New chapter of Let’s Create a Dungeon is out! (2/3 chapters)
The Start of the Conference
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(POV switch – Farce)
“Thank you for taking the trouble to come. I am Naragan Hos Farce, a humble man who, despite my humble position, serves as the Border Baron. You may already know, but this here is our family’s butler, Claas. Please, do remember him.” (Farce)
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Nobunaga, the Demon King of the Great Forest of Owa. The ones standing behind me are the Arachnid named Ran and the Lizard Commander named Rin. That said, these individuals are not here to do anything. I merely brought them so that you could get a feel for the atmosphere of this meeting. If they are a bother, I can have them leave.” (Nobunaga)
Finally, the conference began. First, it seemed like a tentative move, with the demon subordinates standing in the background as bait, but the Border Baron did not take the bait and instead invited me to sit. This resulted in the scene where the Baron sat on a sofa with a desk between us, and he sat with his subordinates, Ran and Rin, standing behind me. The Demon King had said he had brought them to observe, but I assumed they were intended as guards. Only drinks were provided for the Baron and the Demon King.
The Baron was the first to break the silence.
“First, Nobunaga-dono, please accept this. It seems that the adventurers we arranged have caused you some trouble, and this is our apology for that.” (Farce)
What was handed over was the slave contract that I had made Ifrina sign under the pretense of a contract document just recently.
Well, it’s true that both of them are contracts, so it’s not exactly a lie. Did the Demon King seem surprised? His expression didn’t change at all, making it hard to read. From the atmosphere, he seemed to be confused, though.
“A slave contract? Is slavery common in the Empire? I have never seen one before.” (Nobunaga)
“It’s probably not surprising that you’ve never seen one. In the Empire, slaves are only criminals who have committed serious crimes, and most of them are purchased for dangerous labor. Salt production is one example of that.” (Farce)
In the past, slaves had also been used for mining veins, but due to the appearance of the Don-Ogre, the mining veins that the Farce’s domain should have gained access to became off-limits, so slaves are rarely seen in Farce territory.
“Salt production? Was there any dangerous work involved in that?” (Nobunaga)
…Ah, yes. It’s common knowledge in the Empire, various kingdoms, and the nations, but in the Great Forest of Owa, which doesn’t have access to the sea, they wouldn’t have known.
“As you might already know, there are three human factions on the continent, the Kingdom, the Empire, and the Nations. All three have access to the sea, but there are only limited places where salt can be safely produced. The reason for that is the Sea Serpents, a type of third rank monster, which make their nests around the perimeter of the continent. If you try to build a village or a salt production base along the coast, you’d be attacked by them. Therefore, people build their bases far enough away that the Sea Serpents cannot attack, or they retrieve seawater from caves and other places where the Sea Serpents cannot enter. This is considered a dangerous task.” (Farce)
Moreover, even though Sea Serpents cannot enter caves, pre-evolved Sea Snakes can easily enter, and there are many reports of people being ambushed, falling into the sea, and never returning.
That said, under normal circumstances, an error like this where adventurers caused trouble, wouldn’t have resulted in someone falling to the status of a slave, but it was made easy due to the Emperor, the highest authority behind the scenes.
Having given a rough explanation of slavery, it seemed the Demon King understood and accepted it. I immediately handed over a pen for him to fill in the slave owner’s section.
What was written was entirely in normal human language. As expected, the Demon King could use human language, but he had sent letters in that strange code. The Baron, noticing this, narrowed his eyes for a brief moment. It was the look one gets when they uncover someone’s hidden information. It was a habit of his that I had pointed out several times, but it never changed.
I raised my guard against the Demon King and continued the conversation.
“So, Nobunaga-dono, what was the purpose of your visit today? To be honest, we were unable to read your letter, and we merely thought that since you were sending a letter, a discussion was probably the least we could expect.” (Farce)
“Ah, now that I think about it, I hadn’t mentioned this. This is our request.” (Nobunaga)
Saying so, the Demon King took out from his magical pouch a white cloth-wrapped Wari fruit.
…Wait, that cloth is made from Arachne silk!
“A Wari fruit and Arachne silk, huh. But this cloth made from Arachne silk! Normally, adventurers would go to the nest, burn the edges with fire, and bring it back, so the silk itself tends to be rough or thick and not nearly as refined as this. So, what do you wish to do with it?” (Farce)
“I would like to trade.” (Nobunaga)
“…I see.” (Farce)
Not bad, no, this is a very good proposal. Recently, materials that can only be found in the Great Forest of Owa, such as Wari fruits, have been skyrocketing in price because of the difficulty in accessing the forest. Furthermore, if high-quality Arachne silk could be sourced regularly, there would be no complaints.
Moreover, they probably wouldn’t attack us as trading partners. This would allow us to focus our military efforts solely on the Nations and Don-Ogre. However, I can’t accept it just yet. At present, all decisions lie with the Emperor. If I accept this without permission, it would mean turning against the Emperor.
“I have a question, though. How much of a stable supply can you provide each month? And, I would like to know what you wish in return.” (Farce)
Then, for now, I will only buy time. Even the Emperor should understand that delaying for too long would put us in a difficult position. I’ve already bought some time with the explanation about slavery.
“The supply of Wari fruits is still difficult to stabilize. We’ve just begun cultivation. However, the supply of Arachne silk can be stable. The quality shouldn’t deteriorate either. As for what we desire in return…” (Nobunaga)
Footsteps approached. Three pairs, likely the Captain of the Guard, the Second Imperial Court Magician, and the Emperor himself. Before me, the Border Baron, who had been slightly pushed back by the Demon King’s enticing pressure, didn’t seem to notice the approaching footsteps. I decided to remain silent until the door opened.
*Bang!*
The door was flung open with great force. It was so sudden that the Border Baron was startled, lifting his gaze, while the demon subordinates behind the Demon King immediately entered a state of alert.
Captain of the Guard, please, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t open the door so recklessly.
That said, this completely shifted the momentum. The negotiating party was now changing from the Baron to the Emperor. Any small opening, and I would secure a more advantageous contract.
“Good grief, have I kept you waiting?” (Gilford)
The Emperor entered with great dignity. Behind him, the Captain of the Guard and the Second in command Imperial Court Magician appeared, exuding a sense of intimidation as they entered the room.
This should make Nobunaga shocked, and his thoughts should freeze, I thought. Just at that moment…
“Ah, you’re late, Your Majesty.” (Nobunaga)
My thoughts came to a halt.
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