第５５掘：現状説明会 (Part4)
"Well, if both Deryu and Elju have found some sort of answer here, then everything up until now has had some meaning. Though, I don't think the answers themselves are going to change anything, really."
"...Yes. In the end, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to heal others. Is this my answer, then?"
"Don't ask me. You're the one who has to say it with confidence, Elju."
As I say that, Yuki-san gives me a wry smile.
Ah, it seems I am still being coddled.
If only I could just say it outright.
"I swear that, until the very end, I will exist for the sake of the people!"
"If you're fine with that, then isn't that good enough? Well, for the time being, the results up to this point are in the red, though."
"...That's cruel."
Even so, unlike before, I am able to smile back.
Perhaps this is what the sisters meant by "sticking to your convictions."
"Hmph, is that so? Then I, too, shall not deem my fists of the past to be a mistake. After all, they led me to meet the likes of you."
"Isn't that an answer worthy of Deryu?"
Yuki-san and Deryu-san look at each other and laugh.
"Now then, let's get to the main point of why I bothered to explain and lecture you two."
"Eh?"
"I don't do explanations for no reason. Well, you should understand by now. The meaning of having an answer, the resolve required... and the fact that the troubles coming our way will be far too much for the likes of your current answers and resolve to handle."
"What do you mean by that?"
"This recent turmoil—the general consensus is that it happened because Elju became a Saintess, but the real question is *why* someone would do such a thing."
"Was it not to bring order to the Holy Kingdom of Litea?"
"Hahaha, thank you for that adorable answer. Using the princess of an allied nation as a target to 'bring order' to your own country isn't exactly a brilliant move, is it? It could easily lead to war. If that were the goal, they could have just invited Elju to the Holy Kingdom, given her some meaningless, ceremonial title, and kept her contained. That would have settled it."
"Wait a moment, please!? The way you're putting it, it sounds as if..."
"That's exactly right. This turmoil was a scheme to bring the Holy Kingdom of Litea under their thumb. It's easy to see, isn't it? By making Elju the enemy, they could clearly identify the factions that wouldn't submit to them. They fed information to her friend Rurua, intentionally sent her to Roschur alone, and planned to have her killed at a convenient moment. With that, the opposing factions would all be silenced. My, what a transparent takeover plan."
"Wh-why would they do that!? Is it for power, like Loire?"
"Nah, the effort-to-reward ratio is terrible. If you want to live smart, you'd just use your influence to line your own pockets. Even Loire needed the support of the Holy Kingdom of Litea just to attempt a coup against Roschur. To do this without any outside backing? The motive and the success rate... it just doesn't add up."
"Then why!! ...Could it be related to the 'answer' you mentioned earlier?"
When I ask that, Yuki-san twists his lips into an amused grin.
"Oh, they exist. People who toss aside simple cost-benefit calculations. Someone who acknowledges the people who died in this turmoil, the people who will die in the future, and everything else, yet still pushes forward with their own answer and their own resolve. Someone who believes that their answer will, in the end, be the right one—that it will lead to the future."
What Yuki-san is describing is a path stained deep red.
Such an answer... it is madness.
"Whether they're as broken as I am, or just a plain fanatic, one thing is certain: they didn't cause all this for a lark or for some simple profit."
When Yuki-san finishes speaking, the surroundings fall silent.
"With that said, Eris."
"Yes!? Wh-what is it!?"
"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to go cause some trouble on the other side with Rurua, so leave my share of the work to Deryu."
The air freezes.
Ah, that’s right. He is that kind of person.
"Ha!? Wait just a moment!! Didn't you just say a moment ago that my workload would be reduced to one task!?"
Good luck with your work starting tomorrow.
Yes, Yuki has never lectured anyone; he has only ever "persuaded" people to strengthen his own forces.
It just so happens that the result is usually them becoming his allies.
And as for the hardliners in Litea, is there truly someone so monstrous waiting there?
Will they be a worthy enemy for Yuki?!
Well, regardless of all that, the administrative work never seems to decrease.