第４２９堀：違和感と答え (Part2)
"But if they do that, they'll just have a coalition formed against them. Where is the path to victory in that? If they could win in a head-on clash, they would have moved already, wouldn't they?"
Ratz said this in response to Deryu’s opinion.
She was right. If they could win by attacking from the start, they would have done so openly.
There had to be a reason for such a roundabout strategy. But what was it?
"...Wait a minute. This pattern... I've seen it before."
Eris suddenly realized something.
Seen it before? Where?
"...Isn't this Hifi's method?"
"!?!"
That’s it! This was a tactic to provoke the enemy, lure them in, and turn them into bait—into DP!
Wait...
"That’s the standard tactical doctrine for a Dungeon Master. Which means... wait! This is bad!"
I couldn't help but shout out loud.
"Hya-wa!? Yu-Yuki-san!? W-what’s wrong!?"
Riel was startled, but I didn't have time to worry about that.
Because...
"Thinking that only Roschur was targeted is far too optimistic! Back when Hifi did it, the major powers were so hostile toward each other that a coalition was impossible, so the plan was to pick them off one by one, or deal with small nations. But this continent has already formed a coalition. That means..."
Before I could finish, Ratz seemed to realize it too; she stood up in a panic.
"What!? If they targeted Roschur, does that mean they’ve issued blatant declarations of war to the other nations as well?"
"Probably. Contact Seraria, Rurua, and Shera immediately! Ratz, Eris, Milly—I’m counting on you! If word spreads carelessly, they might form local coalitions on their own and attack Nonoa or Nogosh!"
"Understood!"
I left the frantic communication to the three of them; I had to finalize the plan. The situation was more critical than I had anticipated.
"We’re trying to stop the rumors, but it’s obvious that’s only a stalling tactic. Since they’ve moved so openly, if our response is sluggish, they’ll just switch to more overt provocations. I can’t keep track of all the small nations following the three major powers. No matter how we explain it, some will act on their own out of ambition or greed. Worse, if the enemy claims they’ve 'controlled' a dungeon, some nations might try to seize control of the dungeons within their own borders, even if it means breaking away from the coalition. And if they put out a call, some might even choose to side with Nonoa and Nogosh."
"...Isn't that extremely bad?"
As Kaya said, it wasn't just bad—it could lead to a massive, continent-wide war.
Those who had joined the coalition reluctantly would likely see an opportunity to secure a favorable position by siding with Nonoa or Nogosh.
Well, the "dungeon control" part was unlikely to be believed, as it would undermine their own advantages, but the rest was a real threat.
"What are you going to do...? Judging by the situation, it doesn't seem like we're at a stage where we can stop this anymore."
Jessica seemed to have a precise grasp of the current state of affairs.
She was right. It couldn't be stopped by conventional means.
Yes—if we were using *conventional* means.
"Call Faide. He’s probably talking to John, so go there."
"Understood. I shall go at once."
Samantha stood up to go fetch Faide.
"What do you intend to do by calling Faide? If you send him back in this state, there’s a high chance he won't come back. Isn't it safer to keep him here instead of moving him recklessly?"
"Deryu has a point. But that won't stop the enemy from moving. There’s only one classic move for a situation like this: a preemptive strike."
The members in the conference room stared at me, dumbfounded.
"With Doppelgangers, of course. Unfortunately, we have even less time than we did with Noble, but we can't afford to hesitate. We’ll strike Nonoa’s Magic Kingdom, Nogosh’s Sword Kingdom, and the Beast God’s nation simultaneously to suppress those idiot gods in one go! We’ll use Faide’s return as a cover to send our main force to Nonoa for a swift subjugation, then relay the information to the strike teams for the other two nations. Get an emergency report to Steve and the others—tell them to speed up the unit formation!"
"Yes!"
"Got it!"
"...Leave it to me."
Tori, Riel, and Kaya ran off to relay the orders to the military.
"Everyone else, help with contacting the remaining members and drafting the documents. Oh, Kirue, go home, explain the situation, and take care of the children. Aslin and the others, stay on standby."
"Understood!"
Alright, is that everything?
"U-um, Brother, what is a 'god'?"
"What? Is it edible?"
"...What are we supposed to do?"
Oh, damn. These three were still here.
Well, I suppose I can't have them wandering off.
Today, I managed to get a reservation for the PlayStation VR.
I went first thing in the morning, and there were only four left.
I thought, "Wow." I'm really looking forward to October 13th.