I see your code (197)
“Independent city? Isn’t Layton already like that?”
“It’s a nice independent city, in fact, it’s like being under the control of three kingdoms. In retrospect, it is more like three rulers and neglecting them rather than having no rulers.”
“… … Well, so is he.”
Teyer Terberots nodded meekly.
“But that makes it even more difficult to become a truly independent city. Whether you win or persuade, you have three opponents to deal with.”
“Think of it the other way around. It might be easier with three opponents.”
“Three is easier… … ?”
Thayer Terberoz closed his eyes. Then, after a while, he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Certainly it could be. The three kingdoms aren’t that close. Are you trying to take advantage of having three rulers?”
“You saw it right away.”
I nodded and refilled the slowly cooling teacup.
“As I said before, having three rulers is both a disadvantage and an advantage. The other two won’t stand still the moment any one of them tries to touch Layton.”
Thayer Terberoz began to look at me with curious eyes.
“But it’s not as easy as it sounds. All three kingdoms could hold hands for a moment and eat Layton in three parts. We will not welcome the emergence of new forces as much as we are wary of each other.”
“That’s where diplomacy becomes important. If at least two countries do not agree on that opinion, there will be no hand-in-hand.”
“… … You’re talking about the Argon-Gerlian union.”
Teyer Terberots’s eyes lit up.
“Was it possible to get the position of deputy marquis deputy in Argon and attract the favor of elves and vampires, the main players of the Gelian Union, for this purpose?”
I quietly drank tea without answering.
Not all of it was done under calculation, but it wouldn’t be too bad if you misunderstood it on your own.
As expected, as if he was interpreting my silence, Thayer Terberoz smashed the sofa.
“Great! awesome! It’s hard to believe that a young man who has just turned twenty has been planning for a long time! It must have come as no surprise that Noblesse, who was obsessed with the glory of the past, was pushed back.”
The voices that followed with admiration were colored with a slight gloom behind them.
I can’t help it. I just surrendered because I thought there was no way, I really didn’t want to give up on Noblesse.
I need to lighten my mood a bit here.
“If you want to continue Noblesse, you can do so.”
“Of course, as before, it’s a condition that you have to completely step down from within Layton, right?”
“Unlike the previous ones, we will also preserve the company’s property. I’m not saying it out loud, I’m really saying it.”
I thought I’d see a sign of trouble for even a moment, but Thayer waved his hand softly.
“Okay. Now come what… … . Besides, if Noblesse loses his base as Layton, what will he do when he goes outside? It will just end up being one of the common small and medium tops.”
Truly, it is a refreshing expression as if the regrets have been completely thrown away.
No matter how bad things are, it looks so cool from before… … .
I lowered my gaze slightly. Because I can’t show you that I’m suspicious.
It is true that Noblesse is out of date, but it is not to the level of ignoring it. Even if the rich perish, don’t the three generations go on? In modern terms, it will still be a leading mid-sized company.
Since Teyer Terberoz has a good eye, I thought it could be easily solved, but it is unexpected that he comes out so aggressively.
Could it be that he gave up hitting rocks with eggs and sneaked in and tried to induce internal strife?
If that’s the case, I’m confident I’ll deal with it, but it only makes things worse. Isn’t it always the enemy inside that is far more terrifying than the enemy outside?
After all, it’s the cleanest way to get rid of the public sentiment as it’s not a very good organization… … Then Zaire falls in love again.
That’s why you shouldn’t build up your feelings carelessly. It was around the time I was in trouble.
“I can see what you’re thinking by looking at your face.”
Thayer Terberoz suddenly spoke.
“… … I am bowing my head now.”
“Don’t correct it. Suddenly, the silence becomes longer and anyone will know that the other person is suspicious of me. Next time, I’d rather pass the time by continuing the frivolous chatter that is off-topic. Then the other person will think that it is just to refresh the atmosphere for a while.”
“… … .”
That was definitely true. What I just did was embarrassing for anyone to see. And it would be better to go out boldly if you were caught anyway.
I lifted my head again and faced Teiyer Terberoz.
“Honestly, that’s what it says. You have been so naive.”
“I didn’t know that there would be such a thing as being suspicious of being innocent. Wasn’t it just a while ago that I said I’d go and think about it if I had a relapse?”
“It doesn’t matter if the repercussions come from outside. But exploding from the inside is a problem. To be honest, I am not very confident in politics, because from then on, the logic of politics will be applied, not the logic of power.”
I was openly declaring my suspicions, but Teyer Terberots just laughed.
“Good luck. If I had confidence in politics, even if I entered the third place, I would have been occupying only a seat.”
After that, he murmured that he liked the way he acknowledged his shortcomings in a small way.
“Anyway, I’m glad you were so vigilant. I was equally concerned that you were accepting me too docilely.”
“From my point of view, there is absolutely no reason to refuse.”
“There is no reason to accept it. After all, Layton is a lawless area. As long as the painstaking vigilantes are actually in your hands, how would I have stopped them if they were to merge? Even the Imperial 1st Knights are included in the power.”
“I must have shown you that I don’t have the will to do that. Did you not believe it?”
Thayer Terberots shook his head.
“I believed it. I couldn’t help but believe it. As I say, Noblesse is no longer a strong opponent for you to use such deceptive tactics.”
“then… … .”
“After that, I was worried. It’s good enough to make me a third. But if you throw it out right away the next day, wouldn’t it be able to swallow Noblesse without any damage?”
“… … .”
It’s a family I’ve been thinking about too. However, I did not know that Tair Terberoz’s thoughts had reached there in such a short period of time.
It’s common in modern times, but here it’s never been a problem before. Surprisingly, this place is surprisingly well-maintained.
“Anyway, being wary of internal chaos doesn’t mean you don’t want to throw me away like that. It makes me feel more reassured.”
“Then how should I trust Thayer Terberots?”
It was a question I was thinking about, but an unexpected answer came back.
“Don’t believe it.”
“… … Yes?”
“I told you not to believe it.”
Thayer Terberots continued, raising a teacup that must have been cold.
“Anyway, I wouldn’t believe it if I just didn’t have a lot of affection for Noblesse, which I inherited from my father, or if I wanted to rekindle my passion at this age. I am a person who believes that trust comes from doubt, not faith.”
“… … Are you telling me to live with a lump on the back of my head for the rest of my life?”
“Even if it’s not me, I have no choice but to stick with it in the future, so what’s the matter? I don’t think he believed that he could do such a big job, but only people he can trust can fill that position.”
… … That’s right. On the contrary, it seems to be gaining confidence when I come out like that.
In the end, after thinking about it, I smiled and opened my mouth.
“In addition to the security forces, we should create a separate internal inspection team.”
“… … Is it an organization that exclusively oversees the internal organization? This is the first I’ve heard of this concept… … I’ll be fine. It will only be filled with people you can trust.”
Teier Terberoz nodded in admiration.
“Are you really not confident in politics? It was just a very political matter.”
It is simply taken from the system of the Earth.
Now, I’m like, ‘Ah, this is called the audit department. It’s a modern organization.’ I had no intention of going with the same development, so I quickly turned around.
“It’s just a concept that came to mind. Rather, now that Terberots-sama is a member of us, let’s solve the most important problems in Layton together.”
“If it’s a problem that needs to be addressed first… … Food?”
It’s good to understand without explanation.
I nodded.
“you’re right. Now, Layton imports all of its food from outside. Even if the three kingdoms don’t have to work together, it will be fatal to us if we stop exporting food.”
“Not a very vulnerable rescuer. But what else? There is no land for farming in Layton.”
“I will try to solve the land problem somehow. Please ask for diplomacy from Terberotz-sama. If Layton’s independence is enough, my strength will be sufficient, but if you include the land where food self-sufficiency is possible, it may not be enough.”
“It’s okay if it’s diplomacy, but… … Was there any land on the continent that could be farmed without being included in the three kingdoms?”
Thayer Terberots tilted his head as if he couldn’t remember where he was.
In fact, I had almost given up on food self-sufficiency, so it’s not unusual. Who would have predicted that the forest of great inheritance would change like that?
I laughed softly and said quietly.
“there is. It is such a huge piece of land that hundreds of thousands of wheat can grow on a single wheat plant.”
* * *
Three months after finishing tuning with Teiyer Terberots. The issue of absorbing and merging Noblesse ended more easily than expected.
First of all, the insiders were all Layton citizens, so they were basically favorable to the company, and the disgruntled superiors immediately gave them some money and chased them away.
I thought there would be at least one human who would risk their lives and rebel, but there was none. Unfortunately.
In any case, it is said that there is only one group left in Layton that can be said to be the uppermost.
“… … .”
Somehow, I felt emotional, so I went out of the balcony and looked at the scenery of the city. When I first came here, I can see at a glance how much progress I have made.
In such a short time, a place that was like hell could change so much.
I was immersed in emotion for a while, then shook my head.
It worked out better than expected and reached it quickly, but there is still a long way to go.
The imperial palace, which was virtually inviolable, must also be cleaned up, and the balance between the three kingdoms must be well balanced. Otherwise, it is said to be the revival of the empire. Now that the time for the main part of Part 2 is short, we have to prepare for the events that will happen here and there… … .
Thinking about it, I smiled.
okay. Since there are so many things to do in the future, I can rest comfortably for today.
I leaned back on the balcony, feeling the satisfaction of being close to my destination.
* * *