Several days had passed since the successful elimination of the miasma pool, and Martina had returned to her usual routine.
Although Martina was part of the research team working on the miasma pool, that work was only once a week, so her daily life had mostly returned to running around the royal palace with Roland.
“Martina, next we’re heading to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“Yes! We need to coordinate with the neighboring country regarding the patrol of the forest along the border, right?”
“That’s right. The knights have requested that we decide the patrol areas with the neighboring country’s knights if possible, so I need you to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle the discussions.”
Roland, walking briskly while explaining, had a furrowed brow, clearly not enthusiastic about the task. Seeing his expression, Martina tilted her head in confusion.
“Is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not going to approve this easily?”
“No, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fine. However, they are notoriously extravagant… I understand that diplomacy requires money, but they have no sense of restraint. That’s why, after dealing with them, the Ministry of Finance is going to have a tough time.”
“Ah, I see… so that’s the issue.”
Martina, having experienced the difficulty of convincing the Ministry of Finance through her previous work, furrowed her brow and thought deeply.
“So today, you’ll be hearing the rough budget estimate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Hopefully, we can keep it as low as possible.”
“Yes, that’s the key. This time, we are strengthening patrols across the entire country, so it will cost a lot of money. We’ll have to cut wherever we can, or else it will be a big problem.”
“That’s true… Let’s do our best.”
While a special budget had been issued under His Majesty’s name for this patrol strengthening, if the money were spent recklessly, the budget would run out quickly during the plan. It was the job of the administrative department to make sure it stayed within budget.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
With the demeanor of warriors heading to the battlefield, the two opened the door to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are Roland and Martina from the administrative department. We’ve come to discuss strengthening the patrols across the country in response to the miasma pool issue. We had notified you in advance, but—”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I’m the one in charge. Pleased to meet you.”
A man who had been sitting near the entrance stood up, and they were led to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ sofa. The Ministry was filled with books written in foreign languages, and Martina couldn’t take her eyes off them.
“Hey, Martina, hold yourself together.”
“…Ah, y-yes!”
Martina seemed to find it difficult to tear her eyes away from the treasure trove of books, as she glanced at them with a sad expression, as if saying an eternal farewell to them.
Seeing this, the male official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tilted his head in confusion.
“Those are written in a language used on a distant island, so I don’t think you’ll be able to read them…”
“No, I can read them. There’s a textbook on this language in the royal library, and I learned to read it from that. But even though I learned it, there aren’t any books in that language in the library… I never expected to find them here!”
“You can read them just from the textbook…?”
“Yes. I have a somewhat special memory, and I can remember everything from the books, so I can read them.”
The male official, who couldn’t believe what Martina said, smiled lightly and picked up a book to change the subject.
“Well, I’ll lend you one. If you’re a fellow official, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Really?! Thank you so much!”
Martina’s eyes shone brightly as she gazed at the man, and the official, slightly embarrassed, sat down on the sofa.
“Let’s get to the main topic. Regarding the patrol of the border forest, we need to negotiate with the neighboring country, correct?”
“Yes. As you’re probably already aware, we need to strengthen patrols to ensure there are no new miasma pools appearing elsewhere. The knights have requested to extend the patrols deep into the forest along the border, and we’d like you to convey this to the neighboring country. Additionally, they’ve asked if it would be possible to get assistance from the neighboring country’s knights with the patrols.”
“Understood. Indeed, if we enter deep into the forest without discussion or prior notice, it could easily be seen as an act of declaring war.”
The male official took notes on Roland’s explanation and immediately took charge of the negotiations with the neighboring country.
“How soon would you like the negotiations to be completed?”
“As quickly as possible. If a miasma pool has indeed appeared, it will be a major issue.”
“Understood. In that case, following the proper procedures would take too long. We should first approach the noble families in the neighboring country that have close ties with our kingdom and ask them to communicate with their royal palace on our behalf…”
“Actually, I have one request.”
Roland’s remark halted the male official’s train of thought.
“What is it?”
“Since this situation will incur costs in many areas, I would like to ask if we could save on the budget as much as possible.”
Upon hearing this, the male official furrowed his brows and looked at Roland apologetically.
“That might be a little difficult…”
“Could we perhaps find a way to make it work?”
“However, considering the urgency of this matter, we’ll need to send a gift of apology to the other party, and we must expedite the preparation of that gift, meaning we’ll have to pay more than the standard price.”
“That’s true… Well, for example, could we reduce the number of people going to the neighboring country or decrease the amount of gifts we send?”
“The quality and quantity of the gifts we send are important aspects of diplomacy…”
At this point, the conversation between the male official and Roland reached a standstill, and the room fell silent. Martina quietly raised her hand and spoke up.
“Um, I have a suggestion, if that’s alright?”
“What is it?”
“I once read in a book that in the neighboring country, there is a custom of drinking soup from bowls made from the same tree to strengthen the bonds between comrades who face a great enemy together. I wonder if that custom is still practiced today. If it is, perhaps we could give wooden bowls as a token to symbolize our bond with them as we prepare to face the monsters together… If I remember correctly, the region bordering our country is known for its thriving timber industry.”
Martina’s suggestion was worth considering, and the male official, after thinking seriously for a moment, went to consult with another official in the back room.
The male official returned just a few minutes later.
“Sorry for the wait. After confirming, I learned that the custom is still alive, and since this would be a gift that shows understanding of their culture, it is highly likely that it will be received favorably. Therefore, the main item we will prepare will be wooden bowls. With that, we can reduce the budget…”
From there, the discussions went smoothly, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to proceed with negotiations with the neighboring country, while also fulfilling the request to reduce the budget for the administrative department.
