CH 191

Chapter 191 – Operation Meeting

It was the night when the magic sparkling stone bomb was put into action. The Liberation Army, which had entered Fort Berlich, the last fort that had been conquered today, treated the soldiers to a hearty meal and a glass of fine liquor.

It might seem stingy to drink only one glass, but the soldiers will be fighting again tomorrow, so they can’t afford to drink too much. In fact, Sylphy would probably like to give them a day or two of rest. But unfortunately, there is no time for that right now. Our mission now is to eliminate the threats along the way and get to Merinesburg as soon as possible.

And just as the soldiers were eating and drinking their only glass of liquor, a man with a big smile on his face said to me.

“We are going to kill them all and destroy the fort anyway. So we should use it as much as we can. It will save us a lot of time and trouble.”

“After using the magic sparkling stone bomb, the degree of increase in the surrounding magic power concentration is extraordinary. If it is abused, there is a possibility of some kind of magical disaster. As a mage, I cannot support the abuse.”

“Although it is quick to use the bomb, I don’t want it to blow up the fort and supplies along with the enemy soldiers. No matter how effortless it is for Kosuke to rebuild the fort, abuse is not good because it could affect the future governance of the city. We can’t loot the supplies either.”

“Regardless of the pros and cons of how much we use it in the future, it is very effective in boosting morale, isn’t it? But, on the contrary, the enemy soldiers will be horrified when they see it.”

“I am not worried about the operation of the magic sparkling stone bomb itself. I can evacuate before the explosion. I will drop it as many times as I have to if I am ordered to do so.”

These were the opinions of Sir Leonard, Isla, Melty, Ms. Zamir, and Pirna, respectively.

Sir Leonard’s opinion is quite reasonable. We are in a hurry now, and it is efficient to blow away the bombs without taking a lot of time and effort.

However, it is necessary to listen to what Isla said as well. In the past, the Elves of the Black Forest created the Omit Wilderness, an uninhabitable land, as a result of their destructive attacks using spirit stones. Abusing the magic sparkling stone bombs may have the same result. Isla warned us of this.

“Isn’t Melty just being greedy?”

“It’s a bit of a shock to hear you say that. Fortresses and garrisons are built because they need to be there. Soldiers are placed there to guard the roads and, if necessary, to use their strength to destroy bandits and monsters. That is why they are built-in birds. In the short term, the loss of the fort won’t have a big impact, but in the long term, it will likely need to be rebuilt. That will require sending Kosuke-san to the rear. There are so many things we want Kosuke-san to do, but it would be inefficient to send you to the rear by destroying a fort that doesn’t need to be destroyed, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah yes.”

“Besides, we’re in a war right now. In order to continue military operations, we need weapons, armor, arrowheads, medicine, food, money, and all sorts of other supplies. The more we have, the better. You understand that, don’t you, Kosuke-san?”

“Yes.”

“It’s terrible to call me… greedy.”

Melty deliberately covered her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. Very deliberate, but greedy was an overstatement, yes.

“I understand. Greedy was an overstatement.”

“It’s okay if you understand.”

Melty smiles nicely. She got over it so quickly, didn’t she?

“So, the morale. Does it still have an impact?”

“Yes, it does. The riflemen didn’t seem to be too worried from the beginning, but the infantrymen seemed to be concerned to a certain extent. The power of the magic sparkling stone bomb to destroy a fort with a single blow seemed to bring them a sense of security.”

“No matter how large the army is, it will inevitably be annihilated if it is hit with a volley of those bombs. It’s only natural.”

“We have no war agreement with anyone, so there’s no reason for us to call for evacuation no matter how we use it. But, if we use it excessively, we will be confronted later on.”

“We will think about it later. The priority now is to win.”

“Then it will cause trouble later for Sylphiel, for me, and for the royalty waiting for us in the castle.”

“If we don’t win, there will be plenty of trouble. If we have a weapon that can kill all of the enemy’s soldiers without killing ours, we should not hesitate to use it.”

Melty and Sir Leonard’s eyes were clashing at each other, sending sparks flying in the air.

Pirna was smiling as she looked at them. Her stance is that if we want to use it, so be it. She is more of a “follow our decision” kind of person. Or maybe it’s more for “me” than for “our.”

I glanced next to her and saw that Sylphy was staring at the exchange of tongues between Melty and Sir Leonard, who were bickering with each other. She seems to be deep in thought, though her gaze seems to be directed in that direction. In fact, she is probably thinking about the operation of the magic sparkling stone bomb.

Her gaze is directed toward me.

“What are you thinking about, Kosuke?”

“Me? Hmm…”

Sylphy’s comment drew the attention of everyone at the meeting table to me. If you look at me that hard, there will be a hole in me, you know.

“To put it bluntly, the cost isn’t that high. The amount of magic sparkling stones used are quite large. Even magic crystals can be substituted for larger monsters’ magic stones if you want to do it. So it’s possible to throw in a lot of magic crystals, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to shoot too many.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I think that if we don’t know when to use our trump card, we may be strangling ourselves. If it can be managed by other means, I think it is better to use those means without being willing to do some damage or go through some trouble. Frankly speaking, I am afraid of the magic sparkling stone bomb that can take hundreds or thousands of lives in an instant. I don’t think we should hesitate to use it when we have to, but I’m not too fond of the idea of abusing it to the fullest. Besides, it wouldn’t be good for us to go around killing more Holy Kingdom soldiers than we have to, considering what will happen later, would it?”

“That’s true. It is not a good idea to incite hostility more than necessary.”

“That’s right. Right now, our landing place is to take over Merinesburg, drive back the subjugation forces coming from the Holy Kingdom mainland, and rebuild the Merinard Kingdom, right? Then, in the end, we have to get the Holy Kingdom to recognize that through diplomatic means. Am I right?”

I said and looked around at the people in the meeting room.

“The magic sparkling stone bomb will be one of the trump cards in that diplomatic arena. So, therefore, I think it would be better to operate it carefully.”

“As expected of Kosuke-san. You are really different from the muscle brain lion man, aren’t you?”

“I have only considered the efficiency and safety of the troops first in my own way. What does Zamir think?”

“When it is necessary to use it, we will not hesitate to use it. I think that’s good.”

After saying this, Ms. Zamir turned her attention to Sylphy. In other words, she was saying that the final decision on whether or not to use the weapon should be made by Sylphy.

“I understand. Then I will use my judgment on the use of the magic sparkling stone bomb, taking into account the diplomatic repercussions later on. Is that right?　Kosuke.”

“…Yeah.”

Although I said that, I am the one who makes the final decision in an essential sense. The decision on whether or not to follow Sylphy’s request and take out the magic sparkling stone bomb from my inventory is always left up to me.

Because Sylphy has no way to take something out of my inventory, completely ignoring my will. I’m the last safety valve for genocide. I don’t like that role.

“Don’t give me that look.”

Sylphy saw the look on my face and smiled. It seems that I looked really terrible.

“That is all you need to know about the operation of the magic sparkling stone bomb, understood? Now, let’s disperse for tomorrow.”

Sylphy announced, and we all disbanded. The only two people left behind were Sylphy and me.

“Where are the others?”

“Not satisfied with just me?”

“No way. I was just curious.”

Normally, we are not alone at a time like this. For some reason, everyone is so close that they’re all willing to share the goodness with each other. If I didn’t have this mysterious ability with its accompanying health and stamina system, I’d have died of kidney failure long ago. No kidding.

“What kind of windfall is that?”

The table and chairs used for the meeting are stored in my inventory, and a wicker couch and low wooden table are set up as usual. I can change a meeting room into a living room in an instant. I’m good at it.

“Not for any particular reason. Melty just went to check on her subordinates because she couldn’t leave them in charge of the supplies that had been taken, and Isla said she had a meeting with the mage corps. Pirna said that she was trying to calm down the Harpies, who were getting too excited by the daily bombings and the appearance of the magic sparkling stone bombs.”

“I see.”

The two of us nodded and sat down side by side on wicker couches. It seems that there really isn’t anything special going on. Well, maybe there is a consideration to leave Sylphy and me alone somewhat.

“It’s only the second day, but you must be tired. Kosuke is not very good at such a situation where there are many deaths, after all.”

“Well, yes.”

I had done all kinds of gruesome things in games, but to see them in front of me in real life was naturally unfamiliar. Still, I think I’m a lot more used to it than I was when I first came to this world. I’ve also shot and killed the Holy Kingdom army’s spies with my own hands.

“This is what it means to walk with me. You must be sick of it.”

“This is mentally tough, of course. But being with Sylphy is more important to me than all that.”

“…I see.”

Sylphy turned her head and leaned toward me. Normally, she would have taken out a bottle of mead, but it seems that Sylphy is more in the mood to be spoiled by me than by mead today.

“All right, all right.”

I gently pull her down and pat her head on my lap. As I did so, Sylphy’s eyes narrowed like a cat being stroked. Even in the dusty environment of the battlefield, Sylphy’s hair still feels silky and smooth to the touch. I wonder if the Elves have some kind of blessing that keeps their bodies in beautiful condition.

“Sylphy is doing her best. It’s hard to make decisions with everyone’s life on your shoulders.”

“Yes, it’s very hard.”

Sylphy lets out a sigh and closes her eyes as I pat her head.

A soldier of the Liberation Army will die with just one of her decisions. Sylphy has been making such decisions for the past two days. It must have been a very stressful time for her.

“Sylphy is doing a good job. Everyone thinks so, and so do I.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So today, I’m going to spoil Sylphy to the fullest. I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy.”

“Really? Then――”

Sylphy had no hesitation expressing her selfishness to me. Yes, yes, papa’s here.

“Sylphy-san?”

“…..”

The next morning, Sylphy returned to herself, wrapped herself in the sheets after a long time, and went into “bagworm” mode.

“What did we do yesterday?”

“Shall I tell you?”

“…I’ll kill Kosuke and then kill myself if you tell it.”

That was a serious tone. It was so serious.

“You heard that right.”

“Then I guess I can’t listen to it. It’s a shame.”

Melty, who heard it, sensed Sylphy’s seriousness and gave up on it honestly. I think it’s better to do so. I don’t want to slip up and get myself in trouble.