第１６９０堀：君ならどうする (Part2)
"What about leaving it to her? I hear she's currently recuperating—or rather, just taking it easy in Weed?"
I was referring to the former goddess and Demon Lord.
She herself—well, in that land, she was undeniably the Demon Lord incarnate. She had laid waste to three of the four kingdoms, leaving only the Ioa Kingdom standing, and had pushed her campaign to the very brink of total victory.
The outcome, however, was decided quite abruptly once we in Weed intervened, providing us with some delicious data—or rather, a swift conclusion.
Since then, the Demon Lord had been captured, and by the decree of Lady Luna, she was supposed to be in Weed, enjoying a vacation or perhaps reflecting on her future.
Though, I haven't heard a peep about her lately.
"Ah, that’s right. Actually, lately she’s just been helping out at the school and the church like it’s nothing."
"…Is that a common hobby for goddesses?"
Between Lady Lilishe, Lady Hifi, Lady Nonoa, Hairen, and Senal—well, it seems all goddesses have a penchant for looking after others.
"I don't think that has much to do with gender. When you reach a certain standing, you naturally gravitate toward nurturing others. It’s the same with nations, isn't it?"
"I suppose so. So, is she—Demon Lord Holy—someone we can make use of?"
"That depends on what you mean by 'use.' She has, at the very least, explained the magic behind the berserker transformation to us, so there’s no issue on that front, but..."
"It comes down to whether she’ll agree to it, then?"
"Exactly. She originally lost faith in humanity and set out to destroy them, so if we involve her in these abduction-by-teleportation incidents, there’s a non-zero chance she might just wipe out the other side entirely. More importantly, it’s a matter of reopening old wounds."
"Ah, I see. Provoking her like that might be ill-advised."
Now that I think about it, Demon Lord Holy turned her back on humanity because of the gruesome, all-too-common power struggles that plague them. If humans are involved in this current affair, she’ll inevitably be dragged back into that nauseating cycle of political strife.
"Still, she is our most viable candidate."
"True. She’s unlikely to die instantly, so the chances of her returning are high. Of course, that’s assuming she accepts the mission. Then again, she might see this as a perfect opportunity to declare her independence."
I haven't heard that she’s abandoned her path of hostility toward Weed. If we provide her with supplies and send her off to an unknown land, one could argue it’s a golden opportunity for her.
"If that happens, so be it. Next time, we won't have to hold anything back."
"Haha, and for me, it’ll be a chance to gather data from actual combat, so that works out well."
It seems our resolve remains unchanged: when the time comes, we will strike. We haven't gone soft; the principle of showing no mercy once a certain line is crossed remains firmly intact.
It’s reassuring, really.
"Now, as for other candidates—though they hardly compare—we should have a few researchers accompany her. It would be difficult to justify sending Holy alone, in more ways than one."
"Agreed. We should probably dispatch a few from the military as well."
"Indeed. I doubt everyone will be summoned, but... wait, is the target only one person?"
"I don't know yet. Still, there’s no need to send someone out there alone."
"Fair enough. Then, I’ll start gathering the necessary equipment for when they’re warped over."
"I appreciate it. I’ll go talk to my wives about getting Holy on board."
"If that doesn't pass, the subordinates won't move, after all. Good luck."
With that, after seeing Yuki off, I began collecting the tools necessary for the teleportation-abduction incident.
"…Leaving it be is certainly a poor strategy. We must head out there and put a stop to it. Though, the prospect of discovering new lands is quite exciting."
The land where the Ioa Kingdom—Holy’s former domain—resided is currently being used as our training grounds, yet there is still so much data we lack.
There is a real possibility that this could lead to realizing those goals.
Oh, and I’ll need to inform Narjia and the others as well.
Survival is one thing, but since there’s a possibility of negotiating with whoever summoned them, the various things we’ve been crafting will likely prove useful.
For Zargis, the benefit is a new testing ground.
If I can’t find a good place to work, I might as well not work at all.