Chapter 152: Omens of War
Well, Kai’s matter has been settled.
I thought I could now head to Guel without any reservations, but the day after they completed the marriage procedures, Yukina-san burst into tears upon learning her husband was going to the battlefield.
“Don’t leave me behind,” she pleaded.
I understand how she feels, to fall into such a situation the day after being at the peak of happiness.
However, taking Yukina-san to the Empire…
No, wait, since we’ve revealed our connection to the Ignat family to Lestall, it shouldn’t be a particular problem, right? With Yukina-san, there’s no worry about her face being recognized. Even if it were, in the current situation, connections with other countries should be welcomed. As long as there are no major downsides, being Kai’s wife, she’d probably get VIP treatment.
To begin with, I’ve had Yukina-san hunt Monsters to the extent that there’s no real worry of her encountering danger.
She probably wouldn’t be a match for Lloyd and the others, of course, but she could likely overpower several high-ranking Knights on her own, so I’m not too worried about taking her along.
“Kai, you decide. I’m an outsider over there. I can’t take responsibility for times when I’m not with you.”
“Thank you very much! Yukina, I’ll protect you, so let’s go together!”
“Yes! I won’t leave your side anymore!!”
His answer was immediate.
Kai embraced Yukina-san, who was clinging to him while crying, as if to envelop her.
Did he imitate his master’s bad habits? No matter how long we waited, they didn’t look our way; we were completely shut out.
So, the four of us—myself, Yuri, and the two new Guardian Knights—had no choice but to stare at the embracing couple and wait.
For now, perhaps I should try clapping while saying congratulations.
The two continued to embrace, paying no heed to such a jest.
It was dragging on, so I called out to them.
“Hey, do that sort of thing in front of Ignat. Teach him by negative example.”
“…Your Highness and Yurisia-sama have already done it many times, haven’t you? It won’t work, on either of them…”
Hearing that from Kai, who separated from her reluctantly, I reflected on my own actions.
Ah, yeah. Now that he mentions it, maybe so.
Thinking about it carefully, we do it occasionally too.
“But I finally understand how Your Highness and Shuperu feel. I can’t resist this happiness.”
“O-oh. Yeah, you’re right.”
While I agreed, I became a little uneasy, wondering if it was really okay for everyone to be like this.
Despite harboring such anxieties, I took off for Guel with my Guardian Knights.
There’s quite a distance from Belfast to the Ignat Territory, but flying at top speed while chatting with Athena and Quinn, who had newly joined our circle, the time passed quickly.
Then, Yuri and I transformed right in front of them.
I became a galge protagonist. Yuri became a plain village girl.
Everyone who saw it looked at us with indescribable expressions.
“I’m Roy. Yuri is Maria. Nice to meet you.”
“We’re commoners, so please treat us as friends. Ah, and Rui is playing the role of an old grandpa, so keep that in mind.”
When Yuri announced that, everyone tilted their heads, as if asking, “What do you mean?”
Not wanting to explain it over and over, I averted my gaze, saying, “It’s complicated.”
And so, after all that, we landed in stealth mode in the garden of the mansion where Ignat was staying. He welcomed us, and finally, everyone was gathered.
When I introduced the newcomers, he immediately understood the intention and nodded. But his eyes stopped on Yukina-san, and he showed a slightly surprised expression.
“Oh my, was it alright to bring Yukina-jou along?”
“Yeah. We’ve already revealed Kai’s origins to Lestall, and Yukina-san is becoming one of us, so I figured it’s fine now.”
When I replied, he stared intently at me with a covetous look in his eyes.
What’s with that…? Is he envious?
“Ah, yeah. You’ve revealed your identity too, so if you bring her at your own risk, just like Kai, I don’t mind.”
“Thank you very much,” he smiled, then immediately contacted Natalia-san and told her to head over.
He had sent an unmanned Airship to the village, programmed to pick her up and return.
Apparently, she’ll arrive here in a few hours.
No need to go pick up that girl who seems like she’d get lost immediately. The world has become a convenient place.
“Then, I shall guide you to your rooms,” Ignat said, and led us into the mansion.
We were shown to a rather luxurious and spacious room, and for the time being, we sat down.
Ignat seemed to have work, saying, “I’ll finish up and be back by the time ‘Ria’ arrives,” and headed towards his office.
“Well then, shall we relax until then?” As I let my guard down, Quinn and Athena, who were still standing, caught my eye.
“Ah, you two, sit down as well. While we’re in disguise, it’s fine to act like friends.”
When I seriously explained to the bewildered pair that, on the contrary, this was a situation where they had to act, Athena immediately adapted, saying, “I understand.”
Quinn, a Viscount’s daughter two years their senior, seemed to find it quite distressing and apparently decided to go with not speaking, nodding her head vigorously as she sat down.
At the same time, Yuri, with an excited look on her face, poked me in the side.
“If you’re making them act, shouldn’t Roy act too?”
“…Maria-chan? You’re teasing me on purpose, aren’t you?”
Yuri-chan, who just the other day was happily saying, “Fufu, it’s a secret operation!” just because we were using fake names, is still a bit out of control.
“I’m not teasing you at all! It’s just interesting, so I want to see it!”
For some reason, Yuri insisted confidently, a smile playing on her lips.
In the midst of this, Kai stood up.
“I’d like to take Yukina and look around the mansion, if that’s alright?”
“Yeah, go ahead, go ahead! Show her off as much as you like!”
I almost laughed at Kai’s unusual way of speaking but replied.
“No, that’s not quite it…” Kai momentarily reverted to his usual self, but then he cleared his throat once and left with Yukina-san.
Once the two of them were gone, Quinn, with an anxious look in her eyes, spoke up.
“Are we… really going to war…?” she asked.
“No, only me and Maria will go to the battlefield… Actually, Kai has joined us, so maybe that’s not even necessary.”
“That’s right,” Yuri added. “If we’re needed, we’ll go, but there’s no need to needlessly put ourselves on the front lines.”
When I told them that either way, I wouldn’t send the two of them out, they both looked troubled, saying, “We can’t just do that.”
Hmm. I guess I’ll have to show them the difference in our strength with a mock battle between me and Yuri later.
No… Here, I won’t be interacting with women in my capacity as a prince, so there’s no need to keep them by my side for that reason.
In that case, maybe I should have them do that cheat leveling too.
“In that case, I’ll have no choice but to have them get stronger by subjugating Monsters.”
“”Eh…””
Quinn looked back apologetically, saying, “But a Guardian Knight cannot leave your side…”
“Alright, it’s a test. Can you two perceive my movements?” I said, moving behind them.
As expected, they couldn’t react, and when I spoke from behind them, they flinched and their shoulders trembled.
“If you can’t even respond without enhancements, I can’t let you participate in battle. This time, there’s a chance things could get a bit rough.”
“B-but our duty also includes being Your Highness’s shield…” Athena protested.
Quinn seemed to understand, but Athena persisted.
I’d be troubled if they became shields, so I tried to persuade her.
I tried telling them that there would be no punishment even if they didn’t participate, hoping to reassure them, but her determination didn’t seem to change.
So, I decided to change my approach.
“Are you two perhaps thinking this is a short-term job? Or do you think you can protect me forever into the future with your current strength?”
“Into the future…”
“That’s right. You’re all young, so you have a long future ahead. Do you want to remain Knights who can’t fight that whole time?”
“No. I would hate to drag Your Highness down…”
“Yeah. Well then, off you go,” I said, and when I glanced at Mei, she understood my intention, gave them a push on the back, and led them away.
I had asked Mei to make them understand our current strength, so she’ll probably handle it well.
And so, I unexpectedly found myself alone with Yuri, or so I thought, but since she was in her village girl state, it was hard to get lovey-dovey.
Even before that, she seemed somewhat downcast.
“…Could it be that you sent them away because of what happened this morning?” Yuri-chan asked, looking a little troubled.
Yuri said that, but it has nothing to do with her recommending concubines.
I genuinely just don’t intend to drag them around in a state where they’d only be exposed to danger.
For a while, I’ll have them level up, and they can come when they’re needed.
“No, no, we’re hiding our identities right now, so they’re not needed, right?”
“Ah, so you meant it’s better to use that time for training…”
“Exactly. Besides, this morning’s discussion was settled with you, Yuri, agreeing to work hard on making babies, right?”
“–?! Y-you…!!”
Each time she smacked my back, a shockwave occurred.
That’s why I’m saying, why do you always use enhancement when you’re embarrassed!
It’s not necessary, is it?!
You absolutely mustn’t do that to anyone else, okay?
They’ll seriously die…
As we were relaxing like that, Ignat and Kai returned with their wives, so I composed myself to get down to business.
“Welcome back. So, it’s a bit sudden, but what should Yuri and I do?”
“No, there’s nothing in particular, so please feel free to do as you like. Since Kai has come, as long as the Ancient Race isn’t involved, our fighting strength is already sufficient.”
Well, that’s true. With two people like them, we could even handle an attack from two directions.
If we include Lloyd-tachi and the soldiers, we’re more than prepared if our only opponents are the Empire’s remaining forces.
Hmm. If that’s the case, does that mean we aren’t needed until Vel-san makes his move?
Should we go back to leveling?
But it’s just too far. I’m worried about the time it would take to get back if something happened.
Well then, should we just make contact already?
Mei, what do you think?
Immediately after, Mei’s holographic image materialized, and her voice echoed.
I was a little surprised, since she usually just replies with words in my mind, but I listened.
『Right now, King Nagira is in a meeting to decide on dispatching troops to our location and to Yamato, but it seems they’re leaning towards sending them.
I don’t know how many Divine Soldiers they’ll send yet, but at this rate, Yamato will fall.』
Apparently, they’ve exceeded the amount of energy they can supply underground, so they’ve started deploying Divine Soldiers to the surface.
After losing the Ark, they apparently went all out manufacturing Divine Soldiers, their reserves ran out, and realizing they were in trouble, they started to make their move.
It seems they plan to resupply the Divine Soldiers with energy while also dispatching troops as a side benefit.
“Um… how much am I allowed to ask again?”
『Anything, as long as it concerns Master’s life.』
The other day, I was told not to rely on her for every little thing, so I asked. It seems this time I can rely on her for quite a lot.
“The Divine Soldiers… we can take them down with an attack from the main ship, right?”
『It’s possible, but I believe you should refrain from overly flashy attacks.』
Ah, is it because there’s a risk of incurring Vel-san’s displeasure?
Indeed, if we were to drop that light in a place visible from the Imperial Capital, he’d undoubtedly come to check it out due to curiosity.
I don’t know how Vel-san would react if he saw us fighting then, but it’s definitely better if our first contact isn’t on a battlefield. We’re on the enemy side, after all…
In that case, it seems better to defeat the Divine Soldiers ourselves, but can we actually do it?
“Divine Soldiers… can we fight them, even as we are now?”
『Yes. They are stronger than War God Honoka, but the difference isn’t that significant, so there should be no problem.』
“Ah, so they’re only about that strong. I’m relieved,” Yuri said, patting her chest, but Kai started to panic.
“Are there a thousand of them stronger than her?” he exclaimed.
I showed him the footage of my recent sparring match with Honoka. “They’re about this strong,” I told him.
“‘Th-that…'” he trailed off, dumbfounded, but he seemed to understand it wasn’t that much of a crisis.
“So, when is the operation scheduled to happen?”
『It’s tentative, but it was set for approximately one week from now.
First, they plan to send Divine Soldiers to Yamato and collect combat data.
It seems they’ve belatedly realized there might be an error in their assessment of the Divine Soldiers.
Their plan is to gather such data, make repeated improvements, and prepare. Not that they’ll make it in time, though.』
Mei-san snorted derisively.
She only shows this kind of attitude towards King Nagira. She seems to resent him quite a bit.
Well, if you think about it, having emotions yet being unable to escape that old geezer’s orders must be hell.
Mei let out a plaintive voice, 『You understand, don’t you?』
“O-oh. You can tell me if there’s something you don’t like, okay?”
I don’t want to do anything that Mei, who’s always helping me out, dislikes, so when I told her, “Make sure to tell me in words,” she shook her head.
『There’s no problem.
When I’m with Master, many errors occur, but they are pleasant errors.』
Huh? Why do so many errors occur when she’s with me?
And what does she mean, “pleasant errors” even though they’re errors?
Is it just me?
The errors, do they only happen with me?
『It’s a secret. It’s alright, isn’t it? To say I dislike what I dislike…』
“O-oh… As long as it’s not causing you distress, I guess it’s fine…”
Hmm. At first, she really had a purely functional feel, but lately, she’s become more casual, so I can only think of her as a normal human.
Her expressions don’t feel out of place at all, either.
As I was staring intently at Mei, I suddenly felt a gaze on me.
Wondering what it was, I turned my gaze, and just as I had been watching Mei, Yuri was staring intently at me.
Yuri had never shown any jealousy towards Mei before, so I wondered what was wrong. As I tilted my head slightly, she seemed to make up her mind about something and lunged at me.
Oh? Is this her way of staking a claim, like “he’s mine”?
I don’t really get it, but I’m all for it. I mused, patting Yuri’s head as she buried her face in my stomach.
Anyway, so Yamato is going to be attacked first, huh.
If we were attacked first, we might have been able to inflict devastating damage and force them to retreat.
If we just leave the Divine Soldiers be, a massacre will surely begin…
But I’ve never been over there, and I’ve never even spoken to anyone from Yamato. Still, I want to protect the cooperative people from the Kyoto Faction, so it doesn’t change what I have to do.
And just when I’d finally secured a position to join the battle here.
No, perhaps I should think of it as: precisely because I’ve prepared things here, I can leave this place without worry.
But how on earth should I intervene in the battle…
Even if I consult Ignat, he just makes a troubled face and says, “The North was an enemy nation, so I don’t have any connections there either, you see.”
At this point, do I have no choice but to contact the Kyoto Faction and ask them to connect me with the king over there?
But honestly, I want to be able to move freely at any time, so I don’t want to get tied down by an invitation from their Royalty or anything.
The main reason I came here is Vel-san, after all.
If it comes to this, should I just join the battle on my own terms and leave when I please, like I did with Silence?
While patting Yuri’s head, I continued to brood over these things.