第３７０堀：思惑と便乗 (Part1)
**Chapter 370: Speculation and Opportunism**
**Side: Popuri, Principal of the Lancer Magic Academy**
That day, just like any other, the relief supplies arrived from Weed. Yes, relief supplies—the materials necessary for us to function. I am certainly not requesting them for personal gain. I was busy inspecting and checking the shipment.
"My, this is delicious."
"Indeed, it is."
Lara and I were relaxing in the Principal’s office, enjoying some cake. Honestly, things have been smooth sailing ever since we met Yuki-dono and his group. Initially, I thought the Academy was done for—what with the incident involving the kingdom’s envoys and the whole mess regarding the Holy Sword Users—but as it turned out, neither was a problem.
In fact, I never imagined that Yuki-dono and his companions were the newly arrived Dungeon Masters. To top it off, being able to reunite with my mentor, Comet Tail, and the former priestess, Hifii-dono—well, it truly pays to live a long life.
"Still, even if the stomach-churning problems have vanished, troublesome matters just keep on coming, don't they?"
"That is true. Though, one could say it is only natural. As our capabilities increase, so too do the things we cannot do. It is simply that we have become aware of things we previously didn't need to know."
"I understand that to keep climbing, we have to solve problems, but still."
"Precisely. Those who are excellent and continue to produce results are always pushed toward even more difficult challenges. Much like this Academy."
"Well, it’s far more brutal than this Academy, that’s for sure."
"That, too, is only natural. Stopping the world’s magical depletion? Becoming the king of a nation would be easier. But that just shows how much Luna-sama expects from Yuki-dono and his group. And since they are meeting those expectations, even greater challenges will surely follow."
"Even if it’s expected, I feel for them. Fortunately, we are collaborators, not the ones directly involved, but it must be tough for Yuki-dono’s group."
It’s like a nightmare. The harder they work, the deeper they sink into a bottomless swamp. In fact, because they crushed Hifii-dono’s objective, the Ex Kingdom has begun to move in a major way. It’s amazing how these difficult problems just keep raining down on them. Ah, though if we’re being honest about Yuki-dono’s true feelings, it seems it was nothing but trouble from the moment he arrived on the New Continent.
"What are you saying? If, by any chance, something were to happen to Yuki-dono’s group, it would be Popuri-sama who inherits their will."
"…That is absolutely impossible for me. Managing this Magic Academy is the limit of my capacity."
"That is precisely why we must support Yuki-dono’s group firmly. To protect the peace of the Holy Sword Users, Comet-sama, and Hifii-sama."
"You’re right."
"Also, if we don't protect Yuki-dono’s group, we will never be able to get this cake again."
"Right. Let’s put our backs into it and do our best."
No more cake. What a life-or-death crisis. We must ensure Yuki-dono and his group achieve victory at all costs. With that, I popped a fruit candy into my mouth and returned to the documents. The sound of pages turning—*flip, flip*—filled the room.
What I am currently investigating are the students within the Academy who hail from the Ex Kingdom. It is true that we crushed the Ex Kingdom’s covert operatives who were attempting sabotage across various nations by riding on the coattails of Hifii-dono’s strategy. Naturally, the Academy was no exception. However, the Academy is more than just that. We host students—the seeds of future mages—who carry the future of the Ex Kingdom on their shoulders. The possibility has emerged that they might be the Ex King’s pawns.
Then again, the Academy itself is a treasure trove of magical knowledge, so we always have a mountain of students coming from various nations with their own hidden agendas. However, with this recent incident of covert activity, the danger level regarding the Ex Kingdom has skyrocketed. As a result, it has become necessary to investigate students from the Ex Kingdom going back ten years.
"Still, there’s nothing that stands out so far."
"What do you mean by 'stands out'?"
"Ah, you know. Lara, do you have any memory of any standout students from Ex in the last ten years?"
"…Now that you mention it, I do not."
"Every file shows, at best, a Double-ranker. There isn't a single Single-ranker."
"…The documents I’ve looked through are the same. At best, a Double."
"What about the Research and Development Department?"
"No, those documents are separate, so…"
"Hmm. Perhaps there was a genius there? Well, it’s only been ten years, so there’s that."
"It would be strange if there wasn't at least one Single-ranker, though."
"…Come to think of it, do you remember the names of any famous mages currently active in Ex?"
"If I recall, there are four or five…"
"And their ages?"
"Let me see… please wait a moment. Those individuals were among the top Single-rankers, and in the list of excellent individuals… here it is."
I leaned in close to Lara and peered at the list from the side.
"This one, this one, and this one…"
"Hmm. They are all in their 30s to 40s. Their prime has passed, though it’s still within an acceptable range."
"Well, magic doesn't require high physical ability, after all."
"That’s not quite in line with our Academy’s philosophy, but I suppose you’re right."
We don’t call anyone who gets winded after a short run a "mage" here. Well, I suppose other countries just use them as ballistae.
"And they are all already married…"
"That is only natural. Or rather, more than half of them are minor nobles in Ex, so they likely had fiancés."
"…This is strange."
"Indeed. Even if they couldn't marry, it is impossible for students of the Academy who are nobles with fiancés to reach their 30s or 40s without having children."
"Exactly. And they are Single-rankers, an excellent breed prized by other nations. They aren't sending their children here on purpose. It’s hard to believe it’s because they were 'failures'."
"Quality isn't determined solely by the amount of magical power, and being able to enroll in this Academy is proof and an honor in itself, showing one can manipulate magic. For a family of mages, it is a place they are expected to attend."
"Right. To not do so means…"
"Are they intentionally keeping them in their own country?"
"Likely. The students who come here are probably just spies for information gathering."
"Then, shall we detain them?"
"No, the students themselves likely aren't even aware of it, and other nations do the same thing to gauge the specs of foreign mages. We can't detain them based on this alone. It would give the Ex Kingdom a reason to declare war on us. In terms of military strength, we have Yuki-dono’s group, so that’s not a problem at all, but the mental strain on the people living in the Academy who don't know that would be immeasurable. We must avoid it."
*Hmph.*
Honestly, if this information is correct, they have been preparing carefully, just like Hifii-dono. Does this mean they have quite a few mages on the other side who don't know the details of what we call Single-rankers? Moreover, they are bolstered by magic swords and have dungeon abilities. Yes. It’s troublesome.
If we act carelessly, even Yuki-dono’s group could be caught off guard. That is why we are conducting a thorough investigation.
Actually, when you look at the big picture, we want to prevent a major war, so the Ex Kingdom has the advantage. If they were to strike Zilba or August right now, we would lose. That is something I can only say because I know both sides' victory conditions.
Well, even if the primary victory condition isn't met, we only need to achieve the secondary one. After using Dungeon Master abilities to "redevelop" the entire battlefield, we can crush the Ex Kingdom fair and square. A certain amount of magical power will gather around the central Academy area, but that is better than a massive war where countless people die and turn into magical energy. In that case, Yuki-dono and those of us with connections to Zilba and August can crush the Ex Kingdom under a righteous cause.
Well, that would be problematic if the enemy brings out something like Grado, but it would only be "problematic," nothing more. If it’s the same type as Grado, we have already considered and proven various effective countermeasures when we faced him.
"Things are tough for us, but the enemy might be in an even tougher spot than we are."
"Indeed. After all, the enemy is completely unaware of Yuki-dono and his group."
"They probably can't even imagine that a new Dungeon Master has arrived, and that this new Dungeon Master is literally on a different dimension. Now then, I shall summarize this information and report it to Yuki-dono."