第４０２堀：新大陸の事後処理報告と本当の真実 (Part1)
**Chapter 402: Post-New Continent Report and the True Truth**
**Side: Seraria**
"Ah, I'm exhausted."
"But Hifi-san looked so beautiful, didn't she?"
"To think we were wearing those outfits too..."
"We really have to thank Yuki-san. He let us wear such beautiful things."
We were in the office, chatting about the lingering excitement of the wedding while reviewing the events that had transpired.
"Sigh. He really did go overboard, didn't he?"
"He truly did."
"Well, it’s just like him, though."
"That’s true. I thought this time wouldn't be like Yuki-san, but in the end, well..."
We, the wives, let out a collective sigh as we looked over the report our husband had compiled regarding the outcome of these events. It had been about three days since the whirlwind of the Ex capital—the complete subjugation of the dungeon, followed by the quiz tournament, the wedding, and the rowdy after-party.
My husband, having finished the report, had fallen into a deep sleep in the office, so I had Ria, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha carry him to his room. It’s certainly helpful to have wives who serve as guards.
"However, this means we won't have to divert our forces to the New Continent anymore. Master won't have to push himself like this again," Kirue said as she poured tea.
"That’s true. I never expected him to play a hand that would effectively end our need to interfere with the New Continent."
"Master is just that reckless."
"Well, once you put it that way, it makes sense, doesn't it?"
"We didn't have to carry everything on our shoulders. That’s all it really comes down to, but I had convinced myself that I had to do it all."
Everyone nodded at Eris's words. Just as she said, our interference in the New Continent would be drastically reduced from here on out. Thanks to the Ex incident, we had established connections with all the major nations, as well as the local gods and dungeon masters. Simply put, it had been decided that since there were locals in charge, outsiders shouldn't be meddling unnecessarily.
Here is the rough summary:
**● What will happen to the New Continent?**
The issue of magical depletion in the New Continent will be investigated and researched with Noble, who leads the major powers, at the helm. If problems like war arise, they will also handle mediation between nations. Noble and the others only took those actions due to technical, knowledge-based, and realistic constraints. Once they received our cooperation and gained a proper understanding of the situation, they cooperated willingly. The understanding is that Noble and his peers will protect the New Continent from now on. Of course, if there are any issues, Weed—or rather, Yuki—will not hesitate to provide support. Honestly, I didn't want Yuki to be worked to death anymore, and for Yuki, having less work is a blessing. It’s not a workload one person can support on pure justice and a sense of mission alone. Division of labor is key.
**● What about the status of Hifi and the others?**
The Hifi Holy Kingdom, which lacks national power, is ill-suited to act as a mediator for other nations. They will focus on providing technical support while cooperating with Noble and the others. Besides, it’s pitiful to make newlyweds the leaders of an alliance, and by making Noble the leader, it serves as a form of "punishment" for Hifi’s past actions. That said, Comet, the greatest genius of the New Continent, will be holed up in Weed to conduct her research. Binzo from Ex will also be coming to Weed to research. In short, Hifi and Taizo can just spend their time being lovey-dovey as newlyweds.
**● What about the Holy Sword Users, Peace, and Popuri?**
They have agreed to let Noble lead the alliance and will move primarily to support future activities. Most of the Holy Sword Users will be investigating the movements of various nations—looking into signs of war, crime, and so on. You could say they have started working for the world in the truest sense. Some are even starting new lives in Weed. Peace will continue to work as Comet’s bodyguard, just as she did in the past. Popuri and Lara are incredibly busy at the Lancer Magic Academy, starting research on magical depletion from a perspective different from Comet’s, monitoring monsters caused by magical accumulation, and acting as liaisons between the Ex Kingdom and other nations.
**● How will the distrust regarding Ex’s covert operations be wiped away?**
It’s simple and clear. We will use the same diplomatic tactics Weed has always used. We will fabricate the existence of a "mysterious organization" that was operating from within the dungeons of Ex. By providing super-technologies like Gates for free, we will take a stance of apologizing for the presence of such an organization within their borders, thereby revitalizing logistics and proposing economic development to each nation. They won't be happy about the covert operations, but the economic revitalization brought by the Gates is impossible to overlook, as are the benefits of easier information exchange and travel between nations. Actually, since we have connections with everyone except the Ex Kingdom, we can handle it however we like. In Zilba and Enaria, for some reason, we’ve been recognized as royalty, even without succession rights. In Roday and August, we have connections through the wives' homelands as ducal houses and court mages. As for White Forest, they are a group that worships Comet as a god, so there’s no problem there. We intend to give some preferential treatment to the countries where Cleena and Samantha were born.
**● What happened to the core that was taken from White Forest?**
That led directly to the capture of Sakuri. After arriving in Ex, we took it to Sakuri immediately, and through the subordinates of Kirika who were monitoring him, we contacted Surakichi-san’s unit, which allowed us to identify the core’s room and the dungeon master.
**● What about Betan, which was recognized as our territory?**
Since the lord, Horst, is capable, we’ve left the administration to him. It’s become a good testing ground for trying out Weed’s technology and products in the New Continent. Of course, if anything happens, we will respond immediately.
**● What about Steve and Mino-chan, who are stationed in Zilba and Enaria?**
They will continue to act as our liaisons. It’s a grateful position to be in, as we can voice our opinions when push comes to shove. It’s a lot of work, but the pay is good, so there’s no problem.
**● What about the demi-human village that was there at the beginning?**
Nothing in particular, other than increased interaction with Betan. Ah, there was a rebellion after Mauve and Tori swapped places, but it was suppressed immediately. That will be added to the testimony and evidence regarding the "mysterious organization," which works out conveniently. This "mysterious organization" will be treated as a hypothetical enemy from here on out.
**● What about Mauve and the others who were waiting in the capital?**
They finished their mission without incident and returned. They’ve become friends with the Rosetta Mercenary Corps, the merchant Torneko, and the poster girl of our favorite shop, so they should be able to gather information through those channels. It seems they were prepared to flee at any moment on the day of the operation, but that proved unnecessary—you could say the result betrayed Mauve and the others' expectations in more ways than one.
"Looking at the report, all we can really do now is act as a bridge between the nations."
"And even that is only if something goes wrong."
"That’s right. Basically, Noble-san will do his best."
"As for mediators, we have Popuri-san and the others, so it should be fine. Oh, by the way, what will happen to Eoid and Amanda?"
"Ah, that’s Popuri’s decision, so it wasn't in the report, but she says once they study properly and become trustworthy in various ways, she’ll talk to them and bring them over to our side. They aren't ready yet, so keep that a secret for now."
"Understood."
After all, the official story is that Eris is still in the Ex capital. Today, Eris returned here for this meeting, leaving Deryu and Taiki behind. The others are busy running around, returning to handle cleanup and adjustments since they aren't under any particular surveillance.
"However, I wonder if it felt long?" Eris said, holding the report. The paper is quite thick. That alone signifies how much activity we had in the New Continent.
"True. I believe it was around the time our pregnancies were discovered, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Since we were all told by Master to stay behind, we were all 'house-sitting'."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that’s right. Seraria, Rurua, Eris, Kirue, and finally me, Ratz. We are the members who were pregnant. Only Deryu is missing from this group."
"Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha weren't there either. I remember struggling to guard Yuki-san."
Ah, that’s right. I remember having Ria stick to him 24/7 to manage things.
"And during the exploration of the New Continent, the children were born and have already turned one year old. So, about two years?"
"Hmm. When you put it that way, it’s an amazing story. In two years, Master established connections with all six major nations of the New Continent and decided on a policy for magical depletion."
"When you say it like that, it’s incredibly fast. Or rather, it’s insane. Well, it’s just like my brother."
"Because it’s Yuki-san."
The fact that we can be convinced just by saying "because it’s my husband" shows how much we’ve been influenced by him. Weed itself was founded in just about a year, so I suppose we’ve come to think that this is just how things are. Even though, normally, it would be impossible.
"So, are we going to take it easy for a while?" Ratz asked.