第３０５堀：残滓 (Part3)
"I must make adjustments to ensure that the foolishness that occurred on my home world—such as global warfare—does not repeat itself here..."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Not at all. My thanks will come only after we have crushed August's main force. Unexpected events are prone to occur; in fact, it is rare for any operation to proceed exactly as planned. As we have seen this time."
"Indeed. We must take that into account and plan accordingly. I have realized, painfully, that things have been going too well until now."
In a sense, this unexpected failure was good medicine for the two of them. For the past two years, they had been training and deploying firearms, and they had yet to experience a single failed operation. Even I was surprised by the results. Although the enemies were primarily monsters or bandits, they had no concept of "guns," assuming instead that they were witnessing a new, terrifyingly powerful form of magic. Small skirmishes at the borders of minor nations were settled unilaterally from a distance without suffering a single casualty. Consequently, the existence of firearms remained a secret.
This unexpected setback would prevent them from becoming overconfident, so perhaps it was for the best. I feel for the soldiers who were sacrificed, though.
"Now, we must assume that the enemy nations are aware of our firearms because of this incident."
"Do you think so?"
"Yes. I doubt they will immediately establish a production line, but eventually, firearms will be used on the battlefield. We must update our technology in preparation. Furthermore, the August army, which will be marching on us, will surely devise countermeasures."
"True, even if it isn't immediate, it is a possibility. But can the August army really adapt?"
"They won't be perfect, but we should assume they will implement effective strategies. We should prioritize the deployment of howitzers over rifles. We must strike them before they get close. Besides, it is harder to defend against projectiles falling from above than those flying straight at you."
"Understood. Comet, can you handle that?"
"There is no problem. I lost my staff, so my DP is somewhat low, but it is still manageable."
The most painful part of this failure is that I cannot use the DP Comet collected. Well, it was a pittance to begin with, so I hadn't expected much.
"The rest is to monitor the movements of the August army and ensure we finish them off within our own borders. A change in their march route would be the most troublesome, so we must be vigilant."
"That should be fine. There are followers of Hifi within the August army, and Comet’s subordinates—the birds—are monitoring from the sky. A change in their route is unlikely. There is only one road to Hifi."
"I see. Then, I will go and issue instructions for the preparations."
"Yes. I leave it to you."
I said that, turned on my heel, and left the room.
...Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this. Wyverns. Hifi and Comet said they would not intervene in the affairs of the nation, but if they were to intervene, it would be a grueling battle. I hadn't managed to organize an aerial defense force. I had at least developed some anti-air weaponry, mostly just flak cannons, so I suppose that is a stroke of luck...
...I cannot afford to lose soldiers recklessly. If wyverns appear, I must instruct them to abandon their equipment and flee. That way, we can gather information on the wyverns and develop effective countermeasures. Information is always the most important thing.
***
**Side: Hifi**
Confirming that Taizo had moved away from the room, I spoke to the doll again.
"That was a blunder this time."
"I apologize."
The response was as detached as ever.
"Because of this, the plan to earn DP and bolster our military strength is ruined. I gave you the role of bait, and instead of becoming our sustenance, you became feed for wyverns."
Yes, I told Taizo that they were wiped out by wyverns, but it was this doll, Comet, who actually slaughtered my army. The plan went awry, but as Taizo said, things had been going too well. There was no point in taking my frustration out on the doll.
"...Well, that’s fine. So, how is the improvement of the magic swords coming along?"
"Yes. The marching, attacking, and morale are all without issue. They were fighting normally against numbers that would usually cause panic. Against the wyverns, despite the order to retreat, several soldiers moved to counterattack, but generally, the magic sword’s mental control is functioning well."
"I see. That can't be helped against wyverns. Well, we were able to provoke August using the captured bandits, so it should be called a success. If I strengthen the mental control any further, you'll end up like her. I also applied mental control to the holy swords of those hopeless girls you brought back, to remove their hesitation toward killing, but that was a failure. To think they would cut you down... It seems that with weak control, they simply become convinced that they are in the right."
"...I, I am..."
"Oh? Is something the matter?"
Rare. Comet, now a doll, was trying to convey her own will.
"I, no longer, need..."
"Ah, that topic again? Even if you think so yourself, I cannot afford that. I cannot leave the world to fools like you. I taught you that, didn't I? In the end, the girls you picked up were driven away and imprisoned. I don't know what happened to them after that, but I doubt they are still alive. After all, they were human. All that remains are the rotten ones."
"E, even so..."
"What a pity, I cannot trust them. That is why I have worked so hard to build this country. And why I summoned the Hero. What I need is not you yourself, but your skills as a Dungeon Master and your power as a mage. With this power, I will gather only those who are not rotten and save the world."
"...No."
"No? That’s strange. You are already finished, Comet. You should be grateful that I am making use of you. Honestly, if you were still alive, you could have at least been a useful pawn by bearing Taizo’s children. Well, it’s too late to say anything to the dead. Now, go back to work. Use your DP to deploy and replenish the weapons."
"Understood."
When I gave the order, Comet immediately returned to an expressionless state and left the room.
"Honestly, what a bunch of fools, failing even with the power I, a god, lent them. Though, Comet is the better of them. The girls she picked up... I went through the trouble of transplanting dungeon cores into them to keep them alive and applied mental control to make them destroy various nations, yet they failed completely... I suppose I must select people myself, just like Taizo. Trash will always be trash."
They are truly useless. I spent 400 years taking care of them, and they couldn't even carry out a single order properly. Ah, I suppose that’s to be expected of trash.
"Oh, I just had a good idea. Next time she talks back, I’ll tell her that I used those girls and that they failed. I look forward to seeing how that doll’s expression changes. No, perhaps it would be better to show her the girls themselves after we have advanced into the various countries and explain it then? They are probably regenerating automatically somewhere, so I could just kill them in front of her again."
It’s a dilemma. Well, either way, I have to recover the dungeon cores, and those girls have to be killed. I’ll think about it when the time comes.
The god who decided she would no longer leave things to others begins to move.
Now, how will Yuki and the others fight against this opponent?! And what of Taizo!!