Chapter 454

Discussion with the New Leader of the Resistance
“Now then, I truly showed you something unpleasant earlier. I apologize.”

“No, it’s all right. But… are you sure it’s okay to treat you as the actual leader, Mr. Graf?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve received approval from the other regional commanders as well.”

I see, so killing that Varias guy was all part of the plan.
Well, if he’d stayed as the leader of the resistance, the future would’ve been bleak.
It was a good decision.

“Then, once again. The demands from us—or rather, from Marquis Vardmoi—are mainly three. As I mentioned earlier: first, you are not to expand your control beyond the Third Prince’s sphere of influence; second, you are to recognize the former nations that have already become independent as sovereign states and not attempt unification negotiations, including by military means; and third, you must make efforts toward rebuilding the devastated northwestern region.”

“We accept all of those. On top of that, we would also like to be recognized as an independent state.”

“Understood. I’ll convey that to both Marquis Vardmoi and Duke Plafard, who has taken over governance of the northern region.”

“Thank you. Now, regarding the restoration of the country—would it be possible for you to lend us some manpower? In our region as well, we lost many workers due to the civil war caused by the Third Prince and his followers. It’s become difficult to maintain our fields.”

“That might be difficult. Duke Plafard made a similar request to Marquis Vardmoi and was turned down.”

“So manpower shortages are an urgent issue on your side too. I’ll try to come up with a solution on our end somehow.”

Hmm, things go much more smoothly when talking with Mr. Graf.
There’s a manpower shortage in the north too, so I really hope something can be done.
But lending out my Kiblinki Saltas feels like the wrong choice.

“Still, it’s impressive that someone as young as you is being dispatched as a representative. If you’ll pardon the question, are you an elf? Are you actually much older than you look?”

“No, I’m the age I appear to be. It’s just that my tamed monsters are quite capable, so I often end up being used for convenience. Mostly for gathering information and such.”

“I see. Are you a subordinate of Marquis Vardmoi, then? Or perhaps of Duke Plafard?”

“I’m a subordinate of Marquis Vardmoi. This time, I came because Prince Corinius picked a fight with us, and we intended to settle that score—but things progressed this far.”

“Hmm. Has the turmoil in the north already been settled?”

“It was settled about twenty days ago. Corinius is still imprisoned, but he’s scheduled to be executed soon.”

“I see. Well, as you can tell, we’re in a similar situation. I wish I could offer you hospitality, but we don’t have the means. I’ll write letters to Duke Plafard and Marquis Vardmoi—would you be willing to deliver them?”

“Of course. If it’s just that, I’d be happy to.”

“Thank you very much.”

My meeting with Mr. Graf ended on a friendly note.
Afterward, I handed over the Third and Fourth Princes and received letters addressed to Marquis Vardmoi and Duke Plafard.
Then, I took to the skies, heading toward Plafard.
I just hope Mr. Graf isn’t secretly a bad person.

What do you think about this chapter?