第７７３堀：軽い運動 (Part1)
Chapter 773: Light Exercise
Light Exercise
Side: Kirue
The wind whipped against my skin. It felt wilder than the breeze I was accustomed to in Weed, yet it carried the pleasant, refreshing scent of greenery.
"Mmm!! Being outside really is the best, isn't it!"
The one stretching out in the meadow was Sasari, a maid serving Lady Samantha. Like me, she had accompanied Master on this trip.
"Please try not to get too carried away. Our primary purpose here is to act as guards for Master and assist with his work."
"I know, I know! But Kirue-senpai, you’re out here in the meadow too, which means you’re enjoying being outside after such a long time, right?"
"..."
Sasari hit the nail on the head, leaving me speechless. It was true; while the official excuse for coming out to this meadow, a short distance from Baide, was to reacclimate our bodies, I also wanted to enjoy the outdoors.
"There’s no need to be embarrassed. Besides, didn't Master tell us to go ahead and enjoy ourselves?"
"Well, I suppose you’re right."
We were currently in Baide, on the New Continent, because the first Intercontinental Exchange Conference, the subsequent festival, and the following schedule had mostly been settled. Master had kept his promise to us. Since we had been confined to the artificially regulated environment of the Weed dungeon for so long, we had ventured out to experience real nature.
Perhaps my body had grown a bit sluggish. I briefly wondered if I should have been training in the more rigorous, specialized floors of the dungeon instead.
"But Master and the others have it rough, don't they? Having to deal with sudden meeting requests like that."
"It cannot be helped. The first Intercontinental Exchange Conference may have concluded, but in many ways, this is only the beginning. Master and Lady Seraria, as the lords of Weed who connect the continents via the Gate, are the most important figures when it comes to international exchange and trade. Under normal circumstances, it would be unthinkable for them to get involved in the problems of the New Continent."
Indeed, it was highly irregular for the lords of Weed—who stood on equal footing with the great powers of every continent—to show their faces in a place like this.
"Well, 'under normal circumstances,' anyway. Given the current situation, it’s unavoidable."
"I understand. While Aquenoki hasn't made any overt moves, Master and the others are primarily concerned about the Kingdom of Seasypho."
"The country that offered shovels for reconstruction efforts, right?"
"Sasari, they were already in the process of preparing those shovels for war support. They simply rebranded them. From that, we can infer..."
"That they want those shovels used on the battlefield. That’s how Master and the others sensed the presence of Earth-style weaponry."
That was precisely why Master and the others had gone out of their way to come to the New Continent. As long as the existence of Earth’s weapons was a possibility, they could not simply stand by and watch. I understood this perfectly. If advanced weaponry from Earth were to be used on this continent, the devastation would far exceed anything caused by monsters. It made a minor deity like Aquenoki seem insignificant by comparison. It was only natural to be wary of the Kingdom of Seasypho, which might be in possession of such things.
"I get why they're worried, but it’s surprising that the other countries left the handling of this to them. I thought they’d insist on being involved."
"You might be forgetting, Sasari, but the New Continent speaks a different language. We need interpreters, and there are countless minor issues to address. It is far better for them to focus on advancing intercontinental exchange and persuading the smaller nations to solidify their internal stability. They cannot afford wasteful investments."
"I get the logic, but didn't they promise to send reinforcements to the New Continent?"
"If they are requested to provide reinforcements, they will be promised rewards and receive support. However, if they were to accompany us from the start, they would be left to handle their own logistics. They would have to arrange food and pay for their soldiers themselves, all without knowing if they could recoup the costs."
War is a massive consumer of human resources and supplies. It is unlikely that any nation would voluntarily provide such things for the sake of another country’s support, rather than for their own national defense. Especially since the New Continent is an exclave for the If Continent; they likely feel there is no point in managing such difficult territory, even if offered as compensation.
"Ah, so that’s why they said they’d only send reinforcements."
"Yes. Furthermore, there is the matter of their debt to Weed. The If Continent previously tried to squeeze favorable conditions out of Master, only for him to reply that he was fine with having no trade at all, which sent them into a panic."
"Oh, I remember that. It’s not like we were desperate to have the If Continent on board right away."
"It would have been necessary in the future, but there was no need to rush and accept their terms. Besides, the incident where Master and the others were kidnapped occurred. If a war were to break out for that reason, the intercontinental exchange would likely fall apart."
"There was no need to force them to participate. Honestly, I wonder if it would have been better if their participation had been delayed even longer?"
"Well, that is for Master to decide, so I cannot say. But it is a fact that managing three continents at once is significantly busier."
"Yeah, that’s true. But when you think about the fact that it has to be done eventually, it’s just a matter of whether it’s sooner or later, right?"
"That is correct. Now, let’s end the idle chatter. Get into your stance."
I drew my knife as I spoke. We didn't come out to this meadow just to chat. Even if it was just a pretext, we had come out to "reacclimate our bodies," so there was no point if we didn't train.
"Are you really going to do this?"
"Naturally. Consider this a rematch for the time I lost."
"Ehh!? You’re still holding a grudge over that!?"
"That time" referred to when Master and Lady Shera were kidnapped, and Lady Ria and I fell into a somewhat extreme state of mind. Lady Deryu and Sasari had brought us back to our senses. Since the method they used was a duel, the fact remained that I had lost.
"Oh, don't misunderstand. I’m not holding a grudge because you stopped me. What you did back then was undoubtedly the right thing. But losing to you... well, it’s a bit bothersome, so this is a revenge match."
"You *are* holding a grudge! That was the first time I ever won, so you should be happy that your junior is growing! Besides, Kirue-senpai, you’re a maid, right? I used to be a knight, so it’s no surprise that I won!"
"Then let us work hard to overturn the fact that you remain the victor."
"Wait!? Wait, wait, wait!?"
"No objections."
As I crouched and lunged, Sasari immediately raised her sword and shield.
What "wait"? She was clearly ready to intercept me the moment I moved.
Now, to ensure Master doesn't accuse us of slacking off, let’s get some proper exercise. Of course, I would hold back enough so as not to alter the landscape.
"...Hey. Hey, Kirue, Sasari."
"Kirue!! What are you doing!!"
I heard a voice. There was no mistaking it. It was Master, along with Lady Shera and the other wives. I immediately stopped moving and tried to look for them, but because they were silhouetted against the setting sun, I could only see their shadows. Still, that stature and Lady Shera’s rabbit ears were unmistakable.
"I... I thought... I was going to die..."
Sasari, who had been facing me, collapsed to the ground.
"Sasari-san!?"