Side: Ratz
Now, now, I wonder how on earth I, Ratz, the beloved wife of Onii-san, ended up chosen for a Demon King extermination party?
Well, it's not that I mind.
It's for my beloved Onii-san's sake. It's for the sake of the children we will have in the future. I have no objections at all.
I'm a cute Rabbit-kin, and I'm reasonably confident in my figure. But I was born a simple villager. Ever since I was little, I admired the merchants who showed me the outside world through their wares, so I became an adventurer-merchant and traveled across the continent.
Well, being cute, I was frequently attacked by strange men or told to "share a pillow" with them. I rejected all of them, of course. Honestly, I'm really glad I managed to keep my purity until I met Onii-san.
So yes, that's the kind of person I am—nothing special, just an average, Onii-san‑loving rabbit girl named Ratz.
And yet, here I am—selected as a member of the Demon King subjugation team.
Well, when you hear the reason, it does make sense.
* * *
Let's see, I believe it was three days ago. It was the conversation right after Liliana-san arrived, after we heard her story and listened to Onii-san's wicked plan. Seraria was the one who persuaded the kings of the three nations.
"Now, we shall disclose the information we have received. The content is extremely urgent. Please remain calm and listen until the end."
At Seraria's summons, the kings of the three nations gathered from the inn immediately.
Two of the fathers had been drinking, and the Saintess of Rithea was on her third trip to the open-air bath.
...To be suddenly hit with that explanation while relaxing... talk about a mood killer.
"To summarize the interrogation of the Demon Race member: an invasion of Roumel by the Demon hardline faction has been confirmed. It apparently began a month ago, which matches the timing of when we lost contact with Roumel."
"""WHAT!?"""
"While it could be a trap, I cannot doubt the person who saved my sister. Considering the situation, there is no benefit for them to send us this information if their goal was to isolate Roumel."
It was entertaining to watch. She told the kings—who knew the "official" story—that her sister, Elju-sama, had been saved by this demon.
"S-Seraria, what is the meaning of this?"
Her father knows the truth, but he can't openly admit that Elju-sama is alive.
"Seraria, is this true?! Is Elju safe?!"
In the Gartz delegation, while everyone else was bewildered, Lowelle-sama looked as happy as a flower in bloom.
Apparently, she doted on Elju-sama quite a lot.
"A-Ah... Um..."
And the one most confused of all was Saintess Arshtelle, the representative of Rithea—the country supposedly responsible for assassinating Elju-sama.
"Elju, come in."
"Yes, Chii-aneesama."
With those words, Elju-sama entered.
The expressions on everyone's faces — especially those from the other two countries — were priceless. Their mouths hung open as if they had seen a ghost.
"Now, I understand you are all confused, but this should explain everything. With this, the pieces are now in place."
"""!"""
As expected of those who rule nations. With just that one sentence, they roughly understood the situation and their expressions turned serious.
"I see your point, Seraria. By bringing Elju out now, you create a magnificent 'resurrection' drama, allowing us to join hands with the factions outside the hardliners, starting with Liliana-san here."
"Likely so. In that case, the credibility of the intel is far higher than if a demon simply showed up asking for help."
"An individual providing information... normally, we'd kick them out, but it's different if it's a demon. There's zero benefit for the Demon Race in this. They'd most likely just be killed."
Aria-sama, the King of Gartz, and the Saintess followed up one after another, as if confirming the logic for themselves. The dignitaries attending the kings nodded in agreement.
"I will explain the details. The force marching on Roumel is centered on the hardline faction, using members of the peace faction as vanguards. We judge this is an attempt to wipe out the peace faction's effective military strength."
"...Makes sense. Going to war while leaving the main force of an opposing faction behind is pure suicide."
That super-siscon Higil-san was actually being calm.
Oh right, I forgot that just like Onii-san, he's actually quite competent as a strategist. The image of him kowtowing to Sheila is just so strong I keep forgetting.
"Still, they'd have to commit a considerable number of troops to keep the peace faction suppressed. That is the opening we will strike, Seraria-sama."
"Exactly, just as Sharl says. This march on Roumel took advantage of our internal chaos, but conversely, it means they don't want to give us—now that we've formed an alliance—any time to act."
Precisely. The hardliners' goal was likely to crush Roumel quickly and suppress the three nations before they could take action. Otherwise, they'd end up being attacked from multiple directions simultaneously. If they had succeeded in taking the initiative, we would have been forced onto the defensive.
"We cannot let this chance slip away. However, how do we handle the reinforcement of Roumel? If it started a month ago, it wouldn't be surprising if the fires of war have spread and the enemy is already at the capital's gates."
Teak-sama, the heir of Gartz, made a calm assessment.
But... this is already beyond help.
"We will send reinforcements to Roumel, but they likely won't arrive in time. My husband has already sent flying monsters for reconnaissance."
"What do you mean? Don't tell me Roumel has already...!"
Even I thought that phrasing implied Roumel had fallen. But the reality was different.
"Dear, show them the footage."
"Got it."
At Onii-san's command, the footage appears in the center of the room.
It shows a frontline city in Roumel facing the Demon King's territory—captured from above.
"Is that Astari, the front-line city against the Demon King in Roumel?"
"Yes."
"But... this is..."
Looking down from above, there were nearly 30,000 soldiers lined up before the city. Or rather, since the armor wasn't unified, there were likely adventurers among them too.
But facing them was a horde that far exceeded those numbers, blanketing the ground.
"According to Liliana's intel, the demon force sent to Roumel numbers 300,000. Ninety percent of those are monsters being used as soldiers."
"300,000!?"
"Then, at this rate, Roumel is already..."
Just as Saintess Arshtelle was about to speak, a thunderous roar erupted from the footage. In an instant, the opposing monster horde was blown away.
"""WHAT!?"""
Then, things resembling swords of light and large-scale magic circles further whittled down the monster army.
"This is why Roumel doesn't 'need' reinforcements. The Heroes summoned by Roumel are holding the line firmly. Sending reinforcements haphazardly would only cause problems with the chain of command or disputes over credit, so I don't recommend it."
"I... I see. Based on this, you're saying we should take the Demon King's head now."
"Yes. At this rate, Roumel might push back, take the head themselves, and potentially annihilate the Demon Race. As you know, only the three nations and Weed know that the demons are a friendly race. We shouldn't commit the folly of losing useful talent."
That was how he persuaded the kings. But, recalling Onii-san's words, I looked at the spot on the screen where the arrows of light that were obliterating the army were being fired from.
Those are tanks. Land warfare weapons from Onii-san's world.
And there are at least 2,000 of them lined up. They fire incessantly, and they are higher performance than the ones we use.
Rurua told us the names, saying she had met them as a Saintess before we met her.
One man:
—Akira Yuuki.
Two women:
—Hikari Earl Luxen.
—Nadeshiko Yamato.
Those are the three Heroes summoned to Roumel.
But apparently, there was one more person—a mere civilian caught up in their summoning.
—Tadanori Tanaka.
A friend of Onii-san's, and an expert in modern—or rather, otherworldly—warfare.
According to Onii-san, he is certain that Tanaka is involved with the weapons shown in the footage.
The power to unilaterally annihilate an army of 300,000 from long range. It looks like 30,000 soldiers are fighting, but they are only mopping up scattered enemies. Most of the demonkin are being killed by the tank bombardment. Even the Heroes aren't advancing. They are focusing on eliminating groups that slip through the tank fire.
To think that the person we in Weed have to be most wary of is Onii-san's fellow countryman and friend...
The world is a harsh place, isn't it?
I really should go comfort Onii-san.
