Side: Yuki
Current time: 3:00 AM.
Damn, I'm sleepy.
Waking up this early is brutal.
I figured I should at least get some sleep, so I went to bed early, but waking up at this hour somehow feels even more exhausting.
Still, my wives were worried and told me I needed to get some sleep... What can I do?
Well, it's not like something like this happens very often. I guess I'll just have to accept it and deal with it.
"Jessica. Wake up."
"Mmm."
I shake Jessica, who is sleeping beside me, and wake her up.
My escort for this pre-dawn operation is Jessica.
She's the only one among my four guard wives with actual military experience. Apparently, she's experienced with nighttime operations as well, so I asked her to stay with me this time.
The arrangement is for her to pull guard duty with me from midnight until morning, and then swap out with the remaining three. Those three should be resting up properly in their own rooms right now.
"Oh, Yuki. Is it that time already?"
"Yeah."
Jessica looks sleepy, but she answers properly.
Of course, having just been asleep, her yukata is completely disheveled, leaving her massive chest in full view.
Seriously... whether it's Rurua, Samantha, or Jessica here... How on earth do their breasts resist gravity and keep such a perfect shape?
Apparently, Jessica notices me staring at her chest like that, because she pushes her breasts up with both hands and presents them to me.
"Do you want to?"
"No. Not today."
"...I see."
For some reason, she looks disappointed.
Hey, it can't be helped. We've got some pretty intense work ahead of us.
Normally, on days with Jessica, I wake up with those big breasts taking care of me—but...
"Well, once today's work is over. Then we'll have as much fun as we want."
"Okay! Let's do our best!!"
That cheered her right up, huh?
I'm apparently destined to be drained even after work.
I don't dislike it. In fact, I rather like it. But why do my wives always look so refreshed afterward? I'm the only one who gets completely worn out... Isn't that unfair?
Ah, maybe I should just accept my fate since I get to use my wives as living body pillows? Jessica lets me grope her breasts freely, after all.
Pondering such thoughts, I quickly get dressed and step out into the dead-silent hallway.
"...It's so quiet. Everyone is still fast asleep, aren't they?"
"Probably. While we're using up our energy, everyone else is getting their strength back."
"Ah, no. That's not what I meant. Somehow... the atmosphere feels mysterious. It's usually so lively around here, but it's incredibly serene at this hour."
Ah, I get it.
The world at night always gives you a different impression from the world during the day.
"I understand that feeling. But let's save the appreciation for another time. Right now, let's leave quietly so we don't wake anyone."
Saying that, we quietly passed through the corridor and reached the entrance...
"Have a safe trip, Yuki-sama, Jessica-sama."
"Au!"
Killue is standing at the entrance with Shael.
"Did we wake you?"
I ask reflexively.
But Killue immediately shakes her head.
"No. Shael's night crying finally calmed down, so the two of us were just taking a short night walk. Knowing it was around the time you and Jessica-sama would be leaving, I decided to wait for you."
"I see. Thank you. Killue, Shael, we're off."
"Thank you. Kilue, Shael. Mommy will come back safely, okay?"
"U? Aa, aa."
As Jessica strokes her head, Shael reaches out her little hands in response, demanding to be held.
However, since we have to leave, holding her isn't an option right now. Jessica regretfully refrains from picking her up and steps outside the entrance.
Feeling ignored, Shael throws a small tantrum, tears welling up in her eyes as she lets out a cry.
"Uu!! Uu!!"
"There, there, Shael. Mommy Jessica has to go to work. Be a good girl and endure it, okay? Everything here is fine, so please do your best."
"Take care of Shael for us."
"...P-Please."
We leave the inn like that, but didn't Jessica sound like she was struggling to get the words out?
Looking over, I see Jessica crying.
"Uuu, our baby is reaching for me, and I have to leave her behind... I'm so sorry, Shael. Mommy will definitely come back to you."
Hmm.
Jessica has really softened up ever since becoming my wife.
Ever since the other wives started having children, she's become even gentler—or rather, her motherly instincts are operating at maximum capacity.
Anyway, we've put enough distance between us and the inn; time to teleport over with my ring.
"Ah Boss, you made it-ssu."
"Is coffee fine for you guys?"
"Yeah, black for me."
"I'll have the same, please."
"Roger that."
Steve takes our orders, walks over to the nearby machine, and pours the coffee.
Setting the mugs down in front of us, I take a sip.
Bitter.
When you're trying to snap out of sleepiness, a bitter cup of black coffee is the only way to go. The heat also works synergistically to blow away sleepiness.
"Black coffee really is the best thing after waking up."
Steve is drinking his black coffee too, making the same bitter face.
Naturally, Jessica does the same next to me.
"So, how's the advance party's reconnaissance going?"
I stop drinking my coffee and get straight to the point.
Steve lowers his cup to talk to me, but shakes his head.
"No luck so far. After yesterday's weapons test, we released various animals to scout the area, but they haven't found anything suspicious."
"What about the birds?"
"It was already evening, so the sun went down pretty quickly and they weren't much use. Only the owls are out scouting, but their range is pretty limited."
There's a reason the term "night-blindness" exists, after all.
Well, there are plenty of nocturnal birds, but generally speaking, birds tend to stay quiet at night, so the expression is basically a way of joking that they can't see in the dark.
Oh, and the reason we haven't sent Aslin's Ten Magical Beasts ahead of us is to keep the enemy from noticing us. This was the last Holy Sword wielder, so she might be extremely cautious.
If we carelessly stimulate her and let the trump-card monster rampage, the damage would be enormous. That is why we are investigating with ordinary animals so as not to stimulate her.
"How much of the area have you managed to search?"
"Hmm. We've covered about half of it from the air, and maybe twenty percent by land. Though the aerial estimate is just a quick visual sweep, so I can't exactly call it accurate. If we only had to check the route itself, it'd be easy, but the usual tactic is to position ambushes some distance away. That means we've got a huge area to search."
"...I see. You're right. We can't simply check the path we're going to take."
Just as the two of them said, checking only our intended route would be simple enough, but there's a high probability the enemy is lying in wait, targeting us.
On top of that, since they know we're coming by wyvern, all they have to do is keep an eye on the sky to monitor us. They don't even need to watch the ground routes that closely.
So expecting the enemy to conveniently sit right along our path is wishful thinking.
"...What a pain. Talk about modern warfare."
"Seriously, Boss."
"...? What do you mean?"
Jessica asked curiously.
Oh, right. Jessica doesn't know the concept of modern warfare.
"Jessica, do you know what 'modern warfare' means?"
"No, that's why I'm asking... Um, does it refer to fighting with those ridiculously high-firepower weapons?"
"Yeah. That's right. You're a soldier, after all. You picked up on that quickly."
"Thanks. But then, what do you mean by ‘talk about modern warfare'?"
"First off, 'talk about' was sarcastic. Because the enemy seems to have capabilities comparable to ours, this isn't a one-sided slaughter anymore; we're literally engaging in modern warfare. That's why we were being sarcastic."
"What do you mean? Haven't we been conducting modern warfare every time we deployed those weapons?"
"Nope, not even close. Everything up until now was just a test run. We unilaterally extracted the enemy's information while keeping our own trump cards hidden, and the enemy didn't even have a way to scratch us. That's why it was just a test run. But this time, both sides possess a certain amount of information, and a single slip-up could mean a one-hit kill for either side. We're actively engaged in offense and defense right now. In fact, you could say the war has already begun."
"Right now?"
"Yeah, right now. This is a world where information dominance is absolute. It's completely different from the battles you know, Jessica, where you lead armies to clash head-on without knowing the outcome until you collide. Neither side knows the exact position of the other right now. Previously, we'd spot them effortlessly and vaporize them with overwhelming first-strike firepower, but this time, the enemy is hiding too."
Jessica still looks somewhat confused, so since we have time, I decide to give her a brief lesson.
Even though Jessica has been in Weed longer than Cleana or Samantha, it hasn't even been a year yet. We've had her studying hard to learn Weed's general knowledge, but we haven't taught her our concepts of combat yet... Well, the only people who really understand the concept of modern warfare are my wives and Steve's modern weapons operations unit.
Trying to cram all of it into her head might literally cause her brain to short-circuit. Tori, Riel, and Kaya were literally smoking from the head when I explained it to them. Even my sage wives, such as Eris, Ratz, and Milly, were clutching their heads in despair. Even Seraria, despite being the top commander of an army who grasped it quickly, visibly shuddered at the ruthless nature of modern warfare.
"Listen closely. Modern warfare is mainly classified into two types."
"Two types?"
"Yeah. First, targeting the enemy's weak point. For example, pinpointing and neutralizing a military base or capital and then taking control of it all at once—a blitzkrieg."
"Wouldn't that be impossible? Certainly, weapons like tanks have a wide attack range, but to that extent..."
"It's not impossible. We have methods of flying through the air, like dragons, and in our world, there are even machines capable of carrying tanks through the air. Of course, they can attack directly from the air, too. They're weapons, after all. When you mass-produce those, you get an air force. So you can't afford to be optimistic if you don't have a way to counter that."
"I see. So you can launch a surprise attack on the enemy all at once."
"Well, we don't even need to do that. We also have weapons that you can send flying to a designated location and have explode just by pressing a button."
"......"
Jessica turns pale as I describe such a merciless weapon.
Anyone who knows what I'm talking about would recognize it: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
In modern warfare, full-scale army-versus-army clashes are exceedingly rare. The core strategy revolves around gathering intelligence, ambushing the enemy, and annihilating them before they can react. That's precisely why stealth technology—weapons designed to evade radar detection—was developed.
"The other category is asymmetric warfare during urban occupation. Also known as irregular warfare. Once the state or government ceases to function, the regular military can no longer operate. At that point, the enemy has already penetrated deep into your territory, and defeat is essentially sealed. Asymmetric warfare involves engaging in combat while entangling the civilian population."
"How terrible...!"
Jessica cries out in disbelief.
"Well, terrorist activities fall under this category too, but let's set that aside for now. As you said, Jessica, involving civilians is completely unpardonable, but the side being invaded wants to drive the enemy out by any means necessary. So, they leverage their familiar terrain to wipe out the occupying forces. Logically speaking, it makes sense, right?"
"...I suppose it does. If you can drive out the occupying forces, you can still recover... But using civilians as shields..."
"The monster incident caused by Sia and Kishua in Enaria was, in a sense, also terrorist activity or irregular warfare. You understand its usefulness better than anyone, don't you, Jessica?"
"...Yes. So, that's why you called it 'talk about modern warfare'... It's a race to see who can locate the opponent first."
"Yeah. Right now, we're in the middle of an intelligence war."
If the enemy had sniper rifles or RPGs, there's no way in hell I'd go there myself. The forest would obviously be crawling with snipers.
Fortunately, the only thing capable of dealing damage to us should be whatever the Sword Saint wielder summons. We've already proven that Wy-chan can block the Sword Saint wielder's attacks.
The only threat we need to neutralize is an attack from that 'Unknown'... NO... We need to wipe it out before it gets a chance to attack.
"I hope we find them soon."
"Yeah. If we can't find them, we'll have to use ourselves as bait to lure them out, though..."
I really hate that idea, so I desperately hope our recon team spots them first.
We don't even know the enemy's effective range. Heck, we don't even know what the enemy looks like.
"Well, Jessica-neesan's concerns are totally valid, but the real show probably starts after sunrise," Steve chimes in.
"After sunrise?"
"Yeah. Once the sun comes up, the enemy will be forced to move around to maintain surveillance. They'll keep their movements to a minimum, sure, but since they know the Boss and the others are coming on wyverns, they're bound to make a move."
That was pretty much what I expected.
We might as well finish checking everything while we have the time.
"So, Steve. How are the unit's preparations?"
"All set, Boss. Preparations are 100% complete. Everyone outside the night shift is sleeping right now, but they're ready to deploy at a moment's notice if anything happens."
"No issues?"
"None at all. We're in peak condition."
"Communication channels, radio signals, mana links—are both systems fully operational?"
"No issues on that front either."
"Radio signals? Mana links? Can't we use Call?"
Jessica questions the use of radio communications.
"Yeah. Call only lets us communicate with selected representatives. And we need to be prepared for things like skill suppression, magic suppression, and radio interference. If we rely solely on Call, it becomes unusable in areas where skills are suppressed. We don't want a situation where our only means of communication gets disabled and we're suddenly unable to communicate."
"I see... That makes sense."
"Of course, our troops are trained to operate even if every single communication line gets cut."
"Severing the enemy's messengers on the frontline is basic tactics, after all-ssu. We make sure our guys can function independently on the ground." Steve adds.
"Indeed, capturing or eliminating enemy messengers is crucial... But hearing all this, your world truly is incredible, Yuki. Even its approach to war..."
She says this with a somewhat apologetic expression.
"Incredible or not, war is still war at the end of the day. It's definitely better off not existing. Though, modern warfare is fundamentally designed around minimizing human casualties. That's precisely why we target the enemy's central hub with pinpoint precision."
"Yes. If you can achieve that, the frontlines won't expand, meaning fewer civilian casualties. But... it feels so cold and merciless."
"Well, I get how you feel, Jessica. But waging a war that drags tens of thousands of soldiers and innocent bystanders into the meat grinder just for the sake of pride or stubbornness... Around here, conquered villages and towns get treated pretty horribly, right? In fact, civilians routinely get dragged into defensive battles, don't they?"
"...Yes. That's correct. People in fallen villages and towns are routinely exploited, and during defensive warfare, not just men, but women and children are forced onto the battlefield."
"On our side, outside of irregular warfare, civilians are never dragged into combat. They just get in the way, so they're evacuated. Besides, laying hands on civilians causes massive geopolitical backlash for enemy nations, so they strictly avoid it."
The exploitation Jessica mentioned happens because armies in this world can't maintain themselves otherwise—it's used for stress relief and resupply.
At this level of civilization, resupplying on the spot is standard practice. Executing subversives is simply easier, serving as the quickest way to maintain temporary control.
Granted, our world had horrific atrocities like mass genocides during World War II, but nowadays, such actions are utterly condemned—do that today, and the entire world becomes your enemy.
"...Our world is still far too immature, isn't it?"
"We just have to keep working toward better things. First step: eliminating the obstacle right in front of us."
"Yes!"
I offer a few words of encouragement to comfort the crestfallen Jessica.
She's usually so sharp and dignified, so seeing this side of her isn't bad, but she's my precious wife, after all.
Yep.
Responding with renewed resolve, Jessica returns to her usual gallant, knightly self.
Beautiful, dependable, and cute. Couldn't ask for more.
"So, how long do you two plan to keep staring at each other-ssu?"
Steve interrupts, throwing cold water on the moment.
Jessica reflexively tries to pull away, but since there's no reason to, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.
"Kyah!"
"No need to be shy. We're married, after all."
I pull the now-docile Jessica onto my lap and hold her there.
Mmm, yeah. I'm quite satisfied with the feel of her breasts, too.
"Ahhh, right, right. Married, yeah. Must be nice... Damn it..."
"Don't sulk like that. Aren't things going pretty well between you and Aegil?"
"Feels more like she's going to chop me into pieces, though!?"
"Love works in mysterious ways. Maybe chopping you to pieces is just how her love begins."'
"I don't need a romance that starts like a serial killer meeting a vampire!"
"I actually kinda like that story, though."
"I like the story too, Boss, but count me out on experiencing it firsthand!"
"Fair enough. Ah, that reminds me—they say the best place to hide a leaf is in the forest, right? There's a chance the target is camouflaged. So, if we pay close attention to the ground, we might be able to spot whatever monster the enemy summoned... especially if it's huge."
"Ah, good point! If it's massive, camouflaging it is the only way to hide it. Since we couldn't spot it from the air, I just assumed it was a small type."
"Or, there's a chance they'll summon it the exact moment we show up."
"That'd be the absolute worst case. Well, for now, we'll focus our search on cutting through potential camouflage. It's almost dawn anyway."
Looking at the clock as he speaks, it's just past 4:30 AM.
Like Steve said, dawn is breaking.
The monitors displaying the feeds from our recon animals are gradually brightening.
And then, a few minutes later...
"Boss!! We found something that looks like the monster summoned by the Holy Sword wielder!!"
"Put it on the main monitor!"
The feed switches to an aerial view, likely from one of the birds.
Down in the middle of the forest, a solitary, massive rock mountain stands out.
"Near that rocky hill?"
"No!! Look at the ground-level feed, too!!"
The view switches to the ground.
A tree that looks as though it was crushed beneath the rocky hill is lying between the rock and the ground.
"...Hey hey, you can't be serious!?"
"That's right!! That rocky hill is the enemy!! ...Holy Sword wielder spotted too!! She's halfway up the mountain's side!!"
"Seriously!? How big is that rocky hill!?"
"...Approximately 30 meters tall!! 120 meters across!!"
"No way..."
Jessica stares at the monitor in absolute shock.
Slowly, the rock mountain shifts, raising its headlike structure off the ground.
"Species: likely a dragon!! Looks like a terrestrial dragon type!! I mean, wait..."
Steve takes a sharp breath, and I shout out right alongside him:
""IT'S A KAIJUUUU—!!""
Holy crap, somebody call the JSDF!
Wait, at least it's not Godzilla-sized, right?
Then again, it's quadrupeds instead of bipedal, so overall volume-wise, is there even a difference!?
...Anyway, this is bad.
"Issue an emergency recall!! Get Taiki-kun here as top priority!! Drag him here tied up if you have to!!"
* * *
