A little time goes by, and it returns to the company during the time when Jiro was challenging the battlefield and confronting a fragment of God.
News that the main force had started fighting quickly reached the company in the rear, causing quite a stir. Then, in prayer for victory, they returned to their normal duties.
It is said that maintaining normality during abnormal times is difficult precisely because it is natural.
The battlefield is often used as a term referring to the front line of the actual site.
However, sometimes people also say this.
“This is my battlefield.”
This means that the place of battle changes depending on who is speaking in the first person.
It often refers to the fact that those who cannot fight support those who can, which is also a form of battle.
“Thank you.”
“With this, I’ve used up almost all of my savings. My management will be on a shoestring budget for a while.”
And among the professions that have a battlefield where they do not fight physically, such as managers, technical staff, sales staff, and office workers, she, a merchant, turned even paler than her usual pale complexion, and with an expression of utter exhaustion, sat down on the ground and handed a product list she had prepared to the red-haired demon.
Memoria, who smiled as if she had done her best, could fight, but she was inferior to her main profession.
Even Memoria had run through her own battlefield as a merchant.
It all began one day when Evia received the key to Takamagahara from a Japanese god called Mimamori-sama and was asked to repair it.
Originally, it was supposed to be a national project carried out under state leadership. However, when the civil war broke out, the project was temporarily halted.
Furthermore, as they fully entered into war with Isal, most of the resources were deployed to the battlefield.
Although there was originally ample time and the priority was not that high, which is why it was almost left unattended, Evia was not one to let things end there.
Evia decided to act, even if she couldn’t predict whether it would be on time.
In plain terms, she thought it would be better to do this, even if it meant sacrificing her personal wealth.
Memoria then joined in.
Merchants are merchants precisely because they prioritize profit.
However, thinking about what she could do for Jiro, the man she loved, she put her skills to use, utilizing the procurement channels of the Toris Trading Company, which was unique to her and not possessed by nobles, and thought about what she could do for him.
The supply of materials to the battlefield under the name of the Human King is being carried out mainly by the main body of the Toris Trading Company and Memoria’s parents.
Memoria herself is aware that they are supplying at the bare minimum profit line.
While searching for other things she could do, she noticed the work Evia was doing.
Completely disregarding profit, her merchant’s intuition whispered, “Don’t miss this.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Following that intuition, Memoria continued to work herself ragged, finding solace only in the time she spent with Jiro and Suella.
Seeing the extent of her fatigue, Evia expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
Despite her exhaustion, Memoria handed over the product list she had prepared, and Evia knelt down to meet her at eye level and received it.
“It was really hard. It’s one thing if it’s just rare materials, but what is this list? Does the person who made this have any grudges against merchants?”
Her eyes met, and Memoria tried to force a smile, using her slightly recovered stamina, but no matter how she tried to put a brave face on it, Evia could only see a wry smile.
“Mithril, Orichalcum, Adamantite, and then there’s Hihirigane, made by mixing Unicorn horns, Ancient Dragon’s Reverse Scales, World Tree’s Dew, and other rare materials. This much is fine. I mean, this alone is enough to build several forts.”
After receiving the request, Memoria had literally run errands, following through on her word.
Rare materials are, as the name suggests, rare.
There are few of them, but their existence is confirmed.
However, for some of these materials, simply paying money is not enough to obtain them.
Memoria’s ability to overcome these obstacles with her negotiation skills was incredible.
Even for Memoria, the materials on the list could only be described as monstrous.
“The problem is after this. The song of the Great Spirit, the whisper of the waves, the breath of the wind, the beat of the flame, the sunlight of the heavens… What is this? I thought I had received a list of insane poetry.”
In this world, concepts can physically manifest, which is why they can be prepared as material objects.
Mimamori had casually written it down as necessary for the resurrection of the key to Takamagahara, but from a god’s perspective, it was about as easy to obtain as visiting a few supermarkets.
However, for beings on earth, it is something that would require them to live several lifetimes, or even dozens, to obtain.
Numerous “concept materials” that make Mithril, Orichalcum, and rare parts of magical beasts look cute.
Seven-tenths of the list was filled with such unknown materials, which were far rarer than just rare, as if to say these were more important.
“There were also items that could only be found by re-reading ancient texts. If not for Amelia-san, who has the Sage’s library, and Himik, who can decipher ancient texts, it would have been impossible.”
To think that she would do this for the man she loved, and that as a merchant, she couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to prepare the goods.
With the cooperation of only two people, Amelia and Himik, she managed to get it done, and just barely in time.
That is probably why.
Thinking that a little venting would be acceptable, Memoria tightly grabbed Evia’s arm as she received the list.
“So I’m telling you. This will never happen again. I’ve exhausted all my stamina, willpower, financial power, and luck.”
Memoria’s eyes, which had genuinely gathered materials with unprecedented fervor in her life, gleamed.
Failure was not an option.
The figure of her, who always chatted cheerfully and amicably in the living room, was no longer present.
A swan appears beautiful because it moves its legs furiously beneath the water’s surface, concealing it from view.
But Memoria now revealed it without hiding anything, showing her full effort, and warned Evia not to waste her hardship.
“The rest is up to you.”
“Yes, I’ll handle it.”
Receiving that warning, Evia felt a pleasant pressure.
“Well then, I’m… going to sleep.”
The baton had been passed.
“I’ve entrusted it to you.” Truly exhausted, Memoria collapsed on the spot, and Evia caught her.
In Evia’s ample chest, Memoria began to breathe peacefully.
Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, Evia sensed Memoria’s fatigue.
“Tatte, please take care of her.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Evia handed Memoria over to Tatte, who was standing behind her, and then instructed her subordinates to transport the items on the list she had received to the research facility.
From here on, only a select few researchers within the military would be able to enter.
As she watched the materials being swiftly moved and transported, Evia instinctively placed her hand on her stomach.
“…That’s not like me.”
She had been kept here to protect the life growing in her womb, the life that her superior and her beloved man had entrusted to her.
If she felt even a little regret about that, Evia would deny it.
Her past self would have thrown herself into killing the gods without hesitation, even at the cost of her own child’s life.
However, now that she had a life growing within her, what had happened?
Should she call it a change of heart? She no longer accurately grasped the value of her own body.
Her past self could accurately grasp her own value and consider how much she could sacrifice at the right time.
However, she could never prioritize the value of the life growing in her womb.
Therefore, she did not wear armor, nor did she wield a magic sword, nor did she go to the battlefield.
Instead, she continued to do what she could while protecting this life.
She became the core of the nation’s operations, taking on multifaceted responsibilities such as managing necessary supplies for the battlefield, scrutinizing battlefield information, and diplomatic negotiations.
One of the results of those endeavors now appeared before her.
After having Tatte carry the sleeping Memoria, Evia used teleportation magic to come to the research facility located deep within the dungeon she managed.
A mysterious object contained in a glass container.
Or rather, according to the explanation from the god Mimamori, it was clearly a sacred treasure, albeit somewhat damaged.
It was said to be the key to Takamagahara.
If the words spoken that day, in that place, were not lies, then, on that premise, Evia had challenged this situation, believing it was worth the gamble.
“What, time already?”
And the orders from gods were always troublesome.
Not only did it take considerable effort to gather the materials, but it also required a great deal of energy to synthesize them.
It required as much energy as it would take to operate a dungeon.
She needed to generate an enormous amount of energy that her research facility’s power supply could never match. However, Evia had a plan for that.
Himik, who was sitting cross-legged in a corner of the laboratory, leisurely sipping green tea from a teacup, recognized that her role had come when Evia appeared and slowly stood up, placing her teacup on the low table.
The vast magic power of the Seraph, though not eternal, possessed enough energy to temporarily operate a dungeon, as Himik had done when she served as a temporary core for a depopulated dungeon in Isal.
“Is it alright?”
“You ask that at this timing, don’t you?”
However, this was an output that did not consider life.
It was the maximum output of magic power, drawing to its limit the life force of Himik, a Seraph.
Naturally, it placed a considerable burden on her body.
Originally, Himik had no obligation to undertake this.
Evia had a plan, but she had no intention of asking for help.
The change in Evia’s mindset, both past and present, had made her eliminate the option of sacrificing her beloved family for the sake of the greater good.
However, Himik sensed that hesitation and told her it was alright, slowly listening to Evia’s explanation.
Although things were progressing favorably, she admitted that reserves were necessary in case of any unforeseen circumstances. At first, she spoke in a detached manner, pursuing only profit, but gradually her words became more emotional.
Towards the end, Evia asked Himik, with a hint of hesitation in her voice, “What should I do?”
Himik, who always made decisions decisively, was momentarily taken aback by this question, which was uncharacteristic of her. Then,
“Leave it to me.”
She replied strongly, and
“After it’s done, let’s have a banquet with the whole family.”
Seeing Himik flex her bicep, as if to say she would be back soon, Evia felt an indescribable sense of reliability.
It was the same even now.
While for ordinary beings, the ritual would require their lives as payment, Himik’s steps were light.
She placed the materials in their designated positions and checked them over and over again.
Since the ritual could only be performed once, it was better to be as thorough as possible.
“No problem. I’ll just overdo it a little. It’s what Giro always does!”
Despite the tense atmosphere, perhaps a bit ironic for the Moon race, Himik’s sun-like bright smile eased Evia’s guilt.
“That’s true.”
“Indeed! But you shouldn’t overdo yourself!! What if something happens to the child in your belly!!”
“Are you saying that? What if something happens to you…”
Whether this guilt would illuminate the future remained to be seen.
Word of the day:
The battlefield is not one.
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