第２２５掘：お転婆姫とのお話 (Part1)
**Chapter 225: A Talk with the Tomboy Princess**
**Side: Seraria**
*Sigh.* That’s pretty much it for today’s meeting. Honestly, there’s never a moment to rest. But if it weren’t for the New Continent, there would be no progress—just the usual diplomatic back-and-forth between Weed and foreign nations. If that were all, I’d die of boredom.
If I think about Sakura, I suppose a safe, peaceful time would be best. But in this world, we never know when the magical depletion might cause the balance to collapse. If that’s the case, my ideal is to push my husband forward, support him, and keep moving.
Hm? Push my husband and support him? Ah, I forgot something.
“...Wait, dear, how are you going to handle the report to Zilba? And what happened with that ‘tomboy princess’ who came as a figurehead representing the Enaria front? I haven’t heard a word about it.”
That’s right. Because we went on a rampage, the tomboy princess didn’t have to pull off a massive gamble, but I haven’t heard the details of that conversation. Jessica had mentioned she was a good backer—or rather, a good candidate for a wife—in the New Continent, but I was too excited about the prospect of causing chaos myself and completely forgot.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t heard that report. You tried to prevent the relationship with the princess from souring by claiming you were a descendant of the Zilba imperial family, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Olive-sama visited Betan beforehand to give me that information. She asked me to get our stories straight.”
“I see. We wouldn’t want to cause internal strife on purpose, after all.”
“Ratz, I think that’s wrong.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“The King of Zilba likely wanted to avoid clashing with us. Of course, there might be reasons regarding internal politics, but the biggest reason is that he didn’t want to make us his enemies. If he did, he would certainly lose the territory he’d seized, and we would be standing against him.”
“Yes, I believe Seraria-sama is correct.”
“From what I’ve heard, the King of Zilba isn’t that stupid. As expected of someone leading a major power, he understands the balance of power. Though, I’m sure having unreasonable people like us show up gives him quite a headache.”
Even I was confused by the events beyond my understanding when I first met my husband. Considering that, the "shitty old man" who judged my husband’s abilities and sought his cooperation must have been reasonably competent. Though, in my heart, he’s still a shitty old man.
“But, I’m getting sidetracked. Dear, you met with that Zilba princess, didn’t you?”
“I did. Since you wives were going to go on a rampage, I had to make excuses for that, or it would have been a total disaster.”
“Oh? You sound a bit grumpy.”
“Well, yeah. Even if it’s over now, I ended up bringing my wives to a battlefield. Honestly, I was worried sick. Up until now, I’ve always been in a position to support you immediately.”
At my husband’s words, we wives feel our cheeks flush. To him, we are his first family in this world, so I understand that sentiment. That is the kind of man our husband is. That is exactly why I want to help him. Or rather, I want to pin him down right now.
...Right. Today, I’ll crawl into bed and we’ll go at it until morning.
*Ah!* No, no, I have to keep the conversation moving. Depending on what he says about the report to Zilba, even if we reach a ceasefire with Enaria, our future moves will change significantly.
“We all understand your affection. But more importantly, tell us what you talked about and how you plan to report it. It will change our future actions.”
“Fair point. I should talk about the meeting with the Zilba princess. Jessica, could you handle the explanation of what happened then?”
“Eh? Me?”
“We made the report together, didn't we? It’s better to hear about the conversation from a third-party perspective rather than just from the person who had it. Subjectivity is necessary, of course, but since you have knowledge of Zilba and the surrounding countries, you might notice things we missed.”
“That’s true. What my husband says makes sense. Jessica, could you give us the report?”
“Understood. Then...”
Jessica stood up and began to read from the compiled report, interjecting with her own observations.
**Side: Jessica**
I suppose I should start from when we were heading to the meeting. In reality, Seraria-sama’s remarks at the time required a major revision of our strategy. We had to explain things to Horst-dono and change the scouts' routes.
“Well then... I shall start from when we left the city of Betan.”
I began to recount the events, matching them to the report as I remembered that day.
“I’m heading to the fortress now. I don’t think the enemy will come, but don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes. Leave it to us.”
“I’ll leave the goblins behind, so let me know if anything happens. I’ve told Horst-dono and his men to cooperate with you.”
“Understood. I appreciate your consideration. It may be unnecessary worry, but please take care. Yuki-dono and your people are indispensable to Betan now.”
“That goes for you too, Horst-dono. If the worst happens, abandon the city and run with everyone. If you have your lives, the city can be rebuilt.”
“Haha! You’re the only one who would so easily order the abandonment of a city you just acquired, Yuki-dono.”
“A city and people’s lives aren’t things to be weighed against each other.”
“...I am grateful for that sentiment.”
After that conversation with Horst-dono and the others, we boarded the Marauder and departed.
“Hey, Yuki-san.”
“Hm? What is it, Riel?”
“You were talking like that to Horst-san and the others just now, but we’re coming back today, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Well, it just feels a bit strange to have a conversation like that and then just come back for the day.”
Indeed, after such a conversation, returning for the day feels a bit odd.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s about being able to handle things whenever a battle breaks out. It means never letting your guard down at any time.”
As Yuki says, that mindset is important. Whether it’s a day trip or a month-long journey, if we maintain that mindset, we can handle any problems that arise.
“Yuki-san. By the way, how are you going to handle Princess Miffy at the fortress? Olive-san went out of her way to help us get our stories straight, so do you have a plan?”
“Come to think of it, yes. We haven’t been told anything. We won’t know how to respond if she asks us about it.”
I agreed with Ria’s point. Now that she mentioned it, Princess Miffy takes pride in being of royal blood. I felt that responding casually like Yuki might lead to some awkward situations...
“Ah, that’s fine. I’m going to stick to the story that I’m the only descendant, and that everyone else knows nothing about it. Jessica, act as the mediator when I meet Princess Miffy. That should make things go smoothly.”
“Yes, I don’t mind that, but...”
“By the way, what should we do about the fact that you and I are married? Should we tell her?”
“*H-huff!?* W-why are we talking about that?”
“Well, your superior, Marly, is there too. If your belly starts to grow without us saying anything, that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
“T-that is true, but...”
A marriage announcement at the fortress!? I mean, I have indeed given my body and soul to Yuki, but I intend to continue assisting Marly-sama. So, there’s no reason to hide it, but how should I put this...
To say we are married is, in other words, to say that we have been making children with Yuki... No, I love making children. I welcome it! That’s not it—my dignity as a knight would be...
“Hmm, you’re being a bit hesitant. Does Princess Miffy have a dislike for married people or something?”