Let’s Manage the Tower

Book 5: Volume 1 Chapter 17, Negotiations

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

Kousuke looked around at the assembled group as he reviewed the compensation proposals presented by Santo Emingo Kingdom.

“Since you’ve come all the way here, I assume you’ve decided that accepting this is best for both the Kingdom and Crown, correct?”

At Kousuke’s question, Towa nodded vigorously.

“Yes. There are substantial benefits for both the Kingdom and Crown, while the drawbacks are minimal.”

That was not to say there were no drawbacks at all, but the proposal presented by the Santo Emingo Kingdom aligned closely with what they themselves had proposed before. Naturally, they had already considered the drawbacks and determined that the benefits far outweighed them.

“Hmm…” Towa tilted his head as he watched Kousuke fold his arms in thought.

“Is there a problem? I believed it would be better to accept their proposal and end the Conquest Battle peacefully rather than seize their Tower and back them into a corner.”

“Ah, no. There’s no problem with ending the current battle. It would be over in less than a week anyway.”

Those who were unaware of the Tower battle’s progress began murmuring at Kousuke’s words. They had not expected the Conquest Battle between Towers to be resolved so decisively.

“I understand that accepting their proposal would be more beneficial than waiting for it to end naturally,” Kousuke continued.

“Then is there another problem?” Towa asked, tilting his head.

Kousuke turned his gaze to Floria. He thought it would be better for her to explain rather than him, knowing his perspective often fell outside conventional thinking.

Floria nodded, understanding Kousuke’s intention, and began speaking while looking at Towa.

“King Towa, it’s important to remember where this all began. How did this battle start?”

“How, you ask…” Towa began, then immediately grasped what Floria meant.

However, the others still seemed confused, their heads tilting in puzzlement.

“So even if we win this battle, it becomes a problem if they think they can declare war whenever they want as long as they pay reparations afterward, correct?” Towa said.

As he spoke these words, the expressions of those who hadn’t understood shifted to surprise.

The battle had begun with a unilateral declaration of war by the Santo Emingo Kingdom. Even though the System only allowed declarations of war every ten years, it would be unbearable for Amamiya Tower to face such aggression repeatedly.

“Exactly. Of course, it would be one thing if they truly understood the gravity of declaring war so casually. We might win this time, but there’s no guarantee the outcome will be the same in the future.”

Floria said this carefully, without revealing that they could win with overwhelming strength. There was no need to publicly expose the full extent of Amamiya Tower’s military capability.

Since their main military force consisted of monsters, they could not deter opponents with visible displays of numbers or strength like the armies of ordinary nations.

Towa appeared thoughtful after listening to Floria’s explanation. After a brief pause, he asked, “So would you prefer to reject this offer?”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“Accept the offer, then add our own conditions.”

Negotiations did not truly work when they simply accepted the other party’s proposal wholesale. After stating their own conditions, they could make strategic concessions where appropriate.

“Additional conditions… do you have any good ones that won’t trigger another declaration of war?” Towa asked, looking as though he could not think of any suitable options himself.

Floria shrugged slightly. “We can think about the specifics shortly. We don’t have much time, though…”

“Floria,” Kousuke interjected.

“How about bringing up that matter?”

“That matter? Ah, you mean that.” Floria murmured, closing her eyes in thought. After a moment, she nodded slightly.

“…We’ll need to work out the details, but I think it could work.”

“All right then.”

“Understood.”

Kousuke and Floria had concluded the matter between themselves, leaving the others completely in the dark about what had been decided.

Aware of this, Floria proceeded to share the ‘plan; she and Kousuke had discussed during a previous casual conversation.

The kingdom members all looked thoughtful upon hearing the proposal. Floria’s suggestion had strong diplomatic implications, effectively leaving Crown out of the negotiating loop.

“…If that proposal succeeds, it will certainly act as a deterrent against future declarations of war. The question is who will handle the negotiations.”

“What are you concerned about? This is a matter related to the Tower. Mia and I will be participating,” Floria stated matter-of-factly.

The kingdom’s representatives erupted in surprised murmurs.

Floria had been the reigning Queen. She had navigated countless diplomatic negotiations throughout her reign. If Floria were to handle the negotiations directly, there wouldn’t be any significant problems.

“Not only Mother, but Mia as well?” Towa had no objections to Floria’s participation, but he had not expected Mia to be included.

Currently, Mia was still officially under house arrest.

“What’s wrong with that? Don’t worry. I’m just going to introduce myself this time. I won’t be doing the negotiating.” Mia assured him.

“If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be any problems,” Towa said, nodding with visible relief at Mia’s words.

After that, they worked out the finer details, and that afternoon Floria headed to the negotiation site.

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Time was critical in these negotiations.

If left unresolved, the next battle would break out according to schedule. Therefore, negotiations with the Santo Emingo Kingdom were to be conducted through the Flores Kingdom as an intermediary.

This was necessary because Razequa Amamiya did not have a direct negotiating channel with the Santo Emingo Kingdom.

Floria and Mia used the royal portal to travel directly to the Flores Kingdom and access their communication facilities. Of course, since they were renting the space and resources, Flores Kingdom also stood to gain a modest profit from facilitating this arrangement.

As if King Pedro had anticipated Razequa Amamiya’s counter-proposal, a meeting was quickly arranged. However, rather than having both sides’ full entourages present, the negotiations were conducted simply, with only a few key representatives participating via communication devices.

King Pedro was visibly surprised to see Floria appear at the negotiations, but he was even more impressed by what she proposed.

This was hardly surprising, Floria’s proposal involved allowing Razequa Amamiya to capture one of the unconquered Towers within the Kingdom of Santo Emingo.

Since it was an unconquered Tower, it was not a particularly devastating loss for Santo Emingo Kingdom in material terms. However, having a Tower within their own borders managed by a foreign entity was politically uncomfortable. Furthermore, it would mean losing the income that adventurers generated by conquering Tower floors, which was a steady source of revenue that promoted the nation’s overall economy.

“King Pedro, what do you think?” Floria asked directly. “We don’t want declarations of war made so casually in the future, so we came up with this proposal. However, we can continue the Conquest Battle as planned if you prefer. We don’t have much time to decide, after all.”

The implication was clear: as long as Kousuke remained the Head Administrator of Amamiya Tower, he could continue Conquest Battles for ten or twenty years if necessary. Though she did not state it explicitly, King Pedro understood immediately.

“…I understand. I’ll accept your conditions. However, I would like you to open as many of the lower floors of the Tower as possible to the public once it’s been conquered.”

Losing the income from materials gained from floors accessible to adventurers would be a significant blow to the Santo Emingo Kingdom’s economy. King Pedro made this counter-proposal somewhat impulsively, but to his surprise, Floria immediately agreed to the terms.

After all, these were conditions that had been discussed in the original negotiations anyway.

“Yes, that’s fine with us. This will just be a verbal agreement for now, understood?”

“Yes, that’s unavoidable under the current circumstances.”

This meeting was strictly a preliminary discussion between the leaders, and the specifics were not something that would be formalized immediately. The detailed terms to be made public would be worked out through proper channels in the future.

The battle for control continued until the eighth round, which took place the day after the negotiations concluded, and ended with Amamiya Tower’s decisive victory.