第４６０堀：最終ブリーフィング (Part2)
"The final blade has a bit of a quirk to it. It’s designated as an Important Cultural Property of the nation, and it’s said to have been wielded by a man who, much like Noble-dono, was called a God of War back in my Japan. It is the Himezuru Ichimonji."
"Is that really alright?"
"It’s a replica, a fake, after all. Personally, I’d be delighted to cross blades with the Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin himself. It would be a fine opponent to prove that our Jigen-ryu is the best under the heavens. Unlike Shuten-doji, there’s no risk of a sealed, rampaging spirit, and that gentleman was a wise ruler in his own right."
"I see. So there is room for discussion, and it’s a good opponent for testing one’s mettle. In that case, I’d like to meet him too."
Seraria-dono seems to have a rather hot-blooded side. Well, I can’t say I dislike that sort of thing myself.
"Alright, alright. Save the battle talk for later. Next, I need the operational summary for capturing Nogosh and Bitz, and the recovery of the swords."
Stopped by Yuki-kun, I cut the sword talk short. Can't be helped, I suppose. Only myself, a few of Yuki-kun’s wives, and Taiki-kun—who only remembers bits and pieces—know Japanese history, so the others can't really follow along.
*Sigh.* It’s moments like this that make me feel the loneliness of being in another world. Still, as Yuki-kun said, I must explain the operation now.
"My apologies. Then, I shall explain the operation."
As I mentioned earlier, the goal is to bring this disturbance to an end by capturing Nogosh and Bitz, and recovering the swords. I would like to succeed in both, but things rarely go that smoothly, so we have established priorities.
Primary objective: Retrieval of the swords. This is to prevent the resurrection of the legendary Great Oni. If things go poorly, this is the most troublesome part.
Secondary objective: Capture of Nogosh and Bitz. If we manage this, it’s practically over, though I doubt it will be that simple.
To achieve these, we have prepared a trap: the execution of the recently captured Ray. We will announce Ray’s execution and demand that Nogosh hand over Bitz at the execution grounds, cornering them both at once.
The location is a village right on the border of the Sword Country, converted into an execution site. All personnel have been replaced with Ratz’s soldiers, and the Weed monster army is surrounding the area with modern weaponry to seal off any escape routes.
Regarding the fear of a large monster army appearing via Bitz’s Dungeon Master ability, we have dispersed the Weed monster units to act as guards, allowing for rapid response. I suspect that even an aerial intrusion into the execution grounds would be difficult.
In the first place, if they had aerial combat capabilities, they likely would have used them already, so it shouldn't be a major concern. However, Yuki-kun insists on a foolproof system, so the Wyvern corps is on scramble alert for air combat, and if they try to flee on the ground, pursuit will be easy.
The concerns regarding Bitz’s ability to bolster his forces or escape have been addressed. As for reinforcements, Mauve-dono and his team have successfully eliminated the monsters believed to be responsible for the adventurer disappearances in the Sword Country. Therefore, the possibility of powerful or large-scale monsters being deployed is low.
Furthermore, to secure escape routes, General Steve and General Kirika have infiltrated the enemy dungeon and successfully mapped it. They can seize the core and force the dungeon to shut down at any moment.
We plan to execute all of these measures on the day of the execution.
Furthermore, the possibility of Nogosh or Bitz coordinating with other nations is currently near zero. There is no word of Rumel—the one we should be most wary of—preparing their military, and there are no heroes currently affiliated with Rumel, so there is no fear of being stabbed in the back.
"That concludes the operational plan. Does anyone have any concerns or points that should be changed?"
I look around the conference room, but no one speaks up.
"Even the smallest detail is fine. Let us fill in every gap and doubt. That is what this final meeting is for."
I understand Yuki-kun and the others, but I find it strange that the gods and the kings of the three great nations have nothing to say...
Just as I’m thinking this, King Selva finally speaks up.
"...This is difficult to say, Taizo-dono."
"Please, don't worry about it at all, Your Majesty."
Perhaps emboldened by my response, he nods to the other silent gods and kings before continuing.
"...At this rate, I don't see how Nogosh and Bitz could possibly escape."
...Ah, so that's the issue.
Well, even so, perfection doesn't exist, and surely there's something more to be said? I keep that thought to myself.
The festival is finally about to begin!!
Well, there is the story of one last person to cover before that, though.