Chapter 22

In the second floor of Bertine's house, preparations for the banquet were underway.

Dorote confirmed the procedure with Meira.

"Miss Meira, should I soak the dried meat in water?"

"Yes, water is fine, but soaking it in a mixture of distilled alcohol and water will make it taste better."

"I'll remember that."

Behind them, Diego was busily tearing the emu jerky by hand.

"Diego, I'll help you too."

"Thank you."

As they were cooking merrily, the doorbell rang and a voice was heard from downstairs.

"Candy lady! Are you there?"

"I'm here, David. It's 'Candy lady'! Did you bring Camila?"

"Yep! She's with me. I told Mom too."

It seemed that the two children had come to play, exclaiming "She's finally back!" while Bertine was away at the government office. Dorote had invited them to have dinner at her house.

The dried meat that Evan's parents had given them was not dried to the point of being rock hard but was slightly under-dried, which they said was more delicious. However, it didn't seem to last long.

"We shouldn't let such a nice gift go to waste. Let's eat it all up quickly."

Dorote's suggestion led to the lavish use of both emu and tamauri meat.

Soon, a pleasant aroma filled the house, and it was almost seven o'clock. The doorbell rang again, and Cecil arrived downstairs.

"Lord Cecil has arrived."

"Huh, Candy lady, Lord has come?"

"Yes. He must be looking forward to the taste of his hometown."

Bertine greeted him and led him upstairs, where the two children were wide-eyed with surprise.

"It's just like the painting in your shop, Mom!"

Bertine couldn't help but laugh at the children's surprise, but she noticed Meira had stiffened.

"Meira, this is..."

"I know. No, I am acquainted with you, Lord Cecil Bonifacio!"

"Pleased to meet you, miss."

"Wow! The hero of the Southern Union, you really exist!"

"Of course, I do."

The amusing sight of Cecil smiling wryly and Meira looking reverent was entertaining.

"Everything is ready. Please enjoy the food while it's hot."

Dorote's voice prompted everyone to take their seats and raise their glasses. The children had glasses of fruit water.

"Let's toast to the safe return from the depths and the successful completion of the mission!"

"To the mission's success!"

Everyone sipped the star fruit wine and murmured, "Phew!" "Delicious!" "So nostalgic!" Then they all dug into the freshly cooked, steaming hot dishes. The children started with the tamauri stew.

"Delicious! What is this meat? Candy lady, I've never tasted such delicious meat before!"

"Brother, it's delicious!"

They were delighted.

"Ah, the taste of home. The more you chew this emu meat, the better it tastes. The tamauri meat is also well-seasoned."

"Lord, did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, it's very delicious and nostalgic, Miss Bertine."

"Please call me Bertine. By the way, I've always wanted to ask, what is your hometown like?"

"My hometown..."

Cecil's eyes took on a distant look as he began to speak.

"I was born and raised in the southernmost part of this country, where the sea is in front and mountains are behind. We never lacked for food, but we had no cash crops. Without money, when we got sick, we relied on physical strength and luck, unable to afford medicine. During an epidemic, all we could do was cool our foreheads with wet cloths. I love my hometown, and it's a good place, but it's a poor land."

At this point, Meira praised Cecil for his victory in the war, and the conversation turned to why he had launched the war.

"What I learned as a representative of this country was that the empire's unscrupulous traders were gathering young men and women and children, claiming to 'help them find jobs,' and selling them into slavery. The problem was that there were also genuine job brokers, making it difficult to distinguish between the two."

Diego looked grim, and Meira nodded, indicating she knew about this.

"Even when we caught the perpetrators, the enemy's bases didn't disappear, and the number of people being deceived and sold didn't decrease. We repeatedly asked the empire to crack down, but they did nothing. So, after giving them notice, I led the army across the border and destroyed the slave traders' bases near the border, rescuing our citizens who were being held captive. That was the trigger for the war."

Bertine, who had been listening, timidly interjected with a question.

"Lord, wasn't the empire not using its full strength in that war?"

"You noticed. That's right. The number of imperial troops was quite small. If it had been a total war, our country would have undoubtedly lost. However, the empire must have thought they couldn't annihilate our army."

Diego was surprised at Cecil's straightforward admission.

"Huh? Why didn't the empire bring a total war?"

"Bertine, do you know the reason?"

Bertine quickly swallowed the stewed meat she was chewing and answered.

"Probably food. The empire must have known that if they used their full strength to crush this country's army, it would result in a food shortage for their own citizens. Over half of this country's military personnel are reservists who are farmers in peacetime. If they were killed, it would lead to a long-term food shortage for the empire."

"Interesting. What's your basis for that?"

Bertine thought for a moment before explaining.

"Once, my father asked me to investigate the empire's wheat production and consumption. There was no official data, so I looked into the traders' volumes through the commercial guild. It was very difficult because there are many traders, but no matter how I calculated, the amount of wheat harvested in the empire was 30% less than the estimated consumption. I realized they must be relying on imports from the union countries to make up the difference."

"And then?"

"Also, a significant amount of vegetables, fruits, and meat must be transported from the border areas of the union countries to the empire. The empire's population growth has outpaced the expansion of arable land. If food imports decrease, the first to suffer will be the common people, who make up 99.9% of the population. Their discontent will be directed at the emperor."

Cecil nodded several times.

"That's right. The empire, being a great power, engaged in a limited war. However, they judged that annihilating our army for the reason of slave traders being killed would not be worth it overall."

"Did you predict all of that, Lord?"

Cecil nodded at Bertine's question.

"The emperor must have been surprised that our army really invaded the empire. So, they chose to lose a small battle. Despite the empire's laws prohibiting human trafficking, they had long turned a blind eye to it. They used the compensation as a way to settle the score. Well, I was fine with the traders being gone, but the compensation was necessary for our country."

Diego, who had been listening, continued in a low voice.

"The empire did send an army, and the people would want the war to end quickly once casualties started. If they withdrew their army with minimal damage in a limited war, even if they lost, the people would not be too upset if they knew the war was caused by their own slave traders, as long as their lives remained stable."

"Yes. I judged they would act that way. Before the battle, I made sure to loudly denounce the slave traders so that the local residents could hear. Such stories always spread."

The children continued eating, not understanding what was being discussed, but the adults were surprised by the conversation between Cecil and Bertine. Meira, in particular, was genuinely shocked that the empire had held back.

"For the empire, it must have felt like being bitten by a pet dog. They can no longer use the union countries' land for free. They probably haven't realized that the pet dog is now aiming to stand on equal footing with the master."

"Lord, the future is what matters. Gradually making the empire aware of this country's strength."

"Bertine, you look quite sinister."

"Huh? Am I looking sinister?"

Everyone laughed at Bertine's flustered reaction. As she chewed on the emu meat, Bertine thought about future plans, and her face took on a sinister smile again, prompting Dorote to remind her, "Miss, your face!"

The banquet that night was lively with food and conversation, and it ended with Cecil handing over Bertine and Dorote's nationality certificates, saying, "I hurried the officials."

"Miss, will we become citizens of the union from now on?"

"No. During our single years, we will have dual citizenship of the union and the Kingdom of Sanlouan. After marriage, we will likely take our husband's nationality, but I feel we will keep both nationalities."

"Having two nationalities sounds quite advantageous."

Looking at Dorote's serious face, the slightly tipsy Bertine laughed happily.