The mansion's reception room.
I had summoned Gastone, Zayin's High Priest.
Lombolt, Rolfis's Prime Minister.
With Alette, Rolfis's knight who had accompanied them, standing before me, I conducted negotiations alongside Adele.
Monica was positioned just behind my shoulder.
Maxim stood just behind Adele's shoulder. Alette, the knight, was standing behind Lombolt's shoulder, and her composure had cracked the moment she heard my proposal.
Seeing her like that, the Third Generation was surely grinning as he commented:
*"There's nothing wrong with showing that expression just because you're close, Alette. Are we not proposing something that benefits both sides here?"*
The Fourth Generation must have been wearing a serious expression. An irritated one.
*"Why are you hesitating at a time like this! This would reduce the debt you owe Baim! Don't you dare think we don't know the state of your finances!"*
The Fifth Generation, while exasperated—
*"Incidentally, we already have a full grasp of your military mobilization numbers."*
Gastone looked slightly more haggard than before. He then reviewed my proposal.
"Y-you're asking both nations—Zayin and Rolfis—to each commit five thousand troops? No matter how you look at it, that's—"
I replied with a serious expression.
"That's not what I said. Five thousand from each nation. I'm asking for ten thousand in total. And for the record, that's ten thousand in pure combat strength. Rear support is not included."
The reason for demanding troops from both nations was simple. Without them, we couldn't win. No—I should say, we wouldn't be able to meet the victory conditions I was aiming for.
Baim was a place where adventurers gathered.
If it were purely a matter of military manpower, one hundred thousand could be rallied in short order. But this was a gathering of adventurers and volunteer soldiers from Baim's residents.
A hundred thousand men with no cohesion. There were mercenary companies and well-trained units among them, but bringing them all together under one banner would be no easy feat.
Rombolt kept his composure.
"That's impossible under the current circumstances. We're barely managing to bring our newly acquired territories under control as it is."
I already knew that. When I stayed silent, Adele spoke up.
"But if Baim fails in its defense, even if they don't lose outright, a massive number of Monsters will pour through. Can you guarantee they won't flood into Zayin and Rolfis? At the same time, Laiel has already decided to participate. It's only a matter of time before Baim starts applying pressure on us, isn't it?"
Gastone let out a groan. After all, both nations were close to Baim. And they had already accumulated enormous debts to Baim over the years.
Even in the last war, both Zayin and Rolfis owed Baim debts. Baim had loaned to them precisely to curry favor and squeeze them dry.
With something like this on the table, asking for their cooperation was only natural.
"How about two thousand troops? That would give you enough manpower to hold one section of the defense."
At Rombolt's proposal, the Seventh Generation scoffed.
'That's not nearly enough! We wouldn't stand out at all like that!'
I crossed my legs and rested my clasped hands on my knee.
"You think Baim would be grateful for just that? The enormous debts—they need to be reduced here, or both nations will remain stuck in their dire financial situations. Besides, I'd be defending the front lines."
Alette spoke up.
"The front... lines. That's insane. And why should we be the ones—"
Of course they'd object. Why on earth would Zayin or Rolfis take on the life-threatening front lines? Was there any need to go that far for Baim's sake?
Adele continued calmly.
"I'm not saying it's the current representatives' fault, but both nations have taken on considerable debt over the years. That accumulated debt must amount to a staggering sum, wouldn't you say? And it will only keep growing."
They couldn't keep up with repayment. Or worse, the moment they tried to pay it off, another war would force them to borrow again—
Money truly was the real monster.
That was also one of the reasons Baim held influence over the surrounding nations and remained independent.
Gaston turned to face me. He wore an expression that suggested he had already half-resigned himself.
"And what are your odds of victory? Furthermore, how much do you intend to extract from Baim in terms of concessions? Don't underestimate the Adventurers' Guild or the merchants."
It seemed Gaston was willing to lend me his cooperation. With fewer allies at his disposal, Lombrold wore a bitter expression.
The Third Generation spoke with a laugh.
"Right? When a benefactor is asking for help, it'd be embarrassing to commit fewer troops than Zayin! Especially after they nearly doubled our territory!"
I forced a smile onto my face.
My odds of victory were uncertain — I had no way of knowing the scale of the Monsters we would be facing. But if I said there were risk factors and it was dangerous, the two of them would never agree to commit troops.
"We will win. And I will prove it — prove the power of the new Zayin and Rolfis."
Inwardly, I was breaking into a cold sweat. I was asking a massive number of soldiers to die. This was nothing like before, when my role had simply been to support Rolfis.
The scale was in the tens of thousands.
Lombrold let his shoulders slump.
"...A mere ten percent reduction in the debt won't be enough to satisfy us."
"Of course. We'll squeeze every last drop out of them. Besides... don't you think Baim has amassed too much power?"
I flashed a grin at the two of them, and began laying out the plan ahead.
Adele murmured under her breath.
"This is worse than what Lyle had imagined."
—At Baim Guild headquarters, executives gathered in an emergency session were negotiating with their guests.
Those guests were the High Priest of Zayin and the Chancellor of Rolfis.
Tahnia had been called in from the Eastern Branch to serve as bodyguard and assistant to her superior, and was participating in the meeting.
(I can't believe they moved this fast. And these two in particular...)
The two luminaries, their smooth bald heads gleaming, had offered their cooperation in response to Baim's crisis.
That was fine. The Guild and Baim's merchants had also been harboring expectations of being able to call in favors in times like these.
But the scale of that cooperation far exceeded what Baim had anticipated.
Ronbolt rose from his chair and slammed his fist on the desk.
"What is the meaning of this?! We are prepared to deploy a full five thousand in pure combat strength, yet we're being pushed to the sidelines in the defense?! This is unconscionable!"
Tahnia watched the meeting with a carefully composed expression. Her superior looked troubled, but he was clearly getting a bit flustered as well.
"No, we are very grateful for your sentiment, but when you speak of pure combat strength... your total forces would amount to..."
Ronbolt puffed out his chest.
"Eight thousand, at least. The elite of my Rolfis will certainly protect Baim — you have my word!"
(That's almost their entire military. We'd be in trouble if they actually did that. If they could just send two to three thousand, that alone would be enough...)
Originally, Baim had wanted the two nations to provide a combined total of five thousand troops, to be deployed at locations where defense was difficult, while Baim concentrated its own forces elsewhere.
High Priest Gastone nodded in agreement with Ronbolt.
"Zayin feels the same way. Furthermore, Laiel, the hero who saved the nation, has reportedly expressed his desire to participate and fight on the front lines. We are already preparing the Holy Knights. Nine thousand can be mobilized on our end as well."
They, too, had brought the maximum number they could field.
The representatives from the Adventurers' Guild and the merchants were smiling.
"That is most generous."
"Truly, both nations are dependable."
"But if it goes this far, then..."
The executives participating in the meeting were probably thinking that this was going too far. After all, offering all that only to be told to handle the front lines themselves was absurd.
Baim had predicted that the front lines could not be held.
If catastrophic damage were to occur, Baim would be the one obligated to provide compensation for it. Claiming that they shouldn't have to pay simply because they'd received unsolicited help would damage future credibility.
Gastone spoke in a low voice.
"If Baim falls, we will not come out of this unscathed either. In this battle, Zayin will commit its full strength. However, making such an announcement domestically would invite discontent."
At that, one of the executives spoke up.
"Indeed. If you could provide even half of that, then the front lines should remain Baim's responsibility—"
Rombolt cut off the executive's remarks, taking over Gastone's explanation.
"However! Having volunteered for the front lines yourselves, you cannot then demand compensation if you lose. Hmm, how about this then? I'm embarrassed to say, but our nation does owe Baim a debt. If that could be written off, we'd have no objections."
Hearing those words, several of the executives narrowed their eyes—they'd expected as much. A superior near Tahnia muttered under his breath.
"Well, of course they'd go there. But in terms of the amount—"
One of the executives spoke.
"That's just too much... We're grateful for the cooperation of both nations, but isn't the debt enormous? That sum would be... Very well, how about twenty percent?"
They'd originally intended to settle for reducing it to roughly thirty percent, calculating that rates would return to normal over time and planning to use this to ease dissatisfaction.
It was bait, after all.
Gastone's eyes went wide.
"What?! Our cooperation is worth only that much?! It seems Zayin and Rolfis have no understanding of how much we've invested in this battle. Very well then. We'll add another two thousand—but wait, we won't have enough supplies at that rate."
Rombolt nodded as well.
"Gastone, we've been informed that Baim will provide the supplies. There's no need to worry. Still, to value us at only twenty percent... Very well. We'll accept leaving ten percent of the debt outstanding."
The two refused to back down even after that, and ultimately, with Baim facing the burden of front lines that were virtually guaranteed to collapse, they agreed to cancel seventy percent of the debt.
In exchange, Baim stated that they could not provide compensation for war dead.
The two senior officials spoke with smiles on their faces.
"Well then, we'll head back immediately and report to Lady Aura."
"I have preparations to make at Rolfis, so this is where we part ways."
After the two departed, several of the executives lingered.
"Even if the damage reaches tens of thousands, as long as the debt gets reduced, there's nothing to complain about. A greedy priest and chancellor, those two."
"Compensation for war dead and the wounded—they'll come crying to Baim for that anyway. No problem."
And so the meeting continued, with the topic shifting to the defense of Baim.
Tahnia was pondering who might be pulling the strings behind the scenes in both nations—
(Could it be... Laiel?)
"How many Valkyries can we assemble before the Monsters' army starts moving? I want them built as quickly as possible."
I showed up at the mansion's warehouse and asked this while watching Damian and Old Man Ratata assembling a Golem.
The skeletal frame of a human was complete, with various mechanical components being fitted onto it.
The torso, arms, and legs were all being crafted separately, and right now it didn't look anything like a woman's form. A conical tank filled with liquid had also been prepared, and just looking at the whole setup, it really seemed like some shady experiment was underway.
Damian pulled off his gloves and said:
"That's sudden. This one costs a fortune, but if we simplify the build and keep going... the cost would be steep, so maybe five?"
Old Man Ratata, resting his tools on his shoulder, said:
"If you want the same as this one, three. But more to the point—why the sudden rush?"
The two of them had been holed up in the mansion's warehouse, cheerfully assembling Golems, completely oblivious to what was happening in Baim.
I explained the situation to them. Damian listened, but didn't seem particularly interested.
"It'd be a perfect field test. But if the enemy is a Monsters' army... you'd better have up to three of these ready."
Damian declared he'd make three Golems — each one worth ten thousand gold coins.
Old Man Ratara nodded along.
"Yeah, that'd probably be better."
Since the two of them said so, I figured why not.
"Then assemble all three. I want to move to the front lines as soon as possible. Actually, we'll need to transport supplies too, so I'll have to make several round trips between Baim and the fortress."
Hearing that, Damian turned and looked at the large Porter.
"We could just use that, right? Have them ship us in at the end. The controls are the same."
I took one look at the modified Porter — capable of carrying enormous loads — and immediately nodded.
"I'd be happy to take you up on that."
Damian watched me, resting his chin on his hand.
"You look busy. Where are you headed this time?"
With a smile, I told him my next destination.
"Vera's place."
Old Man Ratara heard that too.
"The young lady's place, huh. Well, I suppose that's how it'd go."
——He nodded.
(Right. While I'm there, I should fan the flames a bit and see about getting some support. Though come to think of it, do I even need to fan anything?)
Under the directives of the Successive Heads, I was about to set off toward my next course of action.
"That damn string-pulling bastard!!!"
Fidel Trace was in his room, slamming both fists down onto his desk ——.
Just the thought of Lyle was enough to make his blood boil — and the man had the audacity to show up at the Trace household without a care in the world.
"I'm heading to the front lines to protect Baim. That's why I've come to ask for your support… Father-in-law."
Recalling Lyle's smug, grinning expression, Fidel slammed his fists down again and again, each blow further disheveling his already messy hair.
"He figured we'd say the front lines couldn't be held, and when I offered to help — damn it all!!"
Fidel was a businessman too. He couldn't very well tell Lyle, who had resolved to go to the front lines for Baim's sake, that he wouldn't provide a single thing.
He had even promised support if it would just make the man disappear — a small price to pay. And then Vera had gone and —
"W-we're running low on money, but you can take the cannons and rifles we had loaded on the ship. You can even break them if you have to, but you absolutely must come back."
— saying something like that with her head bowed, looking every bit as worried as could be.
It stung, but he had endured even that. However, then Lyle had gone and embraced Vera right in front of Fidel, as if to taunt him.
"I-I'm fine. I'll definitely come back to you."
Something along those lines, while holding his precious daughter in his arms. If his subordinates hadn't been there, Fidel would have put a bullet in him — no. He burned with hatred, thinking he would have shot the man full of lead.
"On top of that, the little brat kept glancing over here, rubbing it in — that greenhorn!!"
Lyle's constant needling had finally pushed Fidel past his limit.
"When the Guild told him to join in, instead of putting up a fight he was practically skipping around with joy… Not a shred of charm in that one. But this is the end of it. Surely even he can't hold back an army of hundreds of thousands of Monsters."
Baim had fortifications prepared, of course.
They had placed fortresses near the border for precisely this kind of situation, but when the Dungeon went berserk and hundreds of thousands of Monsters poured out, there was no way to hold them all back.
It was inevitable that the front lines would be breached. The plan was to thin the numbers at the second and third defensive lines, and as long as Baim's urban core remained intact, they could recover from anything — or so Fidel and the others, as businessmen, figured.
"The Guild is useless too. They went and wrote off nearly all our debt just because two nations were being cooperative. Well, if we use them up this time, they'll be dependent on Baim again for decades to come, so I suppose there's no real problem."
He was regaining his composure, yet even now
his gut
Fidel, whose stomach was churning, was thinking about the amount of support funds for Lyle.
He couldn't very well hand over a pittance on the reasoning that she was going to die anyway.
Unlike the other defensive positions, deployment to the front lines was as good as decided.
"Hmph, picking and prodding at me like that... I'll at least let her see one last good dream."
Thinking that supporting her with three to five hundred thousand coins would preserve his face, Fidel decided to act accordingly.
"Well, if you think of it as one more nasty bug being eliminated, it's a cheap price to pay. Only one left to go!"
Fidel was baring his emotions not as a merchant, but as a father —.