Her Majesty’s Swarm - Volume 4 - Chapter 3

Contact

Finally, we endeavored to contact the Eastern Trade Union. We would need to go about it carefully. First impressions were crucial, after all. Once I had carefully combed through the information the Masquerade Swarms had delivered, I decided today would be the day. However, it didn’t go as smoothly as I’d intended.

“Halt! The capital city of Khalkha is past here! Present your entry permit!”

The Arachnea messenger I’d sent was accosted by a guard outside Khalkha’s walls.

“My. You’d demand something like that from someone of my lofty station?”

“Hrm. Who are you, miss?” the guard asked her, suspicion written on his features. “That’s quite a fancy dress you’ve got there. Are you some rich family’s daughter?”

“Hey, hold on,” said another guard, giving him a nudge. “Look closer.”

After a beat, the first guard’s eyes widened in surprise. Of course he’d be shocked; my messenger naturally attracted that kind of attention.

“That coat of arms belongs to the Maluk royal family! Are you Princess Elizabeta?!”

I’d chosen Elizabeta because I believed she’d be ushered into the country and permitted to meet with the Senate quickly enough. Even if things escalated, and I had to abandon her there, I wouldn’t grieve her loss very much. She was the perfect messenger for us.

“Indeed I am. I’ve come to meet with the Senate—in confidence, if possible. Could you show me the way? But remember, this must remain strictly between us. Not a soul must know of my presence. Understood?”

“Well, err, we’ll have to ask the man in charge. Please, be patient.”

One guard went to consult their commanding officer, who would pass the information up the chain of command until news of Elizabeta’s arrival and her request reached the ears of the Senate.

That would take some time, though. Until then, Elizabeta would have to sit and wait. I was grateful it wasn’t me there.

At last, the words I’d been hoping for came. “You have permission to enter. Come, right this way. The Senate has agreed to meet with you.”

“Thank you kindly.”

Good. Now we can make contact with them.

“Follow me, Your Highness.”

A guard guided Elizabeta through the city, eventually bringing her into a large, bustling brothel.

“Please wait here. My apologies for bringing you to such an unsightly place, Your Highness, but I was told this meeting was to be confidential.”

True, this place was probably ideal for a discreet meeting, but I couldn’t help but wish they’d have picked somewhere a little more tasteful. Elizabeta was led into a spacious room that appeared to be the brothel manager’s office, where she took a seat on a chair. All that remained was to wait for the Eastern Trade Union’s higher-ups to arrive.

Elizabeta spent an hour there before someone finally showed up. It was Ventura, a well-built dwarf who was the chairman of the Senate.

“Welcome to our fair country, Princess Elizabeta. I was told you’ve come seeking a private meeting. How can I help you?”

I imagined he must have been especially busy with his duties during these tumultuous times.

“You may be under the impression that I am Maluk’s princess, but that’s not the case,” Elizabeta replied. “Right now, I am one of the Arachnea.”

Ventura’s brows lifted in alarm. “The Arachnea, you say? You mean, you’re one of those...monsters? Whatever do you mean?”

Elizabeta was known far and wide as Maluk’s princess, and she had been Maluk’s representative during the last international conference. Yet here she was, suddenly admitting her allegiance to the monstrous faction that had viciously overrun several countries. From Ventura’s perspective, this was a baffling development.

“The Kingdom of Maluk has been conquered, myself included,” Elizabeta continued. “However, my mistress does not wish to see the Eastern Trade Union meet the same fate. Doing so is perfectly within her power, but right now, the Arachnea are different than they were when they took over the kingdom.”

“Hmph. I assume the war with Nyrnal is what changed your way of thinking, then,” Ventura remarked. “I hear you’re in quite the predicament.”

“I believe you’re in an equally unfortunate position, no? If I may be so bold, it seems your country is in a rather sorry state, pressed as you are between the Empire and the Arachnea.”

“You’re well informed. I suppose you would be since this isn’t something we can very well hide. Indeed, being sandwiched between two threats is giving us quite a bit of grief.”

Oh, I know. The Eastern Trade Union is currently in a critical position when it comes to both military and external affairs.

“The Empire cannot be trusted,” Elizabeta said firmly. “They took advantage of our occupation of Frantz to launch an invasion. They stabbed their fellow men in the back. Are you going to permit that?”

Ventura gave a shake of his head. “That doesn’t mean the Arachnea are trustworthy. True, the Nyrnal Empire did take advantage of a war to stage an invasion, but it was you Arachnea who started that war. No, you aren’t worthy of our trust.”

Talk about a harsh judgment. The Arachnea were the ones who had plunged this continent into war, that much was true. But we did have our reasons for it.

“With the Kingdom of Maluk, the war began because the elves’ right to exist was being threatened. As for the Dukedom of Schtraut, there was an act of treachery among the leaders of the country, who opened hostilities against us. We only fought the Popedom of Frantz because they declared war on us first; we even worked to ally with them. We do not attack other nations indiscriminately.”

That’s right. I won’t allow any more needless slaughter. I made a promise to Sandalphon.

“Let us assume I believe you,” Ventura said. “What do you want from us?”

“An alliance,” Elizabeta replied. “The Arachnea seek an alliance.”

At last, they’d moved on to the main topic.

“An alliance with you?” Ventura asked with a dubious look. “The Adventurers’ League reports that your creatures have sentience and intelligence, but are you really smart enough to ally with us like a human nation would?”

“Absolutely. We do not simply massacre the nations we defeat. If you look at the situation in the Popedom of Frantz, that much should be clear. We signed a peace treaty and concluded that war through conversations and understanding.”

Letting out a snort, Ventura retorted, “I’m not so sure about that. Frantz wasn’t destroyed, by the looks of it, but I heard they’ve effectively been vassalized.”

“Of course they were,” Elizabeta said coldly. “They lost a war.”

Maybe I should have made Frantz’s conditions a bit more favorable.

“Regardless, there is no bad blood between you and us at the moment,” she continued. “We can come together as equals. The same can’t be said of the Nyrnal Empire.”

“So it’s either you or the Nyrnals. We’ve been debating this very topic in our Senate meetings. Many of our countrymen have a strong anti-Nyrnal sentiment, but few senators are in favor of joining forces with you.”

I could understand that. They hated Nyrnal, but that in and of itself didn’t make the Arachnea much more of an appealing ally.

“Then perhaps I can persuade more of your fellows to support an alliance with the Arachnea. If I won’t do, my mistress may be able to convince them.”

“By your mistress, you’re referring to the Arachnea’s queen?”

“Indeed.”

If it would help cement this alliance, I was prepared to enter the Eastern Trade Union.

“I see. Yes, I believe that would be most beneficial. Emperor Maximillian asked that we allow him to station his army within our borders, but he never made that request directly. If the Arachnea’s queen will come in person, we will consider your offer more seriously.”

“You have our gratitude. Let us iron out the details of the upcoming negotiations, then.”

Thus, we’d decided to negotiate for an alliance with the Eastern Trade Union. The meeting would be held not here, in this brothel, but in a high-class hotel in Khalkha. There, I would meet Ventura and the other members of the Senate. After discussing some of the conditions, the senators would hold a vote.

I felt like things were going well.

The one term we couldn’t back down on was the Eastern Trade Union serving as our route into Nyrnal’s territory, but we could compromise on just about anything else. Having devoured most of the continent already, our faction was stocked to the brim with resources. There was no need for us to skimp out.

We’d seize the Eastern Trade Union at any cost, be it through bribery or seduction.

Who would handle seduction, though? I’m too tiny for that. Buxom as she is, Sérignan’s just too bashful.

♱

I crossed the border into the Eastern Trade Union with Sérignan, Lysa, and a Masquerade Swarm in tow. As was our usual tactic, we walked among the refugees before slipping away and heading for Khalkha.

Unsurprisingly, we were stopped by a guard outside the city. “Halt! The capital city of Khalkha is past here!”

“Could you take a look at this?” I asked, holding something up. Unfortunately for him, I had a surprise today.

His eyes grew wide as saucers. “M-My word, this is an entry permit from the chairman himself!”

“I take it we may enter, then?”

“Erm, yes, of course.” The Khalkha guard had a rather swift change of attitude. “Please, right through here. My apologies for the holdup, miss.”

Once we were inside the city walls, I handed the Masquerade Swarm a map.

“Go to this hotel, Maska. Here’s how you get there.”

“By your will, Your Majesty.”

Of course, specifying an address or giving them a map wasn’t necessary; I could have just transmitted the information through the collective consciousness. And yet, my habits from when I was a normal human still lingered; at times like this, I acted as I would have back in the real world.

I decided to make more use of the collective consciousness going forward. Even when I wasn’t going out of my way to do so, it still proved beneficial. While I was here in the Eastern Trade Union, for instance, I could keep up with the war situation in Schtraut in real time and instruct our forces directly. No other country could match the speed at which we exchanged information.

On the Schtraut front, Roland was making good use of the mountain road to overwhelm the Empire’s troops. The Swarm collapsed cliffs, set up ambushes, caused the road to crumble beneath the enemy’s feet—any possible way to impede Nyrnal’s army.

Still, something about this was worrisome. The Nyrnal forces along the Schtraut border were simply too small. They only had four, maybe five divisions, markedly fewer than what they had used to take over Maluk.

There were three possible explanations for that. They were either hiding additional soldiers from us, going through the elven forest, or shifting their main focus over to Frantz. Maximillian was a fearsome man, though, so he could’ve had an entirely different plan up his sleeve. If we didn’t regain the initiative in this war, it wouldn’t be long before the situation started going downhill.

“Aah, there it is.”

As I pondered the war situation, the hotel came into view.

“Let’s head inside,” I said. “This will decide the future.”

Can we win over the Eastern Trade Union or not? This is where my skills will be put to the test.

♱

We were led to a royal suite. As I opened the door, I found three people already sitting there. The only one I recognized was Ventura. Assuming the other two weren’t assassins, they must have been members of the Senate.

I introduced myself with the best smile I could manage so as to make a good first impression. “A pleasure to meet you all. I’m Grevillea, Queen of the Arachnea. This is my knight, Sérignan, and my guards, Lysa and Maska.”

“Hey, Keralt,” said the man I didn’t know, nudging the woman at his side. “Is that the monsters’ leader? I heard she was a queen, but she looks completely human. So do her guards.”

“As I reported, Konrad, the queen is a young woman who appears to be roughly fourteen,” she replied. “We don’t make mistakes. This is the Arachnea’s leader, the one who unites them. If you can’t accept that, you’re welcome to pretend this is all a dream, go back home, and crawl under the covers.”

To my surprise, they started bickering as soon as I’d introduced myself. Not very polite, as these things go. Of course, even without their introductions, I recognized their names. Konrad was the head of a mercenary company, and Keralt was the guildmaster of the Adventurers’ League.

“It’d only be polite to introduce yourselves, you two,” Ventura told them, perhaps seeing irritation in my eyes.

“Oh, pardon me. I’m Konrad Crevlas, leader of the One-Eyed Black Wolf mercenary company. Pleasure meeting you, Queen of the Arachnea.”

He spoke that last part in a tone that sounded almost questioning. I supposed he still didn’t believe I was the Arachnea’s ruler.

“I’m Keralt Ruano. I serve as guildmaster of the Adventurers’ League. We’ve looked into your group and noted that you have intelligence similar to us humans. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

I couldn’t quite get a read on Keralt. Something about her seemed suspicious.

Ventura’s gaze fell on his companions. “I’ll turn it over to my fellows for now.”

“You seek to forge an alliance with us?” Keralt said, cutting right to the chase.

“That’s right,” I replied. “We have a common enemy. I heard your country doesn’t find the Nyrnal Empire to be trustworthy. Is that true?”

“We’ve had it up to here with Nyrnal, that’s for sure,” Konrad spat. “All the Empire cares about is grabbing more territory, and that’s a problem for us. While Frantz was attacking a so-called enemy of the continent, Nyrnal decided to attack them from behind. That’s just vile.” He took a deep breath and added, “But that doesn’t mean we’re keen on joining forces with monsters.”

“We’re nothing like the monsters you know,” I assured him. “We are a sentient, intelligent army. If you agree to ally with us, we’ll regard you with respect and dignity.”

They still thought the Arachnea were a bunch of mindless monsters. I couldn’t call it unreasonable, given what we’d done in the past, but I now had complete control over the Swarm. I didn’t want them to be seen as savage beasts.

“An alliance between us is sure to apply pressure on the Nyrnal Empire,” I continued. “The only thing we’d ask is that you allow us to march our army through your territory. We don’t intend on placing you under military occupation like Nyrnal does, however; do keep that in mind.”

“Nyrnal has taken advantage of this war to forcibly occupy several countries, and they’re trying to do the same to us,” Konrad said with a grim nod. “That’s the arrogance of a military powerhouse for you. Ever since they annexed the southern countries, they’ve let their pride go to their head.”

Ooh. It looks like Konrad’s getting on board with my idea. I’ll just need to make one more push!

“I’m afraid I can’t be so optimistic about this,” Keralt interjected. “You’re still an inhuman species, and unlike the elves, you haven’t been in this world since ancient times. You recently appeared out of nowhere and seized multiple countries through conquest. You may not have the animalistic nature most monsters do, but you do have an intellect that’s on par with ours. That’s something we need to be wary of.”

She glared at Sérignan and me with distrust.

“Besides, even now you’re trying to hide things from us. Did you really think you could hide that woman’s true nature? Or that girl, Lysa’s?”

“That’s a very disrespectful way of putting it. I just chose the method that would make it easiest for me to interact with humans. But fine, if you insist. Sérignan, Lysa, undo your Mimesis.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“As you wish.”

At my order, the two of them revealed their true forms as Swarms. Sérignan’s lower half morphed back to that of an insect, and she sprouted a pair of wings. Likewise, insectile legs and wings popped out of Lysa’s back.

The sudden transformations left Ventura and Konrad shocked.

“So that’s what they really look like,” Keralt muttered, narrowing her eyes.

“This form just makes these kinds of conversations more challenging,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s got nothing to do with the way they behave.”

I knew it. This Keralt woman is trouble.

“I-I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to turn into such monsters,” Konrad stammered, taken aback. “This is hardly what we discussed, is it?”

“Again, we’re not monsters. We’re bright, self-aware life-forms. Please don’t assume that the way we look is a reflection of our personalities. You hate Emperor Maximillian so much, but he looks human, and the things he does are at least as terrible and callous as anything we’ve ever done.”

Monsters wouldn’t need motives to go to war. They wouldn’t seek to forge alliances and broker peace. The fact that we’ve done this is proof that we’re not monsters!

“That much I’ll agree with,” Konrad said. “That bastard Maximillian, he’s a real monster! All he does is fatten the Empire, claiming anything he can get his greedy hands on. The way he’s taking advantage of this war is just proof of that.”

Konrad’s a pretty reactive sort. He backs up my words without a hitch.

“But the same can be said of you,” Keralt argued. “You took over the Kingdom of Maluk, the Dukedom of Schtraut, and the Popedom of Frantz. Your invasions and massacres put you on equal footing with the Nyrnal Empire.”

“Like I’ve said before, we had reasons for every war we started,” I said, placing a hand on the table. “We don’t go around indiscriminately attacking other nations. Consider that when making your judgments.”

Keralt shook her head. “The Empire comes up with reasons to start wars too. When they attacked Frantz, it was to defend the continent from you. When they annexed the southern territories, it was so they could form a large nation that would stave off internal interference.”

This woman really is difficult to deal with.

“Then let me ask you this, Miss Keralt. Considering your country is pressed between the Nyrnal Empire and us, what should you do?” I needed her to come out and say what she was getting at. “It’s just a matter of time until Nyrnal tries to take over the Eastern Trade Union. If you refuse to resolve the situation through dialogue, the Arachnea can resort to force if we have to.”

“I’m not rejecting an alliance with the Arachnea,” Keralt replied. “But I’m not rejecting an alliance with Nyrnal either. I’ll do anything if it means our country can survive. That’s how the Eastern Trade Union has hung on so far.”

“That’s called sitting on the fence, and it only means you don’t have trust in your own country,” I continued, lashing out at her. “If I were to ask a country I’d just fought with yesterday for their help today, I wouldn’t expect them to extend a friendly hand.”

Keralt’s stance might have worked from an adventurer’s perspective, but it didn’t suit an entire country. Without rational, coherent diplomacy, a country couldn’t trust other nations.

“I know that, but it’s different when everyone’s trying to ally with us. Both you and Nyrnal are trying to keep each other in check and take control of our country. That alone makes for a strong bargaining chip.”

Why does she have to make things so complicated?

She had a point, however; we and Nyrnal both wanted the Eastern Trade Union on our side. Each of us needed it to invade the other. This gave the Union the initiative to pick one or even neither of us.

“You can’t do that,” Konrad refuted. “Siding with Nyrnal when it’s convenient for you, siding with the Arachnea when that’s the easier option—you can’t handle diplomacy that way. If you do, both countries will take advantage of us. They’ll think we’re too weak to defend ourselves.”

He wasn’t wrong either. Trying to be everyone’s friend could backfire and get everyone to hate you instead. Given the impression each of the countries held of one another, politics couldn’t be handled in such a noncommittal fashion.

“We’ve got three choices,” Konrad said, lifting three fingers. “One, we insist on protecting our country by ourselves without relying on another country’s power. Two, we yield to Nyrnal and give them the right to station soldiers in our territory, letting them take everything we have in exchange for protection. Three, we side with the Arachnea and see if it’s possible for mankind to coexist with these creatures.”

He turned his eyes on Keralt. “Well? Which choice sounds best to you?”

“That’s difficult. Allying with Nyrnal is likely out of the question, but we lack the military power to defend our country alone, especially against the two most dominant forces on the continent. Still, we can’t tell for sure whether the Arachnea are trustworthy.”

Trust was shaping up to be the central issue here.

Konrad offered his own choice. “Well, I’m willing to gamble on the Arachnea’s help. Nyrnal’s officials one-sidedly demanded we give them the right to bring their army here, and Maximillian never cared enough to ask us himself. Meanwhile, the Arachnea’s queen personally came to discuss things with us. That makes them more trustworthy in my eyes.”

It looked like my coming there in person had an unintended but positive effect. As it turned out, being willing to go out of your way earned you trust. A lesson to remember.

“Considering she came here of her own accord, I do want to trust her,” Ventura chimed in. “But humans have discriminated against the elves, mocked the dwarves, and looked down upon the demi-human races for far too long now. With a horde of monsters on our doorstep, asking to be our ally, will our people really consent to that?”

Indeed, the elves were just one of the ostracized races in this world; many of them were treated poorly by mankind. My original world had also been host to terrible examples of racism. The Swarm, which weren’t even humanoid enough to count as demi-humans, obviously wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms.

“If we’ve got no other way, we ought to ally with these bugs,” Konrad argued. “We have a dwarf for a chairman, we trade with the elves, and we even try to domesticate monsters. I doubt this is what will shatter our tolerance.”

Ventura gave a shake of his head. “I’m afraid I don’t share your optimism.”

They weren’t seeing eye to eye. The question of whether they could trust us was key, but I had no words to sway them with. If Roland were here, maybe he’d have been able to improve their opinion of us, but he was too busy with the situation in Schtraut.

I guess it’s time for my last resort.

“You can hold me hostage for the duration of the alliance, then,” I declared.

“What?!” Konrad’s eyes widened.

Meanwhile, Keralt furrowed her brow.

“I’ll serve as collateral to prove we’re trustworthy,” I explained. “I promise we won’t stab you in the back. As allies, we’ll fight alongside you. If you need a reason to trust us, I’ll just have to offer myself.”

Thankfully, I could command the Swarm from afar. Being held hostage didn’t make things harder for me in that regard.

“Y-You can’t, Your Majesty!” Sérignan protested. “What if they decide to sell you out to the Nyrnal Empire?!”

I shrugged. “If that happens, come and save me.”

True, I had no guarantee they wouldn’t sell me out to Nyrnal. I simply had to place my trust in the Eastern Trade Union.

Just then, Konrad burst out laughing. “Aha ha ha! I wouldn’t expect that kind of recklessness from our queen of conquest here! But I like it! I get the feeling you and I will get along just fine, missy. Better than I’d get along with Maximillian, at least!”

“I appreciate the compliment,” I said.

It felt like he was mocking me, but what I’d said was actually pretty laughable. It did prove how serious I was about this, though.

How’re you gonna respond to that, Keralt? I thought, leveling my gaze at her.

“I’m getting the impression you’re trustworthy too,” she said. “You’re far more human than I thought. With that kind of humanity, there’s certainly a chance for mutual understanding between the Arachnea and us. So long as we have that, an alliance is possible.”

It seemed my reckless offer had won Keralt over too. Oh. Maybe I have potential as a villainess, after all.

“I take it you both view the idea of an alliance favorably now?”

“Yes. My faction should be in agreement,” Konrad answered.

“I’ll convince my people of it as well,” Keralt said with a nod.

That meant I had at least some of the senators on my side.

“What about you, Ventura?” I asked.

“I’ll abstain from making a decision right now. The day after tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to another one of the senators, Honnoson Alphtel. If he agrees to the alliance, it will be as good as decided.”

“I appreciate that.” I bowed my head.

As soon as the alliance is set in stone, I’ll have my forces cross the Eastern Trade Union into Nyrnal’s land. Then, we’ll finally end this war.

“That concludes the talks for today,” Ventura announced. “I’m glad this conversation has been beneficial for both sides.”

With that, he left the room.