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Receptionists Don’t Fight, Only Negotiate – Part 05

“Enough already. It’s clear that this place is within our kingdom’s territory! Can’t you read a map?!”

“Tseng-Ti Village is under Vireocean’s effective control!”

“Effective control, my foot. You rushed to get here!”

“And you call this your territory? You’re not even managing it!”

Two squads, each consisting of about thirty members, confronted each other in the middle of the settlement. Residents nervously observed from a distance.

“I’m going to talk to them,” Freya said.

“Wait, I’m coming with you!”

As the carriage came to a halt, Freya disembarked, with Hikaru following suit.

“Leave our kingdom!”

“We’re redrawing the border!”

“What?!”

“Oh, yeah?!”

“Stooop!”

As the two commanding officers prepared to unsheathe their swords, Freya jumped in.

“What is it, you wench?!”

“I-I’m a representative dispatched by the Adventurers Guild. Know that drawing a sword against me means drawing it against the guild.”

“Hngh…”

Upon recognizing Freya’s guild uniform, the commanders froze.

“But this is undoubtedly the kingdom’s territory.”

“What an idiotic statement. You’ve completely ignored this place until now.”

“Do the citizens of Vireocean not have maps?”

“Let me ask you, then. Who repaired the damaged pier after last autumn’s storm? It was the Vireocean army.”

“Yeah?”

“Hmm?!”

“Please stop arguing.” Freya, her earlier firmness gone, pressed her temples as if suffering from a headache. “Let’s, um, ask the representative to come over and have a discussion. Soldiers, please leave the settlement for now. You’re scaring the residents.”

“Hmm…”

“That wasn’t our intention.”

The officers withdrew their respective soldiers.

“Thank you very much, young lady.”

“And you are…”

“I am the representative of this settlement.”

The elderly man guided them to a spacious building for their discussion. It was more of a hut, with bare ground, large tables, and chairs made from cut logs.

Freya sat down at the table, with Ponsonia’s commander on one side and Vireocean’s on the other. Hikaru and Paula stood behind Freya.

“My name is Freya, a staff member of the Adventurers Guild in the capital of Ponsonia Kingdom. The two behind me are my escorts, so please don’t mind them.”

Apparently, the guild in the satellite town of Pond was affiliated with the guild at the capital.

“Oh, you came all the way from the capital? That’s great,” said the officer from the kingdom, a portly man with a small mustache.

“What? You’re from the kingdom’s guild? I can’t trust you, then!” snarled the commander from Vireocean, a tanned man, also with a small mustache.

“The Adventurers Guild is an international organization, and we don’t take sides.”

“So you say, but this is a problem related to the border. Our Supreme Leader is closely monitoring this.”

The maritime nation of Vireocean had a unique political structure, where the top position, equivalent to a monarch of a kingdom, was held by the Supreme Leader. Hikaru had heard that Vireocean’s current Supreme Leader was a woman.

“All right, then. Guild personnel from Vireocean should be arriving shortly, so we can discuss things after—”

“There is no need to wait.” Angela entered. “My name is Angela, from the Adventurers Guild in Vireocean’s capital. If you two could please share your sides.”

“Oh!” The sun-tanned commander rejoiced, half-rising from his seat.

Hmm… Where’s Zappa? Hikaru wondered.

Only Angela was here. Zappa and the rest of Scorching Goblet seemed to be gathered in the center of the settlement, doing something. Were they with the residents of the settlement? There were a lot of them.

While it bothered him, Hikaru’s job was strictly to guard Freya. He couldn’t leave his spot.

“Let us start with introductions,” Angela began, taking charge of the discussion out of nowhere.

The tanned commander introduced himself as a knight in the Vireocean national army. The portly man, on the other hand, was a vassal of the viscount that governed this region.

“Let’s bring out the map.”

Angela spread a map on the table. Created by the Adventurers Guild, it had the signature of the Vireocean capital’s guild on it.

“Lake Tseng-Ti and this settlement are right here.”

The border was delineated on Lake Tseng-Ti, with the line running straight along the rivers flowing into and out of the lake. The settlement was clearly located on the kingdom’s side.

“See that? Even this assembly hall is within kingdom territory, and under the jurisdiction of the Viscount.”

“We already knew that. We’re saying that Vireocean effectively controlled this settlement.”

“If it was under your control, how did we get in so easily?”

“Do you want to start a war here? We can do that if you want, but we have no interest in needlessly shedding blood—”

“Please stop,” Angela cut off what seemed like an impending argument. It was no surprise for someone who worked as a guild. “Can you prove that it was under your effective control?” she asked.

“Of course. I will show you ten years’ worth of tax payment records for this settlement.”

The portly man gave a start at the mention of tax payment records. “Th-That’s absurd. Are you saying this small community has been paying taxes?”

“Is there something strange about that? As I mentioned earlier, we came to provide aid after last year’s storm, and fish caught in Lake Tseng-Ti are also sold in Vireocean.”

“Th-This is a settlement built for reclamation! Besides, taxing a place that should be managed tax-free is ridiculous!”

“You expect fishermen to cultivate land? Even if the settlement was built for reclamation purposes, neglecting it for over a decade is synonymous to not managing it, no?”

“Hngh!” The portly commander slammed the table.

“Please calm down,” Angele rebuked. “Let’s sort out your arguments. According to the bilateral agreement between the two nations, this settlement is owned by the kingdom. However, Vireocean has been effectively governing it.”

“That’s right.”

“Grr…!”

The tanned commander nodded, and the portly man, aware that they had neglected this place, couldn’t say anything.

“Let us begin the talks. Does Vireocean intend to continue governing this settlement in the future, even if the border is not moved?”

“Of course! We have established a bond with the residents, and I believe they will continue to count on us.”

“I can see that. If we were to survey the residents, they would undoubtedly support the individuals from Vireocean.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The Vireocean commander wore a triumphant look on his face. He probably believed they could monopolize the dungeon by using the settlement as a base.

“However, ownership of the dungeon has nothing to do with the settlement.”

“…What?”

“The dungeon appeared near this settlement, but it does not control it. From this point, we need to decide on the management of the dungeon.”

“Sh-She’s right! Since the dungeon is located in kingdom territory, it belongs to us!” the kingdom officer shouted in joy.

Suddenly, a roar came from outside.

“What?”

“What was that just now?”

“Oh dear.”

Angela smiled. A fierce-looking woman with upturned eyes, her smile looked more like a sneer.

“The Rank A adventurer, Master Zappa, has started. In essence, we must decide who should manage this dungeon. Determine who is worthy of being its administrator. The kingdom, Vireocean, or…”

Or perhaps she was actually sneering.

“…the Adventurers Guild?”

Freya and Angela went outside with the two commanders, and Hikaru and Paula followed.

“There’s so many.”

A great number of people had gathered in the center of the hamlet, and most of them were adventurers.

“Adventurers! Comrades who had gathered here, sniffing out the rumors about the dungeon! Brave souls who dream of glory that no one has yet grasped!”

In the middle of them stood Zappa. Even with brawny adventurers present, his towering figure stood out immediately.

Rumors about the dungeon in Lake Tseng-Ti had already circulated among adventurers, drawing them to this place.

But what is he gathering adventurers for?

As Hikaru and the others approached, Zappa raised his voice even louder.

“The world is thrilled about the appearance of a new dungeon! Are you thrilled? What about you? I’m thrilled too! When there’s a dungeon right before our eyes, adventurers just can’t resist the urge to enter. Am I right?!”

The adventurers roared in agreement.

“Who owns the dungeon?! Nobles?! The military?! No! Hell no! Anyone is free to enter a dungeon! Isn’t that right?! But, if I had to answer the question of who owns a dungeon…” Zappa raised both fists to the sky. “It’s the first person who clears it!”

The excitement among the adventurers reached its peak. Every single one of them agreed with Zappa.

“First come, first served! The one who first clears the dungeon will obtain it. Let’s gooo!”

With a thunderous shout, the adventurers all rushed out of the hamlet, most likely headed towards the dungeon.

“Th-This is unacceptable!”

“Yeah! Dungeons are dangerous. They must be properly managed.”

For the first time, the two commanders found common ground.

“Oh? Well then, do you wish to subdue them by force using the soldiers in your company?” Angela said. “Dealing with adventurers who see untapped treasures before them is a challenging task. Furthermore, confronting the Rank A adventurer party Scorching Goblet would require more than a few dozen individuals, I presume.”

“Grr…”

“Hngh…”

The commanders gritted their teeth.

“We will report this matter to the kingdom. Proper judgment will be handed down to the Adventurers Guild.”

“Don’t get too carried away just because Scorching Goblet is famous in our nation. Adventurers are nothing before the might of the state!”

With these threats, the commanders left together.

“Are you sure about picking a fight like that?” Hikaru asked.

“It’s okay,” Freya replied with a sigh. “Angela seems to like this kind of approach.”

“Hey, kingdom receptionist, quit standing there and set up a Linga Quill Pen. We have to contact headquarters and tell them that the plan is going well.”

Angel smiled, a smile that suggested a successful prank. At that moment, there was no trace of ferocity in her expression; instead, her face exuded an innocent and charming quality.

Hikaru and Paula, unable to comprehend the situation, just exchanged puzzled glances.