#1165 The Roughneck Mayor’s Confusion

I’m Ariaros, the mayor of a town in the Human Kingdom.

And boy, have things taken a strange turn.

I was supposed to be showing Miss Kimeri, governor of a Demon Kingdom city, around the trade fair, but the atmosphere is…awkward, to say the least.

She’s basically my counterpart in another country, so on the surface, we’ve got to be polite.
But in reality, our interests might clash at any moment, meaning we can’t show our true intentions. We’re constantly feeling each other out.

This woman could be a political enemy.
We definitely can’t trust each other, at least not fully.

Besides, just from her appearance, she’s absolutely not my type.

Her pristine, tasteful outfit. Her flawless, glowing skin.
The way her eyes shine like she’s never tasted a speck of life’s dirt…

Everything about her screams “pampered princess.”

She was probably showered with love by her parents, gifted with natural talents, worked hard, and steadily climbed the ladder to get where she is now.

For someone like me, who’s been through all kinds of ups and downs, a total elite like her is downright infuriating.
I know I’m being prejudiced, but still.

I’d rather keep my relationship with her strictly at the business level.

I know the President wants me to be on friendly terms because our positions are so similar, but…

Can I really keep up this escort gig till the end?

Though, I did get a bit carried away earlier at the Demon Kingdom booth.
My inner thug and gambler just can’t resist a challenge. I always end up getting super fired up over bets and stuff.

Anyway, after we left the Demon Kingdom booth, we made our way over to the area where the smaller races like elves and dwarves were set up.

Just like before, the dwarves and elves were still caught up in some highbrow “art” debate, flinging their opinions at each other.

“They’re still at it? They never seem to get bored,” Miss Kimeri comments.

To someone like me, who’s hardly educated, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this “wabi-sabi” or whatever they call it.
If it’s a bowl, shouldn’t it be shaped in a way that’s easy to actually use?

“Oh my, it looks like you humans just don’t appreciate it. You can’t see the charm in those pieces?”

What?!
So Miss Kimeri actually understands the appeal behind those crazy warped bowls that seem totally impractical, yet sell for a fortune?!

“O-Of course I do…! Those elf-crafted bowls have a profound meaning beyond mere daily tableware. They’re steeped in a rustic beauty, each one a masterpiece with unparalleled flair… Especially the original works said to be by the founding elf artist. They’re absolute classics…!!!”

Wow, she really does know her stuff.
Guess that’s how it goes with someone who’s been properly educated.

Not like an ignorant guy like me.
Well then…let’s try this.

“Eh?”

Here, this is an amethyst necklace I bought at the dwarves’ booth.

For someone like me, if it doesn’t sparkle and scream “value,” I don’t know what to make of it.
As a sign of goodwill, I’d like to give it to you.

“Th-Thank you…!”

Huh. She’s blinking in surprise. That’s actually a pretty cute reaction.
Now she’s got me feeling shy, too.

“See that? For a lover’s gift, an accessory is top tier! Imagine giving weird dinnerware! She’d be totally creeped out!”
“Dinnerware is for everyday use! A gift is more like a special, out-of-the-ordinary thing, right? So, for something like a wedding, the must-have is dishware! Use the right tool for the right situation!!!”

They were still going at it, so we left them to it and went on our way.
My guess is they’ll be arguing until the fair ends.

Then, we swung by the Mermaid Kingdom booth and stuffed ourselves with a mountain of wakame seaweed.

***

Once we’d made our way around the entire trade fair...
I realized I’d had a blast.

Wandering alone before was interesting enough, but going around with someone else, for some reason, felt even more fun.

I’m a grown adult, but here I am practically giddy like a teenager.
I guess I’ve been so focused on my duties as mayor that my old sense of wonder came rushing back.

“Ah, you're back.”

We’ve returned.
President Ritheseus greeted us calmly.

“Seems I’ve timed it just right. You're about to meet the big boss around here. That’s the real reason you both came, after all.”
“YES...!”

Exactly. The main point of our visit was to negotiate with the person ruling over this place, which is apparently going to become the so-called Farm Kingdom.

Seeing it in person, I can tell this place is going to be a big deal in the future.

So, for the sake of our own development, we need to forge a tight bond with them.
We can’t risk making them our enemy.

I’m sure Miss Kimeri feels the same way.

We want to show how serious we are about being friendly, but at the same time, we can’t afford to look weak.

“…We’ve got to project friendliness, without letting them walk all over us…”

I hear Miss Kimeri muttering next to me.
Looks like we’re on the same page.
I bet if we got into a policy discussion, we’d sync right up.

“W-Well, how about Miss Kimeri meets them first...!”
“Huh? No, no, Sir Ariaros, you go first...!”

I tried to be polite and let her go first.
I believe in the saying, “Ladies first.”

“You bought me that necklace, so let me return the favor by letting you go first…”

That’s not why I bought it!
I just wanted to see you happy!

“It’s not about going first or second.”
“HUH?”
“You’re both meeting him at the same time.”
“HUH?!”

President Ritheseus’ words left us in shock.

“Lord Saint is a busy man. He can’t give each of you a separate slot. We have to streamline this process, and saving time means doing it in one go.”

Still...!
Meeting him together?

Talk about ratcheting up the pressure.
If we’re going head-to-head in the same room, I have to make sure I leave a bigger impression than my competitor…

“Um, maybe if we cooperate, we can both look good…?!”

Oh, she wants to team up?!
Well, all right, if that’s how it’s gonna be, might as well!
If we can show a joint human–demon alliance, then great!!!

“Ooh, there he is. That’s Lord Saint.”
“Karaageee, anybody want some fresh karaageee?”

...
What in the world is that weirdo doing?

He’s walking around with a huge plate piled high with little brown lumps?

“Lord Saint’s in top form with his eccentricities today.”
“Ritheseus! Care for a piece of karaage?”

He looks way more clueless than I’d imagined.
This is the person who’s supposed to be the ruler occupying the world’s central seat of power one day?

“Seeing everyone so fired up about the product fair got me inspired. So, I figured I’d do something myself and serve up some of the karaage I just made.”
“Is that so? …Ow! It’s burning my mouth!”
“It’s fresh outta the fryer, so be careful.”
“Please warn me before I start eating!”

Seriously, who is this super laid-back guy?
Is this really the ruler in charge of running the very center of the world?

“Hmm? I see a brand-new couple over there!”

Huh?
Does he mean me and Miss Kimeri?!

That’s… definitely not the case. We just happened to come here together, that’s all!

“To celebrate the happy couple, I’ll give you extra karaage! Karaage is the star of mixer parties, after all!”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works…”
“Personally, I’m trying to make it a tradition in this world that on February 14th, people exchange karaage!”

He went on with his random talk and handed us a box of “karaage. “

I took a bite, and it was indeed delicious.
Miss Kimeri and I glanced at each other, both impressed by how good it tasted.

“This flavor is so awesome, I declare today Karaage Anniversary! We need to spread this taste to more couples! Chargeeeee!!!”

And with that, the ruler dashed off.

…No, wait!
I was too busy exchanging glances with Miss Kimeri and totally lost track of him!

Wait, please! We’d really like to form friendly relations between our towns!
And maybe with Miss Kimeri, too…?

It looks like our long and winding path to establishing relations continues.