第２３９掘：事件のまとめと今後の方針 (Part2)
For the anti-ceasefire faction, the peace talks provided the perfect stage to incite a riot and pin the blame on Princess Miffy. If there was a guaranteed way to avoid accountability, they were bound to seize the opportunity.
Of course, that wouldn't work if every citizen in the country was marching in lockstep, shouting "Long live the King!" and "Long live the peace!" But reality is never that simple. There are cracks in every foundation. Honestly, if everyone were truly pure and upright, wars wouldn't be happening in the first place.
That was why I had Kirika and her team infiltrate the Holy City of Enaria ahead of time. I had them identify high-ranking officials who seemed dissatisfied and were already in contact with foreign powers.
The one who got caught in our net was Minister Nok. He was knee-deep in dealings with Roday, a neighboring ally of Enaria, which made him very easy to manipulate. Kirika "borrowed" some of his correspondence with Roday, which I then copied, edited, and sent back with a new message: *We’re going to cause a distraction, so use this monster-summoning item to frame Princess Miffy.*
Our original plan was to use that distraction to fight alongside the pro-ceasefire faction. By defeating the "enemy" together, we would deepen our mutual understanding, be accepted as brothers-in-arms, and make it difficult for the remaining dissidents to move.
But as you know, the result was a bit different. Some group of "revolutionaries"—or whatever they were—ended up dancing naked at the end, but before that, they released monsters into the castle and the city, causing a massive uproar. Because of them, I had to throw out my planned timing and improvise the whole thing on the fly.
Still, since they went so big, it didn't look suspicious when we leveled the Minister’s estate, and no one questioned how we "found" the incriminating evidence. If the incident had been confined to the castle, people would have grilled us on how we knew about the Minister’s secret pact. The extra chaos actually saved us a lot of legwork.
Overall, the evaluation was positive. At the castle, Mino-chan, Deryu, and Peace teamed up with Hein to slay monsters and save the soldiers. In the city, Eris, Ratz, Milly, and Rurua were the stars of the show. And finally, when the Minister summoned a monster in a desperate last stand, it served as the perfect bait to show the King and the high officials exactly what we’re capable of. It was a clear warning: if you pick a fight with us, the damage will be far worse than any monster could inflict.
"And that’s how the situation turned into something very beneficial for us. I guess you could call it a blessing in disguise."
I finished my long explanation and stepped away from the whiteboard. My wives seemed to be processing the information for a moment before turning their gaze toward Sia and the others beside them.
There, they found two women with their faces buried in their hands, weeping.
"Ugh... why? Why...?"
"...Our perfect plan..."
Yeah, don't let it get you down. They probably had their own schemes to exploit the ceasefire, but they just had the misfortune of running into us, and we're simply on another level.
"So, for the time being, our policy is to help with Enaria’s reconstruction to build up goodwill. We want to create an environment where it’s easy for us to move later. We’ll still be investigating things behind the scenes, but there’s no harm in being friendly."
"I see, I see."
"Understood."
"A most logical approach, I believe."
All three of them nodded in agreement.
"So, Deryu, was my take any different from what you heard from Eris and the others?"
"No, it was mostly the same. I just listened to your true feelings and thought, 'Yep, that’s Yuki for you.'"
...That’s just like me, huh? I’ll take that as a compliment.
Now then, I had one more thing to say to the two pitiful fools crying over there. By the way, since Peace hasn't returned to her post yet, these two still don't fully understand who we are or why they lost. They might still be clinging to a shred of hope, so I might as well crush it now.
"Also, you two Holy Sword Users over there. Don't expect any rescue. Even if they come, it won't change anything."
"...W-Why!?"
"...Stop it, Sia! He’s just saying that to trick us into giving up information."
"T-That’s right! We won't yield to your threats! Even if you’ve defeated us..."
Sia started to launch into a cliché defiant speech, so I cut her off.
"During the battle, there was another Holy Sword User monitoring from a distance. I took the liberty of... adjusting things a bit."
""Eh?""
"If that person successfully reports back about us, it’ll just make it easier for me to intercept them. Did you really think we hadn't noticed?"
The two of them stood there with their mouths agape. Honestly, after an operation that massive, there was bound to be someone watching to report the outcome, whether it was a success or a failure. If they didn't even have that much foresight, they wouldn't even qualify as toys, let alone enemies.
In fact, that "observer" is already effectively under my command. She doesn't realize it, of course. I approached her stealthily and placed her under my influence without her noticing, so she’s likely reporting exactly what I want her to. Their plans are an open book to me, and I can see their faces whenever I want. The battle has already begun.
"I’d actually appreciate it if they attacked the area around Betan. I’ve spread rumors that our main force is gathered there, and I made sure they confirmed you two are alive. They’ll probably try to kidnap the members at Betan to use as leverage."
"T-That’s it! I don't know how much you think you know, but your allies are already doomed! Our movement speed is on a different level!"
"She’s right! I’m telling you for your own good—if you release us now, your friends might still have a chance!"
True, if you think normally, there’s no way to match the speed of those who can use teleportation. However, my wives were looking at the two girls with even more pity in their eyes.
"...Yuki, you really are merciless."
"...Um, we can catch up to them too, you know..."
"...There is no way Tori and the others would lose to people of that caliber."
The two prisoners blinked, their minds going blank at those words.
Yes, I leaked that information on purpose. It was to wrap things up quickly and to prevent the unnecessary dispersion of magical energy. I don't know what their ultimate goal is, but if they start popping out high-level monsters and scattering mana all over the place, there’s no telling what might happen. I’d rather settle things in a place I control.
"Hahaha! I pray they struggle as much as possible. It’ll make for excellent data collection."
I said that and then suddenly froze.
...Wait, the way I just acted...
"Hey, did I just sound like a villain?"
"""Yes."""
Ah, it felt like I just set a classic "loser flag" for myself. Can't be helped. I’ll just have to add a few more layers of contingency to the plan.
The enemy hasn't stopped yet! Yuki’s crisis continues! He’s even gone and set a flag!
What’s going to happen next?! You’re worried, aren't you? Come on, you’re worried! Right? You’re totally worried!
...For the enemy, that is.