Side: Ria
Dealing with the Diversionary Force Near the Fortress
"Ria, that's my Hero for you!"
"Oh, it was nothing. I merely fulfilled my duty as your wife."
"That's right. Before you're my Hero, you're my wife. And because of that, I think it's my duty as your husband to properly reward you for working so hard as both. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I-I... then... I'd... I'd like to have a child..."
"Is that all? Then let's get right to work!"
"R-Really!?"
"We're husband and wife. Having children is only natural. Besides, you've been working hard all this time. I'm sure everyone else will understand."
"Yes..."
And so, Yuki and I returned to the inn, where we spent the entire night making love in order to have a baby.
"Hehehe..."
"That's not gonna happen. Stop daydreaming and let's get to work."
Jessica-san mercilessly shattered my fantasy.
"Geez, Jessica-san, you have no dreams. If it's Yuki-san, he would definitely give us a proper reward if we finish this job!"
"That much is true. Yuki always appreciates our efforts. However, if you asked him for something like that, then every one of us would have to become pregnant. There's no way only you would conceive. I would become pregnant as well. That wouldn't be fair."
"Yuki-san would definitely act like that. So it really is fine."
"Exactly. That's why it can't happen. We deliberately staggered our pregnancies so there would always be people available to move around. We shouldn't make wishes that would render all of that meaningless. Or do you intend to leave the exploration of the new continent entirely to Yuki?"
"I would never let that happen! Yuki-san always overdoes things, after all."
"Yes, I feel the exact same way. Therefore, while I understand how you feel, please do not tell Yuki that you want a child right now."
"...Uuu, fine, I'll be patient."
"Good. That's worthy of a Hero. Instead, let him reward you another way tonight."
"I see...! Right! That still gives me plenty of motivation!"
"Now then, Ria. We went out of our way to leave Yuki's side for this security detail, so we cannot return empty-handed. As you can see, the enemy is right before our eyes. What's our plan?"
While saying that, Jessica put on her full-face helmet to hide her identity and turned toward the Enaria army meant to divert forces from the fort.
I, too, deployed the custom Hero equipment made for me by Yuki-san and Elder Narjia-san's group, turning to face the enemy.
"Naturally, no cheap tricks for us—we're going to smash them head-on, just as planned. Got it? This is also real-combat training for you, Jessica, so please pay close attention to your own condition."
"...It's strange hearing that from someone with less combat experience than me. But considering how abruptly my strength increased, if things start looking dangerous, please stop me."
"Of course! I'll make sure to stop you with a single blow, so don't worry."
"...You're not going to kill me... are you?"
Jessica looked back at me uneasily.
Instinctively, I glanced down at my sword.
Let's see... The gunblade would definitely be a bad idea. But knocking her out with the flat of the blade should be fine.
Yep, totally fine.
"Leave it to me!"
"It seems the greatest enemy is the ally at my back..."
Jessica clad in silver armor and I in a black dress-armor burst into a sprint toward the enemy simultaneously.
My dress-armor fluttered in the wind, drawing the enemy's gazes.
...Ugh, getting those kinds of looks from the enemy doesn't make me happy at all.
"I knew it, I should have gone with dress-armor too! This look is completely unrefined—it's not something I can show to Yuki!"
"But Jessica-san, your face is well-known around here, so we made it a gender-neutral armor on purpose, right?"
"I know that, but ever since I put this on, the difference... Every scout we run into keeps staring only at you, Ria... If Yuki treats me with that kind of distant attitude too, I'll want to die."
"I don't think that'll ever happen. Besides, Yuki-san was the one who designed that armor."
That's right. This rugged armor was designed by Yuki-san himself.
Although Jessica had undergone training, she had never fought through a Doppel or with restricted capabilities before.
So, to ensure that Jessica wouldn't get hurt—even as a Doppel—she was encased in full plate armor that covered her entire body.
"Besides, having those weird looks directed at me actually feels super creepy."
"...That does sound unpleasant. Maybe this armor was a good choice after all."
Saying that, Jessica and I came to a halt.
"How was it? We've cleared out the enemy, but..."
"Indeed. I can clearly tell there is a massive performance gap between the Doppel and my actual body. But..."
"But? Did something happen?"
"No, it's just that I didn't get a chance to test out this sword at full strength."
"Well, of course. The only time we can use swords like mine or yours at full strength is during training with Yuki-san."
"...Training with Yuki?"
"Huh? Have you never trained with Yuki-san before?"
"No... While I was training, Yuki was always busy maintaining Betan..."
"I see! Then let's train together with Yuki-san next time. It's bad not to know the full extent of your sword's power, after all."
"That's true. Though I can't really picture what Yuki fighting actually looks like... Anyway, setting that aside, let's hurry up and retrieve the supplies."
"Yes! Let's gather the supplies and get Yuki-san to praise us!"
We were about to collect the supply stores, but then...
"W-Wait... Even if our opponents are... Magic Sword wielders... We cannot back down here..."
A single man was desperately dragging himself up, using his sword like a walking cane.
"To think they would deploy Magic Sword wielders individually... However, Enaria... will never lose!!"
By all appearances, he didn't have enough strength left to swing a sword, yet he raised it high and charged toward us.
While I was debating what to do, Jessica stepped forward.
"Knight of Enaria... I have firmly etched your resolve into my heart."
The moment Jessica spoke, blood spurted from the man's neck, and he collapsed.
...A injury like that can't be healed with our current capabilities.
"...I dealt with him as a fellow knight."
"...Yes. I understand how you feel, Jessica. And I don't think there was anything wrong with what you did."
"Yet, you don't look entirely convinced, Ria."
Jessica must have noticed the subtle look on my face.
So, I decided to speak without hiding anything.
"As someone who was saved by Yuki-san, I just can't bring myself to understand this concept of an honorable death. For me, even if I have to crawl on my hands and knees, I want to return to Yuki-san alive."
"Ria... For us, I think being that way is perfectly fine."
We carefully handled the body of the man who fought us until the very end, placed it beside his comrades who would eventually wake up, collected the supplies, and left the area.
I really wish wars would just disappear forever.
* * *
Side: Kaya
Neutralizing the Diversion Force near Sueito
Sheila and I were currently preparing to cast a certain spell toward the forest where the enemy army was presumably advancing.
"Alright, here we go."
"Yes, leave it to me, Kaya-san!"
In this multi-front simultaneous invasion operation by the enemy, the most troublesome area was assigned to Sheila and me.
The problem with Sueito is that it's surrounded by forest.
Large armies usually choose terrain where they can utilize their strengths, but it's difficult to do so here. If we intercept them in narrow passages, we can neutralize the advantages of a large army and fight favorably. That's probably why the Enaria army, which isn't stupid, targeted the more open Betan.
However, the Enaria force that came toward Sueito ended up taking a rather annoying course of action.
They split up.
In a way, they utilized the strength of a large army by dividing the main force in half to avoid being wiped out in one go, using half as scouts.
Thanks to that, the 2,500 defenders of Sueito under Mist were completely pinned down, unable to make a move. If it were territory they were completely familiar with, they could have sent out scouts and lured the enemy into traps. But it hadn't even been a year since they settled here.
Carelessly sending out scouts who weren't accustomed to the terrain would only lead to pointless casualties.
In reality, since the defense of Sueito was led by the Goblin named Britt, they wouldn't lose even if they took some damage. Still, since we arrived, we decided to coordinate with them to prevent unnecessary confusion, and now we were here to deal with both the dispersed half and the main force.
"Here I go."
When Sheila spoke, a large hole created by magic was filled to the brim with water.
These holes were placed all over the forest and simultaneously filled with water.
"...Then it's my turn."
I summoned my specialty—fire magic—above the water.
Sssssssss...
Steam billowed out, rapidly fanning across the area.
That's right—we generated an artificial fog bank.
By the way, since it was just heated up, it was fairly hot as well.
Using wind magic skillfully, we ensured this dense fog filled only the forest, stripping the enemy of their vision. Then, utilizing our specialized beastfolk senses, we would strike down the enemy and seize their supplies.
Since Sueito hadn't been converted into a dungeon, we had to resort to methods like this.
"...Please take care of things."
"Un, leave it to us."
"We'll leave the defense in your hands."
With that, we entered the fog-covered forest.
We entered the fog-covered forest. Of course, even for us, eliminating the many enemies scattered throughout the forest without a dungeon map would be difficult.
That's why we brought about 50 Shadow Snakes — stealth specialists from the Demon King Castle conquest who can still operate in this mana-depleted continent.
We had already deployed the Shadow Snakes throughout the forest before creating the fog, so the enemy should be in complete chaos right now.
Our job is to attack the main force and steal their supplies.
We advanced through the fog.
Normal people would find it hard to move with no visibility, but we beastmen have sharper hearing and smell than humans, which is why we can build villages in remote areas. If it were just one or two people hiding their breath, it might be hard to detect in such a vast forest, but the main force numbered over 2,000.
The scattered ones are probably being handled randomly by the Shadow Snakes, and this group is very easy to locate.
"Kaya-san, I can hear voices."
"Nn, let's take a look first."
Hearing loud shouting echoing from what appeared to be the main enemy position, we concealed ourselves and listened closely.
"What on earth is happening!? First snake monsters, and now fog!? Since when did the Betan region become like this!?"
"Reporting, sir! Half of our deployed scouting units have been wiped out by those snake monsters!"
"What!? It hasn't even been two hours since the last report! Just how many of those things are lurking out there!?"
"Judging from the speed of the attacks... I'd estimate no fewer than three hundred!"
"Damn it... So the rumors that monsters poured out of the ruins were true. At this rate, Swaite might have already been destroyed... Either way, the enemy won't be able to maneuver freely under these conditions either. Before we take any further casualties, we retreat from this sector and merge back with the main force! Recall all surviving scouts!"
"Yes, sir!"
Saying so, the camp grew even more chaotic.
The camp became even noisier.
If they did that, the Shadow Snakes would only detect them all the more easily.
Wait... Since we'd specifically told the Shadow Snakes not to attack the main force, I suppose this was actually a clever move.
"Kaya-san, if they retreat without us stealing the supplies, it'll be meaningless."
"Un. The Shadow Snakes and the fog worked a little too well. Let's hurry and seize the supplies."
There were only 50 Shadow Snakes out there, so why was the report exaggerated to 300?
...Ah, right, were their levels low? Against Level 130 Shadow Snakes, it must have been an absolute nightmare.
"Shall we proceed as planned then?"
"Right. It's much easier to work while they're in total confusion..."
We put on the armor the Enaria army had left behind during the collapse and blended into the enemy.
Sheila was a bit short, but since young soldier recruits weren't completely unheard of, she didn't draw any particular attention.
With the enemy in complete disarray, no one noticed that we had blended into their ranks.
"Hey! You guys over there, start getting those supplies prepped for transport!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
Honestly...
Their security was surprisingly lax.
Though I supposed they were simply too busy dealing with everything else.
"Still, with this many soldiers around, taking the supplies will require us to act by force."
"Un... Let's have the Shadow Snakes create a diversion."
"Very well. Everyone, please."
At Sheila's words, the Shadow Snakes waiting nearby attacked all at once.
Even though there were only 7 or 8 of them.
"""UWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"""
The effect was more than sufficient.
"Let's steal the supplies and head back quickly."
"Yes. Aslin and the others are waiting too."
Taking advantage of the total chaotic mess, we snatched the supplies and made a clean escape.
According to a later report from a Shadow Snake that caught up with us, the missing supplies were officially recorded as having been "devoured by the snake monsters."
This should hide the fact that we repelled them.
The others are probably going wild though.
* * *
Side: Yuki
"So, that's about how things are going. It seems the enemy elimination is proceeding smoothly."
As usual, Labyris peeked over the report in my hands while sitting on my shoulders.
"As expected of everyone. But what about the monster unit? That should be the fiercest battlefield, right?"
She was right.
The wives were all operating in relatively safe areas, but the most intense fighting was at the cave-in site.
The enemy had actually committed ten thousand soldiers just to secure the collapsed ruins... Because of that, I'd appointed Mino-chan as commander, with John serving as his deputy.
As for inside the dungeon, I'd left everything to Slakichi-san.
"We've already gotten the surveillance unit back safely, so we could order them to withdraw if necessary. But I'd also like to do something about that army's supplies. Besides... I kind of want to see how they deal with what's, from their perspective, the legendary Minotaur."
"Ara? How pitiful. Mino-chan doesn't even like fighting in the first place, you know?"
"That's exactly why I placed him as the Commander-in-Chief. He won't do anything reckless. On the other hand, a guy like John might lose his temper if someone badmouths his vegetables."
"...If I remember correctly, he's even growing a cucumber field inside the dungeon where the Enaria army is trapped, isn't he?"
"Yeah. Apparently, he can't rest easy unless he's cultivating something."
"What about Steve's side...?"
"Worrying about him is pointless. Despite all his complaining, his command ability and judgment are exceptional. He's seriously easy to rely on. Goblins really do become strong if you raise them properly."
"That's true. I never imagined they'd become that strong."
Now then...
Compared to my wives, I'd known Steve and Mino-chan for much longer.
I was looking forward to seeing how the two of them handled things.
Of course, I told them it's fine to retreat if the enemy is too strong.
