“While logical, I personally do not agree with this.”
It was the night after our positive discussion about sending me out of the city. Putting the brakes on our plan was Elen, with her large stomach.
Amalie and Belta didn’t react, instead choosing to remain silent, making it clear that they were of the same mind as Elen. They felt that I shouldn’t be using my abilities—what they called my “saintly miracles”—all willy-nilly.
“But he’s the only one who can do this…”
That half-hearted support came from Pirna, speaking on behalf of the harpies. Like Sylphy and the others, she’d been with me from the start of this crazy journey and had seen firsthand the sort of things I’d been doing, which meant she knew all too well how I used my powers. Still, the harpy kids were growing fast, and growing more attached to me as time passed. She probably wanted me to stay close to home if possible.
“I do not mind either way,” Grande said. “If you go, I shall follow. If you stay, I shall be here as always.”
“Same here!”
“Well, I’ve got no complaints either way.”
“We shall simply carry out our job.”
Grande and the ogre girls were basically guaranteed to come along since they were my personal security, so they didn’t really care one way or the other. If I left, they’d get to spend more time with me, so they had no reason to be against it. That said, if they aggressively agreed to send me out, it’d be a bit unfair, so they had to stay neutral.
“I’ll also go…”
“Mother, I have plenty of work for you to do here. The same goes for you, Doriada.”
“Boooo.”
The conversation had clearly shifted toward making preparations for my departure, and Serafeeta and Doriada expressed their desire to tag along with me only for Sylphy to immediately shut them down.
Seriously, Doriada? “Boooo”?
“But we can’t just send Kousuke off on his own,” Serafeeta argued. “Grande doesn’t hold an official position in the government, and she’s unfamiliar with noble etiquette, right? Shemel and the others are only bodyguards, and the same goes for the harpies. That means Kousuke would be the only one capable of actually speaking with the local lords, right?”
“Is that a problem?”
“They’re going to try to smother him with women.”
The women spoke in unison. “That can’t be allowed.”
“Indeed,” another added, just a touch more politely than the rest.
How rude. Sure, I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t end up overwhelmed, but did they really think I was that careless…? Actually, never mind. If I started counting how many women I was already in a relationship with, I’d lose any moral high ground I had to stand on.
“And that’s why,” Serafeeta continued, “I think it’d be wise to have a female companion of decent social standing.”
“Sure,” Sylphy said, scanning the room. “But who…?”
Her eyes danced about. She herself couldn’t go, and neither could Melty. Ira was still recovering from the last long trip we went on, so she was out of the running as well. Obviously, Elen wasn’t going anywhere either. Belta was the only one in the group not pregnant, but she didn’t have the social status for official diplomacy. Serafeeta and Doriada were tied up with government work from Sylphy, so they also couldn’t leave.
That left…
“…Sure, fine.”
“…Ha ha ha.”
All eyes landed naturally on Ifriita and Aqual. Ifriita didn’t look particularly displeased, but Aqual let out a massive sigh.
“I’ll go,” she said flatly. “But only because if I don’t, I get the feeling he’ll jump all over Big Sis If.”
“Excuse me?!” Ifriita shouted, her face burning red.
Every woman in the room—starting with Aqual—looked at her with the same knowing, half-lidded stare. I wasn’t some oblivious protagonist. I knew exactly how Ifriita had been looking at me lately. And because I knew what was going on, I couldn’t say anything.
Sylphy watched their back-and-forth with a tepid gaze, then cleared her throat as though she were trying to collect herself.
“Ahem. At present, the adventurer support system that Kousuke has put together using the Adventurers’ Guild and the Merchant Union will continue under his guidance. As far as the magic energy accumulation system is concerned, our country will most certainly see huge gains when it comes to fruition. However, it will take time to advance from basic research to practical application, yes? In that case, we will proceed with the basic research under Ira’s supervision.”
She continued, “I know some of you disagree with sending Kousuke away, but considering our present situation, our top priority must be to secure capable personnel and stabilize the lives of the freed demi-humans. As such, I am ordering Kousuke to depart in the near future. That is my final decision.”
And just like that, Queen Sylphy overruled Elen’s protests and laid down the law. That was how Queen Sylphy of Merinard and the other powerful women—primarily ones I was involved with—decided how to move the powerful chess piece known as me across the board.