第３２８堀：空いた時間のご褒美とおまけ (Part1)
### Chapter 328: Rewards for Free Time and Extras
**Side: Milly**
"Please!! I beg of you, please keep this matter a secret from His Majesty!!"
The one bowing her head and pleading like that was Laraina, a Magic Sword user from some kingdom.
Yeah. I laughed.
I laughed from the bottom of my gut.
Well, I didn't laugh on the spot, but I was howling with laughter deep down inside.
I mean, we had solidified a plan to act as if we were cleaning up Hifi’s mess, asked Eris to provide a plausible explanation to smooth things over, and even dragged me into it to add credibility... but the result was a catastrophe in every sense of the word.
Hifi, who had been worried about whether the acting would go well, saw her efforts go up in smoke and ended up crying a little.
Laraina had been playing cards with Ria and hadn't noticed Hifi at all.
I had been thinking of ways to stall Laraina to make sure she didn't make a wrong move, but I never imagined Ria’s card game would be the thing to trap her.
And to top it off, Laraina suffered a crushing defeat, just as I’d expected.
For some reason, Ria has incredible luck when it comes to drawing cards.
That’s why card games where you have to build a hand from a deck are forbidden for her.
In other words, Poker and Blackjack are too tough.
Games where the cards are dealt to everyone from the start are the only ones with a chance of victory.
Games like President, Doubt, or Sevens.
Because then, all of us can keep a close watch on Ria and seal her hand.
But, I’ve digressed.
Perhaps because we both showed each other such spectacular, misguided blunders, the war was settled without any real issues, framed as a conflict where a third party had been pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Since Laraina had made such a massive blunder that she was in no position to do anything but nod, in a way, it was a huge success.
We both made sure to avoid touching on each other's sore spots during our conversation, too.
And that is how I ended up with Laraina bowing before me.
She’s under the misconception that I’m some kind of secret agent for the King of August, and she’s trying to persuade me because she thinks I’m going to report her embarrassing display from earlier to him.
Well, if I thought my own pathetic behavior was going to be reported to Yuki-san, I’d do anything to stop it, too.
...At worst, I’d even consider silencing the witness.
"It’s fine. I don’t have the time to be doing something like that."
"You mean you *would* report it if you had the time!?"
Yeah, it’s a life-or-death issue for her, so she can’t just let it slide.
"Ah, I phrased that poorly. I will never, ever tell anyone."
"R-really?"
"Words aren't enough to put your mind at ease, are they... How about this? Next time, treat me to a drink at a recommended tavern in the Royal Capital. That can be the price for my silence."
"Understood. I know a good place. I’m sure you’ll like it, Milly-dono."
"Yes. I’m looking forward to it."
Phew.
That should satisfy Laraina, so it’s fine.
Though, in reality, it doesn't look like we’ll even have the time to be doing things like that...
"Well, you’ll be busy for a while, so you should get some rest while you can."
"Yes. The real work begins once I return... The misunderstandings about the battle, and the investigation and countermeasures against those pulling the strings. Don’t think I’ll let this slide after they’ve turned so many countries upside down..."
Laraina said that while gazing toward the August Kingdom from Wai-chan’s basket.
The real work is just beginning.
That goes for us, too.
It’s good that we didn’t have to set up a mastermind ourselves, but we have no idea what kind of organization is behind this, let alone what their next move will be.
Narjia-san, Zargis, and the newly joined Comet seem to be investigating the organization’s magic swords, but that won't tell us everything. We have to crush the infiltrators wielding magic swords in every country.
And the difficulty level is high because we have to cooperate with those countries, gather information, and stay one step ahead.
Normally, it would be impossible.
But thanks to Yuki-san, we can move around comfortably, and gathering and concealing information is easy.
We have already confirmed the locations of the ruffians wielding magic swords in the capitals of August, the Lancer Magic Academy, Zilba, and Roday.
After the ruffians gather some information from the outside, we plan to secretly raid them, drive them to the brink of collapse, and then provide the information to the countries so they can secure them.
As for the Enaria incident, Mino-chan actually went around blowing away all the strong ones. Afterward, to let Enaria take the credit, we contacted General Prism to have her mop up the remnants, leaving behind only the magic swords that were safe to hand over.
Of course, we’ve captured the suspicious ones and are squeezing them for information.
As planned, the information about the ruffians with magic swords in August has already been passed from Hifi to Laraina, so once she returns, August will likely take action against them immediately.
At the same time, since it could become very troublesome if other factions move, Deryu and Ratz are already working based on the information Kirika gathered, so that should be fine.
I also need to join up with them as soon as I reach the August capital to grasp the situation.
"However, I never expected Milly-dono to have infiltrated the Hifi Holy Kingdom first. Was that right after that conversation?"
"Yeah, something like that."
In reality, I just popped out of the dungeon Yuki-san created after Laraina was talked down.
Thanks to that, I ended up leaving the entire investigation of August to Kirika.
"I will make sure to convey your contributions this time to His Majesty."
"Hm? Ah, wait a second, that’s no good."
"Why?"
"...Well, never mind. I’m more like a secret agent for Yuki-san. It has nothing to do with His Majesty."
"Huh? Then, what about the incident at my father’s shop?"
"I just wanted to know the strength of Laraina, who was likely to be a companion, that’s all. I don’t want to be held back."
"Ah, being held back... You don't mean by me, do you?"
"Of course. Aside from Amanda and Eoid, you’re the one with the lowest strength here, Laraina."
When I said that, Laraina’s face stiffened as if it had rusted over. She looked at everyone relaxing at the kotatsu, then turned her gaze back to me.
"You can't mean that, given how slender you are?"
"No, if you’re going to say that, wouldn't that apply to you, too?"
As it stands, the women who use magic swords aren't exactly tomboyish; most of them are quite beautiful.
Laraina is no exception, of course.
I haven't seen any of those rugged female adventurers I saw back in my guild days—the ones who could be mistaken for men—wielding magic swords.
Maybe Comet just decided on a whim to only recognize people with a certain style as "women"?
And then there’s the talent for magic and sorcery.
Everyone looks like they have a decent figure; only Agil is flat-chested.
...? Well, there are exceptions, I guess. Maybe the style is a miss?
Come to think of it, were the magic swords made by the Holy Sword user and Popuri?
Well, I’ll ask later.
"No, that can't be. But, there’s no reason for Milly-dono to lie..."
Beside me, Laraina was looking a bit confused by my words.
...She seems like the type who tries to process everything on her own.
The King probably knew that and told her to go meet her father.
"Yes, yes. Why don't you just test it out with a mock battle later?"
"Y-yes, that’s true. Now is not the time. But let’s test it after this is all over."
It seems her identity as a knight is being shaken.
...If she tries to take us on, that pride of hers will be smashed to pieces.
Yuki-san would probably say it’s better to just discard your pride and use it as fertilizer to fill your stomach.
"Hey. You two, why don't you come inside and warm up soon?"
"Yes. I shall do that."
With that, Laraina immediately returned to the room with the kotatsu.