Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

"Then, would you care to elaborate on why you've been trying to slaughter your own army?"

I asked his question even though I, pretty much, could figure out the answer. Taking the step from "Why does she need this war" to "She needs to remove those soldiers from the picture" was the hard part. Figuring out the reasons why she needed her own soldiers gone turned out to be extremely easy.

Still, I could name at least three different possibilities. And rather than basing my further assumptions on guessing, I decided to go with the easiest route… and just ask.

"And what makes you…" Etaria's voice came out from the walkie-talkie I kept on my lap.

Because I made sure to only provide her with the absolutely the worst and oldest tech I could have Makary source, there was no video feature within the communication kit, forcing me to guess all the stuff I would normally figure out from the face of my conversation partner.

Thankfully, despite only coming into contact with the princes a few times, I've managed to, more or less, create her profile in my head. And with it, just from how she hesitated, paused, and stopped for a short moment, I could guess what kind of face the princess was making.

"Is cutting all the needless bullshit one of the reasons why you contacted me this way?"

When the princess' voice came back, she completely shifted the topic away from my question.

"I mean…" I hesitated for a second, quickly running through all the possible scenarios born from confirming or denying Etaria's guess. "You can take anything I say however you like. We can even come to terms and make a deal…"

This time, I didn't hesitate. The pause I made wasn't something I needed to think my words through either.

It was merely a courtesy of giving the princess some time to stomach what I just said.

"In the end, though, whatever deal we make through this device will only come into play once we announce it together and do so publicly." I took a deep breath only to then smile at my own thoughts. "And worry not, whatever deal we might make, I will craft the deal in a way that will make it nigh impossible for your side to break it."

I released the trigger of the walkie-talkie, cutting the connection and taking a deep breath.

Even though we had hardly touched any actual topics, my heart was already beating fast, giving in to the vibe of the excitement.

Casting doubt, weaving schemes, crafting stories, and making deals behind everyone's back…

Wasn't this just the best?

I rolled my eyes over my own thoughts before breathing out a long sigh. Then, I reached out and pressed the tool's trigger again.

"Anyway, let's go back to the first question. Would you like to tell me why you want your own soldiers to die?" I asked, pausing for just a second while making sure to keep the trigger of the walkie-talkie pressed thus stopping Etaria from speaking even if she wanted to.

I still had something left to say, after all.

"Or would you rather have me reveal my guess so that we can see whether we are already on the same page?"

Figuring out that Etaria actively sabotaged the efforts of her own army was the hard part. Guessing why, not so much.

"And by asking for your guess, I would admit that your suspicions are right. Is this really the level of vocal traps you want to use on me?"

To my surprise, Etaria found the trap in my words. Trap that I never really set up, but one that came to be either way.

And a few moments' worth of my silence later, that damned princess just couldn't help herself but throw some salt upon my wounded pride.

"Judging by your silence, I've hit the jackpot, didn't I?" Etaria gloated, making it pretty damn easy to imagine the satisfied look she had on her pretty face.

'In all honesty… good for her, I guess?' I thought, keeping my hand just a few inches shy from the walkie-talkie, not to press the speak button by some accident.

This was the one and only moment she would have the chance to feel victorious. The talk I was about to have with her wasn't a negotiation between the equal parties, but more of the terms offered by the victor to the defeated.

And the fact that the victor has yet to be revealed through the means of an actual and decisive battle… mattered not.

"To be honest, I'm already aware of the fact. And in all of my genuine honesty, I'm merely curious whether my guess for your reasons is correct or not. The vital part, though, remains," I elaborated once judging the princess got enough time to enjoy her small victory in our discussion.

"And that vital part, is?" Etaria quickly inquired.

"The fact that you need those soldiers out of the picture," I revealed the one area where our current-most interests aligned. "You need to get rid of the troops that might prove to be a danger to your cause while I need people to work for cheap. Quite the beneficial coincidence, isn't it?"

For whatever reason, Etaria was actively trying to reduce the number of soldiers within the army she was commanding. Quite noticeably, the troops she was directly affiliated with always found themselves right where they could be easily seen by everyone… while staying as far from the danger as they could without actively deserting the battle.

In short, she had to remove her own men.

And I just so happened to be in dire need of war captives, not to call them slaves, who would be more than happy to work in exchange for the bare necessities. In a sense, those soldiers of today would make for the best kind of workers of tomorrow, as they knew not the luxuries any worker from back on earth would demand in exchange for their labor.

"Our interests do align there, that's true," Etaria admitted after taking some time to consider my words. "But do you really think I will actively aid you in the conquest of the empire I'm an heir to?"

Even without a video feed, I could tell Etaria shook her head with a baffled look on her pretty face.

"Yes, I do," I calmly replied while making sure not to allow a smirk to appear on my face.

Even though we were only using our voices to talk… one's expression, naturally hidden, would still influence the tone of our voices.

And even if allowing Etaria to peer into the hint of cheekiness in my voice wouldn't cause any harm… It would be of no benefit either.

"And why is that?" The princess pressed the topic, already reaching the point where she could use the unfamiliar device with ease.

"First, because it sets us on the path of cooperation rather than forcing us down the bloody path of brutal and absolute conflict." This time, I allowed a small, mocking smile to appear on my face. "And believe it or not, we might be different in many ways, but there's one thing that, I believe, my people and your people have in common."

I made yet another pause, something that I grew quite fond of using whenever trying to have a productive discussion. Yet, even when met with my silence, Etaria didn't jump on the opportunity to speak, opting to wait for me to continue instead.

"We like money. And cooperating is pretty much always more profitable than war."

I turned silent once more, this time, however, I refused to speak up again.

This wasn't supposed to be my lecture but a negotiation. A negotiation where I had a massive advantage and was speaking from the position of a victor… but a negotiation nonetheless.

"Cooperation versus war… Well, there's truth in what you say. But that was merely the first point, wasn't it?"

Hearing the confirmation that Etaria was attentively listening to every single word I spoke, I couldn't help but openly smile. Not smirk, not grin nor leer, but simply smile.

"Secondly, I believe neither of us has any desire to stand atop a bloodied battlefield. We might be young and naive, but we are not THAT naive to believe bloodshed and carnage to be something enjoyable. And lastly…"

I took a deep breath, preparing myself mentally to drop the biggest truth bomb I could on the poor princess.

"Whether you agree to my terms or not, doesn't matter. But if my men will kill yours instead of making them work their asses off…"

The pause that followed after half of my sentence was the first natural moment of hesitation for me. And all because I actually ventured to imagine what would happen if the negotiations fell through and forced both sides to the bloody path of war.

"If it won't be the men you want to get rid of anyway, then my men will simply pay a visit to the city due east from here and take the men they need from there."

I released the trigger of the walkie-talkie and waited for Etaria's response. Yet, as minute, two minutes passed without her speaking up, a strange feeling started to well up in my soul.

"Allow me this one bit of honesty, Your Majesty," I spoke out in a flat, empty voice once I squeezed the trigger of the speaking device. "We pride ourselves in how civilized we are. We are more than happy to just negotiate whatever we need and we won't shy away from paying a fair price for what we want. But the moment those methods no longer bring the results we need…"

"Civilized? Negotiate? Paying a fair price?" Etaria finally responded this time in a much sharper voice. "And the thousands of corpses you left in your wake in the forest are what? A mere hindrance to your business?"

I squeezed the trigger and heaved a long and loud sigh.

"Oh my, half of your army got slaughtered, how sad. Your spies betrayed their kin and homeland, how vile. Loraz's spies are all over the empire, how crafty! An entire lineage banished from the forest came back to mess with those who banished them, how revolting!"

Listing out all the instances of one sort of conflict or the other that happened thus far, I couldn't help but feel like laughing.

"For now, we are all on a dance floor, all in perfectly clean, white gloves."

"My side sent out a reinforced, heavily armored battalion to scout out this place. Your empire sent out an entire army to secure whatever interests it may have here. So far, it's all civilized, all just another part of the daily life of the high class."

I relaxed my grip over the device's trigger as I took a deep breath, only to squeeze down on it again and even lean forward a bit.

"But now that the perspectives of what this place has to offer revealed themselves to everyone's eyes, the time for political dance, diplomatic step forward and two steps back…"

I shook my head, even though I knew the princess couldn't see it.

"Now, that time is over. And with this level of riches in play, all of this civilized, cultured, and polite company is about to grab a knife in their teeth and go down the path of slaughter. And my one and only goal is to stop this from happening."

With all that I've had to say now out in the open, I put the walkie-talkie aside so that I could free my hands for the task of covering up my face.

This little gesture virtually separated me from the world, giving me some time and peace to gather my thoughts, unbothered by the intense stares of Makary and his highest officers gathered around me and listening to every word that was said in the course of the entire conversation.

"Which is why I will ask this once and only once. Are you willing to cooperate, or shall we all abandon our humanity and just see how quickly can we fuck each other up?"