Side: Yuki
After that, we gathered all kinds of information, but in the end it seemed that the Enaria royal family also knew the truth about the wielders of the Holy Sword.
Digging deeper could risk picking a fight with the nation, and it's not confirmed information either—relying on just one nation's intel is unreliable. We need perspectives from multiple angles and a greater volume of more certain information.
In our position, simply proclaiming our own self-righteousness isn't going to cut it. We needed to understand 'what problems had led to those actions, why they had made those choices, and what consequences followed'. If we don't grasp how our predecessors failed, we risk falling into the exact same trap.
Well... being stabbed in the back by my wives was practically impossible, thanks to the Designated Protection.
So, after discussing everything, we came to a simple conclusion: set out for other nations and gather more information.
However, we are officially Princess Miffy's escorts. We can't move until the ceasefire matters are settled... But a week had already passed since our arrival in Enaria, yet there was still no sign of the treaty being finalized. Well... given the massive uproar that just shook the Holy Capital, it makes sense.
According to Jessica, the royal government was using the chaos as an excuse to systematically root out the anti-ceasefire faction. They don't want their own country's shame or anything that could drag them down. In situations like this, there were really only two choices: Either finalize the ceasefire before anyone could interfere or eliminate every obstacle first and proceed afterward.
Or rather, considering they suffered a massive failure right in front of Princess Miffy and us, they have to actively demonstrate that they're purging the opposition to avoid diplomatic backlash. Naturally, completely eradicating the anti-ceasefire faction is impossible, so the peace treaty will likely be signed in a few days.
"Still, I can't imagine Princess Miffy going through with the marriage exactly as originally planned."
"Why's that?"
The one who reacted to my comment was Aegil.
She's one of the many people currently swamped with the aftermath of the recent disaster.
Sadly, her partner, General Prism, had been protecting the king and top officials without our support during the battle, sustaining near-fatal injuries in the process.
We healed her, of course, but ordered her to remain in bed. The king and the senior officials also insisted he take some time to recover. Considering one of their strongest fighters had gone down, prioritizing her recovery was the obvious choice.
As a result, Aegil had inherited much of Prism's workload. That included entertaining us.
Apparently, the king had forbidden anyone besides Aegil from approaching us carelessly. As long as the anti-ceasefire faction still existed, there was always the possibility that someone might deliberately provoke us in an attempt to derail the negotiations.
However, picking a fight with us required being prepared to see your country destroyed. The king and everyone who had witnessed the battle understood that perfectly. They had watched us wipe out monsters that even Prism had struggled against, and then heal Prism's wounds immediately afterward.
Anyone with normal thinking wouldn't try to make us their enemy, but those who weren't there might think differently.
Which was why, for the time being, only Aegil and the men under her command were allowed to interact with us.
Anyway, I should answer Aegil's question.
"It's simple. Think about it—we just had a massive, nation-shaking disaster, right? Imagine if Princess Miffy gets married right now and immediately gets assassinated."
"Ah, that would destroy the ceasefire."
"Exactly. They're supposedly purging the anti-ceasefire faction, but it's impossible to do completely, right?"
"True. It's hard to even define who counts as anti-ceasefire."
"So here's the plan: sign the ceasefire treaty, have Princess Miffy return to Jilva for the time being to let the reality of the peace settle in, and then come back to pick her up. Makes way more sense, doesn't it?"
"Wait, but if someone assassinates Princess Miffy when they come back to pick her up, wouldn't the end result be the exact same?"
"Only if she gets assassinated. But unlike this time, it won't be a rushed job. They'll have plenty of time to prepare for the wedding, and her escort will include her personal direct guards from Jilva on top of us. Plus, it buys Enaria even more time to root out the anti-ceasefire faction."
"Ah, I see! Since the ceasefire is already signed, there's no need to rush. Both sides get to set up a framework that maintains the peace under near-optimal conditions... Though honestly, I doubt there's any escort better than you guys anyway. Did you know? The reason we've been walking on eggshells around you guys during your stay is because the King of Jilva sent a separate letter to His Holiness the Holy King of Enaria alongside the ceasefire documents. Rumor has it the letter literally said: 'If you pick a fight with them, your kingdom will be destroyed.' Seeing you fight back then, it definitely didn't sound like an exaggeration."
"Come on, we wouldn't go that far."
That old man in Jilva... stop meddling in unnecessary stuff, man.
...In a way it helped, but in another way it made things harder to move.
I'd have Kirika investigate that letter Aegil mentioned later.
"By the way, are they going to publicize this ceasefire to other nations?"
"Of course. If we do that, it'll serve as a warning to any countries still at war with either Jilba or Enaria. Though, to be honest, they're mostly just small border skirmishes."
"That makes sense. So are you sending envoys around to notify everyone that a ceasefire's been signed?"
"Well, that's part of it, but people might suspect it's just a political ruse. That's why we're formally depositing the ceasefire documents and submitting an official report to the Academy."
"...Academy?"
Why is a school suddenly popping up in this conversation?
"Hm? Ah, I guess ordinary folks wouldn't know. You've at least heard of the Academy near the center of the continent, haven't you? The one where magically gifted individuals from every nation gather to study?"
"...I think I've heard something like that before."
"Oho? I assumed you guys were graduates from there too. Guess not."
"Judging by the way you say that, it sounds like there are some incredibly powerful mages there."
"You bet. Word has it there are people there who can pull off feats equivalent to us Magic Sword wielders all by themselves, and even master multiple elements individually."
"If that's true, why aren't these mages serving in their respective national armies? If they're gathered from all over, shouldn't they have returned to their home countries?"
"They do return. You've seen the Mage Corps units, haven't you?"
"The units that throw around little fireballs?"
"That's exactly the kind of reaction I'd expect from someone like you."
She laughed.
"But being able to cast fireballs using pure internal mana without incantations is incredibly convenient, you know. As long as they rest, they can keep firing, and their only supply chain requirement is food."
"Ah, looking at it from a logistical standpoint, that is super convenient."
"The people I mentioned earlier—those comparable to, or even stronger than, Magic Sword wielders are a tiny minority. And honestly, that tier of 'geniuses' is universally a pain in the ass to deal with."
"What do you mean?"
"They didn't get strong because they were handed a Magic Sword as a cheat code—they built that power through sheer personal talent. Naturally, their personalities tend to be a bit... problematic."
"...Ah, I get it."
"Not every single one of them, of course. But the sensible, talented mages usually remain at the Academy. They assist the Headmaster while also keeping an eye on those troublesome prodigies. Of course, they conduct magical research as well."
Yeah. No matter what world you're in, there really is only a thin line separating genius from idiot.
"And as for why we deposit documents and file reports there: it's because the Academy is completely neutral ground. Plus, it's the safest place on the continent to archive important records. If anyone dares to mess with it, they'll have to deal with archmagi stronger than Magic Sword wielders, not to mention angering every nation on the continent. In fact, nearby nations usually hold their treaty signings right at the Academy."
"Because no third party can interfere."
"Bingo. Well, our kingdom isn't close enough to just pop over easily, and we needed to finalize this ceasefire ASAP anyway."
And behind that, Enaria wanted to establish personal connections with Mino-chan's group.
I see. So that's why they didn't involve the Academy as a mediator.
Though, just as Aegil said, the distance issue and the urgent need for a ceasefire were definitely real factors too.
"Sigh... But now I have to be the one who delivers all the paperwork and reports to the Academy... It's such a pain."
"Sounds rough. But in terms of combat capability, you're the top candidate here, Aegil. I don't think it's the wrong decision."
"I know that! But man, going to a place that's existed since ancient times—a literal nest of people referred to as 'Magi' rather than mere magic users—is gonna be exhausting."
"Doesn't that make it exciting for someone like you?"
"...Well, yeah. Since I use a Magic Sword—a weapon that converts mana into spells—I'm definitely curious to see the research happening at a gathering place for grandmasters of magic. Besides, the King gave me an official royal decree to stay there as an exchange student for six months and steal as much technology as I can."
"Well, that's pretty standard."
"Standard or not, I'm enrolling via a royal recommendation—as a student! In that merit-based Academy, there's no way I won't be targeted."
"Ah, so it really is merit-based."
"Of course. Magic is all about raw talent. Hiding behind noble authority doesn't boost your mana capacity, yet I'm barging in out of nowhere on the King's personal favor. Even if I can use a bit of magic myself, I'm definitely going to get glared at."
"...Good luck with that."
That's literally all I can say.
Enrolling in a school like that is practically screaming with event flags.
—In some story, there'd probably be a downtrodden protagonist sitting at the bottom.
—Someone stuck at the bottom tier due to a hyper-specialized, quirky talent, whose hidden potential awakens right when Aegil enrolls!
—Then they'd engage in a series of dramatic battles against arrogant, talented young ladies and handsome high-spec rivals, defying fate itself!
Yep, I am 100% sticking to the bystander role.
I'll just send Kirika or someone to covertly gather information.
If my wives or I go, we'll get dragged into plot events without a shadow of a doubt. Besides, my mental age is around 28—I have zero desire to go back to school at this point in my life!
What do you think I became an adult and started enjoying a free life for!? It's not like I got reincarnated as a teenager or anything, so there's no reason for me to enter that prison... Do you have any idea how much I suffered during my student days...?
"What are you talking about, Yuki? You guys are coming along as the official reporters for the Jilva side, you know. And you'll be enrolling at the Academy just like me."
"...What?"
For a moment, my brain simply stopped processing her words.
Eh, we're going to an event-filled Academy?
Don't be ridiculous. I've already got wives. A whole group of beautiful wives, if I do say so myself. If I go to some academy, I'm absolutely, positively going to get dragged into a mountain of trouble.
Besides, I don't even want to enroll by myself. And I definitely don't want to send any of my wives there alone.
"Uh... I heard there was a letter saying that Jilva's representative would be you. But I mean, that's obvious, right? Considering your sheer combat power."
"Wait, what about Princess Miffy's guard duty?"
"Well, it's not like all of you have to go to the Academy. You can split your forces, right?"
"...I guess that makes sense."
That damn old man in Jilva... he was aiming to divide our forces all along...
Wait, calm down. Rather than dividing our forces, he probably just expected me to put the right people in the right places.
He knows even a single one of us can't be easily stopped, and he knows we want to gather information, so this is probably him doing us a favor.
Basically giving us a green light to freely investigate things at the Academy... If only he didn't know about my absolute hatred for educational institutions!
We built a school back in Weed too, but I wasn't a student or a regular teacher.
And it wasn't some place for raising Heroes or managing a class of underperforming delinquents—it was a normal school where I served as the Principal, which was totally fine.
Damn it.
What am I supposed to do now?
I'm being forced to walk straight into a place overflowing with event flags... How am I supposed to minimize the damage?
Jessica is the absolute best choice for Princess Miffy's guard duty. Even if his goal was to split our strength, moving through the Dungeon means our forces aren't actually divided at all, so that's fine.
The real question is: Who was coming to the Academy with me?
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. Just thinking about who should head to the Academy."
"Ah, right. I bet all your ladies are gonna want to tag along. Man, you've got it tough, Yuki."
Right... there was that problem too.
A while back, they were all running around having a blast dressed up in school uniforms. There was a very real possibility that every single one of them would want to come.
Then again, it's a Magic Academy—it might have a completely different vibe compared to standard lectures from Kurse or Rurua, so it might actually be worth checking out... We've set up countermeasures to respond to the Holy Sword wielders' movements at any moment, and our intelligence gathering has hit a dead end for now.
Shoot. I can't find a single valid excuse to refuse.
The mountain of predicted events is something only I understand, and even if I say it, they won't get it.
What should I do?
How can I safely survive the minefield of school events!?
Damn it, maybe I should consult Taiki-kun... He's the only Japanese person I know, and he has designated protection, so he'll understand what flags mean!
Ah, God, please let nothing happen...
『Ahahahaha! As if that was ever going to happen! Heehee—my stomach hurts!』
Damn it. Why is the only goddess I have a useless one?
