“What’s in the cart?” I asked as I began to prepare dinner.

They hadn’t asked me to do it, but I had grown used to such a thing, and just started bringing out ingredients as soon as the fire was made. Once the smells of fresh food started coming out, none of the men complained. Esmore as a country might have better cooking than Aberis. At least, that’s what Pait claimed. However, up on that mountainside, there were limits to the food they could obtain. They all looked forward as I cooked meat and vegetables on a skewer.

The men stiffened for a moment, and the eyes ended up turning to Pait. It turned out this was a question that required a diplomat. I had only been mildly curious. I wouldn’t have asked if I knew it was going to be a big deal.

“Sorry, it’s not that important…” I back peddled.

“No, it’s fine. You might as well learn now. There will be chances to learn later and you might as well find out with the answer.” Pait declared. “The cart is a gift for the Dioshin. It’s what we’re using to ensure we’re allowed to enter the country. Since they’ve closed their borders to us, my superiors were afraid that they might still deny us entry. Thus, we’ve prepared a tribute that they can’t refuse.”

Tribute, bribe, gift… call it what you will, it seemed like the Esmore were determined to get to the bottom of the problems infecting Dioshin.

I licked my lips. “What is it that they request?”

“Dwarvish steel… ahem, weapons.” Pait declared before immediately raising his hand. “Please understand, we’re not looking to support Dioshin in a war with Aberis, but this is the number one product they request from us. We have a strict quota. We have strict guidelines where we won’t sell more to one country over another, but this is technically not a sale.”

“You don’t need to worry, I understand,” I said, allowing him to take a breath of relief.

Friends or not, Esmore and Aberis were two rival nations. Sending weapons to our neighboring country could be seen as hostility toward us. I didn’t know the specifics, but it seemed like traditionally the Esmore only sold a certain amount of dwarvish steel every year. It wasn’t enough to satisfy the demand, but they sold equally to each nation to remain neutral.

They were circumventing this treaty by providing weapons as a gift. This would normally be done secretly, but that secret was out with my presence. Then again, I was a citizen of Aberis that they were sneaking into Dioshin. That could just as easily be seen as an act of aggression toward Dioshin. Pait was walking a line trying to keep both countries happy. It wasn’t easy being a diplomat of a small neutral nation, it seemed. I had my problems to worry about though. The Dioshin getting premium access to the best weapons in the five countries was tomorrow’s problem. I already knew the solution to it too. I needed to get Garnet back, so she could start making Orichalcum weapons. Only then would Dioshin lose their edge.

I finished cooking and handed out the meal. Since I didn’t push things or make an incident, the Esmore seemed in better spirits. After we ate, everyone found their spot and went to sleep. The adventurers hired to protect us would be the ones taking turns on guard. Just as my eyes started to get heavy, I started to feel something off. In the past, this would have been something I wouldn’t notice, but I was more sensitive to changes in miasma and mana these days, and I was able to tell it was getting thicker.

My eyes snapped open and I stood up. My eyes darted to the two men who were supposed to be on guard. They were both unconscious. Worse, a stranger was standing in the middle of the camp.