The general of the kingdom slurped down peanut tea and set the cup down.
Maybe the moisture loosened his tongue, for he began to speak.
“I will continue the story. Our kingdom is fully prepared to respond to the continent-wide crisis. The Empire is showing no cooperative attitude, which is why I have come here.”
His previously strong demeanor was merely a tactic to suppress the opponent. The main point would come out slowly later. It was an easy-to-understand negotiation strategy.
“If you wanted to present an international treaty, you should have coordinated with our country beforehand. Is it reasonable to come in without any notice? The Empire’s arrogant attitude, claiming to fight the Demon Realm alone, is all there is to see!”
“You’re mistaken, young soldier.”
A cold voice settled in the conference room. It was Acella, exuding a sinister atmosphere.
“What did you just say?”
“This is the Dengliwood Empire. No need to say it twice, it’s the strongest nation on the continent. The Empire leads, and the other countries follow and cooperate. Isn’t that the obvious way?”
Just like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, Acella spoke about the undeniable truth of the world.
“Know your place. If you want to stand against the Empire, then strengthen your national power more. Do you feel wronged? That you are weak?”
The general was taken aback by Acella’s arrogant demeanor but couldn’t immediately respond.
She was indeed speaking the truth.
“It seems you do not know who you are sitting in front of, so let me remind you.”
Thud, Acella slammed down her teacup.
“I am the royal princess of the Empire. I am to become the next emperor. Know this as a lifelong glory and behave accordingly. Once I take the throne, you shall live in fear of a sharp blade hanging over your neck for the rest of your life.”
Under Acella’s confident stance, the general became tense and backed off.
Perhaps he thought he could dominate just because he was facing a woman. He miscalculated.
Having taken Acella’s spirit head-on, there was no way he could remain sane.
“…I apologize for my lack of manners, Your Highness.”
The general immediately changed his title.
“However, I cannot agree with that claim. Does that mean the Empire intends to plunder all the continental nations during the war with the Demon Realm? Is that what you mean by returning to a time of conquest?”
The general, not forgetting his duty, raised his voice.
“This matter regarding the Holy Sword is clearly an act of plunder, and we demand compensation.”
The main point had come out.
The general was merely a messenger. The kingdom’s goal was to get a fair price for the Holy Sword they wanted to sell to them.
Acella scoffed at the general.
“Compensation? That Holy Sword was lying on the ground. I merely picked it up.”
“That can’t be true! Along with the field commander, the corpses of our soldiers were found on-site…”
It was then.
The general suddenly stopped talking and grasped his throat. Everyone in the room focused on his strange behavior.
“Found, that’s enough…”
He could not finish his sentence, clutching his neck, struggling to breathe, and his nose twitched in distress.
“General?”
“What’s going on?”
I stepped forward among the confused people.
“It’s an anaphylactic reaction. The cause is the peanut tea he drank earlier. If we don’t provide emergency treatment immediately, it could be dangerous.”
“What? Is that really true?”
Heike stood up with a serious expression.
“General, this person is the best healer in the Empire. Follow his advice and receive treatment.”
The general, perhaps due to his pride, shook his head and firmly refused. He still intended to continue the meeting.
One could commend his willpower.
But that moment was short-lived. Soon he lost his balance and thud! The general collapsed to the floor.
“General!”
His subordinates rushed over to assist him.
They glanced at Acella. She gave me a subtle sign of approval with her eyes.
With a crash, I jumped onto the table and leaped to the other side.
“Don’t come near!”
His subordinates were startled to see me. Perhaps they mistook the sight of a fluttering white coat for a ghost.
“If we don’t treat him on the spot, it could lead directly to a life-threatening situation. Are you really going to leave him be?”
“W-what can you even do?”
“There’s no one here but me who can save him.”
“Ugh…”
As the subordinates hesitated, Heike stepped up.
“I will vouch for his skills with the honor of the royal family. As the First Royal Princess, I approve.”
With Heike backing me up, they could no longer hold back. I immediately examined the patient.
‘His throat is swollen. Difficulty breathing, seizures. The pupils are dilated.’
It was a classic case of anaphylaxis due to an allergy. The treatment method was clear.
“I’ll administer epinephrine.”
I reached into my pocket, searching for the necessary syringe with my fingertips.
I had already finished my diagnosis, so there was no doubt regarding his symptoms. With a swift motion, I brought it up and injected it into his thigh.
“Gasp, gasp…”
The general’s trembling body began to stabilize gradually.
However, one issue remained. The closed airway was still causing difficulty in breathing. If I wasn’t careful, he could choke.
‘Should I test it out?’
I pulled out one more syringe. Inside was a slightly yellowish, oily liquid.
―――――――――――
· Underwater Breathing Potion
· Allows you to breathe through your skin.
· Duration: 5 minutes
―――――――――――
This was one of the samples from my alchemy skill experiments.
I thought it might greatly help with oxygen supply given the patient’s condition.
Click, I pressed the button, and the potion quickly entered his body.
And 30 seconds later,
“Gasp, gasp.”
His breathing gradually stabilized.
The swollen skin remained as it was, indicating that the potion was helping with respiratory assistance.
I had gathered useful data.
“The emergency team has arrived.”
A knight reported. It hadn’t been more than 3 minutes since the general collapsed, faster than a pasta delivery.
“How are they already here?”
Acella asked me, puzzled.
“Didn’t the general ignore my advice and drink the tea? I expected this would happen from that moment on.”
“Your preparedness is thorough. Keep it up.”
Ah, she had to speak strongly in front of others.
Recently, Acella’s once-menacing demeanor toward me seemed a bit cuter than before.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she would say when we were alone later, which made me want to provoke her more.
“Take him to the Inner Palace. We’ll resume the conference later. Some may suspect that you’ve cast a scheme.”
Heike organized the situation, striking first against the kingdom.
“Verify the circumstances immediately, ensuring there is no room for doubts. There is no poison anywhere.”
“Uh, okay… We will do that.”
The kingdom’s delegation stood up with unsure expressions.
“Oh, the mood has soured.”
As she watched the knights carry the general on a stretcher, Acella remarked.
“Time feels wasted. Lars, what should we do in the meantime?”
“Perhaps we can review some data. The general may raise issues about what just happened once he regains his senses.”
“If he is a rogue who would dare to confront his benefactor, I’d rather not speak to him at all. The aroma is nice, and it seems to be good tea.”
Acella softly ran her finger around the rim of the teacup.
“Shall we enjoy a tea time together while we wait?”
*
The meeting resumed that night. They could have postponed it until tomorrow, but the general’s determination was extraordinary.
As soon as he recovered, he requested to take his place, burning with a sense of duty to fulfill his mission.
“How are you feeling, General?”
“I’m fine. I appreciate your concern… um.”
The general twitched his nose, and his gaze lingered on me for a moment.
“I express my gratitude.”
In the end, he laid down his pride. The negotiation strategy he had prepared was now in shambles, so what could he do?
“Do you understand that the emergency was an accident the Empire did not intend?”
“…Yes.”
His subordinates had finished the verification already. No poison was detected, and the cup was one he picked up himself from an arbitrary set. The type of tea was also a commercially available product distributed by the upper class.
It would have been impossible for us to prepare poisoning with the allergy that the general himself was unaware of.
“What are your impressions of the Empire’s Inner Palace?”
“It has developed quite a lot.”
“If it weren’t for the new medical system introduced by the Empire’s Inner Palace, you might not be here today. You were lucky.”
“Um…”
Perhaps because he couldn’t help but agree, the general’s attitude had softened.
“I will acknowledge the Empire’s medicine and healing spells. The healers may be excellent, but that doesn’t mean the Empire is the best in every aspect of the continent. The kingdom has countless warriors and soldiers trained by fighting demons and tackling dungeons.”
The general gradually laid the groundwork and brought up the main point.
“The Holy Sword originally belonged to our kingdom. The Empire’s actions in arbitrarily seizing it cannot be considered a thought for the future of the continent. What of the soldiers who perished in the process?”
He emphasized with force.
“The higher authorities have also expressed a willingness to resolve this military provocation peacefully for the sake of the continent. But only if certain conditions are met.”
“I have many things I want to say about those preconditions, but let’s hear the conditions first.”
The general spoke to Heike.
“Grant the Empire equal authority in the formation of the future allied forces.”
And here is where it begins.
At first glance, it sounded like a peaceful proposal to harmoniously build an army together, but buried within was an intention to gain permission for forming a hero party.
“Hmm.”
Heike seemed to weigh various values on a scale. Seeing her troubled expression, Acella stepped in.
“You’re mistaken. The Empire has never conducted a military provocation against the kingdom.”
“Are you denying that? We have all the findings from the field investigation. All that was found were signs of a struggle at the lake where the Holy Sword was drawn and the corpses of our soldiers.”
“As someone who was present there, let me clarify.”
As I stepped forward, the general looked surprised.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected the attending physician from the Inner Palace to have been at that site.
“The Empire’s army fought demons, not the Royal Army. The Royal Army was killed by demons. I witnessed that scene firsthand.”
“That’s absurd. They were elite soldiers. There’s no way they’d be annihilated by mere demons.”
“What if there were six disaster-class demons?”
“Disaster-class?”
The general frowned deeply, taking the matter seriously.
Given that reaction, he likely wasn’t trying to deceive us; he truly didn’t know.
Perhaps the Holy Sword was lost, and the remaining Sirens scattered, with the bodies decomposed by mana.
“An even more absurd story. Six disaster-class demons would mean it’s not just a forest of demons, but hell itself. Are you saying you managed to return alive from such a place?”
“We have a Swordmaster with us.”
Upon my statement, the general fell silent.
“We even have a Fifth-tier Wizard.”
Acella said, lifting her chin with a haughty expression.
The general timidly protested.
“…Even so…”
“Oh dear, excuse me. I seem to have dropped something from my pocket. What is this? Oh, it’s a trophy from a disaster-class demon.”
I shook the vial containing a Siren’s tears in front of him. This was the last remaining vial after making a sanctification potion.
“Hmm…”
The general crossed his arms and suddenly turned silent.
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