落とし穴外伝：準備はどうだい？
Side: Yuki
Being backed into a corner is, in many ways, a difficult business.
Well, one wrong step and a nation perishes.
In this case, total destruction was practically a foregone conclusion, so one could say they had no choice but to grasp at straws.
"…Honestly, how do you feel about accepting the military of another country so easily?"
Seraria seems to have mixed feelings about the current situation.
As someone entrusted with the fate of a nation, she cannot simply be happy about this state of affairs.
However…
"It’s better than being told to help only when you’re in a situation so desperate that you’ve been pushed to the brink, isn't it?"
"That’s true. Thanks to this, we’ve been able to move the refugees to a safe location and provide medical care across the board."
"Indeed. As a ruler, you may have your reservations, but in this instance, one could call him a wise monarch for making that decision. If things had continued as they were, there would be no choice but to perish."
Rurua, Deryu, and I did our best to soothe Seraria.
Currently, the deployment of the Weed army is complete. The refugees, who had been an obstacle, have been moved to the residential districts of the underground dungeon, where they are being managed by a reception unit centered around my wives.
Starting with Taiki’s initial recovery magic, the medical corps—led by Rurua, Hiren, and Enora—has been providing care, while Tori, Riel, and Kaya have begun maintaining order and supplying food, clothing, and shelter. The refugees’ anxiety has calmed down significantly.
"…I know. But after this, I won't allow us to be saddled with the burden of land reconstruction as well. The people of the Ioa Kingdom and the remnants of the fallen nations won't look kindly on that."
"I understand that much."
"Indeed. We only sought to provide salvation and defeat the Demon Lord; we have no intention of seizing their interests."
"It might seem ungrateful after being helped, but that is simply how people are."
The world cannot survive on goodwill alone.
More than anything, the owners of this land—or rather, the former power brokers—likely won't be pleased to see us strutting about.
Still, we’ll take what we’re owed.
"Well, there’s a success bonus separate from those folks, so there’s no need to worry too much. The real problem is…"
"That’s right~. The god who became the Demon Lord, isn't it~."
The goddess Lilishe, who was present for some reason, chimed in.
"Why did it end up like this, I wonder?"
The airheaded goddess Hiren tilted her head.
Indeed, it is curious how things escalated to the point of an "extinction of humanity" operation.
"There seem to be various circumstances, but we can't even talk to them until we stop them first."
"It’s not such a mysterious story, you know. They just despaired of people, just like you and me."
Hifie and Senal, former goddesses who had once been hostile to me, were also gathered here.
As for why the other male gods like Noble, Nogosh, or Faide weren't here: the two rulers couldn't move, and the other one was skipped because his ex-wife was on the verge of snapping and he isn't the combat type.
Yeah, putting the first two aside, Faide and Lilishe are like fire and oil.
No, Lilishe just snaps on her own, so there’s no stopping her.
Anyway, that aside, Senal doesn't have an affiliation so she’s fine, but Hifie is here on a business trip from the Hifie Holy Kingdom.
The reason is that her husband, Taizo, is here.
That, too, is unavoidable.
Regardless, we brought the gods who are at least capable of dialogue in preparation for the battle against the Demon Lord.
"If there’s room to talk to the Demon Lord, we will. As for persuasion… that seems a bit unlikely, though."
"Right~. They’ve gone this far, so the other side probably can’t back down now, either~."
Lilishe readily agreed with my opinion that persuasion would be difficult.
"Eh? Lady Lilishe?"
"My, they’ve already taken many lives~. It’s not like Senal-chan, who did it indirectly, or by siding with a certain country; they decided to kill people of their own volition, and they’ve already done quite a lot, haven't they~? If they were the type to stop just by being spoken to, they wouldn't have started in the first place~."
She told the surprised Hiren the cold, hard fact that it was impossible.
I held the same opinion, and I was surprised that Lilishe did too, but I didn't dare point that out.
She might overreact to the idea of defeating or killing a god.
"Well, we’ll see when we get there. It’s about time to start the operation."
I said this while checking the time.
The start time for the operation is almost here.
Everything is proceeding according to plan.
That’s the best part.
As I was thinking that…
"Dear. By the way, what are you doing about air support once you secure the sea?"
"Ah, that’s because we have to clear the surroundings first."
The deployment of the Luna-class carrier No. 3, *Hiren*, provided by Luna, hasn't happened yet.
The reason is that this place is surrounded by enemies.
It’s not that we can't break through, but I want to establish a naval port with a bit more stability.
Our assumed strength is a little low, but it’s enough to manage with our current forces.
"It seems there’s no problem, then. Well, it’s also a good way to show the Ioa Kingdom our true strength."
Seeing my face, she realized it wasn't an issue and didn't press further.
As Seraria said, showing them the sight of our land weapons sweeping away the enemy has its own significance.
It clearly demonstrates who will have the power to speak in the future.
"Alright, it’s operation time. Recording team, are you ready?"
I looked at the time and turned my gaze to the members confirming the operational status of the weapons.
"Yes. Of course. The condition of the weapons connected to the video recording is all green."
"It’s perfect. Man, it’s great to have a place to operate on such a large scale, isn't it~."
"Indeed. It’s rare to be able to gather this much combat data."
Narjia-san, Comet, Zargis, and…
"Brother, it’s perfect! Even failures are good data!"
The fact that Filia was among them—I’m not sure if I should be happy or sad about that.
"As everyone says, the recording team is operating without issues. Yuki-kun, I’ll handle the command here, so rest easy."
"I’ll leave it to you."
I wonder why. I’m very worried when Narjia-san and the others are in charge, but when Taizo-san says the same thing, I feel incredibly reassured.
It’s that sense of reason he projects.
Narjia-san and the others seem to be excited by the technical results, but Taizo-san’s detached, calm demeanor is what makes the difference.
"Finally, Steve. I heard the deployment is complete, but what is the status of the soldiers?"
"The soldiers are doing fine. Ah, though they do seem a bit nervous since this is their first real battle using these weapons in coordination."
"That can't be helped. That, too, is valuable experience."
"That’s true. So this is a good opportunity for us as well."
The soldiers are likely anxious about whether they can effectively use the tactical data link, as this is the first time they’ve operated almost all of their weapons at once.
Training is, after all, just training.
"Now, what about the Hero…"
"Yes?"
Ria, standing next to me, tilted her head.
"No, no, not you, Ria. The sweaty Hero."
"Hey! There’s no need to put it that way!"
Taiki-kun came rushing over at my words with tremendous intensity.
"Eh? Does Taiki-kun want to be cute?"
"That’s not it. You know what you’re doing. And Ria-san, you shouldn't react when someone says 'Hero'."
"Ahaha, sorry."
The fact that Ria is a Hero is hidden from the public.
Her performance is just a bit too extreme.
Well, that’s fine.
"So, what about the folks from the Ioa Kingdom?"
"They’re just surprised. And right now, they’re full of gratitude for the support from you and your group. They’re really impressed by the expansion of the underground shelters. The problem is that there are some who want to join the fight…"
"That’s as expected. So, it should be fine to have them wait with the infantry units. They won't be able to move once the battle starts anyway."
Souta-san said something quite harsh.
But what he’s saying is correct.
The attack range of the infantry here is far too different from ours.
We aren't going to charge in, make contact, and take them down one by one.
The number of enemies doesn't look that high, so they probably think they can do at least a little something.
"Souta-san is right. Taiki-kun, keep them in check. I really don't want any friendly fire."
"Understood. I’ll try to talk them down."
"Alright, then proceed as planned. Shall we wait while eating some *oshiruko*?"
"Eh, that’s unfair."
"Take some. I’ll give some to the people over there, too."
Though I don't know if the people over there can eat it.
And so, while enjoying the remnants of the New Year…
『Operation start. I repeat, operation start.』
We began our attack on the Demon Lord’s army.
Explosions roared, trampling the enemy.
"Well then, I wonder how many days it will take to finish?"
I muttered this while looking at the initial plan.
Since the New Year is almost over, I’m hoping it will be done within a week.
Seriously, this kind of data is truly valuable.
Troubles that only happen in the field are very real.
Some might ask what I think of human life, but it is precisely because of this that we can ensure safety.