第２５５堀：奥様は本の森の魔女、そして答え。 (Part4)
"That’s wonderful!! Such keen insight, Cleena!! Come now, let’s go and introduce you to everyone else!! I don’t think they’ll oppose it, but it would be problematic to marry Yuki-san without any formal introductions."
"Mm. I will ask Yuki’s wives with all my heart and soul... but I am counting on you, Ria."
"Leave it to me!!"
With that exchange, Ria and Cleena dashed out of the room.
*Hey, what about my guard?*
Just as I was thinking that, Riel walked in, passing them on her way out.
"Yahoo, Yuki-san. Ria said she had urgent business and told me to take over for her. Wait, why are you holding panties?"
"Ah, no, this is..."
Would she believe me if I said someone gave them to me?
Seeing me hesitate, Riel reached for her own pants...
"Hmm? Do you want mine too?"
"No, I don't need them. Basically, they dumped the laundry on me and the parties involved just took off."
"Ah, I see."
Nice, me!!
That’s great; Riel was convinced.
That's right, being treated like a pervert just for holding underwear is something that only happens in manga.
...Though, these are engagement panties.
"So, how do you think I should handle these?"
"Looking at them, there’s no place to put the laundry, and I’m sure Ria and the others will be back soon, so why don't you just hold onto them? It would be awkward to just leave freshly washed items on the table."
"...Understood. Now, Riel, I’m going to look through these books here, so help me out."
"Ehh? There are so many books, though?"
"You're here to replace Ria, right? Please."
"Ugh, fine. It’s for you, Yuki-san, so I guess I have no choice!!"
And so, while Ria was busy introducing Cleena, Riel and I ended up discovering something incredible.
"Yuki-san, this looks like an old map of the New Continent, doesn't it?"
Yes, a map.
It was a map from roughly 400 years ago, back when the predecessor, the Hero of the Holy Sword, and the Demon Lord were in conflict.
"It seems so. The positions of the major powers haven't changed much."
"That’s true. Enaria is in a slightly different spot, but I heard Enaria was founded later, so maybe the country that was in this position was destroyed?"
"Probably. And then Sia led the people to build a new nation... wait."
Something clicked in my mind.
The accuracy of the map I was looking at was practically non-existent; it was little more than a rough sketch of positions.
Yet, I felt something about this crude map.
"The map itself is rough, but the relative positions are almost the same as the maps we’ve made."
"Yeah, if the relative positions were wrong, it wouldn't even be a map... wait!?"
"What’s wrong, Yuki-san?"
Riel called out to me, but I didn't have the luxury of answering.
I had realized it. How could such a possibility exist...?
Since I usually rely on chantless magic, I suppose I was slow to notice.
Wait a minute, 400 years since this system started? Or even longer?
No, the issue is that the dungeon's functions stopped after the predecessor vanished, so is 400 years the correct figure?
Wait, wait. It would be extremely reckless to judge this on my own.
There is no proof that this map is accurate.
But if it *is* a fact, then we are in serious trouble.
"Yuki-san!!"
"Ah, Riel. Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"...You shouldn't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Yeah, I know. Listen, there’s something I want to discuss with everyone. We’ll gather tonight to talk about it. But I don't have enough data right now. Could you look for other maps?"
"Got it."
Seeing the serious look on my face, Riel put on a serious expression of her own and resumed the search.
"...The information here alone isn't enough to go on. If only we had someone with extensive knowledge of this New Continent in our group..."
I muttered that to myself, and then I remembered.
I had just been making a fuss about welcoming such an expert as my bride.
"Am I lucky, or unlucky? It seems her knowledge will be reliable."
Saying that, I looked down at the panties I was clutching in my right hand—the ones she had given me.
...Why does it feel like I'm ruining the mood even though this is a serious situation?
So, what was it that Yuki noticed while looking at the map?
Will he end up stealing Cleena away from Eoid before he even realizes it?
I think you can probably guess both!
Wait for the answer in the next chapter!!