NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73 - Episode 73: The Three Foreign Affairs Girls
Episode 73: The Three Foreign Affairs Girls
I called for a meeting.
It was a conference to discuss the invasion of the Demon Lord’s territory.
The priestess, Mishiri, with her disheveled hair, began reading the report.
Oh dear.
I thought things might have improved a bit since she’s cooperating with Stasa, but as expected, it’s a mess.
Stasa’s hair is a mess too. Do these two not have time to tidy up?
They have too much work to do. It’s commendable how they don’t complain.
Well, today I have to rescue them from overtime hell.
“Alright. Today, let me introduce a new member. Come in.”
It was a busty brown-skinned girl.
“Hello there. I’m Namba Akindara, 17 years old, a merchant from Kasegi Country. Nice to meet you, and please count on me.”
As she bowed, her ample cleavage was emphasized by her tube top.
“What in the world is this!?”
Why is the Great Sage Caphrodyte so angry?
“Hey, Zaus!”
“What?”
“How dare you bring in a woman with such ample breasts while I’m here!?”
“Huh?”
“Is this some kind of jab!?”
“I don’t think so?”
“Are you bored with me!? Is that it!? Sob!”
Calm down.
She clung to Meael.
“I’ve been toyed with! Sob!”
There, there.
“Zaus only wanted my body!”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“But my underwear was seen!”
“Yes, you showed your cute bear panties.”
“I’ve been played with!”
There, there.
“Sob! If only I had breasts like that girl!”
“Don’t worry. You have your own charms.”
“Sob! Zaus is a beast! A monster of lust!”
No, that’s not the case.
Don’t say things that could be misunderstood.
“I’ll have her join the foreign affairs team.”
At my words, Mishiri, the priestess, reacted.
“Huh!? D-does that mean I’m fired!?”
“No, it’s not like that. There’s just too much work for diplomacy. Having Namba join will increase efficiency.”
“Ugh…”
“Hey, don’t be so down.”
“B-but… I was supposed to… reduce Stasa-chan’s workload…”
“No, don’t misunderstand. You both are doing really well. I don’t intend to fire Stasa. But… considering that you both don’t even have time to comb your hair… uh, well, it could be a factor in the Zaus Army being underestimated. It’s important to maintain a proper appearance.”
“Uh… I’m sorry…”
“No, directing the work is the duty of the ruler. It’s natural to replenish personnel. Don’t worry about it.”
Ugh…
After the meeting.
Immediately, Namba joined the foreign affairs team’s work.
It’s her first day.
I’m curious about her work style, so I decided to accompany her.
Moreover, despite having such a large volume of work, they are too adorable for not complaining and carrying it all on their own.
“I see. Transporting supplies, improving the Land Soldiers, setting up surveillance crystals, arranging the escort deployment of the Zaus Heavy Knights… There’s a mountain of things to do.”
“First, I think it’s best to tackle the tasks from today’s pile.”
“Yeah, that’s right. That’s important too, but it’s also crucial to clear out the paperwork from the office.”
“Yes. So, starting from today’s pile…”
“There’s a limit to it. There are only three women in this office. Me, Mishiri, and Stasa. And tomorrow, Stasa will be busy with diplomatic affairs, right? So, it’ll be just the two of us handling office tasks.”
“Yes, so today’s progress is important. With me here, I think we can get a bit done with three of us.”
“Haha. Even if it’s a bit less, it won’t change much. And besides, if the invasion progresses tomorrow, the workload will increase again, right?”
“Yes… that’s true, but…”
“Hehe. Leave it to me.”
Saying that, she began moving the pile of documents.
“Huh!? Namba-san, where are you taking those!?”
“First, we’ll load them onto the carriage. Stasa-san and Mishiri-san, please help.”
Hmm.
I guess I have no choice but to help too.
“Wait a moment. Zaus doesn’t need to do anything but watch.”
“Why not?”
“Because this is a foreign affairs job. In other words, it’s our job. If you don’t trust us, there’s no point in us participating, right?”
I see.
That’s certainly true.
I feel bad for them, but rulers have their own duties.
So, I decided to just watch.
They loaded the pile of documents onto the carriage.
And the carriage headed to Zaus Town.
“We’ve arrived. This is the second foreign affairs office.”
It was a building that I had bought with a loan for Namba before.
The first floor is under renovation. It will eventually become a space for taverns and business negotiations.
There was a sign at the entrance that read “Duke’s Commercial Guild.”
Since this is her company, I thought she could put Namba’s name on it, but she is principled and seems to have used my title as the guild name, even for her own guild.
According to her, when doing business in Zaus Town, being directly affiliated with the Duke is more advantageous. It’s a shrewd calculation typical of a merchant from Kasegi Country.
“The office space is at the back of the first floor. We’ve also prepared a storage room on the first floor. You can store documents there and use them as needed.”
Hmm.
The building is three stories tall. With a basement, the space is quite large.
In such a place, placing document-related work on the first floor probably saves time and effort in office procedures. Reducing the number of times you go up and down the stairs contributes to simplifying the work.
It’s quite an efficient operational method without waste.
There are over a hundred people waiting inside the guild.
You can tell they’re all merchants from their appearance.
“Hehehe. Let me introduce them. These are our guild members. You can trust the selection; they’re all reliable and trustworthy people.”
I see.
They’re planning to handle the massive workload with a large number of people.
“Um, Zaus-san… Is it okay to disclose the internal affairs of the Duke’s castle to outsiders?”
“There’s no need to worry about that. You can trust Namba. She’s a merchant I’ve taken a liking to.”
“I-I see…”
In Breque, Namba has always been a character with a strong sense of duty and human warmth.
She would never betray her comrades or tell lies.
“Hahaha! Mishiri, this is our first time working together. It’s understandable that you’d be suspicious. But such feelings are important. You can’t trust someone you’ve just met. But, Mishiri, we’ve built a relationship of trust with Zaus over the past two years. There haven’t been any problems during that time, and we’ve established a relationship of mutual trust. So, if you can trust him, that’s all you need to do.”
Namba has a frank and cheerful personality.
She’ll probably get along well with the slightly introverted Mishiri.
“But, Zaus-san, I’m really grateful for your help. After all, we don’t trust these two women. Your presence is the most reassuring for them. Today was really productive. Thank you very much.”
I was really just watching.
It’s impressive that she’s considerate even towards me.
With her, I’m sure both of them will become friends soon.
Work progresses smoothly.
By evening, it was finished.
Stasa is amazed.
“Amazing… Half of it’s done in just one day…”
“Well, that’s because 103 people are doing what you two were doing.”
“Th-thank you, Namba-san.”
“Haha. Let’s keep working well together from now on.”
“Yeah!”
Hmm. It’s a good feeling.
I probably don’t need to keep watching.
“Yeah. Zaus, we’re going to have a social gathering here now. Would you like to join us?”
“Hmm. Well then, I’ll participate for a little while.”
Stasa frowned.
“I-I’m sorry. I should have been more considerate… We were supposed to organize a welcome party for you, Namba-san, with Mishiri and me.”
“Haha. Don’t worry about it. We just want to get along with you two. So, why don’t we just hold the gathering ourselves?”
“Ugh…”
“Haha. Besides, with so much work, you probably wouldn’t have had time for that anyway, right? It looks like you don’t even have time to comb your hair. A welcome party is out of the question, isn’t it?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Hahaha! That’s why you don’t need to apologize, Stasa. Just saying ‘thank you’ is enough.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“Hehe. Thank you too. Let’s work hard together from now on.”
“Yeah. Looking forward to it!”
Hmm hmm.
It’s a good feeling. Namba gives off a bit of an older sister vibe, doesn’t she?
This trio seems like they’ll work well together.