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Vol 03 Chapter 105: Kirisians

「Well, well, I’m glad you could come, everyone!」

Abraham welcomed the representative from Lezado, Ainz, and the representative from Nemes. They were at Abraham’s mansion in Gehenna.

The mansion, sarcastically called the 「Abraham Palace」 by the people of Lezado and Nemes, was indeed massive. It was at least bigger and more luxurious than the royal palace of King Rosais’ Country.

「Yes, Lord Abraham, thank you for inviting us today.」

Ainz said, giving Abraham a slight nod. The representative from Nemes also greeted Abraham briefly.

The three of them immediately proceeded to the discussion.

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「Now, I believe you are all aware of the agenda today, we have met here to discuss about King Rosais’ Country. King Rosais is my grandson-in-law. Naturally, I intend to send reinforcements. What will your countries do?」

「Our country has also received a formal request for reinforcements. Naturally, we intend to support them. King Belvedire’s Country is our enemy, after all.」

Lezado and Gehenna had significant reasons to intervene. For Lezado, it was an opportunity to strike at King Belvedire’s Country from two fronts, so there was no reason not to join the fight.

The issue at hand was the stance of Nemes.

「Unfortunately, our country isn’t that close to King Rosais’ Country. Personally, I think it’s fine to send troops, but the citizens might not agree. Therefore, we are thinking of supporting them with supplies and military funds.」

This meant that Nemes would also support King Rosais’ Country.

「This meeting isn’t just to discuss something so obvious, is it? Please, let’s get to the main point soon.」

When Ainz spoke up, Abraham shrugged his shoulders. With a sigh, he began to explain.

「This war will certainly drain that country’s finances. After all, they were involved in major projects until recently. Naturally, they will want to borrow money. We will lend them a large amount and turn Rosais into a country that will act in a way that’s beneficial for our interests.」

「What concerns us is that you might use your great-grandson to try to exclude us.」

Ainz said while glaring at Abraham. Although Lezado agreed with the plan to drown King Rosais’ Country in debt, they did not trust Abraham.

「Ha ha ha, by the time my great-grandson becomes king, I will be long dead. Isn’t that right?」

「That’s true, however…」

The representative from Nemes said with a wry smile. Abraham had the limitation of his advanced age.

「Well, alright then. It’s a major project that can’t be accomplished without the cooperation of our three countries. We will trust you on this.」

「We from Nemes will also cooperate.」

「Much appreciated! Ha ha, business doesn’t start without trust, after all!」

The Kirisians are people closely related to commerce. While many of them engaged in agriculture, it was primarily for the purpose of selling their produce to others.

The Kirisian peninsula wasn’t a good land to grow wheat. Instead, olives and grapes thrived there. To solve this issue, they began selling olives and grapes to other countries like the Persis Empire and bought wheat in return.

At the first whiff of profit, they quickly boarded their ships, filled the sails with wind, and headed to the scene. Their ships, loaded with goods, traveled from island to island, from continent to continent across the seas.

Ainz, Abraham, and the representative from Nemes were all merchants. And they were When business faltered, merchant ships swiftly turned into pirate ships. This was how they had sunk many ships from Persis and Pofenia.

That was the nature of the Kirisians.

The Kirisians’ dominance over the Tethys Sea was no coincidence. Their prowess in warfare, navigation skills, negotiation techniques, business acumen, financial strength, and above all, their cunning, made them stand out among the peoples of the countries bordering the Tethys Sea.

Their numerous victories against the superpower Persis served as proof of their superiority.

The Kirisians were a people one must never make enemies of…

「By the way, the problem is who will take command. Politically speaking, I would like to say that we will need two representatives from each country, but… I don’t want to make the foolish mistake of splitting the command and losing because of it.」

「I agree with that. …Actually, I have the perfect candidate in mind.」

「Who is it?」

In response to Abraham’s question, Ainz answered.

「Alexios. Alexios Barca. Well, he gets angry if you use his family name.」

「Ah, the son of Pofenia’s great general, Haldia Barca. Indeed, he would make an ideal commander. He isn’t affiliated with any country and his capabilities are solid. I remember his prowess from the last war—was it five years ago?」

There had been several conflicts between Pofenia and Kirisia. The battlefield was mainly located on the island of Triskelia, just south of the Adernian Peninsula.

Triskelia Island is a well-known granary area in the Tethys Sea, from which the Kirisian countries imported a lot of its wheat. Approximately thirty percent of the wheat imported by Kirisia was harvested on Triskelia Island.

At that time, the commanding general was Haldia Barca, and his subordinate, leading a thousand elites, was Alexios Barca.

Initially, Pofenia had the upper hand, relentlessly driving back the forces of Kirisia. At one point, a complete withdrawal from Triskelia Island was contemplated.

Pofenia’s superiority was mainly due to Haldia Barca and Alexios Barca’s command.

However, suddenly, there were disruptions in their military actions.

Despite having clear opportunities to attack and win, they did not advance. They began retreating even when there was no need. Such strange behaviors started to manifest.

Thanks to this, Kirisia was able to make a comeback.

This was something that Abraham and his associates found out later: the Pofenian Senate had been interfering in the battlefield decisions. This interference prevented them from winning battles they should have won.

No matter how capable the military officers might be, if the politicians controlling them are incompetent, it all amounts to nothing. It was a prime example of this.

「But can he be trusted? He’s a man who abandoned his own country.」

「There’s no problem. That man, Alexios, is happily living his newlywed life with his wife, Melia. As long as we don’t interfere with their life, he will faithfully serve us as an excellent commander. The important thing is to avoid repeating Pofenia’s mistake.」

As Ainz said this, Abraham grinned slyly.

「Don’t worry. I won’t make such foolish mistakes. As long as he wins for us, that’s all that matters.」

Abraham then burst into a loud laugh.

…It should also be noted that this caused his jaw to dislocate, forcing him to confront his age.