第１２８掘：説得の状況
**Chapter 128: The State of Persuasion**
**Side: Ratz**
Now then, I wonder how it came to pass that I, Ratz—my darling husband’s beloved wife—ended up being tasked with slaying a Demon Lord?
Not that I mind, of course. It’s for my husband’s sake, and for the sake of our child who will soon be born. I have no complaints whatsoever.
I am a cute Rabbit Beastman, and I have a fair amount of confidence in my figure. However, I was born a common villager. When I was young, I was inspired by a merchant who showed me the outside world through his wares, so I became an adventurer-slash-merchant and traveled the continent.
Well, being cute, I was often attacked by strange men or told to share their pillows. I rebuffed them all, though. I’m truly glad I saved myself for my husband.
So, despite not having any particularly grand combat achievements to my name, here I am: Ratz, the plain, ordinary, husband-loving, cute Rabbit Beastman. And I have been selected as a member of the Demon Lord subjugation team.
I suppose the reasoning makes sense when explained, but the reactions of the various kings when it was decided were quite amusing. As I maintain my weapons, I find myself reminiscing about that moment.
Let’s see, I believe it was three days ago. It was after Liliana-san arrived, after we heard the circumstances, and after we were briefed on my husband’s wicked strategy. Seraria was the one who persuaded the monarchs of the three nations.
“Now then, I shall disclose the information we have gathered. The contents are of extreme urgency. Please remain calm and listen until the end.”
At Seraria’s summons, the kings of the three nations gathered from the inn immediately. Well, two of the old men had been drinking, and the Saintess of Litea was on her third trip to the open-air bath. It was quite a shock to drop that explanation on them while they were trying to relax.
“To summarize the interrogation of the Demon race: we have confirmed an invasion of Rumel by the hardline faction. It began a month ago, which coincides with the period when contact with Rumel was lost.”
“““What?!”””
“One could argue it might be a trap, but I cannot help but trust the person who saved my sister. Furthermore, looking at the situation, there would be no point in leaking information to us if their goal was merely to isolate Rumel.”
It was quite entertaining. She told the kings—who already knew the truth—that her sister, Lady Elju, had been saved.
“Se-Seraria, what is the meaning of this?”
Seraria’s father knew the circumstances, of course, but he couldn’t publicly admit that Lady Elju was alive.
“Seraria, is it true?! Is Elju safe?!”
In the Gartz delegation, while everyone else was bewildered, Lady Lowell looked as happy as a blooming flower. She apparently doted on Lady Elju.
“A-Ah... well, that is...”
And the one most confused of all was the representative of Litea, Saintess Alstaire, who was supposed to have orchestrated Lady Elju’s assassination.
“Elju, come in.”
“Yes, Sister.”
At those words, Lady Elju entered the room. You should have seen their faces. The Roschur group aside, the members of the other two nations stood there with their mouths agape, looking as if they had seen a ghost.
“Now, I realize you are in a state of confusion, but I believe this explanation will suffice. With this, the preparations are complete.”
“““...”””
As expected of those who lead nations, they regained their composure. With that one sentence, they grasped the gist of the situation and their expressions turned serious.
“I see your point, Seraria. By revealing Elju here, you create a miraculous return to the stage. And then, you intend for us to join forces with the factions other than the hardliners, led by Liliana-san there?”
“I suppose so. In that case, the information carries more weight than if you simply asked us to save Rumel because you saved Lady Elju.”
“Providing information as an individual... normally, one would dismiss such a tale, but it is a different matter when the source is a Demon. There is absolutely no benefit for the Demon race in this. At most, they would only end up being killed.”
Princess Aria, the King of Gartz, and the Saintess spoke in succession, as if confirming the facts. Hearing their words, the high-ranking officials attending the kings nodded in agreement.
“I will explain the details. The force marching on Rumel is centered around the hardline faction, but they are using those who were formerly of the moderate faction as their vanguard. I judge this to be an attempt to wipe out the moderates’ effective fighting strength.”
“...That’s only natural. Going to war while leaving the main force of an opposing faction behind would be suicidal.”
Even Higil-san, that extreme siscon, was being calm. Wait, wasn’t he actually quite competent as a staff officer, just like my husband? The scene of him prostrating himself before Shera was so impactful I can’t forget it.
“However, they would still have to commit a significant number of troops to keep the moderates in check. You intend to strike at that opening, don’t you, Lady Seraria?”
“Yes, exactly as Charl says. This march on Rumel took advantage of our internal turmoil, but looking at it from another perspective, it means they don’t want to give us—now that we’ve formed an alliance—any time to act.”
That was the gist of it. The hardliners’ goal must have been to topple Rumel quickly and suppress us before the three nations could take action. If they didn’t, they would end up being attacked from multiple directions simultaneously. If they had succeeded in striking first, we would have been forced onto the defensive.
“We cannot let this chance slip away. However, what shall we do about sending reinforcements to Rumel? If this started a month ago, the war may have already begun, and it wouldn't be surprising if the enemy has already reached the royal capital.”
Teague-sama, the heir to Gartz, made a calm assessment. However, that was already out of the question.
“We will send reinforcements to Rumel, but they likely won’t arrive in time. My husband has already dispatched flying monsters for reconnaissance.”
“What do you mean? Surely, Rumel hasn't...!”
Even I thought that phrasing implied Rumel had fallen. However, the reality was different.
“Darling, the footage.”
“Understood.”
At Seraria’s request, my husband projected the footage into the center of the conference room. It showed an aerial view of Astari, the city in Rumel that faces the Demon Lord’s territory.
“Is this Astari, the frontline city of Rumel against the Demon Lord?”
“Yes.”
“But... this is...”
Indeed, looking down from above, there were nearly 30,000 soldiers lined up before the city. No, their armor wasn't uniform, so there were likely adventurers among them as well. However, facing them was a vast army that literally covered the ground, far exceeding their numbers.
“According to Liliana’s information, the Demon army sent to Rumel numbers 300,000. Ninety percent of them are monsters being used as soldiers.”
“Three hundred thousand?!”
“Then, at this rate, Rumel is already...”
Just as Alstaire-sama was about to finish her sentence, a thunderous roar echoed from the footage. In an instant, the opposing army of monsters was blown away.
“““What?!”””
Then, what looked like swords of light and large-scale ritual magic further whittled down the monster army.
“This is why reinforcements for Rumel are unnecessary. The Heroes summoned by Rumel are holding the front line firmly. If we send reinforcements haphazardly, it will only cause problems with the chain of command or disputes over who gets credit for the victory. I do not recommend it.”
“I-I see. It was with this in mind that you said we should take the Demon Lord’s head now.”
“Yes. At this rate, Rumel might push back, take the Demon Lord’s head, and annihilate the Demon race entirely. As you know, only the three nations and Weed are aware that the Demons can be a friendly race. We should not commit the folly of losing useful talent.”
And so, she continued to persuade the kings.
However, while remembering my husband’s words, I looked at the point on the screen where the arrows of light that were currently obliterating the army were being fired from.
Those are tanks.
Land warfare weapons from my husband’s world. There were at least 2,000 of them lined up in a row. They fired incessantly, and they were even higher-performance than the ones we used. Just who is the Hero capable of operating those tanks in such a manner?
Rurua told us the names, saying she had met the Heroes of Rumel in her capacity as a Saintess before she met us.
One is a man named Akira Yuki.
One is a woman named Hikari Arls Luxen.
One is a woman named Nadeshiko Yamato.
These are the three Heroes summoned to Rumel. However, there was apparently one more person—an ordinary civilian who got caught up in their summons.
Tadanori Tanaka.
He is a friend of my husband’s and an expert in modern warfare—or rather, combat from another world. And according to my husband, he is certain that Tanaka is involved with the weapons shown in the footage.
A power capable of unilaterally annihilating an army of 300,000 from a distance. It looks as if an army of 30,000 is fighting, but they are merely mopping up the scattered enemies; most are dying from the tank fire. Even the Heroes aren't stepping forward, focusing instead on eliminating the groups that manage to slip through the tank shells.
To think that the person Weed must be most wary of right now is my husband’s fellow countryman and friend...
The world is a harsh place, isn't it? I’ll have to make sure to comfort my husband.