第９９４堀：いつもの観察と案内 (Part1)
**Chapter 994: Routine Observation and Guidance**
Can the Zurable Grand Empire withstand Kirika’s hospitality?
And can they be cured?
Well, it’s just a normal conversation, really.
***
**Routine Observation and Guidance**
**Side: Kirika**
“Oh my, what is this? This juice is fizzing! Is this what you call carbonation, Aslin?”
“Yup, that’s right. And that one is called cola.”
“It is delicious. Here, have a cup.”
“Thank you. But to think such a pitch-black, bubbly, and strange-looking thing is a drink…”
Ah, how adorable Aslin-aneesama and Firia-aneesama are. I could watch them forever and never grow tired of it.
“Captain. Captain. Please stop staring blankly at the sisters and focus on gathering intelligence.”
“…Huh!? What are you talking about? You don’t think I’d neglect my duties to stare at them, do you? I am working properly. Work, work.”
“““Sigh.”””
My subordinates are being noisy, but I am performing my duties perfectly. Yes, the reason I am staring intently at the surveillance screen is solely to ensure I don’t miss a single move from the VIPs of the Zurable Grand Empire! It is definitely not because I am focused on what Aslin-aneesama and the others are doing.
“More importantly, how is the movement of the Zurable Grand Empire’s guards?”
The soldiers brought by Emperor Eupia have been assigned to an adjacent room, ostensibly for their own peace of mind. Well, it also makes it easier for us to monitor them all at once.
“Four in front of Emperor Eupia’s room. Four outside the courtyard-facing windows. The rest are on standby in their assigned rooms.”
“How is their conduct?”
“The soldiers guarding the room are quite serious. However, the soldiers ordered to stand by are reacting much like other visitors.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. Everything is just too different here. Conversely, whenever we visit other countries to guard Master, we are always appalled by the poor quality and inconvenience of the rooms.”
As I said this with a sigh, my subordinates all nodded. Under Master’s orders, we often infiltrate ahead of time to scout, renting inns to study the lifestyles of the common folk. Basically, everywhere we go, there are no toilets, no washbasins, no baths, no mirrors—sometimes they don’t even change the sheets in those cheap inns.
We have to stay in such places, so we have to be extremely careful. Even if it’s for work, I don’t want to stay in filthy places. I often feel the urge to burn everything down and disinfect it, but I endure it day after day. Well, Master understands this well, so for long-term stays or locations where we need a base, he tells us, “It’s fine to buy a house,” so it hasn’t been much of a problem lately.
“For now, it’s a relief that they are being quiet. Well, it’s not like the guests Master personally vetted would go on a rampage.”
“The ones who always cause problems are the fools from small countries brought along by the major powers.”
“Unfortunately, the major powers don’t have enough persuasive power like Master does. And more than that, to a small country that only knows half the story, Weed, which is favored by the major powers, must look like an eyesore. Well, the responsibility for that lies with the major powers who brought them, and the rest is the job of the police and the military.”
We only monitor the most important figures. Not the small-fry from minor nations that major powers bring along for social appearances, but the countries necessary for investigating the magical depletion phenomenon—Master’s true mission. Among them, the Zurable Grand Empire is the one we need to cooperate with the most right now. This visit is the brink of whether an alliance will be formed. Therefore, we must support them so that no trouble occurs.
Time seemed to pass while I was lost in thought.
“Oh, it’s already this time. How are the dinner preparations?”
“Yes. As specified, the buffet-style setup is ready. We can serve it as soon as the guests are ready.”
“Understood. There might be a request to have it brought to the room, so please be prepared to accommodate that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then, I’m off to guide them. I leave the surveillance here to you.”
With that, I leave the surveillance room to invite the guests from the Zurable Grand Empire to dinner. At the inn, I am the landlady, Kirika. I must provide hospitality that satisfies our guests. If the hospitality fails, they might think we are looking down on them or mocking them, which could lead to the negotiations falling through. Thus, my position is surprisingly important.
As I headed toward the entrance…
“Master. I am now going to guide Emperor Eupia’s party to dinner.”
『Understood. I’m heading there now.』
I contact Master and ask him to join us. By having Master join the guidance, we show the stance that we are paying them due respect. I wait a moment at the entrance, and Master arrives.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. And Tori-sama and the others are by your side today.”
Since the original guards—Ria-sama, Jessica-sama, Cleena-sama, and Samantha-sama—became pregnant, the wives in charge of guarding change daily. Depending on who is in charge, there can sometimes be a slight lack of coordination, but with Tori-sama, Riel-sama, and Kaya-sama, there is nothing to worry about. It would be foolish to even mention coordination to Tori-sama and Riel-sama, who are heads of the police and are constantly required to work in tandem. And Kaya-sama, while in charge of agriculture, also handles police duties, so her coordination with the other two is solid.
“Yup. We’re the guards today.”
“Also, we adjusted everything for this inn, including the arrangements and the materials.”
“…I thought it was just guard duty, but somehow I ended up being in charge of everything.”
“Ah, I see. Come to think of it, Master was too busy with the suddenness of this to handle it.”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, it really helped. Should I leave these kinds of adjustments to you guys in the future?”
“Ahaha, maybe not every time…”
“It was tough, wasn’t it?”
“…Yuki. I will provide support.”
The fact that the wives, who usually happily do anything Master asks, immediately refused tells you just how difficult it was. Well, as a squad leader, I understand the hardship of setting up such a venue. I wouldn’t want to do it by choice either. Ah, but as Kaya-sama said, I would gladly provide support if it’s for Master.
“I see. I’ll ask you again when the time comes. Then, shall we go guide Emperor Eupia to dinner?”
“““Yes!”””
Thus, I approach the room where Emperor Eupia is waiting with Master. The moment we turn the corner, the Zurable Grand Empire soldiers guarding the door immediately identify us. One of them goes inside, and just as we arrive at the door, it opens.
“Oh, Big Brother! Welcome!”
“Brother. Welcome.”
“Oh, you’ve come, Yuki-dono. Come on in.”
Greeting us were my super-cute sisters and Emperor Eupia.
Yes. While I admit Emperor Eupia is cute, she is far inferior to my sisters.
However, I will absolutely never hand my sisters over to anyone.