第８８５堀：お嫁さんにくださいな。 (Part2)
"King Enaria, please be more careful with how you treat women."
"Ah, yes. I shall be more careful. Agil, my apologies."
"Very well. Please mind yourself in the future. I am a woman, after all."
With that, the matter with Agil was brought to a safe—if one could call it that—conclusion.
"Well, I’ve received the marriage permits for my brides, so I think that’s all for today..."
"Hey, don't you dare leave. The discussion has only just begun. Do not ignore me, nor the kingdom of White Forest."
"Ah, right. You two were here, weren't you? Ex and White Forest."
I had been treating them as part of the background until now, but it is true that the meeting hall in Betan is supposed to host the six great powers that rule over the If Continent. Naturally, representatives from the Kingdom of Ex and the Kingdom of White Forest were present.
"Don't forget us."
"Indeed, as the King of Ex says, it would be troublesome if you were to forget us. If anything, this is where the real topic begins. I do not mean to belittle the brides, of course... but we cannot simply ignore the mana depletion phenomenon. For our races, it is suspected to be the cause of our declining birth rates."
The King of Ex and the King of White Forest spoke with serious expressions. I understand why these two are so earnest. As the King of White Forest mentioned, it is a matter of survival for their race. Furthermore, the King of Ex—Noble—is the God of War of the If Continent, and his right-hand man, Sakuri, is a Dungeon Master. In other words, they are the very people directly tasked by Luna to investigate the cause of the mana depletion on this continent. It is only natural for them to be serious.
Yuki turned to face the two of them.
"I understand your position, but have you found any new leads, locations, or items that might serve as a hint?"
"...There is nothing so convenient."
"Likewise. However, that does not mean we should do nothing."
"Well, that's true. But it's also a fact that we can't move without some sort of objective."
It’s true that I understand their point, but without clues, it’s hard to know what to do. Then again, this intercontinental conference is meant for finding those very clues. As I was thinking this, the King of Fionha unexpectedly spoke up.
"Why are you so troubled? There are plenty of places to investigate, aren't there? Right, Roday?"
"Ah, indeed. I think there are many obvious places. You understand that too, don't you, August?"
"Certainly, there are."
"Indeed. There are."
The kings of each nation affirmed the King of Fionha's words. I wondered what they were getting at, and the King of Fionha provided the answer.
"Shouldn't we start by investigating the regions where demi-humans currently survive?"
"That’s true. And I heard that monsters appear quite regularly around the Lancer Magic Academy."
"Yes, with the Dragon Knight Amanda there, the probability is high. Besides, I hear the ruins were originally dungeons. If that’s the case, investigating those ruins might reveal something."
"Indeed. If investigating all of those is too difficult, we should leave it to the Enaria Church and the Holy Nation of Hifi."
"..."
The King of Ex and the King of White Forest fell silent. However, it wasn't a silence born of being caught off guard. They already knew that the reason monsters appeared in the forest where the Lancer Magic Academy was located was due to a continent-sized magic circle creating a mana barrier—though it started when Amanda found a wyvern, which led to her being called a Dragon Knight.
They also already knew that the regions where demi-humans existed were mostly near the Lancer Magic Academy. Furthermore, they were aware that the ruins were former dungeons, and the King of Ex had already been investigating them as a Dungeon Master.
Still, they hadn't been able to investigate everything, so the cooperation of the Enaria Church and the Holy Nation of Hifi was welcome. If a significant number of people could be mobilized, there was hope that something might be uncovered.
I wondered how Yuki would respond.
"I see. Well, investigating again might lead to new discoveries. Very well, let’s go with that strategy. I’ll leave the manpower-heavy work to the Holy Nation of Enaria and the Holy Nation of Hifi. The other nations can provide support, is that acceptable?"
With that unexpected decision, he consolidated the approach for responding to and investigating the mana depletion phenomenon on the If Continent.
He had also reported the marriages to them. The King of Fionha and King August were their usual selves, but King Roday was as persistent as ever. That aside, the conclusion was that there were simply too many targets to investigate on the If Continent. The mana depletion phenomenon there is, after all, a difficult challenge.