Chapter 227: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Executive Council Meeting 1

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From that day onward, Lady Rike no longer attempted to take her own life. It was safe to judge that the persuasion had succeeded. However, there were still countless other problems involving the elves. As I read through the reports submitted by my subordinates in my office, I let out a deep sigh.

“Just as expected…”

“Yes, just as expected.”

Sonia echoed my words. According to the report, liaison officers from the “New” and the “Legitimate” factions had caused trouble between themselves. Well, of course they had. Those guys hated each other like cats and dogs. And on top of that, since there were no other suitable buildings, both sides were staying in the lord’s mansion……

It was like Satsuma-domain samurai and Aizu-domain samurai living in the same residence. Of course it would be stranger if they didn’t cause trouble. The fact that it hadn’t escalated into bloodshed yet was practically a miracle, so this one was definitely my fault. It was my fault, but there was nothing I could do. There had been a proposal to requisition private homes and use them as temporary embassies, but it had been scrapped due to opposition from the Carrera City Council.

“Allowing such barbarians into the city is already intolerable. Please ensure they do not leave the lord’s mansion.”

That was their stance. Well, I understood what they meant. Those guys really were barbarians. As the de facto administrators of the city, it was only natural for the council to refuse.

I was, nominally, the lord, but in matters like this I couldn’t wield strong authority. If the council members started a strike, city administration would grind to a halt. People tended to imagine nobles as absolute rulers, but the citizens were surprisingly shrewd themselves.

“Even so, it’s difficult to ask one side to leave. I want to avoid a situation where we appear to favor only one faction.”

For the time being, I had set a policy of treating the “New” and the “Legitimate” equally. To be honest, it was because I wanted to profit as the third party. But more importantly, I didn’t want to pick a fight with either faction. Showing favoritism too blatantly would be bad.

The “New” faction was large, and both in numbers and quality of troops they outmatched us. However, precisely because they were such a large force, they seemed poorly disciplined. At the very least, I wanted to maintain decent relations with the moderates within the “New,” especially the pro-Galea faction.

On the other hand, dealing with the “Legitimate” was also difficult. It was convenient that they were almost completely unified and friendly toward us, but what they wanted was to immigrate into our sphere of influence. That was hard to swallow. The area around Mount Rana, which they occupied, appeared to have vast oil reserves, so I wanted to avoid a situation where the “New” seized it.

“If it’s difficult for them to establish a base within the city, then having them move to the outskirts may be the only option. If we use the reserve barracks, we should be able to put up a respectable front in a short time.”

“That’s true, but… I don’t want to place the elves anywhere near our soldiers. I don’t want to show them our hand…”

After all, a considerable portion of the Liseben army consisted of new recruits. Compared to the battle-hardened Elfenia forces, our army was frankly unreliable. If the elves realized the true state of our forces, there was no doubt that the hardliners within the “New” would start getting dangerous ideas……

“That’s certainly true.”

Sighing, Sonia took a sip of her herbal tea. It really was a headache. Those elves maintained a very high level of military strength despite their internal chaos. For defense alone, the Liseben army might barely manage, but if we aimed for annihilation, even bringing in the main forces of the Kingdom of Galea would probably be tough.

“For now, let’s submit another request to the council. Leaving those groups living together like this is bad.”

“Yes… We should do something before an irreversible situation occurs.”

Those guys were hot-blooded, after all. 

Good grief. Is there any way to deal with this peacefully?

I pursed my lips and turned my gaze out the window. At some point, the sky had shifted to a deep, autumnal blue. Though the temperature and humidity were still as high as ever.

As I sipped my herbal tea and indulged in a bit of escapism, there was a knock on the office door. I flinched for a moment, but judging by the knock, it didn’t seem urgent. I let out a quiet sigh. With all the recent troubles, I seemed to be getting a bit neurotic.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

The one who entered was Gilberto, wearing a blue officer’s uniform. This uniform was a new model prepared for the Liseben army, and its refined design suited the dignified Gilberto perfectly. Armored beauties were nice, but uniformed beauties were nice too. A feast for the eyes.

“This is a regular report. Currently, no hostile activity has been confirmed near any of the villages. Everything is peaceful.”

After saluting, Gilberto delivered her report. At present, she was in charge of a unit composed mainly of veteran soldiers and tasked with border security. Even though we were in negotiations, there was no telling when the elves might start acting up. We couldn’t let our guard down.

“Understood. Good work. …You came at just the right time, Gilberto. Would you mind giving me your opinion on something?”

“…Yes, of course! My lord.”

After briefly glancing at Sonia, Gilberto smiled and nodded. I had her sit down, then called a retainer and ordered some herbal tea.

“The matter I want to discuss is none other than the elves.”

Naturally, I had shared all information obtained so far with Gilberto. She and Sonia were key executives, essentially the two wheels supporting Liseben.

“For now, I’m thinking of requesting a ceasefire from both Elfenias, offering food aid as compensation.”

“…I see.”

Gilberto nodded lightly and glanced toward Sonia. My adjutant nodded back and pondered for a moment. Lately, those two seemed to be getting along quite well.

Well, I didn’t want them sabotaging each other, so cooperating was fine but usually, an old-guard adjutant and a newly appointed executive who had come leading her own troops ought to be at odds. I was curious how they’d managed to get along so well.

“As long as the two sides oppose each other, that’s not a problem. In fact, it’d be worse if they became completely unified. But a situation where they’re beating each other senseless with full force is a problem in its own way. If they’re both heated up, negotiations become impossible.”

To begin with, in a situation where they were fighting all-out, it’d be too dangerous to provide food aid at all. A ceasefire was necessary if we were to meet their demands.

“I think that makes sense. However, whether it can be realized is questionable. From what I hear, even if the leaders might agree, their subordinates harbor deep grudges against each other.”

“That’s the problem……”

I groaned at Gilberto’s point. I believed that Lady Dalaiya and Lady Orphan had enough flexibility to accept a ceasefire agreement when necessary. But the lower ranks and mid-level officers? They probably wouldn’t accept it. They seemed perfectly capable of continuing attacks while ignoring orders. The recent assault had likely followed that exact pattern.

An assault, huh. That matter was something we’d have to press the “New” faction hard about. What a pain. If we pressed too hard, it would only weaken the negotiating elves within the “New” faction. But at the same time, we couldn’t just let it slide. We had our own pride to consider.

The next meeting with the “New” faction was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. We needed to decide our policy before then. Ah, this was exhausting. Well, maybe Lady Dalaiya was having an even harder time than I was.

“Honestly, I can’t think of any brilliant solution myself. That’s why I want to hear your opinions. Is there any way to stop the elves’ civil war?”

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