Is Master Ike going to the South?

　That was the first thing he said when he told Lilith what happened.
　Next, she said, "I'll accompany you," and was about to start preparing for the trip, but stopped.

'No, Lilith will be away this time.

　Naturally, the accusations come out.

''What do you mean if it's not this Lilith who will accompany Ike-sama? I don't doubt your ability, intelligence, and loyalty, and you can handle anything, even your nightly duties.''

''Well I appreciate your ability to do that last one, though. So leave it behind.

　The attack on Alistair, the leader of the White Rose Order, the rescue of Günther, the dwarven king, if it's a rough affair like those, I'd be happy to bring this girl along with me, but I don't think that will happen this time.

'Rumours of Ivalice's wealth have been spreading of late, attracting vagrants and refugees. It's fine for the population to grow, but when it does, there's more trouble. I'd like to leave you in charge of keeping the city of Ivalice safe.

What do you mean?

If you see someone doing something wrong, you're supposed to put a bullet in their head and take them out.

I see. Do you mind if I hit you so hard that your left ear starts to bleed plasma?

No.

Then it's in your right ear.

Neither. Just hit him enough to get a minor injury and put him in jail. Giron will take care of the rest.

　With that, he turns to Giron.

'As I said, I'll leave the governance of the city to you. You just do what you've always done.

Yes.....

　Giron replies unenthusiastically.

'What's wrong?'

　I ask the question.

'Well no, I was worried about getting by without my husband.

　Oh, I see.
　Come to think of it, this might be the first time I've entrusted everything to this guy.
　I say in a gentle tone of voice to reassure Jiron, "I left the instructional book (maniyuar) for you.

I left a copy of the manual for you. Read it if you need help.

Ha, no, can't you ask a sorcerer to ask your husband for help with the magic of "telepathic"?

No.

　I'll cut it off in a word.

　As Cephiro said, the people of the Immortal Brigade tend to be too dependent on me.

　It wouldn't be a bad idea to take this as a good opportunity to encourage them to become more independent and leave them to their own devices.

　That's what I thought, and I repeated it again.

It's certainly possible for me to use telekinesis magic to tell them what to do every time they need to do something. Or maybe that would be more efficient.

'Then so be it. I still feel uneasy without my husband.

　Lilith follows suit.

''In the first place, can't you just move to Zenobia with the 《transference》 magic?　Wouldn't that get us out of your business in a few days?

'The magic of transference can only be used to move between permitted transfers or for short distances. I don't have permission to move between Xenovia's transitions. I can't do that.

Oh, so that means it will take at least half a month to get there, after all.

　Lilith lets out a sigh.

'That's what I'm saying,' I say, and once again I ask you two to stay.

　I decided to start getting ready for the trip.
　However, Lilith still complains.

I'm sure you'll be able to see why I can't accompany you, Master Ike, and I'm satisfied. But why does the little girl have to accompany you?

　Lilith points to Satie, a girl dressed in a maid's outfit.
　Satie looks puzzled, so I explain the situation to her.

''You explained that this time I will be traveling to Zenobia to sign a trade treaty with the head of the council of Zenobia, the leader of the trade union.

Yes, sir.

　Lilith nodded.

'It's the first time in history that the Demon King's army and humans have ever signed a trade treaty. So I thought we might need a living example.

What do you mean?

Humans and demons get along well together. I thought if I had an example of humans and demons getting along, it would make it easier to put the story together.

Ugh.

　Lilith lets out a grunt that says, "I'm sorry.
　Apparently, she was convinced.

　I stare at Sati with the eyes of my parent's enemy, but I didn't say anything more resentful than that.

　Sati hides behind my back and avoids his gaze.

　I felt sorry for Sati if I didn't do something about it.

Anyway, you're in charge now. Now, you're in charge of this town now.

　He forcefully summarized the story and ordered them to devote themselves to their respective duties.

'....Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.

　Lilith and Orc each agreed and left the office.
　After seeing them through, I decided to prepare for the trip.

　But that kind of thing is all done by my maid, Satie, so there's nothing in particular to do. So there's nothing in particular to do.

　That's the one thing I needed to think about: how to organize negotiations with the head of Zenobia's trade union.

''The first trade treaty between humans and demons........''

　It was quite an unreasonable demand to make.

　I guess that's how much the Demon King likes me, but it's hard to live up to his expectations.

　Now, this is my first diplomatic debut, but will it be successful or not?

　As I watched Satie's back as she began to prepare for her trip, I thought about all the negotiation techniques.