Side: Lydia
The day my father-in-law departs to subjugate the Nidh has been set for five days from now.
Emperor Reinhardt and Empress Glisina are reportedly adjusting their schedules for it, and Yamato has already completed his adjustments as well, so the discussion was quite swift.
It was decided so quickly that my father-in-law was rather surprised.
Given that Their Majesties often make swift decisions, I, for one, found it acceptable.
The evening after that banquet, I was to guide my father-in-law and mother-in-law around Float, accompanied by a pregnant Prim and Mana, who was holding Saki-chan.
Since Mana was present, we utilized the Beast Carriage of the Lapislazurite Baronetcy family for transportation.
Float has come to be known as Tendai, but nothing has changed besides its name.
Even at this point, it is the largest city on the Philia Continent, but currently, it is undergoing urban redevelopment for expansion in preparation for MINERVA’s establishment, so Float will become even larger.
Incidentally, Yamato is said to be discussing improvements to MARS with Flam, Ludia, and Mako, and has locked himself away in the Crafting Hall.
Even so, Yamato had initially intended to accompany us, but since my father-in-law instructed him to prioritize his work, I gratefully accepted his words.
“MINERVA even here. It seems to be highly anticipated.”
“Monster research has advanced dramatically, and it’s also highly useful for Hunters.”
“The ecology of the Blue Lake Bull has already been revealed, and it is being utilized for livestock farming.”
While livestock farming of the Blue Lake Bull is also progressing in Esmeralda Baronetcy, the Viscount Diamante territory is, after all, putting in the most effort.
Viscount Archlight-Diamante was the one who originally researched the Blue Lake Bull, and it was also used in the operational testing, which doubled as a trial run for MARS, developed by Yamato.
Because of that, Viscount Archlight was promoted to P-rank Scholar, and the Blue Lake Bull has become a new specialty product of the Viscount Diamante territory. I’ve heard he’s been energetically active since returning to the Viscount’s territory in the summer.
“Oh? It’s already yielding results.”
“Yes. And the feedback from Hunters has been good as well.”
“Mock combat, you say. But Rika mentioned that Hunters have few opportunities to use it, leading to frequent troubles?”
“That’s also a headache for us, but many of the Hunters who cause trouble are also habitual offenders of problematic behavior. They are prohibited from using MARS, let alone Memoria or Glacian.”
“Even if it’s mock combat, the duration of each session isn’t that long. We expect things to settle down eventually.”
MARS is a highly useful facility for Hunters as well as Scholars, and I hear there’s also a long waiting list.
However, unlike Scholars who use it for extended research, Hunters use it for mock combat, and the combat duration can end in just a few minutes.
Therefore, although the waiting time for Hunters is long, if they wish, they can at least conduct mock combat once.
Furthermore, for monsters whose ecology is already understood, countermeasures can be devised without the need for mock combat. Thus, many Hunters who actually use it are often conducting preliminary research in the regions they plan to visit in the future.
“It’s a problem that’s only occurring now, isn’t it?”
“I suspect so.”
“It’s a new facility, so it’s understandable that such problems would arise at first.”
“Well, even on Earth, quite a few such things occur.”
Even though the worlds are different, similar problems still exist.
“I don’t think there’s much difference in any world.”
“Perhaps. Oh, excuse me, Marisa, could you stop for a moment?”
“Understood.”
Mana suddenly spoke to Marisa, who was driving the Beast Carriage, and had it stopped.
This is a district close to the Guild, but the Guild itself isn’t visible, is it?
It’s also a district lined with many shops, so there are many pedestrians, but it’s not for sightseeing.
“Faris! Cliff!”
“Eh? Oh, isn’t that Mana?”
Ah, you’ve spotted Faris and Cliff of Holy Grave.
They have their child with them, so it appears they are out shopping as a family of three.
“Sorry for suddenly calling out to you.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, what brings you here today?”
“I’m guiding my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
“You mean… Yamato’s?”
“Yes. Ah, have you already met them?”
Holy Grave also participated in the Polar defense battle, so they are aware of my father-in-law and mother-in-law.
They are also aware that nearly a thousand demons were defeated in an instant, so they seem a bit wary.
“Yes. I was surprised at the time. I still don’t quite understand what happened.”
Falcons’ Beak said something similar, and even Yamato did.
Only Mako seemed to have grasped the situation accurately, but since they are close friends, that might be related.
“Apologies for interrupting our conversation. You are Hunters called Holy Grave, if I recall correctly?”
“That’s right, but… do you know us?”
“I’ve heard from everyone, including Yamato. You provided Yamato with various advice at Feel, and we are belatedly grateful.”
“No, not at all. He has saved my life more than once, so it is we who are grateful.”
Faris seemed surprised by my father-in-law, who suddenly entered the conversation, but my father-in-law is a more polite and courteous person than Yamato even more so.
Seeing him like this, it’s hard to believe he’s the one who ended the Polar defense battle in an instant.
“Since we’re here, would you care to join us?”
“Would that be alright?”
“Yes. I would like to hear from various people about how Yamato has been spending his time in this world.”
Ah, so that’s what it was about.
“If that’s the case, we’d be delighted. However, we also have plans, so please excuse us for not being able to stay long.”
“It’s also for our convenience, so of course.”
The conversation progressed smoothly, and Faris, Cliff, and their Fairy daughter, Cecily-chan, also boarded the Beast Carriage.
“What a cute child. A Fairy, is that correct?”
“Yes. Most Yokai, including myself, have girls. Occasionally, half-bloods with traits of their fathers are born, but only those half-bloods are boys.”
“Ah, is Edward also like that?”
“Yes. Ed is a Fairy-half-HyDwarf.”
Male Yokai half-bloods are said to be one in several thousand, making them rarer than Winged Tribes.
Besides Edward, I only know of Carol’s younger brother, Vint, a Vampire-half-Elf, and Carl, El’s son, a Harpy-half-Hydragonewt.
“Weren’t Yokai a race composed only of females?”
“Yes, that’s right. There are Yokai half-blood males, but as a race, they belong to the father’s race.”
“Is that so? It sounds complicated.”
“Indeed, we also become confused at times.”
Certainly, as everyone says, it can be very confusing, especially with Human half-bloods. Elf-half-Humans, Dwarf-half-Humans, and Vampire-half-Humans – by appearance alone, it’s truly difficult to tell they are half-bloods.
“Half-Human? I’ve never heard of that before.”
“On Earth, the most famous is probably the Half-Elf, isn’t it?”
“There are others, but the Half-Elf is certainly the most famous.”
Although Earth has only Humans, I’ve heard stories where various other races appear.
Therefore, there’s also a setting of half-bloods, but Half-Elves often seem to be in a disadvantageous position. There are also Fairy-half and Dragonewt-half, though few in number.
“From our perspective, a world with only Humans, it’s hard to believe there are so many stories about them.”
“Many are based on myths and legends. In fact, wouldn’t they all trace back to that?”
Myths and legends?
Helios Orb also has myths, but not a large number.
However, Earth has an incredible number of myths. Furthermore, it’s not uncommon for allies and enemies to switch roles, or for the same god to have different positions.
In the first place, the reason for the difference in languages by country or region is also explained in the myths, which is something we can hardly imagine.
“I am interested, but it seems like no amount of time would be enough.”
“Unfortunately.”
There are often vast narratives spanning several books, so it’s impossible to cover them all in a short time.
“By the way, Asuka, I heard a rumor that you’re going to subjugate some kind of Demise Species?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“From the Order. In reality, it’s not so much that we’re going to subjugate them, but rather a conjecture that even a Demise Species could be defeated with one hand.”
“From there, the story grew, and it became a rumor that we might go to subjugate some Demise Species.”
From the Order?
While the main force of the Order for the Polar defense line was from Count Bernstein’s Territory, about 30 people, including the Royal Order, were dispatched from Float.
Those Orders also witnessed the outcome of the Polar defense battle with their own eyes. Thus, my father-in-law’s story gained embellishments, and it eventually turned into a rumor that he was going to subjugate a Demise Species.
However, that rumor is, in fact, true.
“It’s amazing that rumors are spreading because of that battle.”
“Aren’t rumors generally like that?”
“True. Besides, Asuka is actually going to defeat a dragon called Nidh, so it’s not entirely wrong.”
At this point, my mother-in-law firmly affirmed the rumor.
It is true, and Emperor Reinhardt and Empress Glisina already know about it, and have even cleared their own schedules for it.
It’s likely that Holy Grave would have heard about it soon anyway. Whether it’s early or late, it’s only a matter of time. Nevertheless, with my mother-in-law confirming it, wouldn’t it be quite a shock?
“Are you… seriously going?”
“And… of all things, Nidh?”
“I wasn’t planning to discuss this here. Yes, I am going.”
My father-in-law’s extremely casual tone, as if he were going on a trip, is somewhat frightening.
“Mother-in-law, as well as Yamato and El and the others, are predicting that even if it’s Nidh, father-in-law will end it in an instant.”
“…Seriously?”
“No… the Polar defense battle, even now, I don’t understand what happened. So, the possibility isn’t zero… is it?”
They are confused.
I understand how they feel, and I myself don’t think that’s possible. However, in a mock battle involving the five of us – myself, Yamato, Athena, Meena, and Ludia – we couldn’t inflict even a single scratch. So, it’s not a story that can be entirely denied.
“Since we’re here, would you three like to come and watch?”
However, my mother-in-law is inviting Faris and Cliff, who are in a state of confusion.
“Eh?”
“Well… it would be a dream come true for us… is that alright?”
“There’s nothing to lose by being seen, and it’s fine. Don’t you think so, Asuka?”
Certainly, there’s nothing we can do if we’re seen, nor can we devise countermeasures. But is it really okay to so casually invite them?
“Well, that’s true. If you two agree, please invite everyone from Holy Grave as well.”
My father-in-law offers a wry smile, but he’s not refusing.
This almost certainly means everyone from Holy Grave will come to watch.
“Thank you. In that case, we will gratefully accept your invitation and observe as well.”
Faris and Cliff seem pleased, though it’s hard to gauge their exact emotions. The chance to witness an Ark-class battle up close may never come again if they miss this opportunity.
Therefore, my mother-in-law’s proposal was truly a dream come true for them.
After a bit more conversation, we parted ways with Faris, Cliff, and Cecily-chan, and we continued our tour of Float.
There, we also met Dios and Lana of Gracious Lynx, and my mother-in-law invited them as well.
Following Falcons’ Beak, Holy Grave and Gracious Lynx will also come to observe. At this rate, it seems like the Nidh could be defeated without my father-in-law even needing to fight.
However, the Nidh is known as the strongest Demise Species, so we must remember that it is on a different level from the Demise Species Yamato has defeated so far.
Therefore, I sincerely hope my father-in-law does not overexert himself.
He himself is motivated, so all I can do is pray.
