“Our generation—and the one before—witnessed the rise of the Demon Lord’s Domain and knows what war is truly like. Many countries suffered under the waves of refugees driven by monster attacks. I hate to bring this up with the Great Tiger Kingdom and the Kingdom of Remus present, but Fuuga’s expansionism left a trail of blood. And once his ambitions collapsed, Krahe and others shed even more.”
I worried that might ruffle a few feathers, but Lumiere, Shuukin, and the royal couple from Remus listened silently. It seemed they were willing to accept the facts as they were. So I continued.
“Beyond the mainland, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom was attacked by the great kaiju Ooyamizuchi, and the Spirit Kingdom suffered from the once-unknown illness, Magic Bug Disease. It was our generation that learned some threats are too great for any one nation to face alone. And we are also the generation that is tired of war. Unless something erupts spontaneously in the world of the north, I believe there will be no major conflict in the south, at least not in my time.”
The others nodded in agreement.
We’d fought together, opposed each other, and debated fiercely. But if there was one thing we all shared, it was a deep weariness of war.
“But for the next generation, and the one after that, this feeling will fade. Sooner or later, those who long for conflict will rise again. It’s a sad truth, but humankind has fought ever since the day we first formed groups. In the world I came from, history was an endless cycle of war and peace.”
Although, in the end, technology advanced so far that even conflict lost its meaning, and mankind shut itself away... But there was no point in saying that now, so I kept it to myself.
“Still, if we want to delay the next war, even if we can’t prevent it entirely, then increasing the exchange of people and goods is one of the few real options we have. It may sound simplistic, but the more people have to lose from a war, the harder it becomes to start one. It’s those who shut themselves off from the world, who live in rigid systems of values and self-made mythologies, that most often grow hostile to outsiders.”
“That’s...not easy to hear,” Lumiere finally said.
Well, for the people in the north, forced to endure harsh conditions, Fuuga’s grand vision had seemed like their only hope. They had marched to war without hesitation, staining their hands with blood. It could be said their path had been shaped by a lack of options and a narrow, inflexible worldview.
“That’s exactly why we want to actively promote the flow of people and goods. Ideally, someday, people will swim at the beaches of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago in the summer, ski in the Republic of Turgis in the winter, enjoy the aromatic cuisine of the Spirit Kingdom, and stroll through the historic capital of the Euphoria Kingdom. I want to build a world where travel between all our countries is that easy and natural. And once the northern countries have been rebuilt, we’ll add them to the list of destinations too. I mean, if you’re off fighting a war, there’s no time for vacationing, right?”
Realizing I’d digressed a bit, I cleared my throat.
“Well, anyway, that’s what I had in mind when Madam Sill came to me asking for advice on expanding her business. That’s what I proposed to her. If you’re asking about our nation’s intentions in all this, that’s more or less it. So, are you satisfied?”
“Yes. I understand quite well.” Lumiere nodded, so it seemed she was satisfied with my answer.
Kuu, however, raised his hand. “Whoa, whoa, hold on just a moment! We don’t share a border with the Star Dragon Mountain Range! We’ve only just started getting the people in our previously insular country interested in the outside world. There’s no way we’re going to let you leave us out of something that sounds this cool!”
“I agree with Kuu. Our country cannot overlook this either,” Shabon said, following his lead. “The dragons of the Dragon Knights cannot cross the sea without carriers, correct? In that case, we would like regularly scheduled flights to our nation as well. If I recall correctly, transporting large volumes of goods by sea is still preferable to by land—but even so, there’s a considerable difference in delivery speed. With air routes, we could ship goods we previously couldn’t, due to concerns about freshness. And we could also receive frequent news from the continent.”
“When you put it that way, our nation would like to request flights too,” Garula said. He’d been listening to Shabon speak with all the dignity of a queen, and now hesitantly raised his hand as well. “We’ve only just opened up our country, so they won’t be easy to implement right away, but more and more of our young people are interested in the world beyond our borders. I’ll work to persuade those still clinging to the old ways, so please add air routes to our country as well.”
“Yes! If the dragons will carry me, it’ll be much easier to visit Lord Shuukin!”
“L-Lady Elulu...”
Elulu, seated beside Garula, was the only one to give an entirely personal reason.
She was so earnest it made it hard for Shuukin to reject the affection she was showing him. But this really wasn’t the time for it, and the poor man looked awkward as he struggled with how to respond... Things had gotten pretty interesting over there too, hadn’t they?
“Anyway, regarding the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom...we’ve been considering establishing an air route that runs along our border with the Kingdom of Lastania. Isn’t that right, Madam Tia, Julius?”
I passed the conversation over to the two of them, and they both nodded.
“Yes,” Tia said with an earnest nod. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“I thought it was a joke when you first brought it up,” Julius added, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Borders tend to follow natural barriers like mountains or rivers. The areas that don’t are often vital transit points between nations—places where soldiers are stationed, and where skirmishes can break out at a moment’s notice. If Nothung’s dragon knights are flying overhead and something goes wrong, even by accident, the question of who’s at fault could quickly sour diplomatic relations. I didn’t think it was a realistic proposal.”
“But that’s exactly why I thought it could work as a deterrent,” I replied, picking up where Julius left off. “If we were to use our own wyverns for air routes along the border, I’m sure it would cause issues. But dragon knights belong to a third party. If relations between us and Lastania were to deteriorate, neither of us would want those knights flying along the border. Which would mean shipments would get cut off.”
“So, in order to keep the flights going, both countries would have to maintain good relations, right?”
I nodded in agreement with Julius.
“Exactly. I think things will be fine while we’re still in charge, but we don’t know what the future holds. If we build a system where continued air shipments depend on getting along, maybe it’ll make starting a war less appealing. And if it doesn’t work out, the dragon knights can just shut it all down themselves. So there’s no real harm in trying.”
“True... That’s why I’m in favor of accepting it.”
Julius gave a nod of his own. Then I turned to Shabon.
“How about extending that route to connect with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom? Of course, as I just said, this would mean maintaining good relations with both us and the Kingdom of Lastania, since the route could easily be cut off otherwise. Are you still on board with that?”
“Yes,” Shabon replied with calm confidence. “For our part, we fully intend to maintain good relations with both countries. Sharan will be marrying into the Kingdom of Friedonia, and many of our coastal cities are connected to the Kingdom of Lastania. I’m certain our ties will only deepen from here.”