by Dojyomaru
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just that what I’m going to say could be considered discriminatory.”
“Discriminatory? In a conversation about demons and monsters?” Jeanne seemed doubtful, but I chose my words carefully as I continued.
“Yeah. You asked what made me think that. Well, it’s because... I can’t tell the difference between this world’s animals and monsters. The animals in this world are larger than the ones in my own, with big fangs and sharp tusks, and a generally aggressive appearance. If the animals from your world appeared in mine, the people there would definitely think they were monsters.”
Especially when it came to things like rhinosauruses. If even one giant creature like that appeared in my world, it would probably cause a panic. With their huge bodies, they looked like either dinosaurs, or something out of a monster movie.
“Hmm... Is that how it is?” Jeanne tilted her head to the side quizzically. Not knowing the animals from my world, she couldn’t imagine what it felt like to me.
“That’s how it is,” I said. “And... if I take it a bit further, I have a hard time seeing the difference between races like beastmen or dragonewts and demons.”
She gasped in shock. “That’s...”
I raised my hand to stop her. “Yeah, I know. If the beastmen heard me, they’d get mad and say, ‘Don’t lump us in with them.’ But, still, for me, as guy who lived in a world without demons or beastmen, it’s hard to see the difference.”
When I’d first seen Kaede at the singing cafe, Lorelei, in Parnam, I hadn’t been able to tell the difference between her race, mystic foxes, and Tomoe’s mystic wolves.
At the time, I’d asked, “They’re both canines, so can’t we just lump them both together as mystic dogs?”
When I’d said that, Liscia had retorted, “If you say that, you’ll get both the mystic wolves and the mystic foxes angry. Kobolds are mystic dogs, so it would be like lumping humans together with apes,” and warned me against doing it.
At the time, I had just accepted that was how it was, but when I’d thought about it a little more, what was the difference between mystic wolves or foxes and kobolds?
“Can you tell the difference between mystic wolves or foxes and kobolds?” I asked.
“Of course I can,” said Jeanne. “Mystic wolves and foxes have ears and tails, but their faces and bodies aren’t markedly different from humans. Kobolds, on the other hand, have dog faces.”
“But there are beastmen with animal faces, right?” I asked.
To give an example from my own side, our General of the Army, Georg Carmine was one. If that lion man showed up in Japan, everyone would think he was some kind of demon.
When I pointed that out, Jeanne crossed her arms and groaned. “When you say it like that... it makes sense. Hrm... Oh, I know. Kobolds are covered in fur. In other words, while beastmen have some animal features, perhaps kobolds are just dogs walking on two feet like a human?”
“In that case, how would you tell apart demons with no hair, or short hair?” I asked. “By that reasoning, wouldn’t beastman be like the orcs and minotaurs, who have bodies like a muscle-bound human?”
“Murgh...” Jeanne said.
When I shot down her argument, Jeanne thought on it for some time, then said, “I give up,” raising her hands in surrender. “I’ve never thought deeply about the difference between humans and demons before. When you pointed it out, for the first time, I realized I was distinguishing people from demons purely by instinct.”
“You’re right...” Liscia murmured. “Now that we’re being asked to, I can’t find a single defining difference.”
“I wonder why we never noticed before now...” Hakuya murmured.
They both nodded repeatedly.
This was probably the common understanding of most people in this world. Turning that around, it meant the people of this world could instinctively tell people and demons apart.
To explain from a Japanese perspective, even among those who love clams in their miso soup, many are probably disgusted even just looking at land mollusks like slugs.
Also, people who will react with shock to videos of aboriginals from Australia eating insect larvae from inside trees are perfectly fine with eating shrimp (raw, at that), which look the same once they’re peeled.
It’s natural for the environment we’re raised in and our customs to have an effect on the way we understand things.
Perhaps this world’s understanding of demons was something like that?
“In my world, humans are the only race of people,” I said. “I lived in a world with no elves, beastmen, dragonewts, or demons, so I don’t have a sense that lets me distinguish between them. To my eyes, demons look like just another race of mankind.”
“S-Sire!” Aisha burst out from her place standing by the door. “...Do you hate us dark elves, perhaps?” She looked at me like an abandoned puppy
I grinned back at her. “Not at all. A dark-skinned elf is just plain adorable. Of course, the same goes for an orthodox human beauty, too.”
The first was meant for Aisha, while the second was directed at Liscia.
When they heard me, Aisha cried, “Truly, do you mean it?!” her face bursting with glee, while Liscia said “Yeah, yeah, thanks,” curtly, but with a smile on her lips that showed she didn’t mind the compliment.
Jeanne watched the two of them with a wry smile. “I can see how loved you are.”
“They’re a better bodyguard and fiancee than I could possibly deserve,” I said.
“Well, that’s lovely... Whew.” Jeanne slumped back in her chair. “I’m glad you kept this between us. If you had said all that without clearing the room, I might have had to slay my country’s bureaucrats.”
Slay them?! Isn’t that a little violent, out of nowhere?!
“I-Is it really something you’d need to go that far over?” I stammered.
“It is,” said Jeanne. “If the way you were talking had spread, it wouldn’t just worsen people’s opinion of you. It could have caused war across the continent. Isn’t that right, Sir Hakuya?”
“You are entirely correct,” said Hakuya. “I wish I could have taught him that sooner.” Hakuya looked at me with reproach.
Huh, is he mad at me? I thought, surprised.
“You need to understand this, sire,” said Hakuya. “If what you said about ‘It’s hard to distinguish demons from beastmen’ spreads, it would give a human supremacist country like the Principality of Amidonia, or the high elves of the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, who think they’re the chosen people, perfect material to use to attack their enemies. Beastmen and dragonewts would be expelled as demons, or accused of potentially conspiring with the enemy, and be subjected to undue persecution.”
The Garlan Spirit Kingdom was an island nation northwest of the continent, I recalled.
It was a country made up of two islands, one large and one small, but the smaller island had been abandoned in the face of monster attacks, and a portion of the larger island was occupied, as well. Apparently, at least... I could only go on hearsay, because the country had highly isolationist policies and very little information leaked out.
The elven races tended to have a lot of beautiful men and women, and this trend was especially strong with the high elves. They called themselves God’s chosen people, and looked down on other races, loathe to have any interaction with them.
It seemed that even now, with monsters invading, that wasn’t going to change.
In a country like Garlan or Amidonia, it was true, they would likely try to use this information to affirm the superiority of their own race. In fact, Amidonia had already succeeded in fomenting hatred towards Elfrieden to make their people easier to rule. There were countries out there that would use hate and prejudice.
Jeanne nodded. “Sir Hakuya is correct. Furthermore, it’s not something that multiracial countries like mine or yours can ignore. If that sort of thinking were to run rampant, we would be looking at the spa
rks of interracial violence in our own country. If we had an internal conflict, on top of the external threats we face...”
“...Sorry,” I said. “I hadn’t thought it through that far.”
I bowed my head sincerely. They had both made good points. There were bigger things at stake than my reputation. I needed to be more cautious with my words.
While I was reflecting on my actions...
“No,” Jeanne said, shaking her head. “If you hadn’t pointed it out to me, I wouldn’t have noticed. It’s a thorny issue, but this is better than having it thrust on us by surprise one day. We can make preparations ourselves now.”
“I’m grateful to have you say that,” I said. “...Still, I can’t think of any countermeasures off the top of my head.”
When I said that, Jeanne slumped her shoulders with a sigh. “The Mankind Declaration speaks out against the persecution of minority groups, but that’s an agreement between states. If it were a national policy—like, if someone in the administration, for instance, gave the order to persecute them—we could intervene, but if it’s ordinary citizens doing it, all we can do is call the country’s responsibility for the matter into question.”
“Besides, there are countries like ours that haven’t even signed the Mankind Declaration,” I said. “On top of that, if you try to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries, that will breed discontent, which could, in the worst case, lead to war.”
“I agree with you,” said Jeanne. “What’s more, we don’t have all the relevant information about demons and monsters available to us. With so many uncertain factors, it’s dangerous to rush to any conclusions.”
In the end, it was decided that the Empire and kingdom would continue to discuss this problem.
We called the bureaucrats back in, and the conference continued until it was getting to be late at night. Around this time of day, people would start to get hungry.
Jeanne was an important guest from another country, so normally I should probably have held a banquet for her, but time was precious to both of us, so I’d decided we would eat at the conference.
That called for something we could eat as we worked, so I’d decided to serve Jeanne and her entourage a certain type of bun I was debating whether or not to spread throughout the country.
When Jeanne ate that bun, her reaction was...
“This is incredible! It seems wrong to put a staple food on another staple food, but once you dig in, the two contrasting textures are a perfect match. The tomato sauce gives it a nice tangy flavor. What’s more, by putting a dish that you would normally eat with a plate and a form on a bun, it lets us eat it using just one hand! My hat’s off to you for that idea! What a marvel!”
...she praised it without holding back.
Did you think it was a sandwich? Too bad; it was a spaghetti bun.
The truth was, I’d wanted to make a yakisoba bun, but I just couldn’t seem to replicate that thick sauce. That was why I’d used pasta and tomato sauce, both of which already existed in this world, to create a spaghetti bun. By the way, I hadn’t given up on replicating the sauce; Poncho was researching it at this very moment.
“When I first saw it, I questioned your sanity, but it really is good,” said Liscia.
“Neither bread nor pasta is new, but it’s quite a novel experience to eat them together like this,” said Hakuya.
Liscia and Hakuya seemed to be enjoying them, as well.
Now that the food crisis was more or less solved, I thought that, rather than off-the-wall ideas like gelin udon, it might be nice to spread some dishes from Earth instead. Developing our culinary traditions would improve our country’s brand power and image, and could also lead to an influx of foreign money.
Now, as for Aisha, the one most likely to dig into these sorts of new dishes with gusto...
“Om, nom, nom!”
Even as she stood behind me as my bodyguard, she was busily scarfing down spaghetti buns.
Wait, hold on, Aisha, I thought. Just how many have you eaten?
What had once been a mountain of buns on the plate had now been reduced to less than a hill. Even at a time like this, the hungry dark elf was the same as ever.
Once we had finished eating our buns and taken a short break, Jeanne broached the issue we had met to discuss. “Hmm... Now then, do you think it’s about time we moved onto the topic of your occupation of Van? The Empire’s position is that, in adherence with the Mankind Declaration, we cannot accept border changes brought about by the use of military force. We demand that the Elfrieden Kingdom return Van and the region surrounding it to the Principality of Amidonia.”
“The kingdom’s position is that we can’t accept that demand,” I said. “The Principality of Amidonia were the aggressors in this conflict. I think we’re justified in our actions, no?”
“You could also be seen as having induced them to act, you realize?” Jeanne asked.
“They’ve done plenty to interfere in our internal affairs,” I replied. “It’s not right for them to complain as soon as we turn the tables on them. Is the Empire fine with that? If you accept their outrageous behavior, both signatories and non-signatories to the Mankind Declaration will take you lightly from here on.”
“Yes, they will,” said Jeanne. “That is why the Empire is prepared to force Amidonia to pay suitable reparations. In this matter, I think the Empire has no choice but to punish both sides.”
Well, yeah... I figured that would be your response, I thought.
Because Amidonia was a signatory of the Mankind Declaration, the Empire had no choice but to stand by their side and demand Elfrieden return their territory. But if they allowed Amidonia to get away with their outrageous behavior, it would invite the other signatories to act with impunity, which would create resistance from the non-signatories. That meant they needed to impose harsh penalties on Amidonia, in order to keep the other signatory states in line. The Empire had the power to do just that.
I looked at Jeanne, as if testing her. “And if we don’t comply, you will resort to military force?”
“It is not my preferred method... but if the need arises, I will have no choice,” said Jeanne. “At this moment, the number of troops the Empire has brought is equal to your Royal Army, but I am confident that we have the power to annihilate the forces of both kingdom and principality at the same time, if need be.”
The Anti-Magic Armor Corps, the griffon squadrons, and the rhinosauruses carrying cannons... I recalled the many troop types they had which would be powerful when fighting against castle walls. There was no hint of boasting in Jeanne’s words.
“...I’ll bet you could,” I said. “We don’t want to fight, either.” I rested my elbows on the table, crossing my fingers in front of my mouth. “That’s why I’d like to sort out each of our intentions here.”
“Our intentions, you say?” asked Jeanne.
“Yes,” I replied. “The Empire doesn’t want to recognize border changes. That’s why you’re asking that the kingdom return Van. Correct?”
“...Yes. That’s right.” Jeanne nodded.
Having confirmed the Empire’s intent, I continued, “Now, as for our intent, we want to reduce the power of the Principality of Amidonia, which continues to engage in hostile actions towards our country, In order to ensure that they can’t influence our country again. Furthermore, we want them to pay for invading us. We took Van to exact that cost.”
“...I see,” said Jeanne. “Then you have no particular desire to hold Van. In other words, an unconditional return of the city is out of the question, but if the principality pays a suitable price, you are prepared to return it.”
It was good to see that she was quick on the uptake. When I nodded, Jeanne turned a harsh glance towards me. “Will you demand Sir Julius’s head?”
“That’s hardly going to be worth as much as an entire city,” I said.
“Then... is it money you want?” she asked.
“It is,” I agreed. �
�If the principality will pay reparations to our country, we will return Van. You yourself said that the Empire would see to it that the principality paid a suitable price for their actions, so that should be perfect, shouldn’t it?”
Looking at it in the long term, turning over territory that could produce wealth indefinitely if managed properly in exchange for a one-time payment was a negative. However, because it had been Amidonian territory until just recently, and taking relations with the Empire into consideration, it wasn’t a bad decision.
Meanwhile, for the Empire, they would have fulfilled their duty to the principality by securing the return of their land, and they could warn the other signatories, “If you act like Amidonia, you may not have your territory seized, but you’re gonna have to pay reparations.” That would, in effect, also help to build trust with the non-signatories.
Jeanne sighed. “Sir Julius won’t like it...”
“I have no pity to spare for the root of the problem,” I said. “Have him pay in imperial coinage. Sir Julius isn’t terribly bright when it comes to the economy, after all. He’ll probably think he can just mint low quality coins for the reparations.”
“You’re getting our country involved in this?” Jeanne asked.
“The Empire shares some responsibility for Amidonia’s outrageous behavior,” I replied. “You have to give me this much, at least.”
“...I have no good response to that.” After a shrug of the shoulders and a wry smile, Jeanne suddenly slipped into a more serious expression. “I have a question for you. Why won’t the Elfrieden Kingdom sign on to my sister’s Mankind Declaration? If you were a signatory, I don’t think the kingdom and Empire would have ended up staring one another down over this matter.” Jeanne glanced over to Liscia, and added, “I hesitate to say this in front of Princess Liscia, but when it comes to why the prior king, Sir Albert, didn’t sign the Mankind Declaration... well, I can understand. It’s not so much that he chose not to sign it, as...”
“...he couldn’t decide whether to sign or not,” Liscia finished for her. “He’s so indecisive.”