White-Haired Template System

I look at the woman in front of me with a smile and say.

"Welcome to Vindice City, Lady Leviathan."

"Oh, please~ Call me Serafall."

I only smile at her and nod.

"Of course, Lady Serafall."

"Mou~ Please discard the lady part."

"I cannot do that, my lady. You earn your position just like I earn mine. It is better if we respect each other's position."

And just like that, her act shattered, and now, a serious woman has replaced her previous behavior. She nods her head and says.

"Very well. Then how about we start with the reason why I came here?"

"That will be the best."

She nods and leans forward. Her eyes look at mine, and I understand why she is the Maou who takes care of foreign affairs.

"The reason why I come here is to make an offer of alliance between our two factions. We want to create a better relationship between the Millefiore Family and the entire Devil Race."

"Alliance, huh? What are you offering?"

"Being our ally is not enough?"

"Hah! That is a good one, but no. The Millefiore Family might be young, but we are not stupid or even desperate enough to make an alliance with your race without getting anything in return. So please don't think we will accept your offer like a starving human desperate for food."

Serafall looked at me for a few seconds before smiling.

"You are right. I am sorry for saying that. How about this? We are willing to let you access Phoenix Tears. You still need to buy them, but we will let you buy them from the Phenex Clan. Not only that, we are also willing to create a joint research team between our two factions. Trade between our factions will also open up. Lastly, as an ally, we will also support you if your family goes to war. Of course, we can decline to help you if you attack other factions without asking us first."

I look at her for a few seconds and say.

"And what do you want in return?"

"We want you to let us reincarnate the people under your protection into a devil. We also want access to one of your machines that lets you heal your people. We also expect you to support us just like we support you if we go to war. What do you think?"

I release a sigh and say.

"That sounds great on the surface but there is not much you offer, no? Phoenix tears are great, but you don't even discount us and only let us buy them. You know that we can access them through the black market, right? Don't try to hide it. You know, no matter how hard you try to block them from the black market, there will be a supply of Phoenix Tears in the black market. The joint research team is not much if you don't let us get into one of your high-end techs, and I have a feeling you will not let our researcher touch that. On the other hand, you want to access our techs, and I have a feeling your people will force their way into our secret research. It is a bit of a leap, but I know it will happen. Trade and protection are great, but the Greek Pantheon is a better partner in this case as they are closer and have had a better reputation lately."

And I am not lying. Greek Pantheon might have had a bad reputation in the past, but they are mellow a bit. They are still headstrong people, but they do not attack first and ask questions, never the type of people anymore.

I lean forward and say.

"As much as it sounds great, I am sorry. Your offer does not have enough things we need to make an alliance."

Serafall nods her head in sadness and smiles.

"That is fair. I will return with a better offer. However, do you want to sign a trade agreement and non-aggression pact with us?"

"That I can do."

We talk for a few more minutes and create an agreement between our two factions. We will have an open trade between our two factions, and we will not attack each other. After we sign the agreement, Serafall shakes my hand and says.

"It is nice to have someone open enough to agree to the non-aggression pact and trade."

"Your race has a bad reputation, but we are willing to ignore that for a moment. However, I must inform you that I don't want any of my people to get reincarnated into a devil. If they die, let them die. If I hear or worse, see your kind reincarnate my people, or at worst, force them into a devil, this agreement will be over."

"That is a bit harsh, no? You are willing to let them die, Lord Millefiore?"

"I would rather them die than be a slave. We already experienced what it was to be a slave to the bloodsucking creatures, and we don't want to experience it once again."

"We are not treating them like slaves!"

"Look at me right in the eyes and tell me the majority of your kids do not treat the reincarnated devils like slaves."

Seeing her not say anything, I nod and say,

"That is what I thought. You and your close people might not treat your so-called peerage like slaves, but the majority of your people do. There is a reason why your kind has a bad reputation. That is another reason why I don't want an alliance between our two factions. I am willing to rethink your offer if you create a law that will forbid your race to reincarnate my people into a devil."

She releases a sigh and says.

"That will be hard, you know? The Pillar Lords will not agree with this kind of agreement."

"And we will not be an ally. That is the one rule I want if you want us to be an ally."

"I see. Then I will try harder to ensure the others agree with this rule."

I give her a bright smile and say.

"Great! Then, how about a tour around Vindice? I will personally show you around."

And just like that, her cheerful personality once again appears.

"Of course! And call me Levia-tan when we are on a date!"