The Impersonating Daimaou Wants to be Hated (WN): Chapter 125

 

Chapter 125: Toward an Alliance

“ーーFor these reasons, we, the Kingdom of Light, would like to form an alliance with Fire, Water, Earth, and the Guild for the purpose of defeating the Daimaou.”

 With her hands on the round table, her body, which had been explaining the necessity of an alliance, suddenly relaxes as it leans forward.

 Sharna Swordaina. I've heard that name a lot lately as Floria's sword, I see. She looks a lot like her. No wonder Floria likes her so much.

 I have been trying to verify how strong she is, and I think that she is indeed very good for a human being. However, among humans, aside from being numerous, humans have a short life span, and the average ability of individuals is the lowest (although there are occasionally some outstandingly strong individuals like Floria).

 Some think that their competence as individuals is irrelevant to the discussion, but she is the representative of the country. If we are dealing with a race that values individual competence, such as demons, we wouldn't even discuss the matter.

 Looking at the representative of the Kingdom of Earth. She was wearing a beret on her head with only one side of her hair swept back, and her legs were crossed, with an obvious sneer directed at Sharna on her face.

"Thank you. I am sincerely grateful from the bottom of my heart for attending this conference at a time when the King of Light is wounded and the country is in trouble. I also want to apologize for not being able to help you at this crucial time, despite our [treaty of non-war]."

 A calm tone of voice that puts people at ease. By bowing down, he is trying to make everyone around him realize that Sharna is an equal. Besides Glenn, the child with a sarashi wrapped around her chest and an eye patch over her right eye is looking uninterested. Perhaps she is not amused that his beloved father, Glenn, is bowing down to a human being.

 That child who adores her father. If it weren't for Winneria sitting next to her, her cheeks might have been loose.

"No, I have heard of the situation in the Kingdom of Fire. Our king was very grateful to all the countries that made efforts for our country. Please don't worry about it."

 It was definitely a lie. There was no way that wild child would say such a thoughtful thing. She said she was injured and would not be able to attend this meeting, but that was a big lie.

"I'm glad to hear you say so. In order to respond to the generosity of the King of Light, let's talk about what kind of cooperation we can offer in defeating the Daimaou."

 While his gentle tone remained unchanged, Glenn radiated strength. It was clear that the direction of the meeting was not whether or not to conclude an alliance to defeat the Daimaou, but rather to determine what kind of cooperative arrangements would be made.

 Grenia raises her hands with her legs crossed. She is in the same position as Sharna in terms of being the King's second in command.

"May I have a word?"

"Of course. Don't hesitate to talk."

"We will cooperate to defeat the Daimaou. The kingdom of the earth thinks it's a very good proposal. And now, we would like to ask for the cooperation of all of you here in this room in regard to the measures we propose."

"What kind of proposal would that be?" 

"What, it is very, very simple. You know that the followers of the Daimaou have been on the move in earnest of late, right?"

"Norosteadam. I was surprised that they still had that much strength. I thought that most of Norosteadam's bases on the central continent was destroyed."

 The other day, a mass robbery of magic stones occurred in both Kingdom of Light and Earth. The fact that it was the Norosteadam was easily identified from the testimonies of survivors and the peculiarities of them not touching only young children.

"They are probably based on one of the floating islands. But those of you who have lived as long as my mother has, probably already know this much."

 I think they realized that we are not serious about destroying Norosteadam until now. Grenia is more than exploring...... I know. She was not only looking at Glenn, but also at me.

 I knew she was young...... but she was still a girl who didn't look at all like Shudoji. No, or would she have had this kind of personality if Shudoji had not been interested in making things?

“I guess so. Of course, we are investigating, but there are many floating islands and some of them are as big as our kingdom or even bigger. It will take time to find them."

 I've known about the floating islands where Norosteadam is based since they moved to that island. But destroying that idiot master's favorites was too risky, even without personal sentiments.

"Exactly, it will take time. That's the problem."

 The corners of Grenia's mouth rose as she agreed.

"They are a nation that has mastered alchemy and science that does not use magic, and as we learned from this incident, it is not easy to oppose them."

 The sword shook at Frega's waist and made a sound.

“Isn’t that an exaggeration? It's true that science has the advantage that anyone can easily use if perfected, but in terms of performance, it's far inferior to magic. The guns they like to use are not a threat if one are able to use magic at a practical level."

 That child, I see she still haven't fixed clumsiness. She really made the mistake of leaving the "Samurai Series" in her room when we parted.

"...Is there something wrong? King of Water."

 Eh!? Wai!? She spoke to me. It's been eight years and three months since I've talked to this girl. I'm nervous.

"Cute."

 While I was wondering what I should say, Winneria, who was next to me, said something like some idiotic sister. Frega's mood visibly worsened.

"It is true that I am short for a fiend. But aren't you too tall for a spirit?"

"I'm not talking about your height, but your style of going out of your way to inflict wounds to yourself. I like it."

 Stop provoking her!!

 She is just like an idiotic sister, even to the point of hitting people's feelings without malice. After all, was it a mistake to let that perverted idiot be involved in educating Winneria? If Celicia had been here, she would have definitely joined Winneria to make fun of Frega.

 Bang*! A fist slammed into the round table.

"Can I get back to it now?"

 Grenia's sharp eyes shot through Winneria and Frega.

“Of course, you may. I'm sorry to interrupt you. I'm just a little upset that the head of a group of slaughterers who are killing my own people is here."

 Ugh, the look she's giving me hurts. I would not want to argue with her if I could, but as the King of Water, I cannot remain silent when she insults the spirit race in an official setting. It's times like this that I'm glad I brought Winneria along.

 Come on Winneria. I'll let you off the hook just this once, so show them you're noisy mouth.

“…………”

 Don't stay silent!!

 Wait? What? You go on and on about unnecessary things, but why do you shut your mouth at this critical moment? You are the Princess of the Water Kingdom. I know Grenia is not your cup of tea, but don't give me that sleepy look. If you shut up at this point, it's going to look like I'm being talked down to.

“…It is precisely because of the barbaric acts of the fiends that the spirits attack them first. Can you please stop slandering the spirits who are fighting for self-defense as slaughterers? Princess of the Kingdom of Fire."

 In the end, I had to say it back myself. Ugh. My stomach hurts when that girl stares at me.

 Frega was about to open her mouth with an angry look on her face, but Glenn restrained her with his hand.

"My daughter was rude. It's just that more and more fiends are denying the culture of eating spirits, and it's also true that some spirits are slaughtering fiens for fun. I would like to discuss this issue better with your country if possible, but it is a big distraction from today's agenda. Let's get back to the subject."

 Grenia snorted at Glenn's gaze.

"I don't want the conversation to take any more strange turns, so let me conclude first. We should be better armed to counter their weapons."

“The Kingdom of the Earth will mass-produce weapons and magic tools to support us. Is that correct?"

 You started off with a big mouth, but you're a person who says pretty normal things. That's the way it's going to be anyway.

"There is that too. But that alone is not enough. Look at this."

 Grenia throws a white card to the center of the round table. The light projected from the card formed an image.

"This image was recorded the other day when they attacked our Kingdom."

"I'm surprised it was safe. All of the magic tools in the Kingdom of Light were destroyed by a special attack."

 It was the Kingdom of Light that suffered the most damage in this attack. Sharna is looking at the projected image as if impressed.

"Hmph. They were destroyed as well, but fortunately, we were able to restore the slightly damaged ones. It's a bit of a patchwork, but it's enough to give you an idea of how amazing these people are."

 In the projected images, machine guns, tanks, fighter jets, and other junk we hadn't seen in a long time was on the rampage.

"...Is there something wrong with this? It's true that it might be a surprise to those who can't generate mana, but I think it can be dealt with by a certain amount of magicians. The only thing that is a wonder is this flying thing, which is limited to those who can counter it. Frankly speaking, I cannot believe that the Kingdom of Light and Earth is lagging behind against a force of this caliber."

"Hmph. Don't underestimate the devil. We won't be robbed of the magic stones with this level of strength. Look."

 As Grenia said, in the video, ogres and dwarves neutralize the threat of heavy weapons with their coordinated movements. Originally, the ogre's strength, especially horned ogres who grow horns instead of fangs, was as high as that of giants. They can repel small lumps of iron that are not filled with mana with just their bare strength.

 At first, they were flustered because they had made the first move, but it was true that if they continued like this, they would be able to repel the machines in a normal way. And that was when I thought so. A person appeared on the battlefield where bullets were flying around.

"This is it. Take a good look."

 A golden glow enveloped the person's body as it stretched out its hand toward the sky. What appeared was a six-meter tall full-body armor. No, at that size, could it be a boarding type, like a tank or a fighter plane?

 In the next moment, the golden gigantic body disappeared, and the image was interrupted there.

“Is that all? Sorry, but, with justーー"

"This is... a surprise."

 Glenn's muttering drowned out Frega's tensionless voice. Winneria, who was next to me, gave me a look, which she changed from her sleepy demeanor.

“King of Water. I would like to ask you, who is one of the most powerful people in this room. What do you think of this weapon?"

"...A threat. If we're going to face this, we might as well think of it as facing a dragon."

 The presence of those seated around the round table shook.

"Yes. That's right. Our mages were of the same opinion as the King of Water. The most amazing thing is that this is a weapon that can be handled by anyone. What do you think if they could mass produce it?"

"With all due respect, this is clearly not a scientific weapon, but a magical tool. How can you say that anyone can handle it?"

"Hmph. These are fanatics who would willingly give up their lives for the sake of their faith, you know? Even if it takes a million lives to use this weapon, they will surely fulfill the conditions."

 Grenia rephrased Sharna's opinion that it is not a magical tool but a weapon. The ogre, especially the horned ogre, relies on power, but it is only power as an individual. But Grenia seems to believe in power without distinction.

 ……It’s kind of an unpleasant flow.

 Winneria opened her mouth with an unusually serious face.

"......So what are we going to do about it?"

"What a serious remark with a sleepy face. Of course we should take action against this weapon."

“I also agree with that opinion. But if we assume that these magic tools can be mass-produced, it's not so easy, right? Or can your country mass-produce a weapon that can be used against it?"

"Unfortunately not, but we have the means to produce them."

 Glenn's eyes narrowed.

"May I ask how it is done?"

"It's simple. We just need to catch the manufacturer."

 Frega shrugs her shoulders in amazement.

“I like simple stories as much as the next guy, but what are we going to do after we catch them if we're not prepared to go up against them?"

"Hmph. Why do you think they made this?"

"Eh?"

"Don't you see it? This weapon is far too advance. Most of their weapons are based on simple reactions of matter. But this is different. It's simply of a different order of magnitude, or dimension."

“In other words, someone else made it? That's just a guess... ah!?"

 The place fell silent.

"Yes. We know that there are beings who create weapons that are beyond our comprehension. Why are magic tools called magic tools instead of tools? It is because none of us can truly create magic tools. The magic tools that we can create are at best of B rank in terms of classification, and even though there are beings like my mother who sometimes create magic tools that are classified as A rank, no one has succeeded in creating magic tools of S rank. I am sure you are aware that the situation is similar for spatial magic tools. Then, why are there excellent magic tools in circulation? That's right, the Anne Chamber of Commerce.

 Everyone at the round table looked at Glenn and me.

"The members are unknown. The country and base of operations are unknown. The number of years in business is unknown. The only thing we do know is that the head of this mysterious trading company is a person called Anne, a great merchant, and that she occasionally supplies various nations, and sometimes individuals, with very fine magic tools."

"You mean to say that this magic tool was also supplied to them by Anne?"

“It is highly possible. Otherwise, it would be strange that we left such an influential trading company unattended until now."

"But isn't that inevitable?"

 Grenia openly laughed at Sharna's remarks.

"No one and no nation should ever touch the Anne Chamber of Commerce, eh?"

 An unwritten rule that has existed on this continent for a long time. At the mention of it, Grenia's hawk-like eyes looked at Glenn and then at me.

 I almost press my hands to my temples, but I stop myself with reason.

 Damn it, Shudoji, you should at least hold the reins of your children.

"I wonder who made up this unwritten rule that's been around for so long?"

"At least it wasn't us."

 Glenn responded with a calm look on his face, and Grenia smiled a friendly smile.

"That's good to know. Then I have a proposal. Let's put an end to the history of the Anne Chamber of Commerce by mobilizing all the power of all the nations that are here. And all of its power will be ours.”

"Don't!"

"No!"

 Sharna's face turned pale and she held her chest as her mana leaked out unintentionally. The others remained calm, at least on the surface, as they had no intention of being intimidated.

 A bit of curiosity led me to check, the guild's representative, an elf, was also still maintaining the blank expression that had been on her face since the meeting began.

 ......Or rather, why cat ears? No, that's okay for now. I shake off my stupid sister's hobby that popped into my head.

"I take this opportunity to formally state that the Kingdom of Water should respect the ancient unwritten rules. We should not poke around in the bushes at a time of unprecedented crisis."

"The Kingdom of Fire supports the opinion of the Kingdom of Water. The Anne Chamber of Commerce has done a great job in bringing great progress to mankind. We should not make the mistake of making enemies by framing them with false accusations that may or may not be true."

"The Kingdom of the Earth asks both nations to reconsider. If you still do not change your mind, our nation alone will strike the trading company, but we will ask for your tacit approval."

“The Kingdom of Light hopes that the nations will align themselves to defeat the Daimaou. We should refrain from acting arbitrarily and without regard to the will of the nations."

"You little girl is only a representative, so keep your mouth shut."

"...You're also a representative, right?"

 Whoa, she managed to deflect the pressure from Grenia. For a little human girl, she's pretty good. If she trains for another 50 years or so, she might be able to at least match up to Winneria.

“Sharna is the representative of the Kingdom of Light and you are the representative of the Kingdom of Earth. Can you stop these provocations?"

"Hmph. Stop? I don't want to be told by a country that has been doing stupid fights for hundreds of years."

“What you just said, I won't overlook that.”

"I am also offended."

 Frega and Winneria bit at Grenia's comment this time.

“This is useless… haa.”

 I let out a small sigh. When I looked up, I saw that my eyes met Glenn's. His eyes, always gentle, had turned sharp and stern. Perhaps I have a similar look on my face.

 Norosteadam. A mysterious magic tool. Impersonation of the Daimaou. The Anne Chamber of Commerce. Andーー

"Aquim Bonvoul."

 I remember the time when I was forced to combine consciousness with incredibly advanced magic.

 The eyes of that girl who has long since treated me as her sister. Perhaps that one is at the center of these events, just as she was in the past.

 After all………… I have to meet her.

 My heart skipped a beat as I recalled the dream I had this morning.

 Mother. What are you doing now?