After returning to Arkenia.
Leopoldus immediately took action.
“Send statements to each country. We have decided to recognize them as a nation.”
First, he recognized Millenia not as a group of different races, but as a legitimate nation, and
“One more thing. Their merchants will be coming through that steam locomotive from now on. Inform the Merchant Guild.”
He even issued trade-related directives that he had agreed upon with Teo on the spot.
It was a fiery drive.
“Your Majesty! The people are already uneasy because of that iron lump, but you’re going to bring monsters into Arkenia!”
“To recognize a group of monsters as a nation in the first place? What kind of humiliation is this!”
“Even if it means making great sacrifices, we should rather wage war…”
Of course, there was strong opposition from his vassals, but…
It wasn’t difficult to persuade them.
Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.
It was a truth he had experienced and deeply felt.
-Kwaaaaaang!!!!!
“..!!? What, what is that.”
“It’s something they call dynamite, which they received from them. It’s a substance that allows even dwarves to create an explosion equivalent to 6th Circle Explosion Magic.”
“Then we should fight even more!! They might use that on us, what are we supposed to believe about monsters?”
“That’s overflowing for them, isn’t it? They create raw materials out of thin air and literally mass-produce them in facilities called factories, isn’t it?”
“Oh, um.”
“Don’t be mistaken. Our Arkenia is a weak country, and they are a powerful nation that surpasses even the Kaiser Empire. War is like throwing eggs at a rock.”
A demonstration of explosives. If Arkenia antagonized Millenia, it was a sight they would see every day.
The vassals all fell silent.
No one wanted bombs to fall on their territory.
“There are also conditions such as exporting goods imported from Valentia at a lower price, or imposing tariffs. Everyone, let’s watch for now.”
“Hmm, with those conditions…”
“If they really don’t harm humans, it might be good to watch for a while.”
Thus began Arkenia-Millenia trade.
It was a month later that a group of monster merchants arrived in the capital, Villeburg.
“Eek!! Th-they’re really monsters…”
“Come on, it’s cheap! High-quality Millenian fabrics are cheaper than coal~!!”
“…Translation Artifacts!!? How can such monsters have such high-end magical tools.”
“Wait, this is only 1 gold? A box full of cloth of a quality that could be delivered to a noble family?”
“Human sir, you have a good eye! Since it’s your first purchase, if you buy three boxes….. we’ll give you one box for free!”
“……Bring all the gold coins from the trading company!!!”
“Monsters or whatever, it’s barbaric not to buy this quality at this price!!”
The first trade was carried out safely.
A group of different races set up stalls outside the castle walls, worried that problems would arise if they entered the city. Merchants were blinded by the quality compared to the price of the first manufactured goods they had ever seen.
When these two factors combined, there was nothing to worry about.
Leopoldus looked quite pleased.
“To think that the day would come when I would see greedy merchants happily handing over gold coins. I’ve lived a long life and seen a lot.” “Hehe, aren’t you happy because of the tariffs?”
“I can’t deny that. Do you hate that I’m materialistic?”
“Not at all. We like money too.”
Mel, the Ultimate Slime and Minister of Economy and Industry of Millenia, who stood next to him, also smiled softly.
She was quite pleased that the first trade between merchants, using gold as payment instead of barter, had been successful.
“Ah, what about explosives and fertilizer? We need to build a new warehouse because both require careful handling.”
“Hmm, a warehouse.”
“So, if you don’t mind, would it be okay for us to purchase real estate in Arkenia?”
“…What?”
But, a pause.
The friendly atmosphere was briefly strained.
It was because of the word ‘real estate’ that Mel had uttered.
“You’re going to buy our land?”
“Yes. I want to build a building that serves as the Millenian embassy. We’ll also store supplies there.”
“Embassy? Is that where the ambassador stays?”
“Yes. We can’t keep relying on Your Majesty.”
“Is it okay even next to the Knights Headquarters?”
“Oh my, such a valuable place? I would be grateful.”
“Then let’s do that. Instead, let a few knights be stationed there. I’m a little worried about the dynamite.”
“Of course, that’s fine! It’s for mutual trust.”
“Thank you. It’s not much in return, but that place is my private property. Use it comfortably without worrying about money.”
Fortunately, it didn’t escalate into a hostile situation.
Thanks to the ’embassy’ that Mel put forward, Leopoldus also made some concessions.
‘If something happens, we can raid the Knights…’
‘To just give away such prime land. Just like you said, he can’t see the forest for the trees♡ Inferior♡’
They were secretly thinking ominous thoughts, but this was unavoidable for now.
* * *
After the trade, Arkenia began to prosper rapidly.
“To be able to get this much fabric for just one or two silver coins…”
“Thanks to that, the women in the village are making a good living by doing piecework.”
“Millenia. They might be much better than those greedy Valentia guys.”
Manufactured goods produced in Millenia were distributed cheaply.
Merchants added some margin, but even so, the prices were ridiculously cheap compared to the existing prices.
Even the quality was not to be underestimated.
Manufactured goods may sound bad at first glance, but they were decent mid-range products by medieval standards.
Even compared to importing them from neighboring countries at a high price, they were not inferior at all.
With these goods flooding the market, the people were having a great time.
“Haha! The people are full and the national treasury is rich, so we’re not even afraid of Valentia!”
“It’s thanks to the tariffs that the Dragon-nim allowed, right, Oppa?”
“That was a big part of it, yes.”
Leopoldus was no different.
He grinned shamelessly in front of his younger sister, Frida.
He was clearly in a good mood.
“Besides, that chemical fertilizer is also something else. The yield is so much, wow. It’s the first time I’ve seen wheat ripen so abundantly.”
“I heard from Seras that dynamite is also amazing!”
“Of course! The amount of mining has increased tenfold, tenfold!”
One of the reasons he had been so happy recently was thanks to the effectiveness of the explosives supported by Millenia.
The existing amount of mining was not very good even if skilled technicians and enslaved dwarves were overworked.
They were barely able to exchange coal for food…
But when explosives came in?
A rock that ordinary miners would have to dig for a long time, explodes with one bomb.
Wasn’t it very refreshing?
Whether they were happy about it or not, the slaves who had been sluggish also picked up their pickaxes and banged away.
The amount of mining of coal and other minerals also increased explosively.
Millenia’s limited supply of explosives alone showed this much result.
So how could he not be happy as a king?
He even wanted to put high-ranking mages into the mine.
[Bella. Select and send those who can use 6th Circle Explosion Magic. With this much result, it’s okay to put in mages.]
[That’s impossible, Your Majesty. You know very well that such precise power control is impossible for humans.]
[…I suppose so.]
‘It’s impossible even for me, the Archmage.’
Of course, mages could not replace explosives…..
In the first place, there was no need to replace them.
He wished there were more explosives, but……
This alone was a satisfactory result.
“Can you believe it, Frida? In the streets where they used to fight with knives over a piece of stale bread, now the smell of baking cakes is wafting.”
“It’s all thanks to the Dragon-nim!”
“I can’t deny that. I’m still wary of monsters… but Teonar, that much is different.”
‘To the point where she’s more trustworthy than humans’.
That was what he didn’t bother to say out loud.
He was still a little hesitant to say it in front of his young sister, Frida.
Instead, he held a diplomatic letter in his hand.
[The Kingdom of Valentia expresses its deep regret regarding the series of measures recently taken by the Kingdom of Arkenia.]
[In particular, the act of recognizing a group of monsters as a nation and engaging in trade is considered a serious threat to the peace and order of the continent.]
[Therefore, through this letter, we demand the following from the Kingdom of Arkenia.]
[First, immediately cease the recognition of the monster group as a nation and the act of trading.]
[Second, re-establish relations with the monsters and actively participate in maintaining the peace and order of the continent.]
[If the Kingdom of Arkenia does not accept this request, we hereby state that we will have no choice but to consider all other measures for the peace of the continent….]
-Crumple.
‘They didn’t even bat an eye when we were starving, but they’re just full of empty words.’
Valentia’s letter of protest was crumpled miserably.
It was essentially written as ‘If you don’t cut ties with Millenia, it’s war’, but…
It was nonsense that Leopoldus didn’t even bother to reconsider.
Rather, it seemed like they were taking advantage of this opportunity to seek an opportunity for invasion.
‘It’s okay to ignore it, right? In case of emergency, they said they would condone the use of bombs for defense.’
He had something to rely on, so there was no need to pay attention to it.
A smile spread across his lips.
It was a refreshing smile, without any worries.
“If there were only dragons like Teonar, the continent would be much more prosperous by now.”
“Well… Oh, that’s right. Oppa! Didn’t you shake hands with the Dragon-nim? How was it?”
“I couldn’t see it because it was transparent, but I think she probably held out her tail. It was quite soft.”
“Tail!! I’m so jealous~ I want to touch a dragon’s tail too. Should I ask her when I see her?”
“Hehe, she’s the ruler of a country. Even for you, that’s impossible…”
Because of this, a gentle air flowed through the office, but…
——The peaceful atmosphere did not last long.
-Knock knock.
“Your Majesty. Mel, the Minister of Economy and Industry of Millenia, wishes to see Your Majesty.”
“Seras? Come in.”
“Slime Onee-chan!!”
Seras and Mel, who came in with the knock.
Their expressions were.
More serious than ever.
“Mel, what’s going on from the embassy to here? And directly to me…”
“I, Mel, formally protest as the Minister of Economy and Industry of Millenia.”
“…What? About what?”
-Thud. Clatter.
“About paying us counterfeit gold coins instead of the proper price!”
“What!!!!?”
‘Counterfeit gold coins, that’s treason!!!’
Leopoldus’s expression was terribly distorted.
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