Unsettling Signs

—One day in the 7th month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar—

It had already been several months since we sent the research team to

the Euphoria Kingdom.

On this hot day, following a series of hot days, I received a message

from Ichiha reporting he'd finished summarizing the data we'd collected on

monsters and demons. I gathered eight people in the meeting room: five of

my wives, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Yuriga; Tomoe the Wise Wolf

Princess, who had now become our chamberlain; Acting Prime Minister

Ichiha; and finally, Julius the White General.

I had gathered people with knowledge in a variety of fields, but with

Hakuya no longer among us, this had totally turned into a family meeting.

Yuriga was one of my wives (even if her current position was kind of iffy),

Tomoe was my honorary little sister, Ichiha was her fiancé, and Julius was

my brother-in-law. Considering the season, it felt like the relatives were all

getting together for the Obon holiday.

Incidentally, my other two wives, Naden and Maria, were away. Maria

was out doing her usual charity work, and Naden was flying her around.

Maria was a powerful woman now that she'd been set free from her

responsibilities as empress. They used to say the best kind of husband was

one who's healthy and out of the house, but in our family, it was the

opposite... But I digress.

"All right, Ichiha. Get right to it."

"Okay. Understood."

Ichiha passed around handouts to everyone. Aisha, who had dumped all

her stats into being a warrior, grimaced the moment she saw written

materials. She wasn't illiterate, but she said anything complicated made her

head hurt. Ichiha ignored her as he headed back to his seat and started

explaining.

"With the help of Prime Minister Hakuya and my sister Sami in the

Euphoria Kingdom, we've been able to learn about a number of the demons

in the Demon Lord's Domain. My monster identification system uses the

warped nature of monsters to identify them by individual parts. My sister

Sami has turned that around. She is identifying anything in the witness

reports that don't seem warped as a demon."

Ichiha flipped through his handout, and we turned to the same page.

"The most sighted demons were ogres, orcs, kobitos, and a devil-like

humanoid race with bat wings."

"Mr. Kobold..." Tomoe's face darkened.

It seemed she had trouble lumping the man who saved her in with the

demons.

Incidentally, Julius and Yuriga had already been told Tomoe's story.

Everyone here shared a view of monsters and demons based on the

Dungeon Origin of Life Theory proposed by Genia.

"Are the bat-winged demons different from dragonewts like Madam

Carla?" Aisha raised her hand and asked.

Oh, yeah, the dragonewts' wings are kinda bat-like, huh? If you weren't

aware of dragons and wyverns, it would be a reasonable mistake to assume

they were bat wings.

Ichiha shook his head. "If they were dragonewts, the reports would say

there were dragonewts. But the only thing they say is that they had bat

wings. It seems probable that the witnesses imagined them as being similar

to devils in our fairy tales."

"Yeah," I agreed. "They would think that, huh?"

If you just stuck a pair of bat wings on a person, they'd look like a devil,

a gargoyle, or maybe a vampire. As far as I was concerned, if elves existed,

vampires weren't that far-fetched. They were both fairy tales in my mind.

Next Juna raised her hand. "You mentioned ogres. Would they be

different from the ones that we saw at the dungeon in the Republic?"

"Oh, those gorilla ogres, huh?"

"Gorilla ogres?" Liscia, who'd stayed home that time, cocked her head

to the side.

It seemed the word gorilla hadn't translated for her, but when I

explained that they were buff, four-limbed creatures that resembled Old

Man Owen, the light went out of her eyes.

"They sound...insufferable."

"I know, right? Even for ogres, those ones were completely warped."

"Yes, that's right," Juna agreed. "Those ogres didn't seem like they

could be sapient."

Ichiha flipped through the papers. "According to the contact reports,

they weren't warped in that way. They were just large, red-skinned

humanoids with horns on their foreheads."

"Horns, huh... Do ya mean like the kind that Big Sis Cia grows when

she's givin' someone an earful?"

When Roroa said that, Liscia slammed her hands down on the table and

leapt to her feet.

"Hey, Roroa! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nya ha ha, yeah, that's it! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Roroa said,

putting her fingers beside her temples to mimic horns.

Yeah, sometimes I feel like Liscia grows horns when she's lecturing me

too...

"Hey, Souma? You aren't thinking anything rude, are you?"

"Huh?! No, not at all..."

Liscia gave me the stink eye, having read my mind, so I averted my

eyes.

"The Dungeon Origin of Life Theory, was it?" Julius said, stroking his

chin with a thoughtful expression on his face. "The idea that the various

races of mankind, as well as animals, may have originally been born in

dungeons... That was Genia M. Arcs's idea, wasn't it? And Souma's theory

was that there may have been a malfunction in those dungeons, and

monsters are the failed outcome, yes?"

"Hm? Yeah, that's right," I said. I did come up with that during the

Monsterology Symposium, huh?

The dungeons in the nations of mankind now spat out monsters, so the

same malfunction could be affecting the ones in the Demon Lord's Domain.

If demons saw the monsters as something the dungeons just produced on

their own, the same way we did, monsters and demons might be opposed to

one another. The theory that had come to mind when I considered that

monsters and demons might be different.

"In that case," Julius continued, "if they are failures produced by

malfunctioning dungeons, do the dungeons have something they were

originally trying to produce? If humanlike monsters are failures, then what

are demon-like monsters failures of?"

"Oh! I see! We can work backwards from the failed product!" Ichiha's

eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Tomoe asked, tilting her head.

Ichiha pulled out a pen and drew the gorilla ogre we had seen in the

Republic alongside an ordinary ogre on the back of one of the reports.

"The only thing that divides monsters from demons is how warped they

are as living creatures. If the warped ogres that His Majesty saw were

monsters, then those might have originally been meant to turn out like these

more humanlike ogres that were seen deep in the Demon Lord's Domain.

To borrow an expression from His Majesty, the gorilla ogres are failed

ogres."

It makes sense. So, the original function of the dungeon had been to

make ogres similar to humans, but after many long years, it broke down and

started putting out dumb monsters with swollen upper bodies that walked

on all fours?

Ichiha put a finger to his lips as he thought.

"That relationship probably doesn't just apply to ogres. There are

monsters called zombies—which are like rotting people, and skeletons—

which move despite being nothing but bones. I can imagine they were

created in a failed attempt to make humans."

"Turning that around, could there not also be complete versions of the

monsters that resemble people?" Julius said, building on Ichiha's

explanation. "The Kingdom of Lastania was attacked by lizardmen during

the demon wave. If we were to assume those monsters with humanoid

bodies were somewhat social creatures and had a more complete version of

their race that isn't found in the nations of mankind, then..."

"Then it might be out there as one of the demon races, huh?" I finished

for him.

"Your view is that the demons are races that had been previously

undiscovered on this continent, right, Souma?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"So, would the complete lizardman be...a dragonewt, maybe?" Roroa

asked, crossing her arms in thought.

"No." Ichiha shook his head. "I studied the lizardman remains we

brought back. The parts of its body were different from those of a

dragonewt's. Even if they had been completed, they wouldn't have been

dragonewts."

If anything, they'd have been dinosaur people, not half-dragon people.

In my head, I imagined a drawing from a science magazine I'd read that had

a feature on what dinosaurs might have looked like if they hadn't gone

extinct and evolved to be like humans, as well as Banho the Dragon Knight

from one of the Doraemon movies. Are there undiscovered races like that in

the Demon Lord's Domain?

As I thought about it, that stirred up my spirit of adventure.

"Anyway, if there are monsters that resemble people, I think it's

interesting to work backwards from that and imagine what humans or

demons they might have been meant to be. I'd like to borrow the help of my

sister Sami in the Euphoria Kingdom and the other monster researchers to

look into it," Ichiha said.

We all nodded in agreement.

Just as we had decided on a direction for our investigation into the

demons, the doors to the meeting room swung open violently with a loud

bang.

"We're home!"

"I'm tired..."

There at the door stood an energetic Maria and an exhausted Naden.

They'd returned after their charity work.

"Welcome home, you two," I greeted them. "Where did you head off to

this time?"

"We were looking out west for a suitable place for a school," Maria said,

taking a seat at the round table. "It seems the big bridge over the river

northeast of Lagoon City has collapsed due to age and strong winds. That's

interrupting travel between the coastal cities north and south of the bridge,

so please send a team to repair it."

"Hm? But we haven't received a report about that."

"That's because I came straight back after hearing about it from the

locals," Maria explained, to which Ichiha nodded.

"Reports like that go to the local lord first, and then they request

assistance from the capital if necessary, so it tends to take some time. I'm

sure we'll receive the request sometime tomorrow."

That made sense. Come to think of it, we were able to act swiftly when

calamity struck the God-Protected Forest because Aisha received word

from her father and I happened to be there with a unit of military engineers

from the Forbidden Army nearby. If we had to go through the official

process for requesting aid, it would have taken us longer to arrive at the

forest. Because of what happened, we'd set up a system to allow immediate

contact in case of an emergency. But when their lives weren't at stake like

now, it was a lower priority and could take a while. That's something I need

to work on... But first...

"Got it. Ichiha, have the military engineers prepare so we'll be able to

send them out immediately."

"As you command, sire."

"Good... Now, why are you looking so tuckered out?" I asked Naden.

She had buried her head in her arms on the round table as soon as she

was seated.

Naden looked up and sighed. "When it comes to schools, you have to

listen to the parents' opinions, right? Well, I was forced to look after all the

kids while Maria did that."

"Hee hee. No matter where we go, Naden's always a hit with the

children," Maria said cheerfully. Naden was a ryuu, which made her

somewhat special. Out of all my wives though, she was the most like a girl

from my old world. Naden could interact with people, unrestrained by rank

or status, instead looking at things from the perspective of whoever she was

dealing with. And she was quite a hit with the townsfolk here in the capital

too.

"Would you like to try going on an educational program? Like Together

With Big Sister, maybe?" I suggested.

"Oh, that would be nice. Will you come sing and dance with me?" Juna

said, clapping her hands.

"Give me a break..." Naden replied before burying her head again.

Maria, who had been watching Naden with a smile, noticed the

documents on the table.

"What are you all talking about now?" she asked.

"Monsters and demons. Also, a mushroom and a giant?" Liscia

explained with a sigh. Maria cocked her head to the side.

"I'm not sure what you might mean by the latter two?"

"We received materials from the investigation team we dispatched to the

Euphoria Kingdom, including witness testimony from the campaign. So we

were discussing how some of the things they saw didn't seem like monsters

or demons."

"Ahh, and those would be the mushroom and giant." Maria picked up a

copy of the materials. "Hmm. I'd heard of the giant myself. Something

about a sparkling giant wearing full mail, flying through the sky... But this

mushroom is new to me."

"Is it?" Liscia asked.

"My father was emperor then, and I was only ten years old, but... Oh!"

Maria pressed a finger to her lips, seeming to realize something. "After

returning from the Demon Lord's Domain, Father said something as he was

bedridden with guilt over all the men he lost."

"Hm?! What was it?!" I asked, causing Maria to pinch her temples as

she tried desperately to remember.

"I think it was... Right, tracks. They said they saw tracks."

"Tracks? Like...from the wheels of a carriage?"

"Yes. But said they were apparently wide and deep, almost like an

empty moat or a dried-up river. And parts of horses and men were scattered

in the bottom, crushed to the point they were no longer recognizable..."

"""Yikes...""" Everyone cringed a little as they imagined that.

Tracks that looked like a dried-up river, huh? If they were made by

wheels, how large were they? And the wheels supposedly were massive

enough to make mincemeat out of the men and horses they'd rolled over.

"If there's one possibility...it's that those tracks were left by the gigantic

mushroom monster," Ichiha said, causing Tomoe to cock her head to the

side.

"What do you mean, Ichiha?"

"Well, we had witnesses saying that the mushroom-shaped monster

shook the earth as it crushed people underneath it, right? If it left tracks, not

footsteps, we can assume it moves on wheels or something similar. If it

looked like it had wheels, I'm sure no one would identify it as a giant. In

that case, I was thinking this might have been the mushroom."

"That makes sense," I agreed. "If you're right, then we can probably

assume it's some kind of weapon."

"Yeah." Liscia nodded. "Maybe it's similar to the land battleship Albert,

which Souma used in the Battle of Red Dragon City. That left tracks behind

it, and could have crushed people too, right?"

Ohh, that. I guess someone could have done something similar, yeah.

"But...we used it as a fixed platform for cannons in the Battle of Red

Dragon City, so we didn't go around running people over. And we'd just

stuck some wheels on it to force it on land, so it wouldn't have been able to

handle much abuse. I mean, we did have to retire the original Albert after

the war."

"Hmm," Julius grunted. "Does this mean the demons have a land

battleship that can move about freely?"

"If they do, it's going to be trouble..."

At that point, it would be more of a tank than a battleship. If it really

was a tank, considering the size of the tracks, it would have to be even

larger than monster tanks like the Ratte or the Monster, neither of which

ever went past the planning stage.

"I'd really rather avoid fighting those kinds of monstrous weapons," I

muttered, and everyone nodded in unison.

"If it leaves tracks, it's a land-based weapon, right? Fuuga's forces are

the ones taking the land route..." Liscia said with a sigh, but I shook my

head.

"No, we also have the flying giant to worry about. If they can make a

weapon like this, the giant is likely just as difficult to handle. If it can fly, it

could appear at sea, after all."

"Good point..."

"Yuriga, could you pass this info to Fuuga? Although, I know it won't

change his plans."

"Okay... I agree with you." Yuriga nodded, her shoulders slumping. He

wasn't one for listening to others, after all.

With that, we decided to call it a day and continue our preparations

working under the assumption that the mushroom was some kind of weapon

used by the demons. Once everyone but Liscia, Aisha, Naden, and Maria

had returned to their duties, Naden jumped on my back.

"Ah! Hey, cut that out, Naden."

"It's my day, isn't it? I'm tired, so be nice to me."

"Hee hee, you certainly look exhausted. Be good to her, Souma," Liscia

said, smiling wryly.

What they were saying was reasonable, so I gave Naden a pat on the

head. She purred, clearly not minding the gesture.

Then Maria raised her hand. "Tomorrow is my day, don't forget. Let's

do all the lovey-dovey things newlyweds do."

"Oh, come on. You're the one who's been gallivanting around when we

just got married, aren't you?"

"Heh heh, being with you gives me the energy to run around like that,"

she said, smiling.

"Does it now..."

I couldn't argue with such a flawless smile.

But a mushroom-shaped weapon, huh? The moment I decided to deal

with the Demon Lord's Domain, there was nothing but fuel for my

uncertainty. I had to do whatever I could to prepare, even if it seemed

useless. There wasn't any other choice.

◇ ◇ ◇

The two-pronged attack on the Demon Lord's Domain from land and sea

was planned for the 11th month. Up until then, the nations of the Maritime

Alliance and the Great Tiger Empire of Haan, the largest nation on the

continent, both worked on expanding their militaries and strengthening their

administrations. During that period, the Great Tiger Empire of Haan carried

out a strategy of actively propagandizing their people using jewel

broadcasts.

"Finally, the time to settle things with the Demon Lord's Domain is at

hand!"

This was one such broadcast to the people before the offensive in the

11th month. While they obviously didn't state clear objectives, they did say

there would be a major operation in the near future. This broadcast had the

desired effect, and Fuuga's supporters were excited by the looming battle

between their great man and the Demon Lord.

At the same time, this broadcast strategy served as a check against us

who were supposed to be acting in conjunction with them. If we slacked off

or delayed dispatching our forces, Fuuga and his people would decry us as

traitors. Fuuga's broadcasts didn't play in the Maritime Alliance, but

merchants and travelers brought word into our country, so there were

people in our lands with great expectations for the results of the coming

battle too.

That said, we couldn't quash those hopes.

It had been decided we were going to the Demon Lord's Domain with

Fuuga's forces, so trying to shut those expectations down would only

damage morale, and confuse the populace. Even if I knew what they were

up to, I had no tricks to avoid it. Hashim had pulled one over on us.

And so...the time of preparation drew to an end.

—Beginning of the 10th month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar—

"All right, Souma. The time has come."

Fuuga wasted little time with pleasantries before getting right into it on

our broadcast call.

If people were privy to the contents of today's meeting, that would

probably be remembered as a famous quote. Granted, my only thought

about it was, Y'know, there was a pro wrestler who said something similar a

long time ago...

Today was the last meeting before the two-pronged offensive. Either

Fuuga's will was absolute, or everyone else was busy preparing, because

Fuuga was the only one attending on his side. Hashim had probably sat this

one out as he was only going to be telling us things that had already been

decided.

Meanwhile, we had Liscia and Yuriga attending on our side.

"I told you, Fuuga... The demons may have weapons we don't know

about. If you go in there like you're out for a fun little trip, you'll only

humiliate yourselves."

I objected to his incredibly casual attitude, but Fuuga let out a nasal

laugh.

"Whether we go there with a positive or a negative outlook, the future

won't open up until we go. So, if it's already decided we're going, there's

no need to act all gloomy. Worrying is only going to make it tougher on

you."

Makubonnou... Have no worries... If I recall, that was something the Zen

master Houjou Tokimune said as he faced the Mongol invasion of Japan. It

was a lesson that said, "Don't worry, act as you feel is right." Maybe Fuuga

had a similar mindset.

"Brother..." Yuriga said, stepping forward. "I am Sir Souma's wife, and

he is my husband. You and my husband will be facing a difficult enemy

together. Normally, as the bridge between you, nothing would make me

happier. But when it's the Demon Lord's Domain you face, my sense of

unease wins out over that!"

Fuuga listened quietly to his sister's desperate plea.

"I am still cheering for you! But I feel like this is too reckless! Shouldn't

you be more careful? Looking for the best way to handle it with Sir

Souma?! One mistake could prove irreversible for you, as it did for the

Gran Chaos Empire all those years ago! I'm worried!"

However, after some time, Fuuga shook his head and said, "I understand

you're saying that because you're concerned for me."

"Brother!"

"But I can't stop. Pressing forward is what makes me who I am."

...Even if that means you die along the way, huh? I thought.

Fuuga looked straight at me.

"Next time we talk, it'll be in person, at the northernmost point on this

continent. I'm looking forward to it."

"Sure, if we aren't both dead then."

"Ha ha ha! I'll do my best to avoid that. You should too."

With that, Fuuga cut off the transmission. Yuriga slumped to the ground,

powerless, while Liscia hugged her around the shoulders.

As she rubbed Yuriga's back reassuringly, Liscia looked at me and said,

"So you have to go."

"Yeah... Facing this was an eventuality. I would have preferred to avoid

making contact like this, where Fuuga is in the driver's seat, but...I've got to

avoid letting them come into contact with Fuuga first."

"Still, you can't steal a march on Fuuga by sending our troops early. It's

too dangerous for the Maritime Alliance to contact the demons alone. We

still don't know anything about them. If we took major losses, we wouldn't

be able to withstand an attack from the Great Tiger Empire."

"You're right... If possible, I'd have preferred the forces taking the land

route to have been people we could trust, like the Gran Chaos Empire under

Maria."

Now that the Empire was broken up and gone, that could only be a

what-if scenario though.

Liscia got a sad look on her face. "I...can't go with you, can I?"

"Sorry... You must lead the country if anything happens to me, Liscia."

"I know. It's just frustrating having to consider my position at times like

this," Liscia said, biting her lip. Unfortunately, she was going to have to

deal with it.

Well, if we took heavy losses in this campaign, Fuuga would likely take

massive damage too. Even if he didn't die outright, he might take heavy

wounds. If that took him off the battlefield, it risked causing the collapse of

the Great Tiger Empire.

Great nations built on the charisma of one man had a way of collapsing

when that charisma was gone. Conversely, if the Maritime Alliance pulled

together, we could likely survive the chaos after the Great Tiger Kingdom

collapsed. The Maritime Alliance wasn't wholly reliant on the personality

of one man, after all. If Liscia maintained good relations with Kuu, Shabon,

and Jeanne and Hakuya, this nation would be able to survive without me.

Liscia was the one who was of the Elfriedenian royal line anyways.

Well, it'd only make her worry if we talked about it, so I'm not going to

say anything.

As we waited for Yuriga to calm down before leaving the jewel room...

""Father!""

Liscia's children, Cian and Kazuha, tottered over as fast as they could;

each hugged one of my legs tight.

Now that they were turning six in the 12th month of this year, they were

bigger and heavier than before. Even with the benefits of Owen's training, it

was getting tough to walk with one of them on each leg.

"Hm? What's up, you two?" I asked.

Kazuha looked up and grinned, but Cian's face was still buried in my

pants. As I kept wondering what this was about, Carla hurried over to us in

her maid uniform.

"I-I'm sorry. They took off running because they wanted to be with

you..."

"Nah, you don't have to apologize," I told her as Liscia picked up

Kazuha. "Sheesh, you're such a little ball of energy."

"Yesh!" Kazuha replied exuberantly.

She seemed fine. The problem was... I put my hand on Cian's head as he

continued burying his face in my pants leg.

"What's wrong, Cian?"

"Don't go..." Cian looked up at me, his eyes full of tears. "Father, don't

go. If you go, you won't come back."

Hearing his plea, my eyes widened. Unlike the energetic Kazuha, Cian

was a quiet boy who rarely asked for anything. These kids weren't even six

years old. Naturally, they didn't know about the offensive into the Demon

Lord's Domain, and even if they'd heard people talking about it in town,

they wouldn't have understood. Despite that, Cian had figured out I was

going somewhere dangerous.

Liscia looked at Carla, shocked, but the maid shook her head vigorously.

It looked like she wasn't the one who'd explained it to him.

Don't tell me... I had one idea.

Liscia's mother, Lady Elisha's magic. When Lady Elisha was on the

verge of death, she could send her memories to her past self. From what I'd

been told, the one who received those memories felt like they were seeing

the future. We hadn't figured out what magic Cian or Kazuha had yet.

However, if Lady Elisha's ability had skipped a generation to be inherited

by Cian, or he had a similar magic that could predict the future, what he had

just said might be true...

I shuddered at the implications.

...And there was someone who was staring at Cian and me.

◇ ◇ ◇

Some days later, I gathered all my key retainers—except for Hakuya

who was in the Euphoria Kingdom—in the audience chamber. I was sitting

on the throne with my seven wives, including Maria and Yuriga, standing in

a line behind me.

First, I called Excel, the commander in chief of the National Defense

Force, and her second-in-command, Ludwin.

"Excel, Ludwin."

""Yes, sir!""

They stepped forward and knelt at the bottom of the steps to the throne,

bowing their heads.

I ordered them to raise their heads and stand.

Once they had, I continued, saying, "During this expedition to the

Demon Lord's Domain, the decisions we make in the field will be of utmost

importance. I'll have to go with the fleet myself. But...we're being dragged

into this by Fuuga and his Great Tiger Empire. In some ways, we're not

adequately prepared, so we have to expect the unexpected."

"Yes. I agree," Excel said with an imposing smile. "Even if the tides of

this era have been on his side, he managed to build a massive empire over

the course of several years. Everything I've heard suggests he is not a man

to be trusted. We can't be sure he won't turn his forces around and attack

this country while you're away, sire."

I nodded in agreement. "You have a point. We can't be lax in our

preparations... Ludwin."

"Yes."

"We'll be leaving our land and air forces behind, with the exception of

Halbert and his Dratroopers, who will be aboard the island carrier. Harden

our defenses in case Fuuga does anything shifty. Coordinate your actions

with Madam Jeanne in the Euphoria Kingdom and Kuu in the Republic

too."

"Understood. I will defend this country with my life while you are away,

sire."

Nodding at Ludwin's response, I called Julius and Kaede next.

Once they worked their way to the front, past all my other retainers, I

said, "Strategist Julius and Staff Officer Kaede, I'll be counting on you to

support Ludwin. Hakuya will be here too while I'm away. I want the three

of you to use your wisdom to guard this country against any schemes."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood."

I dismissed Ludwin and the other two before looking at Excel.

"Excel. The fleet has been organized, I assume?"

"All has been done as you commanded. We are prepared to embark at

any time," Excel said with a bow. I nodded.

"You will serve as commander in chief of our fleet, and take command

during battles. Although we are also leaving behind the land forces, we will

deploy all of our maritime forces. However, a portion of them will be left

behind in order to respond to unexpected circumstances that may arise. We

won't just be bringing the carrier Hiryuu, but also the completed ships of

the same model, Souryuu and Unryuu. You will also serve as captain of the

Souryuu."

"Understood."

Once I had dismissed Excel, I looked at my other retainers.

"The Demon Lord's Domain is a danger that has constantly hung over

the heads of all mankind, and also what made Fuuga into a great man. As

things stand, the Demon Lord's Domain is our communal enemy and the

justification for taking military action against the other nations. If this threat

can be removed, it will become more difficult for Fuuga to justify his

military operations. That will help bring peace to our country and our

comrades in the Maritime Alliance."

With that, I paused to take a breath.

"If we can, I'd like to be as careful as possible, and try to seek dialogue

with the demons, but...things may not go that way on the battlefield. We

have to prepare for the unknown and be ready to make decisions at multiple

junctures. I want you all to lend me your strength until this difficult trial is

behind us!"

"""Yes, sir!"""

The whole group put their hands together in front of them and bowed

their heads.

With everyone having been given their marching orders, I headed to the

royal dining hall with my wives, plus Ichiha and Tomoe. The maids Serina

and Carla were present too. Albert and Elisha, who had come to play with

the children, were looking after them at the daycare.

I addressed this gathering of family and extras, saying, "I'll be bringing

Aisha and Naden along on this expedition."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

"Yeah, of course you would."

Aisha and Naden, my top two wives when it came to combat, nodded.

"We can't take Liscia, Roroa, or Maria," I said. "They're too influential

to let anything happen to them... And if anything happens to me, you all

have to be ready for it."

"Yeah..."

"Even if I tagged along, there ain't much I could do to help you,

darlin'."

"I always left command of our troops to Jeanne, after all..."

My three wives who had to think about their positions reluctantly

nodded. Even if I couldn't come back like Cian predicted, Liscia could

work with Roroa and Maria to keep the domestic situation under control.

I'd really prefer it didn't come to that though...

"That leaves Juna and Yuriga..."

"I'll be handy in a battle at sea. Take me with you," Juna said before I

could finish.

It was true that I wanted Juna to come along and take command of the

Albert II, which I planned to be aboard. But when I considered how young

Enju and Kaito were...I hesitated. Juna smiled, seeming to see right through

me.

"The children have plenty of reliable mother figures here in the castle.

There's nothing to worry about."

"Juna... Okay. I'll be relying on you."

"Yes."

Once Juna had finished, Yuriga raised her hand and said, "I'll go with

you too. I'll be more of a check against my brother with you than staying

here in the Kingdom."

"A check against him? Do you think you can do that?"

"To a degree... I'd like to think I will, even if only a little," Yuriga said,

not sounding terribly confident.

"Well, okay. I guess a little is better than nothing... Welcome aboard."

"Understood."

"Now...Tomoe and Ichiha, could I ask you to come? We'd be keeping

you at the rear, away from the front lines, of course."

If we were going to contact the demons, Tomoe's ability and Ichiha's

knowledge were going to be indispensable. I didn't want to leave them

anywhere too dangerous, so I'd have to be able to evacuate them

immediately if there was a crisis.

They looked at one another, then nodded.

"Of course, Big Brother! It's why you adopted me in the first place!"

"I feel the same way. Now's my chance to repay you for hiring me."

"Thank you, both of you," I said, showing my gratitude. Having given

orders to everyone, I moved to wrap things up. "Now then—"

"Wait!" someone interrupted.

I looked over to see Carla in her maid dress, arm raised.

"Your Majesty. Please, take me with you on this expedition."

"Carla?" Liscia stared at her, eyes wide.

Carla looked at Liscia and thumped her chest with one hand. "The more

bodyguards His Majesty has, the better. I'm sure you must feel uneasy not

being able to go with him yourself, so I'll defend him in your stead."

"Well, I would feel a lot better with you there..." Liscia said, casting a

look at me which said, How about it?

Hrm... Well, Carla is a powerful fighter, and it'd be reassuring to have

her nearby, I guess.

She was still a slave (by her own request), so if anything happened to

her, it wouldn't have a wider impact. That helped lower the bar for bringing

her along. She was always watching the kids for us too, so if she wanted to

do some warrior stuff for the first time in a while, I had no reason to refuse.

"Got it. You come too, Carla."

"Thank you!"

With that, we were all good to go. Now it was time to see how it all

panned out... We headed off to the mysterious Demon Lord's Domain,

where monsters, giants, and mushrooms awaited.