Chapter 83

What should I do?

As soon as I started thinking, I felt a chill run through me.

If I turn down Argento's offer, Faye and her family might suffer greatly.

That... is unacceptable. I don't want to cause Faye any trouble.

"Maybe I should accept Argento's offer after all," I blurted out. But then, Cloa grabbed both of my hands, and I snapped back to reality.

"That's not right, is it? That's not what you want. And Faye wouldn't be happy if you went to the Argento family against your will, especially if he found out it was because of him. He would blame himself."

...Yeah, that's right. Faye is that kind of person. That's why he didn't say anything.

But... I still can't act based on my feelings alone.

So, I need to think of a way to turn down Argento's offer without causing Faye any trouble. Well, how can I do that?

"Um, what exactly would happen if I turned down Argento's offer?"

"I don't know."

I see.

...Well, I don't know either.

"Right, even if I think about it... it might be quite difficult. The Redgard territory is designed to be self-sustaining, right? It doesn't have any notable specialties to sell to other territories, nor does it need to buy food from other territories."

Oh, that's true. I live in the Redgard territory, but I don't know much about the outside world. I wonder where Cloa got her information from.

"That's why, despite not being very wealthy, the territory is managed by the lord with a fair tax system, which compensates for it."

...Yeah, I understand that. The people in the Redgard territory are friendly towards Faye and his family. I've heard that the Redgard family doesn't impose heavy taxes and returns the collected taxes to the people.

"Given that, the punishment for the Redgard family would probably be ostracization by other nobles, right?"

"...That's the only thing I can think of. I don't think they would resort to military force."

I see. So, if I turn down Argento's offer, Faye might be ostracized by the nobles. ...That wouldn't be good.

"In the worst case, the royal family might intervene and dissolve the Redgard family. Especially since the Redgard family owns a Red Dragon, they might be treated differently from other lords... and become a prime target."

Ugh... That's no good. If that's the case, I can't do anything about it with my own power.

If it were a matter of stopping food supplies, I could draw food to solve the problem, and it wouldn't matter if I angered Argento... but...

"...It would be impossible to make the Redgard territory an independent nation. As long as it belongs to this country, it wouldn't be wise to offend Argento, who holds the second most power after the royal family. ...Sigh, it's frustrating."

Cloa sighed deeply. A pipe fox that had been drawn out by her sigh tried to sneak into her collar, so I pulled it out. I wish it would at least try to sneak into my side.

"The most peaceful way to resolve this would be for them to turn me down... but I can't think of anything."

Then, Laocrates said with a tired face.

"Turn them down?"

"Yes. For example, if you were to lose the ability to draw altogether, they would give up."

"I see."

Right. If I lost both my arms in an accident, Argento would probably give up on hiring me. He would think that way.

"...Don't even think about doing that."

Laocrates glared at me a bit, but of course, I wouldn't. I don't really like pain... No, I would only do that if I couldn't think of anything else.

"Then, what if I lied and said I'm in a slump?"

"Hmm... It wouldn't leave a good impression. But it could be a last resort. ...However, I think there's a high chance they would keep you under their control, hoping you might recover."

I see. I thought they might give up if it was just because I didn't want to go... but no.

"Then, what if I told them I'm a forest spirit?"

"Don't do that."

...Would that not work? I thought it would be the best way to make them understand and give up.

"If they found out that a forest spirit can take human form and communicate, Argento would definitely try to move you to the forest in his territory... or find some other way to use you."

I see. That wouldn't work.

"Your forest is home to many rare creatures like unicorns, pegasi, and fairies. If they found out that all these creatures belong to you, they might include the forest in the 'negotiation.' The forest remains untouched because it is believed to belong to spirits that humans cannot interfere with."

...Yeah, that wouldn't work. I need to start over. It would be better for the forest if they didn't know I'm a spirit. I'm sorry. If I were more dignified and could give off the pressure of 'If you touch me, something bad will happen,' it would be better...

As we were thinking, Cloa suddenly smiled brightly and said,

"Ah, I have a good idea. Why don't we assassinate Argento?"

...Assassinate.

What!? Assassinate!?

"Cloa, that's... that's not right... That's not right. Well, it's a bit... extreme."

"It's a joke."

A joke. Yeah... Is it really a joke?

"Even if assassination is a joke, it might be good to find a weakness to use against them."

"Weakness?"

When I asked, Cloa, who had just said something dangerous, replied calmly.

"Yes. If we investigate a bit, we might find a sore spot. Or... for example, what if we threatened to wither all the forests in their territory?"

...Would that be as bad as assassination?

"Well, I don't really want to attack them..."

"...Yeah, you shouldn't. If you act rashly, you might give them a pretext for military intervention."

"Right? If all the fairies and magical beasts in Argento's territory decided to move to the Redgard territory with Togo, it might not be considered an attack."

Can I even do that? ...Can I call mice with a flute like the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

I thought about it for a while, but no good ideas came to mind.

"Actually, it would be best if Argento could understand my feelings."

I think this is probably the best option.

However, I also think this is the least likely to happen.

"Yes... It's not the kind of person who would listen when you tell them not to pick the flowers. They probably only see the flowers as something to be plucked and discarded when they wither."

"I hope they have some sense of appreciation."

...I know that there are people who can't understand each other. Unavoidable misunderstandings can happen anywhere, whether intentional or not.

Even after blood, sweat, and tears, there are things that can't be reconciled. Even with family, there are things that can't be understood.

...However, I don't think it's good to give up on trying to understand each other from the start.

"Um..."

Thinking it might be silly, I still suggested,

"I still want to try negotiating."

"...I haven't heard Argento's feelings, and I haven't expressed mine either. So..."

When I said this, Laocrates and Cloa looked a bit surprised... and then they smiled in a way that seemed relieved.

"Yes, I think that's a good approach for you."

"...Maybe we were too hasty."

...I feel relieved that they accepted it. I'm glad they didn't oppose it.

"Then, you should think carefully about what you need to say. You might not be able to express yourself when the time comes."

"Yeah. I'll write a letter. I think it would be better to write down what I want to say before meeting him directly."

Feeling relieved that they agreed, I started thinking immediately. How should I write it? I'm not good at choosing words, so I need to think a lot.

However, it feels much better than thinking about assassination or the Pied Piper.

"Well... if the negotiation fails, we'll have to give up and look for another way. ...Faye is probably prepared for that."

"Yes. ...Right. Then, Togo, you should talk to Faye first. You should write him a letter."

Yeah. That's right. I need to talk to Faye before talking to Argento.

I'll talk to Faye and decide what to do. If it doesn't work out, we'll... say "It didn't work out!" and be sad together. Then we'll think about what to do next.

Yeah. I think Faye will allow that. I hope so.

Because Faye is... my best friend.

"Right. If it doesn't work out, we'll assassinate the old man Argento."

"Cloa, that's... really a bit..."

"Oh, I do what I have to do."

Please don't do it even when you have to...

After that, I wrote a letter to Faye.

"I want to turn down Argento's offer, but I'm worried about causing Faye trouble. I'd like to consult with you."

...The phoenix flew off with the letter. The phoenix is fast. The letter will probably arrive today.

While waiting for Faye's reply, I'll organize what I want to say to Argento. I'll need to do a lot of drafts before the final version. Yeah, I'll be busy.

...That night.

As I was writing down what I wanted to say to Argento and thinking about how to structure it, I suddenly heard a commotion outside the window.

I opened the window and... heard a familiar sound of wings.

I rushed outside, and as expected...

...There was the Red Dragon.

"Faye!"

"Huh? ...Oh! Togo! There you are!"

Faye, who had just dismounted from the Red Dragon, immediately spotted me and ran over.

"I got your letter!"

"Yeah, but... wasn't that fast...?"

"Huh? Yeah, I got it from a phoenix in the capital."

...The capital? I thought Faye was in the Redgard territory.

Looking at Faye with surprise, he scratched his head awkwardly.

"...Well, it's frustrating to move forward without the Redgard family. I sent you off, but I couldn't help it, so I came after you!"

Faye said and then... patted my back.

"So, Togo! Let's go to Argento's place together! And let's apologize together! If we get scolded, we'll deal with it then!"

...Yeah.

I feel more energetic now.

With Faye, I feel like I can say what I want to say.