Side: Seraria
Well, this certainly isn't the kind of story you'd blurt out at a formal briefing.
Listening to the tale of friendship between Jessica and that girl Hivia, I managed to get the general gist of what happened.
"So that's how it is. Which means they're basically willing to go along with whatever we propose?"
"Yeah. The Enaria army had no choice but to retreat once Mino-chan's army appeared. But from Jilva's perspective, that army is also a major threat."
"I don't mean to talk bad about Mino-chan, but it's really a huge help that he's treated like a legendary monster over there."
"I don't mind at all. As long as Seraria-sama and everyone in Weed likes me, that's all that matters."
"My, what a loyal retainer you are. I wish a certain superior officer who keeps getting rejected by women would learn something from you."
As I said that and glanced over at Steve who was still trussed up on the floor.
The floor beneath him was completely soaked with tears.
...Though I was the one who said it, I did feel a little sorry for him. I'll give him some follow-up support later.
Anyway, more importantly, we need to move the meeting forward.
"So, the plan is for Mino-chan to negotiate with Jilva directly. Our role is to pass that message along. They already owe him for driving back the Enaria army, and now they're faced with a legendary monster capable of leading an organized military force. No one in their right mind would ignore all that and continue pursuing the Enaria army."
"Still, while Jilva gets to celebrate seizing new territory, Enaria can't just take this lying down, right? They had their land stolen from them, after all. Even if they've pulled back for now, won't they just regroup, sign a non-aggression pact with Mino-chan's army, and launch another attack?"
"There's a chance, but it's pretty close to zero."
"Why is that?"
"First, we've taken captives—and one of those captives happen to be a Magic Sword wielder. And to show that Mino-chan bears no hostility, we also presented them with a few offerings."
"Offerings?"
"Just some third-rate pieces that didn't meet Narjia-san's standards."
"W-Wait, Narjia's!?"
The weapons Narjia-san crafts range from swords and armor all the way to firearms from Yuki's original world.
And what makes them truly terrifying is her ability to weave magic into weapons using a special skill called Enchantment. Combined with Yuki's knowledge, she's been pumping out some truly absurd weapons lately.
"Ah, don't worry, Seraria-sama. Those weren't crafted by me—they were pieces chosen by the Blacksmith Guild to be placed in dungeons that got filtered out of the final selection."
Whew... thank goodness. So she isn't just handing out gear that verges on being classified as weapons of mass destruction.
"I see... and just how good are these 'rejected' items, exactly?"
"Hmm... I'd say they're just a little better than the magic swords Marley-san, Olive-san, and Mist-san were using."
"...Isn't that an absolutely ridiculous gift by New Continent standards?"
"Exactly why we did it. So how do you think they'll judge someone who casually gives away items like that?"
"...Even if they assume the giver doesn't understand their value, they can't simply ignore it. If there's even a possibility of obtaining magic swords in large numbers, they'd rush to sign a ceasefire with Jilba and try to build friendly relations with Mino-chan's army. Even if they intended to seize them by force, Jilba interfering would only get in the way. They'll definitely agree to a ceasefire."
I see, so that's the logic behind forcing a ceasefire.
Enaria wants more Magic Swords, and having Mino-chan's army there serves as a kind of shield against Zilva.
"On the other hand, if they ignore all this and continue their invasion, we'll deal with them however we please."
If they were truly that foolish, there would be no point negotiating with them in the first place.
This would also serve as a good opportunity to determine whether they were worth dealing with.
"Exactly. They're both major nations, so they'll negotiate for every advantage they can get."
"Right. Since Enaria is technically the victim of an invasion, they'll file formal protests, but that'll just be for show. In the meantime, they can build a friendly relationship with Mino-chan. Jilva, on the other hand, owes Mino-chan's group for repelling Enaria, and they won't realize the true value of Mino-chan's supplies until after Enaria does."
"By that time, Enaria and Mino-chan will have already signed some sort of pact. Jilva won't be in a position to attack and will have no choice but to negotiate."
"Exactly. At that point, Mino-chan and Enaria will practically be allies. If Jilva makes a move, Enaria can use it as a righteous cause to bring Mino-chan's forces to their side, claiming Zilva broke the ceasefire."
Against any rational opponent, a ceasefire becomes the only logical choice.
"That's about the size of it. Which is why Princess Miffy will most likely be the one sent to negotiate the ceasefire with Enaria."
"That makes sense. Someone has to represent the nation, and since Princess Miffy already happens to be at the front, she's the quickest choice."
"Normally, the kings themselves would meet face-to-face..."
"But this time neither side wants that."
"Exactly. Jilva has just conquered territory, so even if they accept a ceasefire, they'll remain cautious. And since they're also fighting elsewhere, they'll want to redeploy their spare troops immediately."
"And Enaria may have lost territory, but they've gained a connection to Mino-chan. They'll want to secretly negotiate with her first and strengthen themselves before anyone else."
"That's the idea. So, once Princess Miffy receives orders regarding the ceasefire from the King of Jilva, we'll either be the ones delivering the news or acting as her escorts."
If we were just ordinary mercenaries, that wouldn't fly, but the story the King of Jilva blurted out about Yuki being a royal descendant carries real weight here.
It gives us more than enough justification to tag along. We can't act as official state representatives, but participating on Zilva's side won't be a problem at all.
"...Hmm? Come to think of it, Mino-chan's group will also be attending separately, won't they?"
"That's right. Mino-chan's army effectively becomes a third military power. They're far too dangerous to provoke, in every sense of the word. Since they're the biggest reason Jilva and Enaria are even considering a ceasefire, they can't exactly stay hidden."
"I see... Ah, I get it now. You're drawing all the attention onto Mino-chan."
"Normally, a mercenary group like ours—travelling with demi-humans—would stick out like a sore thumb. But with an army led by the legendary Minotaur right there, nobody's going to pay much attention to us."
Enaria will have their hands full dealing with Mino-chan's group anyway, and they'll want to wrap up the ceasefire quickly so they can start negotiating with him. The danger to us will be far lower than if we had won through a direct clash between Zilva and Enaria.
"So our mercenary group will pretend to meet Mino-chan's army for the first time in front of Jilva and Enaria, while secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes... As usual, you really love these kinds of schemes, don't you, Yuki?"
"My motto is keeping a low profile, after all. Well, this gives us a grand entry into Enaria's royal capital. That said, the ceasefire hasn't even been signed yet, and there are plenty of diplomatic hoops to jump through, so it'll be a month at the earliest. Until then, let's just take it easy."
"Ahh... So in the end, I only got to rampage once. Maybe I should've gone a little wilder."
Everyone let out a light chuckle at my comment.
With that, the meeting was pretty much wrapped up. Just as I shifted my gaze, thinking I should check on Sakura, I noticed Ratz looking pale and unwell.
"...Ratz, are you okay?"
I quickly rushed over to her side.
She's pregnant right now—a state I was in myself not too long ago. Having spent so much time together as fellow mothers-to-be, I can spot even the slightest change in her condition.
"Ah, oh... Seraria? I'm sorry. It's just... the baby inside is kicking really violently... Ugh..."
"Wait, isn't that... Oh no!! Yuki, hurry and get Lutz to the hospital!! Wait, WHAT?!"
I pulled my eyes away from Lutz to find my husband, only to see—
"Hey! Eris!? Derieu?! Are you two alright?!"
"Y-Yes. It's no problem... gasp!"
"Yuki, the baby... it's moving so much..."
No way, over there too?!
"Killue, are you okay!?"
"...Of course... It's just... the baby inside is full of energy..."
"Killue-san, don't push yourself! Once you calm down a little, we're going straight to the hospital."
"B-But, Rurua-sama... cleaning up this place..."
"That doesn't matter right now! You and your baby are what's important! Cleaning up can be left to Mino-chan and Steve!"
WHAT!?
All the remaining pregnant wives are going into labor at the exact same time!?
"W-Wawawah, what do we do?!"
"L-Let's calm down, Aslin!"
"Alright, alright, let's all take a deep breath. So, Seraria, what's the plan?"
Labyris calmed Aslin and Filia down before turning her eyes to me.
Right. Deep breath.
The only ones here with actual childbirth experience are me and Rurua. Since Lulua is a doctor, she needs to head straight to the hospital, which means I need to take command!
"Yuki, carry everyone to the hospital one by one, calmly. Ria and Jessica, assist him!"
"Got it!!"
""Understood!!""
"Milly, go fetch Grandma. We'll need her help with the deliveries again. And come back yourself!"
"Yes, right away!!"
"Rurua, go ahead to the hospital to prepare! Call Elju back from the Demon Lord's Castle as well!"
"Understood!"
"Tori and Riel, notify everyone who needs to know. Don't let panic spread."
"On it!"
"Leave it to me!!"
"Kaya, take Eris's place to prepare and host the radio broadcast. Don't worry, you can do this, Kaya!"
"...Eh? Okay... I understand."
"Mobu, you and your group notify the Adventurers' Guild. Inform them that Milly won't be available for a while."
"Got it!"
"Leave it to us."
"Understood!"
"Sheila, handle the export management that Ratz can't cover right now."
"Yes!"
"Aslin, Filia, Labyris, and I will head back home to look after the children. I know you want to stay, but we can't leave Sakura and Sumire alone."
"Understood!!"
"We will do our best!!"
"Got it."
"Steve, raise the city's security level to the absolute maximum! This is definitely going to cause a stir!"
"On it-ssu!!"
"Mino-chan, return to the dungeon on the new continent immediately and keep watch!"
"Understood, gather!"
"Narjia-san, after Tori and the others make the announcements, please maintain a double watch to keep panic from spreading."
"Understood."
"Zargis, head back to Jilva and continue your work. Peace, go with Mino-chan and help gather information."
"Understood."
"Roger that."
Alright, everyone's been assigned their tasks!
"Everyone, I'm counting on you!"
"""YES, MA'AM!!"""
Man... honestly, this is going to be a tougher battle than any war!
"Sakura-chan! Sumire-chan! Your big sisters are coming right now~!!"
"That is right!! We will protect you properly!!"
"Fufu... you two are so eager. It's adorable."
"U-Um!! Aslin-sama!! My head!! Please give me back my head—!!" (Kirika)
