Side: Yuki
For the time being, the Wind Princess is in a state of absolute, vegetative shock, making negotiations currently out of the question.
We decided to wait for her to calm down before trying to talk to her... In the meantime, I went to check in on the fence-sitting Elder and his people, but...
"You did splendidly! I knew we could believe in you!"
"That's rich coming from someone who didn't send a single reinforcement."
The man standing next to the Elder—who had done nothing but criticize us until now—shamelessly tried to suck up to us, so I shut him up with a sarcastic remark.
"My apologies. As a village, we chose to prioritize the safest approach."
The elder bowed deeply.
"No, I don't think your choice was wrong. But when someone starts acting like that right after the fact, it's a little irritating, isn't it?"
"...Indeed."
"Anyway, I assume you all fully understand our true capabilities by now. So let me make one thing clear: the prisoners we captured during this incident belong solely to us. We'll decide what to do with them ourselves. We will not be taking your opinions into consideration, so keep that in mind."
"What did you say!?"
I sighed.
"If you want to declare us your enemy, feel free. But if your side tries to get in our way, I won't show an ounce of mercy. If this victory had been achieved through a joint operation, that would be one thing, but this was a war won entirely by our independent force. It's only natural that the prisoners and supplies belong solely to us, right?"
"That is entirely reasonable," the Elder agreed. "We chose to watch from the sidelines and provided absolutely no support. It would be deeply shameful for us to try and steal the spoils of war from you. Please forgive this man's utter insolence."
"As long as there's no actual harm done, I don't really mind. But if anyone tries to make a funny move behind our backs, we'll handle it on our terms. Is that acceptable?"
"If something occurs, I would deeply appreciate it if you came to me first. Surely you do not wish to incur the active animosity of the village?"
"If things go too far, that's a different story. You'd better work hard to ensure we don't realize that simply exterminating this entire village would be much less of a hassle."
If you asked me whether I wanted to risk my life just to protect this village, my answer would be a flat 'No'.
Our sole defense objective from the very beginning is to protect the ruins—the dungeon—at all costs. If the villagers become nothing but a detriment to that goal, they are no different from our enemies.
"...To you, we are little more than an extra, aren't we?"
"What, you just realized that? You treated us like a convenient mercenary group too, didn't you? You didn't even send a single reinforcement during the actual battle, and you were fully packed and ready to run the moment things went south."
"...When you put it that way, I have no rebuttal."
"Elder! Why are you letting him say whatever he wants!?"
A young beastman barked.
'Whatever he wants', you say? Your side was clearly the one doing whatever you pleased from the start.
"Quiet down," the Elder commanded. "We were the ones who initially tried to bind these mercenaries to our convenience. No matter how one looks at it, we are the ones who acted entirely out of line."
"But still—!"
"But still, what do you propose we do? Do you intend to wage war against this mercenary group? Against a force that shattered an army of 2,500 with a mere 150 troops?"
"They only accomplished that because members of our own race were standing alongside them! This was not a victory achieved by humans alone!"
"Hah... I received no reports stating that three beastmen girls annihilated an army of 2,500 on their own," the Elder countered. "The scouts report that a hundred goblins completely crushed the enemy's charging cavalry, while the ambush squad of fifty on the flank systematically wiped out their main force."
"That is obviously a massive exaggeration! It must have been accomplished entirely thanks to those girls. These humans had absolutely nothing to do with it!"
"An exaggeration? Why would our own fellow villagers, sent specifically to monitor the battle, deliver such a fabricated report?"
Ah, man. I intentionally structured everything to prevent this exact type of friction, but I guess these petty political problems are just bound to happen anyway.
"Furthermore, even if it were an exaggeration, and even if those three beastmen girls had accomplished the feat entirely on their own, it remains a victory achieved under the banner of this mercenary band. Do you intend to rob them of it?"
"No! In the first place, those girls are clearly being forced into servitude by that human man—"
BOOM—!
With a thunderous crash, the complaining cat-eared beastman youth flew straight through the wooden wall and went sailing out into the open air.
Riel had sent him flying with a single punch—though to the rest of the villagers, it probably looked like he suddenly got launched through the wall for no reason.
"Are you going to shut up now? Because I'm starting to seriously regret helping you guys at all."
Watching Riel lower her fist, the surrounding villagers finally processed that she had done something to cause the youth to launch into orbit.
"I agree." Tori said coldly. "I ignored orders and helped because we were fellow beastfolk. And this is how we're repaid..."
"...Yuki, negotiations are unnecessary. We should've started with a simple policy: either obey us or leave. These people are completely looking down on us."
Kaya's gaze toward the villagers was so cold it was almost frightening.
She was practically advocating rule through fear.
In short...
...T-These three girls are absolutely furious.
"Honestly, insulting Yuki-san is completely unacceptable!" Riel snapped. "Mocking someone's husband and then demanding our spoils of war? Are you idiots!?"
"Riel is entirely correct," Tori said. "As long as Yuki-san is still smiling, I won't do anything. But if even the slightest shadow falls over his face, be prepared. But if a single shadow of discomfort crosses his face, you had best prepare yourselves for the consequences."
"Tori, you are far too soft," Kaya stated flatly. "In that scenario, I would simply slaughter them all. Besides, attempting to defeat Yuki would be infinitely more difficult than trying to defeat us."
Ah, I see...
So the main issue isn't even about the spoils of war.
It's the fact that I was treated like garbage.
I'm incredibly glad Aslin and the others aren't here right now... Just hearing me get insulted back during the Rithea war caused them to completely lose their minds. If they were here, this place would already be a literal sea of blood.
"...Ria, you seem calm at least, right?"
"Eh? Is it okay if I just kill them all right now?"
"Absolutely not!"
Ah, never mind. Ria's blood is boiling just as hot.
I must absolutely never mention this incident to the pregnant wives back home. If I do, this entire village will cease to exist.
"Well, as you can clearly see, your words and actions have caused my companions to lose a bit of their composure," I said, addressing the room. "We shall take our leave for now. We have no desire to end up harvesting the very lives we went out of our way to save. Please take your time and discuss this thoroughly amongst yourselves."
With that, we walked right out of the meeting hall.
Realistically speaking, their only remaining choices are to flee or submit. Especially since Riel, Tori, and Kaya just openly dropped a declaration of total eradication. If the village tries to demand an "equal partnership" after this, my wives are going to completely detonate.
Still, for high-strung demi-humans who harbor deep-seated hatred toward humans, that kind of hostile reaction is probably standard. I can understand their perspective, but choosing that path is a one-way ticket to a swift grave.
The Elder is going to have a miserable time trying to persuade his own people... Man, at the end of the day, a relaxed, low-responsibility position is definitely the best way to live.
"Ah, welcome back, Yuki-san. Marley-san has finally regained her composure."
Sheila reports immediately upon our return.
Among our group, Sheila has handled the most royal and administrative duties as a former queen. When it comes to on-site leadership and raw charisma, she is easily the most qualified member of this expedition team.
While I can handle it myself, my current policy on this new continent is to minimize the use of convenient modern tools, which means Sheila—who is deeply well-versed in traditional governance—is far better at this than I am.
"I see. Let's go see her then."
"Yes, please. She was completely terrified of us, but since you and Ria-san are already acquaintances of hers, I believe she will be able to hold a proper conversation with you."
"Terrified?"
"Yes. After all, her entire elite force was completely annihilated by an army less than a tenth of their size. Furthermore, it seems Marley-san personally clashed with Steve-san, forcing her to realize the staggering disparity in their raw power."
"I can understand that, but is it really alright for a supreme commander to break down like that?"
"It is certainly not ideal, but it is entirely understandable given the circumstances. Judging by the data from the soldiers we've treated and the information you gathered, Marley-san has apparently never tasted defeat in her entire life. Everything she built up over her career was shattered into dust in an instant."
I guess that's the classic side effect of relying entirely on a magic sword to boost your level. She probably fought opponents who were close to her strength or slightly superior in the past, but we are quite literally walking anomalies.
"Well, let's just go meet her and see how it goes. Ria, I'm going to swap places with the doppelganger body that originally met the Princess, do you want to head in first?"
"Yes, that sounds best. Since we are both women, I'll go ahead and start the conversation. In the meantime, Sheila-san, please guard Yuki-san."
"Leave it to me."
"Hey... do I really still need a guard inside our own base?"
""Yes.""
They replied in perfect, synchronized unison.
Just how precious was I to these people? Even sometimes I wanted to be alone, you know... Though, to be fair, I did get plenty of alone time relaxing at home.
The problem was that the moment I stepped outside, Ria sticks to me like glue... I could probably find a way to shake her off, but the scolding I'd get afterward is definitely not worth the effort.
I quickly swap places with the doppelganger body—well, technically it's swapping from one doppelganger body to a different doppelganger body...
Man, this gets confusing. Between my exact-copy doppelganger and my disguised doppelganger, things are a complete mess on this continent.
Shaking off the idle thoughts, I make my way over to Ria's location.
I'd better get over to Ria before Shella being stuck as my bodyguard starts slowing down everyone else's work.
"Yo. Ria, how are things looking?"
"Ah, Yuki-san."
"YOU!! You're the commander of this mercenary group!? And how did you get ahead of us!?"
The Wind Princess instantly tries to spring forward and tackle me, but Ria catches her with effortless ease, pinning her down.
"Guegh!"
"Marley-san, please remember that you are technically a prisoner of war." Ria admonished calmly. "Cease this hostile behavior toward our leader. Next time, your head and body may end up separated."
"Nnggggh..."
Well, looking at her, she seems lively enough.
Now that the village side is taking care of itself, I guess we can finally get these negotiations moving.
Now then... what kind of terms should I demand from her?
