第１４７掘：嫁さんたちへの説明と説得 (Part1)
**Dig 147: Explanations and Persuasion for the Wives**
**Side: Yuki**
"Now then, Yuki, what’s this all about?"
"Whenever Big Brother acts all formal and says he has something to tell us, it’s usually something serious."
"But whatever it is, I will follow you to the ends of the earth, Husband!"
Seraria voiced her curiosity, Ratz hit the nail on the head, and Rurua declared her unwavering loyalty. Ah, they really are such wonderful wives; it makes me feel guilty about dragging them into this. I could have just done this in secret, after all...
"...Everyone, Yuki is planning to shoulder this trouble all by himself."
"Hey, Labyris, when did you get here...?"
Before I knew it, Labyris had grabbed my body and read my thoughts. The moment she spoke, the atmosphere among my wives turned sharp and dangerous.
"We will accompany you wherever you go!"
As soon as Shera said that, everyone else nodded in unison. I wonder if they practiced that. Setting that aside, I decided to explain what Luna had told me.
"What is Luna thinking? Weed itself is stable enough, but the surrounding areas are still a mess."
"But if what Luna says is true, we cannot simply ignore the issue of mana depletion, can we?"
"Wait, so the real reason Yuki-san wanted to save the continent was to prevent mana depletion? I never even imagined that was the case."
Seraria complained about Luna making unreasonable demands given the current state of the continent. Ratz argued that the mana depletion issue shouldn't be ignored. Riel was shocked to hear my true intentions for saving the continent, and the others nodded along in agreement.
"However, if that’s the case, why haven't we told the other countries about this mana depletion problem?"
Eris asked the obvious question.
"Exactly. It’s a problem for the entire continent, isn't it?"
Tori agreed with Riel’s sentiment, echoing the same question. But, well, there are various complications involved in that.
"Ah, is that how it is..."
"I see. That makes sense."
"...Tch, so we have no choice but to get involved ourselves."
Tori mentioned it being a continent-wide issue, and Rurua, Shera, and Seraria reacted accordingly. As expected of those who have served as rulers and members of the ruling class.
"Um, what does that mean?"
Ria tilted her head, asking for an explanation.
"Rurua, could you explain?"
"Seraria, are you sure about this?"
"I have some adjustments to make. I am the top leader of Weed, after all."
"Ah, I see. Given your position, Seraria, you wouldn't be able to move freely without doing that first."
Whether she was convinced or not, Rurua began to explain, while Seraria had already left the room to handle her administrative duties.
"To answer Eris and Tori-san's question... if we were to say such a thing, people would simply dismiss it as unbelievable."
"..."
"In fact, if we were to carelessly spread this information to foreign nations, we would likely be punished for inciting unnecessary panic."
The other wives were stunned by Rurua’s answer.
"Wait, if Yuki-san and Luna’s explanation is true, doesn't that mean most living things on this continent might die when the mana runs out?"
"As Riel says, are we really going to be punished just for asking them to deal with such a major problem?"
Riel and Milly tilted their heads, unable to comprehend the logic.
"The reason is simple: it comes down to whether or not they would believe us. Why should we believe that this mana depletion issue we’ve uncovered is the truth?"
"That’s because Yuki-san and Luna... ah, I see."
Eris seemed to reach the conclusion, her expression turning sour, as if she had bitten into a bitter bug.
"Rurua-oneechan, I don't get it."
"Neither do I. Brother would never lie to us!"
Aslin and Firia were completely lost. It really is a troublesome situation.
"In other words, you mean that if we just give a warning based on Brother’s or Luna’s words, no one will be convinced?"
Ratz, having reached the same conclusion as Eris, wore a troubled expression.
"Um, sorry, I don't get it either."
"I'm sorry, me neither."
"...Me too."
I suppose it was a bit too difficult for the beastman group. Well, perhaps the problem is the assumption that everyone recognizes this as a continent-wide issue.
"Let’s put it this way. Suppose someone in Weed started saying: 'If you live in Weed, the world will perish, so you must go live elsewhere!' Now, as the rulers of this place, how should we react?"
"We can't have people worrying about such nonsense, so we’d warn them, and if they persisted, we’d have to arrest... ah."
Tori gave a textbook answer and finally understood the problem.
"Exactly. People cannot believe in problems that aren't visible or tangible. Especially when the solution requires enormous effort, nations are slow to act."
"...Because if it turns out to be a mistake, the losses would be astronomical?"
"Yes. Even if it is the truth, without convincing evidence, they will never move. We ourselves have always gathered information and evidence before taking action."
Well, Rurua is right. At this world's level of civilization, using Litia’s religion to spread the word across the continent would be... impossible. "Mana is running out, so please move into a dungeon to prevent it." Yeah, that’s way too much. If I just said, "God told me so" without any proof, I’d be branded a lunatic. It’s the same on Earth. If someone stood in front of the National Diet Building in Japan and started screaming about the end of the world, people would just wonder what was wrong with them.
"Hmm, I see. But then, why is it decided that we have to go to this new continent?"
Riel asked a good question. With this mana depletion issue looming, why do we have to go out of our way to set foot on that continent?
"That, too, is simple. You know that Husband has been using Zargis-san to research mana and turn it into general-purpose tools, right?"
"...I know. The mana-powered lights are as convenient as electric ones."
"Yes, that was part of Yuki-san’s effort to gather evidence of mana depletion."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"After hearing about the mana depletion issue from Husband, he began actively researching mana with Zargis-san. The true intention behind the plan to provide that information and technology to other countries was to prepare for this very problem."