Chapter 250 Let's Avoid Physics
"By the way, Your Highness the Crown Prince Gerhart, Marquis Grandchester has not openly mentioned it, but please understand that there is a problem with trying to negotiate directly with me, bypassing King Avalon's office and the Marquis Grandchester family. As someone who values 'reason,' I wonder how it is acceptable to negotiate in such an unreasonable way with a mere merchant."
"I question whether I should even be called a mere merchant, but it is indeed a problem. I never intended to discuss this in the first place."
"I understand. You wanted to negotiate with the Florence Merchant Guild in Genoa, right?"
"Yes. As a result, we ended up having this conversation. Marquis Grandchester, I truly apologize."
"It can't be helped. However, from now on, we cannot negotiate without going through King Avalon's office."
Marquis Grandchester followed Crown Prince Gerhart's lead but firmly stated that further negotiations could not happen.
"That's true. The hunting tournament is over, so we should probably meet with King Avalon again, but it seems it will take some time to get the correct numbers from the country. However, in the meantime, the citizens will continue to suffer from hunger..."
At that moment, Rebecca spoke up.
"How about we request a reasonable amount of wheat export from His Majesty, the King of Avalon? While managing the urgent situation in Roisen, it would be good to quickly understand the current situation's status. Your Excellency Marquis Grandchester could also meet with Crown Prince Gerhart to ask King Avalon for permission to export wheat. Grandchester is already involved in this. If we explain the damage, I believe His Majesty will understand."
"I see. As always, my daughter-in-law is wise. I can only be grateful that she married Robert."
"It's a shame to think that if Prince Adolf had sincerely proposed, this wisdom might have been brought to Roisen."
He then glanced over at Sophia.
"Still, Avalon has many intelligent women. Lady Orson, Sophia, and Lady Sara are surprisingly smart at their age, and they have incredible magical power."
"Your Highness Crown Prince Gerhart, unfortunately, please think that only those 3 stand out. The other women are more ordinary."
"No, when compared to Sophia and Sara, I feel a bit..."
"Lady Orson? Please don't try to fit yourself into the ordinary category."
Unable to hold back, Marquis Grandchester let out a chuckle, and everyone present burst into laughter.
Once the laughter subsided, Sophia returned to a serious expression and spoke to Crown Prince Gerhart.
"Before negotiating with His Majesty the King, let's decide on a reasonable compromise."
"Hmm."
"The Coastal Union has already secured a large amount of wheat. We don't know how long they can hold onto it, but if they run out of funds, they will have to release it. Let's aim to push them to the limit and buy it at the lowest price."
"Is that possible?"
"We will force them into that situation. There aren't many countries that can buy as much wheat as Roisen, especially at a high price."
"That's true."
"First, let's secure enough wheat for Roisen's minimum needs. Even if we can't get the required amount from Avalon, the Sophia Merchant Guild will make sure to provide the same amount of wheat that Roisen imported from the Coastal Union last year. In that case, Roisen will import it from a third country to avoid violating Avalon's national laws. So, Your Highness Crown Prince Gerhart, you can confidently report that we have a plan to secure wheat for your country."
"It seems I might barely avoid being labeled as incompetent. Well, I won't deny that I am indeed incompetent..."
"Please save your self-pity for when you're alone later. Of course, the Sophia Merchant Guild will expect compensation."
"That's only natural. I will definitely transfer the mine I mentioned earlier to you."
"I'm very grateful for your offer, but asking for 3 mines as payment for this year's wheat is just too much. Merchants often say, 'Make as much as you can when you can,' but if prices go too high, it will eventually come back to hurt them. So, I think it would be best for you to actually see the food situation in Roisen, and if needed, I can help with suggestions for crops to grow or soil improvement."
Robert had a look on his face that clearly said he understood.
"Are you going to that village?"
"Yes. I think it's the best place for Roisen to take a look."
"That might be true."
Crown Prince Gerhart looked at Robert with curiosity.
"Actually, not all the land in the Grandchester territory is rich. In one settler village, the land is poor, and they couldn't grow wheat, so they were growing rye instead. However, the rye got hit by a disease and failed, so they are now trying to grow various crops as an experiment."
"Oh, I see."
"This village also has staff from the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild coming and going, researching soil and herbs. If you're interested, would you like to visit for an inspection?"
"That sounds interesting. We might find a way to improve our food situation."
At that moment, Sophia, with a cool air about her, quietly began to speak to Edward.
"By the way, Your Excellency the Young Marquis, what will happen next?"
"Next?"
"What to do with the leaders of the Coastal Union who failed in their efforts towards Roisen. You mentioned wanting to give them a taste of their own medicine."
"Ah, yeah, that's right."
"What kind of response do you desire?"
"...Let's avoid anything physical."
"Hehe. Please don't take my earlier nonsense seriously. I won't do anything reckless unless something important is harmed. For now, let's make a big loss for the wheat. If possible, I want to drive a few people to bankruptcy. After that, we'll adapt based on their next move."
With a bright smile, Sophia was making quite a dangerous statement.
"Um, well, Sophia..."
"Yes?"
"You look too much like Sara, and it's really scary. Just seeing your smile sends chills down my spine."
"Well, saying an 8-year-old lady is scary is a bit much. That's a bit of a joke."
Edward managed to have a strained expression that could barely be called a smile, while Robert, who was listening beside him, held his head in his hands.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince Gerhart, it seems there is nothing more we can discuss tonight. From here on, I believe we cannot proceed without King Avalon's presence."
"Yeah, sorry for calling you here. It was a meaningful meeting."
"I am honored."
Then, Sophia, Daniel, and the members of the Grandchester family left the room. After this meeting, Sophia had no desire to dance with Baron Jilbafuchs, so she decided to head straight to the Jeffrey residence.
However, the noble heirs and merchants who wanted to get closer to Sophia were disappointed that she hadn't returned after being called by Crown Prince Gerhart. They started to speculate various things, like "She's actually a hidden child of the Grandchester family" and "She's a princess from another country." Before they knew it, Sophia became the center of attention in high society.
* * *
When Sophia returned to the Jeffrey residence, she was surprised to see the golem Sara sitting quietly on the sofa in her room.
"Welcome back, Sophia."
"Whoa! You scared me! I totally forgot about you. I'm home, Sara."
"I was waiting quietly, but did I surprise you that much?"
"Well, a little bit."
"You made me yourself, you know."
"Yeah, that's true. I just completely forgot how to move you without making you stand out. What should I do?"
"Why not remove the unit from the biological body and switch to sleep mode, then store it in spatial storage?"
"Eh, isn't that a bit rough?"
"Lady Sophia, even though you made us, you treat each golem as if it has its own personality."
"That might be true."
"Does making us humanoid make those feelings stronger? We act like each individual has a different personality, but in the end, we are just terminals of Magi. We can activate as needed and put to sleep when not needed."
"That does make things feel complicated."
"I think you'll get used to it eventually."
"Is that how it is?"
Sophia erased Sara's biological body that was wrapped around the golem and put the remaining units to sleep for storage. When she actually did it, it didn't feel that strange. It was true that she might get used to it.
After that, she returned to Sara's form and got into bed, starting to reflect on the day's events.
'A country not loved by fairies, huh? I wonder what the original Roisen looked like.'
"Hey, Sedrick, you're already here, right?"
In response to Sara's voice, a pink door appeared in the air, and small butlers began to arrive one after another.
"Milady Sara, did you call for us?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, but could you increase the number of your subordinate? I have plenty of magic to give, so I want several."
"Coastal Union, right?"
"That's right."
"For now, I've sent Sed from Roisen to Florence in Genoa, but we can't leave Roisen unattended, so let's bring them back for now."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Do we need about one for each country?"
"There are 9 countries in the Coastal Union, including big and small ones. Do you want to send one to all of them?"
"How much of my magic will you need?"
"Hmm. I don't think you'll need half. You'll recover after a good night's sleep."
"I really do have an outrageous amount of magic, don't I?"
"That's obvious by now, right?"
"Well, yeah."
Sedrick approached the bedside, took Sara's hand, and quickly drained her magic to create ten familiars. All of them took the form of baby black leopards.
The baby leopards jumped onto the bed with her and started to play with Sara.
"So cute!"
"Somehow, I thought milady would prefer this one."
"Wait, but why ten of them?"
"I'll have one move around flexibly instead of being tied to one country. Yes, let's go with this one."
Sedrick picked up a young leopard, which had a white lightning-like pattern on its forehead.
"I'll have this one report back. With so many subordinates gathered at once, it might be a burden for Milady Sara."
However, ignoring Sedrick's opinion, Sara was happily playing with the young leopards.
"...It seems that worry wasn't necessary."
"No, no. I appreciate your consideration. In reality, there will be many moments when I can't take my eyes off them. But this situation is also really happy. After all, fluffiness is justice!"
"Well, it's an honor to contribute to milady's healing, but, um, your face looks a bit messy, you know?"
"Tonight has been full of so many things. I'm tired, so please forgive me for now."
"Understood. Then let's skip the detailed report for today. There's nothing urgent that needs to be dealt with. Please take your time to rest and recover your magic power."
"Got it."
"Well then, good night, Milady Sara. I'll send the followers to their respective countries after you fall asleep."
"Thank you, Sedrick. Good night."
And so, the long night came to an end, and Sara, in her innocent 8-year-old form, fell into a deep sleep.
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