“We are aiming for the depths of the Demon Forest. We believe that our goals align with yours, at least in terms of paving the way to your sacred ground.”
“…Indeed, that is the goal of our Chimyera Clan. Many have spoken those words and attempted to form alliances, but none have ever fulfilled their promises.”
The representative of the Chimyera Clan said.
Even within the short span of less than two hundred years as a nation, many spies had infiltrated and attempted to appease the Chimyera Clan.
But.
“Supplies cease, people are not sent, yet you demand the dispatch of our warriors. We do not trust outsiders. We do not rely on them. We make no promises. We will never give anything from ourselves.”
“What we seek from you is simply to move forward. To pave the way. We can do it alone, but with your cooperation, we will advance further.”
“…You have demonstrated your strength. Our nation is now under your control…”
They seemed to have gathered that much information. Of course, ＜Iris＞ was also gathering information as much as possible. The Chimyera Clan had temporarily halted their development due to a lack of supplies.
Naturally, this was due to the invasion of ＜The Tree＞.
However, it seemed that the development and maintenance of the roads had already reached their limits.
“Our invasion was due to your waging war abroad. In response to a request for help from our friends, we decided to invade this Prawa Theocracy.”
“…I see. Is that so? …Perhaps it was a hasty decision for us after all.”
The Pope had decided on foreign expeditions.
There was sufficient land within the country, but not enough people. Even if they tried to increase food production, the output had reached its limit. However, developing the Demon Forest required a large amount of food.
In addition, they needed to procure weapons.
The Prawa Theocracy’s metalworking technology was not very advanced.
Therefore, they sought these from foreign countries.
Understanding that their own military strength was very high and judging that they had a good chance of winning, the Pope decided to venture abroad.
“We will provide all the necessary supplies. I don’t expect you to trust us immediately. But we are prepared to provide as much support as possible if requested.”
“…We will follow your words. We also wish to avoid conflict with you. A battle with those who have defeated the Archbishop would be an unbearable hardship for us as well.”
“Our views have aligned. First, we have mutually confirmed that we will not fight each other.”
With that, Ichihatsu=Iris and Ureberua shook hands.
There were many things that needed to be decided.
But a full-scale conflict between the Chimyera Clan and ＜The Tree＞ had been avoided.
◇◇◇◇
“I can’t believe they’re the same people.”
“Yes, Ma’am. We couldn’t even communicate with the Warrior Monks in the first place.”
When occupying villages and towns, they had used precious Communicator Dolls to request dialogue many times. However, the Warrior Monks, Priests, and High Priests were all unable to engage in dialogue.
It was unknown what ideology they were driven by or what principles they used to communicate, but no matter where or who they were, they would not respond to any surrender recommendations.
Dialogue was impossible. ＜The Tree＞’s units were judged as enemies and were constantly resisted.
“It’s a strange country. But the unity of the people… or rather, the unity of the Warrior Monks is abnormal. I’m really glad we were able to crush them at this stage.”
“Yes, Ma’am. It can be said that we were lucky to strike them down at the initial stage.”
“Onee-sama, this is an incredible threat! This Prawa Theocracy is just a phenomenon in a part of one continent. Moreover, its technological level is the lowest, its civilization is low, and only its magical abilities are exceptional! And yet, the current Asahi and the others are struggling with its military power! We may be too late if we don’t grasp the situation on this planet soon!”
Asahi, who had been returned to ＜The Tree＞ to help with data analysis, shouted next to Eve.
“Even in the Northern Continent, we’ve barely finished surveying the southern part! What about the east, the west? It’s about time we sent out full-scale survey teams!”
“You’re right. We’ve secured communication routes, and we can assemble a dispatch force.”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have accumulated satellite photos, but there are many regions that cannot be analyzed. We need to urgently investigate whether there are any civilizations that pose a threat to us.”
◇◇◇◇
As soon as Ichihatsu=Iris finished the initial negotiations, she immediately began setting up a base camp.
Multi-legged Heavy Machines carrying materials rushed in from the rear guard. They were quickly assembled, and a makeshift material storage area appeared.
What was brought in were large quantities of food stored in containers.
Sacked wheat, biscuits, and other grains.
Smoked meat, salted meat.
Processed and preserved foods like calorie bars.
Packaged water and alcohol.
Rock salt, refined salt.
Honey, sugar, and syrups.
All of these, packed to the brim in multiple containers, were handed over to the Chimyera Clan as an initial service.
Future supplies would be bartered for valuable items. Basically, they were expecting monster materials, but they would also accept minerals.
They also included fabrics and threads as product samples.
The fabrics and threads seemed to be made of plant fibers like hemp, and they showed great interest in the high-quality ＜The Tree＞ products. Cellulose thread, nylon thread, and the cotton they had begun to produce.
However, in terms of strength and beauty, they already had threads produced by monsters, so they weren’t that surprised.
According to a partial confirmation of the exchange items, it seemed to be something like silk.
According to Asahi, there were no particularly unique points in the chemical structure, and the strength was also appropriate.
However, it seemed that some kind of monster produced it in large quantities, and they were collecting it.
Finally, metal products.
These were very well received. Simply having high-strength, hard, and resilient metal was highly valued for weapons.
Food was certainly important, but since it could be obtained to some extent through hunting and gathering, they were more eager for weapons.
For the time being, the current assessment was that they would be accepted if they prepared a simple refining plant and forging equipment.
Currently, the Chimyera Clan’s base was said to have been moved to a shallow area of the forest. They lacked the supplies to go deeper. In the depths, monster attacks occurred frequently, making it very difficult to produce or gather food. It was necessary to produce these in the shallow areas of the forest or outside.
However, if they maintained a base in the depths, they would be preoccupied with its defense and the transportation of supplies. Without supplies from the outside, it would be difficult to even maintain the base.
Originally, they had planned to temporarily withdraw only for the duration of this war, leaving only personnel to maintain the depths, and then re-enter once the supply was stable.
However, all of that had been disrupted by the invasion of ＜The Tree＞.
Until now, the Prawa Theocracy had been located on the frontier, and even if it expanded its territory, no proper conflicts had occurred. However, several decades ago, it came into contact with the borders of another country, and its expansion had stagnated.
The Chimyera Clan wanted to slowly build bases after invading the Demon Forest as far as they could, rather than forcing their forces to go outside, but the Pope’s side wanted rapid expansion, which led to the start of the Theocracy’s large-scale invasion.
Upon confirming this information, Duke Amadio Silverhead sighed and muttered, “Diplomatic idiots…” or something like that.
In any case, the relationship with the Chimyera Clan got off to a good start thanks to the provision of supplies.
All that remained was to build a cooperative relationship while increasing the mutual benefits of both parties.
Iris-chan is a hardworking and good girl.
The problem is that she got the body of Ichihatsu-chan. Skinship is inevitable.