Chapter 27 : DIABLO (2)
Chapter 27
Diablo
The visit by the senior leaders proceeded smoothly.
Empress Ophilis XIV toured Diablo's mana crystal mines, producing photographs for the newspapers that sent shockwaves through the global mana crystal energy industry.
From Rafinya's perspective, however, she felt that this visit was not quite fulfilling.
Put simply, it felt more like touring an industrial estate than getting to know a way of life.
What made her so certain of that?
Because she had been observing for a while now. Apart from the Demon King's official delegation, there were no other Diablo anywhere to be seen.
Looking further out into the distance, the real country of Diablo remained a mystery in her eyes.
If one could cross the mountains that formed the backdrop of this city... that would be the real Diablo.
The Empress and her delegation met with the Demon King and his royal heirs inside his palace.
High-ranking Diablo soldiers were present for the occasion in a manner befitting its importance. The atmosphere was tense and commanding.
Nora looked left and right to survey her surroundings. This place reminded her of the ship she had once been aboard. It was not a human-built structure. It looked like a dark lord's castle, with something organic woven into its architecture. The support columns and framework appeared to be made from bone. The walls had a texture resembling tissue and sinew.
Now this was more like Diablo.
Nora thought.
Paul stole a glance. He was quite surprised that Princess Nora seemed remarkably unfazed by her first encounter with the Diablo, as though she had already had some prior experience.
The Demon King and the Empress sat on opposite sides of the great conference hall, with the press area arranged before them.
Both signed the official mana crystal trade treaty. A white quill pen touched down on two identical documents, one on each side. One bearing the Demon King's signature, the other bearing the signature of Empress Ophilis XIV.
It was now official. From this day forward, Snowhaven would be Diablo's formal partner.
Both leaders rose and met in the center, shaking hands warmly before turning to display the signed agreements to the press for documentation.
Each took their seat facing the journalists, maintaining the bearing of supreme leaders, ready to field questions from media representatives of various kingdoms who were waiting to interview them.
"This visit from Snowhaven has impressed upon me that the people of Snowhaven possess absolutely no ability to age whatsoever."
Laughter erupted from the press corps when the Demon King Byleth said that.
Princess Nora, watching from behind, observed and studied. She was rather surprised that the Demon King could employ humor to lighten the mood. His demeanor bore a strong resemblance to that of a human politician like President Fofana.
Or perhaps that was something he had learned from his dealings with humans?
"I am deeply pleased that this cooperation with Snowhaven will serve as the first gateway to positive relations with humanity. The Empress understands this better than anyone. She is a brilliant and courageous leader, and I am firmly convinced that this alliance will bring prosperity to both our nations."
His voice sounded friendly and smooth, sitting somewhere between Fury's reserved gravity and Everton's chatty polish.
And looking toward the senior press corps, these were the same people who had been here ten years ago. Judging from their demeanor, Nora could say one thing with certainty: the humans feared the Demon King far less than they feared his eldest son.
"Now that Diablo has opened its borders, will you be welcoming people from all nations, Your Majesty?"
"We welcome humans from every kingdom, though we do have regulations that must be followed. Those who receive authorization will be permitted to reside within our industrial zone."
In other words, Diablo had designated a portion of its territory as an industrial zone. Humans would be allowed to enter here.
But they would not be permitted access to the rest of the continent.
To put it another way: you were granted freedom only within the area the nation had set aside for you, and the real Diablo populace would not show themselves.
Each side kept to its own.
"Your Majesty, signing a cooperation agreement with Snowhaven means Diablo will gain control over a primary energy source of the world. How can the remaining human kingdoms be assured that Diablo will not use mana crystal as a weapon of coercion in the event of future political disputes?"
"Snowhaven possesses its own mana crystal resources. Velmount and Luminus have their own mines as well. We are not the sole player in the energy market. I maintain that competition still exists in the market, and its mechanisms will balance things out for all of us."
A masterful deflection.
Nora thought.
"Your Majesty, there are concerns among several scholars that Snowhaven is becoming dangerously over-reliant on Diablo's raw resources. What guarantees does this treaty contain to ensure that Diablo cannot suddenly cut off the resource supply should Snowhaven take any action contrary to your interests?"
The journalist directed this at the Empress, who answered.
"Our cooperation with Diablo does not replace our domestic energy reserves or our agreements with other kingdoms. We have not shifted our production base to depend on their resources. Rather, we have gained their resources as an additional channel for our industry. We have established a system that is fair to both parties before a single drop of mana crosses our borders."
Cold, direct, and final. Befitting an Empress.
"Your Majesty, people suspect that this industrial zone is a Trojan horse. They believe it is a method for Diablo to covertly study human technology in order to undermine the economies of various nations in the long run. How would you respond to such accusations?"
"History is not driven by bitter suspicion but by mutual interest. The treaty we signed today has clearly defined boundaries. If any land truly believes this cooperation poses a threat to its own security, it has every right to refuse our mana crystal. But the fact that all of us have gathered here today proves that we all desire energy progress to power our lives. I believe that is far more important than the wounds of the past. Diablo is extending a historic opportunity for shared prosperity. We are here to do business... not war."
If this was not a masterclass in handling a press conference, Nora did not know what to call it.
And she knew without a doubt that that very line would become a headline in newspapers around the world.
[We are here to do business, not war.]
The Demon King chose to respond from a fascinating angle. Reframing the narrative toward rational self-interest would go a long way in reducing public suspicion, even though he had not denied in the slightest that Diablo desired human technology.
"Your Majesty, what happens to human workers who overstay their permits or inadvertently cross into restricted demon territory? Will they be treated as undocumented foreign labor, or as enemy spies? And if a Diablo citizen were to intrude upon and attack the human zone, what would Diablo do? Would you allow human governments to conduct inspections to ensure justice? Whose laws would be applied?"
"Your question strikes at the very core of this cooperation, which is the sanctity of law. Allow me to address each point for the sake of public clarity."
First, on the matter of boundary violations. This economic industrial zone was designed with clear signage and demarcation. Crossing the border without special authorization documents constituted a severe violation of sovereignty. However, they maintained screening procedures in line with international standards. If a preliminary investigation determined that the crossing was merely careless wandering, the individual would be given a warning by their soldiers. But should it happen again, the individual would be deported and permanently blacklisted.
However, should evidence of data theft or espionage attempts be found, Diablo would enforce its highest national security laws immediately, without exception.
Second, should there be any confrontation or intrusion from the demon side into the human zone, he wished to make clear that Diablo's laws controlled their population absolutely and decisively. Should any radical group or individual violate the Emperor's command and cause harm to human investors, the Diablo government would bear full responsibility for all actual damages incurred. The perpetrators would face the maximum penalty under Diablo law, which he could proudly say was far more severe and swifter than that of any human land.
Nora heard the sound of someone swallowing hard.
Finally, on the matter of jurisdiction and oversight. Within this industrial zone, they operated under a special Joint Legal Framework, drafted in collaboration with human partners, to handle general business and labor disputes. However, should a serious criminal case arise that affected national security, every square inch of this territory remained Diablo's sovereign soil. They would not permit foreign forces or officials to conduct independent investigations on their land. That said, they were willing to establish a "Joint Transparency Committee" to share evidence and judicial proceedings with human governments at every stage.
We have opened our doors for business... and business can only thrive when the rules are clear and no one stands above the law.
An hour after the press conference concluded,
the reception banquet for Empress Ophilis XIV was held as scheduled.
Diablo ate entirely different food from humans, which made it impossible for a welcoming banquet to be held together if meat were involved.
However, the team behind the scenes had found one point of common ground between Diablo and human diets.
That was "fresh fruit."
Diablo was a land exceptionally suited for cultivating fresh fruit, and they consumed it nearly year-round.
Especially for the people of Snowhaven, hailing from the coldest reaches of the north where they had scarcely ever seen fruit in their lives, it was deeply impressive.
And so it astonished Nora that the Empress's welcome banquet overflowed with fruit of every color, arranged in extravagant abundance.
Believe it or not, sources confirmed that Diablo did not know how to crossbreed fruit across species.
That meant everything Nora saw here was 100% natural produce.
No additives. No external interference. It was produce of extraordinary purity, with that tart bite clinging to the tip of the tongue that real fruit ought to have.
Zentinel should start to worry.
Rafinya Saint Pauli remained at Princess Nora Ophilis's side throughout the entire banquet, watching the Diablo soldiers standing in rigid formation on security detail, and the floating one-eyed masses of flesh drifting about in the distance... each holding an orange.
The sound of heavy footsteps passed by. It was Prince Fury and his guard, Freya.
Both girls watched them without blinking. But in Freya's eyes, what she saw were two puppies gazing at their father with wide, longing eyes.
They had barely interacted all day because Fury had been at his father's side almost the entire time. Only during the press sessions and moments like this did their orbits briefly align.
Princess Nora Ophilis and Rafinya Saint Pauli pinched the edges of their skirt and trousers respectively and curtsied.
"Prince Fury."
He paused beside them, and their first real conversation began.
"How has it been? Your first steps on this land?"
The layered resonance of his throat spoke,
"Does it feel like home?"
"...A little different from what we imagined."
Rafinya said.
"I never expected you'd be able to build a city so close to ours."
"Quite a surprise, isn't it?"
Rafinya nodded.
"This is the industrial zone we built for the opening of the nation. Tomorrow is when we will take the Empress to see the real Diablo."
"So... the real thing is beyond that mountain, isn't it, Mr. Fury?"
"That's right."
Fury pointed toward the window. The spot he indicated was where a great mountain separated this zone from the actual Diablo homeland.
"The real thing is behind there."
It was only a brief exchange, but unbeknownst to them, someone at the event had begun to notice the three of them engaged in conversation.
And Paul nudged Empress Ophilis XIV.
"...Your Majesty..."
He whispered near her ear while she and the Demon King were still answering questions from the press.
When she turned and saw her own daughter standing and chatting with the towering black-and-red creature, the mother's eyes froze.