Dungeon Defense (WN)

After Tuton, it was the turn of the Kalmar Alliance.

The Kalmar Alliance is the most northerly of the continent. Hence, the lion of the north. A nation of warriors roaring frontally at the harsh cold and winter.

In the past, they used to sail and plunder continents like Vikings. Over time, these ruthless warriors have succeeded in packaging their combat abilities with more refined razor blades. Instead of disappearing, there was trading with the merchants.

Warrior and merchant at the same time. For Kalmar, two faces coexist strangely. Well, swords and trade are all larceny. It can't be weird.

The ambassador of the Kalmar Federation said:

“Palace White. The Republics have offered us a reduction in tariffs. ”

It was like he had already thrown rice cakes from the Republic.

“Seal customs duties……. ”

“It's a pretty good deal. I am telling you the truth to repay the friendship that the palace white man has shown us. ”

And encourage them to offer us better terms. I feel the style of the Kalmar Alliance.

I swiped the glass of brandy with one hand.

“From what I've heard, you seem to be considering a very specific arrangement in Kalmar. ”

“Yes, we just want a rich market. ”

The ambassador takes a sip of alcohol.

“The customs duties offered by the Republic are attractive. But the Republic is not a big market. The Habsburg Empire is a sweeter marketplace for us…… if only we had a few conditions. ”

The terms & '93; duty reduction &' 94; implied, of course.

The countries listed as merchants on the continent are the Kalmar Federation, the Republic of Batavia and the Kingdom of Sardinia. While they compete fiercely, Kalmar strives to take the lead by receiving tariff benefits.

“On one condition, of course, there's no duty benefits for Batavia or Sardinia. ”

“You're a quick talker, palace white. ”

“Hmm.”

I smiled.

“That's not so bad. ”

“Not bad...? Excuse me, I don't know what you're talking about. ”

Ambassador Kalmar narrows his gaze. I thought it was too ambiguous.

“It means it's okay as a negotiation. It's just hard to think of it as a workaround. ”

“…… I can't fathom the importance of palace white. ”

“Ambassador. I think I've made friendships with Ambassador, too, in a short period of time. And I want to lean on that and say, This negotiation creates useless enemies. ”

The ambassador clearly looked uncomfortable. Fresh foreign politicians have pointed out that 'the negotiations you propose are not very elegant'. You must be pretty grumpy.

Wait a little longer. I'm sure you'll understand.

“Your negotiations are obvious. Sardinia and Batavia are publicly defined as competitors. Our empire will provoke two countries instead of having you as a partner. Susitan doesn't fit at all. ”

“Does it mean there's not enough work in your home country to be an Imperial ally? ”

The ambassador picked it up in an angry voice. I shook my head with a smile.

“Of course not. As I said, the problem is that the number of targets is too low. I see. You can say, quite literally, there's less elegance. ”

“ ……. ”

“In the beginning, Sardinia and Batavia would not stand for this negotiation. I'm sure they're going to be quite aggressive about your merchant. There's an eighteen-and-a-half tariff war going on. It's not a good thing for you to go home. Isn't that right?"

The ambassador emptied his glass, thumped on the table, and put it down.

“Our warriors never turn away from a fight! Whether it's duel or trade. If you run into tens of millions of students in Batavia or Sardinia, you won't be afraid. ”

Good confidence, but confidence should be based on reason.

As soon as emotionally howling confidence intervenes in state policy, and as it becomes officially tolerated, the state quickly collapses into a failure group. Failure in policy does not lead to rational diagnosis of the cause of failure, but rather emotional interpretation.

Why have you been defeated by a rival country? Because I lacked the courage to be a warrior. Because I lacked loyalty to my country. Or because the other country is too inferior....

This won't solve the problem. Instead of courage, loyalty only emphasizes the wrong things. Emotions should be used tactically to incite people, and officials should maintain a thorough rational attitude to policy.

“Ambassador. If you win without bloodshed, that's the way to go." ”

“I didn't realize palace white men were soldiers. Do you have any clever solutions? ”

I smiled.

“I've heard that the most troublesome part of sailing the seas is magic. ”

“Hmm? Yes, there are a few such aspects.... ”

The ambassador replied vaguely.

There's a lot of magic in the water. They are a great danger to merchants. However, it may be difficult to honestly say to the Demon King, 'Yes, that is the obstacle I most want to kill when I travel to the sea to do business.'

“As you know, we have the proper control over magic. I see…… It is also possible to choose a 'merchant ship of a certain country' and not attack it. ”

“ ……! ”

The ambassador's posture is paused.

The silence settles for a moment. The ambassador opens his mouth as if he had barely regained consciousness under the weight of silence.

“Old, palace white. That's what he said.”

“In the Empire, we are eager to engage with other nations. In order to express that will, we want to control some of the magic that we have installed as outlaws in the sea. Of course, it's hard to control all the magic from the start. ”

I slowly poured brandy into the other person's empty glass.

“Here is the plan of the Empire. We will sell markings that can be easily recognised by witches. You put spices on the belly that only the witches can smell. Well, there are several ways. ”

“ ……. ”

“As part of trying these policies, I plan to sell flags to specific countries first. ”

The ambassador raised his glass and took it all at once. He can't hide his flushed face with excitement.

“This means that the merchant ship in our alliance... will be considerate of the flags first…? ”

“Yes, but the expression isn't appropriate. I don't care about the Empire. You are always willing to participate in a demonstration of the dangers of the Empire. ”

I grinned.

“Ambassador, let's say this demonstration succeeds. There are many free cities on the continent. They're mainly commercial and shipping industries. What happens if they realize that if they join the Kalmar Alliance, they won't be ambushed during the voyage? ”

“ ……! ”

The ambassador opened his mouth momentarily, as if he had been greatly shocked.

Yes, it is.

This is not just about protecting the merchant ships of the Kalmar Federation. Free Cities are strongly motivated to make Kalmar their main partner instead of Batavia or Sardinia. There is an advantage to Kalmar that no other country in the trade market has.

“Batavia or Sardinia can't officially blame you for returning home. Returning is only fitting with the Empire's demonstrative policies. They have nothing to do but look at the success of their return with envy. ”

The ambassador swallowed the saliva.

“What is the price of the mark? ”

“The more expensive, the better. This is for your return, Ambassador. ”

The ambassador's eyebrows narrowed again.

“…… I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Why is the more expensive the better for us? ”

“If it's cheap, I suspect that the Empire and your country have made a pact. On the other hand, if the price is a little too expensive to be ridiculously expensive, this assessment will follow. Kalmar spills his money uselessly, believing in an unproven mark. I had an adventure……. ”

Kalmar took an adventure at the risk of failing. Sardinia and Batavia find it even harder to blame Kalmar.

No formal criticism or quarrels. It only takes profit.

Kalmar doesn't fight, he just takes the victory.

“Ambassador. No matter how expensive it is, it's much cheaper than getting free cities. And in your country, you could resell the markings you bought from us. at a very reasonable price. ”

“But, will you allow me to resell? ”

The ambassador eventually lost his cool. My face and voice were full of sweetness.

“There's a lot of unofficial tolerance in the world that's not officially allowed. ”

“This, this is not the level of decision-making issue. I will report to my home country immediately. ”

“Of course. But don't take your time, Ambassador. ”

I said casually.

“We can offer the same deal to Batavia or Sardinia. ”

That was the crystal blow.

The Kalmar Federation sent a reply the following morning.

The Fellowship has pledged its full support to the Habsburg Empire on the condition that it has the right to exclusive the mark of its kind. In the future, Kalmar will receive exclusive purchasing passes for 11 years.

I therefore secured another advocate in exchange for selling very expensive items. Ivar was impressed by the implications of this negotiation.

“Excellent. The other person is begging, not buying, but selling at a good price to us. I didn't even know you existed. ”

“I have a good teacher. ”

Circubus with pink hair.

We clapped our glasses and toasted in silence.

― Score, 4: 2.

* * *

Tuton and the Kalmar alliance support the empire.

Although specific conditions were not revealed, the atmosphere itself changed when the support was declared. In less than a full day, the empire boiled the two countries and ate them. It was extraordinary diplomacy by all accounts.

The envoys of the nations were startled and questioned at the same time.

─ How good are the conditions and how fast does this support work?

I'm beginning to look forward to the negotiations the Empire has to offer.

As a result, diplomatic warfare that was otherwise disadvantageous to the Republic came to an end. The delegates halted all underwater negotiations with the Republic at once. You cannot negotiate with the Republic until the Empire has offered a deal.

The Republic envoy ran to meet foreign diplomats and offered all kinds of conditions, but it was largely floating. Countries notably known for their commerce have become very sensitive to the trends in the empire.

“We negotiate on better terms than Kalmar! ”

“To make sure Anatolia is built.... ”

“We must somehow draw a good offer from the Empire. ”

In winter, diplomatic warfare was on fire.

The man who set fire to the silent war was, of course, the palace of the empire, Protestant. As diplomatic warfare heats up, people gradually gave this' Demon King 'another nickname.

Rex Hyemis Dantalian.