Chapter 235: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Bitter Complaints

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The third meeting continued until around evening. Since a liaison from the “Legitimate” faction had joined partway through, there was no way it wouldn’t turn into a heated debate. Still, matters like a ceasefire couldn’t be realized by the will of the “New” faction or us alone. That much was unavoidable.

It had been an exhausting, draining meeting, but in the end, the ceasefire was somehow achieved. And not just for a short time. We actually got an entire half month. In other words, all of our demands had gone through. The elf representatives had resisted quite stubbornly, but thanks to Lady Dalaiya’s supporting fire, we managed to push everything through.

Moreover, it was decided that during the ceasefire period, Lady Dalaiya, Lady Orphan, and I would meet directly for a three-party summit. That could only be called major progress. It would be the first step toward peace between the “New” and the “Legitimate.” Of course, there would surely be twists and turns ahead, so we couldn’t afford to let our guard down just yet…

“Good work, Lord Blondin.”

That night, I had invited Lady Dalaiya out for drinks, just the two of us. It was half a mutual appreciation party. She had happily accepted the invitation. As expected, elves really were quite fond of alcohol. She poured me sweet potato shochu from the bottle she had brought, and in return I handed her a watered-down brandy. We lightly clinked glasses and gulped our drinks down. Ah, that earthy smell. This was it. This really made you feel like you were drinking alcohol.

“Good grief… For a while there, I really thought things might go badly, but I’m glad we managed to steer things in a reasonable direction.”

Letting out a deep sigh, I muttered to myself. When we had been attacked at the Legitimate settlement, I had genuinely thought negotiations might completely collapse in the worst-case scenario. Thankfully, the New faction had responded swiftly, and disaster had been averted. That said, showing up with a severed head as a ‘gift’ was really something else.

“Indeed… Truly so. Honestly, I’m terribly sorry about our young ones. Haah…”

Lady Dalaiya looked utterly worn out as she spoke. It seemed the internal mediation had ground her nerves down considerably. Seeing a fairy-like, mystical, and adorable loli-looking figure wearing the expression of an overworked salaryman who’d been through nothing but crises was one hell of a gap.

“Your subordinates don’t listen to you?”

The other party was an empress, so I briefly wondered whether I should be using honorific language, but I asked in my usual tone. Honestly, I never knew how I was supposed to treat her. As a lord, I couldn’t be too deferential, but being rude would also be bad.

“They don’t listen at all! Not one bit!”

Lady Dalaiya flailed her left hand wildly as she said that, then drained her watered-down brandy in one go.

Hey, that stuff’s expensive, you know! You too, like Rike—what do you think good liquor is?!

“Even though you’re an elder and an empress…”

“In elf values, an elder is nothing more than someone who failed to die. They’re not especially respected, you see…”

Puffing out her lips, Lady Dalaiya thrust her glass toward me. With a small wry smile, I poured her another serving. The brandy had been mixed the day before. Compared to something mixed on the spot, it had fewer harsh edges and was easier to drink—a method known as maewari.

“And even if they call me an empress, it’s still just a position seized through rebellion. I lack the authority to make those unruly brats obey. If circumstances allowed, I’d love to swing a great axe and restore discipline properly…”

“Being a leader really is no easy thing. I never imagined being a lord would be this constraining…”

Back when I’d been captain of the Galea Royal Knights, I’d felt far freer. With a complicated feeling, I tossed some roasted beans into my mouth and washed them down with sweet potato shochu.

“You’ve got your own share of troubles as well, I imagine. Rough times indeed.”

“Compared to you, I’ve got it much easier. I’ve been blessed with good subordinates…”

Sonia and Gilberto both followed orders properly, and when I was wrong, they pointed it out clearly. They were ideal subordinates. Compared to that, Lady Dalaiya had it rough. Elves were bundles of rebellion and belligerence. They were walking explosives, really. Trying to keep such people united couldn’t possibly be easy.

“That may be so, but I’m an old woman hundreds of years old. The amount of experience I have is very different from someone like you, Lord Blondin, who’s around five or six years old. You’re doing remarkably well for your age…”

“Hold on, I’m not that young.”

And you’re not just ‘hundreds’ of years old either, you’re well over a thousand! Are you doing this on purpose, or are you senile? You’re shaving off way too much!!

“Oh? Then how old are you?”

“About twenty…”

“Five years or twenty years, hardly any difference.”

“That’s a huge difference!”

“I-is that so… Hmm…”

Lady Dalaiya sipped her watered-down brandy with an indescribable expression. Honestly, this was exactly why long-lived races were terrifying. Their sense of time was just completely different from ours.

“To me, you humes are like fleeting flowers that bloom and fall in an instant. It’s hard to put into words… This gap in perception is difficult to bridge.”

We really were like cherry blossoms, I supposed. Well, I could understand her point… To some extent.

“Anyway, the positions and circumstances you and I are in are far too different. Comparing them is meaningless. The fact remains that you’re here now thanks to extraordinary hardship and effort, Lord Blondin. You have every right to hold your head high.”

“Haha…Hearing that from someone of your stature really does make me happy.”

Snacking on roasted beans, I gave a wry smile.

“But still, here we are telling each other how hard we’ve worked… This is just licking each other’s wounds.”

“And what’s wrong with that?! Only leaders can understand the hardships of leaders!”

With that, Lady Dalaiya stuck out her bright red tongue at me. Perhaps because the alcohol had gone to her head and improved her complexion, she somehow looked oddly erotic.

“Well, if you’d allow it, Lord Blondin, I wouldn’t mind licking places other than wounds as well. Wahaha!”

Totally fine with me. I wouldn’t mind licking every inch of a loli granny myself… 

I wanted to stay on good terms with her, and if possible, maybe even develop a deeper relationship…? If we could get married, that might also improve relations with the New faction… But then what about the Blondin family heir issue? If the next head of the Blondin family ended up being an elf, Mother would probably lose it… Yeah, the bride really had to be a hume.

Haah.. I’m not even in a position to be picky, why do I even have to worry about the species of my marriage partner?

“Lord Al, Lord Al. I feel like I just heard some rather indecent words. Are you all right?”

As I was thinking that, the door suddenly knocked, and that voice called out. It was Sonia. Lady Dalaiya and I both stiffened at the same time, sensing something ominous in her tone.

“N-no, must be your imagination. We were just discussing the constructive future of Liseben and Elfenia.”

“Y-yes, yes! A very serious discussion! There’s nothing to worry about at all!”

I’d normally welcome this kind of sexual harassment, but naturally, the overly earnest Sonia would never allow it. I appreciated her protectiveness, but wasn’t she being a bit too overprotective?

Speaking of sexual harassment, I wondered what our Chancellor Adelaide was up to right now. If she was free, it might be time to ask for her assistance. As a private individual, Lady Dalaiya was delightful, but as a negotiation partner, she was more than I could handle alone.

If I’m dealing with a fox, I really want to throw another fox at it…

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー