CH 145

Chapter 145 – Tea Time With Ms. Zamir

I left Danan and Sir Leonard, who had some business to attend to, and went outside the lord’s mansion. Sometimes it’s good to walk alone. It was quite intense last night… and I wonder where everyone went. It’s a new experience to wake up and find no one around.

“Um, Ms. Zamir?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you following me?”

“Because if I let you out of my sight and you get kidnapped again, I won’t be able to live anymore.”

The reptilian eyes, unreadable and emotionless, stare at me. In her hand, she held a long jumonji spear with a long blade that reflected the dazzling sunlight, attracting the attention of the people around her.

“That spear belongs to General Zamir, right?”

“What about it?”

“That mithril glow… must have been made by a famous smith.”

I’m sorry, that’s like a factory-made product… But when did Ms. Zamir become known as a general? Well, it’s no surprise that she’s called that since she and Sir Leonard were in charge of the strike force that took over the South.

“Well, that doesn’t mean that you can’t live…?”

When I received this Meteor, I swore that I would protect you as well as the Princess. However, I was so embarrassed that I let Qubi outsmart me and kidnap you… If it happens again, I won’t be able to live comfortably.”

“No, please don’t kill yourself or anything like that. I’ll cry if I come back and they say you took responsibility and committed suicide.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. You have to protect not only my body but my heart as well, I beg you.”

“Heart too…”

Ms. Zamir’s eyes widened. Fufu, I told her something good, didn’t I?

“So, am I going to be in your harem too…? It’s a bit too much for my race, being an… oviparous.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It means don’t lose your life because of excessive self-sacrifice or sense of mission.”

“I see.”

In fact, Ms. Zamir is probably a real clumsy person outside of combat… This thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head and dismissed the thought. If anything, I had a feeling that the problem was with my work.

That’s right, Sylphy, Isla, the Harpies, Melty, Grande, and even Ellen, who isn’t here… Yeah, they can’t argue with that, even if you think I’m a pink-headed stud. It’s not your fault, Ms. Zamir.

“Where are you going, by the way?”

“I don’t have any particular purpose; I want to ask for advice on what to do, but all my advisors are out, so I’m just wandering around looking for them.”

“Advice?”

“Yeah, I’d like to do something to move things along, but I don’t want to do anything on my own, you know? So I thought I’d consult with Sylphy, Melty, and Isla. Danan and Sir Leonard seemed to be busy as well.”

“I see. Would you like to hear about it from me? Maybe I can help you with that.”

I heard that Ms. Zamir was very active in the pacification of the south, so she is a perfect person to consult.

“Then, I’ll ask you for it. But with that spear in your hand, we can’t just go to any random store to talk about it… Oh, that place looks good.”

I found what looked like an open cafe, so I headed over there. It might be a good idea to put Ms. Zamir’s Meteor on a nearby wall, though.

“Why don’t we just go back to the lord’s house?”

“We’ve come all this way, so why not take advantage of these stores? I’m interested in the menu.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. What would you like to drink, Ms. Zamir?”

“Anything, as long as it’s not alcohol.”

“Let’s have iced tea then. I want to order, please.”

I ordered two iced lemon teas and some tea snacks from the cat-eared lady who came to take my order. Shortly after, the cat-eared waitress brought us iced lemon tea poured into an opaque glass. The tea snacks seemed to come a little later.

I took a sip of the iced lemon tea, moistened my mouth, and started talking.

“I’ve just heard from Danan and Sir Leonard about the current situation to some extent. It’s a stalemate, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s true. It’s not looking good.”

“So I was wondering if there was anything I could do to move the situation along. Specifically, I was wondering if I could do something to help Ellen, the saint of truth.”

“The saint…? What does that mean?”

“If we want things to work the way we want to, it would be most convenient for the saint and the nostalgic faction to which she belongs to gain power in the Holy Kingdom, wouldn’t it? In the end, the reason why the Holy Kingdom turned against the Merinard Kingdom is largely due to the Adelian doctrine.”

“That’s true. They have a doctrine of human supremacy.”

“Ellen’s nostalgic faction is questioning that. They say that there are signs that the doctrine of Adel has been drastically altered in the past. If that’s true, there’s a high possibility that it could be a blow to the current mainstream of human supremacy.”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. But if that’s the case, will the Holy Kingdom immediately change their human supremacy and return the territory of the Merinard Kingdom? I highly doubt it.”

Ms. Zamir closed her eyes and shook her head.

“When I was born, the Holy Kingdom already had a human supremacy policy. They have been taught from the time they were born that subhumans should serve humans and that humans are a superior species that should be treated and used above all others. People don’t change their minds that easily.”

“So you think what Ellen is trying to do is pointless?”

“No, I don’t think so. It is a good thing for us that there are forces among our opponents that are friendly to us, and it is in our interest that these forces gain momentum. However, if the balance of power between the mainstream and the nostalgic factions within Adelian is disrupted, then…”

“And then?”

“I think there will probably be an internal struggle before we can reconcile with them. If that happens, will the forces belonging to the saint be able to compete with the mainstream?”

Ms. Zamir tilted her head. Fumu?

“Isn’t it hard to imagine that they would physically eliminate them regardless of their pretense? They may be from different factions, but they are still citizens of the same country and believers in the same Adel religion, right?”

“I wish that were the case, but… both the current Holy King of the Holy Kingdom and the Pope of the Adel religion are mainstream factions. In some cases, the nostalgic faction may be exposed to severe suppression. Perhaps the nostalgic faction is approaching our Liberation Army in anticipation of this.”

“Are they trying to use us as a fighting force in an internal conflict?”

“We can’t deny that possibility. In that case, we would have the advantage of helping them.”

“Is there any advantage? No, in that case, I would definitely want to help Ellen and the others.”

Basically, getting involved in the internal strife of another country, even a religious one, seems like a foolish thing to do, like jumping into a quagmire of war.

“If we can get them in, we will have a window of opportunity to communicate with the Adel religion, or the Holy Kingdom, through official channels. In addition, the neighboring countries that feel threatened by the human supremacy of the Holy Kingdom and the Adel religion will also be able to support the Adel religion’s faction that has a harmonious philosophy toward subhumans. This is especially true if their legitimacy can be proven to some extent by past documents. We will be able to acquire human resources that we can use to negotiate with other countries. Human priests have a high level of social credibility.”

“I see; that’s one way of thinking about it.”

In other words, there is a certain amount of merit for the Liberation Army to get along with Ellen and the others. If there is anything we can do, we should try it.

“In that case, the best thing to do would be to find the old Adelian scriptures in the ruins of the Omit Kingdom.”

“I suppose so. Fortunately, the Great Omit Wilderness is our sphere of influence. I think we’ll get some results sooner or later.”

“Maybe my abilities will come in handy when it comes to digging up the ground.”

“…Yes, but Kosuke-dono is the key to our Liberation Army’s supply line. I don’t want you to do anything too dangerous.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I can sit idly by every day in Erichburg. I have Grande now, and if I ask her to help me, I can do anything I want about transportation…”

Moving, moving, huh? I’ve been thinking about developing an alternative means of transportation to the horse-drawn carriage. Hmm, considering the overall efficiency, is it better to proceed with the development of the means of transportation first?

It wouldn’t be good to use Grande too conveniently, either. She doesn’t belong to the Liberation Army. She’s only cooperating with me as a personal favor to me.

“It’s not good to be too impatient. It’s times like this that you have to think calmly and logically and move efficiently.”

“That’s right. Everything should not be done in a hurry.”

“Thank you, Ms. Zamir. That was very useful.”

“No, I’m glad I could help you.”

Based on what I’ve heard from Ms. Zamir, I’m going to discuss it at length with Sylphy, Melty, and Isla tonight.

After that, I spent some time chatting with Ms. Zamir normally while eating the tea cakes that were brought to us. We talked about what I had seen in the Black Forest and the workbench I had recently built.

“I wish you could make my Meteor even stronger…?”

I may have been careless in mentioning the granting workbench…! I’d like to note here that it took a lot of effort to appease Ms. Zamir, who came at me with a keen eye.