Chapter 142
Rocking in the carriage for only a few minutes… The fact that they sent a carriage to pick me up even at this short distance shows just how highly they must be valuing me.
Lemia-jou most likely has already reported last night’s incident.
If so, then it’s safe to assume they’ve acknowledged our strength fully.
“…U-Um.”
“What is it, Knight Commander-dono?” (Rue)
“Could I… M-May I ask your name?” (Kres)
“Rue-ja. This time, I came in place of Seimu, who wished to avoid ‘deep involvement with the royal family.’” (Rue)
“…Understood. Rue-dono.” (Kres)
I do feel a slight pang in my chest. But regarding the announcement of obtaining the Dungeon Core… Why must Seimu or the Brigade’s existence be made public? I still can’t understand it.
…Whether the report is false or not, by next year they’ll be forced to know the answer anyway. Once the spring harvest exceeds expectations by a wide margin, no one will doubt it.
Well…considering how many nobles have abandoned their rural lands and gathered in Lindblum, I suppose not everyone is going to celebrate with open arms.
The introduction of the key figures and involved parties is necessary to satisfy them as well.
“This country still has…quite a few issues left unresolved, it seems…” (Rue)
Muttering that to myself, we arrived at the royal castle.
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Once at the castle, I was immediately ushered into the audience chamber.
The room had already been cleared, leaving only the Queen, Kokuri-san, and Commander Kres present.
Should I kneel or not…? …Let’s kneel on purpose.
“I am Rue, who oversees the Brigade. It is an honor to receive your summons today-ja.” (Rue)
I walked a few steps down the red carpet, knelt before the Queen on the platform, and offered the bow of a retainer.
Partly to see how she would respond.
“…Please raise your head.” (Eltosia)
“…That did not sound like something a ruler should say.” (Rue)
“Even so, please raise it, Rue-dono.” (Eltosia)
Even upon our first meeting, this person at the top of the nation addresses me with respect.
As expected, Shizuma was not mistaken.
Our lord, who chose to put down roots in this nation, did not choose wrong.
Just a single exchange of words is enough to feel that.
“…Is it fear of our strength, or consideration born of gratitude? Either way, Your Majesty has earned from me the title of ‘good ruler.’” (Rue)
“…That is…humbling. In this moment, as the head of this nation, I recognize that I am standing before a hero who commands and shelters the warriors who saved our future. Hearing such words from you truly makes me want to breathe a sigh of relief.” (Eltosia)
I weaken the air of intimidation around us just a little.
It’s clear the top of this nation has no intent to stand against us at the very least.
“First, I thank you for coming all this way, Rue-dono. Because of you and the members of the Brigade, our country’s future has been saved. But more than that, due to…internal issues within our country, we intend to reveal your existence. I wish to apologize for that first.” (Eltosia)
“I do not mind. You allowed Seimu to step back and accepted me -someone nearly unrelated- as his replacement. That alone is already more than enough concession.” (Rue)
“To hear you say that is an honor. Thanks to your side, we were able to keep the damages of this conflict to a minimum… Though I must admit, we never imagined you possessed the Dungeon Core from the Golda side as well.” (Eltosia)
“That surprised us as well at the time. Who would’ve thought one of our members, Shilent, was a summoned Hero from another world, and that immediately after being summoned, he killed the Dungeon Master who summoned him? When I first heard it, I doubted my own ears.” (Rue)
“That is understandable. But once you obtained that first Dungeon Core, did you not suspect something, and then seek further cores?” (Eltosia)
“A little different. At the time, Seimu, who was our vice-captain, heard Shilent’s story and concluded, ‘Dungeons are evil beings that ignore a person’s will and abduct them to another world.’ But since Shilent told us the core itself had the power to enrich the land, he thought we might prevent conflicts over cores by using one to restore the southern lands of this continent -that is, Lendia.” (Rue)
“What… So you challenged the dungeon from the very beginning for the sake of peace?” (Eltosia)
“No, that was Seimu acting on his own-ja. But we supported that thinking. Originally, Seimu was someone who traveled to give a dear friend a new homeland. And now that he obtained this core, he decided not only to move to this country but also to acquire a certain social position. As the Brigade, losing both our vice-captain and a promising young talent is a painful blow…but if they wish to put down roots here, we cannot object. In that case, the only thing left for me is to reduce the problems of my friend’s new homeland and determine whether this country is truly trustworthy… That is all.-ja” (Rue)
“So that is…the true reason you offered the core to our nation.” (Eltosia)
“That is correct.” (Rue)
“And moreover, you’ve already resolved one of our national issues…the refugee relocation problem, and the crimes and human trafficking tied to it?” (Eltosia)
“No, that was just how things unfolded-ja. But Seimu seemed to have anticipated such problems occurring. I was on guard as well.” (Rue)
“In fact, just as you suspected, many refugees were found in the warehouse district. We were moments away from being labeled a ‘monstrous nation that destroys its enemies and sells their citizens as slaves.’” (Eltosia)