The road leading to the Guest House was not paved, but merely hard-packed earth.
Perhaps because it had not rained recently, the golem carriage kicked up thick clouds of dust as it drove along.
After traveling along the rough path for about ten minutes, they arrived at the Jagus Principality's Guest House.
"So this is the Jagus Principality's Guest House."
"It looks magnificent."
Only on the outside, Fione Fias wanted to say, but she held her tongue out of deference to diplomat Pringles Kubo, who was riding with them.
While the building itself was large, one could tell at a glance that it had been constructed with cheap materials.
First and foremost was the plaster applied to the walls. Plaster is primarily composed of slaked lime, mixed with binders such as glue and hemp fibers before being applied to a wall.
Normally, slaked lime is a uniform white, but here, the color varied wildly from spot to spot.
Slaked lime is produced by baking seashells (calcium carbonate) to create quicklime (calcium oxide), and then adding water to turn it into slaked lime (calcium hydroxide)—a process known as slaking.
On these walls, however, a large quantity of unrefined seashell fragments remained visibly mixed in.
Then there was the timber.
Builders typically stuck to a single variety of wood, or at most three, to maintain structural uniformity. Within visible range alone, at least five different types of timber had been patched together.
Because wood naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity, combining distinct varieties often leads to creaking, warping, and gaps due to differing expansion rates.
Another glaring issue was that the entire building sat slightly askew.
Shoddy foundation work had clearly resulted in uneven settling across its northern, southern, eastern, and western faces.
The fact that such flaws were glaringly obvious even to Fione Fias, a complete layman in engineering, spoke volumes about the facility's quality.
The formal meeting was scheduled for the following day. Diplomat Pringles Kubo had informed them he would arrive around nine in the morning to escort them.
Incidentally, he had shrewdly pocketed the magi-stone gift they brought before departing.
"...The interior is just as dismal."
At first glance, the room appeared orderly, but thick layers of dust clung to every out-of-the-way surface.
"Please leave it to me."
If Manon had not stepped in to clean the quarters with practiced efficiency, they would have been forced to sleep in a stifling, dust-choked room.
Once settled, the delegation began their strategy briefing—only after thoroughly sweeping the room for listening devices and erecting a soundproofing barrier.
"The fundamental question is whether this treatment is intentional," Gajue Tsuga opened.
"If this poor reception stems merely from a lack of budget or insufficient manpower, we can write it off as inevitable. But if it is a calculated insult born of contempt, we will need to reconsider our approach entirely."
"Regarding that matter..."
Unusually, Manon was the first to offer an opinion.
"Given the shoddy, substandard construction of the building itself, there is little doubt that anyone visiting from the outside—any 'outsider'—is subjected to the exact same conditions."
"Mm, I see your point. Go on."
"Yes. Therefore, I surmise this treatment is not aimed specifically at us, but would be identical for any foreign delegation."
"Understood....Do you have any other thoughts?"
Fione Fias shook her head in agreement.
"Very well. Then let us move to the next item....Namely, what overarching diplomatic policy we should ultimately adopt."
On the day before their departure—yesterday—they had held a preliminary discussion. Several potential approaches had been raised, but each carried its own advantages and disadvantages, leaving them to make their final judgment once on the ground.
"Our rejection at Nameless Peak along the route, an arrival that felt more like an armed demonstration, and the accommodations here... I would like to weigh all of this against the intelligence on the Jagus Principality we gathered across the three other principalities," Fione Fias stated.
"Shouldn't our primary objective be making them realize that establishing friendly ties with us offers far greater benefits?"
"Mm, that is certainly a viable angle. However, people frequently labor under delusions," Gajue Tsuga replied, validating her point while raising a note of caution.
"Specifically, the sort of people who possess absolute, unquestioning faith in their own superiority."
"Ah, I understand."
Such socio-anthropological concepts were part of the standard curriculum taught at Avalon.
"The type where you can speak the same language, yet cannot truly communicate."
"Precisely."
History had repeatedly demonstrated that such individuals rarely came to their senses until they suffered a painful blow.
"Though if that 'painful blow' results in the destruction of their nation, it defeats the entire purpose, doesn't it?" Fione Fias added with a wry smile.
"Indeed. Too true."
Manon interjected once more.
"Excuse me, but how did the Jagus Principality fare during the Markitus Rebellion last year? Perhaps we should take that into account."
At the time, Markitus had established his stronghold on Mount Nakyu on the Pandor Continent. As a result, the Melkana Autonomous Region had borne the brunt of the devastation.
"From what we gathered, the damage on this side of the sea was virtually nonexistent," Gajue Tsuga replied.
"After all, a vast ocean separates the two regions."
"That is true. However, the Melkana Autonomous Region and the Jagus Principality were directly connected via a magic circle, and following the uprising, tribute shipments from the Melkana Autonomous Region ceased entirely."
Even without direct conflict on their soil, the Principality had undeniably suffered indirect losses, Manon pointed out.
"That may well be the case."
"At the very least, there is no way they remained unaware that the Melkana Autonomous Region, which they treated as a vassal state, was under siege. Yet they dispatched no reinforcements whatsoever. That is an established fact," Gajue Tsuga noted.
"Whether they lacked the resources to deploy aid or simply severed ties without a second thought, it reveals a profoundly cold-blooded calculation."
Having personally led relief efforts during the crisis, Gajue Tsuga vividly remembered the horrific devastation on the ground.
"To completely abandon their subjects under those circumstances marks their sovereign as utterly ruthless."
Had they sent even a token force for the sake of appearances, our evaluation might be different, Gajue Tsuga concluded.
"In that case, we should proceed under the premise that we are dealing with precisely that kind of adversary, correct?" Manon confirmed with both envoys.
"Indeed."
Once the formal negotiations commenced, the three of them would have no opportunity to confer in private, making it essential to align their stances beforehand.
"One final matter....What are your impressions regarding the brainwashing?"
It seemed all but certain that the general populace of the Jagus Principality was subjected to mental manipulation.
The remaining question was whether the ruling elite were affected as well.
"That diplomat did not appear to be brainwashed."
An affected individual could typically be identified by their eyes, as the condition caused noticeably sluggish ocular movement.
This symptom was largely due to suppressed frontal lobe activity.
"Elsa-dono noted that the symptoms closely resemble manic-depressive illness, didn't she?"
Manic-depressive illness, now referred to as bipolar disorder, was characterized by alternating cycles between lethargic, depressive states and hyperactive, manic states.
According to Elsa's analysis, a brainwashed subject remained passive and listless under normal circumstances, resembling a depressive state, but shifted into an intensely active, manic state whenever executing a direct order.
Based on that diagnosis, they had closely observed diplomat Pringles Kubo and determined he showed no signs of overt conditioning.
"True....However, he could still be under a milder form of influence, such as Seduce."
Because Seduce carried far less coercive force than full Brainwashing Magic, identifying it through casual observation in daily life was extraordinarily difficult without specialized diagnostic testing.
Furthermore, in a worst-case scenario, the host nation might attempt to use brainwashing against Gajue Tsuga and Fione Fias themselves.
"We are counting on you if it comes to brainwashing, Manon."
"Yes, please leave it to me."
As an automata, Brainwashing Magic engineered for human biology had no effect on Manon.
Moreover, she was equipped with a Weckener.
Gajue Tsuga gave his directives in advance so she could react instantly if an emergency arose.
After reviewing a few remaining precautions, the delegation finally allowed themselves to unwind, bathe, and share a meal.
Fortunately, the plumbing and basic amenities in the guest quarters functioned without issue.