Side: Yuki
Now then—first, I should get information from Poppuri and Lara.
No, wait... before that.
On impulse, I used the Call to contact a few people.
『Yes. What is it?』
『Hmm? What's up?』
『Did something happen?』
Reflected on the Call are Zargis, who is in Jilva, and Mino-chan, who is in Enaria. And finally, Tori, who is monitoring the Monster Forest while blending in among the students at the Academy.
"To put it simply, one of the surrounding countries has declared war on Aguust."
『That so? Is it serious enough to affect the royal capital?』
Zargis sounds like "so what?"
Well—normally that's how it is.
If it doesn't get in the way of our goal, it's best to ignore it.
"But I heard something strange. Apparently, the army has huge quantities of magic swords, fire staffs, and enchanted staffs."
『What!?』
『Another troublesome matter, huh.』
『Are you going to be alright?』
The three of them reacted in completely different ways, so I answered them one by one.
"Zargis, I'll get to you last. That's actually the main issue."
『I thought as much...』
"Mino-chan, check if the weapons and armor we passed to Enaria were leaked, or if they were analyzed and the blueprints spread around."
『Understood. Well, I think the possibility of that is remarkably low, though.』
"I think so too. Because honestly, there's no reason for it. Enaria and August are positioned almost on opposite sides of each other with the Academy sandwiched in the middle, so there's no reason for them to go out of their way to hand over the pile of treasure provided by Mino-chan's group to outsiders, nor is there any reason to hand out blueprints and force their own side into a disadvantage. I mean, if it could be analyzed, Aegil would have already mass-produced it."
『Exactly. So basically, we're just eliminating that possibility and looking for anyone secretly doing something behind the scenes, right?』
"That's right. I'm sure you already know, but make sure you don't mention this to Enaria's King or generals."
『Understood. If I did that, we'd just become the ones under suspicion.』
Exactly.
As expected of Mino-chan, the conscience of Weed's Monster Army.
"Next, Tori. Work with Riel, Kaya, Taiki-kun, and the others to strengthen surveillance of the Monster Forest. It looks like a large-scale war is about to break out. A huge amount of magical power might suddenly start flowing toward the area."
『Understood.』
"And, of course, you have permission to mobilize the monsters."
『Yes. Leave it to us.』
Anything related to security was right up Tori and the others' alley. They had learned the most practical know-how from the police, so they were the best people for the job.
Oh, right. I almost forgot.
I used the Call to contact another group.
『Fuuuahh... What is it?』
Appearing before me was Mobu, looking just like a retired father who had eaten lunch and taken a midday nap.
"...Well, whatever. From the looks of it, it seems peaceful over there."
『Yeah. The demi-human village is peaceful today, too.』
"I see. But you might want to increase your level of alertness from now on."
『What do you mean by that?』
At my words, his reply instantly turns sharp.
I guess even this lazy old man was still a highly skilled adventurer.
"One of August's neighboring countries has declared war. We don't know what effect that will have. This isn't just a skirmish between major powers. It's a third party suddenly sticking its nose into the situation. Depending on how things go, the balance of power could shift dramatically. There's also unconfirmed information that the enemy is equipped with huge quantities of magic swords and enchanted staffs."
『Which means, if that story reaches the ears of the beastmen, taking advantage of the commotion...』
"Yeah. There's a possibility they'll make a move. Assume there will likely be some kind of movement aimed at youre place, which is the largest faction."
『Got it. I'll tighten up security. Hey, Raiya, Kurse, you heard that right?』
『Yeah.』
『I heard it. Well then, let's strengthen our meetings and patrols on our side. Also, what we need is...』
Alright, back to Zargis.
"Well, I think you already understand without me saying it..."
『I'll investigate if there are any strange movements in Zirba as well. However, a large number of Magic Swords and Enchantment Staves, is it? Conveniently finding a huge stash of Magic Swords and Enchantment Staves, and even assembling suitable users within their own country... there's no story that turns out that nicely...』
"Yeah. If they could be gathered that easily, far from major nations confiscating them, that country itself would probably have replaced one of the great powers by now."
『In that case, we should assume that someone in that country either found the blueprints or managed to develop them independently, without imposing any restrictions on their production...』
"That's the direction we should be thinking in. If they really just happened to find everything by chance, then it's not much of a problem. But if they can produce them, that's an entirely different matter. We could end up with an entire country where everyone has a magic sword."
『Well, unless they had that kind of power, I doubt they'd pick a fight with a great power under the current circumstances. This war could drag on for quite a while...』
"Or it could end in an instant."
If they really had an enormous number of magic sword wielders, stopping them would be extremely difficult, and they could reach the royal capital in no time.
Otherwise, since neither side would have a decisive blow, there is also the possibility of a prolonged seesaw battle, just as Zargis said.
"Alright, I'll rely on you to gather information on that end."
『Understood.』
Now, now, this time it's Poppuri's turn.
I called her as well, and she answered immediately.
『Hello? Did something happen? Did Princess Innis go on another rampage?』
"Yeah, that was pretty much as expected. But we've got another problem now. We haven't received any official notification yet, but a large number of wounded soldiers have been carried into the barracks where Wy-chan is stationed."
『...Wounded soldiers?』
"And on top of that, an emergency summons came from the royal castle for Princess, Vixen-san, and Feigel-san, leaving us behind."
『What happened?』
"One of August's neighboring countries declared war. And apparently, their army is equipped with huge quantities of magic swords and enchanted staffs."
『What!? What does that mean!?』
"We don't know either. To make matters worse—and there's a very high chance they targeted this on purpose—the enemy attacked right when the King of Agust had gone to inspect the countryside. Left with no choice, the King took personal command and immediately switched to defense. Stories are coming out that after giving evacuation orders to surrounding villages and towns, they seem to have transitioned to a rearguard retreat."
『Wait, what?!』
"So right now, with the country's top leader absent, Princess Innis is taking command based on the King's orders and reports delivered by messenger."
To be honest, this situation was an absolute mess.
In Japan, it would be like the Emperor getting caught up in combat. If something like this becomes known not only to the citizens but to foreign countries, it's beyond mere uproar.
The situation can no longer be erased as if it never happened. Unlike on Earth, they had no way of completely controlling the flow of information here. The fact that the King himself had taken command on the front lines would spread in no time.
And they couldn't exactly hide all the wounded soldiers being brought back, either.
『This is bad... Very bad. And what's more, a large number of Magic Swords and Enchantment Staves? That's impossible. As I believe I mentioned before, as far as I know, the number mass-produced was 50. More than half of those broke over the last 400 years and became useless. I think the possibility that a large quantity existed somewhere is low.』
Right, Poppuri had apparently helped out back when the Holy Sword wielders were imprisoned and developing Magic Swords, in order to free them.
However, at that time, all blueprints and the like were disposed of, and with the knowledge and technology level back then, she said no one other than them could produce Magic Swords.
The current situation seemed to prove her point.
These days, people no longer thought of magic swords as something that could be manufactured. They were treated as legendary weapons.
"So you also reject the idea that they simply discovered a huge stockpile?"
『Naturally. Which means, did someone develop them independently...』
"There's a possibility that they obtained the blueprints for the Holy Swords made by the previous Dungeon Master, then."
『That would be it. The location of the dungeon where she lived was completely unknown. I think the most likely possibility is that it happened to be located within that country.』
Looks like I've gathered roughly all the information that can be obtained right now.
"Poppuri. For now, I'm having members in other countries look into whether there are movements in different directions. Of course, Milly and the others are currently investigating information in August's capital as well. Based on what we know so far, I think we should participate in this war in some way."
『Yeah. I think that would be the better option. There's a high possibility that we're deeply connected to this situation. Sigh, how should I put it... I feel bad about making you deal with the aftermath.』
"Well, that's one of the jobs of a successor. So, I have a request for Poppuri right away."
『Is it a reconnaissance mission for Amanda and Eoid?』
"Precisely. Right now, what August wants most is information. Princess Innis seems to understand that too, and a reconnaissance force has already been formed, with preparations underway to leave at any moment."
『That makes sense. And you have something that can potentially evacuate His Majesty the King faster than the reconnaissance team and get him away from the battlefield in one go. Something that can move at high speed. Or, in this case, perhaps I should say someone who can move at high speed?』
"That's how it is. If we make the proposal from our side, they won't reject it. However, I'd like to avoid them trying to recruit us as part of their military forces."
『I don't think they'll do anything that foolish. If they did, they'd end up in conflict with the Academy as well. They'll probably want to avoid backing themselves into a corner. But that's not the important part. The most important question is whether Amanda and Eoid can return safely.』
As for Poppuri, it seems she dislikes the idea of her students, who haven't even graduated yet, heading off to war.
Well, that's only natural.
Neither of them was a single-digit rank student. They had only recently begun improving their abilities under our guidance, so they were genuinely newcomers.
Under normal circumstances, this would be an order equivalent to telling them to go and die.
"I think they'll be fine, as long as those two don't go out of control."
『...If they do go out of control, stop them even if you have to punch them. Their safety comes first.』
"I can't guarantee that they won't have their minds broken after seeing the battlefield, though?"
『There's nothing we can do about that. Everyone experiences things like that sooner or later.』
No... in my hometown, absolutely nobody has experienced anything like that...
『Besides, I can't imagine a situation where you guys lose at all. Even if they mass-produced Magic Swords and Holy Swords, it's not a power gap that can be bridged by that. The main point of this discussion is the fact that you spoke with me, the Headmaster, and how to offer cooperation to August.』
Exactly.
Since we are nominally a mercenary unit acting as escorts, we can't just head out on our own accord.
This was combat in another country, and as mercenaries, we were supposed to operate under someone else's command. Otherwise, we won't get paid.
In our case, we don't actually need money, so we need permission to push past that and act freely. If we disrupt the front lines without permission we could be recognized as enemies by August as well, and if our combat strength happens to be exposed there will be people who become eager to incorporate us.
After all, the people on the front lines were probably scrambling just to keep things together. Quite literally, with fires everywhere.
『Yeah. Well, from what I'm hearing, as long as Yuki-dono and the others handle the troublesome matters, there shouldn't be any problem. By the way, what is the name of that country that declared war?』
"That topic hasn't come up yet. Even if they say one of the neighboring countries, they might just be a representative."
『I see. So for details, you're going to ask directly from now on, including the matter regarding Amanda the Dragon Knight, huh.』
"Exactly. For the negotiations, we'll use the magical communication device I was planning to give you. So I want you to participate in the meeting through that. Originally, I was planning to discuss this privately with Feigel first and then handle it confidentially, but..."
To people who can understand it, this kind of communication network has unbelievable value.
They could overturn the entire concept of warfare in this world... That was why I wanted to be extremely careful about handing out the devices.
For Rhodei, I had already quietly explained things to Samantha's father, the Duke, in much the same way I had with the video communication system. Jilva and Enaria still hadn't received theirs. After all, they had antagonized us by causing such a huge disturbance, so it would be reckless to hand them something like this.
Well, using communication to commit evil or suppress attacks would be easy, but doing so would only make Zirba and Enaria's positions even worse.
We could naturally intercept their communications. Imagine giving someone a collar-equipped toy, only for them to use the communications system to conspire against us and suffer a complete defeat. It would just add insult to injury, leaving their countries with no good way to recover their standing.
If our goal was to take over Zirba and Enaria, that would be fine, but we don't have the time to spare for that. So until things cool down a bit more, we can't hand over this kind of communication equipment.
That's why I wanted to pass it through Feigel-san confidentially first, but...
『We can't afford to worry about that now. If we hold back, we have no idea how many casualties might occur in the fighting against the country that declared war. That's also extremely bad for us as members of the Academy responsible for managing the Monster Forest. And it's bad for me personally, since I have a connection to her. So sending someone who can potentially resolve the situation and hoping for an early solution is the right thing to do.』
"I see. Poppuri supports our participation, then. Alright, let's get moving."
With that, I stood up, and everyone else stood up as well.
"Alright. Everyone, there's going to be a fuss from here on. I think it'll get busy, but I'm counting on you."
"""Understood."""
The information is still insufficient, so I can't say for sure, but in the worst-case scenario, we might need to call Steve and the monster unit again to have them clear the area.
Let's pray they aren't that troublesome of an opponen... Then again, the one I was supposed to pray to was that useless goddess.
"Ah, right. Speaking of which, we need to wake those two up."
"Yes. I'll wake them up right away."
Eris approached Amanda and Eoid, who had been put into a deep sleep with sleep magic.
"WAKE UUUUUUUUUP!!"
"Hyah!?"
"Uwaa!?"
Uncharacteristically, she beat the two awake with a loud voice.
...Though honestly, since the mana supply had already been cut off, shaking them would have been enough to wake them.
"I understand that you're tired from the journey. So if you fell asleep while doing research in the library because you found it boring, I'll let that slide. HOWEVER, please refrain from strange acts."
At those words, the two suddenly realized something and pulled their hands back.
...Eoid's hand from Amanda's chest.
...Amanda's hand from around Eoid's crotch.
Ah, these horny brats.
Young people these days are truly scandalous. Unconsciously reaching out to places like that.
If Taiki-kun were here, he would have screamed, "This is a declaration of war against non-normies!! It is an unforgivable act!!" or something like that... Though Airi-san would probably drag him away afterward.
"N-No, you've got it wrong!! We were just touching, we didn't do anything!!"
"T-That's right!! I only do it with Eoid at night!!"
...Sorry to the two who are dazed with love, but on the way back to the royal castle, I'll have them grasp the current situation.
And holding down and dragging the two of them as they screamed along the way ended up being the usual routine.
