Side: Samantha
"Say, Samantha. Is it really necessary for the Princess herself to personally guide us through the royal capital?"
Yuki-sama asks me this.
Ahh... what a dignified face.
If he were to step any closer like this, I would want to kiss him...
But what is being sought of me right now is not my love, but my knowledge.
To receive Yuki-sama's love without being able to fulfill even that role would make me nothing more than a fool... Even if Yuki-sama were to permit such a thing, I could not permit it of myself.
Love isn't something you merely receive. It is something you give to each other and use to support one another.
"Samantha? Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry! I was just a little captivated by you."
"...I don't think my face is anything to marvel at, though. Anyway, setting that aside for now—do you think there is a reason for the Princess to guide us?"
"No. I don't think that happens very often. It is true that, officially speaking, Yuki-sama is said to have blood ties to both the Jilva and Enaria royal families. However, Her Highness Princess Innis is currently acting as His Majesty the King's representative. In this case, regardless of whether the other party has royal blood or even a claim to the throne, that is all it amounts to. Her position is completely different from that of someone who currently holds authority almost equivalent to His Majesty the King. And as far as royal blood and claims to the throne are concerned, the same applies to me. I am a member of a ducal family, after all—a branch of the royal family."
"That's true. Which means she's either a total fool, or she intends to inspect our information carefully and observe us in person, huh."
Now—after dinner—we're relaxing in our assigned room.
We are holding a discussion regarding Princess Innis's sudden intrusion into our meal earlier, where she declared that she would serve as our guide through the capital tomorrow.
"Feigel-sama, who was accompanying her, was apologizing over and over, wasn't he. Cleana-san, is that sort of thing ordinary?"
"...That's Master's specialty. I have heard since long ago that bowing his head to clean up after the Princess's rampage is a common occurrence."
『Hmm. If what Cleana says is true, then she's definitely probing us.』
Seraria-sama says, joining the conversation via the call.
Sakura and Yuyu are in her arms, and they are both absolutely adorable.
Thinking that I, too, will hold my own child one day makes me feel overwhelmingly happy.
"Do you think so too, Seraria?"
『Yes. Or rather, in this case, you should abandon the thought that Princess Innis is a fool. It's better to assume she acts with a specific purpose in mind. In the first place, if she were a genuine idiot, she wouldn't hold the position of General. Putting someone like that at the top would only drain your military force. It would be far easier to use her as an independent strike force with her own unit.』
Seraria-sama was formerly a General herself, making her exceptionally sharp and brilliant in matters like these.
"I agree with Seraria-sama. If she really is nothing more than a mischievous princess, that would be ideal, but making that assumption from the start would be a mistake. It would be too late if something went wrong, so I believe we ought to exercise caution."
"That seems reasonable. Though, according to our original plan, we were going to have Vixen-san show us around the royal capital, while casually creating a dungeon and establishing a direct route..."
『That seems impossible now. If the princess is going to be your guide, she'll probably have guards accompanying her in secret as well. We shouldn't make any unnecessary moves. Well, since we've become acquainted with the princess, it would probably be better to take advantage of that and have her introduce us to some properties.』
"Isn't that practically asking them to keep us under surveillance?"
『That may be true, but isn't it better than having nothing at all? Our existing direct route to August comes out directly beneath the military barracks, you know. Wouldn't it be better to have one somewhere inside the royal capital?』
"Right. Having a base in the capital would certainly make things easier, but there's also the risk of various things leaking out. If we're exposed, it will only lead to extremely troublesome situations..."
Indeed, we need a base, but if the technology possessed by Weed becomes known, there is no way they would simply leave us alone.
Handled poorly it is a threat enough that assassins could be sent after us.
"What about Master's home?" (Cleana)
"From my perspective, Cleana-san's master, Feigel-sama, exudes the aura of a loyal retainer of August. That isn't a bad thing, but for better or worse, I think he would report things to the kingdom."
"I agree with that."
"Then, as originally planned, we should lure Master with items and place him under designated protection. That way, we can enforce a gag order."
"I wonder about that. There's no harm in trying, but with Her Highness, Innis constantly accompanying us tomorrow, I doubt we'll have much of an opportunity to bring up that conversation. More importantly, depending on how things go, it could be considered an act of betrayal against August. I don't know whether Feigel-sama would even accept such a proposal."
Feigel-sama appears to possess far greater loyalty than expected, so I feel we cannot draw him to our side or create a situation advantageous solely to us.
I suspect his persona as a scholar entirely devoted to research, as Cleana-san described, is something he deliberately puts on display.
『Then why not carry out multiple actions simultaneously? Create an exit a short distance away from the barracks, send in members whom August doesn't know to acquire a base through a separate route, and also secure a property through the Princess's guidance. At the same time, we can try to win Cleana's master over.』
"That would be safer. All right, then. Milly and Kirika, tomorrow I want you two to secure a base in the August royal capital. Milly, you'll be the leader, and Kirika will support her."
『Understood.』
『As you wish.』
"Cleana, tomorrow, take Feigel-san back to our home and negotiate with him. We'll handle the princess, so use that time to try various things. Oh, and consult Narjia-san, Ratz, and Eris about what items you're allowed to use in the negotiations. He probably won't accept anything that benefits only us. If we offer him something useful to him as well, he'll be much more likely to agree."
"Nn. Got it."
『Yes? What kind of items would be good? We have various options available.』
"Narjia-san, please go easy on them. In this place, the items you craft are at a legendary level."
"Indeed. Making a mistake in adjusting that could cause quite a commotion on its own. Cleana, Ratz, and I should head back quickly to hold our discussion. Yuki-san, is that alright?"
"Yeah, please do. Also, Eris. Let me know once you've reached an agreement.."
"Yes. Understood. Well then, let's head back, you two."
"Nn. Got it."
"We'll be heading out first. See you all on the other side later~"
And so, Yuki-sama efficiently decides what needs to be done and makes sure that nothing is overlooked.
How cool he is... As expected of the person acknowledged by the Gods!
I, too, must firmly support Yuki-sama as his wife!
"Now then, all that remains is tomorrow's tour of the royal capital with the Princess as our guide... Say, Samantha. Are there any unique customs, culture, or etiquette specific to the Kingdom of August? Anything we absolutely shouldn't do?"
"...No. Nothing comes to mind in particular. However, since the other party is Her Highness, there might be retainers who complain about etiquette when dealing with royalty. Since Feigel-sama will be drawn away by Cleana-san, it would be helpful if someone understanding could accompany us as our guide around the royal capital."
"Yeah, that's pretty standard. Come to think of it, what's the situation around here? Judging from the streets of the royal capital, it doesn't look particularly troubled... It seems peaceful."
"As far as I am aware, there appear to be no particular issues."
『I see. Then Milly and Kirika should investigate independently tomorrow as well. We wouldn't want to get dragged into trouble over something strange.』
"Gathering detailed information on those matters is important. Milly, Kirika, you heard her. Tomorrow, while searching for a base, gather information regarding the country's current situation as well."
『Leave it to us.』
『Yes. Understood.』
"Also, Tori, Riel, and Kaya, keep watch over the Academy together with Taiki-kun and the others. It wouldn't be strange for monsters to multiply or for powerful individuals to appear at any time. Don't let your guard down. Poppuri and Lara, as usual, take care of running the Academy."
『『『Understood.』』』
After saying that, Yuki-sama looks around at everyone currently in the room. After a brief pause, he speaks again.
"The remaining members will tour the capital while looking into things at the library. It would be great if there are books related to the Holy Sword Wielders or mana depletion."
『That's true. Those Holy Sword Wielders are stubborn, after all. We haven't gotten any useful information out of them at all.』
"Well, it's only been ten days or so since we captured them. If they were to spill everything so easily, they wouldn't have talked about destroying the world in the first place."
Indeed, less than a month has passed since the Holy Sword Wielders were captured.
If they were to spill their secrets over something like that, they wouldn't have intended to do whatever they pleased with the world to begin with.
But it is strange.
Setting aside the matter of mana depletion, since all the Holy Sword Wielders have already been captured, shouldn't we no longer need to worry about that aspect?
"The whereabouts of the remaining lost Holy Swords are unknown. We have no idea where trouble might erupt next. As for the mana depletion, it's also unclear where the woman mentioned by the Holy Sword Wielders died. According to Peace, it seems to be an isolated space connected by a teleportation trap as a security measure against intruders, just like what I did. So we have absolutely no details.""
Ah, so that is how it is.
The locations of the remaining Holy Swords are unknown.
Just as Yuki-sama says, that is a very serious source of anxiety.
『Sia and Kishua have begun talking bit by bit recently, but everything they've said is basically the same information Peace gave us. They know nothing about the crucial parts.』
If I recall correctly, those two were the ancestors of the Holy Kingdom of Enaria and my own Kingdom of Rhodei.
To be honest, part of me still finds it difficult to believe, but there is no way Yuki-sama would lie about something like this, so it must be true.
However, from everything I have heard, their thinking is completely unlike that of rulers. Rather than having been betrayed, I get a strong impression that they simply resisted the tide of events too much... Forgive me for saying so, but I cannot help wondering how people like them were able to become the leaders of countries, even if only temporarily.
"We'll just have to take our time with that. Of the six great powers, four of them are already connected by dungeons, so we can travel between them easily. That means we can respond reasonably well if something happens. We're also planning to visit the demi-human country through your father's connections once these negotiations and plans are finished, Samantha. The last one is a friendly country of Jilva, too. Once we've secured our position, we should think of that as the point where the real work begins."
『Does it feel like things have been progressing too smoothly until now?』
"Yeah. Like I said before, looking back through history and trying to improve environmental problems takes an enormous amount of time and information gathering. We just have to be patient. Fortunately, we've already secured the important bases, and we've established connections with influential people so that we can avoid drawing too much attention. In a sense, things are going smoothly."
I see.
So that is another way of looking at it.
To firmly solidify one's foundation before tackling the objective... Hearing it makes complete sense, but actually putting it into practice is difficult.
After all, even I had expected us to find the next clue almost immediately.
"Fortunately, since I told them it's just for trivia and earning a living, they shouldn't complain about us visiting the library. We need to set a rotation for our research. Ah, since we need a system that allows us to research even after we leave this country, we'll also have to ask about how commoners can utilize the library."
""Fortunately, since I told them our purpose was 'general knowledge' and ‘a way to make a living,' nobody's going to complain about us spending time at the library. We'll need to establish a rotation for the research, though. Oh, and even after we leave this country, we'll need a way to continue researching, so we should also ask about how ordinary people can use the library."
As we are discussing such matters, Aslin, who had been bustling about, suddenly collapses onto my lap.
"Aslin, what is the matter?"
To both Cleana-san and me, Aslin and Filia are like adorable younger sisters.
I can completely understand why everyone calls them a source of comfort.
That innocent smile is like a patch of sunlight to someone like me, who used to lead a rather harsh daily life. It feels as though I am basking in a heartwarming, pleasant ray of light.
"Ah, Samantha-oneechan, I'm sorry. I'm a little... sleepy..."
Aslin replies like that before falling fast asleep.
It has been quite a while since the sun went down, after all.
Normally, it would already be time to take a bath and go to sleep.
"Ah, Yuki-sama. What are we going to do about Aslin's bath and dinner?"
Indeed, while she had a meal here, it was merely nourishment for her doppelganger; her real body has not taken in any nourishment.
Naturally, she has not taken a bath either.
"Hmm. If we were at home, I'd wake her up. But we still have quite a few details to discuss..."
Before I noticed, Filia had laid her head on Yuki-sama's lap and fallen asleep as well.
...I'm not envious of someone who is like a little sister, okay?
"If that's the case, it's fine. We're here, so when they wake up, we'll make sure they get food and take a bath."
"Yes. Please leave that to us."
The ones saying so are Labyris-sama and Sheila-sama. They act like older sisters to Aslin and Filia, taking good care of the two of them like this.
And both of them have received considerable education—one acted as a dummy Dungeon Master in Yuki-sama's place, while the other is a princess of the Gartz royal family. They are not merely qualified enough; the situation is so incredible that my own status and position are actually lower than theirs.
No, if we speak of that, compared to Her Majesty the Queen or the Saintess of Rithea my own background is truly unremarkable... Yet, individuals of such noble birth treat me with great kindness.
To support our husband together, I truly feel from the bottom of my heart that I must actively voice my opinions and become a source of strength for everyone.
As I reaffirm this determination, Yuki-sama suddenly speaks as though he has just remembered something.
"I see, I'll count on you then. Well, let's finish things up quickly, head back, eat dinner, and take a bath. None of you want to skip the bath, right?"
"""We definitely don't want to!!"""
Skipping a bath is out of the question!!
To neglect skin care or hair care would make one a failure as a woman and as a wife!!
Also, staying up late is a great enemy!!
...The clock has already passed ten o'clock.
We must finish this discussion quickly!!
