A Meeting and a Request

— Evening of the Day Julius and the Others Came to the Kingdom —

"Are your injuries okay now, Pai?" Ruby asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah. The doctor examined me and said I'd be fine," Pai replied with

an awkward laugh.

"But I heard it was going to leave scars."

"Uh, yeah. Look."

Pai removed the mask which covered the area around one of his eyes,

and there were clear scars that looked like cat scratches there. They were

small marks that only covered the area around his eye, but that was because

the wounds he had taken in his draconic form had shrunk down with him in

his human one.

Naden and Ruby gulped when they saw the scars.

"That big tiger did that to you, right? It makes me shudder," Ruby

remarked.

"I guess the one good thing is that it didn't affect your vision," Naden

added.

"Ah ha ha... But Lady Sill told me the scars look cool."

Naden and Ruby looked at one another in the face of this blatant

flaunting of a loving relationship before both poking Pai's cheeks. Then, to

get things back on track, Naden took hold of a wooden goblet.

"Anyway, we're all here and well, so let's drink a toast."

Naden raised her wine-filled goblet, and Ruby and Pai followed suit.

"Now, let's drink to our reunion! Cheers!"

""Cheers!""

They clacked their cups together and then gulped down the wine.

Today, the three dragons from the Star Dragon Mountain Range were

having a "girls' party" at the experimental restaurant in Parnam, Ishizuka. It

all happened because Souma suggested, "You and Pai haven't seen each

other in a while, so why not invite Ruby and have a party at Ishizuka? I'll

let Poncho know you're coming." He was likely trying to show some

consideration to Naden, whose only compatriot in this country was Ruby.

He felt she should value her time with her friends. Naden had gratefully

accepted the idea, and invited the two of them.

"The last time we were all together like this was in the Kingdom of

Lastania, right?" Naden said after finishing her wine, and Pai nodded.

"During the demon wave, yeah. It's been years, huh?"

"When you say it like that, it doesn't feel that long since we've seen

each other, but a lot of time has passed, hasn't it?" Ruby said, getting

emotional as she stared into her cup.

"We never felt the flow of time this way in the Star Dragon Mountain

Range."

"Well, yeah... We must have spent an exhaustingly long time in our

homeland, but the time we've spent since meeting Souma feels longer."

"Yeah, I kind of get it. It's the density of memories," Naden said before

scarfing down a piece of chicken tatsuta.

Pai nodded. "Every day in the Star Dragon Mountain Range was the

same, so none of them stuck in our memories. It was just eating, sleeping,

studying, and breaking up fights between the two of you, over and over."

""Urkh...""

Maybe because they'd just remembered that awkward time in their lives,

Naden and Ruby both gulped down their drinks. To drown out the bitter

memories. Pai sighed and smiled wryly at their reaction.

"Compared to that, every day feels special now. I have someone

precious to me, and the time I spend with her is invaluable... I love her so

much."

"I get it. Every day I spend with Souma and the others is special."

"It's the same for me with Hal and Kaede." Naden giggled. "I think I'll

remember these days for all of my long life. If days spent without someone

precious to you don't stay in your memories, then I'm sure most of my life

is happening now."

"Hey, you can say something good once in a while."

That quip from Ruby made Naden flush red with embarrassment.

"Y-You're embarrassing me. Wahey!"

""Wahey!""

In order to mask their embarrassment, the three dragons clacked their

cups together once again. Then, after some time drinking and having a

raucous good time, Ruby spoke up.

"Oh, right..." Ruby said, "The people who are precious to you two are in

a meeting now, aren't they?"

Pai stared blankly at her for a moment before nodding.

"Oh, yeah. I thought I should be at her side, but Lady Sill told me to

'take this opportunity to enjoy yourself.'"

"Well, there's not much we can do during the negotiations anyway."

Naden shook her head in dismay. "Knowing Souma, though, he won't treat

her badly."

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the same time in Castle Parnam...

"Good evening, Queen Sill."

"Pardon our intrusion."

Liscia and I had come to visit Queen Sill while she was staying at the

castle.

"Good evening, King Souma, Madam Liscia," Queen Sill greeted us

with a smile and a handshake.

If the queen of a nation came to visit us, she couldn't just drop off Julius

and then say, "Okay, bye now." This room was the former royal couple's

bedroom, but Queen Sill and Pai were occupying it for now.

Queen Sill put her left hand over my hand which she was holding and

bowed her head.

"I must thank you for treating Pai."

"Think nothing of it. I'd feel terrible if we couldn't do at least that much

for you."

We needed to welcome her as an honored guest, but because the dragon

knights are chivalrous, or rather, have a tendency towards austerity, she

politely declined a banquet in her honor.

Instead, because she had heard about our country's medical reforms, she

asked that our doctors look at Pai's injuries. I called in Hilde and Brad to do

the examination. They concluded, "It's a painful wound, but not deep, and

of no threat to his vision."

"I heard you wanted to have a meeting today..." I said, and Queen Sill's

expression quickly grew serious.

Normally, when I meet with foreign royals, it's done in the audience

chamber or a reception room, but my wife Naden was friends with Madam

Sill's husband Pai, and she wanted to keep it more casual, so I met with her

in the room we were letting them stay in. Pai still had an androgynous, or

rather an otokonoko, look going on, so I felt weird calling him her husband

though.

"Yes. Let's sit down."

I settled into a seat near the table Sill gestured to.

"Has anything inconvenienced you during your stay in the castle?"

Liscia asked Queen Sill, and Queen Sill laughed and shook her head.

"Nothing at all, Madam Liscia. I am humbled by the kind treatment

we've received. You even looked at Pai's injuries for us."

"That's good to hear. Have you been to the castle town yet?"

"Yes. I looked around with Pai. Those broadcast programs of yours were

interesting."

I had given the two of them free run of the capital while they were here,

albeit with the Black Cats watching and protecting them in the shadows, of

course. Naden and Ruby would want to catch up with Pai, so the four of

them went out to have fun together. Though, the draconic trio were all at

Ishizuka drinking now.

Suddenly, Sill got a serious look on her face, and looked at me, saying,

"However, if I'm out there playing around all the time, it would set a bad

example for my knights, and now is a good opportunity. I'd like to talk to

you on behalf of my nation."

That had been my intent all along, so I nodded.

"I understand. Julius spoke to me about it too. This is about trade with

our country, correct?"

"Yes. Having lost the Kingdom of Lastania, our window to the outside

world, we will also lose our ability to procure supplies. I expect we will

start to run into shortages of food and resources, so I would like the

Kingdom of Friedonia to take over the Kingdom of Lastania's role in

providing supplies to us."

With Fuuga taking over the Union of Eastern Nations, half of the

Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom's border was now shared with his camp.

If he got it into his mind to do so, he could put limits on the supplies that

could pass that way, placing a heavy burden on the Dragon Knight

Kingdom's people. Sill wanted to open new trade routes to avoid that; likely

through air routes high over the Orthodox Papal State, where wyverns

couldn't reach.

I crossed my arms and groaned.

"For my part, I have no problem with it, but there is a great distance

between our countries. Even if you use dragons, they can only carry so

much at a time. Won't prices be higher than when you were trading

overland with the Kingdom of Lastania?"

They couldn't count on traveling merchants like before. That said, the

only nations of mankind that the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom

bordered were Fuuga's country, the vassals of the Empire, and part of the

Lunarian Orthodox Papal State. The Lunarians saw the Star Dragon

Mountain Range, which was the center of Mother Dragon worship, as well

as the deeply entwined Dragon Knight Kingdom as their enemies. They had

fought with both Fuuga's camp and the Empire before, and relations had not

recovered still. They were pretty isolated.

"If it were me, I'd consider this a good reason to mend fences with the

Empire... How about it? Their empress, Madam Maria, is a trustworthy

individual. Considering the growth of Fuuga's country, I think it's worth

considering."

Queen Sill and Maria can both be flexible in their thinking. I'm pretty

sure they'd get along...

But Queen Sill silently shook her head.

"Madam Maria can be trusted, I'm sure. But the Empire is far too large.

It seems Madam Maria has things under her control for now, but that may

not be true of the next ruler. If someone ambitious rises to the position

again, hostilities will come easily."

"Because we don't share a border, you have an easier time trusting us...

Is that it?"

"Yes. I am prepared for the cost of acquiring goods to be higher. We

will, of course, continue trading with all countries so long as shipping is not

cut off. Think of this as us preparing for a situation where we have no other

choice."

"And can you pay a price that makes it worth my time?" I asked and Sill

chuckled.

"Of course, we intend to make up the difference with our bodies."

""...!""

When Sill said that, Liscia's shoulders twitched a little. Uh, she didn't

mean it that way... I thought.

"I've heard from Julius. You want to use the dragon knights as

couriers?"

"Oh! That's what she... Ahem," Liscia cleared her throat, trying to cover

her embarrassment. Queen Sill smiled wryly before continuing.

"I thought it might provide a source of funds with which to buy the

supplies we'll need. A dragon can carry a large amount in one trip, and so

long as they aren't military supplies, it won't infringe on our contract with

the dragons. I expect there will be demand, but what do you think?"

"Well...I'm sure there will be, both at the national and civilian level."

"Then...!" Sill leaned in eagerly, but I raised a hand to stop her.

There would be demand, yes. Dragons had the power to carry as much

as two, maybe even four wyverns. They also had human intelligence and

could assume human form, so they were able to enter any tight place, and

didn't need a wide landing space. If they opened for business here, they'd

have any number of customers. But...

"If I were to allow the dragon knights to fly as couriers for private

individuals, those dragon knights would have to belong to this country. I

cannot allow a foreign air force to fly around my country willy-nilly."

Considering how powerful dragons were, they were less like transport

planes and more like large bombers.

Think about it. No matter how much they could carry, would you let

fully loaded enemy bombers fly around your country to make deliveries?

The dragons could burn a town or city down in an instant, so it wasn't like

they had the option of flying without their bombs loaded. They would

always be flying with a certain amount of firepower.

"Yes... You have a point."

Sill had no response to my objection. I let out a sigh.

"I trust both you and Pai. But I don't know what each of your individual

dragons and knights are like. If even one of them commits an act of

indiscretion, or perhaps accidentally drops their heavy load, it would be a

disaster."

As an example, Naden sometimes acted like a courier as part of the odd

jobs she did around the capital, but if anything happened when she was

doing it, the royal family would be held responsible. But if a dragon knight

belonging to the Dragon Knight Kingdom were to cause an incident, it

would not be so easy to make them take responsibility. It would definitely

require international negotiations.

When I explained that, Queen Sill slumped her shoulders.

"It's a valid complaint... Was I too short-sighted?"

"No, I think you're on the right track."

"Still...this is a problem. We won't have any way to acquire the supplies

we need like this," Sill groaned.

"It's fine," I said, smiling at her. "I can't let them fly around freely, but

it's possible for just the state to hire them. We'll establish flight paths and

timetables, and manage their freight contents and weight. When private

entities want to use your services to...transport a large volume of supplies,

for instance, the state can make the order on their behalf, and then you will

fulfill it."

In my mind, it was similar to having a national space program that rents

equipment for experiments from private companies.

"If the requests are made strictly by the state, not private citizens, it's

possible."

"Really?!" Queen Sill was visibly elated.

I nodded. "Yes, with proper flight plans. You won't be making money

hand over fist, but you should earn enough profit to buy your supplies."

"Ohhh! Thank you."

I'd let Roroa, Colbert, and the Ministry of Finance work out the finer

details. They would determine the appropriate compensation. This is going

to mean more work for Colbert... Sorry, just do the best you can.

There was actual demand. It would also help bring together the maritime

alliance we had formed with the Republic of Turgis and the Nine-Headed

Dragon Archipelago Union. Well, with how cold the Republic is, flights

would have to be canceled starting in the beginning of autumn, I'm sure.

I leaned in a bit closer to Sill, lowering the tone of my voice to say,

"Now, getting right to it, I have a delivery request for you on behalf of my

country."

"Hmm... Let's hear it."

I decided to tell Queen Sill about a certain transport mission that was

being planned. When she heard about it, she stared at me for a moment in

shock, then got a big smile on her face and slapped her knee.

"Sounds interesting! Let us handle it for you."

"Thank you, Madam Sill."

"We have a contract, then!"

Queen Sill and I exchanged a firm handshake. We were the first to form

an official contract with the Nothung Courier Kingdom.