Side: Elju
I am currently serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.
Between my grand declaration of resurrection in Weed, the rescue mission for the demon race, and the Demon King's army invading Roumel, everyone around me has been incredibly busy. As a result, there are many things I wanted to ask but simply couldn't find the right time to bring up.
Although I hold the title of Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in name, I have absolutely zero experience when it comes to military command or strategy. Because of this, I welcomed my second older sister as my assistant to actually move the army.
If I were to sum up what I actually did, it amounts to signing off on paperwork, giving a few speeches to boost the morale of the officers and soldiers, and declaring the start of the assault on our objective. To be completely honest, I didn't play much of an active role at all.
Now, the chaos has finally begun to settle down. Since we are currently dealing with the remnants of the Demon King's army that invaded Roumel, there haven't been any major movements. I have left my Doppelganger to take my place, allowing me to return home.
For some reason, Chii-anesama mass-produced a mountain of cookies, so we are all gathered around the table trying to finish them off during our post-dinner tea.
"...Ah, right. Yuki-san, there is something I would like to ask you, if that's alright?"
I speak up, thinking that right now, while we are relaxing over sweets without any outside eyes watching us, is the perfect opportunity.
"Something you want to ask?"
"Yes, there are quite a few things, actually..."
That's right, there really are a lot of things.
For now, let's process them in chronological order.
"Um, first of all, my death had been officially confirmed back in the royal capital of Roshure, correct? I know it was actually a Doppelganger, but why hasn't anyone in the surrounding nations questioned that since then?"
"Ah, that matter."
Yuki-san starts explaining while casually munching on a cookie.
"To put it simply, it's the result of a populace that swept along with the situation and nations that desperately wanted to hide information."
"What do you mean by that?"
"In other words, the public certainly recognized that Elju was dead, but then it was grandly announced during the big declaration that Elju is, in reality, currently alive. Do you know what narrative was presented when that announcement was made?"
"Wasn't it exactly what I said? That I was about to be used as a sacrifice by the Demon King, but was rescued by Liliana-san?"
"Exactly. Meaning, the undeniable result presented to them is that Elju is alive. Consequently, a question naturally arises in people's minds: 'Then what on earth was that corpse of Elju we saw before?'"
"Yes, that is exactly what I find so mysterious."
"Well, I'll just give you the answer. The citizens simply convinced themselves on their own that the Demon King had used some kind of trickery to deceive them."
"But for them to believe it just based on that alone seems..."
"But the countries didn't deny it, did they? Besides, monsters known as Doppelgangers exist. It's a well-known fact that the Demon King can employ monsters, so people concluded that a body double had been utilized as a decoy."
"I see. But even if the majority of people think that way, wouldn't some still harbor doubts?"
"Of course, there will always be people who question things no matter what. But you see, if anyone tries to investigate Elju's matter, each country is bound to obstruct them. Because if they don't, it could trigger a war among the three nations."
"Ah..."
"Do you get it now? Elju's matter is already an implicit taboo that no one is allowed to touch, especially within the respective governments. Right now, Elju serves as the bridge to the demon race. If anyone does anything to disrupt that, it will cause absolute chaos. Well, to ensure there were no mistakes regarding that narrative, we deliberately placed a monster that grows stronger by consuming sacrifices in the role of the Demon King, didn't we?"
There was indeed such a creature. So, that nameless monster was also meant to serve my needs.
"By doing that, we made the existence of a monstrosity requiring sacrifices known to the Allied Forces, and we defeated it early on. The claim that Elju was almost sacrificed became an absolute fact at that very moment. It might be a bit bothersome for Lithia, but well, peace has been achieved, so they have no ground to complain openly. Besides, Arshtelle has been conducting massive purges, their politics are on the upswing, and he has strong popular support. There's no need for them to eliminate Elju to maintain stability. In fact, if something were to happen to Elju now, it would undoubtedly cause mass panic. As for Gartz, Elju is highly valuable to them as a mediator with the demons. So there's no issue there either."
So, for their own respective reasons, none of the nations can lay a hand on me anymore.
"I understand the reason behind the reaction to my faked death now. There is something else, if I may?"
"Hmm, as long as it doesn't interfere with our operational security, I'll tell you. Go ahead and throw it out there."
"Yes. Well, why didn't you personally go to provide reinforcements for Roumel, Yuki-san? I heard that they are from the same world as you, so wouldn't you want to secure as many powerful allies as possible?"
"Ah, that—Everyone else, listen up too. Look, Taiki-kun's case worked out cleanly because he happened to come over to our side, showed zero resistance, and agreed to sit down and talk. But there's no guarantee the Heroes in Roumel will be like that."
"Eh?"
For a moment, I didn't quite grasp what he meant.
"This is actually part of the reason why I hide my real name. The exact doubt you raised is the core issue. Not every single person from another world is a good guy. And even if they are good, there's a very high probability they're being used by others, just like Taiki-kun was."
Yuki-san speaks with an incredibly serious tone.
At his words, everyone present briefly caught their breath, and the room fell silent.
"I see. We've been so busy that I didn't quite understand why you were using a fake name, but that's what it was."
Chii-anesama seems to have caught on and nods in understanding.
"Yeah. My real name is a distinct name unique to Japan in our alternate world. If someone from the same country heard it, they'd realize in an instant that I'm Japanese. If the world were full of nothing but good people, that would be fine, but..."
"If it's an adversary with malicious intent, simply knowing your name would allow them to approach you under strange pretenses to manipulate you, or eliminate you if you prove to be too much to handle—That's exactly what I would do."
"That's the ultimate problem. It's far too dangerous for my information to leak to the other side before we can even judge whether they are friend or foe. Furthermore, in the Japan I came from, the concept of family registries and identification—like the census system we're implementing here in Weed—is universally established. If I'm careless, my entire background could be completely laid bare. Anyone who comes to another world and goes around flaunting their real name is either an absolute idiot or is deliberately setting themselves up as bait."
"Does that mean they might try to contact you specifically because they know you're Japanese?"
"Yeah. Even if the person contacting us isn't Japanese themselves, there's a chance they hold that information, though it would certainly be a gamble for them."
"Um... in short, you're saying we shouldn't be too trusting?"
"Exactly. That's why when dealing with Roumel, we have to negotiate without revealing information about me or Taiki-kun. Showing off our military strength is completely out of the question. But the same goes for them. Those tank forces that routed more than half of the 300,000-man invasion army. Whether they summoned them or created them, whether it's a Hero or that of friend mine, either way, making contact won't be easy."
"Naturally. From their perspective, that's their greatest military asset. Their trump card. After such overwhelming results, they'll suppress information as much as possible."
"But if we try forcing contact..."
"It will be viewed by Roumel as an intention of invasion on our part."
"That's exactly how it is. I'd like to talk to that friend of mine myself, but until I know whether he's a friend or a foe, not only can I not make contact, but I also can't casually hand over information about us. More importantly, we absolutely cannot allow him to become our enemy."
"Is that Tanaka person you mentioned really that incredible?"
"I don't know what kind of cheat ability... or rather, what kind of power he awakened when he came to this world, but given that actual tanks were present, we have to assume it's something along those lines. I definitely don't want to pick a fight with someone who can freely manipulate the heavy weaponry of our old world."
"...That makes sense. Just thinking about it is terrifying."
Indeed...
If it's an opponent who can freely use tanks that can destroy enemy forces from extreme long range, I understand why Yuki-san is being cautious.
"So that's the situation. We'll gather information on Roumel, but we won't be going there ourselves. For the time being, we'll leave negotiations to Roshure, Gartz, and Rithea—the three countries excluding Weed, who have no direct connections."
"So that's why you had the three-nation Allied Army, excluding Weed, bring relief supplies to assist Roumel?"
"Yeah. We'll have them provide the relief supplies free of charge and observe how the other side reacts. Up until now they've been quiet, so they don't seem interested in invading other countries. But now they've added the overwhelming power of those Heroes to their side, so we don't know how they'll act. There's no harm in establishing a friendly stance."
At this point, Yuki-san can no longer casually meet someone from the same other world.
"So, here is my request to everyone. You’ll meet various people through your work. But if someone says they’re Japanese, never mention me. Talk about Taiki-kun or the Roumel Heroes instead. It’s for safety. Also, be especially wary of anyone who says my real name — it means they're trying to gather information about me somehow."
"""Understood."""
More than anything, it made me realize how much thought he put into everything.
I had intended to ask him why he uses a false name, but that answer came naturally along with the rest of the conversation.
"Ah, right, speaking of Taiki-kun, it reminds me of the situation with Rankus..."
With my questions fully answered, the conversation naturally shifted back to casual small talk while we continued to enjoy our tea. Yet, even while engaging in this relaxed chatter, I'm sure countless thoughts and worries are constantly revolving inside Yuki-san's mind.
As for me, because of how this entire incident unfolded, I am now... free.
Would I return to Roshure?
Would I stay in Weed and help Chii-anesama continue building it up?
Or would I choose some entirely different path?
As I sipped my tea, I found myself thinking about what I should do with my future.
