#1162 A Regular Attendee's POV 2

Continuing on: It’s me, Kimeri, the female governor from the Demon Kingdom.

I’m currently checking out the trade fair in the settlers’ new country.
Even before I stepped in, I was curious about what it’d be like, but now that I’m actually seeing it, I’m overwhelmed all over again.

“This is what they call a trade fair…?!”

First of all, the scale.
It’s thirteen times bigger than I imagined.
Just trying to walk from one end to the other takes ages, and I’m already getting exhausted…!

I guess all that desk work lately has made me lose my stamina…!

Since the venue itself is enormous, it’s jam-packed with all sorts of things inside.
Moreover, the variety is striking.
I expected maybe some exhibits from the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, but we’ve got those two plus the Mermaid Kingdom.

Then, there are elves, dwarves, and all sorts of smaller races participating, making it truly worldwide in scope.

Dwarves aside, but elves?! They usually avoid contact with the outside world, living all tucked away on their own…

And yet this fair is apparently so dazzling and prestigious that even the elves felt compelled to join in?!

“Step right up, step right up! We’ve got precious metal accessories with the Dwarf Seal, limited editions made just for this fair!”

Dwarf-made limited-edition accessories?!
Aren’t those the ones that royalty and nobility clamor to buy?!
Dwarves are known for their master craftsmanship, and the upper crust in every country is willing to pay a fortune for their works.

…Totally out of my price range, by the way.
I used to daydream about wearing fancy jewelry like that to banquets once I became governor, but yeah, that never happened.
Frankly, if I wore something that exquisite, people would suspect I was embezzling city funds.

“Ha! Don’t let ’em fool you! We elves have treasures that’re every bit as good, come take a look! You won’t see the sense or technique that only elves, who live in harmony with nature, can showcase anywhere else!”

An explosion of elven flair… but wait, is that…?
It’s clearly some kind of tableware...plates, cups? But they’re so warped and twisty I can’t see how anyone would actually use it…?

No, hold on.
I’ve heard rumors that in certain places, these curved, abstract dishes and cups have become prized as a form of cutting-edge art.

I recall the governor of a neighboring city showing off something like this with great pride once...
He mentioned the crazy high price tag, and I remember fretting about how his council and citizens would probably be furious if they knew he spent that much.

“Argh, you elves again, pulling one of your borderline scams, trying to squeeze money outta people?! Slapping a fat price tag on a wad of clay...don’t you feel the slightest bit ashamed?!”
“Maybe it’s just clay to you, but we pour our skill and our spirit into it; that’s what makes it special! It’s nothing like your shiny stones that look pretty no matter what!”
“Oh yeah? You’re insulting our dwarven pride?! Well guess what, that sets our dwarven pride on fire! Hrrrragh!!!”

It looks like they’re about to throw down, when some orcs and goblins who seem to be staff rush over to break it up.

“No punching! Hands off, hands off!”
“Let’s all calm down and count prime numbers. One, three, five, seven, nine…!!!”

Not wanting to get dragged into a brawl, I slip away from the scene.

Then, munching on a big pile of wakame seaweed I bought from the mermaid booth, I started feeling completely lost.

I was expecting something small and cozy, like a local fair meant to show off the village’s produce, maybe a heartwarming, handmade kind of event…
Where everyone just brings the vegetables they grew with love, and we all cheer them on. Something sweet and modest like that.

But no.
When I opened the lid, I found an event on a global scale, jam-packed with top-tier products from around the world.
Not just from the three big races, but also loads of smaller races, making it like a miniature version of our entire world.
It’s practically everything in the world, gathered right here, you know?!

It feels like I’m attending some kind of international summit.
Though, as a mere city governor, I feel like I’m exaggerating just by saying that.

The longer I stay, the more confused I get.

Originally, I wanted to use this fair to get a read on the new country’s motives and inside workings.
But confronted with the reality of it, I’m not even sure that’s possible.

What’s the real aim of this trade fair?
What are they thinking, bringing together goods and people from all over the world like this?

And more to the point, how could they possibly pull off something on this enormous scale?
Where do they get the funds? The connections?
Where does all that come from?

Depending on the answers, all those policy ideas I had for dealing with this new nation might be useless. I’d have to scrap them and start over from scratch...
Honestly, is there even any viable policy against a power this huge?

The more I think about it, the more I despair, and the faster I shovel wakame into my mouth.

…I’m out of wakame. And it was a pretty hefty helping, too.

Guess I’ll head back to the mermaid booth for a refill…

…But before that, there’s one place I still haven’t visited.

The Human Kingdom’s booth.

I’m a demon, and my race has been bitter enemies with humans for centuries.

Even though the war ended a few years back, that sentiment isn’t something that just disappears overnight.

…It’s hard to deny it. We understand the war is over, but those old wounds aren’t so easily healed.
It’ll probably take a new generation—one that never knew war—to genuinely make peace between demons and humans.

Still, someone in my position of responsibility can’t let personal feelings take priority.
The higher you climb, the more reason has to come before emotions.

So, as a Demon Kingdom governor, I can’t just ignore the Human Kingdom’s booth altogether.
At the very least, I should say a quick hello.

That’s why I headed over to the Human Kingdom booth.

The first thing that struck me was the sheer amount and quality of the products on display.
I see satyr-produced milk, minotaur-raised beef, goods that even we demons have heard about, well across our borders.

Sometimes I wish we could beat them, sometimes I want to see if I can import those goods into my city.

Anyway, the Human Kingdom still has tremendous national power, and some truly unique strengths.

Even though we won the war, looking down on them would be foolish. If we keep it up, we’ll be setting ourselves up for a nasty surprise.

…By the way, that minotaur kebab is fantastic.

As I was reflecting on how the Human Kingdom still can’t be underestimated, a young man showed up, and everyone there seemed to greet him warmly.

“Well, if it isn’t Governor Kimeri, right? I hear you’re known as quite the formidable woman, running the city of Rondmelt in the Demon Kingdom.”

He knows about me? I’m just the governor of one random city.
It was shocking enough when the Demon King recognized me, but now even our old enemy nation does too? Instead of feeling flattered, I’m creeped out at how detailed their intel must be.

Could it be that the Human Kingdom has a dossier on every key official in the Demon King?

“Not at all. We haven’t memorized every single demon governor or anything. But since your city is the closest Demon Kingdom city to the Farm Kingdom, it’s only natural you’d be on our radar. You might become a strong rival in the future.”

As he said that, he pulled out a small paper card from his pocket…

“I apologize for the delay. Here’s my business card.”

The name on the card reads:

New Human Republic, First President
Ritheseus

President?!
So he’s got roughly the same level of authority as a king in this new Human Kingdom?!

The Human Kingdom’s top brass actually came out here?!
Just like our own Demon King?!

“But of course. This land, Lord Saint’s so-called Farm Kingdom, will likely become the central hub for each nation’s trade routes in the future. And that’s why they chose to host this trade fair here.”

Wha—?!
Even I didn’t know that!

“I figure maybe in five or ten years, everything exported worldwide will pass through this land on its way to all the other countries. So, we want to mingle as much as possible now, make sure we’re all on friendly terms.”

Why didn’t the Demon King mention any of this to me?!
My city is the closest one to this place in the entire Demon Kingdom!

By the time we finish dithering over whether they’re friend or foe, the humans are going to get a huge head start!

“If you like, would you want to meet Lord Saint who runs this country? I’m scheduled to chat with him later, so you’re welcome to tag along.”

Seriously?
You’re that generous?!

“It’s a great opportunity, so let’s make some introductions… Could someone fetch Ariaos for me?”

At President Riteseus’s request, a few people hurried off.

Soon, they brought back a man, someone who looked older, though the most striking thing was his rough, almost thuggish appearance, which seemed totally out of place at a formal gathering…?

“This is Ariaos. He serves as the governor of San-Chome, which, from our Human Kingdom’s perspective, is the nearest city to this Farm Kingdom.”