第１７１掘：自ら出た理由 (Part1)
Chapter 171: The Reason I Stepped Forward Myself
Side: Labyris
Yuki is currently sitting in the seiza posture all by himself in the middle of the inn's banquet hall.
Surrounding him in a tight circle are his wives.
Of course, that includes me.
"Yuki, I am extremely angry."
As I say this, the other wives nod deeply in agreement.
"In the first place, Big Brother, why did you choose to step onto the absolute front lines yourself this time of all times?"
"Exactly. When I heard my Lord had taken such action, I thought I was going to have a miscarriage from the sheer shock."
"Ah—er, sorry."
Not to mention the pregnant group waiting back at home, even those of us who were right there with him on that battlefield hadn't been told a single thing beforehand, so it was truly terrible for our hearts. We thought he would just tease the opponent like usual and come right back, but instead, he dove straight into full combat.
"Labyris, touch Yuki. Interrogate him on exactly why he did such a thing. Even I didn't see this coming. My husband standing on the front lines?"
"Understood."
Responding to Seraria's request, I scramble up onto Yuki's head as usual. I'm going to press my boobs against him a whole lot. You love boobs, don't you? I know you do. You always try to look away to hide it, but you absolutely love them. I'm going to let you touch them a ton!!
"So, why exactly did you act like that?"
"Well, you see, there were various reasons for that..."
"I'm sure there were. But if you dare tell us you did it without thinking, I'm putting a collar on you."
"I'm not a dog."
"Spit it out already."
Yep, just like Seraria said, spit it out already.
Oh wow, Yuki is genuinely imagining himself with a collar around his neck, tied to a chain. I'd kind of love to keep him as a pet. I'd play with him every single day. Hehehe... Wait, no, no, no. Yuki is a terrifying boy! To come up with such a wonderful fantasy just to counter my interrogation!!
"Hmm. Where should I even begin explaining..."
"What? Is it really that complicated of a story?"
"It's complicated if you look at it one way, but simple if you look at it another. But if I don't explain the situation at the time, you probably won't understand how I felt, right?"
"Ah, I see. You mean the flow of events?"
"Exactly. Even I didn't intend to go out to the front lines myself, but those sisters struck a bit of a chord with me."
"Oh? Have you finally decided to get a woman pregnant? That's fine. Honestly, you don't indulge in your desires nearly enough, so you really should let yourself be corrupted for once. If they struck a chord with you, they must be quite beautiful. Why don't you turn those sisters into your flesh slaves while investigating the cause of the magical depletion? Keep them naked by your side so you can take them whenever you want."
"What kind of erotic setup is that?!"
"I think that level of erotics is just right for Lord Yuki, considering how rarely he initiates anything. After all, you didn't pin us down over there at all."
"No, I was using a Doppel, you know? And we were away from home, right? I'm not that open of a pervert. Besides, don't I keep you company every single night?!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's nowhere near enough, Big Brother. As you can see, we're all still young."
"Well, it's every day for me, but you guys are on a rotation... Put that way, yeah, sorry. I'll do my best."
That's right. Do your best.
It's fine, Yuki can do it.
"Now that we've secured a promise from my husband to work hard in bed from now on, let's get back to the main topic. Those sisters said something strange, didn't they?"
"Yeah."
"Ria, do you remember?"
"Uh, let me see... I think it was just a standard battle speech..."
"In that case, I remember it."
"Then, Jessica, could you say it for us?"
"Yes. If you'll excuse me..."
And so, as Jessica recited the speech the sisters gave during the battle, there was a specific line that had thrown Yuki's heart into turmoil.
"Seraria, there's a part Yuki reacted to. That's probably the line that struck a chord."
"Which one is it?"
"Let's see... The part where they said: 'We swear victory upon this magic sword. And we carry the future of the four million citizens of the Zilva Empire!! There is not a single reason you can win!!' That's the part."
"I see..."
"And then, Lord Yuki said, 'If you carry the future of four million, I am a fraction of six billion.' Is that actually true?"
"Hmm? I wasn't lying. In my hometown, Earth, nearly six to seven billion people are alive."
"A fraction, huh? Hehe, that's so like you."
"Lady Seraria, do you understand what 'a fraction' means? I find it strange that he didn't use words like 'shoulder' or 'protect' instead."
Jessica still doesn't truly know Yuki, does she? There's no way this Yuki would ever say something that binds people down like that.
"My husband was declaring that he doesn't hold any special, grandiose position like a king or a general."
"I don't quite understand what you mean..."
"Hehe, Jessica, you've fought for your country and its people up until now, so it might be hard for you to imagine. Let me ask you: if a king falls, does the nation vanish?"
"Yes, of course. If there is no one left to succeed the throne, the nation ceases to exist."
"Only the name of the nation changes. Just because a nation vanishes doesn't mean all its citizens die out. The citizens will each look for their own way to survive. To the people, royals and nobles like us are nothing more than that."
"...In other words, is it arrogant for us to say we carry the citizens on our shoulders?"
"It's not entirely wrong, but it's not exactly correct either. Jessica, before you are a soldier protecting the people, you are a single human being. Even for you, if someone from a higher rank suddenly told you, 'I am protecting you,' it wouldn't feel real, would it? Especially since you're the one fighting on the absolute front lines."
"That's true..."
"It's the same for the citizens. They are desperately protecting their own environment. Even in a family, you wouldn't say the breadwinning husband is the sole protector of the family. There is a wife entrusted with the household, and there are children who carry the future. Every single one of them is shouldering something, and every single one of them is protecting something."
"Then, is there no meaning to what we do?"
"No, as long as it takes the form of a nation, if you don't deal with the enemies coming at you, the citizens living there will suffer. However, even if there is meaning to it, that isn't all there is. You've seen Weed, haven't you?"
"Yes, the citizens here live freely."