第１６６掘：動き出す者とどうでもいい者 (Part2)
Since I was in a situation bordering on failure, if I could perform my duties perfectly to wipe that slate clean, my work would be evaluated higher than mine.
I must not, under any circumstances, lay a hand on Yuki and his group... How should I even phrase that!?
Side: Yuki
"Hmm, so those fire and water magic sword users... Olive and Mist, was it? There's a possibility they'll attack?"
"No, it's Olive and Mist. What is this 'Oliver and Pikmin' you're talking about?"
"They're creatures that get pulled out of the ground, fight, get eaten, and don't even ask you to love them despite all that."
"They sound like convenient soldiers."
"That's not the kind of response I was looking for."
"Yes?"
"No, never mind."
As expected, jokes like that only land with people from back home. I'll have a chat with Taiki-kun over a call later.
"Well, it wouldn't be a problem even if those two magic sword users showed up."
"That may be true, but given Yuki's policy, isn't it unwise to stir up trouble?"
"It's not like we can avoid it if they come on their own accord. If that happens, it'll mean picking a fight with the Zilba Empire, but I'm sure I can handle it. I can just capture those two magic sword users like I did with the princess, send them back, and have them spout some convenient lies."
"Honestly, don't you just not care at all?"
"Well, I really don't care. They're opponents I can deal with regardless. What I need to do right now is..."
As I reached for the documents while talking to Jessica, Zargis entered the room.
"Yuki, here is the progress report. It's regarding magic power consumption."
He handed me the documents.
"Thanks. Hmm... this is strange. There's way too much variance in magic consumption for the same spells."
"Yes, even for the same Fireball spell, there's a gap of 20 to 25 times the consumption depending on the caster."
"If this were only about ten people, I'd call it a margin of error, but..."
"Considering we've tested this with hundreds of people, ten times each, these are indeed abnormal figures."
That’s right. What I need to do right now is research this magic depletion. Until this is finished, I can't recklessly head out on an adventure to investigate the cause. It would be disastrous to head out into the field only to find I suddenly can't use magic, or to have consumption rates spike like this. That's why I'm doing as much research as possible here to ensure we're fully prepared before setting out to uncover the truth.
"By the way, how is the gathering of the demi-humans coming along?"
"Yes, it's all here."
"Oh, thanks, Tori."
"As you can see, a significant number of demi-humans have gathered following the report of the Zilba Empire's defeat. Though, there are some idiots who are unhappy that you're the leader, Yuki-san."
Tori’s face darkened? No, she actually looked like she was radiating killing intent.
"Hey, Riel. Tori looks kind of scary. Is negotiating with the demi-humans that rough?"
"It's not that. Well, maybe it's not entirely wrong? To them, we look like demi-humans. So, after hearing about our victory, some guys come up saying things like 'You should come be my bride,' or 'Leave that guy,' and in the end, some even say, 'I'll strike that man down and come to claim you'..."
"...Tori beat that guy to a pulp and threw him out."
Kaya added, filled with anger.
"Ah, I see. That sounds tough. Should I be the one at the negotiating table after all?"
"No, it would be terrible if something were to happen to you, Yuki-san."
"Besides, if Yuki-san were insulted directly, I'd beat the guy to a pulp."
"I would kill them."
Yeah, I'll leave the negotiations to you all. For the sake of the demi-humans' lives.
"Anyway, I'm busy with all sorts of things, so when Oliver and Pikmin show up, I'll deal with them after I catch them."
"No, like I said, it's Olive and Mist."
And so, the two magic sword users of the Zilba Empire are on the move!!
But to Yuki, they're just Oliver and Pikmin.
More importantly, magic research!!
Also, I'm taking tomorrow off!! I'm skipping the writing to build a bed in Minecraft!!