第１２７９堀：現場の意見と増員方向性 (Part1)
Chapter 1279: Opinions from the Field and the Direction of Reinforcements
Side: Yuki
"Eh? Reinforcements, you say...?"
"Well, considering everything that’s happened, it’s only natural."
"Aye. Though, it’s not like we can just gather them up in a heartbeat, neither."
"If you only care about raw numbers, there are ways to manage that. But that’d be meaningless. It’s only by raising their proficiency that they become worth anything."
I was consulting with Steve and the others—the leaders of the Monster Army—regarding the "strengthening of Weed’s military forces," an issue highlighted during my summary of the current situation with Seraria and the others. They wore grim expressions, clearly understanding the necessity but feeling the weight of the task.
I could understand why they felt that way.
Expanding an army isn't just about adding more bodies. You have to increase equipment and housing, assign and train the new personnel, and above all, determine what kind of talent—in this case, what kind of monsters—are actually needed.
"I know there’s a lot to do to make this happen, but it’s still far better than what Quar is dealing with."
"That’s true. Quar-san can’t just pop out the exact number of people she needs using dungeon functions, after all."
"Besides, will they even gather in the first place? I get the feeling the people of Weed aren't exactly fond of war or fighting."
"Nah, that part should be fine. It’s not like they’ve lived here for generations. They know that if they don't brush off the sparks falling on them, they’ll end up in a world of hurt. I’m sure there will be volunteers. How many, I can’t say. Though, since they cost more than monsters, I’d be in trouble if there were too many."
Exactly. What’s giving Quar the biggest headache right now is the payroll. If the pay is too low, no one will join, but the national treasury isn't exactly overflowing with cash to raise it. Well, if it came down to it, I could use the dungeon’s abilities to manage the finances, but there’s a limit to that, too.
"Still, we pay the monsters a salary, don't we?"
That’s right. Just like the regular soldiers, we pay the monsters properly. By doing so, we allow them to shop in town, and it fosters the understanding that monsters are treated as soldiers here in Weed.
"Boss. That’s true, but only a small fraction of them actually go out and shop. The goblins, the orcs, the skeletons..."
"He’s right. Some of them are too hesitant to show their faces in public, and others don't even eat or drink. Besides, Boss, what level of monster replenishment are you even considering?"
"That’s the important part. If you want units capable of tactical maneuvers like us, it takes more budget and time than training mediocre regular soldiers. If you just want numbers, you could just set up more dungeons."
"So, Boss, which one are you hoping for, and how many are you planning to add?"
They were right. We couldn't move forward without discussing specific troop types and numbers.
"I can't give you a concrete number or specific troop types just yet. In fact, that’s exactly what I wanted to consult you on. The meeting earlier only went as far as concluding that our current scale isn't enough. That became clear when we realized that during the Zurable incident, we were barely able to manage rear-guard support."
" " "Ah..." " "
The four of them let out a collective sound of realization, finally understanding my point.
"But that was just a coincidence, right?"
"True. That was practically an encounter battle."
"Nah, when you really think about it, Steve and Surakichi-san were handling the ground troops, and John was in the air. And at sea, it was Shi-chan and the others. We spread ourselves so thin that Weed was left completely empty."
"That’s right, that happened. Thinking about that, it really is a tough situation. You’re still sending numbers to the Zurable region, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Plus, we have the navy centered around Blue Hole and Aurelia Port, and the airport in the Barony of Jama. Not to mention the units stationed at key locations elsewhere."
"Man, doing all that with just monsters is impossible. Especially for maintaining key locations—you definitely need 'people' for that. That part needs to be discussed with Quar-nee-san."
"I suppose so. In that case, the priority is securing active combat power. And since we need flexibility and immediate response, we should aim to increase our forces across the board."
The Monster Army isn't required to socialize with humans. Well, there are times when that’s necessary, but fundamentally, they just need to be effective—in other words, they need "fighting power." The army led by Quar will face an increased burden, but since we’re planning to reinforce them as well, we should be able to manage.
"So it’s 'across the board,' huh? I can manage the headcount, but types like us take time to train."
"Boss, what’s the deadline for all this, anyway?"
"There’s no set deadline yet, but the sooner, the better. It wouldn't be strange if we ended up in an all-out war with the hostile organization at any moment."
The moment I said that, Steve and the others turned pale.
"Eh? Is it that bad!?"
"I haven't heard anything about that."
"Aye, when did all this happen..."
"No, no, calm down. Judging by the Boss’s demeanor, he’s still just exploring the possibility, right? He’s just telling us to be prepared?"
"Yeah, exactly."
" " "Phew." " "
The three of them finally calmed down. As Surakichi-san said, if the enemy were truly at our doorstep, we wouldn't be sitting here leisurely discussing military expansion. Still, it’s better to be prepared than to lack a sense of crisis. Let’s continue.
"Even at our previous scale, we were stretched thin. We’ll need to pull personnel for the investigation of the Goblin Village and the Great Forest, too. That’s why we need to reinforce as soon as possible."
"So you’re thinking the enemy is finally going to move. Well, from their perspective, this is the best situation they could ask for."
"Countries using the Gates will be connecting even more firmly from here on out. That’s something the hostile organization won't like."
"If they’re going to strike, it’d be now. Though, I suspect it’ll be more of a shadow war than an open conflict..."
"In that case, we should prioritize increasing our slime units, which have high stealth, and our small-stature goblin units."
"That sounds like a good plan."
Goblins are well-suited for scouting, and slimes have a high aptitude for infiltrating facilities.