Side: Jessica
Currently, the briefing has come to a halt, because almost everyone participating in the meeting is laughing.
It's embarrassing, but I couldn't help myself back then.
Honestly, the mental image of being separated from my husband right after getting married was just too strong, and I spoke without thinking.
"My, my~ This is getting interesting. Though, Jessica, you've completely been swept up by him too."
"...My apologies."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Anyone who gets in the way of a maiden's romance deserves to be kicked to death by a horse."
No, surely having a princess of a nation kicked to death by a horse would cause severe diplomatic repercussions.
"So, what happened after that? Honestly, how could you keep such an entertaining story from us?"
"It's only funny to the ones listening, you know. As the person caught right in the middle of it, I was frantically trying to figure out how to keep the conversation on track without blowing everything up."
"Ah~, I suppose that's true. Wait, were you alright, Yuki? She didn't point a sword at you or anything?"
"Well, I'm standing right here, so obviously I was fine. Besides, what would you have done if she had pointed a sword at me?"
"""We'd punish them, of course. If she intended to kill you, then it's execution."""
"You all answered in perfect unison, and that's scary!! What's with that completely natural response!? Besides, you wives point your weapons at me during training all the time, don't you!? Especially you, Seraria!!"
"That's completely different. We do it to help each other grow stronger as husband and wife. But anyone else? They're either insulting or threatening you, aren't they?"
"Well... those are pretty much the only reasons to point a sword at someone."
"Exactly. Anyone who tries to humiliate or kill you needs to be dealt with."
All the wives, including me, nodded.
Mobu-dono and Narjia-dono were smiling wryly, but isn't that natural?
I think it's obvious that anyone who tries to kill our husband should be eliminated.
"Anyway, Jessica, please continue the story. If your explanation lacks detail, Princess Miffy's head might actually end up rolling."
"No, given her position, it's somewhat understandable that Miffiy-sama drew her sword. You agree, don't you, Selaria-sama?"
"Yes, if we executed someone every time something like that happened, we'd never hear the end of it. So just a punishment, then."
"It's fine. I've already given her proper guidance."
"Oh, have you?"
"Yes. After I declared that I was married—"
* * *
"Listen closely, Miffy-sama! No matter how royal your lineage may be, there is no absurd law in existence that allows you to interfere with a newlywed couple!"
"E-Erm, wait, huh?"
"Are you listening to me, Miffy-sama!?"
"Y-Yes!"
Directly after my marriage declaration, I found myself lecturing Princess Miffy, who had reflexively drawn her sword.
Goodness, while I can understand her surprise at my sudden marriage, drawing a blade was utterly out of line.
Furthermore, trying to tear a new bride away from her husband is simply unthinkable.
"I understand that my marriage comes as a shock. However, I am a woman as well. When a wonderful man appears before me, I will naturally be drawn to him. While it may be somewhat difficult for you to accept—given how much you admire me—that is something you must simply endure!"
"...Yes."
"Furthermore! Yuki is the leader of a mercenary group as well as a descendant of royalty. Drawing a blade out of personal feelings is something that must never happen! Do you intend to point your weapon at an ally and create more enemies for yourself?!"
"...I am truly sorry."
"And regarding your previous order, I request its immediate rescission. You may not be aware, Princess Miffy, but Yuki and his companions possess combat capabilities equal to—or greater than—Magic Sword wielders!"
"What?"
"This is an absolute fact. Isn't that right, Marley-sama, Olive-sama, Mist-sama?"
When I turned my gaze toward the three of them, all three nodded their heads vigorously.
"Marley... could you perhaps stop Jessica?"
"I can't. Once she gets like this, even I can't stop her. Her arguments are too logical. If I interrupted, I'd end up getting lectured too."
"Still, to think Jessica-sama is married..."
Good grief, to have three Magic Sword wielders present and not one of them capable of reining in Princess Miffy is truly lamentable.
"Calm yourself, Jessica. Princess Miffy is reflecting on her actions as well. Let us not waste any more time on lecturing."
"Hivia."
"Please do not glare at me like that. You bear some fault in this as well. If you were married, sending word ahead in writing or informing Lady Olive would have prevented Miffy-sama from becoming this rattled."
"...Understood. I indeed bore some fault in this matter. And more importantly, we must settle our discussions as quickly as possible."
"Yes. The conference room is fully prepared. Yuki-dono, my apologies for keeping you and your companions waiting in a place like this."
"No, it wasn't a problem at all. We apologize for delaying the announcement of our marriage to Jessica as well."
"Not at all, this is a time of war, and we are on the front lines. I understand your desire to keep it hidden out of consideration for us. After all, sending newlyweds to the front line is certainly something one would hesitate to do. However, if you intended to keep it hidden, does that mean you have some sort of plan to strike back?"
As expected of Hivia—she hasn't served as an officer for so long for nothing.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Miffy-sama, I do not believe Jessica hid her marriage simply because she let her inner maiden run wild without reason. Or rather, if she were letting her maiden feelings run wild, she would have reported it properly to get herself removed from the front lines instead."
"...That is true."
"To hear the details of that plan properly, let us proceed to the conference room. Shall we, you three over there?"
Saying so, Hivia glared toward Marley-sama and the sisters.
"Y-Yes, of course! Come, let us start the meeting quickly!"
"Right, let us go."
"...Haa, my apologies, everyone. Come, Miffy-sama, this way."
"U-Understood."
Prompted by Mist-sama, Princess Miffy practically fled into the depths of the fortress.
"As someone who was so adored by Miffy-sama, you really should have taken appropriate countermeasures beforehand."
"Mmph."
"No, wait, that's not it, is it? You simply couldn't contain yourself and blurted it out, didn't you?"
"...T-That is..."
"...Jessica, are you truly fine with this?"
"Eh?"
"As your colleague and as a fellow woman, I am happy that you have found someone to whom you can show such a womanly side. However... is the operation we are about to discuss truly worth gambling that happiness on?"
"Hivia?"
"Yuki-dono."
Before I could react to Hivia's words, she turned directly to Yuki without waiting for my answer.
"I do not know what you did or how you managed to bring out such a side in Jessica. I have no intention of prying either, but right now, Jessica looks deeply happy. And that expression—that happiness—can be seen on the faces of the women standing behind you as well. You must possess something that makes you truly beloved."
Saying so, Hivia gripped a knife in each hand.
Unblessed with a large frame, she fought like an assassin, utilizing her small stature to her advantage. The knives she held were her signature weapons.
But why was she drawing her weapons now?
"...Jessica, and the women behind you... are you really going to gamble their happiness? Are you going to make them gamble their lives on a pointless war like this?"
Hivia glared at Yuki as if her gaze could pierce right through him.
"...I cannot accept this. I cannot allow your plan to be adopted. You should take those women and flee. I will not allow you to gamble away that happiness... If you flee right now, I will cover up everything for you."
"Hivia, what are you..."
"My friend has finally grasped happiness!! I will not allow it to be thrown away for nothing!!"
She screamed.
Hivia, who was always calm and soft-spoken, screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Even if we win this battle, even greater battlefields await us! ...Do you intend to gamble my friend's happiness there as well?! ...I do not want to see a future where you fall, or where my friend falls, leaving the other in tears! ...All humans die eventually. As a soldier, I have felt that truth firsthand. That is precisely why, if you have grasped happiness, you must cherish it!! It is okay to run away!! There is no need to scatter your happiness for something as meaningless as this!!"
What on earth was driving Hivia to say all this...?
I had no idea what words to offer her.
"...I have no intention of running away."
"Why!?"
"Before I answer... may I ask what drives you to say all this? What is your reason?
"...I've simply experienced it myself. . I watched my family die before my eyes... and I lost the person I loved as well. It's my own self-satisfaction. So yes... it's nothing more than selfish meddling. I know nothing about the burdens Jessica—or the women behind you—may carry."
"I see. If you say so yourself, then I suppose it really is self-satisfaction."
"Yes. Selfishly, I simply want you, Jessica, and the women behind you to laugh, be happy, have children, raise them, see them off, grow old together, and live out your natural lifespans. Now then... will you tell me your reason for not running away?"
Yuki shifted his eyes away from Hivia's intense gaze, tilting his head slightly in thought.
"Let's see... my reason for not running away... I guess..."
"You guess?"
"To me, in this current situation, not running away is what leads to happiness."
"That is the mindset of a hero! With such naive thinking, you will lose everything! I figured you would say something like that... That's why, even if I have to use force—!"
With that, Hivia raised her knives and lunged straight at Yuki.
There was no bloodlust in her movement—only a clear intent to knock him unconscious.
It was a selfish answer born purely from her wish for our happiness.
"Whoa, hold on! I have absolutely no interest in being some hero. Besides... I'll run if it's time to run!"
"...What?"
The intensity in Hivia's pressure instantly vanished.
And understandably so—while she had been speaking with utmost gravity, Yuki's response was... well, serious from his own perspective, but completely out of place to anyone else.
His casual reply easily dodged her now-weakened strike.
"I don't fight battles I can't win, and there's no way in hell I'd put my wives in danger!"
"You're making no sense at all!!"
Hit with another baffling declaration, Hivia's second strike missed as well. She cried out in complete utter bewilderment.
"Because we're just going to steal or burn the enemy's supplies, leaving them with no choice but to retreat!"
"...Huh!?"
At those words, Hivia halted her attacks entirely.
"Now then... Deputy Commander of Marley-dono. With several warriors here who are on the level of Magic Sword Masters, which has a better chance of success? Fighting the enemy head-on? Or operating independently to sabotage their supplies and force them to withdraw?"
"...The latter. No... actually, the best option would be to try everything. Including Miffy-sama's desperate negotiations."
"Exactly. It's not just a choice between fighting and running. Sure, just as you said, there's always a chance one of my wives could die. But if we ran now, we'd become fugitives whether Jilva won or lost. That's one outcome I absolutely refuse."
"..."
"Turns out Princess Miffy wasn't the only one running wild around here. I get that you adore Jessica, Hivia, but Jessica is already my wife, so I'm not giving her to you."
When Yuki finished speaking, Hivia slowly turned her head back toward me with creaking movements.
"Erm... Hivia, I gratefully accept your feelings. And as your friend... it makes me very happy."
The moment I said that, Hivia's face turned bright red.
"HYAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
She let out a strange cry and sprinted across the wilderness.
"...Well. You certainly delivered the finishing blow, Jessica."
"I'd rather not hear that from the one who completely derailed such a serious conversation."
"What are you talking about? I was completely serious. I simply explained that operations require flexibility, that running away wasn't the best option, and what methods we actually had available."
"...Couldn't you have said it in a cooler way?"
"If I wanted her to actually listen, that was the best approach. Besides, judging from how serious she was, she'd already resigned herself to a suicidal last stand."
Hivia...
You simply picked the absolute worst opponent to argue with...
"Come to think of it, Ria... why didn't any of you step in?"
Only then did I realize that none of Yuki's escorts had moved the entire time.
"Huh? Because that was just Hivia saying, 'I love Jessica as a friend,' wasn't it?"
"Yeah. There wasn't even any killing intent. What were we supposed to do, right, Tori?"
"Mhm. She's a good friend, Jessica."
"She's just like us."
"She is."
"A wonderful best friend!"
"I think she's a truly wonderful friend."
Everyone smiled warmly at me as they spoke.
"Well then, let's head into the conference room and go over the operation while we wait for Hivia to come back."
Saying so, Yuki headed straight into the fortress, with everyone following closely behind.
When Hivia returned later, she expressed complete agreement with our operation, and the supply raid plan was approved without any further issue.
