第９２５堀：戦った理由 (Part1)
### Chapter 925: The Reason for the Fight
**Side: Ratz**
We were at the General Administration Building, arranging the necessary funds and supplies for the upcoming rescue operation of the Sea-Siph delegation at Aurelia Port, when suddenly, I heard that an attack had been launched under Seraria’s command.
"Hah!? A preemptive night strike!? And using carrier-based aircraft and their munitions at that!? Ah..."
"Whoa!? Eris!"
The moment Eris heard the report, she fainted on the spot.
Well, I can’t blame her.
After all, a report had just arrived stating that weapons far more expensive than gold had been used without a second thought. As the one in charge of Weed’s fiscal management, Eris must be suffering from a massive headache over such a sudden, astronomical expenditure without any prior budget allocation.
The Accounting Department is going to be a living hell tomorrow. I’m sure Tefa, the representative, will be screaming.
"Anyway, tell me the details on the way there."
"Yes! First of all..."
Since this was an unprecedented preemptive strike—one that hadn't even been discussed with us beforehand—an emergency summons was naturally issued. As I carried Eris, I listened to the goblin who had delivered the report...
"I see. So the enemy possessed significant aerial combat capabilities."
"Yes. We haven't received an official explanation from Her Majesty the Queen yet, but I believe she judged that negotiating head-on under those circumstances would be too dangerous."
They judged that being overwhelmed by numbers would be a bad situation.
Well, that’s always the case; even though Weed is elite, we are few in number.
When dealing with an opponent that cannot accurately gauge our strength, a clash becomes inevitable.
Though, I do wonder if there wasn't a method to capture and neutralize the entire army by turning the area into a dungeon, as Yuki-oniisan often does. But the fact that they didn't choose that option must mean there were specific circumstances involved.
As I headed toward the gate to the aircraft carrier while listening to the situation, Milly and the others arrived.
"Oh, Ratz. Coming from work?"
"Milly, you too?"
"No, I’m from the Adventurer’s Guild. I was back home relaxing. Everyone else, too."
As Milly pointed behind her, the others nodded in agreement.
"So, the members who aren't here are already on the aircraft carrier *Lilishe*, then?"
"That’s right. By the way, what’s wrong with Eris?"
"Is Eris-oneechan sick?"
"Is that so? Shall I diagnose her?"
Aslin and Rurua looked worriedly at the Eris I was carrying on my back. But that wouldn't be necessary.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Eris just fainted after seeing the list of supplies used in the attack."
" " "Ah." " "
When I said that, everyone responded as if they understood perfectly.
Well, everyone knows just how expensive the weapons from Yuki-oniisan’s world are.
"I understand, but those were gifts from Luna, so there isn't any actual expenditure, right?"
"Even so, they are registered as assets. That means it counts as a loss on the books."
Exactly. The weapons used this time were already registered as Weed’s assets. The accounting for that is a nightmare...
"...I see. No wonder Eris fainted."
"Whoa. A ridiculous amount of money just vanished in an instant, huh? Hahaha, that’s tough for Eris."
"Riel, this isn't a laughing matter. It’s a question of how we’re going to replenish what was consumed, and that’s a real headache."
Exactly, as Tori said, the issue is how to replenish the expended ammunition.
Since even a single shot costs a staggering amount, we’ll likely have to burn through a significant portion of the DP we’ve saved up.
"Besides, we can't really say anything until we hear the full story of what happened. A preemptive strike is no trivial matter."
"True. As Deryu says, the enemy isn't exactly Ground Zero. It’s rare for them to attack without even a chance for dialogue, especially with Yuki around. It’s also strange that they didn't use the dungeon-creation ability to trap the enemy army."
That’s exactly it.
With Yuki-oniisan around—who prefers to strip the enemy bare, rob them of their combat capability, and win without fighting—a preemptive night raid is nothing short of shocking.
Well, as Deryu said, we can’t say for sure until we hear the story.
"Yo. Everyone’s here."
With that, we arrived at the aircraft carrier *Lilishe*, where Yuki-oniisan was waiting. Everyone was already in the carrier’s conference room...
"Wait, where are Dressa and the others?"
"Dressa and the others are staying at the lord’s mansion in Gusdo. They’re with Steve and the others, so there’s no need to worry."
"I see. Well, as long as they’re safe, that’s fine, but I don't really understand the situation just by hearing 'lord’s mansion'."
"Well, that’s fair. I’ll explain in order, so first, just listen."
And so, we listened to the details of what happened after they arrived at Aurelia Port and were convinced.
"...The enemy has aerial capabilities. This is a threat."
"We couldn't afford to wait until morning for a leisurely negotiation, could we?"
Cleena and Samantha’s words made everyone nod.
I see. Yuki-oniisan and Seraria launched the preemptive night strike to eliminate the enemy’s aerial forces, just as the goblin reported.
However, the number of enemies is higher than I thought.
They are wyverns, but there are about 50 of them. That’s an incredible number. Furthermore, there are 1,500 mages capable of flight magic.
They likely possess the most top-tier combat strength of any country we’ve dealt with so far.
"And the reason they couldn't be captured via dungeon-creation is because the town on the highway was already occupied by the enemy. There’s no reason to reveal our hand in that situation, is there?"
"Besides, if we turned the town itself into a dungeon, the reconstruction would be visibly difficult, and we would have to rescue the survivors in the highway town. And preparing the force to crush an army of 80,000 is also a huge task."
As Labyris and Rurua said, it wasn't a situation where we could just turn the area into a dungeon and capture 80,000 people. If we turned the town into a dungeon, we wouldn't know how to explain it away.
"That’s how it is. This enemy not only looted the highway town but also massacred almost all the inhabitants. They weren't the type of people you could just open the gates and talk to."
"Yes. And there are survivors in the highway town, however few. Considering that, I thought it would be better to show our power and rout them rather than trying to capture and persuade an army of 80,000. We can't have them thinking they can turn the tide with aerial combat, and frankly, persuading 80,000 captives would take a massive amount of time and personnel. Even if we could recover the DP..."
It was a judgment that it wasn't worth the cost.
...Indeed, based on the information so far, proper negotiation is difficult.
Yuki-oniisan’s dungeon ability is meant to be used secretly, like we did with Betan.
We went all-out during the incident with Kagura and the others because it was an emergency, but that’s not the case this time.
In that case, it’s better to repel them using the aircraft carrier already deployed rather than clumsily revealing the dungeon’s capabilities.