第１８２７堀：絶対正解者迷惑を考えず (Part1)
Chapter 1827: The Absolute Correctness, Regardless of the Trouble
Side: Cleena
“...And so, the reputation of Weed is quite high in the northern town of Oue, and volunteers are coming forward.”
I thought Yuki was gathering Eris, Ratz, and Seraria to discuss something complex, but it turned out to be a rather delicate matter. Incidentally, I happened to be present because I was there for a progress report following the completion party of Glass Port Town. Samantha and Deryu were there as well, also by coincidence.
“I had heard that Weed’s reputation was good, but this is beyond expectations. Still, volunteers? That’s a problem. Oue can’t exactly afford to hire them, can they?”
“It’s impossible. As things stand, Oue is struggling to maintain even its current military force.”
As Seraria and Eris pointed out, Oue has lost almost all its arable land to enemy and monster attacks, and trade has ground to a halt. They are barely holding on thanks to Weed’s presence; the idea of increasing the number of soldiers supported by the national treasury is simply not feasible.
“Naturally. Even if they were hired, they wouldn’t be ready to serve as soldiers immediately, anyway.”
“Deryu is right. A soldier is only a soldier once they’ve undergone group combat training and learned to follow orders.”
“Indeed. If we were to send them to the battlefield as they are now, it would be nothing more than a pointless sacrifice.”
“Hmm. I agree. Though, since they’re demi-humans, I suppose they might be slightly better off.”
Oue is a multi-racial nation, and its population consists mostly of races other than humans—what we call demi-humans. Because they possess unique innate abilities, they are, I think, stronger than humans when acting alone.
“I understand what you’re getting at, Cleena, but that’s still just a drop in the bucket. For an army, coordination and obedience are the most important factors, and it’s difficult for civilians to carry out those commands.”
The goal of a soldier is to carry out orders while risking their life. It’s not that they shouldn’t value their lives, but there are times when they must be prepared to throw them away. As Ratz said, if they run away when that time comes, it’s a non-starter.
“Still, we can’t just leave them be. If we ignore people with that much drive, they might do something to the prisoners. Or worse, form their own organization.”
“That’s the most troublesome scenario. It would be a real headache if they formed an ‘Anti-Human Army’ or something similar.”
“Yeah, we’d be harboring a bomb within our own ranks. And their argument wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, either. They’d just say, ‘What’s wrong with doing the same thing the enemy does?’”
“It means sinking to the same level as the enemy, but that’s just idealistic talk. If they believe they will be destroyed unless they act, it’s only natural they’d think the only way out is to destroy the enemy first... However, that does not align with our policy.”
Yes, as Eris said, if they resort to destroying the enemy, it would be an act of betrayal against people like Baron Siana, who are currently working as our allies. We cannot leave them to their own devices.
“...Yuki, Seraria. Could we hire them as a volunteer army for Oue, and have us provide the support funds?”
“Oh? That’s rare for you, Cleena. That might actually work.”
“Samantha, that was one word too many. I understand there’s a problem with making them direct subordinates of Weed. So, we just have to make it look like Oue is hiring them. We’re already providing support anyway.”
“Hmm.”
“I see...”
Yuki and Seraria began to ponder my suggestion.
“What do you think, Eris and Ratz?”
“Hmm, it’s a possibility, I suppose. But then there’s the question of who would train them.”
“True. Besides, they only volunteered for Weed because Oue turned them down. If we send them back to Oue now, it might leave them feeling dissatisfied.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
They asked Weed for help because they were told it was impossible at first; if Oue were to flip-flop on that decision, it would be a matter of credibility. Once you’ve said something, going back on it carries consequences.
“...If we do this, should we explain the situation to some extent and incorporate them into the northern town’s military as a joint force between Oue and Weed?”
“That’s right. The volunteers only want to protect the northern town, so a joint effort with Oue is rational and wouldn’t damage Oue’s reputation. Well, if we assign them to duties other than town defense, it might cause backlash. Though, if they aren’t willing to follow orders, that’s a problem that goes deeper than being a soldier...”
“Well, that’s part of what the training is for. As Seraria feared earlier, we can’t have them forming their own organizations. We could create time to consider alternatives, or perhaps think of a different type of organization.”
A different organization. It wouldn’t be surprising if people appeared who wanted to attack others, rather than just protect the town of Oue. Instead of ignoring that, we could bring them under our control by organizing them ourselves.
“Yes, that would be the safest route. So, who should be in charge of this? Kagura?”
“Well, it requires negotiations with Oue’s leadership. I’d like to ask Kagura, but she’ll be accompanying us as an envoy. It’ll have to be me, Eris, and Ratz. It’s not something we can put off, either.”
“Indeed. If we don’t move as quickly as possible, there’s a risk they’ll become dissatisfied and act independently.”
“It’s a hassle, but that’s for the best. Even just getting the word to the top will take at least ten days.”
Yes, because getting approval from the higher-ups is a serious matter. And usually, things don’t get resolved in just ten days. Even if we don’t call it an army, the task of building and nurturing an organization to protect a town is a project that will take months, or potentially years.
But as Yuki and Seraria said, there is a high probability that those who were rejected by Oue will form their own independent group. We must act immediately to prevent that.
“However, Brother, it will take ten days for the word to reach the people on the ground. Wouldn’t it be better to start gathering them now based on local judgment?”
“You’re right. I’ll contact Stasia and have her gather them. General Daur and the others are concerned as well. We can put the decision on what to do with that group on the back burner for now and focus on providing basic training.”
“Yes, that should work. For now, we can appease them for acting on their own by increasing our support.”
Just as I thought the matter was settled, Deryu spoke up.
“In that case, shall I take charge of training those young ones? I’m not exactly free, but I am a mobile strike force, after all.”
Indeed, Deryu is one of the strongest individual combatants in Weed, and she possesses the capability to serve as a general, alongside Seraria, Jessica, Stasia, and Fiora. No, while her command ability might be slightly lower, having been a princess herself, she possesses far more dignity than someone like me who became a princess later on, and she has the ability to instruct others.
...Not only the martial types among our own, like Seraria and the others, but Kagura, Mikos, and even the researcher type, Aetheri, have done it. Oh, and of course, Samantha and I have as well. And since Prof, Aurelia, Hobis, and Yayui, who support Yuki, have also done it, she certainly has the track record to back it up.