CH 146

Now, we must decide on our future plans in a calm, logical, and efficient manner.

“That’s why I’m asking you, Melty-sensei, Isla-sensei.”

“I don’t know what you mean by “that’s why,” but I understand.”

“Leave it to me.”

I honestly don’t think I can do it. Yes, sure! If I leave it to them, in the end, they’ll be like, “It’s too much trouble, let’s just blow it all up!”

To be honest, if the enemy is insistent, even if we blow them up, there will be little human damage, but if we blow them up in a big way with an explosive block or a magic sparkling bomb using a magic sparkling stone, it could be like a bad type of terrorist, like “If you don’t accept our demands, we’ll blow up the Holy City next.”

I can analyze myself accurately, right?

“So, what’s this all about?”

As soon as we finished eating, I suddenly started to say something strange, and Sylphy tilted her head. Right now, it’s just me, Sylphy, Melty, Isla, and Grande here. The Harpies all went to the public baths today and said they were going to sleep at the Liberation Army dormitory before leaving. By the way, Grande is sleeping buried in a cushioned space in one corner of the room.

“I talked to Danan, Sir Leonard, and Ms. Zamir this afternoon. We’re in a stalemate with the Holy Kingdom, aren’t we? The longer we wait, the more likely they will respond to Harpy’s bombing tactics. That’s why I’ve been thinking about what I can do to get us out of this situation.”

“I see. So you want to talk to us about what to do?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant. What do you three think about the current stalemate?”

“I don’t think it’s a very favorable situation. As Kosuke-san said, the enemy has the upper hand in the first place. The longer we wait, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. I think that now that we have the troops in place, we should make a quick comeback.”

Melty was the first to open her mouth and develop a hard-line argument.

“I disagree with the idea that the longer we wait, the worse it will be for us. Now, with the new materials provided by Kosuke and the lower cost of high-grade materials, the Liberation Army’s technological capabilities have improved dramatically, and we are on the verge of making high-quality equipment. The number of troops is indeed small, but in terms of the quality of the troops, the quality of the equipment, and the breadth of the tactics, this army overwhelmingly surpasses the Holy Kingdom. Although there is little chance for us to win the battle on the plain where the number of soldiers is the most important factor, we can destroy the Holy Kingdom if we continue to set up defensive battles and ambushes and cut down the enemy without engaging in battle. That’s assuming Kosuke’s presence.”

Isla refutes Melty’s hard-line argument that emphasizes speed. No. A rebuttal… rebuttal, huh? She’s just saying that even if we don’t attack aggressively, defensive combat is enough to crush the enemy, so there’s no rush. The murderous thoughts about the Holy Kingdom have not changed at all.

“Sylphy, aren’t the two of them a little bloodthirsty?”

“Melty is that kind of person… Isla is also the kind of person who basically shows no mercy to her enemies.”

“I see.”

That’s probably because Melty is a demon species. At first glance, she appears to be an easygoing and gentle older sister, but the reality is that she is a mutant with combat abilities that would make even a dragon tremble.

Isla is tiny and cute, but she’s actually a pretty skilled mage. She’s also trained in alchemy and was once a court mage. She looks like a professional magician and an elite one at that.

“If possible, go straight at them and blow them away. If so, why don’t you take a political approach and deal with the situation peacefully and smartly instead of blowing them off?”

“It’s impossible.”

“Impossible.”

Both of them shook their heads at my plea.

“Whether or not the nostalgic faction to which the saint belongs succeeds in expanding its power, there will definitely be a battle to reclaim all of the Merinard Kingdom territories. Even though we have expanded our power by defeating the Holy Kingdom’s army stationed in the Merinard Kingdom, we are still a weak force in the eyes of the Holy Kingdom. They will not negotiate for the return or cession of our territory. If the nostalgic faction expands its power, it might have a few less people to fight. That’s all.”

“…Everything I was going to say has been uttered.”

Melty’s expression twists with frustration, and Isla snorts with smugness. For now, I’ll just pat the subtly teary-eyed Melty on the head.

“Me too.”

“Yes, yes.”

Isla also came to have her head stroked, so I stroked her. In this case, I have to pet Sylphy as well.

“…What is it.”

“C’mon!”

“…Sigh.”

I think that Sylphy is really a good girl because she obediently came to me and let me pat her head while she exhaled a sigh. Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat.

“So, yeah, that’s it. You said that fighting is inevitable, right?”

“Yes.”

“Right.”

“I guess so.”

“To be frank, I want to be able to see Ellen with open arms as soon as possible.”

I decided to speak my mind honestly. It is best to be honest about these things. Even if the result is a little painful, it’s healthier than hiding things.

“You were honest.”

“You’re so brave in a weird way, telling us that.”

“…..”

Sylphy pinches my side. It hurts; it hurts so much.

“I also want to see Lime and the others.”

“Kosuke-san, don’t you think you have a bad hobby? Those three are even eviler than me.”

“Really?”

“If they hadn’t been forced to surrender using the people as a shield, I think the three of them would have been able to defend the castle on their own.”

“As expected of those three.”

I feel like I got into a lot of trouble, but those three helped me a lot. I want to see them again, and I want to sleep in that most comfortable bed. Once you’ve tasted it, no bed is comfortable enough. Am I being too honest about my desires? I think it’s better to be open about it and have everyone say “meh” when it goes too far than to hide it and let it grow to an abnormal size.

“So, to get back to the point, I wanted to ask you if there was anything I could do to make such a desire of mine come true sooner rather than later.”

“How about squeezing you so hard that you don’t even feel like it?”

“Kosuke, Onee-chan can spoil you a lot more.”

“Kosuke is mine. He’s mine.”

Melty, positioned on my right side, leans down and gently strokes my chin, while Isla, positioned on my left side, gently strokes my cheek. Sylphy was kneeling directly in front of me, her body between my legs, looking up at me with tears in her eyes.

“OK, calm down, all three of you. I know I’m not supposed to be talking to all of you about this. But the three people I can rely on are Sylphy, Isla, and Melty. I’ll take as much scolding as I can get, but I need your help somehow.”

They looked at each other and then nodded.

“You said you would take as much scolding as you can, right?”

“I did.”

“Sure, I heard.”

Melty smiled nicely… Isla nodded with a straight face, and Sylphy also nodded while rubbing her eyes, which had been filled with tears. Did I dig a grave? No, I’m forcing everyone to endure for my sake. This much risk is nothing to worry about.

“So, let’s take the time to resolve Kosuke-san’s anything-goes issue later, and I’ll lend my wisdom to Kosuke-san for his auspicious attitude.”

“Well, I said I would accept scolding, but I didn’t say I would do anything…”

“What did you say? It means that you can take as much scolding as you want, doesn’t it? Even though Sylphy cried, are you going to say that you did not mean what you said earlier?”

“Ah, yes.”

How can I say no to Melty, who smiled at me and even mentioned Sylphy? There was no way I could.

“That said, there’s not much Kosuke-san can do about it personally. To be honest, it all depends on how well the saint can act. There are two ways to support her actions. One is to find old Adelian scriptures to support the claims of the nostalgic faction strongly. The other is to make Kosuke-san’s presence as an apostle of God known to the public and publicly declare your support for the nostalgic faction.”

“I see.”

“It is risky to make Kosuke’s existence known to the world largely. If we were to do it, it would be a last-ditch effort. It’s too risky to do it right now.”

“Is that how it is?”

“That’s the way it is. In some cases, assassins might be sent from the Holy Kingdom or the Adel religion. It’s better to liberate Merinesburg and wait until Kosuke can stay in the royal castle.”

“You mean you want Lime and the others to protect me?”

“Yes. If the three of them are with you, the assassination will never succeed.”

Isla nodded. Melty and Isla’s trust in Lime and the others are amazing. I have no doubts about the fighting ability of the three of them either.

“So, we’ll start by searching for the scriptures in the Great Omit Wilderness?”

“Hmm, that’s probably best. I’ll accompany you on your search.”

“Eeehh? Isn’t that unfair?”

“It’s not fair.”

“Melty and Sylphy-Anee are essential to the operation of the Liberation Army. I belong to the Research and Development Department, so I have a lot of freedom. And being near Kosuke is the most convenient way to advance research and development. And I can support Kosuke’s excavation work with detection magic.”

It was a perfect theoretical argument. It was true that the Research and Development Department of Erichburg would still be running without Isla, and as an alchemist who protects everyone’s health and heals injuries, Isla was not essential. There are other alchemists and herbalists as well.

“We only need some Harpies, Zamir or Leonard as guards, a few adventurers, and Grande.”

“Mumumu.”

“Kosuke…’

Melty groaned, and Sylphy became teary-eyed.

“Sylphy-Anee traveled with Kosuke for a week. Now it’s my turn and the Harpies’.”

“Ugh… You’re right.”

The teary-eyed Sylphy was beaten back by a rough hit to the vital point.

“Melty should have spent enough time alone with Kosuke when she went to rescue him alone.”

“Ugh… it can’t be helped.”

Melty was also defeated by Isla, and Isla raised both clenched fists to the sky as if she was proud of her victory. Is that a victory pose?

“So, we will make our preparations and set out on a quest shortly.”

“Okay.”

“But first, We will do something for Kosuke.”

Isla grabbed my arm with a firm grip.

“Err…”

“Be prepared. We’ll spoil you a lot.”

Then Isla, who usually keeps her face expressionless, smiles seductively. Oh, this seems to be another bad day.

I relaxed my body so that I could conserve my strength as much as possible. I’m going to leave myself to the torrent and assimilate… I’m going to be out of shape before then, though. Hahahaha!