CH 169

Side: Yuki

A month has passed since then.

Yes, from the moment we heard the Zilba empire started moving again.

In the meantime, Zargis and I have been investigating the cause of the magic depletion and have found a certain safety line.

And finally, a sample of the OOPart called magic sword is coming.

Ah, I almost forgot, but the demi-humans are listening to us for the time being.

I’m still not messing with the beast folks’ wives and since I don’t appear much in public, they have been saying bad things about me, but Tori, Riel, and Kaya are crushing them all.

If you count them, there are about 1300.

There are still less than 1 in 500 if you count the numbers of demi-humans who live in hiding.

And though I’m saying this, this continent is almost the size of Weed, and that there are only around 500000 demi-human, so can tell you how severe the magic depletion problem.

500000 may not be the right number, but as far as the elders and the demi-humans who have gathered here know, that number is not concentrated, but it’s the number of those scattered and hidden.

For the demi-humans, they are no longer capable of cope with them even with their power.

The number 1300 is the total of those gathered, not the fighting force. Only about 800 of them can fight in an actual battle.

The remaining 500 are girls, children and the elderly. These people are the family of people who are going to fight.

Well, originally, most of these 500 was going to take part in the battle. However, as many of them did not meet our standards, they were sent to plow the fields and hunting to feed our friends in the future.

It would have been nice to have Weed support us, but there are still a lot of demi-humans who still have an aversion to people and are just following us on the surface, so we can’t show them a part of our power in a weird way.

Once they know they can freely get supplies, they’re likely to ask for as much as they can. Some of them will only see us as convenient tools.

It makes me realize how difficult a cross-cultural exchange can be.

I don’t know the cause of the magic depletion, and I can’t disregard it.

「Ui~ssu. General, I’ve ended making the final touch of the battle formation」

「Oh, good work. How about their numbers?」

「About 5000 should I say? Same as the information we received in advance」

「Mauve and the others?」

「They’re with the demi-humans as planned. It would be good if this can make them reconsider their opinion on the human race」

Mauve and the others have been not using dopelgängers for espionage but were staying for the last few months, almost three in fact, with the demi-humans to build trust.

The hatred toward the human race is so great that people usually frown when they see us for the first time.

That’s why, in an effort to do something about it, I put Mauve and the others with the demi-humans as combat training partners to build a relationship of mutual trust.

From what I’ve heard, the guys who ate and drank with Mauve and the others seem to be getting along well.

This is just how adults handle this kind of thing, right?

「Well, it would be nice if that could improve the situation a bit. Since even if I leave Asurin and the other with them it won’t improve our image at all」

「Of course, among them, princess Asurin is the only one. From the human race」

「Labiris, Filia and Shera are all demi-humans after all」

「Actually, there was a stupid demi-human adult who wanted to exclude Asurin for that for that reason」

Hey hey, someone did something like that to a kid like Asurin?

「Of course, Labiris, Filia, and Shera beat that adult up-ssu」

「Oh, is that person still alive?」

No, I know that person is not dead because I listen to the death reports, but it’s the curiosity of a human mind to want to ask.

「That person, it’s alive, more or less」

「What’s with that more or less?」

「Well, that’s because Labiris-nee-san was there. As she acts as the mediator of the little children group and also acts as a substitute of the general, being princess Asurin the one she dotes on, it’s impossible that she won’t do anything-ssu. She beat him to the ground and then stripped him in front of the public-ssu. With a poster that said that he bullied a child」

「Uff」

「We would never have gone that far-ssu. Being hung completely naked after being beaten by a little girl, as expected, that person became a hikikomori given how he treated princess Asurin-ssu」

「Oh, so everything ended with that person becoming a hikikomori, huh?」

On the contrary, I was surprised.

If such a thing were discovered in Japan, you wouldn’t be able to live there anymore.

You’re strong. I’ll treat you kindly if one day you are able to return to society.

「We’re getting off track. So, where are now the marching Ori○ and Picu○n?」

「Ah I got off track-ssu. At the speed that they are advancing, they should be here around noon tomorrow-ssu」

「As expected, the movement of an army is slow. It’s convenient to have a car」

「Indeed, it is-ssu. And even after saying something like that, you go and tell us to fight with swords and magic-ssu, don’t you?」

「As I said before, there are many reasons for that, such as to make the opponent feel like we didn’t cheat, not exposing my hand, and so on」

「I fully know that-ssu. It would be bad to make the general go to the battlefield-ssu. Aside from Ria-nee-san, if Jessica-nee-san goes out, the position of Marley-nee-san would be in jeopardy-ssu」

「There’s that too. For the time being, I’ll have Jessica at my side」

「Honestly, I’d like to test how far I’ve my strength have increased in an actual battle after all that training…」

「It will trouble the princess, definitely-ssu」

「Yes… unfortunately I’ll put up with it this time. It looks like Yuki won’t participate in the fight either, so I’m sure Seraria-sama will be relieved」

「I wonder, why are you treating Seraria with all that respect?」

「That’s because she is Her Majesty the Queen of Weed」

「That reminds me, I’m an important person just like her too」

「I know that, but Yuki has that kind of stance. In contrast, Seraria-sama is acting like a King. So I think it’s important to have that kind of respect. Also, she looks like my princess, no, should I say that she has the look of what would be the grown version of my princess?」

「Indeed, Seraria-san and that princess feel similar. Inside」

「Yes, the talk of being a former martial artist made me realize even more how similar they are. My princess is one of the nobles, and although she is not a duke, she is a distant relative and should have the right to succeed to the throne」

「They look alike~」

「Yes」

Seraria also loves fighting.

What would happen if she were to meet the princess?

As we were chatting like that, Ria, who was with us, started talking to us.

「Now, it’s time to go. The fight’s tomorrow, so the generals should be resting」

「I don’t feel like a general-ssu」

「Well, in Weed, you’re more of a handyman than a general, after all」

「There’s little need for an army there」

As we talked about these things, we went back to our respective beds and prepared for tomorrow.

Uh, that’s right, we hardly talked about enemy forces.

Sorry, I didn’t put much importance on it.