第１０３１堀：大山脈攻略決定 (Part1)
Chapter 1031: Decision to Conquer the Great Mountain Range
Side: Yuki
Good grief, I can’t tell if I’m intentionally creating trouble lately or if I’m actually moving toward a proper resolution. I found myself thinking this while looking over the data Cleena had given me.
I never intended to go soft on them. My decision to let Aquenoki live wasn’t just me getting swept up in Luna’s mood at the time; I had thought about the aftermath and agreed to it. But that had backfired, and as Cleena pointed out, it was becoming a ticking time bomb. If he really was connected to the Haine Empire, he would surely move when the moment was right. And that could be a fatal blow to the Zurable Great Empire.
"But still, I find it hard to believe that Aquenoki is connected to the Haine Empire."
It wasn’t just information from Kirika’s subordinates; even the intel from Princess Carly suggested he was doing nothing but stoically training. Perhaps he was serious at heart—he had, after all, tried to do various things when he was king, so he seemed to understand the basics of governance.
...Yeah. Why did Aquenoki do that, anyway? No, it was because he believed in the power of the Dungeon Core and the gods. *Sigh.* Excessive power really does warp things. Am I the same?
Well, I’ll do my best not to end up like that. I’d hate to get arrogant and have the rug pulled out from under me.
"You seem to be agonizing over a lot, but if you think about it logically, Aquenoki isn't connected to them."
"Oh, Agil."
Noticing the voice, I realized Agil had come into the office at some point. For the record, Tori, Riel, and Kaya—who were supposed to be handling my security and assistance—were currently face-down on their desks, literally emitting smoke from the sheer volume of information updates, research, and organization they’d been doing.
"Man, what a miserable sight."
"Yeah, we aren't gathering enemy intel as well as I’d hoped."
"I heard about it from Jessica."
"I see. You two are surprisingly close."
Agil and Jessica came from hostile nations that had vied for supremacy for years. Despite that, their relationship wasn’t particularly bad. If anything, they were quite close.
"That’s old news. I don’t let the war drag on in my head. Besides, there was no damage to my kin or subordinates. The countries signed a ceasefire and made peace. There’s nothing to hold a grudge over, and Jessica feels the same."
"Ah, she’s the type to follow orders earnestly, isn't she?"
"She’s a soldier to the core, unlike a researcher like me. Besides, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha are currently on maternity leave, so unless it’s something urgent or vital, I’m handling the negotiations and document organization for the If Continent single-handedly. That’s why I hear the news so often. We know each other well, so it’s only natural we get along."
"I see. Sorry for all the trouble."
"What, it’s nothing. If it helps you and everyone else, Yuki, it’s no big deal. Say, if you really want to thank me..."
As Agil said this, she hopped up and sat on my lap.
"Could you be my chair for a while? I’ve been lonely lately since I haven’t had much physical contact with my husband."
"Right, you got married, didn't you?"
"Hey now. Aren't you saying something terribly mean? Even though we loved each other so much at night."
"That’s not what I meant. It’s just... I never expected this kind of thing to become the norm."
"Ah, I see. I feel the same way."
Agil said this, leaning her body against me happily. She was completely acting as a chair now. A fair amount of time had passed since then, but Agil’s body remained small. She really was like a child, even if she was an adult.
"...Hmm? Are you thinking about something weird?"
"No, I was just thinking you’re small."
"You *are* thinking something rude! I’m actually quite self-conscious about this small body, you know."
"I’m fine with Agil just the way she is. Well, if you grow, that’s fine too, but either way, Agil is Agil."
"Sigh, Yuki, you say things like that so naturally. Honestly... what am I supposed to do? What do you think, Tori?"
"Ah, I think you should just go to the bedroom. But not now. We have too much work."
Oops, before I knew it, not just Tori, but Riel and Kaya had lifted their heads and were staring right at us. They must have woken up from their nap.
"Geez~. Both of you, flirting while we’re working our fingers to the bone—let us in on it!"
"...Riel, no. We’re busy. Agil, you came here for business, right?"
"Of course. I was thinking of leaving the matter of the monsters in the Great Mountain Range to me."
"Huh? Has Agil been studying monsterology?"
Agil’s field was supposed to be enchantment and magic tool research. She was supposed to be investigating holy and demonic swords.
"Nope, totally different. I’m majoring in Japanese machinery now! Well, and magic tool enchantment as a side project. Though, when it comes to the latter, Narjia-san is overwhelmingly better, so I mostly provide ideas and support."
That made sense. Narjia-san was an expert in enchantment and magic tool production. Besides, the If Continent didn’t have very advanced magic tool technology due to the mana depletion phenomenon, so it was only natural that Agil’s skills were lacking in that area. Thus, since coming to Weed, Agil had been specializing in the analysis of Earth’s machinery.
"So, why are you handling the survey of the Great Mountain Range?"
"Because my hands are relatively free right now. Plus, I have Comet, Milly, Firia, and Aslin scheduled."
"Hey, hey, you’re planning on going with just the technical team?"
"Well, there’s no better team for the job, is there? We’ll do an environmental survey while we’re at it. Remember when Zargis went out to the mountain where the dragon was? It’s the same thing. This time, it’s our turn."
"Hmm, the only monster experts in that group are Milly and Aslin."
"Exactly. We have Milly, a pillar of Weed’s Adventurer Guild, and the Princess of Monsters. It couldn’t be better. So, give us your permission."
I see. She’d already finished selecting the team after hearing the situation from Jessica. All that was left was...
"And, did you get their consent?"
"Of course. Even from the Emperor of Uopia. Man, that was tough. He was throwing a tantrum, saying, 'I want to come too~,' and finally demanded I bring the whole army. Well, Show-dono stopped him, though."
The Emperor of Uopia really loved Aslin and the others too much. Well, he probably wasn’t serious, but it showed he had the leeway to play around. I wondered for a second why he had so much leeway, and arrived at an answer.
"...I see. It’s not that we can’t get information; it’s just that we aren’t at a disadvantage."
The Zurable Great Empire army wasn’t in immediate danger of annihilation.