Side: Yuki
"Alright then, I don't mind Ria coming along. But there are a few things you need to follow so I can protect you."
"Yes... not to leave your side, right?"
"Exactly. But that alone isn't enough to put my mind at ease. I want you to wear this ring and carry this dagger."
"Um... what do they do?"
Well, I can't blame her. To the untrained eye, they look like an ordinary ring and a plain dagger—but these are the real ones. My wives carry similar items, along with flashy, decorative daggers and rings as decoys.
The ring is a "Transfer Ring" I made a long time ago—it allows for manual teleportation and automatic emergency extraction. The dagger, on the other hand, is an absurdly powerful item that boosts all stats just by carrying it.
A masterpiece born from Narjia's hobby.
"A-Amazing..."
Ria looked stunned after checking her status.
Of course she would be. Just equipping them raises all base stats by 200. All of them.
The materials were ultra-pure Orichalcum extracted at high purity, combined with Magic Metal and Spirit Ore extracted the same way. Using the forging technique of layering different metals like in sword-making, repeatedly folding and hammering them. We even used high-purity Elixir (obtained via DP) for cooling.
It's basically a weapon made at the pinnacle of "throw‑money‑at‑it" insanity. It's the kind of brute-force crafting you can only pull off when you have over 10,000 residents.
Even so, when you consider the material costs alone blew through thirty days' worth of DP, you realize just how wasteful it was. It would have been cheaper to just stock up on modern firearms. But I wanted to investigate various possibilities, so I begged Eris and Ratz to authorize the DP expenditure.
As you might imagine from this, my wives' equipment consists of Narjia's masterpieces, which are updated almost monthly. Labyris still treasures the katana I gave her, but by now, even that has been surpassed by modern performance. Technological innovation is a scary thing. It's like how a new PC model comes out every six months.
"Don't let that be the only thing that surprises you. Being with me, a representative, comes with risks. We'll eventually have custom gear made specifically for you."
"Custom!?"
"Yeah. You're officially my attendant, so you'll also serve as a bodyguard. Right now it's the other way around, but in the future, you'll need to work hard or people might complain."
"...I'll do my best."
"I'm just saying, you don't have to push yourself too hard."
I'll just forcibly level her up anyway.
Now then, time to apply designated protection.
"Finally, I'm granting you the Dungeon's Protection. All of us representatives and those in high-ranking positions have it so we can stay in contact. It grants you the 'Call' skill. You've seen us use it, right?"
"Yes."
"The condition is that you must accept the protection from the bottom of your heart. A few people have been rejected by the system before, so keep that in mind."
"I'm... fine."
The Designated Protection took effect without a hitch.
By the way, the people who were rejected in the past were strictly interrogated; it turned out they were planning to embezzle funds. Since they hadn't actually done it yet, they weren't punished, but the fact that they tried to deceive us remains on record, so they're barred from high-level promotions.
"Alright, preparations are done. It's too far to walk, so we'll teleport using the ring. Just say where you want to go, followed by 'transfer'. For now, say 'Transfer to the administrative building.'"
She vanished the moment she said it.
Good—personal authentication works fine.
Of course, rings and daggers like this are keyed to an individual's mana, so even if stolen, the thief cannot use them. Strictly speaking, it's a combination of mana, fingerprints, science, and magic, so it's not something just anyone can use. Not unless they have knowledge of both fields like I do.
I suppose I should follow her.
* * *
"Ah, good. You're here."
"Advisor Yuki, we've been expecting you."
The guards at the Transfer Point saluted.
Ria must have been worried about when I'd show up.
"Good work. You can probably tell she's an official by the ring and dagger, but let me introduce her. This is Ria, my personal attendant. Please treat her well."
"Understood! Ria-sama, we look forward to working with you."
"Y-Yes!"
"You've finally decided on a bodyguard. All your wives are extremely busy. Even if we soldiers guard you, we can't follow you into private spaces. Please take good care of Advisor Yuki, Ria-sama."
The teleport guards all bowed to Ria at once.
Hey—why do you guys know about my personal security issues?
"It's been a constant issue in our security discussions, sir. Your wives can't exactly follow you into every room, but we've been worried that the Advisor might be seduced by some strange woman. We were just discussing how to handle it. If one thing goes wrong, Weed could be thrown into chaos."
"Oi, I haven't even said anything yet."
"Then we would appreciate it if you would stop wandering around so freely, sir."
"Guh."
I don't have the nerve to act high and mighty when I know I'm causing them trouble.
"Well, we know Sir Yuki works himself to the bone for our sake. It's hard for us to stop you. But we understand the wives' anxiety and the potential instability of Weed. So, Ria-sama, please take care of him."
"Yes, leave it to me!"
Why is she answering so energetically?
...Wait, hang on.
Based on this conversation, does this mean Ria is going to be with me 24/7? Wait, I thought I was looking after Ria because she's a Hero... You guys aren't planning to turn a Hero into a full-time bodyguard, are you?
...Right? There's no way we'd waste resources like that.
The human Demon King is relaxing on special duty, but that's not a waste, right?
"Well, this conversation has run long. The meeting with the demonkin is taking place in the third conference room. Representative Eris and Special Officer Derieu are handling it."
"Have you gotten any information yet?"
"No, the interrogation has only just begun."
"I see. Thanks. Continue guarding the Transfer Point. I've notified the kings of the various nations, so they'll be gathering soon. Don't mess up the reception."
"Understood! Please be careful as well, sir!"
* * *
I took Ria and walked towards the conference room.
In front of the third conference room, I entered the side door.
"Yo."
"Ah, Advisor Yuki."
"How is it?"
"Well, for now, we're just having her drink some tea to calm down."
Since this is for interrogations, it's equipped with a one-way mirror. I looked through to the monitoring side, but no progress yet.
"Ah, by the way, this girl is Ria."
"Yes, I've heard from the wives. Ria-sama, please look after the Chief of Staff."
"Yes, leave it to me."
What am I, a toddler?
"So, what do you mean by 'calming her down'?"
"Yes. When she arrived, she was out of breath and her body was covered in wounds. No fatal injuries, but she had several fractures. It was a dangerous state."
"What? Wait, you're interrogating her in that condition? Shouldn't you let her rest?"
"We, as well as Eris-sama and Derieu-sama, suggested that. But she insisted on speaking immediately after only receiving light treatment."
"It's that urgent?"
"Probably from her perspective. So we're having her drink tea mixed with potions to help her recover while we talk."
"Ah, right... Rurua and Elju are both out."
"Yes. Rankus has invaded Gartz's territory, correct? That response takes priority. If lives were on the line it would be different, but her wounds aren't life-threatening and are at a level we can handle."
By the way, after hearing about the war situation, Elju is busy organizing the hospital's shift system and ordering medical supplies. Since Rurua had to leave for diplomacy, Elju's workload is quite heavy.
Aside from me, they are the only top-tier recovery mages in Weed. Since they can't be everywhere at once, they're rotating 24-hour shifts at the hospital. They can move back and forth easily with their rings, but they insisted on this setup to respond as quickly as possible.
Apparently, since there haven't been many serious casualties yet, they can take naps at the hospital, so their skin is still glowing.
I don't know if it's related to the stress, but Rurua has developed a habit of wanting to cling to me whenever we meet. She definitely spends less time with me than the others do. Everyone seems to understand that, so they don't complain. I should call them "supportive wives", but their coordination is almost terrifying.
"In that case, I'll go in and heal her. Ria, you stay here."
"Eh? But..."
"Don't worry. Honestly, if I get taken down, this place is doomed anyway. If that happens, run."
"T-That's..."
"Sigh... Advisor, what kind of scary things are you saying? Listen, Ria-san. That demonkin lady came here because she has something to discuss. She's almost certainly not going to cause harm. Besides, if she could solve things with brute force, she wouldn't be talking. So there's no need to worry."
"T-Thank goodness..."
"Hey, I was just thinking of the 'just in case'..."
"I understand that, but I heard Ria-san only arrived two days ago. She doesn't know the extent of your strength, Advisor. Please don't scare her."
"My bad."
When put like that, I can't really argue.
"Is he... strong?"
"Yes, he's likely the strongest in Weed. I've even heard he defeated Special Officer Derieu-sama, who is said to be the strongest among the wives. But keep that a secret. He's intentionally keeping his information hidden. To the public, he's strong, but considered 'middle-of-the-pack'."
"I... see."
Ria's eyes were sparkling, staring at me as if she were looking at something radiant.
Wait, is she misunderstanding something? I'm not a hero, you know. I hide my info because being famous makes it a pain to walk around in public, okay?
I was curious about her reaction, but I couldn't waste time. I entered the meeting room immediately.
"Oh, Yuki's here."
"Ah, Yuki-san."
Derieu and Eris turned toward me.
The demonkin woman, slowly supported by Eris holding her cup, was drinking tea mixed with potion.
"How is she?"
"Stubborn as a mule. I told her she won't die, but she took a heavy blow to the jaw—it was shattered. Even then, she insisted via writing that we keep treatment to a minimum so she could talk." Derieu replied.
"That much of a hurry, huh?"
"Seems so. I don't sense any hostile intent. And Eris is helping her with the treatment quite tenderly."
"Right. Then, Eris, step back a bit. I'll cast Extra Heal."
"Yes, please."
As Eris stepped away, I cast it quickly without an incantation.
Normally I'd hide my magic, but I was too concerned about her urgency. The flashy particle effects unique to Extra Heal filled the room.
...Come to think of it, why does recovery magic need these visual effects? I should figure out how to turn them off next time.
Anyway, the demonkin woman moved her body to check herself.
"Incredible... You cast Extra Heal of this level without chanting... A-Ah, my jaw is healed too."
She touches her face, realizing she can speak again.
"Are there any problems with your body?"
"Is your body alright?"
"Yes... it's completely healed."
"No, the blood you lost won't come back instantly, and you're still physically exhausted. Normally, you should eat a proper meal and rest immediately."
"There is no time for that!!"
"Yes, it seems so. For now, please drink your tea. As you heard, it has potions in it, so it will help you recover. Please calm down and tell us everything in order, otherwise, we'll just be confused."
"Ah... yes."
She sat back down obediently.
In times like this, no matter how much of a hurry someone is in, you have to get the story from the beginning.
If she tells me a horde of monsters is coming, I'll deal with it, but the scouts outside would report that anyway. Our job is to listen correctly so we don't make the wrong judgment.
"...First of all, the reason I need you to hurry is that the people who assaulted me are coming to this city. If you don't take countermeasures, the residents will be in danger."
"Understood. Derieu, send word."
"Got it."
Well, Tori and Riel are already on it.
It just confirms what we already suspected.
Eris poured me some tea and sat beside me. I sipped it and gestured for the woman to continue. First, introductions.
"Let's start with introductions. I am Yuki, the military Chief of Staff for this dungeon city, Weed."
"I mentioned it earlier, but once more: I am Eris, the representative for the Entertainment District here."
"Thank you for the polite introductions. My name is Liliana Reston."
Hmm?
Liliana Reston?
That sounds familiar. Beside me, Eris tilted her head as well.
"I was from the Kingdom of Rust... well, you probably wouldn't know it. I served as the Demon King of the Demon Race nation."
Both of us spat out our tea simultaneously.
Forget a "big shot"—the Final Boss just walked in!?
Where's the Hero!?
...Oh, right. She was in the room next door.
But she's weak... Wait, this Demon King is weaker than Derieu. Even Eris could probably take her.
Huh...? How strange.
I am in total chaos.
