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The moment I stepped into the explorers' guild in the capital of the Hitia Duchy, Celest, one of the guild staff members who noticed us immediately approached.
"I am Lucilla N. Edelweiss. In response to the explorers' guild's invitation, I have come as the representative of the Nohitant Kingdom."
When I introduced myself, the guild staff member bowed humbly.
"We have been expecting you, Lady Lucilla. From this point onward, we ask that you refrain from bringing escorts or carrying weapons. I apologize for the inconvenience, but please proceed to the inner room alone."
Under normal circumstances, this would be a rather bold request, but considering what was about to take place and the current situation, it was a reasonable one.
"May I keep my defensive magic tools on my person?"
"Yes. As long as they are not tools designed to actively harm others, you may keep them equipped."
"Understood. —Lauretta and the others, please wait inside this building. Be cautious in your actions and avoid any unnecessary conflicts with people from other countries."
"Understood, Your Highness Lucilla. Please go ahead."
After complying with the staff member's request, I gave instructions to my escorts, Lauretta and the rest, then walked toward the designated room.
It has already been nearly two months since the labyrinth overflows began across the world and Orun fought Belia in the royal capital.
At first, people were thrown into chaos by the sudden changes, but—whether for better or worse—people adapt. The confusion has gradually subsided.
Well, things are still far from returning to how they were before the magic beasts appeared.
When I entered the designated room, there were already nearly ten people inside.
(Truly an impressive lineup.)
Representatives or proxies from various countries had gathered here, just like me.
What was about to take place was a summit meeting to discuss countermeasures against the magic beasts that had spread across the surface due to the simultaneous labyrinth overflows worldwide.
Under the banner that humanity must join hands across national borders to confront the threat of the magic beasts that had appeared on the surface, the explorers' guild had called upon every nation, and this meeting was the result.
This was only possible because the explorers' guild had maintained neutrality until now.
If any other country had been the initiator, the existing relationships and grudges would likely have made it impossible to even set up a place for discussion.
(Even so, the explorers' guild is quite bold.)
For the Cyclamen Church, the Hitia Duchy is right in the middle of enemy territory.
No matter how centrally located the duchy is on the continent, choosing such a place for the meeting shows incredible nerve.
It may be a sign of how much the current power balance has shifted in favor of the Cyclamen Church.
My position is that of a spy from the Amuntsāsu faction who has infiltrated the Cyclamen Church faction.
Because of the incident in the royal capital the other day, Philly Carpenter used Recognition Alteration on me, implanting a strong hostility toward Orun and goodwill toward the church, in addition to the belief that Orun had killed the Grand Master of the explorers' guild.
In reality, thanks to the function Orun had secretly added to my defensive magic tool in Daruane to nullify Recognition Alteration, it had no effect on me. However, Philly Carpenter must believe that I am under its influence.
I must not let her notice.
(Orun kept his promise to save many of the kingdom's citizens. Now it is my turn.)
Thanks to Amuntsāsu secretly hunting down a large number of magic beasts within the country, the damage was kept to a minimum.
Without their cooperation, chaos would still be spreading throughout the kingdom even now.
"Lady Lucilla, it has been a while."
While I was reaffirming my resolve to fulfill my role, a blond man who could best be described as "effeminate" called out to me.
"Lord Lyle. It has been a while. So you are the representative of the Stris Kingdom?"
"Yes. Lately I have been literally running all over the place."
He was Lyle Howard.
He was a member of the ducal family of the Stris Kingdom, which borders the Nohitant Kingdom.
He was also the person who had responded to my call as the representative of the Stris Kingdom during the gathering of neighboring countries in Daruane three months ago, when war with the empire was imminent.
Within the alliance formed by the long-standing Nohitant Kingdom and its surrounding nations, the Nohitant Kingdom holds the greatest power thanks to the southern Great Labyrinth, but the next most powerful is the Stris Kingdom.
In Daruane, it was largely thanks to Lord Lyle taking the lead and agreeing that the allied forces were formed so quickly.
"Fufu. Let us both take care not to exhaust ourselves to the point of breaking down."
"Yes, indeed… It may sound rude, but to be honest, I feel relieved that we have entered a ceasefire with the empire. If we had to face both the magic beasts and the empire at the same time, both our people and our country would undoubtedly have been completely worn out."
As Lord Lyle said, the war with the empire had entered a ceasefire triggered by the overflows.
This was because not only the explorers' guild but even the major powers that had previously remained neutral in the war between the kingdom and the empire had stepped in to mediate, citing the common threat to humanity of magic beasts spreading across the surface.
Within the country, there are still many who harbor anger toward the empire for killing my father, the king. However, unfortunately, the Nohitant Kingdom, which had barely been able to hold its own against the empire alone, does not have the strength to face both the empire and the magic beasts simultaneously.
Personally, I am not without feelings about my father's death, but the stronger emotion is relief that we have chosen the path with the highest chance of the kingdom's survival.
After all, if I had stubbornly insisted on the Nohitant Kingdom's position here and taken a different path from the other countries, we would certainly have become isolated, and what awaited us beyond that would have been hell.
…Even though my own flesh and blood was killed, the fact that calculations of gain and loss come first may mean that I lack ordinary human emotions.
"I do feel frustrated that we cannot take revenge for His Majesty the King, but given the circumstances, it cannot be helped. From now on, let us continue to join hands as allies and overcome this difficult situation together."
"Yes, of course."
After that, representatives from the other allied nations also gathered, and we exchanged information about the situation in each country.
Just as we had gathered from countries with strong ties, the room was divided into several groups, subtly hinting at each nation's stance and relationships.