While brilliantly ignoring Mitchan, I proceed the talk with Marquis sama.
No, this is [The job of a noble family head]. Thatās why, Mitchan who is being ignored is not that angry. Now, itās a [Place of Business Talks] between her father and other noble. Itās not a good time for the family to get in the way of the talks.
And Mitchan is a well-educated daughter of a senior nobleman, and a clever one at that.
āā¦Iām also interested in the ships of this country. In trade perspective, like how much load they can carry, how long they can stay out at the ocean, and how much cost needed to operate them. What is the probability of losing a ship, cargo, personnel etc. in a pirate or marine accident? Andā¦ā (Miitsuha)
āAnd? (Marquis-sama)
āHow much expectation we can put in this country in the event of when our country is in a crisis?ā (Mitsuha)
Itās all about digging the information about the military strength and the performance of the ships of this country, so this is the result of my thinking about how to ask without being suspicious.
Marquis-sama seems to be thinking quite a bit.
āHmm, that was a rather difficult questionsā¦ Depending on the merchant, there are various places where you have a ship, ask a shipping company, and so on. And thereās a ship and the crewās arms. Even accidents and pirate damage can vary widely, depending on the route taken, the ship used, the size of the fleet, the weather, and the season. Itās not something that can be simply quantified or expressed in one word.ā (Marquis-sama)
Oh, I seeā¦ of course itāll be like that.
āAnd I wouldnāt be able to speak lightly about relationship between countries. It depends what kind of treaty is to be concluded, how far should the content of the treaty be interpreted, and it will also depend on the mutual relationship at that time, the domestic situation and the international situation.ā (Marquis-sama)
Well, Iām convinced!\n
Letās not ask about the shipās performance directly here. It would suffice to examine the captured ships and ask former POWs, who are now citizens of our country. I donāt think any new ship will have such a sharp improvement in performance. Unless there is a great breakthrough.
And Iāve heard to some extent about the state-of-the-art ship from soldier-kun, and itās not too difficult to meet with him again. A sailor or a cadet candidate probably well aware of the shipās capabilities to some extent. After all, it is the [Underling] that actually measures the speed of the ship and operates the sails by tying a rope to a piece of wood.
It would be useless to ask any more about the ship here. The Marquis may not be a ship expert and I canāt ask him about the countryās foreign policy like, [if you find a new continent, would you invade it?], thereās no way I can ask something like that. Thatās why I need more time and the source of information.
Whatās left is, gossip and teatime before I run away from here.
Ā āAnd how much would it take to transport goods from the country of yours, if using the ship of your country?ā (Marquis-sama)
Uwaah! A question to locate our country has come!
If I were to answer this, theyāll know the distance to our country, and the candidates can be narrowed to a few countries. Moreover, if Iām giving a hint that we have ships, theyāll know the fact that our country is a sea-facing country.
So, of course, the answer isā¦
āItās not something that can be simply quantified or expressed in one wordā (Mitsuha)
I returned the words of Marquis-sama as if it was in a circle.
āā¦is that soā (Marquis-sama)
āā¦that is so, indeedā (Mitsuha)
ā āAhahahaha!ā ā (Two evil being)\nāPlease donāt talk about the topic that only two of you can understand!ā (Mitchan)
Ah, Mitchan is getting sulky. I have to fix her mood!
Mitchan is my first and only friend in this country, for now.
ā¦ What about the daughter of the Count of the birthday party last time, you say?
Itās a birthday gift that was both as a token of gratitude to the Countās family and to give president-san of the bank some face. Of course, the main purpose is PR, giving the image that Iām a [Girl who is ignorant of the ways of the world that benefits from convenience].
In other words, she just played the role of a piece called [Daughter of the Count who invited me to a party for the first time] for my performance. It is different from Colette-chan and Sabine-chan who saved my life and also had their lives saved by me.
Well, there is a possibility that she will be able to become my real friend in the future, but that is [Future Potential], not the present.
Actually, I was a bit annoyed at the Count that he involved Mitchan and stated that his daughter were best friends with her without her consent.
If he does that and I accept it, I will surely get a similar push. Thinking that I was weak from being pushed. So, I need to show clearly that anyone who ignores my intentions and pushes me into a weird direction will not be treated. Although I feel bad for that second daughter.
Thatās why, at the moment, my only friend in this country is Mitchan.
Mitchan spoke up for me on her own will. She offered a helping hand to me, who was distressed. She even went out and brought jokes that she probably didnāt like much. The only one among them, A proud noble girl with unwavering gaze in her eyes.
Then the talk began, with Mitchan and the Marquis and his wife, and three of his sons were added.
ā¦Of course, the small talk that actively directs towards the information I wanted.\n\nā¦ that what he was thinking, maybe. ā¦donāt retort the [beautiful] part!
So, rather than pursue too much information from me, perhaps he prefers to form a loose fellowship, trying to keep me from hostile factions.
No, all of that was just my speculation though.
Then, during the talk, I heard that the Marquis-sama seemed to have some influence toward the Army.
Too bad! If itās the navy then itāll be convenient for meā¦. No, not really?
Rather than someone of the Navy factions, would someone of the Army factions that is out of the line be more liable to come into contact with any Navy faction?
And even if you tell the Navy about misleading things like, that you are [A little girl who is an official of Army Factions], you would get laughed at most, and maybe they will let you go through, then you can ask various thing of your interest without making them feel alarmed.
Alright, this is probably not bad.
āThen, you should prepare your carriageā (Marquis-sama)
āAh, I walked here, so I donāt have a carriage waiting for me. Iāll walk home tooā¦ā (Mitsuha)
ā ā ā ā ā āThereās no one who would let a little girl walk home on the night road alone!!!ā ā ā ā ā ā (Mitchel Family)