kscans

Chapter 171 - Pre-Raid Consultation and the One Who Looks Down

We are on our way to Mo's mansion.

"So, how do you plan to convince Famu and her parents?"

"They aren't willing to listen. So we have no choice but to act."

I answered Myra, and she stopped in her tracks for a moment. The members were me, Myra, Mo, Patricia, Shizuka, and Reeni. Sameim came along too. Did she really intend to stick with me?

"Sameim, you can forget about the result of yesterday's duel. I have no intention of holding it over your head. I just want you to meet Famu, so you could just wait at the inn. But if you're coming with us, I assume you understand we'll be continuing where we left off this morning."

She gave a faint smile at my words.

"I am fully prepared. Besides, if Mo is going, I can't very well not go."

I stopped and looked at her. I hadn't told her Mo was the daughter of one of the Four Regent Families, so was it normal for her to address her so casually?

"Um, is something wrong?"

"No... here, take your katana back. And take this short sword, too. It was made by someone I respect, so take care of it."

She held out both hands and accepted them. I equipped the one-handed sword and shield I had received from the king of Heilon.

"Yes. In that case, was the person who made your katana a woman, by any chance?"

"N-no, that's not it! She's my master, and Famu's, and Myra's too. Oh, and my companion Aira probably is too."

I glanced at Myra, who thought for a moment before giving a vague nod. So, maybe Aira wasn't.

And joining our group was the Earth Dragon girl, Yanan.

"Yanan, I'm sorry. I said I would introduce you to the dignitaries of Miglutt, but things have gotten complicated. I need you to wait just a little longer."

"That's no problem. I came here to see you, Mash, more than anything,"

Yanan replied with a gentle smile. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd seen her in the sunlight. Her skin, which had looked reddish-brown under the torchlight, was fair and clear. She was a little stocky, but I found that cute.

"Um, you're of the Earth Dragon race, aren't you? What business brings you to Miglutt?"

Sameim asked.

"She is from the Earth Dragon race that lives underground beneath the great plains south of this city. Her official name is Yanan Mognat, daughter of the king of the Earth Dragon Kingdom. She's here to negotiate the opening of diplomatic relations with this city."

"No way... Their closest yet most distant neighbors are seeking negotiations?"

"Hm? You seem to know a lot about it."

"Ah, no. I just heard a rumor."

"What kind of rumor!"

I meant to give her a light smack, but my hand hit her chest and bounced off with a soft 'boing'. She blushed and covered her chest. She had been so bold in the inn, but it seemed she was much shyer outside. I liked her even more. I renewed my resolve to get Famu to accept her in the confusion, along with Mo.

"So, what do you mean, 'we have no choice but to act'? What do you intend to do at Mo's house?"

Myra asked.

"Honestly, you know it's going to be difficult to persuade her parents, let alone Famu, right?"

"Yes. I think so too."

Myra nodded. I had been unceremoniously thrown out of her mansion. I glanced at Patricia, one of the people who had done it.

"Will Wake be on our side in this?"

"He is Lady Mo's knight. That doesn't mean he will follow all of Lady Mo's orders."

"I see. So he'll decide his actions based on what he thinks is best for Mo."

"Yes. I don't know what the right thing to do is either. I've decided to go along with Lady Mo's current feelings, but he has his own thoughts."

"If you were going to go along with Mo's feelings, I wish you hadn't punched me and thrown me out... But the fact that Wake isn't here means..."

That he thinks differently than Patricia.

"Why are you thinking about Wake?"

"Well, if they won't listen to reason, I figure we just have to make them understand by force."

"D-don't tell me you're planning to raid Mo's mansion!"

Myra asked in surprise, and I nodded.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of them."

A smirk spread across my face.

Everyone stopped walking.

"...Are you serious?"

Mo peered into my eyes.

"And I'm thinking of having Sameim take on Wake."

"Whaaaat? Me, against the Unsinkable Wake?"

Sameim stumbled back with such force she nearly fell on her butt.

"What? You know him?"

"K-know him is an understatement..."

she said, trembling. No matter how you looked at it, her reaction was strange. She couldn't have been in this city for even a year. She seemed sharp, so it was possible she'd thoroughly learned the city's customs. Even so, she fit in too well. Was the adventurer who bought and freed her involved in political activities?

"He just anticipates moves and acts accordingly. If you can surpass the speed of his predictions with your sword speed, you should be able to win."

"...I hear he's overwhelmingly strong, even against ten skilled opponents. I don't think I can attack with more than ten times their speed,"

she murmured, as if giving up.

"It's fine. In the world I came from, there was a man who could understand what ten people were saying at once."

"That's absurd..."

I reached out to knead her chest to encourage her, but Myra grabbed my arm.

"...It's not just Wake. There are always twenty soldiers stationed at my mansion."

"Is that so?"

That was fewer than I expected.

"Won't Famu, Mizuki, Cecily, and Aira also turn against us?"

Myra added after Mo spoke.

"Wait, I get Famu. But why would the other members become enemies?"

Myra looked away awkwardly.

"Actually, me, Famu, Mizuki, Cecily, Aira, Lady Laciel, Claire, Hyakka, Riley, and Reeni established the Committee of Ten, or CDX. We haven't told Lady Laciel, Hyakka, or Riley yet, but they're honorary members."

"What's with the grim-sounding name?"

"When you bring a new girl, we pass judgment on whether she can be added to your list of lovers. If even one person says 'veto', she won't be approved."

"What happens when you approve?"

"Huh? Approve?"

She tilted her head. It seemed the Committee of Ten had no concept of approval; it was an organization dedicated solely to slapping a veto on any of my new potential lovers. I didn't know why Reeni was a member, but at that meeting, Mo and Sameim would have been deliberated on and vetoed.

"So, what does that committee have to do with Mizuki and the others turning against us..."

"Famu is vetoing, isn't she? There's an ironclad rule that when someone vetoes, everyone unites to oppose. That means everyone is on Famu's side."

"...You too, Myra?"

"I haven't been told that anyone has vetoed Mo yet. Besides, I believe in my hero. The end of a fairy tale is a happy one."

"Myra..."

"But I'm against it too!"

Myra puffed out her cheeks and looked away.

We arrived at Mo's mansion. The guard saw her, saluted, and let us through without any trouble. We stood in the garden. Water channels neatly divided the plots, and in the flowerbeds, various flowers besides geraniums were bathing in the sunlight. Perhaps because we had come north, or because summer was ending, the sun's glare had weakened, and a dry wind from the west felt pleasant. The facade of the mansion visible from here had large windows, designed to let in plenty of light.

"I'll capture Famu and Mo's parents. Then, in front of them, I'll declare that Mo is mine and that I'm taking her with me."

"In that case, wouldn't it be better not to fight?"

Myra asked.

"We're in this situation because they wouldn't even talk to us. They're the ones who threw me out without a second thought. That's right, I'll shove Sameim in Famu's face and make her spit out words of gratitude. And as for Mo's parents, I'll hit them with Shizuka's special skill, Scales of Love. They'll be humiliated when they don't swap. I feel bad for Mo, but I'll teach them just how hollow a political marriage is."

"Wouldn't it be more straightforward to use it on you and Mo, Mash? Besides, I've never seen Shizuka's Scales of Love fail. I don't really understand the definition of 'in love.' What are the criteria? What if it's just based on having 'slept together'..."

Myra frowned.

"...I don't know the laws of this city, but we are trying to bend Mo's current situation with intimidation and violence. So don't lecture me!"

"Yes. You're right."

Myra nodded, looking a little taken aback.

"...Mash, about Sameim... n-never mind."

Mo started to say something, then looked behind me and swallowed her words. I turned around and saw Sameim. She smiled sweetly at me. I've been bothered by her for a while now, but right now, it's about Mo.

"Like I said before, if Wake shows up, I'm leaving him to Sameim. The problem is Mizuki."

"Wait. Wake is troublesome, but there are other knights. And more importantly, Star Union has an elven magic unit. Furthermore, the firepower of her parents, especially her mother, will be a greater obstacle to our suppression,"

Sameim said.

"...It's fine. The knights and the magic unit aren't permanently stationed here. Like I said, there are only about twenty people right now. And at this time of day, they're training."

"Is that so? What about all the guards that were here yesterday?"

I asked Mo in response to her answer.

"...Since Famu was coming, I gathered a lot of them."

We're supposed to be in a tense situation with the Demon Kingdom, but what are they doing? Are they that bored?

"If we're up against mages, we have an excellent mage on our side too."

I patted Mo's head and secretly passed her a Mana Seed.

"I'll handle Famu. You take care of your parents."

Mo nodded.

"In that case, the most troublesome one is still Mizuki. I can't beat her."

"More than Wake?"

Sameim's eyes widened.

"To put it simply, she's the kind of person who can defeat a 40th floor Area Guardian on her own."

"..."

Sameim fell silent. Just then, Reeni tugged on the hem of my clothes.

"Mash, please leave Mizuki to Reeni. I want to redeem myself for losing at the river the other day."

I didn't think for a second that she could hold Mizuki back. But her gaze was serious. I nodded, and Reeni nodded back. Just then, I thought I saw one of the window curtains move. I looked up and saw Famu. She was looking down at us from there. A reflection of light obscured her expression. But I swore that I would reach her. Her figure disappeared from the window.

"Alright, let's begin. Mo, can you make a giant stone sphere?"

"...If I can borrow a Mana Seed and your mana, Mash,"

Mo replied. Yanan, who had been listening to our conversation, came over.

"You're using Earth Magic, aren't you? In that case, I shall grant you the Earth Dragon race's skill, Earth's Blessing."

She placed her hand on Mo's chest and closed her eyes. A soft light flowed into Mo's body. Mo raised her hands to the heavens and created a stone sphere above her head. At first, it was the size of a fist, but it soon grew larger than a person. The sphere's growth didn't stop, casting a giant shadow over the garden.

"Alright, drop it."

Hearing my words, my allies scattered in a panicked frenzy. Mo dropped the stone sphere into the cleared space. A heavy roar echoed as the sphere hit the ground, and simultaneously, the ground beneath our feet buckled and shook violently like an earthquake. The vibrations reached the mansion, and the glass adorning the facade shattered all at once. The broken shards rained down to the ground.

"Listen! People of the House of Star Union! I am about to conquer your home! And I will be taking Marmi Mume Mo Star Union as my own! You gave her such a ridiculous, long name, and your daughter is angry about it!"

I pulled Mo's shoulder close and shouted. Hearing that, Sameim couldn't hold back her laughter and snorted.

"And you, Famu! I told you to make up with Mo! Why are you fighting?"

I shouted, and she reappeared at the window where she had been before.

"Shut up! It's all your fault, Master! Didn't you say you would stand by my feelings? Didn't you say you would take my hand and run away with me? So why are you with Mo? And why is that dog-eared woman holding your short sword? Are you trying to spite me?!"

she yelled, leaning out of the window.

"W-wait, Famu! Don't lean out so far! You'll get hurt on the broken glass!"

She was about to put her hand on the window sill, but quickly pulled it back.

"You said it yourself! That a decision is not based on a single emotion! That there are many feelings involved! I'm thinking about a lot of things too! That's why I'm taking Mo. And I'm taking you too!"

"That's not fair! You know exactly how I feel, Master! You know everything! You're just playing dumb and trying to force your way through, thinking I'll eventually agree!"

"You're not being fair either! You see right through me! ...Well, that's fine. But more importantly, don't you notice? Look closely at her face!"

I pointed at Sameim. Just then, I saw guards, alerted by the commotion, running towards us.

"Should we intercept them here?"

Myra asked.

"No, if we get into a melee here, we'll be overwhelmed by their numbers. We're storming the mansion!"

I chose a random window and jumped inside. My companions followed.

"What do you mean, 'storming'? This is no different from being a thief!"

Shizuka complained. It looked like it would be tough for her and Patricia to keep up with us. Reeni, being nimble, leaped lightly and jumped into the mansion. Yanan, despite probably having no idea what was going on with this sudden lovers' quarrel, followed us too.

"Mash, Mo was a daughter of the Star Union family? At this rate, negotiations with us will be out of the question..."

"It's fine. Once I've tied up Mo's parents, I'll make them agree to establishing diplomatic relations with the Earth Dragon Kingdom too."

"..."

Yanan fell silent for a moment with a serious expression, then shook her head as if to dispel a bad thought. She was probably questioning my sanity.

"I, no, the Earth Dragon Kingdom owes Mash a great debt..."

she muttered as if to convince herself. Watching her, I glanced at Patricia.

"Patricia, you should surrender. Just make the excuse that I threatened you. They shouldn't treat you too harshly."

"I know I'm a burden. But I am here to serve Lady Mo. Please, take me with you."

"...Always together. My Patricia."

Mo answered before I could, taking her arm.