While Yngvi was meeting with his king in Uppasala, Zenjirou had teleported back to Capua and was doing much the same with Aura.
They were sitting opposite each other in the living room of the inner palace. This was always how they arrayed themselves when there was a serious conversation to be had. Zenjirou had finished explaining what had happened in Utgard, and Aura’s serious look remained on her face as she spoke heavily.
“I see. A flying sleigh, a temple for giants, and magic writing that makes all of that possible. Our cultures are just too different, so I can barely imagine what you are describing, to be completely honest.” She then fell into silence as she considered things. “The problem is that you made this agreement with Utgard entirely of your own accord. I would have you explain exactly why.”
Her gaze was not that of his wife, but entirely that of his queen. Zenjirou winced but still met her gaze head-on. After all, he’d expected this response. He adjusted how he was sitting and straightened his back. Other than his phrasing, he acted just as he would with any other nation’s king.
“Right. There was just one reason for it. I didn’t want to let Utgard and the Twin Kingdoms interact directly.”
The reason he kept his phrasing the same as usual was that he’d decided that if he acted entirely like he would in the royal palace, it would interfere with a frank conversation between the two of them.
“The Twin Kingdoms... Explain in detail,” she pressed him, her expression still severe.
Zenjirou nodded and continued his explanation. “Firstly, Utgard has glass. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, so I’m sure of it. They used it in the temple they guided us to. On top of that, as I explained, they use this magicite and carve magic writing into it to maintain their culture. It might well be due to that, but the engravings that I saw were all far more precise than both the Northern or Southern Continent’s. The panes of glass were much less warped and clouded than what I saw in the commonwealth as well. This next bit is just a hypothesis, but they can probably make marbles that will stand up to actual use. It would be by hand, so our production would still probably beat them, but depending on how many craftsmen they have, we could lose in the initial rush.”
Once she’d heard his excuse—or rather, explanation—the queen’s face grew even more severe. However, the concerns behind that expression had shifted from Zenjirou to the international situation itself. From her perspective, Zenjirou’s decision had been the correct one...assuming, of course, that his assumptions held true.
Currently, Capua and the Twin Kingdoms were in an alliance, prepared for opposition from the Northern Continent that would eventually arrive. In that respect, limiting their access to marbles, which would increase their strength—both national and military—could be considered in bad faith. However, that didn’t mean they could allow the Twin Kingdoms and Utgard to negotiate either. The current expectation for magic combat tools was to be carried out with the Twin Kingdoms enchanting them and Capua providing the medium: the marbles.
With the personnel being from the Twin Kingdoms and the material coming from Capua, it was an equal relationship. If the material became available from a third party, it would be hard to maintain that equality. Capua would much rather avoid an alliance where they were forced into an inferior position, although it would be the height of foolishness if both nations were swept aside by the Northern Continent. If that was the alternative, even being in an inferior position to the Twin Kingdoms would be preferable. If insisting on the best possible position ended up putting them in the worst one, they would have to compromise, and they would need exact information to make that decision.
Zenjirou was the person to have seen the most of the Northern Continent and the one who viewed them as the most threatening. Surely it was a serious concern if even he was saying they needed to stop direct trade between Utgard and the Twin Kingdoms.
The optimistic perspective flashed through Aura’s mind, but she soon internally refuted it. Aura had a great deal of faith in Zenjirou’s personality, but not as much in his abilities and insight. That said, he’d already made the agreement, and overturning it would not be simple. The details and the official agreement were yet to be confirmed, but it would be hard to deny that it was Zenjirou’s plan and agreement given how clearly the path had been laid.
She gathered her thoughts. Then, to ensure the information was shared, she put her thoughts into words. “You said that you saw glass itself on the Northern Continent, but that its existence was not a problem, correct?”
“Right. If they could import it from the continent as a whole, we wouldn’t have been a problem at all.”
No matter how powerful the Twin Kingdoms were, they were unlikely to be the kind of monster able to continue importing strategic resources from the Northern Continent. As Zenjirou said, if they were, they wouldn’t be at risk of invasion to begin with. There were still concerns, though.
“I have that letter of introduction from the Priest Yan. We talked about enticing some of those craftsmen before, right? If the Twin Kingdoms was doing that, it’d maybe be a problem,” he suggested.
If they could gain the personnel rather than the materials, they would still likely start a project to mass-produce magic tools domestically. Zenjirou’s concern was that Capua’s plans to do as much themselves were going better than expected. He could not teleport over yet, so the conversation was currently being held through merchants, but there were craftsmen interested in moving.
Still, after a little thought, Aura refuted his concerns. “That would indeed be a risk, but it is unlikely to be one we need to be overly concerned with. First, unlike you, the Twin Kingdoms has no introduction. Secondly, though this is also the case for our nation, there are no advantages to the craftsmen in moving all the way to the Twin Kingdoms. Leaving one’s birth country for another is a huge commitment.”
Aura paused here for a second before continuing.
“It feels rather shameless for me to tell you that, though. Thirdly, unlike us, they have no one capable of teleportation. Additionally, they have no ports even if they did manage to get an intercontinental trading vessel. With the situation as it is, it is more of a hindrance than a help to concern ourselves with them luring craftsmen to their country.”
A kingdom’s resources were limited, but the things it had to contend with were practically unlimited. There had to be a priority listing, and low-probability issues along with low-risk issues had to be practically ignored. Aura’s judgment was that Zenjirou’s concerns about the Twin Kingdoms gaining the foreign craftsmen was one such matter.
Incidentally, the reason Capua’s recruitment was going so well was that there were too many craftsmen for the work available. The Northern Continent was advancing quickly in all sorts of spheres. A new technique didn’t necessarily mean that every craftsman was capable of it. New skills would be born, old techniques would become commonplace and eventually see a lack of demand. When that cycle was at its fastest, there would be an excess in the workforce—craftsmen who only had the old skills, which had either no demand or an insufficient demand to live off.
It was the worst luck the individuals themselves could have, but the timing for Capua was a stroke of good fortune. Either way, Zenjirou accepted her explanation and replied.
“Then I guess we won’t consider it a problem for now, which means our issue is Utgard, right? Uh...I guess the difficulty in trade is the same there too?” he asked, lacking confidence.
The queen looked conflicted for a moment as her husband began to doubt his actions throughout the conversation. “No, from what you have said so far, your decision was correct in itself. From the Twin Kingdoms’s perspective, there are no political impediments with Utgard, so transport would be the only issue. Limiting their access to marbles to go through us was the correct choice. My concern is that you made the decision there and made an—albeit provisional—agreement between our nations.”
“Did I exceed my authority?” he asked hesitantly, considering the power he’d been given. It made sense. He was the prince consort and practically the only person capable of moving around with teleportation, so the authority he had was vast. His usual claims about the decision not being one he could make and having to discuss it with Aura were essentially a lie. What he lacked was ability and courage, not power.
Therefore, Aura shook her head with a sour look. “From that perspective, there is no concern at all. This lack of concern is my greatest worry, though.”
“What do you mean?”
Aura’s bearing finally returned to that of his wife rather than his monarch. “The people who know about this negotiation are limited to Representative Rök of Utgard and Prince Yngvi of Uppasala, but others will talk. The biggest thing is that the results of these negotiations will need to be publicized eventually, and insightful people will be able to look at the time line and see that it was something you negotiated directly. That is my greatest fear. If word spreads that you made the decision there and then, there will be much greater diplomatic pressure on you than before.”
If nations found out that Prince Consort Zenjirou could make a decision in the moment, they would aim to encourage it. With the choice between a distant and formidable opponent in Aura and a much more easily dealt-with Zenjirou—who could instantly come and go with teleportation—it was inevitable that many would aim for the latter.