In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 285

Chapter 285: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Staff Meeting 2

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“Of course, I have absolutely no intention of removing Lady Dalaiya either.”

While sipping the steaming herbal tea, I said that. Packed generously with expensive sugar, it was basically like a simple energy drink. 

When you’re tired, nothing beats this.

“However, the current situation where she alone holds the initiative over everything is not particularly good.”

Things were progressing in a good direction, so we shouldn’t meddle carelessly. We should leave politics until after the fighting is over. My past life self would probably have said something like that. In fact, fighting over initiative in the middle of active operations really does seem like a foolish act.

That said, even if small, I was still the head of an organization. The current situation where we were being tossed around so much by someone outside the organization was something that had to be addressed. Honestly, what a pain. Still, I couldn’t do anything that would cause trouble for those on the ground. 

So what should I do…?

“I wonder what kind of conclusion Lady Dalaiya is aiming for? If we understood that part, it would be easier to counter her.”

“…In her case, I feel like her objective is actually fairly easy to understand.”

Bishop Fiorenza said that while glancing outside the tent. Out there, a group of elf soldiers sat around a campfire, greedily shoveling down army stew.

“She wants to find someone who can properly govern the elves. In this case, that would mean Albert-san. Someone like that. Then she wants to toss all her authority and position onto them. Right now, I think she is in the stage of building the path that will allow her to throw everything over.”

“Is that really true? That sounds far too convenient for us, like a fantasy. She is the empress of an empire, even if it is on the verge of collapse. Would someone like that give up power so easily?”

Looking suspicious, Sonia glanced at Bishop Fiorenza. The bishop simply smiled and shrugged.

“There are people who relinquish the right to inherit the headship of one of the greatest noble houses in the Kingdom of Galea without hesitation. In that case, it would not be strange for someone to want to throw away the position of empress, would it?”

“Hmm…”

Sonia gave a small grunt and crossed her arms. Well, that was true. Now that the Olean Ducal House had begun to fall into decline, Sonia’s family, the Suolahati Margrave House, was becoming the largest landholding noble family in Galea in both name and reality. 

Sonia… I wonder if it’s really okay for her not to return home? 

Well, it would be a huge problem if Sonia left now.

“Well, in any case, I think it’s certain that Dalaiya-san wants to quit her job and retire. So it’s reasonable to assume that her actions follow that objective.”

“That is certainly true…”

“I want to retire…” Dalaiya herself said that, after all. 

I get the feeling, I really do. Honestly, there are times when I feel like throwing away my position as lord too. Like when I have to deal with those elves who keep causing ridiculous trouble!!

…Ah. So that’s why she wants to retire from active duty as soon as possible. Being the leader of a bunch like that and having to manage everything must be mentally exhausting. It’s understandable that she’d want to run away. But don’t throw that responsibility at me!

“If that’s the case, then at least up to a certain point, our interests align with Dalaiya’s.”

“I suppose so… although I don’t want to admit it, there is some logic to it. In fact, bringing the entire elf population under Liseben’s influence would certainly bring considerable benefits to both sides. Of course, those benefits come with a variety of problems as well.”

Sonia agreed with my words. The elves were incredibly capable warriors, but they were also capable farmers. After all, they possessed agricultural knowledge and crops suited to Liseben’s climate and soil. Right now, Liseben’s farmers were using the Galea-style farming methods, which were not suited to the local climate, so crop production had stagnated. Improving food self-sufficiency was an urgent issue for Liseben. If the elves settled down and seriously focused on farming, things in that area would improve greatly.

“In other words, at least until we bring the Dalaiya faction of elves into our side, it would not be a bad idea to go along with her plans.”

“Yes. That would be for the best.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the bishop’s words, I gave a small grunt. Going along with the opponent’s intentions while reclaiming the initiative… That was quite difficult. So what should I do? 

Achieve the tactical objective while sabotaging the strategic objective. Yes, that’s it.

Dalaiya’s tactical objective was to integrate the Liseben army with the Dalaiya faction and smoothly advance reconciliation between the two sides. In that regard, we could cooperate fully. However, the strategic objective, namely her retirement, would be blocked. That would be the policy.

“…Even if we say we’ll bring the elves under our umbrella, directly ruling them will be difficult. In that case, we will need someone to negotiate between us and the Dalaiya faction. This is a role that only someone who understands elven culture well and is also thoughtful could handle. And just such a convenient person happened to fall right into our hands at the perfect timing, right?”

“Hehe, Dalaiya-san?”

Bishop Fiorenza chuckled softly. Dalaiya probably thought this would be her final act of service, but that will not happen. At the very least, she would have to keep working until the elf situation stabilized.

“That’s right. If she wants to cooperate with us, then we should certainly make her work hard. We’ll pile on the responsibility.”

It was an unfortunate fate for her, but she shouldn’t have pulled something that cornered us without consulting us first. A little payback like this should be acceptable.

Besides, Dalaiya was an extremely capable person. The Liseben government had a terrible shortage of personnel, so it would have been a waste not to make full use of someone like her. If possible, I would have liked her to contribute not just to the elf issue but to many other matters as well.

“I see. That is a good idea.”

Clapping her hands together lightly, Sonia said that. She herself had been continuing to work at the brink of overwork due to the personnel shortage. Reliable allies were something she surely wanted.

“To begin with, it’s impossible to deal with those elves when the only senior officials are me and Gilberto. If they’re going to dump troublesome matters on us, then they should at least show an appropriate amount of sincerity.”

“That’s a fair point.”

I crossed my arms and nodded repeatedly. That was certainly true, and Gilberto had also been burdened greatly. For this expedition, I left after forcing her to act as the lord’s representative. Right about now, she was probably struggling desperately in the city of Carrera.

“If that is the case, then please leave it to me. I will lay the groundwork so that Dalaiya-san cannot leave her position of responsibility.”

“Oh, that would be a great help. Are you sure?”

At Bishop Fiorenza’s proposal, I struck my knee. This offer was extremely welcome. As things stood, dealing with the Vanka faction alone was already pushing us to our limits. We had absolutely no spare energy to spend on political infighting. With the help of the bishop, who excelled in political and negotiation skills, it would be like gaining the strength of a hundred men.

“Yes. I cannot be of much help in actual combat. At the very least, I would like to show that I can be useful as a negotiator.”

Smiling warmly, Bishop Fiorenza nodded. Sonia stared at her with an extremely suspicious look.

You don’t have to worry that much. If we leave it to the bishop, it should be fine. Probably.

“Then we’ll leave this matter to the bishop…”

After saying that, I took a sip of my herbal tea.

…Sweet! Just how much sugar did they put in this? It feels grainy… They really dumped in a ridiculous amount. I don’t dislike sweets, but sugar is extremely expensive, so please try to conserve it.

“Even on the operational side, there must be things we can do. This battle is not something as simple as merely protecting noncombatants from the Vanka faction. It will likely become a crucial battle for securing political initiative afterward.”

“…That expression suggests you already have a plan?”

As expected of my childhood friend and adjutant, she caught on quickly. I grinned and nodded.

“Exactly. If we do it well, governing the elves will become easier too.”

With that preface, I began explaining my plan to the two of them.

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