“It as Miss Mimosa said, Senya, as the representative for the fairies, wants to have good relations with us first and foremost.”
“Therefore, if the fairies agrees on whatever Miss Senya decides to, they don’t have anything against forming an alliance with us.”
“So there you have it Asagao. The reason Miss Topaz and Miss Mimi was sent here is purely they recognized your ownership to them and they respect that.”
“Are you pleased with this Asagao?”
I am totally pleased with this, in fact, I’m happy to be with Topaz and Mimi. My problem right now is…
“Hearing all of this, it only means that the other kingdoms are our new competitors.”
“It’s the inevitable. One by one, we wanted to expand our lands but treaties, and the aftermath of hundred years of wars rendered us unable to. This time, the calamity regarding the devils is what made us stopped from any political and power strife.”
“Then that means that Higanbana, Casablanca, and Hibiscus are…”
“That’s right Asagao. Unless they are vying for the same goal and wanted an allegiance with us, we are enemies at a tabletop now.”
“No…”
This is only natural for a world with no existing international rules that all will agree to. Each Kingdom has their goals and their needs to sustain their people. Fonfon isn’t different from them. He has taken the position of the king to cater to his subject’s needs.
A congregation is to be upheld for the reason to show each of the kingdom’s supremacy when it comes to the matter of the Center Continent. Each and everyone will be bringing down their cards to gain more for the betterment of their own land.
“Are you dissatisfied with the situation, Asagao?”
“I…can’t tell…”
I can’t scoop any selfish desire on this matter and slam it at everyone’s faces. Fonfon is a king and I have taken the role of his little sister in which I have to support him.
I didn’t know that everything would end up like this. If I have known, I would still save this world from ruin, but the thought of standing against the three them of them and all of my precious friends from before…
It feels really sad…
I want to scream that aloud. I don’t want everything to end up like this and I still want to mend my relationship with Higan.
Her confession of love too…
Despite not having any answers for it, I want to be with her. That’s how I feel, even for Casablanca and Hibiscus. I want to be more subjective with my feelings but there are things that needed to prioritize.
“Asagao, be honest. I am here for you as your elder brother. Share me your thoughts and desires and I will thoroughly make an effort to make it come true.”
Fonfon told me with sincere eyes. I was really compelled to believe those words. It was gentle, nice, soothing, and full of honesty. However…
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Thank you…however…I can’t seem to trust your words right now based on your actions alone tonight…”
Violetta nodded firmly from my words as she looks at my direction. She is sitting in a chair a little bit further away from me and Fonfon. As Fonfon’s office, it’s large, has a good reception complete with furniture to accept guests.
Mimosa was just observing and writes on her notes about things that are happening. It was part of her work here but I could tell that it is also for giggles.
Fonfon seats on a large sofa…that itself is normal but…
“Hawawawa…!”
“……”
“Ooomf! Delicious!”
On his lap is Alstroe eating something like a handmade sweets cookies. Eating cookies itself is bad since it’s already late night and sleeping may become a problem.
On his left side, Topaz sits quietly with frigid expression. Her head is being patted over and over but she still doesn’t have had any response from the sensation. No, it is more accurate to say that she doesn’t know how to appropriately respond to it.
Mimi, on the other hand, is blushing fiercely from the contact as she sits on Fonfon’s right side. Her head and occasionally, her horns are being rubbed that made her more flushed. She can’t form any comprehensible words and she just let Fonfon do his patting.
Fonfon has a happy expression as smaller girls surround him. At this point, I refused to join that fray.
“Something like this won’t make me happy! Definitely not!”
Mimi started blurting out such words with a really contradictory countenance. Her lips may say those but she is pressing her head against the hand that strokes her. Topaz is…still quiet about what’s happening.
All things to be considered, Topaz isn’t used to that kind of sensation so she is conflicted about what face she’ll make. I bet she is torn apart between smiling and annoyed. I’m guessing Mimi has never been touched like this before.
“I can’t believe you…”
“Oh, are you jealous Asagao?!”
“I’m not.”
Fonfon called out to me teasingly. It’s just that, it doesn’t work that way anymore.
“Rather, I want to know more about the Congregation for tomorrow.”
“You haven’t answered my question, Asagao. What are your desires?”
He asked me again about it.
“Isn’t it obvious…? I…I don’t want to drift away from my friends because of this strife…”
“Then…Asagao…”
“But! I took a duty and responsibility upon myself. I need to hold on to those and see that you and this kingdom will gain something. That’s why I don’t want to push what I wanted.”
“It must be hard…making such decision…”
It’s not really a decision for me. It’s what we needed to do in the first place.
“That’s why I want to know more about this congregation…”
“Very well, for the sake of tomorrow’s summit, I will brief you on the matter. After this, bedtime.”
Violetta answered me sternly. Her eyes shifted from Fonfon to me and directed a doubting gaze. I don’t want to cause any trouble regarding this and if possible, I’d like for people who are meant for the job to keep doing what they needed to do.
“Please start.”
“Okay. As you may have known, each kingdom governs a span of territory and no exception from the rule. Each of this kingdoms houses races and on top of everyone is a king or queen rules over. The point of this congregation is to expand our territory beyond the sea of the Land of Prosperity.”
“And that’s the center continent, right?”
“Correct. As the name implies, the Center Continent is in the center of the seven continents. Here’s my question Asagao, what do you think is the aim of each leader for a land that seemingly devastated weeks ago?”
“To…cultivate their resources outside of the given territory from the treaty?”
“Not bad. That’s the surface of this congregation. The plan is to make the center continent the powerhouse of international trade.”
“Huh? So that’s how it is…”
“Yeah, big trading firm, industrial factories, magical research for utility, all of it will encompass the center continent, a place easily accessible for everyone. That’s why upon its renovation, all kinds of interests have already piled up. The economy for the kingdoms will boom and a lot of opportunities will open up.”
What’s bad about it then?
Why do they have to divide themselves from one another if they are going to have a full use of the center continent right from the start?
That defeats the purpose of competition in itself…
“Asagao, the way you think about things…you still don’t see it right?”
“What…I don’t see?”
“On the long run, our Kingdom will lag behind for the reason we got a small portion of that place.”
“…That’s…how?”
“If we, by chance, get the shorter end of the stick, we will most likely need to rely on another kingdom for mass resources for the firms in the center continent. We are going to deplete our stocks faster than we can resupply. On that circumstances, we will have to find insurance from other kingdom and we will gain little from it, if not, sustain.
“The reason we have to fight over the territory is…to have a better place to build our firm. With that, we won’t end up with a massive loss in the future?”
“Correct. The bigger land we can own, the bigger opportunity for us to rise.”
This is…the reality I am facing now.
The fantasy that this world has portrayed no longer have any impact and now, I am facing a real-time problem here.
I didn’t expect that everything would turn out like this immediately. Stories don’t have happily ever after and my life definitely seems to be heading in that direction.
This world’s reality struggles are also mine to bother now.
It may have a different basis for the rules and law, it may be a little far from any advanced technologies, it may even be a little surreal, however, this world is nothing short of comparable to my previous one.
Struggles like this…will never cease…