Side: Yuki
『Dear, we've pretty much cleared out our entire sector over here. We're heading to reinforce another area now.』
"Don't overdo it."
『Of course. We'll be done before our daughters start crying.』
Oi, is that your standard now?
"I'm sorry, Horst. At this rate, it doesn't look like we'll be fighting a proper battle after all."
"I do not mind. If there is a way to prevent needless bloodshed, then that is the path I will choose."
The two of us were talking while looking out from the walls of Betan, waiting for the unseen reinforcements of the Enaria army.
"But... are you truly certain this is alright? It's not that I doubt your wives' abilities..."
"I appreciate your concern for my wives. Honestly, I'd be a lot happier if they would behave themselves just a little bit more."
"...I can only imagine your hardship. My own wife is fairly capable herself, but there is no way she could stop 5000 enemies alone. No matter how sound the reasoning behind the battle may be, your wives' actions are enough to make my heart stop."
"Yeah..."
I gazed toward the sky in the direction where my wives likely were.
"Destroying the enemy's provisions... Against a large army, there is probably no strategy more effective. Of course, only people like your wives—each worth a thousand soldiers—could ever pull it off. Still... every one of them is so incredibly beautiful. And they make no effort to hide it. Can they truly carry out a covert operation? If my memory serves me right, they're more the type to charge head-on."
Horst said this while looking in the same direction as me.
Yeah, your prediction is spot on... They're not even trying to hide. And yes, they're going for a head-on fight, not burning the enemy's supplies but stealing them instead.
Sigh... Why do I have to live every day worrying like this...? Maybe I really should've stopped them back then...
My thoughts drifted back to when Seraria first insisted on joining the battle.
* * *
"Alright, alright. I get it. So we'll be doing our jobs properly, and we'll send the goblins along with you, Seraria."
"As long as you understand, that's perfectly fine. That way, even though our numbers are few, we won't cause any unnecessary anxiety to our allies, and it will look as though we are executing our duties flawlessly."
After hearing how strongly they wanted to go, I figured taking out enemy scouts would be acceptable.
Even if they were only Doppel bodies, I still couldn't shake my doubts about sending my wives to the front lines.
"I understand how Seraria and the others feel."
"So we can head out?"
"But only to eliminate scouts. Don't make a spectacle of yourselves. The whole plan is to keep our true strength hidden."
Our goal on this continent is purely to investigate the mana depletion phenomenon.
We must avoid actions that would draw the attention of nations and restrict our movement.
"Ara? How cruel. There's even the possibility that we could be captured by soldiers and subjected to all sorts of terrible things, you know?"
"Then maybe you shouldn't go at all. If something like that happened to you, our daughters and I would be devastated."
"It was a joke. Honestly, it's nice that you treasure us so much, but sometimes you take it a little too far."
"If you think that, then quit making jokes like that. Seriously, show some restraint. For all our sakes."
"Fine, fine. Then we'll simply confiscate all the enemy's supplies. If they lose their provisions, they can't fight, and no blood will be shed. Perfect."
"Ara? Why would we stand out? Who in the world would believe a report claiming that an army was defeated and all its supplies stolen by one or two women?"
"Hold on..."
No one would believe that.
More importantly... I never expected that line of thinking to come from Seraria.
"Why are you so surprised? I've been reading 'The Art of War and Six Secret Teachings' and 'Three Strategies of Huang Shigong' lately. They're fascinating."
"I'm surprised you actually took those ideas and figured out how to make them happen. Try remembering what you were like not that long ago."
You used to be the "head-on charge" type of girl.
"I was young back then. It couldn't be helped. I fought on the front lines for so long that strategies like these just felt like they stole the spotlight. But now I'm the one making those strategies."
"...Fair enough. And you're planning to steal the supplies instead of burning them."
"Exactly. Steal them. Conveniently enough, Luna gave all of us an Item Box. Holding enough supplies for tens of thousands of soldiers is easy."
Right. Stealing rather than burning is possible to this world of swords and magic.
Normally, stealing would take more effort and time, making burning more convenient, but in a world centered around magic, it's different.
The Item Box — especially the skill version — is incredibly convenient. As long as you touch it and it can fit, you can store it instantly. Adventurers like Mobu and Orvic have similar item bags, but those require physically putting things inside, and anything larger than the bag's opening or too heavy can't be stored.
Moreover, on this continent, most magic has declined, and Item Boxes only exist in ancient texts... Therefore, to the enemy, it would be completely incomprehensible.
Of course, this assumes they have the strength to seize the supplies. From our previous experiments, there's no way Seraria and the others would lose to the Enaria army, and since they're doppels, they can contact us immediately if anything happens.
"With this, we'll send the scouts Horst dispatches along with some goblins in a direction with no enemies, and we'll strike them. It's perfect." Seraria said.
"And then what? The enemy will be stranded without supplies. The exhausted main Enaria force should be coming out of the dungeon soon, right?"
"Eh? Obviously, we capture them. We'll have a perfectly valid political excuse, won't we? 'The enemy was completely starved out and incapable of offering resistance, whereupon we launched a decisive, single-stroke assault and successfully apprehended their commanding Generals.'"
"So you've already planned that far ahead."
"Isn't there a Holy Sword user staying with Marley and Olive? The sooner the enemy is defeated, the sooner we can sit down and properly talk to her."
"Oh right... I'd completely forgotten about her after everything with the Dullahan."
"That Dullahan served the previous Adminstrator of this continent, didn't she?"
"Yeah. But she's... overly excited, I guess? Or rather, so much time has passed since the previous Administrator's era that sorting through their outdated information has been an absolute nightmare."
"That's understandable. Didn't you say the previous Administrator was betrayed by someone close to them? If someone killed you, Yuki..."
Seraria didn't hesitate.
"...I'd destroy the world."
When Seraria said that without hesitation, the other wives around her nodded.
"...That's terrifying. And completely pointless. Please don't destroy the world."
Seriously... Destroy the world just because I died?
That's way too scary.
"Well, that's what your Designated Protection skill is for. Besides, every one of us is a capable wife. There's nothing to worry about."
The other wives nodded again.
"Anyway, back to the subject. We'll starve the Enaria army of supplies and drive them off."
"There will be many who starve to death or turn to banditry. Can you really do that in the area Horst governs?"
"It'll be fine. Before pursuing them, we'll say ‘If you surrender, we promise to supply you with food.'"
"Are you a devil!? Wait, the food you intend to supply them with is just the exact same stuff you stole from them in the first place, isn't it!?"
"Naturally. Letting it rot would be a waste. If it encourages surrender and prevents starvation and banditry, isn't that the best outcome?"
Although I had objections to Seraria's plan, it was the most logical option in terms of minimizing casualties, so we adopted it.
However, the plan to fight hard alongside Horst at Betan and make the enemy underestimate our strength was completely shattered.
"Hey, Steve."
"What's up all of a sudden, Boss?"
"With my wives already out there wiping out the detached units... wouldn't it be more efficient to send the goblin corps against Enneria's reinforcements? They don't have to worry about being recognized anyway."
"Wouldn't that let them retreat? The whole point is to force them to keep resupplying their detached units until they run out, right?"
"Even so. Once they reach Betan, it'll turn into a defensive battle whether we like it or not. Don't you think this is a good way to delay that?"
"That's... true-ssu."
"Right? In that case, here. Put this on."
Saying so, I tossed a set of disguise gear over to him.
"Hey!! Isn't this just a straw loincloth and a cheap-looking short sword!? Where are the clothes!?"
"Normal goblins don't wear clothes, you know?"
"Don't say that like it's perfectly normal! We're civilized goblins! Civilized goblins! Who wants to run around half naked!? We'll get hurt! And where are the shoes!?"
"Relax. That loincloth was specially developed by Narjia-san of the Fairy Race as exclusive goblin equipment! Even though it's only a loincloth, it creates a full-body mana barrier with excellent defensive power! It keeps you comfortable in both heat and cold! Oh, and you can keep the shoes. The shortsword's also one of Narjia-san's masterpieces. It's better than most ordinary swords."
"That Häagen-Dazs addict actually put this much effort into something this ridiculous!? Wait... isn't this an enchanted weapon!? This thing's on a completely different level from ordinary swords!"
"Great. Sounds like you have no complaints. You're supposed to be wild goblins, so take about ten men."
"Ehhhh!? You already decided we're going!?"
Steve shouted toward the goblins standing guard in the rear.
"It's fine. If you die in battle, I'll take a photo before you head out, and it'll make a fine memorial portrait."
"I am NOT happy about that at all!! What kind of sick, twisted harassment is leaving behind a funeral portrait of me in a naked loincloth state?! Argh, fine! I'll make sure to survive just so I can personally dispose of that photo! Hey, you guys! I'm selecting the members!!"
Steve called out to the Goblins keeping watch in the rear, but...
"""Pass."""
Every one of them refused instantly.
"Passing isn't an option! Move it!"
"I don't wanna!! Who'd volunteer to become a pervert!?"
"Noooooo!! This is humiliating!!"
...Yeah.
Maybe this carefree goblin unit needed another round of training.
* * *
Side: Milly
It's been a while since I've done fieldwork.
At the Adventurer's Guild I was at reception, during my slave days I was in a dirty little room, and after coming to Weed... I had reasonable freedom and fun, and got a good husband, but I ended up stuck in a room doing paperwork.
So being under this vast sky...
"Ahh, the alcohol is delicious!!"
The secret aged sake Yuki-san gave me is so good!!
As expected of the high-class stuff that comes out during the New Year.
"Milly, stop drinking and hurry up with the supplies."
Tori, who was next to me, said that.
Still as serious as ever.
Well, that's exactly why I could get away with drinking next to her.
"Sorry, sorry. Just one more cup~"
"Geez..."
I drained the sake from my cup.
"Ah~! Alright then. Which ones should I store?"
"I'll take care of the spare weapons and arrows. You handle the food."
She pointed toward a mountain of sacks that looked like flour.
"Got it."
I wasn't about to leave everything to Tori.
I'd do my share properly, then maybe Yuki-san would reward me with another bottle.
As for children... Like Riel, I wasn't in any hurry.
Raising kids is hard work, and it would reduce the time I get to spend with Yuki-san. I still want to flirt and be lovey-dovey with him a lot more.
"...Guh... You... What have you done...?"
"Ara?"
While I was thinking, a man's voice—not Tori's—called out from behind.
Turning around, I saw one of the soldiers we had previously knocked unconscious groggily pulling himself back up.
Hmm, judging by how grand his armor looked, was he perhaps a high-ranking officer?
"Take your hands off that... Those are critical military supplies belonging to our imperial army... Not something a mere little girl should touch...."
Hmm...
Looks like my forced sleep spell still needed more practice.
"Are you listening!? We are the elite soldiers of the Holy Nation of Enaria! For this insult, you will pay with your—"
"—Be quiet."
He never got the chance to draw his sword.
One strike from my twin blades, and he collapsed once more.
"You know, I hate soldiers like you the most."
It was the petty, bloated pride of a country just like this that destroyed my hometown.
I was personally saved by Yuki-san, however, that alone didn't mean all the lingering bitterness within my heart had magically vanished.
"Milly..."
"Ah, I'm fine. Let's hurry and finish storing the rest."
I haven't forgiven Elju-sama either, but Yuki-san wants peace.
Yuki-san... I believe he will, surely, make this world a better place than it is now.
So, I will lend him my strength.
Without a single shred of hesitation, I will bestow all my strength and knowledge upon him—all for the sake of keeping that wonderful, smiling face happy.
"For now, no more drinking after making a serious face like that."
"Eh, it's really no good?"
"No means no. You were totally planning on using those food supplies right in front of us as a drinking snack, weren't you?"
"Aww. You caught me?"
"Seriously, if we don't finish quickly, more people might wake up like earlier. We need to stay out of sight as much as possible. I'll tell Yuki-san on you."
"I'm sorry!! Anything but that, please!!"
Right! Time to work diligently and show off my appeal as a highly capable, reliable woman!!
Enaria Fail Diversionary Force: 5,000 Men.
Completely rendered unconscious via wide-area forced sleep magic. Plunder of all military supplies successfully executed.
Operation Personnel Mobilized: 2 Persons
Milly, Tori.
