Chapter 215: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Strategic Resources

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Dealing with the New Elfenia Empire alone had already been a struggle, so the emergence of yet another group calling itself the Legitimate Elfenia Empire was more than anyone could bear. Even so, I was the lord of Liseben. I could not very well look away from reality and say, “I don’t care anymore!”

Fortunately, both factions were in a position where we could dispatch our own people to their strongholds, and by the time a week had passed, a considerable amount of information had been gathered. As I flipped through the reports I had been handed, I continued to groan to myself in my office.

“…Uuugh…”

First, I turned my attention to the report sent by the liaison we had dispatched to the New Elfenia Empire. She and the others were staying in a New Elfenia settlement located about three days’ walk from the city of Carrera. Every few days, reports were sent from there by the crow birdmen—well, by their feet, to be precise.

“No food, no civilization, no men. This reads like a letter from a war zone…”

The contents of the report were quite grim. Apparently, just like the “legitimate” Elf settlement discovered by the wyvern unit, the Elves on the “new” side were also living an extremely primitive lifestyle. Their dwellings were pit houses, and meals consisted of a single meager serving per day. To make matters worse, the residents were almost exclusively Elves and birdmen such as crows and sparrows. There were apparently no plain hume at all.

The ones we had dispatched as liaisons were knights who had grown up with me since childhood. Naturally, they were elites who had been drilled in the ways of the military from an early age. The fact that even they were submitting reports that sounded like half-joking complaints meant the situation was far from normal.

“I heard there used to be distilleries all over the place. This is practically total civilizational collapse…”

It was, in a sense, a post-apocalypse. The Elves were only barely surviving because they were a long-lived race; if this had been a civilization made up solely of short-lived races, it might have gone completely extinct long ago.

There were two Elf factions we had made contact with: the “New” Elfenia Empire and the “Legitimate” Elfenia Empire. It seemed the two were in a state of war. Was it something like Japan’s Northern and Southern Courts period? In any case, it appeared almost certain that the “lawless elements” Lady Dalaiya had spoken of referred to this so-called Legitimate Elfenia Empire.

“This is troublesome. Making them our enemy would be bad enough, but even making them our ally would be a serious headache.”

Sonia, who was seated across from me at the desk, said this as she raised her well-shaped eyebrows.

“To properly restore a faction in this condition would cost an enormous amount. They do not even have farmland, so there would be no return on investment to speak of.”

Judging from Lady Dalaiya’s attitude, she seemed to want to use our power to rebuild Elfenia. However, as Sonia said, even if we went along with her intentions, the benefits to us would be far too small. At the same time, choosing annihilation was also difficult, which made the situation all the more maddening. But then…

“…Or is it? I’m not certain yet, but there’s a chance we could gain enormous profits in the future.”

I said this while recalling the Elves’ words. They had claimed that members of an anti-government group were scattering burning oil over the fields. However, vegetable and animal oils were surprisingly hard to ignite. Using them as incendiary agents for weapons was quite difficult. Yet if what the Elves said was true, that oil apparently burned on its own.

Could it be…Petroleum-based volatile oil?

“What do you mean by that?”

“There’s a possibility that petroleum is seeping up within the Elves’ sphere of influence.”

“Pe-tro-le-um…?”

“Oil that exists underground. With it, you can do all sorts of things.”

Petroleum was the philosopher’s stone of modern civilization. Not only could it be used as fuel, but it also contained a wide variety of useful substances. Really, that was the main point. With synthetic rubber, mass production of rear-loading rifles using paper cartridges—the Chassepot rifle—would become possible, and it could also serve as raw material for additives used in smokeless powder. Even considering military applications alone, the advantages were tremendous.

At present, the equipment of the Liseben Army could be called state-of-the-art without exaggeration, but that advantage would not last forever. In fact, during the recent civil war, the enemy had also made concentrated use of rifles. We could not afford to slow down the development of new weapons.

“…I don’t fully understand, but you’re saying this is a resource we should secure as a top priority.”

“Exactly. And by peaceful means, at that. Even if we have a useful resource, it would all be for nothing if it gets seized by the enemy during transport.”

At my words, Sonia crossed her arms with a troubled expression. Her extremely ample chest settled atop her arms, creating a rather pleasing sight.

“Realistically speaking, completely wiping out the Elves would be difficult anyway. So we really have no choice but to continue pursuing a conciliatory approach…”

“We’ll decide our actual policy after the existence of petroleum is confirmed. And even if we call it a conciliatory approach, there’s still a very real chance we’ll have to fight them once or twice…”

If we suddenly intensified our interference, resistance would surely arise on the Elves’ side as well. Even the Meiji Restoration, which proceeded relatively smoothly, involved a considerable amount of bloodshed. And judging by appearances, the Elves’ belligerence was nothing to scoff at…

“Still, the fact that Elfenia is a divided state is a serious problem. If they continue their civil war, resource extraction will be the least of our concerns.”

“That’s exactly it… It’s really a headache.”

After letting out a sigh, I called for an attendant and asked them to bring something sweet. Perhaps because there was so much to think about, my brain was insistently demanding sugar.

“For now, let’s focus our investigation on the ‘legitimate’ Elfenia. There’s a chance they have information we can’t get from Lady Dalaiya and the ‘new’ Elfenia.”

“Understood. …It seems the ‘legitimate’ leader, Lady Orphan, wishes to meet with us directly.”

Sonia said this after picking up one of the reports spread out on the desk. Near Mount Rana, wyvern units carrying supplies were being dispatched to the Elf settlement almost daily. Just like the “new” faction, the “legitimate” side was suffering from severe food shortages, and even the small amount of food a wyvern could carry was being received with gratitude.

At the very least, the “legitimate” faction did not seem to regard us as enemies. That was extremely welcome. If possible, I would like us to act as mediators and bring about reconciliation between the “new” and “legitimate” sides—though realistically, it would not be so simple.

“Straight to direct talks, huh? They’re pretty eager. Their demand will probably be food aid as well. Hmm…”

According to Lady Dalaiya, the ones using the so-called burning oil were this “legitimate” faction. If we could uncover how it was made, we would also be able to confirm whether petroleum was involved. Opening with a top-level meeting did not seem like a bad choice.

“Alright, let’s accept their offer. If possible, I’d like the first meeting to be held at their stronghold. Proceed with the talks in that direction.”

“Al-sama, are you going to that so-called Legitimate Elfenia yourself? As your adjutant, I cannot agree. It’s far too dangerous.”

“I know. But wouldn’t summoning their leader here leave a bad impression? If we want to get along, these kinds of gestures matter.”

I explained it that way, but of course, that was just for appearances. My true objective was to see this so-called burning oil with my own eyes. In this world, active utilization of petroleum had not yet begun. Even if others saw the real thing, I was probably the only one in Liseben who could judge whether it was a petroleum product.

If there truly was petroleum in Elf territory, my policy toward the Elves would change significantly. With current technology, petroleum was not yet an especially critical resource, but in the future it would unquestionably become vital. If handled poorly, it could even become a bigger flashpoint than a mithril mine. I needed to determine this early, or things could turn ugly.

“…Still, their settlement is near that volcano, isn’t it? There are no roads, so we’d have to go by air. But we only have three wyverns. That’s far too little force for an escort.”

“It’ll be fine. Sonia, you’ll be coming with me. As long as you’re by my side, there’s no enemy I need to fear. Right? My precious adjutant-dono.”

“…! Y-Yes! Of course, Al-sama. Please leave everything to me.”

Her usual cool expression melted away as Sonia nodded. She looked deeply embarrassed.

Alright, persuasion successful!

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