Chapter 9

The tension grew stronger, but it was only natural to welcome someone of high status from another country as a citizen of one's own nation, even if they had been exiled.

A single monster, to whom the king had nodded, presented two wooden vessels to the king.

As the king took them and laughed, his face appeared at close range.

I struggled to suppress the urge to take a step back in surprise.

Around the throne where the king had been sitting, the officials continued to laugh as usual.

"Now, to the main point, Liyum Greedy. From this moment on, you will become a citizen of our country. Just as you have worked for the people of Aldina, swear to serve our country, Fakul, with all your might. Even if the time comes for us to attack Aldina."

The king of the monsters laughed.

I took the offered vessel and stared intently at the deep red liquid inside.

This was one of the rituals passed down in Fakul.

By drinking the red liquid, made from the red fruits they favored, and treating it as one's own blood, one would swear loyalty.

Those who had immigrated to this country or married into it would perform this ritual with the king.

If there were multiple immigrants, only the representative would swear, and in this case, it would be me. Whether Philo participated in the ritual or not didn't matter.

"It's just a formality, so you don't need to think too deeply about it. I know you've made various decisions to come here. This guy, for example, drank it all in one go and then spat it out at me."

"Hahaha, sorry about that, Leos. I didn't expect it to be so sweet!"

The human male, whom Lord Leos pointed to, laughed heartily.

While the country has a monarchy and the king is the center of action in times of crisis, many people treat the king as a friend.

This is allowed in this country, and everyone is quite relaxed.

The king, who didn't seem to mind at all, was still holding the vessel and laughing.

...Still, for me, this ritual marks a turning point in my life.

Until now, I have lived with the responsibility and pride of being a lady born into a diplomat's family in Aldina.

But from today, this country will be my home.

The monsters around me, who were smiling kindly, are now the people I need to protect.

They are not weak, but the country I serve has changed.

I must be prepared to become a resident of this country, which is seen as a threat worldwide and is even considered an enemy of humans.

I have been pondering this for about a year, and my decision has not changed.

I looked at the cheerful face in front of me.

This is the person I will serve from now on.

Lord Leos said I didn't need to think too deeply about it, but perhaps this is his final test of me.

"...I swear. My king, Lord Leos."

As I touched the vessel to my lips, Lord Leos drank from the other vessel.

With this, I am officially a member of Fakul.

I can't return to Aldina, but I never intended to.

The sweetness was so intense it almost made me choke, and I stared at the remaining droplets in the vessel.

This drink is made from the fruits grown with the fertilizer I provided during my diplomatic mission.

At the gatekeeper's place, it is diluted with water, and they often mix it with alcohol, but this seemed to be the undiluted version.

The fruit, which has been a favorite of the monsters and is always present at celebrations and important events, is only found in Fakul.

Apparently, it used to be produced in moderate quantities, but the production rate increased significantly with the fertilizer I provided.

Since I had already shared the method of making the fertilizer during my diplomatic mission, Aldina can no longer offer it as part of the alliance with Fakul.

The royal family of Aldina and my parents, who worked as diplomats at the time, said it was natural to offer these things for the alliance, so there should be no problem.

"Welcome, Liyum. In this country, there are no family names. We are all like family. Discard the name of the Greedy family."

"It was already taken from me. I have no attachment to it."

"That's good to hear."

Lord Leos, in a good mood, moved back to the throne in an instant.

It looked like instantaneous teleportation, but it was simply his superior physical abilities allowing him to move so quickly.

His speed, which human eyes cannot follow, and the sheer strength of the monsters, are just a small part of their power.

If they were to put aside their laziness and get serious, they could probably unify the world.

"This makes you officially a member of our country. Finally, the paperwork is done."

"Really, it's about time the archives could be used for their intended purpose."

"They are currently just storage for documents. Good, good!"

Relief spread among the officials, and I recalled the state of the country's archives.

The place was literally piled high with documents.

There were about five large archives, and three of them were so filled with paper that you couldn't even reach the bookshelves.

Despite their excellent physical abilities and intelligence, the monsters seemed to struggle with focused and detailed work like document organization.

They take turns handling important tasks, but they all get bored quickly, so documents pile up in this country.

The human male was being teased by the other officials for not being able to do it, but he laughed it off, saying it just didn't suit him.

Even the other people who had immigrated to this country all found it difficult, which I found impressive.

I had been entrusted with some document work during my visits to Fakul as part of the diplomatic mission.

I wondered if it was appropriate to show important documents to a foreigner, but Aldina had instructed me to handle Fakul's requests properly, so there was no problem.

In fact, the potential for disadvantage was on Fakul's side if I helped.

I had hinted at this indirectly, but it was dismissed with a smile.

The king's intuition as a monster is apparently so sharp that if he deems something safe, the citizens trust his judgment.

Lord Leos does indeed give off a reassuring aura.

They also seem to believe they can solve any problems that arise with their own strength.

Their confidence is not misplaced, which is perhaps what makes them so formidable.

"Anyway, you'll need to prepare your home, so start work in a few days."

"Yes, thank you."

"Still, Aldina is a strange country. A country that forms an alliance with us would never let go of the diplomat who formed it. If the diplomat who formed the alliance is gone, the alliance is broken."

I smiled wryly at the king and the officials, who looked genuinely puzzled.

By exiling me, the alliance between Fakul and Aldina, which was based on a personal alliance with the diplomat, was broken.

For Aldina to form an alliance with Fakul again, they would need to offer something of value other than the fertilizer I provided and send a diplomat who could win the favor of this king.

"I did suggest that, but they completely ignored it. They believe the results of the work I accomplished are my sister's. Talking about my sister's achievements as my own only increased their anger."

"…What a strange country. I've never even met your sister. They must really believe it, even though it's not a lie."

"Yes, for them, it's normal for me to do the work and for the results to be attributed to my sister. Even when pointed out by other countries… even if they reconsider at the time, once they return to Aldina, their thinking reverts to the original."

"Creepy. That a country like this can form alliances and live in peace without being conquered is… well, we also didn't plan to attack them. By the way, didn't your parents celebrate your success in forming the alliance with us?"

"Yes, they took me shopping to celebrate. But after a few years, they seemed to have forgotten about it. At first, if I mentioned it, they would reconsider, but over the years, they stopped doing so. Recently, in the past year, they didn't even want to hear my words."

The king, who had slightly frowned, leaned back in his throne, and the chair creaked.

He had never before discussed why Aldina couldn't be attacked, so perhaps the story was nearing its end, and the correction on other countries was starting to fade.

The strong correction on Pulm, which only affected Aldina, and the correction on the story, which was weaker but still present, were both in effect.

To keep Aldina a peaceful country until the end of the story.

The fact that Lord Leos brought it up suggests that the correction might only last a little longer.

I felt this way and slightly lowered my head.