The chief chamberlain Lil Rain opened his mouth, trying not to let his anger and agitation show through. The messenger nodded with a satisfied expression on his face.
"Yes. That is the flower of friendship. The more flowers we have, the closer our friendship with the Church of Crimiana will be. Please keep adding more."
......What kind of mouth says that? The chamberlain resisted the urge to scream out loud.
"But you are bad people too!
The Duke Fantastic opens his mouth in place of Lil Rain. As if his words were a surprise, the messenger's eyes widen and a look of surprise appears on his face.
What a greeting! That flower of friendship is the treasured flower of the Church of Crimiana. It changes color from season to season and has a wonderful fragrance. His Holiness the Pope has a special fondness for that flower and keeps it by his side at all times.
"Yes. Yes, the fragrance of those flowers was wonderful. My wife loved them very much. Now they are a bit of a nuisance.
At the Duke's words, the man bowed reverently.
"But I had no idea that the flower had such fertility and vitality.
"Oh, wow, that's ......."
Don't play dumb with me.
The duke's dusky voice rang out. Next to him, Lil Rain, the chief chamberlain, is glaring at the man.
"I know what you are trying to do. You planted that flower in our country, and with its extraordinary fertility and vitality, and with its thick odor, you were going to cover our country and bring about its destruction. But that is not so."
No, we have no intention of doing so. Indeed, the flower of friendship is ......."
"Enough."
"......"
"We have done everything perfectly to prevent that flower from reproducing any further. Your attempts have failed.
"Yes, sir, that's right.
What?
At some point, the smile faded from the messenger's face. He began to speak in a calm voice, a complete change from his high pitched voice.
"I understand that you have suppressed the reproduction of those flowers, if you don't mind my asking, how did you do it? If you don't mind my asking, how did you do it?
"......"
"I pulled out all the flowers and burned them, but they are still blooming. Am I wrong? ......It seems you've got it all figured out."
The man smiled a satisfied smile and nodded broadly.
"No matter how perfectly we handle it, we are the only ones who know how to make those flowers disappear.
"You're saying our response is inadequate!"
Yes, unfortunately. Perhaps with time, the flowers will explode again.
"What the hell are you doing this for! What the hell do you want?"
"I'm afraid you speak too soon. Our desire is to trade with your country.
Trade?
Yes, sir. The territory of the Church of Crimiana is small and its resources are limited. In order to survive, we need to trade with many countries and constantly purchase what we need. The more countries we trade with, the longer our country can survive.
"Will Klimiana send such a terrible thing to our country just for the sake of trade?"
The duke's angry shouts echoed through the room. However, the messenger did not seem to mind and continued to speak in his usual calm voice.
Our country has suffered tremendous damage from the recent volcanic eruption. The same can be said for the rest of the world. If nothing is done, the world will be plunged into a food crisis. For this reason, we are trying to develop crops that grow quickly and have strong vitality. This is the flower of friendship that we have presented to your country. We are sorry for the trouble we have caused to your country. However, thanks to you, we now understand the effectiveness of these flowers and how to utilize them efficiently.
"You used our country as a test bed? ......"
"That's what I'm trying to say. But we have no intention of destroying your country. If I were going to destroy your country, why would I go there as your emissary? It is enough to stand by and watch your country fall into ruin.
The messenger looked at them alternately, as if to say, "Do you understand?
"Today, I came here to tell you about the naihe weed that grows in your country. We would like you to sell it to us. I am here to ask you to sell it to us.
The duke and the chamberlain looked at each other. Nye grass is a moss-like grass that grows on the mountains in this country. It is a medicinal herb that is said to be effective in relieving fatigue if it is brewed and drunk.
"Our research has shown that if we mix the nye grass with the seeds of the crop we are trying to develop, we can make it even more efficient. Unfortunately, however, you are the only country in the world where nye grass grows. Your country has long been closed to trade with other countries, including ours. In order for your country to listen to us, we had no choice but to take this measure. Please forgive us."
The messenger bowed deeply.
"I would also like to express my deepest apologies to your country for the disrespect shown to you by our cardinal. It was never our intention to do such a thing. Those who have been disrespectful will be severely punished.
After saying that much, the messenger is silenced. Then he looked alternately at the Duke Fantasic and the Chamberlain Lil' Rain and smiled softly again.
"Our country sincerely hopes for friendship with your country. By doing so, we hope to save this world. As a token of this, I will now exterminate all the flowers of friendship growing in your country. Yes. We will receive nothing in return. We will do it all at our expense."
"Then you can go to ......."
The Duke of Fantasie interrupted Lil Rain, who had opened his mouth without thinking. He nodded slowly toward the chamberlain and turned to the messenger.
"This is not a matter for us to decide. We will leave it to the Grand Duke to decide.
Yes, sir. I look forward to your good reply. We sincerely hope to trade with your country, but it is not for personal gain. Please convey our regards to the Grand Duke.
But first, I have a question.
Yes, anything.
How will you bury the flower of friendship?
"......"
"The Grand Duke won't shake his head unless I tell him."
The messenger man gave a short thought, but then bowed slowly and turned his attention back to the marquises.
"You are quite right, sir. It's very simple. We will burn that flower down with lvl. 5 fire magic.
"LV5 fire magic: ......"
"Yes. We have one who has mastered fire magic. He will make sure that all the flowers of friendship will be destroyed.
The Duke Fantastic and his chamberlain, Lil Rain, found these words very convincing. A LV5 fire magician, of which there are only a few in the world, would completely burn the fruit, the seeds, and even the roots of the flower.
"I will tell the Grand Duke about that as well."
Yes. Please take care of it. I look forward to hearing from you.
With that, the man bowed and left.
"Dear Duke ......"
Lil Rain looked at the duke with an indescribable expression. But he glared at the chief chamberlain with a sharp gaze.
"Crimiana is definitely targeting our country. It is obvious that she will use the extermination of the flowers as an excuse to make unreasonable demands.
"But ......"
"Anyway, the fate of our country is at stake. We have no choice but to let the Grand Duke make the decision.
At the Duke's words, the chamberlain slowly bowed his head.