“Besides, there are countries like ours that haven’t even signed the Mankind Declaration,” I said. “On top of that, if you try to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries, that will breed discontent, which could, in the worst case, lead to war.”
“I agree with you,” said Jeanne. “What’s more, we don’t have all the relevant information about demons and monsters available to us. With so many uncertain factors, it’s dangerous to rush to any conclusions.”
In the end, it was decided that the Empire and kingdom would continue to discuss this problem.
We called the bureaucrats back in, and the conference continued until it was getting to be late at night. Around this time of day, people would start to get hungry.
Jeanne was an important guest from another country, so normally I should probably have held a banquet for her, but time was precious to both of us, so I’d decided we would eat at the conference.
That called for something we could eat as we worked, so I’d decided to serve Jeanne and her entourage a certain type of bun I was debating whether or not to spread throughout the country.
When Jeanne ate that bun, her reaction was…
“This is incredible! It seems wrong to put a staple food on another staple food, but once you dig in, the two contrasting textures are a perfect match. The tomato sauce gives it a nice tangy flavor. What’s more, by putting a dish that you would normally eat with a plate and a form on a bun, it lets us eat it using just one hand! My hat’s off to you for that idea! What a marvel!”
…she praised it without holding back.
Did you think it was a sandwich? Too bad; it was a spaghetti bun.
The truth was, I’d wanted to make a yakisoba bun, but I just couldn’t seem to replicate that thick sauce. That was why I’d used pasta and tomato sauce, both of which already existed in this world, to create a spaghetti bun. By the way, I hadn’t given up on replicating the sauce; Poncho was researching it at this very moment.
“When I first saw it, I questioned your sanity, but it really is good,” said Liscia.
“Neither bread nor pasta is new, but it’s quite a novel experience to eat them together like this,” said Hakuya.
Liscia and Hakuya seemed to be enjoying them, as well.
Now that the food crisis was more or less solved, I thought that, rather than off-the-wall ideas like gelin udon, it might be nice to spread some dishes from Earth instead. Developing our culinary traditions would improve our country’s brand power and image, and could also lead to an influx of foreign money.
Now, as for Aisha, the one most likely to dig into these sorts of new dishes with gusto…
“Om, nom, nom!”
Even as she stood behind me as my bodyguard, she was busily scarfing down spaghetti buns.
Wait, hold on, Aisha, I thought. Just how many have you eaten?
What had once been a mountain of buns on the plate had now been reduced to less than a hill. Even at a time like this, the hungry dark elf was the same as ever.
Once we had finished eating our buns and taken a short break, Jeanne broached the issue we had met to discuss. “Hmm… Now then, do you think it’s about time we moved onto the topic of your occupation of Van? The Empire’s position is that, in adherence with the Mankind Declaration, we cannot accept border changes brought about by the use of military force. We demand that the Elfrieden Kingdom return Van and the region surrounding it to the Principality of Amidonia.”
“The kingdom’s position is that we can’t accept that demand,” I said. “The Principality of Amidonia were the aggressors in this conflict. I think we’re justified in our actions, no?”
“You could also be seen as having induced them to act, you realize?” Jeanne asked.
“They’ve done plenty to interfere in our internal affairs,” I replied. “It’s not right for them to complain as soon as we turn the tables on them. Is the Empire fine with that? If you accept their outrageous behavior, both signatories and non-signatories to the Mankind Declaration will take you lightly from here on.”
“Yes, they will,” said Jeanne. “That is why the Empire is prepared to force Amidonia to pay suitable reparations. In this matter, I think the Empire has no choice but to punish both sides.”
Well, yeah… I figured that would be your response, I thought.
Because Amidonia was a signatory of the Mankind Declaration, the Empire had no choice but to stand by their side and demand Elfrieden return their territory. But if they allowed Amidonia to get away with their outrageous behavior, it would invite the other signatories to act with impunity, which would create resistance from the non-signatories. That meant they needed to impose harsh penalties on Amidonia, in order to keep the other signatory states in line. The Empire had the power to do just that.
I looked at Jeanne, as if testing her. “And if we don’t comply, you will resort to military force?”
“It is not my preferred method… but if the need arises, I will have no choice,” said Jeanne. “At this moment, the number of troops the Empire has brought is equal to your Royal Army, but I am confident that we have the power to annihilate the forces of both kingdom and principality at the same time, if need be.”
The Anti-Magic Armor Corps, the griffon squadrons, and the rhinosauruses carrying cannons… I recalled the many troop types they had which would be powerful when fighting against castle walls. There was no hint of boasting in Jeanne’s words.
“…I’ll bet you could,” I said. “We don’t want to fight, either.” I rested my elbows on the table, crossing my fingers in front of my mouth. “That’s why I’d like to sort out each of our intentions here.”
“Our intentions, you say?” asked Jeanne.
“Yes,” I replied. “The Empire doesn’t want to recognize border changes. That’s why you’re asking that the kingdom return Van. Correct?”
“…Yes. That’s right.” Jeanne nodded.
Having confirmed the Empire’s intent, I continued, “Now, as for our intent, we want to reduce the power of the Principality of Amidonia, which continues to engage in hostile actions towards our country, In order to ensure that they can’t influence our country again. Furthermore, we want them to pay for invading us. We took Van to exact that cost.”
“…I see,” said Jeanne. “Then you have no particular desire to hold Van. In other words, an unconditional return of the city is out of the question, but if the principality pays a suitable price, you are prepared to return it.”
It was good to see that she was quick on the uptake. When I nodded, Jeanne turned a harsh glance towards me. “Will you demand Sir Julius’s head?”
“That’s hardly going to be worth as much as an entire city,” I said.
“Then… is it money you want?” she asked.
“It is,” I agreed. “If the principality will pay reparations to our country, we will return Van. You yourself said that the Empire would see to it that the principality paid a suitable price for their actions, so that should be perfect, shouldn’t it?”
Looking at it in the long term, turning over territory that could produce wealth indefinitely if managed properly in exchange for a one-time payment was a negative. However, because it had been Amidonian territory until just recently, and taking relations with the Empire into consideration, it wasn’t a bad decision.
Meanwhile, for the Empire, they would have fulfilled their duty to the principality by securing the return of their land, and they could warn the other signatories, “If you act like Amidonia, you may not have your territory seized, but you’re gonna have to pay reparations.” That would, in effect, also help to build trust with the non-signatories.