Heavenly Castle

Kneeling, I quietly examined the young man in front of me.

A black-haired youth with foreign features from a land unknown to me, his attire also looked peculiar. And quite the opposite, the two beautiful ladies that stood at his sides had graceful looks and posture that clearly spoke of royal blood that coursed through their veins.

And for an escort, he had an elven mage. At a glance that lineup indeed could make one believe in the claims of royalty.

However, it wasn’t information one can easily accept.

Diego aside, but Rabia shouldn’t be that easy to trick, yet he suggested providing them assistance without the tiniest bit of doubt.

Just what is it that he saw and heard.

Were I to make a wrong choice here, it will ultimately decide my future course of action. And if their words are true and I will be able to get the connection with foreign royalty, and moreover, the one from the Heavenly Country, the one that currently is the biggest topic among the merchants, that would surely lead to great profits.

Truly, a critical moment.

Resolving myself I began probing for information between me and the youth that called himself king of the Heavenly Country.

「......According to what I have heard from Rabia, Your Majesty wishes for an audience with the King of our country, but why attempt to set it up while concealing your own status? Were you to reveal the glorious name of your country, surely the gates will swing open by themselves with a grand welcome awaiting.」

When asked, the young man slightly inclined his head to the side with an awkward smile.

「I wanted to avoid drawing attention......」

「Attention...... Should I take it as Your Majesty not wanting to make known your country’s involvement in the affairs of other states?」

「Ah, well, something of that sort.」

I asked question after question, prepared to be seen as slightly rude, but on the contrary, the young man gave vague answers with a somewhat apologetic face. Judging by that expression he doesn’t seem to be lying.

I see. Indeed, were it to become known that the king of the Heavenly Country, that is said to eclipse even that Blau Empire, visited our king, it will become a source of all kinds of speculations.

That would be sufficient to cause chaos in neighboring countries.

However, isn’t it precisely the use of that great influence that leads to gains of national interest?

「......A mere strong statement from Your Majesty should be enough to make most of the demands come true.」

「But that would be pitiful. I would prefer to utilize words first, and upon coming to an understanding, make an agreement that would satisfy both sides.」

「......Agreement? Is it as one would expect preferential trading rights with Karluk Kingdom, which is said to possess everything......」

「Ah, no no. I’m not that troubled with commodities. I just wanted to make a firm request for improvement to the inexcusable treatment of slaves.」

After saying that, the young man made a slightly embarrassed smile.

Consequently, my thinking involuntarily stopped.

Improvement in labor conditions for slaves.

It was because it seemed, like the young man in front of me just said this. Making sure that my face won’t cramp, I carefully try to confirm it.

「...Treatment of slaves... In what fashion might that be...?」

When asked, the youth frowned, creating a wrinkle between his brows, and hummed.

「Well, let’s see... Putting it simply, to stop forcing slavery on abducted people or putting false charges on innocent people to make slaves out of them...... Ah, and also, guarantee basic living standards for the people that became slaves and prohibition of abuse for example...... And also......」

Looking at the young man that kept spewing such jokes in between his hmms I barely contained myself from screaming that it’s impossible.

Slaves are profitable because with their price they can be treated as expendables. Moreover, there is already a severe slave deficit, making abductions run rampant, were they to prohibit even that, many slave traders will end up on the streets.

No, in the first place, with slave trade being the core of its economy there was no doubt that Karluk Kingdom would have none of this. 𝘧𝗿ee𝚠𝙚𝙗𝑛o𝚟𝐞l.𝐜૦𝗺

A head of state coming with unreasonable demands.

With those thoughts in my mind, I raised the corners of my mouth.

「......I see. I grasped the situation. This Sieg fully understood the extent of your sentiments.」

「Eh, really? Well, I guess people can reach an understanding by talking.」

Hearing my words the young man smiled with his whole face.

Yes, there is no mistake.

This is the start of an invasion into Karluk Kingdom by Heavenly Country, which has already proved itself as a great military power.

Merely probing to see how much Karluk Kingdom will struggle and how much it’s willing to compromise against absolutely unacceptable terms.

A number of options can be taken from here, so it’s hard to narrow down the outcome.

But in the end, Heavenly Country will surely gain far exceeding profits. In that case, which side should I take?

Deeply lowering my head, I speak.

「As your Majesty wills it, I will definitely make an audience happen.」

When I gave such a reply, the young man...... No, Taiki-sama, nodded with a delighted smile.