Aiming for a Cozy Life in a Dangerous Forest in Another World! - Chapter 44.1

A Side Story: The Kingdom’s Ambition 1

The meeting taking place in the grand conference room of the Kingdom of Lasiar was in an uproar.

“To march into the Great Forest of Chrys is suicidal! Do you intend to destroy our army?!”

One of the military nobles shouted.

“This is His Majesty’s decision! We have no right to question it!”

One of the nobles close to the king retorted.

It all began two weeks ago…

♢　♢　♢

That day, Marquis Ludvin, the Minister of Military Affairs, and Marquis Carla, the Minister of Finance, had been summoned by the king for an important discussion.

When the two entered the king’s office, His Majesty and Duke Randall, the Prime Minister, were deep in conversation, their expressions grave.

“…Welcome, Marquis Ludvin, Marquis Carla.”

“Your Majesty! What urgent matter requires our presence today?”

I, Ludvin, Minister of Military Affairs, inquired, and the king said,

“……Minister of Finance, how are our salt sales these days?”

“Your Majesty! As expected, the Jamul Kingdom’s salt has begun circulating in the Derval Empire and other western nations, causing our export volume to fall to less than half of what it used to be…”

Marquis Carla, the Minister of Finance, replied apologetically.

Was salt the topic of today’s discussion? If so, then why had I been summoned?

The king, who seemed to have expected the answer, continued without surprise,

“…Is that so? …Is the Jamul Kingdom’s salt better quality than ours?”

He asked, his voice laced with disdain.

“No, Your Majesty. Their production methods are essentially the same, and there is no difference in quality. The reason we are losing in the export competition is…”

“Distance, is it not?”

Duke Randall, the Prime Minister, finished the Minister of Finance’s sentence.

“Indeed, Prime Minister. Whether it’s to the western nations or the Derval Empire, we have no choice but to transport our salt through the Jamul Kingdom, which increases costs. And as a result, buyers are choosing to purchase the cheaper salt from the Jamul Kingdom…”

The Kingdom of Lasiar had amassed a vast fortune by exporting salt, produced from seawater using a unique method, mainly to western nations. But a few years ago, the neighboring Kingdom of Jamul successfully developed its own salt production method, and the tides turned.

The Kingdom of Lasiar bordered the ocean to the north and east, and to the south lay the infamous Great Forest of Chrys. As a result, the salt export route went through the Kingdom of Jamul, located to the west of Lasiar, to reach the western and central parts of the continent.

In other words, passing through the Jamul Kingdom was unavoidable for exporting salt.

And then, that Jamul Kingdom, had succeeded in producing its own salt.

Of course, passing through the Jamul Kingdom for export came at a price.

Previously, we had sold salt to the Jamul Kingdom at a lower price as payment for passage, but now, they wouldn’t buy it, even at a discount. …It was only natural, now that they could produce their own.

As a result, we were forced to raise the price of the salt we exported to the Derval Empire and other western nations, and we could no longer compete with the Jamul Kingdom’s salt.

Currently, no new countries were importing salt produced from seawater in the Kingdom of Lasiar.

And once the existing contracts expired, that would be the end of it.

Salt was essential for survival, and countries that couldn’t produce it had no choice but to rely on imports, which was the basis of the Kingdom of Lasiar’s position in the international community.

But that had changed.

“There is the salt made from fruits, specifically 『Cell Fruits』, but mass production is difficult, is it not?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We cannot produce enough salt from fruits for export.”

“…Indeed.”

The fruit salt the king was talking about was high-grade salt.

The Kingdom of Lasiar also produced salt from fruits, but the amount they could produce was limited by the availability of the fruits.

And high-grade fruits like 『Cell Fruits』, whenever a 『Cell』 tree was discovered, nobles from all over the country would rush to purchase them, and they would quickly sell out.

The discovered 『Cell』 trees would be placed under strict management in the king’s name, but it would take several years for them to bear fruit again. And planting the seeds never resulted in the trees growing.

Therefore, there was no way we could export it.

“So, our mainstay industry, the production and export of salt, which has supported our country, is in decline…”

“…Unfortunately, that is the case. We still do not need to import salt, but as for exports…”

This was the most pressing issue currently facing the Kingdom of Lasiar.

We had other industries, like agriculture and fishing, but they were primarily for domestic consumption.

And even those were insufficient to meet our needs. We relied heavily on imports. If things continued like this, our country would starve.

……But then why had I been summoned?

“…Your Majesty, why have I been summoned?”

“Indeed. You understand the current situation, based on what the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister have just said, correct?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I understand that this is a grave issue, but…”

“Minister of Military Affairs, I’m hoping you can develop a new salt export route.”

“A new route, Your Majesty? If it’s not through the Jamul Kingdom, then… what?!”

I couldn’t help but blurt out.

His Majesty wasn’t usually concerned with formalities, but this was a blunder.

“F-Forgive me, Your Majesty. When you say ‘new route’, are you referring to… through the Great Forest of Chrys?”

“Indeed. If we could transport our salt through the Great Forest of Chrys, we would be able to export it directly to the Derval Empire. And we would also be able to trade with the Kingdom of Dirdilis to the south.”

“Y-Your Majesty, with all due respect, creating a trade route through the Great Forest of Chrys is not…”

I was desperately trying to understand what he meant and to explain why it was impossible, when someone entered the office.

“That’s where I come in!”

This was the king’s office. There was only one person in this castle who could enter without knocking, without the king’s permission.

“… Your Highness, Prince Rops.”

The second prince of the Kingdom of Lasiar, Rops Mac Lasiar.

Second in line to the throne.

However, there had been several cases in the history of the Kingdom of Lasiar where the reigning king had chosen a lower-ranking individual as their successor. It wasn’t unusual for the king to choose the next king regardless of succession order.

However, when it came to the current succession, most believed, with absolute certainty, that the first prince, Prince Mace, would inherit the throne, as was the order of succession.

This was because Prince Rops’s behavior and conduct were far from befitting of a king. He was ridiculed as the “Idiot Prince”.

The only ones who supported the second prince as the next king were Marquis Renlow’s faction, as he had married off his daughter to him.

I see, so Prince Rops had instigated this…

His Majesty was a thoughtful and wise ruler, but when it came to Prince Rops, he lost all sense of reason.

He doted on Prince Rops, never reprimanding him for his behavior, instead indulging his every whim.

Either way, I needed to find out what Prince Rops had suggested. Or rather, what Marquis Renlow had suggested.

Prince Rops was basically a puppet in Marquis Renlow’s hands.

I had to uncover the truth and explain the situation to His Majesty.

…Otherwise, our country would be doomed.