Click clack click clack......
Liese moved her eight legs and approached me.
Glaring towards me, itâs as if sheâs trying to convey that sheâs looking down on me, even when sheâs shorter than me.
She pointed towards me.
[I heard about it. You were the one who requested this meeting, right? What? Is it so important that you need to gather the entire Seven Lights? Is this something worth taking up my, Lieselotte Ornickâs precious time?]
[Oi, spider brat.]
A low voice interrupted her.
Liese breaks her gaze from me, and with a displeased look on her face, she turns towards Gio.
[What is it, Gio? You got a problem? Also, Iâm not a kid. Iâve always been telling you not to treat me like a child, havenât I? Iâve been alive for over twenty years, nor am I childish.]
Her appearance looked like a âyoung girlâ though.
[Even my breast doesnât have the size of a childâs breasts, right? Theyâre bigger than Armiaâs, Qirâs, and Kokoronikoâs breasts, right? Geezââââ Gio is always irritating me.]
âShoo shoo!â
Looking really irritated, Liese tried to shoo Gio away.
In response, Gio clicked his tongue.
[I know that this isnât the first time Prime Minister-donoâs lack of manners...... but I wonât keep quiet if you show too much rudeness to Fly King over there.]
[Oh, look. The barking dog is talking about keeping quiet.]
[This freaking bratâââ-]
[I think itâs time for you to take your seat, Liese. If you have something to say, go take your seat first.]
The one who intervened was King Zect.
Incidentally, Yerma was clinging to Gioâs waist.
I think she thought that Gio would raise his hand against Liese, so she went in to stop her husband.
[......Hmph. Fine, whatever.]
After being admonished, Liese snorted and went to her seat.
The others followed suit and went to their own respective seats.
AD
Incidentally, Serasââââ showed hints of hesitation many times.
Should I say something here?
Should I do something here?
She was hesitating regarding those things.
However, every time she showed signs of hesitation, I would nonchalantly stop her.
So, in the end, Seras remained silent and held herself back.
[Here we go.]
Lightly saying this, Liese sat down on her seat.
Her chair was made with a wider area to sit on.
I guess itâs probably made for Arachnes.
Lieseâs seat is right across from mine.
Sheâs sitting in front of me with a challenging smile on her face.
How should I say this......
It feels like sheâs a child who was planning some kind of prank.
But on the other handâââ- I can somewhat understand why Qir gave such an advice.
Her eyes wonât stop observing everyone at all.
As if she was trying to determine what was going on, her eyes had always remained sharp even as she first entered the room.
......I see.
Donât let the way she talks or the way she looks fool you huh.
Seeing that me and the Seven Lights had taken our seats, King Zect broke the ice.
[Iâve asked everyone to gather again to discuss our plan on the Goddessâ army that is about to invade.]
Folding her arms behind her head, Liese set her gaze on the king.
[The majority vote tomorrow will determine our plan...... Isnât that what we had decided on the meeting earlier? I think weâve boiled the discussion down enough, donât you think? If thereâs a new factor for that......]
Lieseâs eyes turned towards Seras before turning towards me.
[It would be these two...... Youâre not going to tell me youâre going to put those two there in the majority vote, are you? Hey, Zect, are these two going to be residents here?]
[No.]
[That means theyâre outsiders, right? Then, that doesnât give them any right to vote. I wonât accept their votes. So...... What exactly are we going to discuss with these two?]
I wanted to meet the Seven Lights in person and get to know them.
Especially this Arachne.
But well, I guess I would need a reason to establish my position huh.
King Zect looked at me as if he wanted a helping hand.
Receiving his plea, I asked.
[May I speak?]
[Umu.]
[Well then, let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Belzegia, the leader of a mercenary group called the Fly King Squadron.]
Everyoneâs attention was turned towards me.
[First of all, I thank everyone for gathering here. Now then...... We have gathered here to inform you that we will assist you in the fight against the Goddessâ army which is on their way here...... And we wanted to work together to develop a plan for that.]
Liese eyebrows creased.
She is clearly showing her displeasure with my words.
[What are you talking about?]
I already gave some of the information to the king before the first council meeting.
It is safe to assume that that information has reached Lieseâs ears as well.
[As you may know, the Goddessâ army that are attacking here are likely to be very hostile. Moreover, you should think of them as strong and dangerous. Therefore, I believe that we should cooperate with each other in intercepting them.]
Bringing my hand to my chest, I continue.
[I am from the outside world. And I have heard that everyone present here has been holed up in this country for a long time. So...... I hope I can help bridge the information gap that has opened up between your world and the world outside.]
Well, the truth is that Seras knows more about the outside world than I do.
Iâve told her in advance that I would be âcounting on her assistanceâ on this.
She should be able to support my answers and explanations to a reasonable degree.
AD
In response to my words though...
[Seriouslyâââ]
Pushing her hands on the table, Liese stood up from her seat.
[What are you talking about?]
[......Is there something bothering you?]
[Isnât that obvious? After all, even just from the premise, youâve been wrong. You...... Why are you assuming that weâre going to fight? Are you stupid?]
Lieseâs eyes glared at me.
They arenât just eyes condemning me, theyâre eyes filled with disdain.
[Thereâs no way weâre going to fight.]
[What do you mean?]
[This matter should be resolved through negotiation.]
[Honestly, I donât see how talking will work with them.]
[Uncivilized barbarians.]
Directly insulting me, Liese leans forward.
[Hey, why did you decide that theyâre people that canât be talked to?]
As if sheâs trying to intimidate me, Liese continued.
[Are you making decisions based on your own vague personal intuitions and impression? Talking wonât work with them, you say......? That kind of thingââââ Isnât that something youâll know unless you try? You barbarians may not know this, but let me tell you something. Bloodshed and fighting isnât actually the solution to everything. If the only way you know how to solve a problem is through force, then youâre nothing but uncivilized barbarians.]
âYouâll never know unless you try.â
What great words, they are.
These words touch oneâs heart.
It isnât good to give up from the beginning.
Itâs better to regret what you have done than what you havenât.
Howeverââââ-
Were those always the right answer to everything?
The result of trying.
There is always the possibility that you may end up in a situation that you cannot recover from.
Itâs also not impossible that you would end up doing something that couldnât be undone.
âYouâll never know unless you try.â
Theyâre great wordsââââ but theyâre dangerous words at the same time.
[Alionâs Thirteen Cavalries...... was it? Did you have direct contact with this cavalry that you know what kind of people they are well enough? Iâve heard how theyâre filled with thugs and criminals. However, is that information reliable? Ah, donât lie to me, okay? If I find out later that you lied, Iâll never forgive you...... If I find out that you have lied here, Iâll have the Kurosagas take the blame for it.]
[......................]
Theyâve brought up the Kurosagas huh.
I see.
She knows that I came here for the Kurosagas.
[Well then, Iâll ask you again, okay? What do you know about this cavalry other than the rumors?]
[No, all information we gave you were just rumors.]
[ââââYou are?]
Lieseâs eyes quickly glared towards Seras.
This is something Iâve firmly reminded her after all.
[No, even I...... have never directly met them in person nor did I see what kind of people they are. All the information we have are rumors only. Howeverââââ]
Her voice filled with sincerity, Seras spoke.
[I just donât really think that you could peacefully settle things with them.]
[Donât misunderstand things here, okay? I donât care what you think.]
Liese nonchalantly brushed away Serasâ appeal.
[No matter how sincere you try to say it, thatâs still just your impression, isnât it? It doesnât matter if youâre some elf with some circumstances. You lot arenât some people we could trust, so everything in our transaction would be based on evidence. If you want to convince me, youâll have to provide evidence.]
There were no holes in Lieseâs logic.
What sheâs saying makes sense.
Thinking this, I ask.
[Is our experience not enough of an evidence?]
Probably not.
Especially against a Prime Minister like her.
[It wonâtâââ- It completely wonât.]
Her answer was just as I had expected.
[However, you are aware of the Goddessâ obsession with this country, right?]
[You mean, the Goddessâ obsession with the Kurosagas?]
[ââââââ-]
This Arachneâââ- even knows about that huh.
The reason why Vysis is so eager to find the Faraway Country.
Liese sighs.
[I didnât really want to do this but...... I guess it canât be helped in this situation. But Belzegia, if you think about it, isnât this basically your fault?]
The reaction of the other members of Seven Lights.
Those reactions......
Vysisâ obsession with the Kurosagas.
The one who knew about it was King Zect.
Gio and Qir seemed like they had some vague idea of what was going on.
As for the other three...... It seemed like they were clueless.
[However, donât worry. Even if the Goddess is after the Kurosagas, I will never give them up just to settle things with them.]
[....................]
[I will personally negotiate with the Goddess to warmly receive the Kurosagas. Iâll show you how I change their policiesââââ even the Goddessâ thoughts. This Lieselotte Ornick will do it. Iâll show you how I do it.]
This time, I offered my cooperation at the request of Munin.
However, I havenât revealed that to her.
If I reveal it......
It wouldnât be strange if they think that Munin thinks we should fight.
It was probably a good thing that I didnât reveal this information.
If I did, it might jeopardize Lieseâs opinion towards Munin.
If the chiefâs reputation fallsâââ- The reputation of the Kurosagas itself would also fall.
Most of the Kurosaga will remain in this country.
So, for now, I want to avoid such a situation.
At that moment......
[But, you know what, Liese-kun?]
The one who interrupted was Qir.
[We were originally chased by humans and had to flee here, remember? The Demi-Humans and monsters of that time fled to this country because they realized that a peaceful solution through discussion was impossible, didnât they?]
[Time changes the way we think and feel. In that case, humans may be different from what they were back then. In fact, it seems to me that assuming that the Goddess and the humans still think the same way they did back then is limiting the possibilities for the future. The thought process of you lot are far backwards, far too backwards.]
She wonât give up on her point.
""
It is important to continue to appeal sincerely without resorting to violence.
Itâs a good argument.
Itâs a really good argument.
Itâs a helplesslyâââ good argument.
Bamm!
The sound of something slamming the table.
However, the only one who reacted with surprise was Armia.
âWhoaa......â, her surprise leaking out of her mouth, Armiaâs body jerked away.
[....................]
With the face veil on her face, I thought sheâs someone whoâs acting cool with everything, but it seems like she only looked cool.
And the one who hit the table and stood up from his seatââââ- was Gio Shadowblade.
[The humans are slaughtering our brethren, the leopardkin...... And the one who were slaughtering our brethren were minions of that Goddess.]
Gio slams her hands on the table.
Due to his height, he is slightly leaning forward.
[Andâââ- Fly King over there has met those people who slaughtered the Speed Tribe in person. It seems that someone from the Speed Tribe was also their comrade. So, they took revenge on behalf of his comrade, the Speed Tribe survivor. That means, that question youâre asking what in the world theyâre talking about...... Theyâre talking about the obvious! That Goddess and her henchmen are evil!]
Lieseâs eyes sharply glinted.
I was going to tell her about the Heroic Sword but......
With what Gio just said, I may have lost one of my cards.
[Heroic Sword...... was it? Zect told me about how that fly took them down...... âââHey, you.]
Not wanting to overlook the authenticity of my words...
Liese looked straight at me and asked.
[Did you try to make peace with them? Did they show the slightest inclination of compromising with you?]
[The Heroic Sword was already broken as people. So, thereâs no room for negotiation.]
I also donât intend to negotiate with them at all.
""
Liese turns her glance towards Gio.
[Gio, just now...... You mentioned how they took revenge for this comrade of theirs?]
[......Thatâs what I said. So what?]
Liese then furiously pounded on the table.
[That revengeâââ- Doesnât that mean you never intended to compromise with them!?]
Thatâs right.
Thatâs the logical conclusion to that.
[Itâs just that youâre hiding it because itâs inconvenient for you, but isnât it possible that theyâre trying to compromise with you!? Youâre not lying, are you!? I donât know how much I can trust that story about the Speed Tribe you told Gio butââââ No, I get it now.]
Lieseâs eyes are burning with righteous indignation.
[You just hate the Goddess, donât you?]
[....................]
[The people on their way here were the Goddessâ army...... and you hate the Goddess. And you want to use the power of this country to beat the forces of that Goddess you so hate...... Am I mistaken? You deliberately put together a bunch of lies that would make the Goddessâ side look badââââ- Youâre just trying to take advantage of us, arenât you!?]
Slamming her hand on the table, Liese asked a question once again.
[Or am I mistaken!?]
Indeedâââ- Sheâs clever.
Sheâs good at using her head.
Sheâs also quite eloquent.
Moreover, what she had pointed out is half true.
So that I could destroy Alionâs Thirteen Cavalryâââ
I certainly am making use of the strength of this country.
Lieseâs tone became even stronger.
[But you know what? No one wants to get hurt in a fight! No one wants to die! Understand!? The time for bloody battles is over! Itâs the same with this country! Weâve been able to survive because we avoided fighting! Especially since I became the Prime Minister, we have not tolerated violent conflict! Everything has been settled through discussion!]
This is quite the troublesome situation.
From her words, it seems like Liese has nothing but success stories.
She had always been successful ever since she took her current position.
She has been able to solve the problems in front of her in a non-violent way.
She was able to settle everything.
She was able to do itââââ because sheâs dealing with the people of this country.
Therefore......
She thinks that she can actually do it.
Liese looked at Gio with her eyes half-closed.
[This is also why...... Iâve been proposing the dissolution of the Four Warlights and their corps. Excessive force will only cause unnecessary alarm to others. As for the scale, it would be enough if itâs just around the size of Gratoraâs Royal Guards. The Four Warlights...... They donât have to prepare for dangerous battles anymore. Thatâs what I believe. Hey, am I the only one who thinks of not wanting my friends to die in battle...... Seriously?]
[Itâs a difference in values.]
Reacting sharply, Gio continued with a condemning tone.
[What a naive woman you are.]
[As a result of the senseless shedding of blood in battle, even the chance for a peaceful solution would disappear forever...... Have you ever thought about that? Why doesnât your imagination go towards that direction?]
[Because peaceful negotiation seems unrealistic in this situation.]
[As I said before, in this country, disputes have always been resolved peacefully. Especially since I became the Prime Minister. That isââââ ârealityâ.]
[......Itâs not everything though.]
[Havenât I been telling you this before? Special cases do happen. However, we only need a little bit of organization to deal with them. Thus, itâs alright if the army is only as large as the Royal Guards.]
I see.
Thatâs what Gio had mentioned a while ago.
Lieseâs comment, as if they were unnecessary, that Gio was annoyed with.
In other wordsâââ- The dissolution of their war potential, the army corps.
[That isââ-]
[In the first place!]
BAAAMMM!
Liese slammed the table again.
[Isnât all of this because we hold some power!?]
Gio glares back at her.
But inwardly, it seems like he feels that heâs at a disadvantage.
[......What are you talking about?]
[In the past, the Demi-Humans and monsters were considered a threat to humans because they hold intimidating âpowerâââââ Isnât that the reason why the Goddess and the humans consider us a âthreatâ!?]
Gio was at a loss for words.
[If we can show them that we donât have the âpowerâ to fight, then wouldnât that mean they wonât see us as a threat? Think about it from the other partyâs point of view. Can you trust people who were vigilantly pointing their weapons at you right from the start? Hey? Am I mistaken? Is there a mistake with what I said!?]
[That isâââ, ................]
Gio couldnât finish his sentence.
[Hey, canât you see humans as anything but a gathering of evil!? You arenât even trying to believe in the goodness of a humanâs heart!?]
Liese started looking at the other members of the Seven Lights.
[I can do it...... For the pride of the Ornick tribe, let alone a single death, I will solve this problem peacefully without even a drop of blood being spilled! Thatâs why, everyone, please! Believe in me...... Believe in Lieselotte Ornick.]
""
[...................]
How idealistic.
All I heard was nothing but idealism.
Thatâs something that couldnât be helped.
Howeverâââ
This âidealismâ continued to prevail in this country.
Thatâs why Liese believes in it.
The innate goodness within a personâs heart, I mean.
No, innate goodness certainly does exist in a personâs heart.
Howeverââââ thatâs not something that is present in all people.
And there are people in this world who are inherently evil.
Thatâs how I see things.
However, Lieselotte Ornick believes in it.
She believes that no matter who you are, there is goodness dwelling within your heart.
This is certainly...... quite troubling.
The goodness in oneâs heart may appear if they appeal to it, the existence of that goodness.
What sheâs pointing out is the intangible goodness in oneâs heart.
Even though itâs intangible, thereâs still the âpossibilityâ of its existence within their hearts.
That it could exist......
Her ideal thoughts, the âpossibilityâ that they may be persuaded.
[...........................]
Lieseâs idea of settling matters peacefully.
As of now, I canât prove the danger of the Goddessâ side here.
I canât even present any evidence.
Which makes it difficult for me to object to her at all.
Even if I were to reveal my identity as a Hero from Another World.
Even if I reveal how she had thrown me towards the Disposal Ruins.
All of it doesnât matter to Liese.
For her, what I would talk about would just be a matter between âthe Humans and the Goddessâ.
It isnât related to âDemi-Humans and monsters relationship with the Goddessâ.
To her ears, it sounded like a story by a different race.
In Lieseâs mind......
âItâs all because Mimori Touka failed to negotiate with the Goddess.â
She would perceive such a story like that.
However......
âIf itâs me, I can negotiate with the Goddess just fine.â
This is what is within Lieseâs mind.
The result will be the same even if I tell her what the Heroic Sword did to Nyaki.
This is because Liese seriously thinks âtheyâre people that can be persuadedâ.
She thinks that if itâs her, she can change even the thoughts of the Heroic Sword.
In shortââââ Liese wouldnât listen at all.
She believes in her own abilities, thinking that anything is possible for her.
However, itâs impossible.
Peaceful resolution through discussion in this matter......
âââis something that is extremely impossible.
......Now then.
What should I do from here?
Letting my thoughts runââââ I pondered.
[.....................]
Can I do that?
No......
I donât have any choice but to do that.
[I understand.]
I spoke.
Everyoneâs eyes turned towards me.
Yeah.
It certainly is as she said.
âYouâll never know unless you try.â
She does have a point huh.
The next chapter will be updated on April 16 (Friday), around 9:00PM JST.