Rock salt ... that's fantastic.
　I said as I inspected the mine we found.

　Rock salt can be sold abroad at a very high price.
　The Adelnian peninsula is rich in rock salt, so it's not that expensive, but it's always in short supply abroad.
　Both the Cilician countries and the Persis Empire need salt because of their large populations.

　'Oh no, that's great!　Really!　I never thought I'd find rock salt. By the way, there is an efficient way to dig for rock salt. Instead of telling you that...
　Mr. Ains approached me as he rubbed his hands.

　But then Ismea interrupted him.
　''No, my lord. You don't have to deal with these merchants. I know how to dig for rock salt.''
　What, the architects know how to mine?　What's the matter with someone who fled to the Adelian peninsula for lack of employment...
　'You are a free trader too. I really wanted to trade with the East, but the competition was fierce, so I buy salt here and sell it. Isn't that right?

　Sparks flew between the two of them.

　''Hey, Qingming. Are merchants doing business in the Adelian Peninsula losers?
　When I asked, Qingming laughed bitterly.

　''Well it's true that the amount of money you make is more from trading with the East... but if it's as big as the Ainsworth Chamber of Commerce, won't it be much different?　In fact, he was one of the first to enter a market with little competition and make a profit...isn't he a winner?　I've heard that the salt trade is lucrative. They say that if you bring salt from the Adelian peninsula to Persis, you can sell it for ten times the purchase price.

　Tenfold. That's a lot of money even after the cost of transportation.
　I see. So the only loser is Ismail.

　Ismere. Do you know about this?
　Yes. Of course.

　Ismea puffs her chest out.
　Well, if you know, it's not a problem.

　'So, Mr. Ains. I'll tell you about the mining methods another time but....
　I put my face close to Mr. Ains' ear.

　"I'll see you as favorably as I can, sir.
　Well thank you very much. I'll serve you next time.

　We laugh at each other.

　'Wow, you look bad...'
　Ron is taken aback.　

　'But it's really good news, isn't it? Brother!
　Roseward raises the tension.
　Well it's good news, it's true, but....

　I know there's a problem...
　What's the problem?
　Sojourn tilts his head.

　'Do you have trouble getting a lot of salt?　Do you think the market will fall?　But it can't be that much, can it?
　That's because if you can dig enough to fall, that will offset the problem...
　You can't dig that deep.

　This is former Dibel territory.
　Tetra said the problem.





　　'I just remembered that the eastern part of the As territory was originally the territory of my Dibel family, wasn't it?
　Rigal said as he called up his aide, Vermette, and Gilberto, his cousin and closest relative.

　'Come to think of it, that place belonged to the Dibel family.
　As I recall it was territory that was taken by King Ferrum.

　The two men minister to each other.

　The eastern part of Ath territory.
　This place wasn't originally the Ass territory.

　After King Ferrum took the As territory, this is the place where he attacked and took it from the Dibel territory.
　After that, it was ruled by King Ferm for a long time.
　And after that, the old Ferm King's territory was handed over to the Almus.

　So we can consider that the current ownership of the eastern part of the As family is in the Dibel family.
　However, this is a strong interpretation.

　Ownership of the territory is all about warfare and actual effective control of the territory.
　Nobody talked about the territorial issue because they thought so.

　But when the rock salt mines were found, it was a different story.

　'Many of my people were abducted there during the time of King Ferrum.
　It's more of an escape than an abduction, but that's a matter of nuance in the language.

　What's important is that the eastern part of the As territory was originally the Dibel territory, and there are many former residents of the Dibel territory living there.

　''It was impossible to take it back because of King Ferm, but we can go there now, can't we?
　Rigal asks them.

　About five years ago, King Ferm invaded the territory of Dibel, and Rigal fought against King Ferm.
　And he lost badly.

　How badly they lost, it was such a defeat that Rigal cried and defecated.
　By the way, Rigal is ashamed of that, and if you bring up the subject of shit in front of him, he will kill you, so the subject of shit is forbidden in front of Rigal.


　It was then that King Ferrum made a secret pact of non-aggression with Rigal with a big smile on his face.
　From King Ferrum's point of view, Rigal Dibel could be defeated at any time. But it's dangerous to be threatened in the back.
　If Rigal Dibel didn't raise an army, the other goldfish droppings (big families) wouldn't have any troops.

　That's the idea behind this treaty.

　In addition, it also had the purpose of fomenting King Rosais' distrust of Rigal Dibel and his merry band of friends who don't send out troops even though they share a border with each other.

　Anyway, Rigal was afraid of King Ferm.
　However, King Ferm died easily.

　The one who is in the As territory now is a young teenager who is just a teenager who is the son of a griffon or some unfamiliar rumor that he is the son of the god of war.
　It seems easy to take him back.

　''Alright, let's protest, Rigal-sama!　What, if they refuse, we can attack them and take them away. They are illegally occupying our territory!

　Gilbert argues loudly.
　It's a bit of a strong move, but the rock salt mine is very attractive.
　Rigal tries to get on board with the idea, but....

　Please wait!
　Vermette stopped it.

　'Think calmly, please. That is the newly enclosed territory that King Rosais has sealed in Almus As. So we can assume that their relationship with us has already been severed. And there's a reasonable claim over there as well. It's Almus As that has effective control, and King Rosais, who is adjudicating the territorial dispute, is clearly an Almus As supporter. I think we should not protest here. Besides, if we use force, that is exactly what we will lose our credibility.

　Basically, though, armed conflicts create a tendency to be the first to get into the wrong hands. No matter how legitimate the reason is.

　It's common for villages in a territory to fight over a watering hole, and that fight turns into an armed struggle and a conflict between lords, resulting in an armed conflict.

　Nevertheless, according to the custom of King Losais' country, territorial disputes are, as a rule, to be settled by negotiation and arbitration by King Losais.
　It's a poor idea to use force.

　Moreover, in the case of a dispute over water, both sides would lose and be defeated, but it would be impossible to achieve this if the other side stole the salt mine.

　"And I don't think we should get into a hostile relationship with Almus As.
　And why is that?
　Rigal asked Velmet.
　Because he thinks it's fine if he destroys them.

　There are a certain number of wealthy clans that are dissatisfied with the sudden rise of Almus, and there is no way he would lose.

　'You should look ahead to the future. When you become king, the most powerful clan in the country will be Almus As. You should build a friendship with him. Fortunately, Almus-as doesn't seem to have much ambition. They seem to try to be as hostile as possible with us as well.
　So you want me to watch your face?

　Gilberto looks at Velmette as if he were a fool.
　Gilberto thinks Velmet is a coward on a daily basis.

　But Belmet ignores Gilberto and closes in on Rigal.

　'May I?　No doubt the country will be somewhat disturbed when you succeed to the throne. This is unavoidable but there is a danger of Almus As inviting King Domorgal into the country in this gap. Therefore, we must not antagonize Almus As. On the contrary, if we have him on our side, it will be a great plus for us.

　Rigal is troubled.
　As for Rigal, it is Gilberto's idea that he can relate to the most.

　Rigal has the confidence that he can beat Almus As. Although he has no proof of this, Rigal is confident that he can win.

　Nevertheless, Vermette is a loyal vassal who has supported him until now, and he recognizes his abilities.

　I've never made a mistake in following Belmet's words until now.
　But.....

　They hid a fugitive. Wouldn't you say they were hostile at that point?
　It's true, sir, but...
　I can't be friends with him. He's the enemy. So I'm going to strip him of his power. I'd like to take the salt mines out of his hands but I've got a better idea.

　Rigal retorted.
　Vermette sighed loudly inwardly.

　Politics is a matter of purity and clarity.
　You have to deal with people you don't like.

　In fact, King Rosais has neglected the Dibel family, who did not provide even the slightest bit of reinforcement when attacked by King Ferm's country.

　This time he only harbored two hundred fugitives.......just a small thing.
　If you're blindsided by something like this, how many great families will you have to contend with when you become a king.......

　And mine is not so easy to take away.
　You will almost certainly lose in court. If you try to take it away in battle, you'll be criticized and eventually have to give it away.

　Nevertheless, Rigal rarely changes his mind.
　We should do the next best thing here.


　''If we file a case against King Rosais, do we have a low chance of winning?''
　Vermette answers Rigal's question.

　'It will be infinitesimally low ... if we lose the case, our reputation will undoubtedly suffer.
　So you'll have to take it by force, I suppose.

　Gilbert says with enthusiasm.
　It looks like he's going to lead his troops to attack right now.

　But.........

　That would make us the offenders.
　Then what are we going to do about it?

　Vermette answers the question.

　'Let them shoot the first arrow,'