Side: Yuki
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work the day before yesterday."
Vice Headmaster Lara offered these words of appreciation as she served us black tea.
Currently, members of our dungeon team were gathered in the Academy's conference room to discuss our future plans.
"Not at all. The ones who worked the hardest the day before yesterday were Eoid and Amanda."
Eris says that as she sips her tea.
If you ask who worked hardest in that duel festival—it's undoubtedly Eoid and Amanda.
The opponents who fought me and Taiki-kun put up a decent fight, but they were still just the opening acts. The main event was supposed to be the stage for those two in the first place.
Well, at least we managed to push things through there instead of ending up with some "to be continued" ending like you see in certain romance manga.
Now, with this...
"We can officially welcome Dragon Knight Amanda and Eoid as forces belonging to the academy. We even recorded their accomplishments on such a grand stage. Furthermore, since they publicly declared their engagement, there's no need to worry about any unwanted suitors stepping in. Up until now, the main obstacle was simply that Amanda was a student."
The purpose of that duel festival was to make Dragon Knight Amanda an official asset of the academy, allowing us to freely use her whenever we needed to travel. For that, we needed something like an official appointment at the academy, rather than her remaining merely a student.
Academy students could eventually receive offers to serve other countries, so if we didn't take measures now, there was a possibility that we wouldn't be able to freely use Dragon Knight Amanda in the future.
Naturally, that raised the question: why not simply hire Amanda right away?
The issue with that approach was Amanda's gender. If she were to marry someone, it would inevitably create ties between the Academy and her husband's home country.
There were countless nobles eager to add the prestige of a Dragon Knight to their names. High-ranking nobles—unlike the Duke of Rhodey—would never pass up the chance to secure a potentially uncontrollable Dragon Knight for their own nation. Meanwhile, minor nobles might act impulsively, scheming to claim Amanda for themselves.
Such interference could tear her and Eoid apart, or even lead to their family members being taken hostage. Therefore, we needed them to tie the knot quickly, establishing a framework that allowed us to protect both Eoid and Amanda's relatives as members of the Academy. As for Eoid himself, he demonstrated his strength during the Duel Festival, leaving few people with any grounds to claim he was unworthy of Amanda.
While we couldn't eliminate every last dissenter, it would certainly prevent open criticism.
"Well, I already knew about those two's relationship, so I'm happy that we can finally congratulate them openly."
"Indeed. We've watched those two chase each other around countless times."
"...Even you, Headmaster, and the Vice Headmaster knew about their relationship?"
"Of course. They've been causing a fuss ever since they enrolled. Besides, Amanda was usually the only victim, and watching them was quite entertaining for us."
"Yes. I often watched Amanda, thinking how stubborn she was being about her feelings. It wasn't as though they were particularly interfering with classes. Well, Samantha occasionally got dragged into it, but since she never complained, it served as a form of entertainment for us as well."
Ah, I see.
So long as the victim didn't lodge a formal complaint with the Academy, they simply turned a blind eye. Strictly speaking, without an official report, they couldn't take action on their own.
So that's how a lucky pervert moment manages to avoid becoming a crime.
And now everyone's eyes turn toward the victim herself.
"It is just as the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster have said. I never quite understood why I kept getting dragged into their antics, but what they were doing was really just an endearing way of hiding their feelings. It wasn't something I needed to get angry about."
"Well, Samantha here is very broad-minded. Naturally, if a Duke's daughter had complained, I would have put a stop to it. But since she didn't, I preferred to just watch over them."
Saying so, Poppuri took a bite of the cake we had brought, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Alright, so Eoid and Amanda are officially together. What kind of position are you planning to give her at the Academy?"
When I asked, Poppuri and Lara stopped eating their cake and set their forks down.
"Well, about that... because this situation is completely unprecedented, the board meeting has devolved into total chaos over how to handle it."
"We cannot simply create a new department on our own authority, after all."
"I guess even the Academy has its fair share of bureaucracy, huh?"
"Naturally. Even though this is an educational institution, if a request comes in, we sometimes join conflicts in other nations, so we do possess military functions. Granted, our standing forces are quite small."
"The eligible participants are our teaching staff and top fifty students. Beyond that, there are former single-digit ranks who have essentially become shut-ins—those abandoned by their home countries to the Academy. Due to their political standing, returning home isn't an option for them."
"I'm surprised the students can be deployed, but you're pretty blunt about it. ‘Former Single Digits who were abandoned,' huh?"
There must be political circumstances involved, but for the people who were abandoned themselves, it must be an extremely delicate subject.
"We don't force the former Single Numbers to fight. Some of them are the third sons or second daughters of former dukes, for example, so there are people for whom even achieving military accomplishments could cause problems. Well, most of them have settled into teaching or research positions. Most of them are actually quite relieved to be free from all those troublesome ties. The students' participation is mostly a formality, too. The teachers do most of the fighting."
"Their living expenses are paid for by collecting money from the relatives who abandoned them, so we don't have any problems in that regard."
"Originally, this place was an orphanage that she created. In a sense, it's being used for its original purpose, so I had no objections either."
"I see. How many are there exactly?"
"Let's see... Excluding the top fifty students, if we count only the combat-ready faculty..."
"About fifty people."
"I honestly can't tell if that's a lot or a little."
"Most of them aren't as strong as Lara or me, but they're stronger than Soel. One person can hold back around a thousand people by themselves."
Whoa.
So the Academy alone possesses a military force equivalent to fifty thousand troops? ...No wonder other countries try to meddle with them or recruit their staff. Well, the fatal problem is that they are correspondingly difficult to handle.
Ultimately, that's why nations avoid interfering with the Academy, allowing it to maintain its role as a neutral territory.
"Hmm... with numbers that small, making a new department shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Only fifty people.
They said it functions as a military force, but with that number, it's barely the size of a company at best.
And Poppuri would be the commander of this military force.
"Ah, Lara phrased that poorly. When I said ‘department,' I meant that the only positions we currently have are teaching and research."
"So that's what you meant. But since she handles a wyvern, couldn't you just classify it as monster research?"
"That's the issue. Monster research is conducted elsewhere, not exclusively at the Academy. Furthermore, Amanda isn't particularly renowned for monster research herself. More importantly, Amanda is still a student, and she has no accomplishments besides her taming a wyvern."
"Normally, you graduate by earning the five-year student credits, and you need the three-year student credits before you're allowed to become a teacher or researcher, but..."
"She has no track record and hasn't earned the necessary credits—so we can't slot her in..."
"Overturning established rules so blatantly would look bad externally, and it would be an insult to the students who have worked hard to earn their standing."
"Everyone agrees on welcoming Amanda the Dragon Knight into our ranks. However, the current debate revolves around which department to assign her to so as not to cause friction."
So they do accept her joining.
That means the people inside the academy properly understand the significance of the wyvern's combat power and the fact that she can control one.
"So basically, internally there's no issue, but because Amanda's individual combat capability as a Dragon Knight remains unclear to the outside world, appointing her carelessly might draw unnecessary external interference."
"Precisely. While they might not bring a wyvern, some fool might show up dragging an orc, expecting to be made an honorary instructor."
"That would certainly be a pain."
If it were our vegetarian Orc King, it might not be a problem, but the orcs on this New Continent definitely don't share a love for vegetables.
"So, for the time being, we're planning to have her properly earn her credits as a student, build up some achievements, and then move her into a teaching position."
"Yes. Amanda herself has a talent for taming, and she seems to enjoy teaching children."
Ah, right. She got along pretty well with Aslin.
"She couldn't be given an important position at the academy right away, but since she's married Eoid, she's now a resident of Academy City and a student, so we can protect her sufficiently. That shouldn't be a problem."
Phew.
I was worried when they said her position was an issue, but apparently it really is just a matter of what position she should hold.
The remaining problem was...
"So, has there been any news over the last few days regarding Cleana's homeland, the Kingdom of August?"
Right.
Those Holy Sword Wielders said that they would attack this academy and the country of August.
Flying around back and forth without notice would cause diplomatic issues, so we used the public unveiling of Amanda the Dragon Knight as a cover to buy preparation time and move without raising suspicion. But that also means that if the remaining Holy Sword wielder makes a move, we could end up reacting too late.
Well, if they do make a move, it will give us a legitimate reason to intervene. But since it's Cleena's homeland, I want to minimize damage as much as possible out of consideration for my wife's wishes.
Cleana herself was staring intently at Poppuri's face, fully focused on not missing a single piece of information. Noticing her intense expression, Poppuri met Cleana's gaze before speaking.
"Cleana, you can rest assured. There are still no reports of any trouble arising."
"I see. That's a relief."
...I hate to say it, but there's also the possibility that the country has already been destroyed.
If there are no survivors, there's no one left to send word. If the enemy can summon monsters on the level of Enaria, a war of annihilation would be simple enough.
...No, wait.
People would scatter like baby spiders, making it difficult to eliminate every single person. Besides, since monsters aren't suddenly spawning en masse from the Academy's Monster Forest due to mana accumulation, I assume things are still fine.
"...Which is why it's actually rather unsettling."
"...Headmaster, what do you mean?"
"Those Holy Sword wielders said it themselves, didn't they? That they intended to attack both the Academy and the Kingdom of August."
"...Nn. They definitely said that."
"...It hasn't been that many days yet. Couldn't that be the reason?"
Lara offered that suggestion, but Poppuri countered immediately.
"For them, communication between individuals is simple, and they possess teleportation, meaning they don't need time to gather information. If our departure for Rhodei served as their signal to begin, nearly a week has already passed. Considering the Holy Sword wielder at the Academy made their move just one day after Yuki and his group left, this delay is unnatural."
She had a point.
Considering how quickly they acted before, the fact that nothing has happened this time is strange.
After Poppuri's words, everyone falls silent and begins thinking.
Hmm... rather than thinking about what I would do, it might be better to brainstorm potential scenarios.
"Okay. For now, let's list everything that comes to mind. It's dangerous to decide among ourselves that something is impossible and simply eliminate it. Even if I think something is impossible, someone else might come up with another perspective. Keeping it in mind as one possibility can't hurt."
Everyone nodded at my suggestion, and Poppuri was the first to speak up.
"Given their personalities, I don't think they've changed their plan. Therefore, rather than changing tactics, claiming they would attack August might have been a ploy to deceive us."
"Poppuri-sama, but a Holy Sword wielder actually came to the Academy..."
"Up to that point, it was true. By doing so, they made us believe the final attack on August was real as well."
"...That makes sense."
"But can you figure out where their real target is in that case?"
I asked, but Poppuri simply shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm afraid I have no idea. The best we can do is gather detailed information, while placing the highest priority on securing the Academy grounds."
"Agreed. An incident around the Academy would be the most troublesome scenario. We can head to Jilva, Enaria, or Rhodei instantly, so those aren't an issue... The real problem would be if they attack August or the demi-human nations with which we have no diplomatic ties."
"Indeed. Well, since August is our next destination, we can set it aside for now. But if they act within the demi-human nations, we won't be able to move."
"In that case, we'd seriously need to thin out the monsters in the Monster Forest, or the accumulated magical mana would overflow."
Since we would be entirely on the defensive, I really hoped they wouldn't target the demi-human nation.
"Anything else?"
I look around, and Taiki-kun speaks up.
"The unlikely possibility is that they make another move at the Academy."
"That's quite a long shot."
"I don't know how many monsters she has the capacity to control, but replenishing her forces here would make sense. The Sword Wielder who came to the Academy may have been here to obtain reinforcements."
"I see. That's certainly possible. If her remaining forces are limited, she'd need some way to replenish them. If we assume one of the Holy Sword wielders came to the Academy to gather forces, it wouldn't be surprising if the remaining one noticed their comrade failed to return and came to replenish forces personally."
"Well, the fact that she failed has already been exposed by the fact that she hasn't contacted them. So she'd probably come very cautiously, which means it might take us longer to discover her."
Put that way, another attempt on the Academy seemed entirely plausible.
Since we minimized the dungeonification of the area, detection might be delayed... Just because we were lucky enough to catch them with our search skills last time doesn't guarantee it will go smoothly again.
"We'll just have to step up security. Maybe I should send some of Steve's subordinates into the Monster Forest."
What other actions could they take...?
Looking over, I noticed Riel deep in thought.
She usually comes up with good insights at times like this.
"Riel. Got something?"
"Hmm... If it were me, I think I'd attack Yuki-san"Abandon the attack on August and target us instead?" and the others again. The only member left is that last person, right? The fact that almost all the remaining Holy Sword wielders came at us last time means they view us as a massive threat. So they must have discussed what to do in case of defeat. They might have been told something like, 'If we lose, hide yourselves...'."
"Abandon the attack on August and target us instead?"
"Yeah. Think about it—even if they ignore us and cause trouble elsewhere, we'll just end up suppressing it anyway, right? Our goal is to prevent disasters before they happen, but their ultimate objective is the complete extermination of everyone on this continent. In that case, they have to take us down first..."
"So we're bound to clash either way... Indeed, after Enaria, they realized that even high-level Greater Demons couldn't defeat us, which is why the Holy Sword wielders stepped in... Now that those wielders have been defeated, thinking logically, their only options are to go into hiding or try to eliminate us."
As I said it out loud, a realization struck me.
Ah.
There is this possibility.
"But Yuki, with the remaining strength of the Holy Sword wielders, there's no way they can win no matter what they do..." Jessica pointed out.
Hmm, did she not notice?
"True. The Holy Sword wielders alone stand no chance. But there's one specific scenario where they might. Do you know what it is?"
"...What is it?"
"Summoning monsters using DP."
"""Ah!"""
Everyone's eyes widened in realization.
So nobody had considered it.
"...Come to think of it, the captured Holy Sword Wielders had very little stored mana left in them."
"Yes. With that amount of DP, they could summon a group of Blood Minotaurs at best. I assumed they had simply exhausted it during their previous actions."
Right. On this continent, the baseline mana consumption is multiplied by twenty.
Naturally, DP costs are also twenty times higher.
I once asked Luna how these prices were determined, and she casually replied, "I just set it so it decides itself somehow." The goddess herself doesn't even fully understand the system behind DP pricing.
Seriously, what a pain.
"Wait a moment. Doesn't that mean a insanely powerful monster might launch a surprise attack on us on our way to August?"
"Taiki-kun. Bull's-eye."
If you can't win yourself, just call in something stronger. It's a simple concept.
Though it's an enormous pain for us on the receiving end.
"So, what do we do then? Do we cancel the trip to August?"
Taiki-kun immediately suggested a logical countermeasure, but Poppuri countered right away.
"I'd rather you didn't. We've already sent advance notice of your visit. Furthermore, there's no guarantee the remaining member is waiting in ambush. If they are waiting, it presents an ideal opportunity to capture them... Though it feels wrong for me to say this when we're pushing all the burden onto you, if they really attack you along the way, it's actually convenient for us."
"If we miss this opportunity, we won't know what the last one will do."
"Exactly. If she's not waiting for Yuki-dono's group and is taking some other action, that's fine. But if she's waiting for you after summoning some ridiculously powerful monster, she might get fed up with waiting when you don't show up and start burning down nearby villages and towns as a provocation."
"""Ahhh..."""
I really don't like that.
It would be bad for us, too.
"...Which means we have no choice but to depart as scheduled. I'm worried about Amanda and Eoid, though. In the worst-case scenario, those two might die."
"That could happen. For now, how about we have Kuro-chan and the others scout ahead like last time? If the enemy is strong, we'll have just our own forces deal with it. We can always bring in some dragons from the Dragon Corps to replace the wyverns."
"Guess that's our only option."
Just as Seraria suggested, we'd send the advance team to scout ahead and intercept any threats themselves.
It was the only sensible approach.
Amanda and Eoid are ordinary humans; having them die right after getting engaged would be far too depressing.
"Sigh... tomorrow is starting to feel gloomy."
"Well, give up. If you weren't here, this situation would be hopeless, you know?"
Even if she put it that way, for me it just meant more work and a massive headache.
Well, if the monster is powerful enough that we can't fight it, we'll retreat immediately.
But if it's something we can defeat, we'll have to take it down, which means we'll need an appropriate amount of preparation.
No choice then.
As a fellow countryman, I'll have him lend a hand.
"...Taiki-kun."
"Yes?"
"...If we assume our hypothetical enemy is on the level of a Kaiju King, what kind of armament do you think we'd need?"
When I ask, Taiki-kun answers immediately.
"Run away."
Yeah.
That's a perfectly valid answer.
"Rejected. We need to attack first and determine how effective our weapons are."
"Ehh. Well, I guess it could just have the appearance of a Kaiju King while actually being a paper tiger."
"Exactly."
"Then... a tank corps, helicopters might be difficult, an infantry company carrying RPGs, a mortar unit..."
So we're really going with an army organized at that level, huh?
"...Hey, Yuki and Taiki, are you two planning to go to war against a massive army? No, that's literally an army capable of annihilating a massive force with that kind of lineup."
Seraria and the Weed members stare wide-eyed in astonishment at the various weapons being listed.
Sorry, Seraria.
Facing off against massive dragons and monsters with nothing but swords and magic is strictly for storybooks.
We'll use every tool at our disposal.
Meanwhile, Cleana, Samantha, Poppuri, and Lara—who were unfamiliar with Weed's true military capabilities—simply tilted their heads in confusion.
Yeah.
Ignorance really is bliss.
Even as my head spins thinking about all the work we're going to have to do from here on out, there was no point in putting it off.
Reluctantly, I open the call screen and summon Weed's modern weapons operations unit.
Naturally, the officer in charge was none other than the unpopular goblin who had shared all my triumphs and hardships.
Steve.
