第１９３掘：合流と説明 (Part2)
"Ah, yes. There are no particular issues with the invading army. I brought along an adjutant who serves as the counterpart to your Jessica—the one who held down the fort while the main force was away—so that she could provide a detailed explanation. Come in."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, another female knight entered the tent we were borrowing.
*Good grief,* I thought. *Between Marly and Olive, why are the adjutants all women...?*
"I understand your sentiment. However, it is only in the Magic Sword User's division that women are treated as equals when serving in the military," Marly noted.
"Ah, is that the issue?"
"Yes. Even if magic swords can only be wielded by women, that does not mean women as a whole are better at warfare than men. Naturally, there is a higher demand for men who can handle heavy labor. That is why you see so many soldiers centered around women under the command of magic sword users."
*A workplace where women can work easily.*
*Brought to you by the Military Public Relations Department.*
That’s the vibe, I suppose.
"My apologies for interrupting your conversation. I am Hivia, formerly a colleague of Jessica’s."
Hivia stood beside Marly and bowed her head. Her appearance was striking: she had blue hair—no, it was even paler than Rurua’s, a white-blue hue like thin ice—and her features were refined. Her eyes were droopy, perhaps to soften the harsh image of the military, and their color matched her hair. Her chest, while not as impressive as Jessica’s, was larger than Marly’s, placing her in the "well-endowed" category.
The only "regrettable" part, if one had to call it that, was her height. Marly was taller than Jessica, who was significantly taller than Hivia. In terms of stature, she looked just as youthful as Deryu. Given that she was Marly’s adjutant, I wondered if she was more of an assassin type than a standard officer.
"Now, before I begin the explanation, allow me to offer my greetings..."
No sooner had she said that than she flicked a small knife toward me.
"Whoa there. Could you refrain from throwing such dangerous things at Yuki-san?"
Riel caught it without a hint of trouble.
"Hmm, it’s a fighting style that suits your build, but you’re still green. I’ll teach you sometime."
While Riel was speaking, the knife she had been holding vanished.
"Eh!?"
In the same motion Riel used to speak, the knife had been returned to Hivia, now embedded in her clothing. The precision required to throw it so it wouldn't pierce the hem of her skirt was a masterclass in technique.
"M-my apologies!! Hivia also has her duties as my adjutant, you see..." Marly hurried to smooth things over.
"I understand that much. Riel wasn't being serious, either."
"Yup. There was almost no killing intent. *Almost*, that is."
"...My apologies. It seems it is true that you defeated Marly-sama, Olive-sama, and Mist-sama. That was a shallow act on my part. I offer my sincere apologies. However, Jessica... he is your superior now. Shouldn't you have been the first to move?"
While apologizing to me, she threw a jab at Jessica, who was standing by my side.
"Indeed, but I doubt Hivia would have been satisfied with that. Besides, Yuki wouldn't be hurt by something like this, and there are others here, so I would have been the last to move. I wouldn't have had a turn anyway. I am the weakest among this group, after all."
"...The fact that that doesn't sound like a lie is terrifying. I sympathize with your new workplace."
"Would you like to swap?"
"I must respectfully decline."
Having finished her light banter with her former colleague, she stood before the whiteboard.
"I have been observing for a while, and it seems this board is easily erasable. May I use this for my explanation?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
I sat down where Britt and the others had been, and my wives followed suit, with Marly and her group doing the same.
"Then, I shall report on the current situation of the invading army heading toward the Enaria Holy Kingdom, as well as our invasion objective."
Well, well. I just hope the objective is something that doesn't require our intervention. I hate troublesome matters.
Since mixing chocolate into this would only lead to chaos, I’ll stick to the "pitfall" trope. Now, where will the invasion target be?! And will Yuki and the others be able to investigate at their leisure?!