第７３０堀：相談事に答えましょう (Part1)
**Chapter 730: Let’s Answer Some Concerns**
Side: Yuki
"…And so, General Agil expressed those concerns to me."
"I see. So it’s not Light’s physical combat ability that’s the issue, but rather her mental state. Honestly, I hadn't considered that."
Samantha was relaying the potential problems the Holy Sword User, Light, might be harboring. We had already returned to Weed and were in the middle of arranging supplies for the Holy Sword unveiling ceremony on the If Continent. Upon hearing Samantha’s report, I stopped typing on my computer.
"I debated when to bring this up, but I felt it would be unwise to discuss it in Betun. I decided to wait until we returned to the office in Weed to report it."
"No, I appreciate your consideration, Samantha. So, Jessica, Cleena—what do you two think?"
"Well," Jessica began, "trauma resulting from combat is a very common story."
"Mm. Logically speaking, if you get blown away by a tank cannon, you’ll be scared," Cleena added. "Just hearing the sound nearby is terrifying, and she actually got hit by one."
"..."
Everyone fell silent at Cleena’s blunt assessment. Indeed, if you know the destructive power of a tank shell, the common-sense reaction isn't just to cower—it's to get out of the line of fire as fast as possible. Standing directly in front of one is essentially a suicide mission. Unless you have a massive composite barrier or a literal mountain to hide behind, it’ll punch right through you. A standard building won't stop it. If you absolutely had to, you could use a heavily armored tank as a shield, but no one’s going to use an expensive vehicle as a meat shield; the goal is to destroy the enemy before it comes to that.
Beyond that, your only option is to lure them into urban warfare and strike from a blind spot. Of course, if the enemy has already pushed into your cities, you’ve basically already lost. Putting aside terrorists, choosing to fight in a city means civilian casualties will be astronomical. Involving innocent bystanders only breeds resentment and leads to a long, bloody quagmire. Both sides just end up exhausted.
Anyway, that’s a digression. We were talking about Light.
"Even if we investigate whether she has trauma right now, there’s not much we can do about it," I said.
"True," Samantha agreed.
"Mm."
"Yeah, it’s impossible," Jessica added.
I mean, there are "shady medicines," tranquilizers, hypnosis, or even turning her into an undead—plenty of extreme measures. But those are absolute last resorts, and we shouldn't be doing that kind of thing lightly. For now, we have to stick to the humane route.
"The best we can do is eliminate anything that reminds her of a tank. But since things like tanks don't really exist over there anyway, we’ll just have to listen to Agil’s detailed account and handle it then."
Everyone nodded at my suggestion. Ultimately, this is something Agil—or rather, Enaria—needs to deal with. If I stick my nose in before being asked, it’ll just cause friction. So, we’ll leave that topic there for now.
"Next, regarding Mino-chan and the others. I’ve intentionally avoided mentioning them to the people on the If Continent."
"So it was intentional after all?" Jessica asked.
"Mm. I figured."
"I see."
"The reason is that Mino-chan’s group consists of rare and powerful monsters by the If Continent’s standards. I didn't want to provoke unnecessary caution. Besides, if people can't even get along with each other, how are they supposed to hold a conversation with monsters?"
The people in the neighboring countries were the same, but the discrimination against demi-humans on that continent was severe. Introducing a new race—a nation of monsters—would only cause chaos. While the variety of monsters they encounter is limited, the fundamental perception on the If Continent is that monsters are the enemy. Trying to convince them to recognize monster rights and include them in intercontinental diplomacy would be a recipe for disaster.
"Wait a moment," Samantha interrupted. "The way you put that, Lord Yuki… do you not intend to introduce them as a faction or military force of Weed?"
"...It certainly sounded that way," Jessica noted.
"It sounded like you were introducing them as a separate Monster Kingdom," Cleena added.
"Exactly. For now, I’m having Mino-chan and the others maintain the stance that they are a separate power from Weed. I don't mind if the top brass of various countries figure it out—and they probably already suspect it—but like me, they likely realize that suddenly treating monsters as equals would cause too many problems. So, the public announcement will be much later. However, we’ll have to do it eventually."
"Why is that?" Samantha asked.
"Mm. Monsters are definitely the enemy," Cleena insisted.
"Ah, I see," Jessica said, seemingly catching on. "If we keep Cleena’s perspective, it will cause problems for future intercontinental exchange, won't it?"
"Exactly."
"What do you mean?" Samantha asked.
"Mm. Explain it so we can understand too."
"Alright. Jessica, since you’ve got it, would you mind explaining?"
Jessica nodded and began her explanation. "To put it simply: the perception that monsters are 'simply the enemy' is what’s dangerous."
"Right. Cleena’s view that 'monsters are the enemy' is the standard not just on the If Continent, but on the Rogali Continent, and even the New Continent where Nadeshiko and the others are."
"Mm. I don't see what the problem is with that."
"Neither do I," Samantha added.
"Then let me ask you this," I said. "Steve, Surakichi-san, Mino-chan, and John are all monsters. Are they the enemy?"
"That’s different," Cleena argued. "Steve and the others are your subordinates, Yuki. They aren't like savage monsters."
"As Cleena says, they are disciplined people… Ah, I see." Samantha realized it as she spoke. "You mean that some monsters might actually have their own culture?"
"Exactly. As Cleena says, monsters are fundamentally enemies. However, the criteria for judging what constitutes a 'monster' differs from person to person and place to place. Steve’s race, the Goblins, is an easy example, so I’ll use them."
I stood up and began writing on a whiteboard.
"First, Steve is a Goblin. You all know this."
They all nodded. Everyone knew that much.
"However, whether Goblins are classified as 'monsters' or a type of 'demi-human' depends on the region. In Weed, Goblins who participate in military service or public order are recognized as 'Good Goblins' and granted rights to live here. In other words, they aren't seen as monsters, but as a type of demi-human."
As I explained, I wrote *Goblin* on the board, followed by *Monster? Demi-human?*
"But on the Rogali Continent, almost all Goblins other than those are treated as monsters. This is because, on Rogali, the nature of Goblins is believed to be harmful to humans. However, high-ranking Goblins—while perhaps not as advanced as Steve’s group—possess intelligence and are capable of proper negotiation. This is because they have reached a certain level of wisdom."
I wrote *Negotiation = Wisdom/Intelligence*.
"You’ve heard stories of people in certain regions offering sacrifices or tributes to monsters so they won't be attacked, right? That is a form of negotiation. In other words, they are coexisting."
I wrote *Coexistence*.
"Now, back to the point. On the New Continent, Goblins are believed to be descendants of spirit priestesses and warriors. They are recognized as having gentle personalities. In other words, on the New Continent, they are recognized as 'people.' They are granted the rights to live as human beings."
I wrote in large letters: *New Continent = Human Race*.
Cleena’s eyes widened as she looked at the board.
"...I think I understand what you’re trying to say. It’s not just Goblins. If we engage in intercontinental exchange and expand trade, and we simply attack monsters because we judge them as enemies, it could lead to war at worst."
"Exactly. You three know firsthand that culture and common sense can be completely different across different continents, right?"
"Indeed," Samantha sighed. "Even we were shocked by the differences between the Rogali Continent, the New Continent, and the culture here in Weed."