“Huh…? You tellin’ me to up the price? Don’t be too hard on ’em, li’l lady. They ain’t bad guys.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
We’re not on the same page here.
Mitsuha asked, “Uh, we’re talking about the retaining fee for the mercenary group, right? For borrowing the two helicopters and hiring their crews?”
“I’m talkin’ about the participation fee they’re payin’ for the privilege of fightin’ in the other world.”
“WHAT?!”
They’re paying us to take them to the other world?! What kind of logic is that!
“I know we were overpowered as hell in the other world but mowin’ down foes to protect the common people and then gettin’ a hero’s welcome afterward is a dude’s wet dream. And those guys are mercs too, ya know? They’ve seen how much we profited from our last job and want it for themselves.”
Oh, I see… The other mercenary groups know that Wolf Fang made enough money off the dragon parts to be set for life. Of course they’d want the same. This particular mercenary group is even willing to throw money at me to ensure they get their golden ticket to the other world.
“They woulda done it for free, but then the other mercenary groups woulda made a stink. Trust me, the others would never stop bitchin’ about it. I ended up making ’em sign a contract with the steep participation fee so no one else would complain about favoritism. Business ain’t exactly boomin’ for mercenary groups right now. Can you give ’em a break and settle for the three hundred thousand?”
“I’m not that greedy!”
Mitsuha didn’t mind taking them to the other world for free─she was willing to pay them to fight, after all─but if accepting the money meant it’d help prevent problems within the mercenary industry, then she wasn’t going to turn it down. Much appreciated, in fact.
I feel bad about them losing so much money over this assignment, though. I’ll have to offer them valuable rewards if the mission is a success. Giving them live animals would be a bad idea─they wouldn’t have the means to provide them with good habitation─so I guess the prize will have to be plants and minerals.
I’ll have to think about this…
It was possible that one of the countries on Earth would’ve been willing to give Mitsuha military assistance. They’d have done so for free, while demanding something other than money in return.
A developed country would probably never agree to send off their own military for a conflict that had nothing to do with them, or participate in a one-sided massacre or invasion. They wouldn’t be able to explain the expenses─or worse, casualties among their soldiers─to their citizens while keeping the expedition to an alternate world a secret.
There were some countries, however, that didn’t care about such things and had a ruler who could send soldiers at their own discretion. That could’ve worked, but Mitsuha didn’t want to collaborate with anyone who was overzealous about compensation or wanted to use the experience for military training. The mercenaries could be accused of the same thing, but at least they were men she hired. She could make sure they followed orders and promptly remove them if they didn’t.
The mercenaries were Mitsuha’s tools, and as their handler, anything they did was going to be her responsibility. Relying on tools that might disobey her because they were under the authority of someone higher… Now that’s a terrifying risk to take, she shuddered. There was also no telling what a country would demand of her afterward.
If this battle required a larger army, she might’ve considered that option. She was willing to put up with those consequences to protect those dear to her.
Are all lives equal, you ask? No way. The citizens of my own kingdom are way more valuable than the lives of bandits and enemy soldiers. Duh.
But the situation hasn’t gotten that bad yet. There’s no need to panic.
“Got it,” agreed Mitsuha. “Let them pay that amount. I don’t know the day of the mission yet. I hope that’s okay. The enemy’s military is already mobilizing, so it’s only a matter of time before they reach the border.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ve been readin’ history books to study up on armies from that era. We still have a few days, right? We ain’t got nuthin’ more important going on than taking a trip to the other world, so don’t worry ’bout scheduling.”
“Oh, all right.”
I guess that makes sense. Now they need to fight over which five people get to go. I hope that doesn’t turn bloody…
What’s that? Aren’t I taking six people? The captain’s obviously gonna include himself, so that leaves five spots. You can bet a hundred gold coins on that.
That’s too obvious to be worth betting on? Yeah, maybe…
“Appear! I have arrived!”
“Gyah!─oh, it’s you, Lady Mitsuha!”
“Don’t call me ‘Lady’!”
“Oh, sorry…”
Mitsuha jumped to Dalisson to see Princess Kak-Kak-Kak, also known as Princess Remia. She appeared directly in the princess’s room so no one else would witness her. She left Sabine behind; this was going to be a conversation for adults.
What? Princess Remia probably thinks I’m younger than her, which would make me a child? Shut up! That doesn’t matter!
“Thank you so much for coming! I knew you’d save us!” Princess Remia clasped her hands before her chest as her eyes welled with tears.
Don’t bother with the dramatics, princess. I see through the lies of the Jedi.
“I said I would protect you, but I never said anything about involving myself in a war and protecting your country!”
“I’ve already told my people that the Lightning Archpriestess is going to save us. Kak-kak-kak!”
“Jeez, you’re not even being subtle anymore!”
Damn it! She totally trapped me! If I don’t do anything now, the Lightning Archpriestess’s reputation will be ruined.
“Grr…” Mitsuha bit her tongue.
Well, I did intend to help from the start…
“You’re aware that what you’re asking for exceeds the clause of our promise, right?” Mitsuha asked.
“Y-Yes… But I saw no other choice to help my people…”
Princess Remia knew what she was doing. It was natural for a royal─especially one ruling in place of the king─to want to save her people even if it meant forcing another country into risking the lives of its soldiers. To the citizens of Dalisson, she was a good ruler.
That doesn’t mean I appreciate the position she put me in, though! I have no reason to let her manipulate me. Just like her, my interest lies in protecting the lives of my own people.
I’d normally just refuse this kind of request outright, but she’s in a really tough spot, and she is my friend.
This might just be Sabine’s influence, but Princess Remia speaks to me like you would to an older sister. Does she think that the Goddess’s envoy stands above a princess? I thought we were past that.
…Oh, I know what she’s doing! She’s buttering me up so she can establish a “Princess and the Lightning Archpriestess” dynamic duo to the public, which would strengthen public approval. Which would also mean she might dump all the responsibility on me in case everything goes wrong.
This cheeky little…
“All I have to do is tell your people that your proclamation was news to me, or that my promise of protection was limited to you alone. That will paint you as a liar and ruin your reputation,” Mitsuha warned.
“Urgh…”
Oh crud, she looks like she’s gonna cry─wait, she’s definitely acting! Sabine uses this trick sometimes! Is there some kind of training course that all princesses take where they learn this sort of stuff? Royals are terrifying!
“Nice try but that trick won’t work on me! I’ve seen Sabine use it way too many times. I will help you, though… I kinda don’t see any other choice. But I said ‘help,’ okay?! Your army will have to do most of the work! Got it?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
“In the event that I need to rely on my country’s army for support, it’ll cost a lot of money─transportation, divine energy to power the soldiers’ weapons, among other things. Are you gonna be able to pay for all that?”
“Yes, of course. I am not so shameless as to ask for help without giving proper compensation.”
It seemed like Princess Remia intended to foot the bill all along. She at least had to say so or risk Mitsuha abandoning her, but it was still reassuring to hear.
That said, not knowing how much the princess was willing to shell out left Mitsuha uneasy. She didn’t know how much money to demand from a country that was about to spend a fortune on war expenses, let their land get ravaged by an invading army, and suffer many casualties.
I don’t know the market price of war. The last thing I want to do is charge a ridiculous amount and unduly burden the people of Dalisson. But charging too little would set a bad precedent and make Princess Remia likely to ask me for help again in the future. Plus, I refuse to lose money on this.