第１１８１堀：魔王と勇者とメイド (Part1)
Chapter 1181: The Demon Lord, the Hero, and the Maid
Side: Deryu
"Hmph. Yuki really did think this through, didn't he?"
"He sure did. Our powers are completely nullified here, after all."
Ria and I stood before a map, contemplating how to seize victory in tomorrow’s battle. As Ria noted, this battle royale was designed to strip us of all our abilities, forcing us to fight as mere mortals.
"It’s only natural, I suppose. If the two of you were allowed to use your skills, the chances of a fair fight would drop to near zero," Kirue said, serving us tea with her usual diligent grace.
"Thank you, Kirue."
"Indeed. Though, I must admit, I didn't expect you to choose to fight alongside us. I assumed you’d be with Shera."
"Yeah, I thought so too. Did something happen?"
"Not at all. Lady Shera has already formed a team with Lady Labyris and Lady Dressa, so there was no room for me there. I simply concluded that joining the team closest to victory was the most logical course of action."
"Ho? So you believe we are the ones who will win?"
"Yes. Among all the wives, you have the highest probability of success."
She stated it without a hint of hesitation.
"Ahaha... 'Among the wives,' huh? Is winning really that difficult?"
"Difficult is an understatement, wouldn't you agree, Lady Deryu, Lady Ria? Even if the 'Demon Lord and the Hero' team up, can you truly defeat the Master?"
"..."
"..."
Ria and I had no answer for her. She was right. Even if we were at our absolute peak, with magic and skills fully unleashed, we stood no chance against him. In fact...
"Actually, perhaps this is the only environment where we might finally find a path to victory against Yuki."
"Yeah. Let’s be the first to hand Yuki a loss in this event."
"That is the spirit, though I suspect it will be quite difficult. The Master possesses an unparalleled strength in these kinds of skirmishes."
"Yuki is terrifyingly strong when the rules are thrown out the window. But winning by binding him with rules doesn't feel like much of a victory, either."
"And that’s assuming such a situation could even exist in the first place."
"Precisely. Sealing all of the Master’s skills and winning would be meaningless. However, this time, there is a genuine chance to snatch a victory. And that would be our opportunity to prove that we are worthy of standing by his side."
Ria and I recoiled slightly at Kirue’s intensity. Ah, I see. As a servant, she was grappling with her own position and purpose. Since Yuki is essentially capable of doing everything himself, Kirue, as a maid, must feel a certain... complexity regarding her role.
"Indeed. As you say, Kirue, it is time we show that we are capable. Does that mean our goal shouldn't be 'winning' the tournament, but rather focusing entirely on defeating Yuki?"
"Hmm, I wonder? I feel like winning the tournament is synonymous with defeating Yuki-san..."
"Ria-sama is correct; you cannot win without defeating the Master. However, I believe Lady Deryu’s suggestion of prioritizing his defeat is valid. In fact, I believe it is the only way to succeed—by focusing all our efforts on that single point."
"True. Yuki excels at catching people off guard. Even in a one-on-one, avoiding that is difficult..."
"Ahaha. It’ll be even harder in a chaotic battle royale, won't it?"
"Yes. If you try to defeat the Master while fighting others, you will be taken down in an instant. Therefore, winning is impossible unless we take him out. However, because it is a chaotic melee, the Master himself will also be..."
"He’ll have to be on guard as well, won't he? I see. If we prioritize targeting Yuki..."
"Right! Everyone knows how strong Yuki-san is, so they’ll surely try to eliminate him first."
"Exactly. It is a shared understanding that 'the Master is the greatest obstacle.' Because of that, we can cooperate without even needing to speak."
I see. If one person can't do it, we use a team. If a team isn't enough, we gather multiple teams.
"But isn't collusion between teams a violation of the rules in this game?"
"Technically, yes. But the rules for 'this battle royale' do not explicitly forbid it. The Master likely anticipated this much. However, we must be prepared to be stabbed in the back."
"Ah, yeah. I don't think they'd betray us from the start, but when it comes down to it... someone like Seraria might."
"Indeed. Seraria is ruthless in battle. Regardless, we need to coordinate beforehand, or we’ll be the ones getting shot in the back."
"Should we contact the other wives as well?"
"No, it’s better to keep the circle small. Jessica and Stasia wouldn't like this approach. Hiiro is out, too. Aslin and her group are a no-go; they’d likely end up siding with Yuki. The newcomers like Aurelia and Princess Fiora are also out."
"It is a recreational event, after all. We can't do anything too underhanded."
"Considering that, Lady Lilishe and Lady Hairen are out as well."
"They are out of the question. Kirika would never betray Yuki, and those two would just cause chaos. It’s best to leave them be."
The Goddess team would only drag us down if we tried to bring them into the fold. Leaving them alone was the only option.
"That leaves Seraria’s team, Eris’s team, Labyris’s team, Cleena’s team, Comet’s team, Kagura’s team, Tori’s team... and what about Eupia?"
"Eupia has Show, so if we approached them, they’d be easy to recruit... but is it wise to bring them into a scheme like this?"
"I believe we should refrain. If we do, they will realize the true extent of the Master’s power. They might suspect it already, but there is no reason for us to be the ones to confirm it."
"That may be, but if they actually clash with Yuki, they’ll realize it soon enough."
"Well, it is a game with rules, and Yuki-san will likely play with that in mind, so it might be subtle?"
"Yes. We cannot be certain. But if we go out of our way to form an alliance, it only proves that the Master is strong enough to require such measures."