Chapter 62

When we returned to the port of Zenobia, the first person to greet us was Yuria.

"Lord Ike, I was praying for your safe return."

And she hugged me without any regard for the people around us.

The sailors teased us, and her chest pressed against me, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Satie also seemed to be looking at me more cheerfully than usual, making me feel even more uneasy.

I pulled her away and said,

"A lady before her marriage should not behave like this in public."

She replied with a bright smile, "Yes, sir!"

But then she added with a mischievous grin,

"Then I'll do it where no one is around."

"……"

Her bold statement, in a way, was more daring than that of a pirate, and it made me feel a bit scared, but we got into the carriage Yuria had arrived in.

We were heading to the mansion of Etruria, the leader of Zenobia.

The reason she didn't come to the port was that she was "busy with work."

It seemed she was still under a tight schedule.

However, she had managed to set aside time to meet with me and sit down for negotiations.

She even cleared her entire afternoon schedule, which showed how much she appreciated our victory over Carossa.

I intended to use this gratitude as leverage to negotiate a favorable treaty with the Demon King's army.

In the office of Etruria's mansion in Zenobia, as soon as we entered, Etruria hugged me.

"Oh, my future son-in-law!"

She seemed genuinely delighted by the report of Carossa's defeat, but I hadn't expected her to hug me so suddenly.

Etruria is Yuria's mother. Despite her age, she is a very attractive woman.

She wears perfume, which gives off a pleasant scent.

She exudes the charm of a mature woman, different from Yuria's charm.

I hadn't expected to be hugged by two attractive women, mother and daughter, on the same day and at the same time.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in the feel of their chests, but as a gentleman, I pulled away from Etruria and got to the point.

"As promised, I have captured Redbeard Carossa."

She regained her calm, business-like demeanor and said,

"Yes, I see that."

"I didn't expect you to bring him alive."

"I'm sorry. My grandfather taught me not to kill unnecessarily."

"There's no need to apologize. We will handle his punishment."

"… Will he be hanged?"

"No," Etruria shook her head.

"I hesitate to stain the wedding of my daughter and son-in-law with the blood of pirates. Perhaps ten years of hard labor for his men, and life imprisonment for Carossa."

She said this with a hint of a joke.

"Hans said something similar," I replied with a wry smile, and she smiled in response.

"I was only joking, but let's discuss the treaty between the Demon King's army and the Trade Union."

"……"

I remained silent.

Until now, I had been able to dodge the issue, but it seemed we were finally getting to the main topic.

Etruria, the leader of the Trade Union, stated clearly,

"We are willing to provide food to the Demon King's army."

"Really?"

"Yes, merchants may lie, but they keep their promises. If we make a treaty, we will fulfill it."

"Can I take that as a statement from the leader of the Trade Union?"

"Yes."

She answered briefly and then added,

"Of course, there are opposing opinions within the Trade Union. However, some believe it's better to establish good relations with the Demon King's army now."

"Such opinions exist?"

"Surprised?"

"Well, yes."

"You underestimate merchants. They are shrewd and resourceful. Naturally, they will bet on the side with the higher chance of winning."

"But the Demon King's army is the enemy. Aren't you afraid of the demons?"

"I wouldn't say I'm not afraid, but being afraid won't make the Demon King's army lose or make the Trade Union's cities prosperous. Besides, we receive various information from Ivalice, the city you govern."

"From my city?"

"Yes, the ruler of this city is different from the demons of the past. In fact, the current Demon King is something entirely different. The merchants know that you are a good business partner."

Indeed, many merchants come and go in Ivalice.

I pay them fairly and ensure their safety within my territory.

I was aware that this had led to more merchants gathering from various places, and it seemed the rumors had reached the ears of the Trade Union's leaders.

"So, the leaders of the Trade Union believe the Demon King's army will win?"

"More accurately, some of them do. Opinions are divided. There are those who fear the Demon King's army and support the Alliance of Kings, and those who want to establish good relations now to secure a favorable position after the war."

"… And which side are you on, Etruria?"

"Me? I believed the Demon King's army would win. I realized from the beginning that the current general of the Demon King's army is different from the rest."

She smiled brightly.

"Meeting you confirmed my belief."

She extended her arm, indicating that she was willing to make a trade treaty with the Demon King's army.

Thus, I successfully negotiated the first trade treaty between humans and demons.

For the next few hours, we discussed the details of the treaty.

The first issue was not what to trade but how to conduct the trade.

As I mentioned earlier, there are Trade Union leaders who fear the Demon King's army, and politically, we cannot openly trade.

"If we do, we might give the Alliance of Kings a reason to attack us," Etruria explained.

I understood her point.

In my previous life, there was a similar situation with the Crusades.

They sent troops to neighboring countries to conquer infidels but sometimes attacked and plundered Christian cities that didn't contribute to the funding of the crusades.

The people of this world might do the same.

In fact, if the Alliance of Kings found out we were trading with the Demon King's army, they would surely attack the Trade Union.

The fertile southern grain fields and the spice trade rights are too tempting to ignore.

Giving the Alliance of Kings an excuse would be the worst choice for the Trade Union.

"That's why we can only trade secretly and continue to trade with the Alliance of Kings. I hope you understand."

"Of course, I understand."

Etruria was declaring that they would continue to provide food aid to the Alliance of Kings as usual.

As a general of the Demon King's army, I would prefer her to stop, but I understood her position, and it would be problematic for us if the southern food supply was cut off.

Moreover, I didn't want Etruria, Yuria, Hans, and the other people I met in this city to be caught in the war.

"I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position."

"No, I appreciate that you are willing to trade with us, even in secret."

It was true.

This would resolve the immediate food shortage that the Demon King's army was concerned about.

We decided that the trade would be conducted secretly, disguised as individual transactions by merchants, to smuggle food.

Using ships for large-scale trade would be risky, as it could be discovered if the Trade Union's ships docked in ports controlled by the Demon King's army.

We needed to be cautious in our arrangements.

After about an hour of discussion, we moved on to the topic of trade goods.

The Trade Union would provide grains and spices, but what could the Demon King's army offer in return?

I asked her.

She immediately said, "Weapons."

"I've heard that the Dwarf King Gunther is staying in your city."

"… You really have your ears to the ground, Etruria."

"Ivalice is currently the hottest city. It's transforming from an agricultural city to an industrial one and has developed some bizarre weapons. We want them."

"……"

She was referring to the matchlock guns, but I hesitated to answer.

The matchlock guns had become famous across the continent after the rescue of Arsenam, but production was still lagging.

I could barely equip my own brigade, let alone other brigades.

It was too early to use them as trade goods.

However, they wanted weapons, and I couldn't simply refuse.

I proposed a compromise.

"By the way, in naval battles in this region, mages are essential, right?"

"That's correct. In long-range battles, they use magic to hurl stones at each other."

I had thought about this during the battle with Carossa and when starting agriculture in Ivalice.

In this world, magic is so advanced that some technologies are behind those of the medieval period in my previous life.

They haven't even developed gunpowder, let alone muskets or cannons.

That's why mages are highly valued.

I decided to propose something to Etruria.

"If I could reduce the number of mages needed on merchant ships by half, what would you think?"

"That would be great. Hiring top mages costs as much as dozens of sailors. It would significantly reduce transportation costs."

"Then, I will provide a weapon that can reduce the number of mages needed for stone-throwing."

Etruria frowned.

"Is such a weapon really possible?"

"Yes, it's called a cannon."

I had thought about this after seeing the stone-throwing battle.

With cannons, we could reduce the number of mages.

"A cannon? I've never heard of it. What kind of weapon is it?"

"It's a large iron tube that fires a large iron ball using gunpowder to destroy the enemy."

"Is it like a larger version of a matchlock gun?"

"Exactly."

Producing matchlock guns was difficult, but in my previous life, cannons were developed before guns because they were simpler to manufacture.

Cannons could be mass-produced by human craftsmen and used as trade goods.

I proposed this, and it delighted Etruria more than I expected.

"Indeed, my future son-in-law. You understand what the other party wants and provide it. You have the makings of a great merchant."

She hugged me again.

Her ample chest pressed against me, but at least the secret treaty between the Demon King's army and the Trade Union was finalized.

It was a happy outcome, but as Etruria hugged me, she made another proposal.

"Now that the treaty is settled, there's one more thing to do."

"Another thing?"

"Yes."

She said firmly, "It's the engagement party for my daughter."

"… Really?"

Etruria smiled, similar to Sefiro, my superior.

"I won't make the treaty unless we have the party—no, that's a lie. We can't make the treaty public, but I want to celebrate it with a party."

So, she had intended to make the treaty from the beginning.

Otherwise, she couldn't have prepared the party in advance.

Or maybe she really had prepared the engagement party for her daughter.

I couldn't be sure.

After years of dealing with the battlefield, I could understand the enemy's thoughts, but I still couldn't fully grasp women's thoughts.

I decided to attend the "treaty celebration" party as a minimum courtesy as a representative of the Demon King's army.

Thinking this, I was prompted to dress formally by Etruria.