第７８３堀：男尊女卑 (Part2)
Kirue and Sasari seem worried, but well, those two only really know us from our daily lives in Weed.
But we’re actually quite capable, you know?
"Excuse me."
"Passing through."
"Yes. Here is the pass."
"This should be sufficient, right?"
With those words, we breezed right past the arguing Micos and the gate guards.
"..."
"H-hey!! You there!! That’s a fake. Catch those brats!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The idiots scrambled to try and apprehend us, but...
"Oh my, you won't catch us like that."
"Tag, you're it!"
"You're too slow."
"My, my, are we playing tag?"
"H-hey!! Wait!!"
Let’s see how much stamina these posturing soldiers really have. And while we’re busy running around...
"Oh, Micos and Solo, please go contact Kagura and the Princess."
"Oh, sure. Thanks, Labyris-chan!!"
"Thank you. Aslin-chan, Firia-chan, Lady Shera!! We’ll be right back!!"
I sent Micos and Solo off to deliver the message. Now, I wonder how long it will take for these fools to realize they’re doomed.
"Damn it!! Kid, stay still..."
"Not a chance."
After running around like that for a while, Micos and Solo returned, bringing not just Princess Carrie and Kagura, but King Haiden himself.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
At the King’s thunderous roar, the arrogant soldiers all bowed their heads in unison. But...
"Your Majesty. We were merely trying to apprehend some illegal entrants..."
"And where are these illegal entrants?"
"They are... these children here..."
"...When they came through the gate, did they not show you a travel permit?"
"No, they were in possession of a forgery..."
"A forgery? What kind of joke is this? These children are high-ranking officials of Weed. They are acquaintances of mine. Furthermore, I personally handed them those passes; there is no way they could be fakes."
"Huh?"
The captain’s face was a mask of shock. Oh my, so they really didn't recognize us after all.
"This is Labyris-dono, who manages the Weed Dungeon; Aslin-dono, who commands a legion of monsters; Firia-dono, who crafted the high-performance weapons and ornaments gifted to our country; and Lady Shera, the Spirit Priestess and Princess of the Gartz Kingdom on the Rogari Continent!! Above all, waiting at the gate is Yuki-dono, the Prince Consort of Weed!!"
"..."
The soldiers fell silent, overwhelmed by the reality of the situation. It’s a bit too late for that, isn't it?
"I heard the story from Carrie and thought it couldn't be true, but I didn't realize the misogyny here was this severe. You are all relieved of your gate guard duties, effective immediately."
As expected, one of the soldiers spoke up.
"Your Majesty, this is a misunderstanding!! That little girl... no, the diplomat's subordinate, didn't say anything, so..."
"What!?"
The excuse was so ridiculous that even Micos and Solo couldn't help but cry out. Fufu. Micos is one thing, but I didn't know Solo could make a face like that.
"Are you saying that if someone doesn't say anything, you chase down children who hold official travel permits?"
"Ah, no, that is..."
"More importantly, these are not just 'children.' They are individuals of clear status and standing. Your punishment will be decided later..."
Ah, ah, watching the idiots get cornered by the King one by one is so satisfying. But if they get punished here, it ruins the point of us playing with them.
"King Haiden. May I have a word?"
"Hm? What is it, Labyris-dono? Is there something you wish to address?"
"Yes. We were simply playing with the soldiers, so I don't think any punishment is necessary."
"Playing?"
"Yes. We showed our passes, passed through, and then just played tag. Right, Aslin, Firia?"
"That's right! We were playing tag with the soldier-san... wait, no. We were."
"That is correct. We were just playing tag. They couldn't catch us."
"Indeed. It was just a game."
We could demand something for the trouble caused to Weed, but the priority right now is dealing with Seasypho. We don't have time to waste on such trivialities.
"...I see. So you were playing."
"Yes. It was helpful to have them keep us company."
I subtly conveyed that we didn't intend to waste time here.
"Understood. We will settle this matter quietly. First, the issue of Seasypho. Yuki-dono, my apologies, but please follow me."
And just like that, we broke through the gate peacefully.
"Good grief, playing tag with Labyris-dono and the others... how reckless."
"I don't feel like I could ever catch them."
Princess Stasia and Bishop Enora said this while looking at the exhausted soldiers. The two of them had played tag with us for exercise when they first came to Weed, too.
"Well, it's good that it ended as a game. If you’d gotten hurt, someone would surely have made a fuss about it. Nice judgment, Aslin, Firia. Yay!!"
"Yay!!"
The two of them high-fived Agil. They really get along well.
"Shera and Labyris, do you want to join in?"
"No, I'm fine."
"No, I'm fine too. More importantly..."
For the first time in a while, I climbed up Yuki’s body and settled into my usual spot.
"Ah!?"
"Ufufu. First come, first served."
"I mean, we have a meeting coming up, you know."
"It is fine. This is a perfect way to make Weed's presence known. It is more peaceful than showing off our physical strength."
"Indeed. Anyone who looks down on us from here on out goes on the blacklist."
"Yes. As Milly-sama says, that would be best. Please leave the recording to me and Sasari."
"Eh? Me too?"
"Did you say something?"
"No, nothing at all!!"
And so, with me riding on Yuki’s shoulders for the first time in ages, we headed toward Haiden Castle.
"Switch with me!!"
"Um, me too!!"
"You three are still not done playing, are you?"
"Still, the misogyny here is surprisingly strong."
"Yeah. This is going to be a pain. It seems like the compatibility with Weed is going to be poor."
As Yuki said, while not every single person at the top is like this, Weed has a very high proportion of women, so it seems like we’re going to have all sorts of problems. It’s truly a nuisance.
The soldiers couldn't even catch Aslin and the others while they were running away. Well, they are just children, after all.
Thus, we entered Haiden peacefully, while simultaneously realizing that the internal state of Haiden is still quite a mess.