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Chapter 93: Unofficial Meeting ②

「Next is about the prisoners of war, right?」

「Yes. There are limited options available to us on that matter as well.」

Indeed, considering the reconstruction and migration, I don’t think the Arto Kingdom will have enough food and funds to feed the prisoners. In that case, repatriation would be the only option. However, I wonder if it’s okay to repatriate them without any compensation… Furthermore, I wonder if the Empire will accept to come to the table in the first place.

「If the Arto Kingdom can’t feed the prisoners, it means they will have to be sent back… But if they were sent back as things are now, they might start another war…」

「As you say, Aun. Thus, I would like to ask Princess Luna. Do you think the Emperor will respond to the discussion proposal?」

「To be completely honest, I don’t think he will agree… I think the demons want the two countries to be destroyed. It’s hard to imagine that the brainwashed Emperor would agree to negotiate in any discussions that would favor the Arto Kingdom, even when they have lost the war.」

「Which means… the prisoners will be imposed manual work in the Arto Kingdom, or they will be sent back free of charge…」

「For me, I think it would be better to have them engage in reconstruction work in Alraine. I think the food problem will be severe, but… In the first place, the city was destroyed by the Imperial Army. If we explain clearly to Colonel Jeff Beck, who became the commander of the army, that they would be sent back after the reconstruction is completed, I don’t think there will be a rebellion.」

If the Emperor doesn’t agree to talks, that seems like the best way to go at the moment. The food problem will certainly become severe, but if it’s only for about half a year until the reconstructions are over, it will be possible to overcome it with support from other cities.

Rather, the underlying cause of this problem cannot be solved completely unless we can remove the demons who are controlling the Emperor and the Empire from the shadows.

Ruzark seemed to be thinking the same thing and the topic switched to demons.

「For the time being, let’s consider Princess Luna’s proposal for handling the prisoners of war. I shall do something about the surveillance of the prisoners of war with the royal army’s patrol. Lastly, it’s regarding the demons. Do you know anything about it in detail, Princess Luna?」

「The truth is, I don’t know much about them either. However, my father… The Emperor and the demons meet inside the imperial capital’s castle. I was nearly brainwashed when I visited the Emperor’s room…」

「Which means, we need to infiltrate the deepest part of the castle…」

「Yes… but if your target is the Emperor, there is another method…」

To be honest, it was surprising that Princess Luna would come up with such a proposal.

And of course, assassinating the emperor and making Princess Luna the new emperor would be a less difficult method than defeating the demons.

「…Are you sure? He’s your father, Princess…」

「It can’t be helped. Even though he’s been brainwashed, he’s the one who caused this war. It’s only natural that he should be… punished.」

「First, let’s hear about the “another method”?」

「The Emperor will not leave the castle unless on rare occasions. However, he would most likely attend the gathering of leaders.」

「The Council of the Seven Sphin Nations…」

「Indeed. If you unilaterally set up a war like this and you are absent, you will be giving a bad impression to every other country, and the possibility of internal rebellion from within will increase. As for the demons, they haven’t achieved the results they expected in this war, so I don’t think they will turn to destroying the empire just yet…」Luna.

「The council will be held in three months from now… The emperor would also know that it’s a dangerous place…That means the demons who can’t afford to lose the emperor will also have a high chance of coming there.」

「That’s right. If I expose the internal affairs of the empire and the demons at that gathering, there is a high chance that the other countries will cooperate with us.」

「Three months… It’s barely enough time, but let’s think about how to deal with the situation that would occur at that event, and also dispatch messengers to other countries in advance. In which case, Zen-kun, I would like you to go to Bukyo on a nominated quest. Will you accept?」Ruzark.

「Hmm… There is also something that I have to talk to my master as well, so this is a perfect opportunity. I shall accept that quest.」

「Thank you. We will think a little more about how to deal with demons. Also, I will report the content of this discussion to His Majesty and pass this as the view of the Arto Kingdom. At that time, it will be necessary to convey that the Emperor is being brainwashed by demons, so I ask for your understanding on that. After that, I will propose my attendance at the The Council of the Seven Sphin Nations so that I can have the “right to speak”. I don’t know if this proposal will be accepted, though…」

The conversation has progressed smoothly so far, but in reality there was still a crucial problem that needed to be addressed.

「There is still one problem…」

「Hmm? What is it, Aun?」

「If we were to actually fight the demons directly, we might not be able to win against them.」

At my remark, everyone’s eyes widened.

「Well that is just… I don’t know how to say this, but Aun and others’ combat power is overwhelmingly superior compared to others. You dealt with the Empire’s entire army as an individual and a party…」

「Yeah, but Kinu and Shinku actually fought a demon. Even with all their might, they were only able to inflict light wounds. That’s why we need to increase our combat power…」

「Do you have any means for that?」

「If there is a place in this country where many A-rank or higher monsters can appear, we can raise our level even more. I also thought about the Plainevelt Dungeon, but there are many other adventurers exploring there, and considering the efficiency, it may not be possible to raise our level significantly in a short period of time. If there are other unknown dungeons or places where S-rank monsters appear in this country, I would like to prioritize those.」

In the first place, we can’t raise our level in the Plainevelt dungeon where I’m the dungeon master.

It’s possible to have Quereble train us, but if I talk about that here, it would lead to a lot of trouble, so I’ll keep it a secret. Besides, if I consider fighting the demons in the future, it is necessary to increase my level and stats at this juncture.

Zen, who had been silent until then, spoke up.