kscans

Chapter 198 - Events of the Night

At the border.

As we were providing support on the left flank, a soldier rushed over.

"S-Sorry! The right flank is—"

"Now the right side?!" I cut him off before he could finish. "Aren't they being a little too careless?! Honestly, I'm losing my motivation!"

I couldn't help but complain. Of course I couldn't. The thought that we were the only ones working seriously while others were slacking off was demoralizing.

"It can't be helped," Tina said. "I'll go. Shinsuke, you continue providing support here. We can... calm our nerves later."

She whispered the last part into my ear.

"Somehow, I'm feeling motivated again!"

I unleashed a furious barrage of fire magic.

Seeing this, Tina chuckled. "Hehe, that's the Shinsuke I know. Well, I was the one who fell for you first, though."

With a slight blush, she headed off to the right flank.

And so, despite the difficult battle, we succeeded in defending the border.

That night, in the Imperial Capital's throne room, Emperor Yorune was listening to Magnes's report.

"Sigh... So the only adventurers with any conscience left are the young ones and those who have known hardship," the Emperor lamented. "The rest have forgotten where they came from and have fallen into depravity. I'm so disgusted I don't know what to say."

If the capital was filled with people like that, then its defense would fall solely to the knights and soldiers. Despite having the advantage in numbers, the situation would only worsen.

It was a desperate state of affairs.

Just as she was about to discuss the next steps with Magnes, the doors opened.

The only person scheduled for an audience was Magnes. As she wondered who it could be, the Guild Master walked in.

"What is the meaning of this?" Magnes demanded, checking his advance. "To enter without so much as a greeting is the height of insolence."

The Emperor's expression mirrored his.

"Insolence?" the Guild Master scoffed. "I believe that's my line. After all that's happened, the fact that the monsters didn't attack all at once is thanks to me. To speak to me in such a manner is extremely rude."

He wore an expression that said, "Give me a break."

At his words, the Emperor stated calmly, "I see. So you were colluding with the monster side."

Her face was one of understanding.

"You don't seem very surprised," the Guild Master said. "Or did you already suspect?"

To his probing tone, the Emperor replied, "I had a faint suspicion. The unusual quests and rewards at the guild... I didn't know what you were thinking, but during this recent battle, I began to have my doubts. In fact, Captain Magnes had already assigned command of the adventurers to experienced veterans, not to you."

Magnes stood at attention, his expression unchanging.

"As expected of the former Emperor's daughter. A brilliant deduction," the Guild Master said. "Then you must understand. What do you think the monsters will do if something were to happen to me here?"

His face was a mask of contempt.

Magnes felt an urge to cut him down on the spot, but he couldn't. If he did, the monsters might attack all at once.

As long as they didn't know the full details of his relationship with them, making a move was a poor choice.

"So? What is your objective?" the Emperor asked directly.

"Oh, it's simple," the Guild Master replied. "Surrender immediately and relinquish the throne to me."

At these words, Magnes exploded. "You... you bastard! Of all the—"

Emotion took over, and his hand went to the hilt of his sword.

Seeing this, the Emperor roared, "Control yourself! Where do you think you are?!"

The shout brought Magnes back to his senses, and he released his sword.

"That's right," the Guild Master said. "This is a place for sacred ceremonies. It cannot be stained with blood. For a captain to forget that... was it some kind of mistake that your father was a hero?"

He was openly provoking him.

Magnes's clenched fist began to bleed slightly as he struggled to suppress the rage boiling within him.

Sensing this, the Emperor declared, "Guild Master, I have no intention of complying with your demands. I will not leave this throne until my last breath."

Her eyes were filled with resolve.

"That look in your eyes. You truly are just like him," the Guild Master sneered. "But that's all. A woman like you, with none of his military achievements, can do nothing but sit there."

With a laugh, he exited the throne room.

Once they were alone, Magnes said, "My deepest apologies, Your Majesty."

As Magnes bowed his head, the Emperor replied, "No, I understand how you feel. I, too, spoke harshly, though it was to calm your emotions."

As the Emperor began to apologize, Magnes interjected, "Your Majesty, you did nothing wrong. I understand that your rebuke just now was for my sake."

He bowed his head once more.

Relieved, the Emperor said, "I'm glad to hear that. Now, to return to our discussion. Since we know who the traitor is, there's no need to investigate further."

They began to talk.

From this, it was clear they were convinced the Guild Master was the only traitor. After all, he was a man consumed by a desire for absolute control.

Taking on subordinates would mean having to share the spoils.

Having come to this conclusion, the two discussed their future plans.

At the border front-line base, a sense of exhaustion permeated the encampment.

The monsters had appeared in a way they had never seen before. After the monsters retreated, a system of rotating night shifts was established for both soldiers and adventurers.

Some of the adventurers complained, but as they were hired, they couldn't refuse without a very good reason.

Amidst all this, when we asked if we were to participate, we were told, "No. 'Red Lightning' and 'Mad Dog' fought valiantly in this battle and sustained considerable injuries. Please, get some rest. This is a consideration from the General."

The last part was spoken in a low voice.

We gratefully accepted the offer and returned to our tent.

I had told the soldiers we would be eating in our tent, so I said, "Guess I'll make some field rations for the first time in a while. You want some?"

The goblin emerged from under the bed and nodded.

I went outside, started a bonfire, and put water in a pot. While it came to a boil, I took out the things I had brought from Earth: dried rice, dried wakame, and dried mushrooms. I cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Once the water was boiling, I added three miso balls, stirred well, and then added the rice, wakame, and mushrooms.

After a short while, the wakame returned to its original state, the mushrooms soaked up the flavor, and the rice turned into a sort of seasoned porridge.

I divided the finished dish into three bowls and returned to the tent.

"It's ready," I announced, setting the bowls on the ground. "It's a simple porridge, but I guarantee it's tasty."

The two of them and the one creature ate in silence. The goblin seemed to like it, as it was wolfing it down.

"The flavor is quite strong," Tina remarked. "I thought you didn't like that?"

"It's not that I hate it, but I don't feel like eating it every day," I replied, taking a slurp. "I'm really tired today, so I made it with extra salt."

"I see," Tina said. "That's right, replenishing salt is essential where you come from, isn't it? It's not something we really think about here."

Tina finished her bowl.

After we finished eating, Tina said, "Shinsuke... let's sleep together tonight."

With that, she climbed into my bed, still in her armor.

"Just so you know," I said, slipping into the bed in my regular clothes, "we're not doing it here. I'm just going to... get a taste."

Incidentally, I had sent the goblin to the cart earlier. Even if it was a monster, having a third party around was awkward.

Inside the dark tent, the only light was the faint glow of the bonfires outside.

We held each other in the bed. I touched Tina's body through her armor.

Her chest, her arms, her legs, her bottom... I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single part I didn't touch.

"Mmm... ugh... D-Don't be... so rough..." Tina moaned, her face beet red. "It'll... affect me... tomorrow..."

My reason flew out the window. From then on, I hugged her tightly, kissed her, and breathed in her scent. I smelled her from her neck to her armpits, and even down to her lower body.

Tina, though bright red, silently accepted my actions.

That night, my stamina, which should have been completely depleted, was restored, while Tina was left exhausted from embarrassment.