The reason why the Beaufort family is a frontier count. The Beaufort family's territory is a neighboring foreign country. I'm sure you now have an idea why I was chosen to be the intermediary, don't you?

　The aristocracy of the Kingdom of Westland is divided into three broad categories of titles.

　Dukes. A nobleman who has served the king since ancient times, or an aristocrat who has made great achievements.

　Counts. A very standard nobleman, or a former royalty from another country whose estates were reduced in size.

　Baron. Barons are those who were seized from the common people in the past, or from other countries whose estates have been reduced.

　In addition to these, there are deputy counts who, for various reasons, rule over estates that are less than a baron or an earl, and frontier counts who have received special favors from being entrusted with border security.

　And the Beaufort family is the rarest of all the frontier count families, a 'true frontier count' that still borders other countries today.

...... To be honest, the surprises are too great for me to wrap my head around. I knew from general knowledge that the Beaufort family's territory is adjacent to the Northern Tree Sea Union, but I never thought that elves would be involved in politics.

　He shook his head, realizing once again the gravity of the situation.

　Seeing this, Senator Eil tilted his head slightly.

''Is this the first time you've met an elf?''
'No, I've encountered it several times during my time as an adventurer. In fact, that's why I find it hard to believe my own ears.

　I pressed my hand to my dizzy forehead and recalled my own perception of the race of elves.

　Perhaps because of their long life spans and the amount of time they can spend learning, elves are among the most intelligent of the demon race, and it is a common theory that they surpass humans on average.

　But on the other hand, or perhaps that's why elves don't try to get involved with humans much.

　They rarely try to come out of the forest area reproduced in the dungeon - as long as they are demons, elves are also creatures that live in dungeons - and when we stepped into their territory from the human side. Only action is taken.

　The nature of the action varies from village to village, and while some will provide the minimum amount of trade and supplies, others have a policy of thoroughly eliminating intruders regardless of the circumstances.

　Such a tribe is a member of the Northern Tree Sea Federation, which is supposed to be a human nation?
　It's like seeing a fish in the sky.

Then you know that each community has its own code of conduct for elves. I'm sure you're aware that each community has its own code of conduct, and our community has decided that interference in the affairs of the earth is the right thing to do. That's all there is to it.
'I understand that. But I'm having a hard time grasping the reason for that decision.

　Theodore can't help me from the side, as if he couldn't see my bewilderment subsiding.

''I told you beforehand. That the situation in the north is unimaginable to people in other parts of the world. Fortunately, we have a long time to spare, and we should explain to you the fundamentals of the situation.
I shouldn't do that, you know. I tend to assume that what I know, others can understand ....... It may be a vice common to all elves.

　Senator Eil put his hand to his mouth in an elegant manner and then began to explain the involvement of the elves and the Northern Tree Sea Federation.

''Our community has been hosting guests on Earth for over a hundred years now. Even though we do not engage with them, we have always given them a reasonable welcome as long as they visit us in a cordial manner.

　So far, it usually makes sense.
　Even the code of conduct of the elves I know is enough to explain the response.

''However, about ten years ago in the earthly calendar, things changed. Those who had been friendly to us for a long time began to change their complexion and call for help.
You need help?　...... So, the war of unification by the Westland Kingdom has reached the North.
'Yes. They complained about the threat of invaders and pleaded for the protection of their people in the dungeon or our ground forces.

　Even though it's true that if you're poor, you'll get duller, but I've thought of something quite drastic, like calling for help from the demon race or evacuating to the dungeon.

　That's how powerful His Majesty Alfred's momentum was, and yet his relationship with the elves was good.

The dungeon is even raided by the violent invaders they speak of ...... that's the only thing we absolutely must avoid. We sent personnel to the ground because we thought it was in our interest ...... to do so.

　Eir turned a sideways glance at Theodore with a troubled smile.

''When you actually face him, isn't he an opponent with a lot of room for negotiation? I had so much trouble finding a place to put my fist down as I raised my spirits.
My family was sent as His Majesty's spokesmen, but they weren't sent with the intention of killing people. We had our hands full with the peace on the ground at the time, so we decided that it wasn't worth it to make enemies with the unfathomable forces of the dungeon demons.

　I see, so their decision to rely on the elves was not meaningless?

　In fact, the Demon King's army had managed to cross over with the Golden Fang Knights' army.

　Even the Demon King's army, which was supposed to be exhausted after being chased out of its original stronghold, is like that, so there is no telling how much strength they will have if they become a full-fledged force.

It's a good thing that we've decided to make peace with the various forces that have escaped to the north, but back then they were seriously just a bunch of people. "We decided to make peace with the northern powers, but at the time they were really just a bunch of people who had escaped to the north," he said, "and for a practical reason, we couldn't negotiate with them individually, so the Northern Tree Alliance was born.

　Theodore speaks as if he has seen it with his own eyes.

　No, if the matter was only a few years old, it's possible that young Theodore was involved in the field as well.

　This is still the heir to the frontier count, so it's natural to think that Theodore would want to gain experience in the field.

''We have been assigned to play a central role in a series of negotiations. We will be at the center of a series of negotiations, both with the kingdom and the coordination between the various powers. We were close to neutral on both sides, so it's a natural progression.
And in return for taking on such a huge task, the community she belongs to will get a certain number of seats in the Northern Tree Coalition's assembly: ...... I hope you understand.

　He immediately nodded back and indicated that he understood the situation properly.
　It was a process that would be easy to understand if explained in an orderly fashion.

　Then the next thing to do is to get back to the point.

Thank you for your explanation. So ...... what is your business on this day? Is it as a member of the Northern Tree Line Coalition?　Or is it ...... as a demon race?