第３９７堀：保身を謀った結果 (Part1)
### Chapter 397: The Consequences of Self-Preservation
**Side: Hifie**
As expected, right before my eyes, the forces of the God of War, who had marched out so valiantly, are being effortlessly dismantled. Among them, I can see the God of War himself falling.
*“From Mino-chan to Hifie-san. The sniper shot at Noble was a hit. Neutralization successful. Confirmation of magic and skill sealing deployment. The sealing bullet also functioned successfully. Noble has been captured. We are moving to the mopping-up phase.”*
“Understood.”
*“Noble is seriously injured. The bullet hit him in the abdomen. Well, he is a god, after all. For now, we’ll transport him to your location.”*
“……Understood.”
*Tsk.* So, they aren’t going to kill him, after all. I had hoped a “stray shot” might take care of it, but that wasn’t to be. Their level of discipline is terrifying. Should I have just had them wiped out with high-powered weaponry from the start?
No, wait. Couldn’t I just ask Comet to erase him from here? If I did that, all the responsibility would fall on Comet. Isn’t that a brilliant idea?! Or perhaps, when he’s brought back here, I could pretend to treat him and then deliver the finishing blow…
“Y-Your Majesty!? W-what is this!? T-this is impossible!? N-no, Hifie-dono!! What have you done!!”
Before I could issue instructions to Comet, that man called Binzo, who had been standing by in a daze, rushed over and started complaining to me in a panic.
Come to think of it, this person was here. I had completely forgotten. Because of his initial rude remarks toward Comet, I had ignored his existence, treating him as if he weren’t even in my field of vision. *Tsk.* There’s no way to silence him now. I should have just taken care of him along with the others…
No, no, that won’t do. The fate of the people of Ex rests on this. I cannot act out of personal spite. First, I must secure the remaining key figures. …It won’t be too late to deal with him after that.
“When you ask what I have done—as I mentioned before, this is a drill, but it is also a way to measure and understand each other’s strength. Noble-dono himself said, ‘If you can do it, then go ahead.’”
“Even so…!!”
“You were planning to use our forces as raw materials, so there is no problem here. Besides, can you really view an opponent who falls to this level as an equal? Furthermore, this is the second time. Not only did you fail to analyze our attack methods the first time, but you also failed to recognize your own mistakes. It’s laughable.”
“I-it can’t be helped!! S-such weapons shouldn’t even exist!!”
“……Binzo-dono. If you consider yourself even a fraction of a technician, look at reality. Right now, the ones who have been defeated without being able to do a thing are you.”
“Guh……”
Binzo-dono hangs his head, his hands trembling with frustration.
“Oh, don’t worry. Noble-dono is safe.”
“Eh?”
“I have no intention of killing a fellow countryman I’ve reunited with after so long. I only wanted you to grasp our true strength before we discuss the problems you will face in the future.”
“……Even with this much power, are there circumstances that make you hesitate?”
“That is exactly the case.”
While we were talking, Mino-chan brought Noble-dono over himself. He lowered Noble-dono to the floor gently, but…
“Y-Your Majesty!? Your Majesty!!”
Seeing Noble’s state, Binzo rushed over and called out to him. Well, his abdomen is soaked in red, after all. But seeing Binzo’s panicked state, it seems there is a genuine bond of trust between them.
Wait, I shouldn’t. I can’t finish him off here. Mino-chan is watching, so it would be safer to steer this toward a discussion and silence him that way.
“Binzo-dono, please calm down. I am going to treat him, so could you please step back?”
“Ah, yes. Please, I beg of you, save His Majesty!!”
“Of course.”
If the King of Ex were to pass away over something like this, the country would undoubtedly fall into total chaos. Not only that, but neighboring countries would surely not stay silent and would move in some way. Just the death of Noble-dono would cause this many problems. When I think of the minor details, the damage to the citizens would be immeasurable. That is why Yuki-dono allowed me and Popuri to be dispatched, hoping for a dialogue.
*…If I could just ‘snip’ him here, how much would I be saved?* …I am certainly not thinking such things.
“……Ugh. Guh.”
“Your Majesty!?”
While I was thinking such things, I was still performing the treatment, and it seems Noble-dono has regained consciousness. It’s surprising he regained consciousness on the same day after being knocked out by a bullet to the abdomen. With Taizo-dono’s guns, even if the treatment is successful, the patient usually remains bedridden for two or three days.
Ah, come to think of it, did he mention special ammunition? Perhaps that’s why the lethality was suppressed? Or is it thanks to his vitality as the God of War?
“Thank goodness. …Thank goodness.”
“Bin…zo? ……Ah, Hifie-dono. I… have I lost?”
“Yes. We won the drill. However, you still love to charge to the front, don’t you? If something like this happens, the army will crumble.”
“……It’s my nature.”
“Hmm. You look more energetic than I thought. Once you’ve rested a bit, will you listen to what I have to say?”
“……I will keep my promise. Besides, if you have this much power, the fact that it’s becoming a problem is the bigger issue. I would certainly like to hear it.”
As he said that, he was already pulling himself up with Binzo-dono’s help. …Perhaps it’s not the bullet, but the fact that this man is just incredibly tenacious. He’s a different type from me. He truly is a child of battle.
“Oh, and I wanted to ask. Is it Noble-dono who is operating this dungeon? Or is it…”
“It’s Sacri.”
“So he survived as well.”
“No, he was nearly dead. My talent for magic and technology was average. I couldn’t do anything as convenient as resurrecting as an undead like you lot… When we were decimated during the Demon King’s war, I embedded a core into the dying Sacri to keep him alive. Though he lost both legs and one arm.”
“……A core. Since back then?”
“No, that was just a coincidence. He was a Dungeon Master originally, so he could accept the core. I didn’t have any certainty; it was a gamble. Well, it succeeded, but I couldn’t bring myself to try it on others. Unlike you, our DP was always running on empty.”
“……”
“Don’t worry, it happened in the heat of battle. Don’t let it weigh on you. Sacri has accepted it.”
Noble-dono says that, but no matter how I hear it, we are clearly the cause. No, strictly speaking, it was the Demon King at the time, Peace, who attacked them… but she was originally Comet’s subordinate.
Yuki-dono surely cannot be unaware of this fact. Yuki-dono was summoned from another world by Luna-sama, and because of that, he does not change his judgment based on whether someone is a god, a human, or of high status. Therefore, he likely intends to punish Noble for causing the commotion this time, just as he punished me…
I doubt he would hand down a punishment that would throw Ex into chaos, but if that happens, we will be revealed as the primary cause during the explanation. If that occurs, a repeat of that “punishment game” is inevitable. I must avoid that at all costs.
How can I avoid the repercussions falling on us? Honestly, as long as I can avoid that punishment game, it should be fine. Once the heat dies down and the Noble incident is over, he’ll be busy with many things, and he shouldn’t have the leisure to prepare a punishment game just for us.
In other words, I just need to weather this moment!! The explanation is simple. I don’t need to talk about the distant past in detail; I just need to have him talk about what happened now. I’ll just tell him to keep the old stories brief, saying they aren’t relevant right now.