Eastend—New City Ket Gwy.
Several months had passed since the ordeal imposed on Gil came to an end, and student life in Babel was fast approaching.
At the moment, a regular meeting was underway in New City Ket Gwy, Rose's sole domain.
"Linlin, it seems your business in the House of Akinashi is proceeding smoothly. That is good to hear."
"Thank you, ne."
Linlin scratched her cheek bashfully. The executives of the Tao Family wore similarly tickled expressions.
Ever since the incident with Deboa, a wide variety of metals had been mined from the mining town of the House of Akinashi. The sheer range and volume of ore extracted were utterly unprecedented, and in no time at all, the House of Akinashi had rapidly flourished into a booming mining hub.
I had visited once before to procure materials for Tetor's and Somni's signature weapons, but the scale of the city and the population itself were entirely unrecognizable from back then. In fact, the physical expanse of the city alone was easily dozens of times larger than the old House of Akinashi.
Previously, when Oliver asked for a proposal to revitalize the House of Akinashi, Girimehkala had asked to handle it, so I left the matter entirely in his hands—only for it to spiral into this chaotic state of affairs. Under Girimehkala's direction, the Tao Family obtained permission from Lord Oliver, bought up a parcel of land in the House of Akinashi, and launched their enterprise.
The one who had presented a concrete plan to the Tao Family back then was Felice, a girl around fourteen or fifteen years of age with a section of her golden hair tied to the side, who was currently standing with her arms crossed.
"Even so, we are still entirely lacking in manpower to run a proper, full-scale enterprise, ja."
Felice spoke bluntly.
"Aunt, can we not make use of the personnel from our nation?"
Gil, one of the attendees, voiced the natural question that came to mind.
"Fiesta, is it? The concept of a nation of monsters and the demon race is alluring beyond measure, but alas, on paper, Fiesta is your nation. It is not a workforce that we can freely mobilize."
Felice certainly understood the situation quite well. Securing Fiesta was a massive boon for us. However, that did not mean we had gained raw manpower; it meant more in the sense that we had acquired a trading partner. The need for labor remained as pressing as ever.
Of course, I had initially considered making the monsters her subjects as well. The reason I abandoned that idea was, naturally, not out of deference to the Holy Amelia Kingdom or anything of the sort. Rose had hardly been involved in the birth of Fiesta this time around. Giving her dominion over them here would be far too much of an unearned windfall. As it stood, even in acquiring the Wind Cats, I had already bordered on being overly meddlesome. Having Rose rule over a colossal nation like the newly formed Fiesta on top of that would simply be going too far.
"A nation of monsters and the demon race is alluring, you say...? Sister Felice, you truly have been thoroughly influenced by Kai, haven't you?"
Rose looked at me with half-lidded eyes, uttering such slanderous nonsense.
"As long as they possess intellect, monsters and the demon race are hardly any different from us in the Human Race. No, in fact, they possess far more diversity and talent than our Human Race ever could. Even without my involvement, such a massive nation would have been established eventually."
To my point,
"I am of the same mind, ja. To think that intelligent monsters had never formed a nation until now—it almost feels as though some immense contrivance has been at work, no?"
Felice nodded in agreement, sharing the very thought I had always harbored.
"Oh? Felice, you think so too?"
"Umu. If they possess intellect, they become capable of viewing things objectively, and civilization naturally develops and evolves whether they will it or not. That is the very nature of history. Of course, it would be a different matter if factors such as state power, religion, or culture existed, but I cannot imagine monsters having such things. It is far more absurd to think there were no external factors at play."
In the end, that was what it came down to. Indeed. Intellect meant objectively analyzing things. It could also be described as the capacity for scientific thought. That was something that would inevitably develop with the passage of time. In truth, every civilization aside from the monsters had developed the organization of a state and the system of a monetary economy. Since every outcome must have a cause, this was no coincidence, but an inevitability. There was a clear underlying factor. In other words, some immense power had been actively working to prevent the monsters from creating a nation. As for what that colossal power might be, we could look into it gradually in due time. More importantly—
"It's surprising that you noticed that. Or rather, to be honest, I didn't think I'd hear such words from someone who seems to live purely on instinct."
"Do not speak of me as if I were a beast! —is what I would like to say, but in the past, I certainly had a tendency to be swept away by my emotions. Wailing like a young child achieves nothing. Even if only a little, I feel I have come to understand what you wished to convey."
As Felice offered her earnest reflections, Gil's eyes went wide with astonishment.
"There are plenty of things I could poke fun at here, but first of all, was Aunt ever this kind of character?"
He voiced the question that everyone present was likely wondering.
"That goes both ways, ja. From my perspective, Gil, I never would have dreamed in my wildest fantasies that you of all people would become the King of the monsters, you know?"
"Not King, but the General Chairman."
Gil corrected her immediately, but—
"As long as the monsters and the demon race revere you and entrust the governance of the nation to you, it is the same thing, ja. A King was never defined solely by bloodline; it requires the implicit mandate of the people. You are unmistakably the King of Fiesta, ja. And at the same time, you bear the responsibility of a King to guide your people."
Felice looked intently at Gil with a solemn expression, letting every word sink in.
"Yes, I understand. I didn't take part in the founding of Fiesta with half-hearted resolve, either. I am fully prepared to dedicate my entire life to Fiesta."
Gil had truly come into his own through this ordeal. At this rate, Fiesta could be entrusted to his care without worry. Above all—the current Gil was not alone.
"Lady Felice, there's no need to worry. If this guy ever tries to run away, I'll grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him right back."
When Somni, standing behind Gil, chimed in,
"Yes, and before it even comes to that, we won't give His Highness the opening to run away in the first place. We will make him work like a cart horse for the sake of Fiesta."
Tetor nodded vigorously with a mischievous grin, voicing a similar sentiment.
"How terrifying."
Felice gazed with distant eyes at Gil, who could only offer a wry smile, but soon her expression softened.
"It seems I still have no eye for judging character, ja no."
After offering that somewhat cryptic remark, she shifted her gaze toward me. It was a silent prompt to move the discussion forward.
Fair enough. Let us get down to business. I cleared my throat and began to introduce today's agenda.