Volume 6 Chapter 54 I Want To Pretend I Didn't Hear And Go Back To Sleep, But...
The first to disagree with what was said was Reed.
"Do you think it's that easy? Even the mafia will make you pay if you mess with their pride, no matter how much the other side tries to act like it's not their problem. Otherwise, other mafias will look down on them. Yukina knows this, right?"
"I guess I can kinda keep up with that."
Using the mafia as an example is very much like Reed, but it's easy to understand since it's close to home. I just learned that the structure of the underworld is a lot like the real world.
"As you pointed out, my younger brother wants to keep our foreign relations to a minimum, like a 'closed country'... but my older brother is ready to go to war if it means closing Sanmoto."
"No way... Is he really planning to bring the peaceful Sanmoto back to war!?"
Since Mikage has been studying Sanmoto's history, she reacted strongly to this. Rouza tried to respond to her in a calm voice.
"Calm down, Mikage. It's all about 'defending ourselves'... Sanmoto is an island nation surrounded by the sea. Even if it turns into a war, if we strengthen our defenses, it'll be hard for anyone to attack us from the outside. Thanks to technology coming in from other countries in recent years, we've also been improving our weapons."
Originally, these were meant to deal with monsters, but with a few tweaks, they can easily be turned into weapons for fighting people. It's just a change in target.
"However, if they come, my older brother's policy is that they won't back down from a fight. While it may not be as extreme, my younger brother is also considering using force to some extent. Either way, when it comes to closing the country, those 2 share the same goal."
Rouza's brothers are trying to close Sanmoto, even if it means going to war with other countries. It's a pretty reckless plan, even for a layperson.
"Everyone here probably understands this, but because of its location, Sanmoto hasn't had much interaction with other countries. Up until about a hundred years ago, we were too busy with wars to even think about it."
At that time, Egawa unified Sanmoto and took the position of Shogun. He worked hard to cut down the sparks of war that were still popping up in various places and to bring peace to the country.
"My father is actively engaging with other countries, hoping to bring in different cultures and technologies to help Sanmoto grow. I agree with this. Even after my father retires and I take over, I plan to continue this policy."
In fact, since starting to interact with foreign countries, Sanmoto has made remarkable progress. By bringing in new techniques in farming and industry, the country has definitely become richer.
"However, my older brothers do not agree with this approach. I've heard him suggest to my father many times that Sanmoto should stand on its own."
"So, this leads to the current conflict over Sanmoto's succession."
"Yeah. If they get rid of me, my 2 brothers will end up fighting over the inheritance, but for now, their top priority is to take me down together."
"This is the general situation I'm in," Rouza concluded.
The room fell silent for a while.
After hearing such heavy talk, I honestly felt full. In the back of my mind, I was screaming, "I wish I could just forget this and wrap myself in a blanket to sleep." If Gram hadn't been filling in details through Telepathy here and there, I would have been dizzy.
"...It's fine for us to talk about various things, but is it really okay to have Karan-san here? I don't fully understand everything either, but I wonder if Karan-san will have a hard time dealing with this information."
When we looked over, Karan the senior guild staff had his arms crossed, eyes closed, and was frowning deeply. He looked really troubled.
Considering what happened with Mikage, it's good for us to understand Rouza's background. However, Karan got pulled into this situation. While he has helped us a lot, I'm not sure if he was meant to hear such deep discussions.
He is a big shot in the Mercenary Guild. Even though it's a different group from the kingdom's government, should they handle the information about Sanmoto from Rouza the same way? Should they keep it secret or report it to the government?
"Originally, I planned to inform those in a decent position unofficially about the thoughts of my older brothers and the current situation in Sanmoto. When I safely become Shogun, or if I mess up and my brothers take over, I want to make sure the kingdom's government is in the loop."
"For now, I'll just pretend I don't know anything. It's really selfish."
"I'm not saying to cover it up. I just want you to pick the right moment. Depending on the timing, people's feelings about Sanmoto could change a lot, right?"
What does that mean, Gram-sensei?
'Who's the teacher here? ...If Rouza becomes Shogun, he can shift the blame for everything onto his brothers and apologize. Then, if his brothers end up becoming Shogun, he'll have to warn the other country to be very careful with any contact with Sanmoto from then on.'
If they tried to establish relations without knowing anything and the ship they sent got attacked and sunk, that could lead to a war. As a precaution, Rouza plan to inform Karan in advance and keep it under wraps until the right time.
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