第１２６４堀：調査はどうよ？ (Part1)
Chapter 1264: How’s the Investigation Going?
Side: Agil
"Yo. You in, Agil?"
At the sound of that voice, I abandoned the work I’d been obsessively focused on until just a moment ago and rushed to greet him. Well, "rushed" is putting it lightly—I practically leaped at him. But Yuki, my dear husband, caught me firmly in his arms.
"Welcome back~"
"Yeah."
I made sure to rub my face against him to my heart’s content, topping off my "Yuki reserves." Honestly, if my past self could see me now, she’d probably have a breakdown. She’d be shouting that this wasn't really me, or babbling about some nonsense regarding the chemical composition of my behavior. But it’s real. "Husband-essence" is a tangible thing, and with it, I can keep fighting for twenty-four hours straight.
After I’d rubbed against him until I was thoroughly satisfied, I pulled back.
"So, what brings you here today? It’s rare to see you visiting my lab in the middle of the day."
It’s true. Yuki rarely drops by my workspace during daylight hours. Usually, my role in the group is to attend meetings when summoned, providing opinions based on the data and insights I’ve gathered. Narjia handles weapon development, Comet manages magic-related research, and Zargis acts as the general handyman. As for me, I suppose I specialize in monsters and magical tools. We all have our own fields, but since we share information, we’re all knowledgeable enough to cover for one another. That’s why I’m also assisting with the investigation into the magic depletion phenomenon.
But I digress. It’s unusual for Yuki to show up out of the blue like this. Usually, he only comes to fetch us when we’ve been buried in research for so long that we’ve forgotten to come home, but that’s not the case today.
"Yeah, I’m busy with a lot of things, but I was wondering if there’s been any progress on the 'magic depletion phenomenon'."
"Ah, that. If you needed a formal report, I could have called a meeting, but I take it you wanted to ask personally?"
"Exactly. Besides, the student exchange program is growing quite large. I’m starting to see limits on how many personnel I can spare for other tasks."
"I see. That makes sense."
I first heard about the student exchange program when I went to the Goblin village, but it seems that once they actually started it, things escalated into something quite massive. It’s a common occurrence—things that seem simple on paper turn out to be unexpectedly complex once you start digging into the details.
"So, how is it? Since we last spoke?"
"For now, let’s sit down. It’s tiring to talk while standing."
I ushered Yuki and the others toward the breakroom in the back. Each lab has one, and this place is essentially my private room. That said, it’s not the slovenly, cluttered mess it used to be. Ever since I became Yuki’s wife, I’ve cleaned up my act, and I keep this place tidy. My room at the inn, however, is still packed with plastic models and the like...
As I moved to prepare tea as the mistress of this space...
"Agil-sama, let us handle that."
Fiora and the others stepped forward instantly. Honestly, Fiora, Orelia, and the others have truly become Yuki’s dedicated attendants. When Yuki is within Weed, he generally leaves his security to these four. Meanwhile, Ria is off training, and Jessica and the others are busy with diplomatic duties. Ria has been complaining lately that because she doesn't have diplomatic tasks like Jessica, she’s been bogged down with guard duty and hasn't had enough time to train. So, she’s been spending her time sparring with Deryu. It’s a strange sight—a Hero and a Demon Lord getting along—but I think it’s a good thing. They’re like sisters, after all.
But putting that aside:
"Fiora, you guys sit down too. It’s not like it’s a difficult task, and I’m not trying to steal your jobs."
"Oh, um..."
"Orelia, don't worry about it. She wants to do it herself."
At Yuki’s word, Orelia and the others sat down, albeit reluctantly. Usually, having the master’s wife serve tea would make a maid question her own existence, so I decided to offer a little follow-up.
"Besides, I just want my husband to see me as a good woman. Let me have this one."
When I said that, the three of them, who had been looking troubled, nodded in understanding. Fiora, perhaps having understood my feelings from the start, didn't react much. Given her original status, she’s technically higher-ranking than me, and we’re both wives, after all.
I said I’d do it, but "preparing tea" is just putting leaves in a pot, adding hot water, and pouring. I don't even bother warming the pot first. Compared to Zargis, Narjia, or Comet, who basically just drink bottled tea, I’m doing pretty well. And more than anything, I find the act of brewing it myself surprisingly enjoyable.
"Here you go. It’s hot, so be careful."
"Thanks."
"Thank you very much."
After serving everyone, I sat down and took a sip, drawing in a bit of air. The aroma and flavor spread through my mouth as the tea cooled. While slurping is generally considered bad manners, for tea, it’s the best way to enjoy it.
"Now, regarding your question, Yuki. Here."
I sent the data to his terminal. Yuki and the others checked the email. It was just raw numbers, which left Fiora and the others looking confused.
"I’m currently organizing the information on the Great Forest like this. The horizontal axis is the category, the vertical is the date, and the top row is the location."
"It’s only been a few months since we started, so there’s almost no fluctuation in the numbers... is that right?"
"For now, yes. It hasn't even been a year since we started measuring, so there might be seasonal variations. But it’s rare to get reliable information in such a short time."
It’s the truth. Observational data isn't something you can make sense of in just a few months. You need to stack up years, even decades, of data before you can start making comparisons.
"That said, we’ve only covered the outer rim of the Great Forest. We really need to observe the depths and the center, too."
Exactly. We haven't even covered the entire forest yet. At this point, we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the Great Forest’s ecology. The outer rim is mostly populated by monsters common across the If Continent, like Goblins, Kobolds, and Orcs—though even Orcs are rare on the If Continent. Occasionally, we see higher-tier versions of these common species, like Goblin Swordsmen or Magicians.
"But securing the personnel for that is the hard part."
"I imagine so. It’s hard to predict how many people will be tied up in the student exchange program."
"I’ll know how many people I have available soon. We’ll go from there. Sorry about this."