The Water Magician

"Ku ku ku, did you see that foolish face of the fire attribute mage! Our total victory!"

Upon returning to Abel's office, the water attribute magician laughed wickedly with a sinister grin...

He was in high spirits.

"W-Well... he didn’t change his expression much..."

As he tried to argue, his majesty the king was subjected to the stern gaze of the first duke.

"I could see his surprise was barely concealed..."

"That's right, that's right."

Abel adjusted his opinion, and Ryo nodded repeatedly.

The marquis Heinlein, who was listening beside them, remained silent.

Perhaps these two had resigned themselves to such things.

That said, there was an urgent issue that required alignment of consciousness, so I took the initiative to bring it up.

"The dispatch of a delegation to the Western Nations... we have no choice but to consider this."

"Indeed. I was surprised when I heard that proposal... but my question is, why now, and why such an action?"

The doubts that Abel harbored were the same as those the marquis Heinlein had when he first heard the conversation.

The timing of the proposal was far too sudden.

"Um, is it really that difficult to go to the Western Nations?"

Ryo, having no knowledge of the Western Nations, decided to ask plainly.

Asking is a moment of shame, not asking is a lifetime of shame.

"Ah, it is difficult. First, there are no roads established between here and the Central Nations. There are no regular exchanges, nor direct trade. Scattered among them are several small nations, and traveling through them... the security is not good, and there are places where no country exists at all. In short, respectable merchant caravans do not traverse this route. Whether seen from the Central Nations or the Western Nations, regular exchanges are physically difficult."

Abel answered Ryo's question.

At his response, Ryo's eyes widened.

"Abel gave a proper answer..."

"Hey, hey! I'm still the king, you know! I know at least that much!"

Abel scolded Ryo for his harsh words.

However, a sudden question popped into Ryo's mind.

"By the way, Hero Roman and the others came from the Western Nations, right? And also, I heard that Arthur Velasis from the magical association had gone to the Western Nations when he was younger..."

"Ah, yes. But, after all, they are all top-tier adventurers, aren't they? Even Arthur was already a b-rank adventurer at that time. If they are such powerful individuals, it's not impossible for them to reach there. However, in a situation like this, where we have many non-combatants and those unaccustomed to rough circumstances to protect... what do you think, Heinlein?"

"Indeed, quite a considerable difficulty would arise."

Marquis Heinlein replied while nodding several times and continued.

"Between us and the far eastern edge of the Western Nations, Kyushi Duchy, we would have to go through at least four small nations. They are referred to as the Corridor Nations in some parts. The overall journey takes a month one way, which is already quite challenging, but there are the Forest of Jet Black, Ranshi Gorge, and the Funsun Mountain Range... all of them are difficult locations."

Ryo was genuinely impressed by Heinlein's explanation.

"As expected of your excellency the chancellor... you know more than his majesty the king..."

"Hey, first duke over there, I can hear you!"

The relationship between the number one and number two of the country is usually not good, but in this kingdom, there seemed to be no concern about that...

"If we decide to send a delegation, the scale of it and who will lead it will become an issue."

Count Heinlein stated.

Abel, Count Heinlein, and Ryo were seated on a sofa, in the midst of their discussion.

In front of the three, there was Kona Coffee placed.

"The Empire's stance is troublesome."

Saying that, Abel took a sip of his coffee.

"The Empire's?"

Ryo tilted his head in confusion, not quite understanding.

"The choice of leader for the delegation by the Empire will change who we might send as the leader. For example, if a negotiator from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assigned as the leader, then it’s fine for us to send someone from our Foreign Ministry as well. However, for instance, if the Duchess Rubine, who is the current emperor’s sister, were to be sent as the leader, then we must send royalty or a high-ranking noble."