doing so would end his career.
"You will surely regret that attitude."
Cecil said this to his opponent, but he was met with a snort of laughter.
"Isn't it you who will be in the position to regret, having come all this way to demand apologies and reparations only to return with nothing? We cannot remain silent about being framed for crimes we did not commit. In particular, the anger of Margrave Bradle, who guards the border, is great."
"You speak as if Margrave Bradle is going to start a war."
"I do not know how it will actually turn out, but it is a sufficient reason for war. After all, the honor of a noble has been crushed."
At this point, Cecil judged that there was no doubt the Kingdom of Forest would move toward war. He even felt that these negotiations themselves were a pretext for war, and perhaps the bandit group was planned from the start to be captured by this side at an appropriate time.
And that was half-correct.
The primary goal was for Jack and his men to raid the border and exhaust the opponent; the secondary goal was to start a war using the inevitable demands for reparations that would follow their capture in combat as a reason.
Cecil judged that in this situation, there was no time left before they were invaded, so he broke off the diplomatic negotiations and decided to return home. Since a Teleportation mage was accompanying him, the return was instantaneous. However, to avoid revealing that his companion was a mage, they left the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Forest and teleported from a place away from public view.
After returning home, he immediately explained the situation to the King and the Chancellor.
King William let out a sigh upon receiving the report. Then he looked toward Chancellor Chester.
"What was the information on the opponent's Margrave Bradle?"
"He is gathering military forces along the border, and supplies are being brought in one after another. However, in terms of military strength, there is no great difference from our side, and I do not understand the reason for committing to an outbreak of war."
"You mean it is not a situation that promises a certain victory?"
"I must add: 'as far as what is visible,' that is."
Even in the Royal Capital, they grasped Margrave Bradle's movements, but they still didn't understand the reason for actively committing to war in this situation. Even within the Kingdom of Forest, there was no information that Margrave Bradle's position was in jeopardy, nor was it a situation that required haste.
"What about the movements of the agents?"
"There are no unusual movements among the agents we have identified and are keeping under surveillance. At the very least, it is not a situation where they are plotting riots or a coup in the Royal Capital. There are no particular abnormalities in Margrave Sowell's territory either."
"Well, I don't think that woman would fail to detect enemy movements in her own territory. In that case, I understand it even less."
While listening to the conversation between the King and the Chancellor, Cecil was nervous about when the talk would turn to his own treatment. Since he had brought back no results, he naturally expected there to be a penalty.
And finally, that time came. The Chancellor spoke to Cecil.
"Lord Ashley, good work. Regarding your next task..."
Cecil held his breath, wondering which department he would be demoted to.
"I am entrusting you with the post-war negotiations, so make preparations."
"I gratefully accept."
Cecil was taken aback by the unexpected words from the Chancellor. And the fact that it showed on his face was caught by the Chancellor.
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"No, it's not that, but..."
"You thought you were going to be demoted, didn't you?"
"Yes."
The Chancellor had seen through Cecil's worry from the start. When he pointed it out directly, Cecil admitted it.
"Since the other side had no intention of negotiating from the beginning, there was nothing we could do. If we were to hold you responsible and call it your failure, there would be no one left who wants to be a diplomat. Well, there will likely be dissatisfaction from the western nobles, but if you handle the post-war processing well, that will soon subside. The next part is the real challenge."
At the King's words, Cecil bowed his head and felt grateful for the treatment.
However, he would later be made to realize that his gratitude was a great mistake.