第１０８掘：事情説明と夫の故郷 (Part1)
**Dungeon Excavation 108: Explanations and the Husband's Hometown**
**Side: Seraria**
“……And so, I was hoping for your cooperation in this matter.”
“I’m asking for it, too.”
With those words, the Hero Taiki and my husband—was it a *dogeza*? They both lowered their heads in that posture.
“Seraria, Yuki-san seems to be reflecting on his actions, and…”
“I-Indeed. It’s only natural for the young to have a bit of fire in them.”
Sister Aria and that damn old man of a father-in-law were telling me to stop being angry.
“Y-Yes, that’s right. If you listen to the Hero’s circumstances, it’s clear that this was unavoidable. Many people will be saved. For us, who aim to reduce the number of wars, this is a welcome development.”
The Ritia representative, Alstaire, chimed in with the same sentiment.
“*Sigh*. Shera, setting the Hero aside, what should we do about the princess who brought this trouble to our doorstep?”
“I believe decapitating her and sending her head back to her country would be appropriate.”
Shera replied instantly with a beaming smile.
“H-Hey now, don’t say such reckless things. If that happens, Ranks will raise an army and march on us.”
“That’s right, Shera. Try to be a little more level-headed.”
“Indeed. Even though Yuki-san and Aslin and the others were attacked, that would be going too far…”
The Gartz royalty, Shera’s own kin, tried to persuade her, but…
“Oh, but I am being level-headed. If we send her head, they will have no choice but to mobilize. We shall completely crush them, use the Hero’s connections to incite rebellion in their three vassal states, isolate them, and take the royal castle in one fell swoop. The pretext is also flawless: we executed her for being disrespectful to my husband. That is more than enough. Even if the surrounding nations make a fuss, if we simply say, ‘We will provide support to this place if you do,’ they won’t be able to say a word. Besides, she committed a crime in the middle of the city after we had specifically granted permission to carry weapons at what was essentially a diplomatic ceremony. She was beyond saving from the start.”
She silenced her relatives in one breath. My youngest sister-in-law.
Yes, she has the talent befitting a wife of my husband.
Looking at Shera, I can tell—the wives of Yuki.
In other words, the highest authority figures of the Dungeon and Weed are completely in favor of war.
If we go easy on them, they’ll just get carried away.
It seems necessary to show our strength once and for all.
It’s perfect, really. Let’s use Ranks as a sacrifice—no, let’s show them the power of Weed through war.
“P-Please, stop!! If you behead that damn princess, they’ll definitely resort to forced conscription to inflate their military strength!! That would cause harm to the people I’ve been indebted to—please, just don’t do that!!”
The Hero lowered his head again.
I’ve heard his circumstances, so I hold no anger toward him personally.
I suspect everyone else feels the same.
However, we cannot simply sheath our swords.
“I understand your feelings, Hero-sama, but what do you intend to do from here on? That idiot princess we have in custody is barking that once you go on a rampage and come to save her, you’ll see if you can get away with doing this to a country that houses a Hero.”
Rurua responded to the Hero.
Honestly, I didn’t expect Rurua to be so furious earlier.
It makes me happy to see so many wives who care for their husband.
But as Rurua said, that idiot princess is definitely going to launch an attack on us.
Without a doubt, she’ll use forced conscription or whatever else she can to try and retaliate.
Well, we won’t lose.
After all, we can handle the strongest combatant, the Hero, and everyone else is just a mob.
“Um, that was actually the plan. Would you mind listening?”
The Hero has a strangely humble demeanor, just like Yuki.
Hmm… come to think of it, his hair and eyes are the same color, too.
Yuki’s hometown was… a continent we don’t know about, wasn’t it?
While I was lost in thought, the Hero received permission from Rurua and the others and began to explain his future actions.
“This time, as a condition for returning that bitch princess, I will leave without attacking this place. Then, I’ll act as if I’m burning with rage and carefully select my forces. I’ll filter them so that the citizens aren’t harmed, and then I’ll lead them to attack here.”
“I see. You’re persuading them that they can win without gathering their full strength, and that this retreat was unavoidable. And by ‘selecting your forces’… you mean you’ll consolidate the King and Princess’s supporters here, right?”
“Yes. Then I’ll suppress the royal castle with a small force, and I’ll crush all the forces that came here myself.”
“……Hmm. It’s a decent strategy, but wouldn’t that leave you with a tarnished reputation? As a traitor?”
“I don’t really care about that. I can survive on my own. I just want the people who helped me to live safely and soundly, even if I can’t exactly give them a life of luxury.”
……What is this saintly man?
Ah, even though he doesn’t look like my husband, I find myself comparing their faces for some reason.
“I understand your circumstances and your plans. However, those are your circumstances alone. Because of these military actions, Gartz will have to gather its guards, and our Weed will have no choice but to halt trade for that duration. Naturally, we will also stop accepting travelers. How do you intend to compensate for that?”
As expected of Ratz.
She’s always thinking about these practical matters.
“T-That is……”
“Wait. If we bring Taiki-kun into the fold, it’s worth more than that.”
For some reason, Yuki stepped in to support the Hero.
What could he mean?
They aren’t that close, or rather, they’ve only just met—what could he possibly know?
“Taiki-kun has been operating almost entirely on his own since coming to this world. His ability to take action alone is worthy of praise, and he said he created his own merchant company to make money, right?”
“Yes, things like soap. Well, they’re items from my world. I also make paper. The pulp was the most troublesome part, though.”
“That’s it. I’ve been in such a rush that I’ve been producing things with DP, so producing them here has been an afterthought. For magic tools, I’ve been working Zargis—one of the Four Heavenly Kings—to the bone, but that’s about it. So, I want you to teach me that know-how. Is that alright?”
“Yes, if that’s all it takes to get your permission.”
My husband said that, asking him to teach him the methods for producing soap and paper.
Hmm, if I think about the future, that doesn’t sound like a bad deal.