第１８０９堀： パーティー目前 (Part1)
Chapter 1809: On the Eve of the Party
Side: Yuki
Before me, hotel staff scurried to and fro, a flurry of frantic activity.
And with good reason.
The party in the port town of Glass was only two days away.
"Oh my, I’m so relieved! I was worried that Micos-chan and the others would have a grueling schedule, traveling straight here from their assignment."
"Since we’re Doppelgangers, there’s no physical travel involved, but the mental toll is quite real."
"I get that. Switching gears like that is always a struggle."
It isn't exactly a common occurrence to be thrown into a party with high-ranking dignitaries immediately after finishing a journey to a remote location.
If we were being welcomed there, that would be one thing, but this felt truly sudden.
We had made preparations, but dealing with dignitaries while carrying the weight of physical—or rather, mental—fatigue is something I’d prefer to avoid.
That is precisely why we didn't push back the date, leaving us right here on the eve of the party.
"I’m sorry for the inconvenience, even if it was for our sake. Thank you."
Still, this situation arose because we took the liberty of including Micos and Kagura as our envoys. I had to make sure I thanked them properly.
"It’s for Yuki-sensei, so Micos-chan is perfectly fine!"
"I’m fine, too. Compared to the defense of Baide back then, this is a breeze."
Kagura was right; she had truly prepared herself for death back then.
Compared to that, the situation was certainly better. That didn't mean it was okay to push ourselves too hard, though.
"I understand. Still, don't overdo it."
"Yes~. Though, Micos-chan is actually worried about you, Yuki-sensei~."
"That’s true. With everything going on with the New Continent lately, haven’t you been unable to get any real rest?"
"I’ve been taking time off. Right, Prol?"
I sought agreement from Prol to prove that I was indeed resting, but...
"You have been taking time off, yes. Whether you’ve actually been *resting* is another matter."
"Even when you are 'off,' Yuki-sama, you seem to be doing quite a lot."
"That’s right~. You spend time with your wives and children, but your work always seems to be lingering in the back of your mind~."
"There are times when I see you sneaking a look at documents."
Oh boy. It wasn't just Prol; even Orelia and the others were skeptical about me actually resting.
"Oh dear, still the same as ever, I see~."
"Honestly, if your direct subordinates are worried about you, that’s a sign you’ve gone too far, don’t you think?"
"Well, once this party is over, I’ll be able to rest a bit more. After that, it’s just the meetings for the various nations to join the war effort. Who knows how long that will take."
"We’ve hinted at it, but there aren’t many places that can commit troops immediately. Even if we provide the intelligence we’ve gathered, the situation remains opaque, and there’s the issue of who to send."
That was true enough.
I had passed on the news of the New Continent's discovery through their wives, like Kagura.
But deciding who to send would require listening to the wishes of the individuals themselves.
If we just threw them into an empty, unknown land, there was a high possibility of backlash.
Unless they understood the background to some extent, it would be like—well, "exile" is a term that only really makes sense in island nations like Japan.
To put it in terms we could understand, it would be like being banished to an uncharted frontier.
We needed to guide them carefully. I’d heard talk of wanting to send the war-hungry types, but even then, it wouldn't be an immediate deployment.
After all, even we didn't fully grasp the reality of the New Continent yet.
The church that boasted absolute power in the northern countries, the southern lands where the monsters were coming from...
Setting that aside, it would take time to make decisions in such a situation, and gathering more intelligence was crucial, so it wasn't as if things would become immediately hectic.
During that time, my workload would... decrease, I hoped.
"So, does that mean Yuki-sensei can rest during that time?"
"Yeah. The most pressing issue was the report on the disappearance cases. The discovery of the New Continent is a surprise, but we’ve already stabilized that to some extent, and as I said, the other nations can’t move their forces right away, so we’ll be in a bit of a stalemate for a while."
"Is that... what you call a 'rest'~?"
"I have nothing to do, so that frees up time, which counts as a rest, right?"
"Only if you don't find other work to do."
Kagura delivered a sharp point at the end.
It was true that once the party-related matters were finished, that specific task would be over.
However, my work wouldn't end there.
So, filling the empty time with other tasks was just normal for me.
I’m sure it was the same for Kagura.
"If it’s Yuki-sensei, you’ll just find more work to do~. Hmm, is there no way for you to actually take a break?"
"Even if I say 'break'... it would be strange to go on vacation while Kagura and Micos are out acting as envoys, wouldn't it?"
It was a fact that I felt uncomfortable taking a break while my wives were out working.
It wasn't as if I was too exhausted to move, either.
"Does that mean it would be fine if we took a break?"
"I’d like to say yes, but that’s impossible right now, isn't it?"
In our current state, if my wives took a substantial break, it would create a void in Weed’s politics and military.
It wasn't as if we never took long breaks, though.
That’s right—this time was special; when we do take breaks, we enjoy vacations with our wives.
In the summer, in the winter, and so on.
"I was wondering what you were talking about, but you’re debating whether or not to rest?"
I turned to see Seraria standing there with an exasperated look on her face.
Ratz and Eris were by her side.
They must have come to check on the hotel’s preparations.
"You think so? Right now, we’re talking about the party..."
"Surely a day or two—no, even three days—wouldn't be a problem, right? Right, Quar?"
"Well, it’s not as if we’ll be unreachable, and I would actually recommend it. After all, not only you, Yuki-sama, but the wives have been working non-stop lately. It’s not just Orelia and the others; subordinates in other departments are concerned as well. No, of course, there are days off, so it looks like you’re resting, but we know how busy you are. Taking a break wouldn't be an issue. In fact, the subordinates can’t rest either if you don’t."
Oh, surprisingly, both Seraria and Quar were telling me to take a break.
No, I suppose it wasn't strange for Seraria to suggest it.
To her, training with a sword probably felt like a break.
"What is it? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I just thought it made sense. I had been thinking of 'rest' as a long-term vacation, but I suppose a short-term break is fine."
"Besides, it’s not as if we’re all going to rest at the same time. We can take turns. That should reduce the overall burden."
"That’s true. In that case, I don’t know if we should split it into a first half and a second half, but which would you prefer?"
"No, in your case, you’re resting both times. If we don’t do that, our breaks won’t overlap, will they?"
Indeed, Seraria was the Queen of Weed, and I was the Prince Consort, technically in a position to make the final decisions for the country’s administration.
If one of us were on break, the other would handle the duties, but in that case, Seraria and I wouldn't be able to take our breaks together.
That would be a bit strange for a married couple, so we made sure to take our breaks during the same period.
I suppose this time would be the same.
It was a similar story for everyone else.
If my break didn't overlap with theirs... we wouldn't be able to enjoy a relaxing time as a couple.