Ch.181This Place is Safe! (1)

# Chapter 181: This Place Is Safe! (1)

[PAUSE]

[Event: The Sincerity of Ambassador Samiya]

[As a result of continuing the conversation through the meeting, you have roughly understood the will of Ambassador Samiya of Prosnack.]

[And through this, you have also realized how Ambassador Samiya currently feels about her home country of Prosnack.]

[+10 Goodwill from Diplomatic Ambassador Jad Samiya Halabi’dus]

It was quite a long conversation.

But to summarize, it came down to just one thing.

‘The state of Prosnack’s homeland is abnormally strange.’

The grand design of Prosnack that Ambassador Samiya had initially shared with me.

Compared to that magnificent plan and design, the actions that Prosnack has shown now could only be described as a collection of disappointments.

They went so far as to reveal their big picture to me and even established something akin to a secret alliance between Prosnack and the Holy Sebelli Empire.

But now the very parties involved in that big picture aren’t moving according to plan?

If so, it would be reasonable for us to consider that the various information and grand design—the master plan—that Ambassador Samiya brought were nothing but lies.

And if that were the case, unlike before, it seems they judged that we could seriously arrest Ambassador Samiya and her entourage.

And judging by how the person in question seemed to take this as a “misunderstanding,” it appeared that at least she herself believed that the “grand design” she had shared with me was real.

Rather, how should I put it?

I strongly felt that she was trying her best to prove their innocence somehow, to prevent me from misunderstanding.

Instead, contrary to the plan they currently believe in and are showing…

It’s as if she’s suggesting that their homeland, the Prosnack Federation, isn’t following the plan but is just proceeding recklessly however they can.

———————————

But as my thoughts reached this point, I felt suspicion welling up and activated the pause again.

‘But is there any reason to go this far?’

To be honest, the current situation between Prosnack and us could be described as competitive at best.

While there’s no formal declaration of competition or friction at the borders…

We, the Holy Sebelli Empire, are sitting in the leadership position of the newly formed ISTO (Interstellar Security Treaty Organization).

Their homeland doesn’t even inform their ambassadors before proceeding with operations.

In many ways, the relationship is deteriorating in real-time…

Yet they’re handing over what could be considered confidential information about their homeland—it’s simply incomprehensible.

‘Wait a minute, come to think of it, if they’re talking about vaccine injections, doesn’t that mean all the marines and the ambassador over there have received them too?’

With this thought, I began to feel a disconnect from the nonchalant Ambassador Samiya and the marines chatting with the purge unit members in the distance.

‘Could it be that before ISTO fully activates, they’re using the ambassador and marines as bait to deal with us and cause confusion in the Empire?’

Perhaps I’ve unwittingly brought bombs into the heart of the Diplomatic Enforcement Fortress with my own hands.

‘Damn it.’

After finishing this train of thought.

I decided that as soon as I deactivated the pause, I would give a hand signal to Riel, who was standing silently behind me, to immediately subdue those people.

But…

[Pause Deactivated]

Just as I was about to raise my hand toward Riel after deactivating the pause.

“Ah, I just realized that Minister Arto might be suspicious of our friendly attitude.”

At Ambassador Samiya’s words, which seemed to come right on cue, I naturally moved my raised hand to the back of my head.

Scratching my head, I spoke to the ambassador.

“I was actually planning to ask about that.”

“Given our cultural differences, I completely understand.”

In response to my reaction, Ambassador Samiya nodded a couple of times, then readjusted her posture and responded to me in a more serious tone…

“That is because, unlike before, the current Sebelli Empire… has essentially grown into the only nation that can rival our Prosnack Federation.”

“…Hmm.”

As my earlier prediction proved correct, an exclamation involuntarily escaped my lips.

Perhaps taking my reaction as displeasure, Ambassador Samiya continued her explanation.

“The Holy Sebelli Empire, or more precisely, your leadership in creating the massive ISTO—the Interstellar Security Treaty Organization—has earned you the qualification to sufficiently resist our Prosnack Federation.”

“Umm…”

“In other words, unlike before, the Sebelli Empire has proven itself to be a nation that can be called a warrior in a different sense, rather than a nation that engages in sinister behind-the-scenes machinations while maintaining only outward appearances.”

“…”

“As we are treating you according to the proper procedures of our civilization and culture, you need not overthink this matter.”

“…Hmm, I see.”

This is why conversations with warrior civilizations often miss the point.

On one hand, they refuse to do things that would clearly benefit them simply because it doesn’t align with their values.

On the other hand, they try to provide all kinds of help despite situations that would clearly result in losses.

From the perspective of a normal civilization, this is precisely the characteristic of warrior civilizations that often leads to trouble.

Still, I didn’t expect to hear something along the lines of “we’re giving you special treatment because you’re worthy of being our competitor.”

Trying to hide my bewilderment, I decided to go along with Ambassador Samiya, who looked relieved.

“I see, I truly don’t know what to say.”

“That’s only natural. In fact, if you had shown a consistently positive response to our words from the beginning… we would have been suspicious in return.”

“So you’re saying that my genuine confusion made me more trustworthy?”

“Exactly, Minister Arto.”

While this was quite an interesting conversation, the more detailed aspects were better suited for the directors of the Alien Culture Museum rather than the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency.

So we both wrapped up that part of the discussion appropriately.

And now I could finally hear what Ambassador Samiya meant by “points of suspicion.”

But…

“Minister, based on my investigation… I believe that the current Supreme Commander Fern’dus who rules the Prosnack Federation is not actually the commander himself, but someone else.”

“…Excuse me?”

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere suddenly felt as serious as a morning drama.

I straightened my back, which I had leaned forward to listen more carefully, adjusted my posture, and said:

“I’m sorry, Ambassador Samiya, but isn’t it a bit inappropriate to discuss sensitive family matters in a setting like this?”

Mixing national-level discussions with family affairs so boldly.

While feeling internally dumbfounded, I responded to her statement as calmly and carefully as possible.

“It’s fine to desire power, but if we proceed that way, it would be like us helping with your coup, which could lead to various economic issues…”

“What on earth are you talking about, Minister Arto?”

“Pardon?”

“What?”

But it seems that wasn’t the case.

Ambassador Samiya, seemingly having realized something, nodded and spoke to me again.

“Ah, I apologize, but this isn’t about power? I’m not even high in the power hierarchy in my homeland like you are, Minister Arto.”

“…Hmm, then what exactly do you mean?”

“To be frank… I believe that the person currently referred to as Supreme Commander Fern’dus is not actually my father, but a completely different entity.”

And right after Ambassador Samiya’s words ended.

-Ding!♪

[PAUSE]

[Event: Where Is the Real One?]

[Ambassador Samiya has shared her thoughts with you about the current Supreme Commander of Prosnack, Fern’dus.]

[To be precise, she believes that the ‘real’ Fern’dus has disappeared, and an impostor has taken his place.]

[Indeed, considering the tactical abilities of the Prosnack under the leadership of the original Supreme Commander Fern’dus, the recent poor performance of Prosnack is truly questionable enough to make one wonder if it’s the same person.]

[However, to uncover this information, you would need to dispatch intelligence agents to the Prosnack homeland leadership to investigate the situation.]

[Option 1: If it’s so suspicious, we just need to confirm it (Linked event progression, random chance of intelligence agent detection event)]

[Option 2: Isn’t the ambassador just suffering from conspiracy theories? (Event progression ends, random chance of negative event occurrence)]

Looking at the event message that appeared before me.

I could intuitively sense that Ambassador Samiya’s words were true.

‘I can’t believe this is real.’