Side: Jessica
Riiiiing...
The alarm clock rang throughout the room.
"Ah, it's 5:00 AM... Just one more hour..."
Muttering to herself, Jessica shut off the alarm and buried herself back under the covers.
A few days ago, various circumstances had forced her to wake up at five, but today waking up at seven would be more than enough.
The view through the gap in the curtains showed that the sun had yet to rise, though in the past she would already have been awake by this hour.
But mornings in Weed were incredibly leisurely.
Of course, because everyone stayed active so late into the night, the relative amount of time they spent working or moving around made their lives here incomparably harder than her old routine.
With her mind still slightly hazy from sleep, she began reflecting on her life since arriving here.
When she first came to Weed, she was constantly left speechless by the shocking truths Yuki casually dropped, utterly stunned by Weed's sheer technological prowess, and even ended up bedridden from overeating because the food culture was just too delicious.
From then on, determined to integrate into Weed as quickly as possible, she studied the affairs of this continent with frantic intensity, endured the mandatory training known as "leveling up," and had finally progressed to the point where she could properly function as Yuki's administrative assistant.
Recently, because Yuki and the others were away at the royal capital of the Jilva Empire, Jessica—who was officially registered as deceased to the outside world—spent her days handling internal desk work back at Weed.
Until quite recently, her duties regarding the demi-human villages required her to head out into the field early in the morning, but ever since switching to internal administration, her routine had become far more relaxed.
Riiiiing...
The alarm clock blared for a second time.
"...6:30 AM... Alright, time to get up."
Slowly, she rose from her futon.
Her unbound blonde hair was disheveled, hanging over her vision.
Finding it bothersome, she grabbed the hair tie beside her pillow and gathered it into its usual side ponytail. Her nightclothes had shifted, leaving her chest plainly exposed.
Even she had to admit she possessed an impressive bust. She was confident it was the sort of thing that attracted men's attention. However, for someone who had just woken up, large breasts were simply heavy and inconvenient.
For now, she stuffed them back into her clothes, grabbed a change of clothes, and left her room.
"...It's cold."
The inn's hallways were spacious, and even after the night had passed and morning arrived, they retained the accumulated chill.
Though they were still far better than a castle.
After walking down the cold hallway, her destination was...
"Oh? Good morning, Jessica."
"Good morning, Ratz."
"Heading to the bath too?"
"Yes. It's the best way to wake up."
"Definitely. A bath first thing in the morning feels luxurious."
Yes, the open-air hot spring.
The luxurious bath attached to the inn, available twenty-four hours a day.
Truly, no king or noble could enjoy a bath whenever they pleased, yet in Weed it was treated as completely normal.
Thanks to shampoo and conditioner, her formerly coarse hair had become silky smooth, making baths an indispensable part of her life.
Splash.
"Ahh... this feels wonderful."
Ratz floated spread-eagle in the open-air bath, completely unconcerned about her large, prominent belly.
"Yes. It truly is pleasant."
Jessica soaked beside her.
The sensation of warmth gradually spreading through her entire body was quite delightful.
"Still, you've gotten completely used to life here, Jessica. Has it been a little over three months since you arrived?"
"Yes. Just about that long."
"No wonder the baby in my belly has gotten so big. When we first spoke about heading to the new continent, I was only three months along, so now I'm nearly seven months pregnant. It's almost time."
Ratz gently rubbed her stomach with an expression of pure affection.
The child resting inside that belly belonged to Yuki.
"Ah, come to think of it, didn't you originally say you were going to seduce Onii-san?"
"I did say that, but Yuki doesn't seem to have any inclination toward it at all, and his wives keep him entirely occupied every single night. Besides, I've only been here for three months, and I've had my hands full just keeping up. Still, if the opportunity ever presents itself, I intend to try my best."
Yes, she had not given up on becoming Yuki's concubine.
With his power, turning the Jilva Empire into the greatest nation on the new continent would be easy, and as a man he had more than enough qualities.
His future prospects were clear from looking at Weed, and while his personality was a bit scheming and cunning, seeing how he treated his wives made even that minor and quite charming.
Honestly, she wanted a good man like him for herself.
Of course, she also thought that helping him solve world-scale problems was only natural as his wife.
"Hmm, hmm. That's the spirit. If you can become Onii-san's close aide just like Ria, it would give the rest of us massive peace of mind. Being both a wife and a direct confidante—that makes him the absolute easiest to protect."
"I can certainly understand that logic. However, I find it entirely impossible to imagine anyone actually defeating Yuki."
"I agree. But we can't ignore the possibility, no matter how small. The more cards we have, the better. If we're not careful, Onii-san has a bad habit of trying to solve everything himself."
"He does. It's just that he values us more. That's why I'd like more wives who can stay by his side constantly, like Ria. Of course, once our terms as executives are over and we've trained successors, we'll join Onii-san's personal guard as well. But that's still a long way off. And after having children, there'll be childcare."
"So protecting him directly is practically impossible?"
"Pretty much. Even after raising our children, it'll be over ten years away. Though I'm incredibly happy to have children. Brother wouldn't even lay a hand on us at first."
"What do you mean?"
"It just means Onii-san was absurdly serious..."
After chatting like that, they left the bath and ate breakfast.
* * *
"""Thank you for the meal."""
"Yes, you're welcome."
Even exchanges like that with Yuki had become an ordinary sight.
She had once thought it strange that the leader of an organization would personally do the cooking, but if she were told to replace him, she had no confidence whatsoever that she could make food better than Yuki's.
In the end, it was simply a matter of putting people where they excelled.
"Hey there, Jessica! What are your plans for today?"
"Ah, Derieu. Today I'm just handling standard internal desk work."
"Hmm. Then the timing is perfect. It has been quite a while since I last gave you a proper lesson; let us spar."
"Eh? Surely Yuki would never allow you to do that given your current condition?"
"Hah, there is absolutely no need to worry. I shall be utilizing a Doppelgänger. Its level is even lower than yours, so it will serve as excellent training."
"That's still concerning, though..."
"Nu-fu-fu-fu. Do not underestimate the Demon King. Even with lower levels, do you think a mere girl could land a hit on me? And certainly not on my stomach. Even if a Doppel doesn't affect my real body, I don't know what kind of shock it might cause. That's precisely why there's no chance I'll let your attacks hit me."
"You said it, Demon King."
"Fufufu... your little stick-swinging isn't reaching me. You're neither Hero nor husband."
Alright. I am absolutely going to land at least one solid hit on her.
As for the desk work, it's just sorting documents anyway; I can leave it to Steve or John.
* * *
""Achoo!""
"Why are you mimicking me?"
"No, that's my line."
"More importantly, stop munching on raw cucumbers first thing in the morning. At this rate, a plate is going to sprout right out of your head like a Kappa."
"Shut up. You worry too much about small details. That's why you can't get a woman."
"Oh? Ohhh? There are some lines in this world that you just don't cross!"
"That's my line. Anyone who insults cucumbers should be forced to eat them 365 days a year until they change their opinion.""
"Scary~? That's scary~?"
* * *
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Well? What happened to that confidence from earlier!?"
"Guh! Ridiculous...! With that body, whose level and stats are lower than mine!?"
Jessica desperately dodged the Demon King Derieu's attacks.
She truly had grown stronger.
Even if it was a degraded Doppel body, the one inside remained a genuine Demon King seasoned by countless battles.
Her experience and skill overwhelmed the level gap, driving Jessica into a corner.
"Everything depends on how you use it. Jessica, your experiences and the growth you've gained since coming here have already made you stronger than average—perhaps even worthy of being called a powerhouse. But it's still not enough."
GAAAAANG!
"Guuuhhh!?"
Derieu's fist slammed into Jessica's shield, sending her flying backward.
Yet Derieu made no move to pursue her and simply watched.
"If you wish to stand beside Yuki, become stronger still. The path your husband walks is one where strength like yours alone will never be enough."
"...I know."
"Then let's continue."
"Of course!"
And so the intense training continued.
* * *
"We'll stop here for today. Your movements have gotten sloppy. This isn't some extreme life-or-death training where pushing yourself that far is necessary."
"...Haa... haa... understood..."
In the end, she failed to land a single hit.
"Well, you did quite well. Two straight hours of training against a Demon King, after all. But why were you using a shield today? Aren't you normally a one-handed sword specialist?"
"...Looking at the state of this training ground, you can seriously ask that?"
"Hm?"
Derieu looked around.
Naturally, the area was full of craters and collapsed sections.
Jessica had prepared the shield because she desperately needed to reduce the damage.
Narjia had made her a simplified version of Ria's multi-layer barrier shield, yet even so, the training ground looked like this.
Without the shield, she might actually have died.
"Hmmm. Ria keeps up just fine."
"That's because she's a Hero!"
"No, Seraria and Riel can manage reasonably well too. I usually take at least one hit from them, and we exchange blows."
"...I'm not at that level yet."
"Then you'll need to reach it soon. Negotiations with Jilva seem to be progressing well. The plan is to split up afterward, isn't it?"
"That seems to be the case."
"Then at the very least, you'll need to be able to land a single hit on me or Ria."
"..."
It seemed her days were about to become very exhausting indeed.
