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I explained the situation surrounding the Demon Lord’s Army and Lüenheit, as well as our relations with the surrounding cities.
Then I continued.

“The Demon Lord wishes to form alliances with every city in southern Miraldia. We are aware of the conflict between north and south. If you cooperate with the Demon Lord’s Army, we are willing to help improve the treatment of the southern regions as well.”

Petore, who had been shouting and laughing just moments ago, now sat silently, thinking with a calm expression, as if all that had been a lie.

After a while, he spoke carefully.

“That sounds nice, but what you’re really saying is that you intend to completely sever the south from the north, isn’t it?”

As expected, he wasn’t about to fall for sweet sales talk.
In that case, I’ll negotiate the usual way—with a bad smile.

“That phrasing isn’t quite accurate.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Demon Lord’s Army will destroy Miraldia and erase it from the map.”
“Destroy it, you say!?”

Of course, I meant as a nation. Not physical annihilation.

“The Demon Lord’s Army will form alliances with every city in southern Miraldia and separate them from the north. The birth of a new country where demons and humans coexist.”

Tension slowly crept into Petore’s expression as he opened his mouth.

“This will cause tremendous upheaval. Do you understand that?”
“The only ones who’ll suffer are the northerners. I doubt the people of the south want this country to continue as it is.”
“Hmmm…”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Petore asked me another question.

“And what comes after the unification of the south?”
“Eventually, we will make the north acknowledge our existence as well, so that demons can live in all seventeen cities. That said, I intend to leave that to the next generation.”

Given the heavy civilian casualties, it’s unlikely the people of the north would accept coexistence with demons anytime soon.
It will take a long time for memories to fade and for the bloodshed to be forgotten. It might even take over a hundred years.

“Hrrm…”

Petore frowned deeply, then answered.

“I understand your intentions. But there are two things I must confirm. Your capabilities, and your credibility.”

Fair points.
Petore continued.

“As for your capabilities, I’ve heard various reports from the spies I sent out. You seem to have effective control over Lüenheit and its surroundings, so that should be sufficient.”
“What, you sent spies out, old man?”

When Garsch said that, Petore sighed.

“I ain’t sleeping peacefully if I don’t know what’s happening in the next room. I sent some to Belrüsa too.”
“You’re kidding.”

Ignoring the speechless Garsch, Petore went on.

“As for credibility, I believe you’re better than the north. They’re hiding something from us, then demanding cooperation unilaterally. I don’t like that sort of thing.”

As for the Demon Lord’s Army’s trustworthiness, we have an overwhelming guarantor in Aylia. Her decision to be the first to break away from Miraldia was a desperate, all-in gamble.

Petore looked at me skeptically.

“But if we board your ship, the south will be headed for a confrontation with the north. We’ll have to be prepared to shed blood. When that happens, how will you act?”

A difficult question.
In terms of resolve, I fully intend to fight alongside the people of the south. However, the Demon Lord’s Army is still small, and if the front expands, we won’t be able to send enough troops.
There may be situations where only the southern forces are fighting.
So I can’t make any careless promises.
It’s a bit underhanded, but I’ll dodge the issue without making any firm guarantees.
After thinking it through, I answered.

“Against the north, we will begin with diplomacy. Military power will be used only as a diplomatic card to be displayed. That sort of approach is where we demons excel.”

We have plenty of werewolves, vampires, giants—types humans are naturally afraid of. They’ll imagine things on their own and scare themselves.

“Of course, if the north is eager for a fight, the Demon Lord’s Army will show no mercy. Turning entire cities into wasteland is no great feat for us.”

It would require preparation and cleanup, and involve risks and casualties, but it’s possible. I don’t plan to do it, though.

“What the Demon Lord’s Army—no, what we demons seek from you is a place of peace. A place where we can live without being hunted by humans, with warm meals, clean beds, and companions we can trust.”

Seeing Petore look slightly surprised, I continued.

“For that, demons need a foundation within human society. Fortunately, Lüenheit accepted us. If all of southern Miraldia becomes a society that accepts demons, both humans and demons can live more prosperous lives. So I ask of you, please open the gates of Lotzo.”

Petore asked again, as if confirming.

“As the governor of Lotzo, let me confirm this once more. If war breaks out with the north, you won’t just leave us to it and pretend you know nothing, will you?”
“Don’t take us lightly. We are demons.”

I snapped my fingers, and the werewolves transformed.
The Lotzo soldiers stirred uneasily.
With eight terrifying werewolves standing behind me, I smiled calmly.

“It takes daily effort to keep these fellows from rampaging. We won’t miss a chance to rush to the battlefield.”

In contrast to the frightened soldiers, Petore remained calm and nodded.

“I see. You’re eager to fight.”
“Of course. But no matter how sharp our fangs and claws are, that alone won’t give us a place to live in peace. That’s why we act with sincerity and reason, and build trust with humans. We will never betray our allies.”

As I concluded, the werewolves returned to their original forms.
Good, good. All that training is paying off.

Petore stared at me for a while, then nodded.

“Your logic is sound. It doesn’t contradict the information I’ve gathered. And if we refuse your proposal, Lotzo will be surrounded by territory controlled by the Demon Lord’s Army and isolated. In that case, we have no choice but to accept the alliance.”
“Thank you. As for the finer details, I’d like us to discuss them thoroughly and reach a mutual agreement.”

When I said that, Petore gave a wry smile.

“To be honest, I’m still uneasy. There’s the shipping routes to consider, too. I can’t just brush it aside.”

Trust is something we’ll have to build from here on.
The Demon Lord’s Army will prove useful.

After that, I moved on to negotiating the finer points with Petore.
Lotzo asked only for freedom of fishing and trade, which I agreed to guarantee in full.
In exchange, they would provide land for demon settlements and military support in times of emergency.

“Lotzo’s official population is five thousand, but in reality it exceeds twenty thousand. Besides the city guard, we have about a thousand spear troops trained from the sons of harpoon fishermen.”

Those spear troops are to be deployed during emergencies. They’re experts with javelins, making them useful for defending city walls as well.
He also said that three to four thousand militia could be mobilized for short periods, which was reassuring.

With the rest of the negotiations concluded smoothly, I accepted Petore’s invitation to a meal.
There shouldn’t be any concern about poisoning at this point, but caution never hurts.
I was on guard—until a seafood pasta drenched in olive oil and garlic was brought out, at which point my self-control nearly snapped.
Huge scallops, shrimp, and squid were piled on generously, releasing an irresistible aroma of spices.
In my previous life, a dish like this would easily cost two thousand yen per plate.
Then came a bouillabaisse-style stew of coastal fish, herb-roasted sea bream-like fish, and finally, sake-steamed snow crab.
Is it really okay to indulge like this in the middle of the day?

Petore laughed with a triumphant grin.

“This is Lotzo fishermen’s fare. It’s nothing like Belrüsa’s backwater cooking. Eat up.”
“Say that again, you old b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲.”

Petore and Garsch started arguing again, but I like both of them, so I let it be.
I won’t get food like this back in Lüenheit, so I’ll ask for seconds.
I’ll eat at least five plates of pasta.
And I still need to eat the crab.

The Belrüsa group and the werewolves were devouring the food with gusto, but I felt bad for Parker. As a skeleton, he had nothing to eat.
He enjoyed the conversation for a while, then stood up.

“May I go check on how the mermaids are doing?”
“Yeah, good idea. Please keep an eye on them.”

When I said that, Petore turned around.

“What was that? Mermaids?”

His expression was serious.
What now? Another problem?

I felt a brief flicker of unease, but when I explained the situation, Petore was overjoyed.

“What!? You saved mermaids too!? To the Fikarsch family—no, to all of Lotzo—the mermaids are our guardian spirits!”

Seriously?

“It’s said that when our founder first landed here, the mermaids helped him. They showed him safe sea routes and protected him from beasts with their songs.”

Petore beamed.

“I myself was saved by a mermaid when I was young.”
“Hey, really!? That’s the first I’ve heard of this, old man.”

Garsch looked at him suspiciously while chewing on crab, but Petore puffed out his chest proudly.

“As you can see, I’m a handsome man.”

What can we even see… Well, it’s entirely possible he was good-looking in his youth, sure.

Garsch muttered thoughtfully.

“In that case, we didn’t need to worry about mermaids attacking ships in the first place…”

At once, Petore spun around and started whacking Garsch on the head furiously.

“Of course not, you dolt! If mermaids were dangerous, I’d have drilled that into you when you were a brat!”
“Ow! Then you shoulda told me they were safe!”
“Don’t swallow what others say whole—see it for yourself!”
“Then don’t blame me for being cautious!”
“You and your whines!”

Here we go again.