In this continent undergoing progressive fragmentation, the city of ‘Plaque’ is the closest to the ‘Highlands’.

This town, located on the outskirts of human civilization, has a thriving industry related to monsters. To maintain public order, the lord issues requests to adventurers, and the adventurers accept them to subjugate monsters. The subjugated monsters are brought back to town as materials, processed, and sold to the outside. In the process, the lord collects taxes and issues new requests to adventurers. This is the cycle that takes place in this town.

Being close to the Highlands, this land is roamed by monsters that are difficult to subjugate ‘by human standards’ and whose materials are highly valuable. This town, built in such a place, is of extremely high importance to the Heed Kingdom.

Monster materials can be processed into powerful weapons and magic tools, making them highly efficient products for acquiring foreign currency. For that reason, this land is monopolized by the royal family, and the ‘Guardian’ who protects it is a powerful knight deeply trusted by the royals.

Now then, about the ostriches who came to such a town…

They were having a grand time.

Everything they saw, heard, and smelled was new to them. They originally have such poor memory that they can only retain it for about three seconds… but they can sometimes remember the names of objects, like ‘Saw ○○!’ or ‘Know ○○!’. This is all thanks to her ten years of continuous education! Well, it just means that even ostriches have a little bit of intelligence.

What happens when they come to a world they truly know nothing about?

Well… it’s pure chaos. It really, truly is.

“What’s that! What’s that! What’s that!”

“That’s a ‘house,’ that’s a ‘cow,’ that’s… a bald old man?”

“Bald? Bald! Bald!”

“Hey! Why that one!? Stop it!”

The ostriches frantically ask not their mother… but the ‘Chieftain’, the wisest in the flock, about everything that catches their eye. They have, of course, forgotten their own mothers’ faces, and they don’t even know if their mothers are in this flock. All they have is a fuzzy recognition, like… ‘I think she’s probably here’. But more reliable than a mother whose face they can’t remember is ‘everyone’s mama’, Reis-chan. It’s faster and more accurate to ask her, and they even think that there’s nothing in this world the ‘Chieftain’ doesn’t know. That’s why the ostriches bombard her with questions one after another, and start repeating the words that they like the sound of. For the record, the old man whose head had been getting a bit lonely lately looked very sad.

Of course, that’s not all. In this town where they are surrounded only by ‘humans’, meaning there are no enemies for the ostriches to be wary of, the need for them to flock together diminishes. The ostriches, having instinctively understood this, try to escape from the flock.

“Really, I am so sorry about my child! He means no harm! He just seems to have taken a liking to the sound of the word…”

“I-It’s, alright. I-It’s the, truth, after all… sniffle”

“What’s that~?”

“Looks fun~!”

“Wanna go?”

“Let’s go~!”

“Hey, you apologize too… hey, you there! Don’t wander off on your own! Everyone gather over here~!”

It’s not that they want to leave the flock. In fact, they would absolutely hate to be separated from it. However, faced with a world of interest spreading before their eyes, they are not smart enough to stay still. Everyone tries to move as they please, gathers when they hear the ‘Chieftain’s’ order to assemble, and then forgets why they assembled and start all over again. They’ve been repeating this endlessly.

“T-Tough…! I expected this, but I underestimated their abilities…! I’m happy they’re interested in so many things, but! The manpower! There’s not enough manpower!!!”

The Chieftain mutters a complaint she usually doesn’t voice as she tries to get the situation under control.

No, the director of the ostrich kindergarten.

The mood is exactly that of a field trip with everyone. As temporary teachers, the human Kurudius-sensei, the half-dwarf Zadd-sensei, and the elf Amelia-sensei are also doing their best, but… only a few ostriches listen to them. It seems to be only the ostriches who have started to take an interest in people, led by Dere-chan. And unfortunately, these new teachers are not perfect either.

“Hah, hah. F-Finally finished checking on everyone… Huh? Amelia-san and Dere, what’s wrong?”

“I wonder if it’s because she’s a girl. She seems to be interested in the accessories here.”

Reis-sensei, having finally finished checking if anyone had strayed, noticed that Amelia-sensei, to whom she had entrusted Dere-chan, had a very gentle look in her eyes. It seemed the two of them were looking at an accessory stall run by an old woman. Dere staring intently at the accessories, and Amelia-sensei watching her with a smiling face. It’s a very peaceful scene.

Lined up in her line of sight were accessories that even an amateur could tell were made with care. When she spoke to the old shopkeeper, who called Dere ‘a cute little girl’ for staring so intently at them, she learned that they were all handmade by her. On the verge of tears at the thought that Dere had grown enough to finally take an interest in adornments, Reis-sensei peeked at Dere’s face and…

“Eh!? Really!? T-To think her emotions have developed so much… huh? Those eyes are…?”

What she saw there were the eyes of a predator.

“Nom”

““D-Don’t eat ittttttttt!!!””

The teachers grab her by the scruff of her neck and, working together, shove their hands into her mouth. They managed to stop her from swallowing it, but the precious accessory was dripping with drool. The old woman laughed and forgave them, saying ‘What a mischievous one,’ but they couldn’t just return it as it was. Amelia-sensei ended up paying for it out of her own pocket.

W-Well, something like that. It seems things are much easier now that she has assistant teachers, compared to the one-woman operation she’s been running for the past ten years. However, the current situation is that Reis-sensei still has to look after the majority of the ostriches, so it can’t be helped that Director Reis is a little teary-eyed.

At first, they were planning to head to the Adventurers’ Guild to exchange monster materials for cash to do some shopping in town, but now they’re just barely managing to control the ostriches within the town. They are somehow able to move forward, but it’s at a snail’s pace. In that slowly moving group, an ostrich-chan, having forgotten what was said just a moment ago, tries to repeat the same thing, and Director Reis literally runs around to stop it.

Just as Director Reis was starting to think, ‘I-I can’t take it anymore. Let’s turn back…!’, an incident occurred.

In the first place, ostriches are quite the gluttons. Because ostriches run a lot and play (hunt) a lot every day, the more they move, the more they have to eat. Of course, it’s possible to endure hunger by staying still… but today’s ostrich-chans have been moving a lot.

They munched on a lot of orcs for breakfast, but then there was the travel to this town, the waiting time while Director Reis was fighting, and the big rampage after arriving in town. Even though they had a proper breakfast, it was the time of day when they would start to get a little peckish. Yes, it was precisely the time when one would want a snack.

“Hungry?”

“Hungry!”

“Snack!”

The moment someone said that. The surrounding ostriches began to realize the state of their own stomachs from those words. That’s right, ‘We wanted a snack!’. If this were their usual highlands, their leader, Chieftain Reis, would have already made a hunting plan in advance and prepared food by the time everyone got hungry. However, this is a town, and as for suitable prey… there are ‘a lot’ of them, but they instinctively sense that ‘if we take that one down, we’ll probably get in a lot of trouble,’ and manage to avoid it. They were very ‘easy prey’ because they were weak and numerous, but even the foolish ostrich-chans could understand that much. So, they look for other snacks.

Looking around with their big, round eyes… they found a place nearby with a lot of fruit. It seems they decided to bring their friends to check it out.

“Oh, a group of beast-kin is rare. Welcome.”

When they arrived at the place with lots of fruit, a human-san spoke to them. They should be using the same language, but they have no idea what the person in front of them is saying. However, they could understand that the fruit lined up here clearly belonged to this human-san.

‘Taking someone’s things is theft.’ An ostrich wouldn’t understand something so complex, but they know enough not to eat something that belongs to someone else without permission. They feel like their mama (Reis) taught them that a long time ago. To remember something from so long ago, ostrich-chans are so smart! …But right now, they’re very peckish. And there’s some nice-looking fruit right there. They’ve never seen it in the highlands, but it smells sweet and is definitely delicious.

As they continued to stare at the fruit while thinking such things, the human-san guarding the fruit, perhaps unable to watch them any longer, spoke to them.

“You like it that much, huh? …Can’t be helped, I’ll give you one as a present. You just got to this town, right? I’m practically giving it away!”

I’ll say it again, long conversations with ostriches are absolutely forbidden. Because they won’t understand a thing. Therefore, the ostrich-chans didn’t understand what the human-san in front of them said. There were a few words they could understand, but they forgot them all while trying to remember their meanings. However, they did understand that this human-san said something like, ‘It’s okay to eat’.

The human-san spreads his arms, appealing, ‘Take one each, whatever you like!’. The ostriches look back and forth between the human-san and the fruit-san.

That’s right, they understood it as, ‘You can eat all the fruit here’.

Once they understood that, things moved quickly. The ostriches plunged their mouths into the pile of fruit all at once. And reacting to that sound, the other ostriches also began to run towards the place where the fruit was. The human-san, or rather the fruit-seller’s, resistance was in vain. Nearly a hundred ostriches flooded the store at once, and the fruits disappeared one after another. And as good? bad luck would have it, all the fruit there had been selectively bred. It was fruit that had been manipulated with magic to enhance sweetness and other qualities, not just to produce better fruit like in Reis’s previous world. In other words, it was much more delicious than the fruit found in the highlands.

They felt like they heard a voice ‘from someone’, but everyone was in such a rampage from the overwhelming deliciousness. Before they knew it, all the fruit had disappeared from their sight. But, the ostrich-chans’ stomachs were just right. They had a delicious snack, and their bellies were full! They were truly full of energy. Feeling cheerful, they all began to move as one, intending to venture out into the town full of interesting things once more, but…

They notice something is wrong.

Yes, their skin is tingling intensely. Unbelievably so. Faced with this strange phenomenon, the ostriches’ small brains all start working at once, and they arrive at a single answer. They recall a scene from the past. They don’t remember the reason at all, but it’s the sight of their leader, when she is truly angry. The ostriches are feeling the exact same tingling on their skin now. At this point, even the ostrich-chans can connect the dots.

Suppressing their cold sweat and trembling, they fearfully turn their necks toward their chieftain. Their leader…

“Myyyy deeeeear~ chiilldreeennn?”

There she was, the chieftain, clad in a strange, bright red aura of anger, her hair standing on end, with the very look of a demon.

““”W-We’re soooooorryyyyyyy!!!”“”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Haaah. Dammmmn, I’m exhausted.”

After finishing the ‘punishment’ for my kids, I apologized to the fruit seller and promised to pay for everything in full, and was now heading back out of town with the genuinely crying ostriches. I don’t know where their usual cheerful energy went because of my anger, but everyone is pretty down. They’ll probably be back to normal after a day’s rest, but I regret getting a little too angry.

No, I know it’s my fault for not being able to stop them… but I felt I had to scold them when they did something wrong.

These kids are hopelessly stupid, but it’s not like they can’t remember anything at all. Even a single word like ‘food’, they say it with the understanding that ‘it’s something necessary for me to live’. They’re fools, but they’re not without intelligence.

Therefore, scolding them so they don’t do the same thing in the future is something I absolutely must do. They seem to remember a fragment of it for about a month, and even after that, they’ll remember it if there’s a trigger. Well, sometimes it’s impossible, but… anyway, I have to teach them that what’s wrong is wrong. That’s my role as the chieftain who leads these kids, and my role for bringing them from the highlands.

“I thought it might be a good experience, but… maybe it was a bit too soon.”

I myself might have been a bit hasty in the face of civilization. It would surely be a good experience for these kids, but I should have taken it in more stages. This calls for reflection, it does.

“A monetary economy might be impossible, but… maybe I should try again after they understand at least bartering. The revenge, I mean.”

I don’t know if they’ll understand, but as long as we’ve left the highlands and are living in a civilized society, they’ll need to acquire the common sense to adapt to this society. Considering the danger level of that highland, the choice to return there is only for when we’re truly at a loss. Well, it’s a last resort. I don’t want to go back, but just having a place to return to is good, so I’ll think of it that way.

“Well, the fruit seller wasn’t that angry, or rather, it felt like he hadn’t fully processed the scene that unfolded before his eyes… He forgave us, but I have to go apologize again later.”

As I said earlier, I’ve promised to pay for what my kids ate, or rather, I’ve asked the adventurer team members who are currently acting separately to pay for it.

After getting my kids back outside, I asked them to exchange the monster materials we brought for cash. The funds obtained there will be used to pay them directly. The shopkeeper, after rebooting somehow, was laughing and saying, ‘It saved me the trouble of selling! I’ll prepare more next time!’ but…

“No, it’s no good to overthink it. For now, let’s switch gears and move on. Hey, you guys~. Gather ’round~.”

“Uuu…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Bad kid, bad kid.”

Ah~, yeah. This is bad. It’s the same every time, but the guilt is immense. But they won’t remember with just a normal warning… Is this child-rearing? It’s tough, really. Well, it’s probably different from normal humans in many ways, and there are probably places where I have it easy because they’re ostriches, but… you know, I want someone like a professional educator. Won’t someone work for a daily wage of one whole orc meat?

“Yes, yes, I’m not angry anymore. It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Not angry?”

“Not?”

“Not at all. Now, let’s cheer up, okay?”

I reassure them one by one, gently stroking their heads. They’re probably depressed and scared of being abandoned by me, or rather, by their comrades. We ostriches are creatures that live in flocks; we can’t survive in the highlands without a flock. Therefore, we get along and help each other. In other words, a being that tries to go against that movement—a being that causes trouble for someone, that causes trouble for the flock—has an increased risk of being kicked out of that group.

If that happened, we wouldn’t be able to survive. Probably not even me, you know?

After stroking everyone’s head and calming them down, I have them sit down for lesson time. They’ve calmed down to some extent, but they’re still a bit down. But if I don’t do it at this timing, it won’t be completely fixed in their memory. If I don’t teach them what was wrong and what they should have done, they won’t be able to survive in society from now on.

Abandoning society and returning to the wild, that’s one option, I guess… But I can’t just erase their choices through my own negligence.

“A~lright, now I’m going to teach you what was wrong. By the way, does anyone here understand now?”

“Because we ate it?”

“All of it?”

“Was it bad?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. You understand properly, good job. But, there’s a little more to the reason…”

In that way, I layer my words. In easy-to-understand words, so that even these kids can get it. They can’t understand long stories, and it’s difficult for them to keep listening to the same content. So I draw pictures on the ground, make up little stories, and try various things to make it stick in their memory, even a little.

“Well, something like that, did you get it?”

“…Maybe?”

“I’ll try my best!”

“Baru baru!”

“Ahaha, then that’s fine. Now go play and have some fun.”

It’s a memory that will probably vanish by the time the day changes, but they must have found some closure within themselves. If they even just remember that ‘If I eat a “human’s” fruit without permission, I’ll get scolded by her,’ it’s a historic achievement. If even a fragment remains, it’s a huge success. Well, I’ve been doing this for about ten years, so I’ll look after you until I die. I just hope you’ll be a little smarter by then.

Alright, now that my kids’ education is done, it’s time to wait for the adventurer party to come back…

“Reis-dono! Sorry to keep you waiting! I’ve brought a guild official with me!”

Oh, speak of the devil. But a guild official? What’d they come for?

Turning to the direction of the voice, it seems the people from that adventurer party have returned to where we’ve set up camp. And the man following behind them, is he a guild official? I thought I had asked them to exchange monster materials for cash… did something happen? Or did an official come to explain directly to avoid trouble?

“I’m the head of appraisals at the Adventurers’ Guild. Pleased to meet ya, Reis-san.”

“Thank you for your politeness, the pleasure is all mine. I had asked Kurudius-san and the others to handle the sale for me… did something happen?”

When I say that, he says, ‘Aye, it’s about that very matter,’ and takes a bundle of documents from his pocket. He looks young, but he talks like a pretty distinctive, or rather, a seasoned old man. He looks like a human, but I wonder if he’s not… No, seeing Amelia-san and the others makes me think. Amelia-san looks very young, you know? But being an elf, she’s lived for nearly four-digit years and is at a level where she doesn’t even know her own age… so looks are seriously unreliable.

So this person might be ridiculously old despite his appearance, or he might just be a person with a strange way of speaking. It’s probably safest to just ignore it. Besides, we ostriches are pretty deceptive with our looks too. I don’t know their exact ages, but our flock is full of lolis and shotas with baby faces despite having reached the age of a typical human father or mother. It’s just the way our race looks, and their intelligence is completely undeveloped… From the outside, we’re just a group of kids. I’d rather not poke that hornet’s nest.

“We’ve confirmed the orc subjugation proof parts from the materials you brought in this time. We’ll be sending an investigation team to the orc settlement later, so once we confirm the annihilation, I think we can pay you a bonus for destroying the settlement on top of the subjugation reward. But the other materials are a tricky bit o’ business. An Earth-Dragon, ya say…?”

Ah, its teeth. The teeth that were packed in its mouth like some kind of crusher. The ones bigger than a person’s face, right? We got a lot of them, and I heard they’d sell for a high price, so I brought as many as I could carry… but were they just worthless junk?

“Not at all! That’s a material we’d be thrilled to buy! Only, it’s a material we ain’t never seen before, y’see? A perfect appraisal is difficult, it is. Our guild is a business of trust, after all. If we trade at a strange price, it’s our heads on the block.”

“Heeh~”

“But, y’see? It’s clearly a high-value purchase, that’s for sure. There’s a lot of it, and at best, it’s a deal that could be sold to a nation. But in that case, our policy is to put it up for auction and drive up the price. It’s likely to take a fair bit o’ time.”

“Hae~”

“So, I came today with a proposal.”

Saying that, he takes out another bundle of papers from his pocket and shows it to me. Let’s see, what’s this~? A proposal for the guild to buy it at a minimum price for now, and then pay the amount after deducting the commission from the price it fetches at auction later? Hmm, sounds good.

“From what I’m hearin’ from young Kurudius, you need money right away, yeah? It’s a tasty material for us too, and we can expect a pretty good profit. Even at the minimum price, it’s likely to be a payment at a level where you could easily buy a house… so, how ’bout it?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Please proceed with the plan you just mentioned.”

“Oh! Thank you kindly~!”

Well, for us, it’s a material we have no use for, honestly. Ostriches don’t have a culture of processing things in the first place. I believe Amelia-san said that the Earth-Dragon material has a very high affinity for earth magic, and it can be made into magic tools or weapons. It’s apparently a very good material… but since we don’t have the technology to do anything with it, it’s just a treasure we can’t use. We have no choice but to throw away the parts we can’t eat.

Therefore, if we can earn currency by selling it off like this, that’s fine. I glance over at Kurudius-san and the others, and there’s no particular change in their expressions. Amelia-san, who has a high opinion of us thanks to Dere, is also nodding, so it’s probably not an unfair contract.

He did say earlier ‘the guild is a business of trust,’ so maybe they’re solid in that regard.

“Well then, I’ll go through the payment procedures right away, so please wait a moment. This is the itemized statement. Well then.”

Handing me some of the documents, he quickly returns to the town. He’s a hardworking person… hm? What’s wrong, my downcast brother? Are you still dragging your feet over getting scolded for eating fruit earlier? I’m not angry anymore, so cheer up… huh? You’re interested in this paper. This, you see, is an important document. Selling things and receiving money, the contract for that is written here. This is what proves the ‘exchange’ I was talking about earlier… but I guess you don’t understand the concept of ‘exchange’ in the first place. By our standards, any assets are like the property of the entire flock, and we all share them.

“Don’t get it.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Ah~, it’s no good today. C’mere, I’m not angry. Let me pat you~.”

Saying that, I place the ostrich’s head on my lap and gently stroke it with my wing. There, there, you’re so cute. I think you’re probably older than me, but you’re a spoiled one~. Well, you’re like a child forever, and I don’t mind interacting with you. You look like a child, after all. So I don’t care about age at all, but sometimes I face reality and just go completely straight-faced. …Well, anyway, I’m glad you guys stayed looking young. If you had that personality as an adult male, the picture would be chaotic.

Besides, I’m a guy on the inside.

Maybe because I’ve been a mother-substitute, or rather, a kindergarten teacher? for nearly ten years, I rarely worry about gender. Sometimes I remember and think, ‘What am I doing?’, but I was happy even when I was being pushed around by the kids, so I don’t really mind. I don’t, but… since I’m a TS, I’ve completely skipped the appropriate events I should have gone through. You know, TS, I was a guy in my past life but got reincarnated as a girl, so? Being flustered by a girl’s body, or being nervous about the distance with a woman being different from when I was the opposite sex, that’s a classic, right? But I’ve always been the chieftain of the flock, and in the beginning, I was just trying to survive. To survive in that harsh environment, the flock needed numbers, and to maintain that, I had to use my head. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve been able to think about things other than survival, and by then, I had already accepted this body as my own. My mind is an extension of my previous life; it hasn’t changed, you know?

“Thinking about it, we’ve come a long way.”

“Forward?”

“Forward~”

“…As always, how adorable.”

“Right? Want to try, Amelia-san?”

Her face, like she was looking at something heartwarming, calls out to me. She’d probably get angry if I forced it, but if it’s someone she’s let her guard down with, I think she’ll lie down or sit there if you pat your lap. Dere is… oh. She’s lying down, looking depressed.

“? She didn’t charge the fruit stand, did she?”

“Hm? Ah~, right. This wasn’t normal. Uhm, when most of the flock messes up and gets scolded by me, my kids usually think, ‘I got scolded too!’, and even the uninvolved ones get dejected.”

Usually, or rather, in the highlands, there were times when even the time to get angry was precious, so the targets were at most a few individuals. Even if it spread, it would be contained to about a dozen. But in the incident just now, a considerable number of them were the target. Because of that, it affected the uninvolved ostriches other than the parties involved, and the entire flock is in a ‘we’re sorry mood’. It’s cute, I guess, but from the side of the one who got angry, the guilt is incredible.

“…I can imagine. You’ve worked hard, Mother.”

“Mother! I don’t have a partner, let alone a child! Ahahaha… haah.”

“Ah, so they weren’t your biological children.”

I laugh out loud like that, but well, that word saves me quite a bit. No really, having someone to talk to, even for a small complaint, is this wonderful. ‘Conversation’ is important after all. Let’s talk a lot more~! And please teach my kids to be able to do that too~!

“…That’s a difficult task.”

“Aha~! But I have high hopes, you know? When we were in the highlands, I was the only one who could stimulate these kids. But now there are many more people, and even the environment is different. Even if these kids forget now, they might remember someday. It’s not like their memories don’t stick at all, you know~.”

That’s why I have such high hopes. So I hope you’ll be friends with these kids for a long time. Ah, of course, I want you to get along with me too.

“…Oh. So? The three of you are still here, so you must have had some business, right, Kurudius-san?”

“Yes, but you and Amelia were having such a nice chat… I thought it would be impolite.”

“Oh! Sorry about that! So, what’s up?”

“A small question, and to offer our thanks. …Thank you for bringing us to town.”

Ah, that’s right. I accepted the ‘request’ to bring these people to town, and that’s how we got here. With the first conversation using body language and my kids’ rampage, I completely forgot. My bad, my bad. Well, for now, let’s accept that thanks. But from our perspective, you brought us out of our habitat. So you don’t really need to thank us, you know? But if I don’t accept it, knowing the good-natured Kurudius-san, it’ll turn into a deference battle.

“So, what’s the question?”

“It’s a personal one, but… what are you going to do from now on?”

“From now on, huh~. Well, I guess we’ll borrow a spot outside of town for a bit.”

It’s only our first day in town, but we’ve faced a lot of problems. But it’s within my expectations, and the reaction from the townspeople isn’t bad. They didn’t suddenly throw stones at us and say ‘Get out!’, and even though we messed up, it’s still within a range we can cover.

Thanks to the guild person earlier, we should be able to get some money soon, and when the auction is over, we’ll get even more. In other words, there’s nothing we need to do in a hurry. From here on, it’ll be a phase of trying various things while believing in the possibility of the ostriches’ growth, I guess? Since we don’t feel the danger to our lives like in the highlands, we can try various challenges.

“For now, I think I’ll go with having my kids try whatever catches their eye or whatever I can think of. Well, for today they’ll be useless during ‘reflection time’ anyway, so we’ll take a break though~.”

“I see…”

Ah, that’s right. I hadn’t thought about dinner tonight. Thanks to my kids charging the fruit stand, their small appetites might be satisfied, but if I don’t prepare something for them between tonight and tomorrow morning, they’ll get hungry. …What should I do? In the end, the goal is to have an elegant dinner at some restaurant, a civilized meal, but I can’t possibly imagine being able to do that now. But if I don’t try, I’ll never achieve my goal. Should I try my best to go buy something, or should I search for monsters in this area and make a meal like usual? Muddling through with that is also an option.

“Which do you guys prefer?”

“Not hungry…”

“Not…”

“But if you don’t eat, you’ll be hungry tomorrow and won’t be able to move, you know? …Right, how about we splurge a little and eat something delicious? Honestly, I don’t know the prices or anything, but it’s the first day, so it should be fine to go a little extravagant.”

I say that, trying to humor my kids. Since our bond has deepened, should I invite Kurudius-san and the others too? I mean, whether we buy ready-made food or cook, we’ll need help from someone other than an ostrich anyway. Ah, I’ll pay for dinner, so could you help us out? Of course, I’ll include Dere for Amelia-san…

“Fufu, yes, of course. I’d help even without that. Kurudius and the others seem… fine with it. Well then, if that’s decided, let’s go to a merchant who deals in foodstuffs or…”

“Did you call?”

“Pyah!”

“So startling!” “Wah!” “Enemy!?”

“Food!” “We’ll get ’em!”

The moment Amelia-san said ‘merchant’, a man appeared from behind her, his head poking out to the side. Amelia-san’s scream echoes, and behind her, the sound of Dere’s feet as she instantly stands up and shifts into a battle stance. And then my kids react to that and cry out. …Eh, wait a minute? Even I didn’t notice… who’s this guy? An acquaintance… doesn’t seem like it.

And as for my kids, it’s good that their switch to combat is fast, but stay, stay. Calm down, everyone. If you’re going to annihilate someone just because you were startled, the humans won’t be able to survive from now on, you know? So let’s not, okay?

“Oh! My sincerest apologies for startling you. I am Aran, a merchant. I simply caught the scent of business on the wind… and felt compelled to call out.”

The man, with his hair slicked back and slightly narrow eyes, says apologetically. Apparently, according to him, he came out of town with the guardian soldiers who protect this town. Hm? Is he perhaps a purveyor to the government or something?

“Yes! That is quite correct. I have the honor of serving as a purveyor under Matilde-dono! I heard from the soldiers that they were setting up a tent so that the new arrivals could rest outside the town! I thought you might be in need of something and came. I apologize for eavesdropping, but… are you preparing for a party?”

“Ah, yeah. Something like that.”

Looking in the direction he’s pointing, I can see soldiers preparing to pitch a tent. From his story, did Matilde prepare this for us? I’ll go ask if we can use it later. Honestly, we’re fine with sleeping outdoors, or rather, we’ve only ever lived by sleeping outdoors, so we were fine with that here too, but if she’s going to the trouble of preparing it, let’s accept her kindness. I don’t know if my idiots will know how to use it, though.

“In fact, I deal in a wide range of goods, and foodstuffs are my firm’s specialty. You’re a large group, I see… I’m sure I can make it worth your while, hmm?”

…What’s with this guy? Is he a merchant with really sharp intuition, or does he just have good ears? He’s so quick to talk it feels super shady. I certainly respect his courage in talking to a group, and I admit that the faster you act, the better, but… since we bought out all of the fruit stand’s products, did he hear about that and come? Not even a few hours have passed, and if so, his hearing is too good.

“I also heard from Matilde-dono that your arrival would increase the town’s overall food consumption. We are currently preparing at a rapid pace. In fact, we are also currently releasing our stock of long-term preservation food, and we’re having a special discount campaign right now!”

Hmm, a discount, eh? That, I appreciate. But the fact that Amelia-san and Kurudius-san haven’t let down their guard yet, and most of all, this rapid-fire sales pitch. Plus that shady atmosphere, I don’t think he’s someone I can trust completely.

But well, the fact that no one is denying he’s a purveyor to the government means… he must have a certain amount of social credit. While stroking the heads of my kids who still haven’t let down their guard, I answer his question.

“Oh, really? Then maybe I’ll take you up on that. Since you’re recognized by ‘Matilde’ as a purveyor, you probably won’t do any funny business, right? For now, could I ask for foodstuffs, cooking utensils for a large group, and maybe some camping equipment?”

“Of course! Leave everything to me!”

Oh. He didn’t change his expression one bit even when I brought up Matilde’s name. Then maybe it’s okay to just ask for everything. If I find out he’s cheated me, I can just turn him into ‘food’ in the worst-case scenario. If I’m going to be looked down on and preyed upon, I’ll do that much and more.

“Well then, just take care of it. As for the payment… ah, right. The guild person is going to bring the subjugation reward soon. I’ll give you all of it for now, so can you give me an itemized list and the change later? Ah, of course, please provide something that will satisfy all of my babies.”

I show him the statement I just got from the adventurer’s guild person and convey my current financial power to this guy. Then, his face, which looked like it was plotting something with its narrow eyes, breaks into a grin, and he begins to speak with great confidence.

“I see, I see, so you are testing my ‘skill’ and ‘trust’ as a merchant! Of course, I accept your challenge! Is there anything you cannot eat?”

“Nope, I don’t really know how to cook the stuff here either, so I’ll leave it to you.”

“Understood! In that case, as a service this time, I will arrange for a cook! Of course, I will not charge you for this matter!”

Exchanging such words, we calmly form a contract. Well, I don’t even understand the currency units of this country, let alone the market price. Since he’s a ‘purveyor’, he’s probably not that weird of a guy, and he’ll probably do his job properly. And if he doesn’t, that’s that. My kids are all gluttons, but I, of the same species, am also a big eater without exception. The more ‘food’, the better.

But his ‘eyes’ are like he’s trying to probe me. Even if this transaction is legitimate, it seems I’d better be careful.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Delicious! Delicious!”

“What is this!? I don’t get it!”

“Delishishish! …Delishishish? Delish!”

“Seconds! Seconds!”

“Ahahahahaha! It’s bugging out! What is that, that’s absurdly funny!!!”

In Plaque, the town where the ostriches from the ‘Highlands’ located in the central part of this continent are staying. A scene that could only be described as chaos was unfolding in this town located at the southern tip of the Heed Kingdom.

The food brought by the man named Aran, who had the face of a ‘purveyor’, was transformed by the hands of the cooks staying in town into something the ostriches had never known called ‘cuisine’. In the first place, for the ostriches, ‘food!’ is basically ‘raw’. Although they learned to cook with heat from their chieftain, Reis, their wings and their brains made it difficult to even start a fire.

Reis herself, wanting them to eat delicious things if possible, had tried to cook many times. However, in the highlands, it was difficult to secure safety for a long time and to do the detailed work of starting a fire, so they often ended up eating raw meals.

Therefore, for them, ‘cuisine’ was completely unknown. For this flock, where only Reis understood the concept of seasoning, what a professional human cooked was nothing short of a potent drug.

The result is this.

Dishes that make the raw meat they had been eating until now seem like paper clay or something. Some pass out because their brains can’t keep up with processing the information due to the overwhelming deliciousness, some’s tension explodes from the deliciousness and they run around and crash into the defensive wall, and some, for some reason, start spinning at high speed on the spot. In any case, it’s an incredible situation.

And, Reis, the chieftain, ‘everyone’s mama’, who should originally be the one to calm this down…

“Ahahahahahaha!!! What’s with that behavior~! Aha~!!!”

She was completely, ‘wasted’.

A party, no, a banquet means booze. Aran, being considerate, brought grape wine, and she’s happily gulping it down. It seems she’s a cheerful drunk, and she’s been laughing nonstop for a while now. And her voice is much louder than usual. Her cheerful laughter echoes around, and the mood of the ostriches, which was initially down, recovers, or rather, skyrockets. Add to that the delicious food, and their good mood meter has already blown past its limit. As a result, the ostrich-chans are so happy and having so much fun that they can’t help but engage in bizarre behavior. And Reis, seeing that, laughs happily. Seeing Reis so happy, the ostrich-chans get even more carried away. This continues endlessly.

It’s just… so, chaotic.

For the record, the only ones currently having fun are the ostriches; the human-sans were scrambling to do their work. Although they had no complaints as they were paid a large sum by Reis-chan, the ostriches’ eating speed, and the amount of food it took to fill them up. It was very fast, and a lot. The moment the cooking was finished, it all disappeared into the ostriches’ stomachs, and they were demanded for ‘Seconds! Seconds!’ like baby birds.

Was it because their eyes were too innocent, or were they overwhelmed by the ostriches who were running wild from the deliciousness of the food? It’s not clear, but all the cooks misunderstood that they were being looked at with the eyes of a predator. The cooks, realizing ‘If we don’t serve them quickly, we’ll be eaten!’, proceeded with their cooking with desperate expressions. Well, if the service was really delayed, some of the ostrich-chans would probably get carried away and bite the cooks, so it’s not really clear if it was a misunderstanding… Anyway, the kitchen was a veritable battlefield.

What could be called a silver lining… is that only Reis-chan is indulging in alcohol. Did the ostriches judge the alcohol in the grape wine to be bad for them? For some reason, they haven’t tried to touch it. The only one still drinking is Reis-chan, who is gulping down wine with the food that an ostrich-chan brought her, saying ‘This! Delicious! For you!’, as a snack. If the other ostrich-chans had also drunk alcohol, and if there had been a violent drunk type instead of a cheerful drunk like Reis… It would have been a disaster.

Ah, of course, it’s not that Reis-chan was drinking alone and lonely. Looking at the pile of bodies rolling around next to her, you can understand that she was drinking with someone.

“Uuuh…”

“So tired.”

“How is this person still drinking…”

At first, it was a ‘let’s all have a banquet!’ kind of thing, and they were having a fun drinking party including the adventurers led by Kurudius-san and the soldiers who had prepared the tents, but everyone was crushed by Reis-chan. First, the elf Amelia-san was crushed, then the human Kurudius-san, and the soldiers were also crushed one after another. The half-dwarf Zadd-san, who had been holding on, went to spit a rainbow and hasn’t come back.

And Matilde-san, the most important person in this town, also came to the venue earlier, but…

“Ah, Matilde~! Let’s drink together! Ahahahaha!!!”

“Oh, Reis-dono! A drinking contest, perhaps? I made the right choice cutting my work short and coming here…! Still, to challenge me, the strongest drinker in this town… perhaps Reis-dono. You can really hold your liquor! Very well, you’re on!”

And so, she challenged her to a match, but.

“I-I can’t take anymore…”

“Ahahahahaha! I’m so strooong!!!”

And so, she was defeated without difficulty. Matilde-san herself had achieved the great feat of drinking about a third of a barrel full of grape wine. A barrel large enough to stuff a typical adult male into. Such a large barrel. But… her opponent was an ostrich, no, Reis. While Matilde-san was struggling to finish one barrel, she opened and finished off three casks of sake.

It’s an amount that would normally knock someone out with alcohol poisoning, but Reis is still just tipsy… No, she’s not drunk on the alcohol, she’s just drunk on the atmosphere of the banquet and the situation of drinking. Or rather, where is the alcohol she drank disappearing to? Her figure hasn’t changed at all?

Anyway, in that way, she, who you strongly feel should change her species name from ‘Ostrich’ to ‘Heavy Drinker’, was raising her voice cheerfully, looking at the drinkers she had crushed and the frolicking ostriches.

“…………”

Oh, it seems someone is trying to slip out of that chaotic banquet hall. Let’s follow them for a bit…

◇◆◇◆◇

Aran-san, acting as a ‘purveyor’, quickly heads towards the building owned by his firm. He had originally intended to act much sooner, but the beast-kin calling themselves ‘ostriches’ were such big eaters that he ended up having to go back and forth between the warehouse and the venue many times.

When he thought about his true role, the eyes of others were just a hindrance. Therefore, he had kept the scale of his firm to the bare minimum, but… it seems that holding back on personnel expansion has backfired on him.

They were an opponent that required him to help carry food out of the warehouse, and even though everyone had already eaten more than three times the amount of a normal person, their appetite still showed no signs of stopping. He had been looking for a chance to slip away… but it seems he was too busy for that. His true employer is a tolerant and understanding person. So he doesn’t have to worry too much, but Aran-san seems to dislike being late for the ‘appointed time’.

…All clear.

Entering the building and quickly finishing his internal check, Aran-san enters the target room. A mechanism cleverly hidden so that even with his main profession, that of a ‘spy’, it would be difficult to discover. A room that has been protected against eavesdropping from the outside, both physically and magically.

Once inside, he meticulously checks if there are any intruders other than himself in the room, and if anyone other than himself has entered this room before, and then activates the magic circle set up. This was not drawn by him, but based on a blueprint sent from the ‘home country’. If the magically-proficient Amelia-san were to see it, she would be surprised at how exquisitely it was made. It was from a potential enemy nation of the Heed Kingdom, where Reis and the others were.

A nation that has achieved technological prowess equivalent to, or even greater than, the ‘Empire’ in specific fields by concentrating the nation’s total power on research and development in those fields. It was from the Nagan Kingdom, a nation located to the west of where they were.

“Strategist-dono, my sincerest apologies for being significantly later than the appointed time.”

‘It is of no concern. Thank you for your hard work so late into the night.’

When he activates the magic circle, a blue human figure appears there. The hologram-like projection was his superior, the ‘Strategist’ of the ‘Nagan Spies’.

Long-distance communication that crosses borders, a magic that delivers even video in real time. It was a magic that required prior preparation in the form of a magic circle and expensive catalysts that were difficult to obtain without the economic power to become a ‘purveyor’, but its usefulness was self-evident. Nagan Kingdom seems to possess such a technology that can change many things with just this one thing.

“My report. It appears Matilde has hired a ‘Mercenary Corps’. Their number is three hundred, all composed of bird-type beast-kin.”

‘Hoh…?’

The Strategist’s face, which had been smiling gently until just now, changes to a serious one.

‘Is that true?’

“Yes. When I made contact with a member of the mercenary corps, they were described as ‘travelers’, but the soldiers were setting up army tents for that number of people. They are not mere travelers, I believe.”

‘I see, I see… so there’s a possibility that our “plan” has been leaked.’

“Yes. That possibility is high.”

That group is really just a group of tourists, but Aran-san was having a massive misunderstanding.

In the first place, he only noticed the existence of the ‘ostriches’ after the ‘post-fruit-shop-raid-sobbing-incident’. He only learned about the ostriches when he found the soldiers preparing tents during his work as a ‘purveyor’.

Moreover, by the common sense of this world, it’s unthinkable for a group of three hundred to travel all at once. In the first place, human society is not as bad as the ‘Highlands’, but the outside of towns is full of monsters and sufficiently dangerous. Traveling was a hobby for the rich who could hire reliable guards for a long period of time.

Or rather, it’s normal to think ‘aren’t they immigrants?’ from that number.

But if they were immigrants, it’s unthinkable that Matilde-san, the ‘Guardian’ of this town, would lend them tents. It’s a common story for spies from other countries to be mixed in with immigrants, and it would be natural for the army to be dispatched to investigate everyone’s identity.

However, there was no sign of that at all, and in fact, Matilde-san was in a welcoming mood. On top of lending them tents, she even instructed Aran-san, a ‘purveyor’, to procure food for the beast-kin. It was clearly not a normal response.

In other words, from Aran-san’s point of view, it’s not a strange story to conclude, ‘A mercenary corps hired as a fighting force, after our plan was already detected…!’. Even though Matilde-san was just thinking, ‘Ostrich-chans are scary, so let’s be friends’… Misunderstandings are a scary thing.

‘Even so, with the invasion force arriving there tomorrow…’

“I apologize for the late report.”

‘No, it’s alright. The fact that they were “having a banquet” probably means they haven’t grasped the exact timing of the invasion. From what I hear, it seems to be a banquet to show that the ruler is welcoming the mercenaries. …Our exact numbers and timing. As long as this hasn’t been exposed, the first stage of the “plan”, the surprise attack, should succeed.’

The ‘plan’ they speak of seems to be Nagan’s plan to occupy Plaque.

As you know, Plaque is a very important land where high-quality weapons and armor, as well as foreign currency, can be obtained from monster materials. The importance of this land is extremely high; it is a direct domain of the Heed Kingdom, and a deeply trusted knight is stationed there. However, while it is a very important land for the Heed Kingdom, its defenses are only slightly more stringent than other cities. It is by no means equipped with the facilities that would be installed in an important city.

The reason for this is that the town of Plaque does not border any other country. Plaque is surrounded by monster habitats, and the only connection to the human sphere of influence is its own affiliated nation. For this reason, the town’s defenses have little need for ‘anti-human’ measures, and the emphasis is placed on ‘anti-monster’. Therefore, its ability to respond to invasions from other countries seems to be low.

‘So we will build a “corridor” in the monster habitat, secure an invasion route to Plaque. Along with the root of the Heed Kingdom’s high-quality weapon manufacturing, we will seize the nation’s source of income. That was the plan… but it seems a rat has slipped in. We will have to re-examine it immediately. …Thank you, Aran-san.’

“No, you are too kind.”

Just suppressing Plaque would be immediately detected by the enemy, who would then move to recapture it. That’s where Aran-san, who had infiltrated as a ‘purveyor’ beforehand, comes in. Something he can do because he is in charge of the trade between Plaque and other cities. In other words, even if Plaque were already occupied, the ‘purveyor in charge of trade with other cities’ would manipulate the information.

Even if the Heed Kingdom were to ask, ‘Have you been attacked from somewhere recently?’, Aran-san, who can play the role of a messenger precisely because he is a purveyor, would report, ‘Invasion? No, no, Plaque was normal as usual!’, thereby ‘concealing’ the occupation of Plaque. In the meantime, they planned to completely remodel Plaque into Nagan’s front-line base, and eventually devour the Heed Kingdom from within.

‘Now then, setting aside the matter of our intelligence network for a moment… what should we do?’

The strategist-san projected before Aran’s eyes brings a hand to his mouth and begins to ponder.

Even though we have a ‘corridor’, since we are moving on a route that cuts through the monster habitat surrounding Plaque, there is a possibility of casualties among the soldiers. Therefore, we are using the believers of ‘Human Supremacism’, which will become an obstacle to our Nagan’s future ‘continental conquest’, as the main force. However, it would be difficult to manage Plaque, which is home to many other races, as it is, so we have solidified the command with resourceful personnel.

In other words, a unit led by an ‘irreplaceable’ commander who can command ‘disposable soldiers’ gathered from within the country. Neither the strategist-san nor the commander-san likes to waste their own country’s soldiers, even if they are ‘disposable’, and cause great trouble for the remaining families. However, they were also people who could accept that as those who move a nation.

To fight against the surrounding countries and win through to their goal of ‘continental conquest’, the national power of a single small country is not enough. It is necessary to reduce casualties on both sides as much as possible, annex them without any problems, and utilize them as a fighting force as they are. Otherwise, no matter how much they expand their territory, they will wear out and collapse somewhere.

But the problem that arises there is the ideology that infests the Nagan Kingdom, ‘Human Supremacism’. Originally, the Nagan Kingdom was a country created by humans who were persecuted by races with superior physical abilities, such as beast-kin, to protect themselves. The Nagan Kingdom, which gained power by gathering as a same-race group and forming a nation, naturally fostered a trend of looking down on other races as it matured as a nation over time.

Truly, a plague that eats away at our country. And this is extremely incompatible with the surrounding countries.

And as bad luck would have it, the Nagan Kingdom is surrounded by multi-ethnic nations like the Heed Kingdom, where the ostrich-chans are now. In other words, even if they win a war and annex them, sixty percent of the total population is non-human. Even if the leader is human, if they proceed with the occupation with this troublesome ideology, a rebellion is inevitable. Since it is an ideology that has matured over the years, the current situation is that it is difficult to eliminate it easily.

Therefore, considering the possibility of failure, we selected and sent out those with stronger ideologies from within the army, but…

It’s fine if they die. No, it would be better for the country if they died, but to just let them die is nothing but a waste. Above all, the strategist-san dislikes treating people as numbers, and thinks that to let them die meaninglessly, even for the sake of the country, is something to be avoided at all costs.

In the first place, a lot of time and effort has been spent on preparing the corridor for this invasion, training the soldiers, and other things. It’s okay if it fails, but it’s a battle with more benefits if it succeeds.

That was the Plaque invasion plan that the strategist-san was currently thinking about.

‘Basically, the beast-kin race boasts far superior physical abilities than humans. It would be bad if something happened. I can appreciate that general’s popularity and command ability, but he’s a sympathizer of that ideology. There’s a possibility he’ll unconsciously misjudge things. …Five thousand leaves some uncertainty. Let’s send out the trump card.’

“Ghk! The mage soldiers, you mean?”

‘Yes. The operation start time may be slightly delayed, but… it can’t be helped. We will stop the army we are currently moving and have them merge with the mage soldiers.’

It’s no wonder the spy is surprised; after all, the mage soldiers in the Nagan Kingdom are a very important branch of the army trained for ‘decisive battles’. The strategist-san’s pet project, extremely valuable soldiers who possess the power of ‘magic’ that can sway the outcome of a battlefield. For a mere spy like Aran-san, much information is restricted, and they are an existence he has only heard of by name.

‘We can increase the numbers to one or two thousand now, but that would create problems with logistics and coordination. Also, if we increase the numbers too much, we might be discovered beforehand and the surprise attack would fail. To suppress the flowing blood to the maximum, a small number of more powerful mage soldiers is optimal. …Besides, I was thinking of having them gain some practical experience.’

In this world, handling magic requires talent. Magical power resides in all life, but there are aptitudes other than magical power for handling magic.

And the attributes that person can handle are different for each individual. Some can’t use magic, some can only use fire magic, and some can use multiple types of magic like fire and water. Even if their specialties are the same, their power differs due to the difference in aptitude, and the established theory in this world is that no two people have the exact same aptitude.

However, Nagan overturned that.

By dedicating all of the nation’s power in magic development to ‘lightning’ and ‘communication’, they succeeded in a phenomenal technological innovation. By possessing a special magic tool, although there were conditions and restrictions such as ‘being a human who can handle magic in the first place’ and ‘being unable to use anything other than lightning magic’, soldiers who could consistently shoot lightning magic with three times the normal power were completed. Compared to other countries, they succeeded in creating a more powerful mage corps.

‘Lightning magic, when you’re on the receiving end, there’s nothing more troublesome. Since we’ve kept it secret so other countries wouldn’t find out, this will be its first deployment… I’m a little, excited, you know.’

Ostriches are an exception, but humans wear armor to protect themselves. And that armor is basically made of metal. Adventurers might wear leather armor to ensure mobility or for financial reasons… but this tendency becomes more pronounced the more one belongs to the military.

And, lightning magic, with a certain device, can be given the property of chaining from metal to metal, advancing while suppressing the decrease in power. In other words, it can turn the hitherto absolute defense of iron into a complete weakness.

Protecting oneself with metal armor and moving in large numbers. It could be said to be a very effective attack method against such an army. Of course, even if the opponent doesn’t have metal, its power is enough to kill a single person. If that were to be launched all at once, there wouldn’t be many opponents in the ‘human world’ who could win. Furthermore, with the cooperation of the mage soldiers, if they gather all their magic at one point and launch it, they can pierce through any powerful existence. Even if they can’t kill it, they can buy time with the electric shock from the lightning. The strategist thought so, and made his choice.

‘As for the numbers… shall we go with all we can move now? Losing because of a sequential input of forces is the height of foolishness, and I want to raise their proficiency. So let’s send out an additional five hundred mage soldiers. That makes it five thousand five hundred. Against Plaque’s five hundred defenders and three hundred mercenaries.’

“It’s overwhelming.”

‘Yes, a difference in numbers is justice. If the opponent has a “Special War Potential (monster)”, we couldn’t win even if we prepared ten thousand… but if such an existence were present, there would be no need to hire three hundred. Aran-san, though I doubt it will happen, in case of defeat, please continue to act as a “purveyor” as before. If we win, we will give you new instructions from here. I’m counting on you.’

“Understood.”

For the record, they are unaware, but…

According to Matilde-san, an excellent knight of the Heed Kingdom, the fighting strength of a normal ostrich beast-kin is ‘unbeatable even if surrounded by a thousand men’. Therefore, if we assume the fighting strength of one ostrich beast-kin is one thousand… Since the flock’s number is about three hundred, its power is equivalent to or greater than a force of three hundred thousand. Well, the ostrich-chans can’t coordinate, so there’s a limit, but even by a simple calculation, there’s an overwhelming difference.

And, if the story Reis told the elf Amelia is true, ‘Ostriches have a very strong resistance to electricity’. And, ‘To defeat an ostrich with electricity, a lightning strike from an Ancient-class dragon, which is higher than the Elder-class that can easily destroy a small country, is necessary’. …In other words, it’s impossible for a human’s magic to damage an ostrich.

Poor strategist-san, it’s a complete losing battle no matter how you look at it. But from the ostriches’ perspective, it might be a good thing. After all…

The conqueror of the continent. The strongest race, the ‘Ostrich’, is about to be born.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Wake up~!”

“…………Ngh?”

“Wake up~! Enemy~?”

With those words, my brain instantly awakens, and I jump up. The one who woke me was one of my kids, and it seems the entire flock had already sensed some kind of abnormality and was awake. Perhaps because the habits of the highlands were ingrained in my body, I immediately check the flock’s numbers and, after feeling relieved that no one is missing, I finally turn my eyes to where they are pointing.

“…What is that.”

The time is early morning, the sky not long after the sun has risen. A group that defiles such a refreshing morning air is spreading out before my eyes. A group of humans spreads out as far as the eye can see, all clad in similar equipment and lined up in formation. A trained human army. And there are probably about five thousand of them… Wow, this is serious.

“Ah~, yeah. For now, it’s probably best to wake up the ones rolling around over there.”

“Smack? Wake up? Got it!”

“Wait! Gently, gent~ly, wake them up. Just a little poke.”

““”“Okay-!”“””

If they’re woken up by the ostriches’ power, they could die at worst. They might be able to hold back at first, but the moment they forget why they’re doing this, they could start kicking with all their might without a thought. I demonstrate by gently stroking with my wing, ‘This is how you wake them up~’, and then let them act.

Now then. It’s incredibly worrying, but I’ll entrust the others to my kids… I’ll wake up Matilde. The army over there clearly has no intention of fighting yet. With our eyes, we can clearly see the faces of the people in the front row. It doesn’t look like the tense atmosphere before a battle, and whether they’re friend or foe, there’s still time before ‘it’ happens. They are advancing slowly, but that’s just for movement.

If they’re allies of Matilde and the others, we can’t attack, and even if they’re enemies, it’s better to avoid attacking immediately.

Even in war, there are manners. You know, like you can’t attack while they’re announcing their names. There are all sorts of things, right?

Those rules and manners are definitely different depending on the world. Even on my previous life’s Earth, etiquette varied depending on where you lived and the country. If the world is different, my common sense will definitely not apply. So it’s best to just wait and see. I hope it doesn’t turn into trouble, but it’s definitely going to be trouble, I think, as I shake Matilde, who had collapsed nearby, with my wing.

“He~y, Matilde~? Something is clearly wrong, you know?”

“……A-Abnormal, situ… GHK!!!”

“Whoops.”

As expected of a knight, perhaps. She awakens instantly despite drinking quite a bit yesterday. However, jumping up must have been a bad idea. Her face instantly turns blue, and her cheeks puff out. Ah~, yeah. I just finished that cask of sake yesterday, so this way, please? Here, slowly, so you don’t choke~.

I rub the back of the girl who is spitting a rainbow from her mouth, and check my surroundings.

Perhaps because we partied too hard yesterday, all sorts of things are scattered around. The cooks, collapsed from exhaustion, and a mountain of ingredients that probably couldn’t be cooked. The ostriches, who should have eaten that much yesterday, are starting to eat their breakfast from that mountain without permission. And the human-sans rolling around me, being shaken by the ostriches. The people I drank under the table.

I did drink quite a bit… Eh, me? I slept soundly. Did the sake get rid of all my stress? All the fatigue that had built up in my body is gone. In the highlands, there were hardly any days I could sleep properly, and right now, I feel like I could fly. Still, to think I could drink that much. In my previous life, I would have died from acute alcohol poisoning. Ostriches are amazing!

“S-Sorry, Reis-dono. Y-You saw something unsightly…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Water… I can’t really ask my kids for that. Ask another soldier later.”

“Ah, r-right, I will.”

“So, about that… that over there. Is it an enemy?”

I lend her my shoulder and point towards that army. Then Matilde-san’s face turns pale again. Ah, yeah. I pretty much got it from just that. The distance is quite far, but even with human eyes, you should just barely be able to see the yellow flag that army is hoisting. The soldiers who were monitoring on top of the defensive wall have also spotted the enemy army, and it’s getting noisy.

“Na-Nagan…! Why are they here…!”

“Is it an enemy?”

“…Yeah. I haven’t received a declaration of war, but with their army before us, that’s what it means.”

According to her, they are a neighboring country, but one that does not border Plaque. An army that ‘normally’ shouldn’t be in this place, as it’s separated by a monster habitat. However, considering the direction they appeared from, it’s highly likely they came cutting through the area teeming with monsters.

And it’s a number that the town’s soldiers and defense facilities clearly can’t withstand. They’re definitely here to take Plaque. The garrison is five hundred, while the opponent is over five thousand. Moreover, the town’s defensive walls are not that sturdy, and their height is insufficient. Perhaps because it’s designed to counter monsters, it’s very difficult to deal with an enemy that relies on numbers. And above all, our top brass is dead from a hangover, and some of the soldiers were at yesterday’s banquet, so everything is shot.

“Ghk! M-My head…! A cause of death of ‘hangover’ would be the worst for me, why didn’t I hold back when I drank…!”

“Ah, ahaha…”

“R-Reis-dono. What should we do? We clearly have no way to oppose Nagan. That country is rampant with ‘Human Supremacism’. Their response to you will surely be the worst… There should be time to write a letter! If you go to the interior of Heed, you might still…!”

Oh, could it be, Matilde. Is she trying to let us escape? Oh my~! How nice of you. I’m a real sucker for soldiers who try to help people who have nothing to do with them. …And besides, now that we’ve formed a friendship like this, you know? It’s not right to leave them to die.

Honestly, even with that many of them, I don’t feel any fear at all. If I were just a human, I would have been overwhelmed by the number 5,000, even if the opponents were unarmed humans. However, for me now, for me who has survived in the highlands, it’s just a collection of objects. No matter how many ants gather, I don’t feel a threat. It’s that level. My kids seem to be the same, their impression ends with ‘There’s a lot of them!’. In other words, no matter how they move, the danger to us is likely close to zero.

This kind of instinctive feeling is not something to be trifled with. In fact, it’s thanks to this that we ostriches have survived this long. …There are people we could get along with, and I don’t feel any discriminatory intent towards us. In fact, there were even people who would laugh and forgive us even if we ate all of their shop’s goods. There’s an enemy we can defeat right in front of us. Not helping them would be against all reason.

“Matilde, you see. There’s something I want to ask…”

“W-What is it?”

“It’s fine if I just defeat them, right?”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Hmph, didn’t you learn that a sudden change in formation is a burden on the soldiers?”

“Well, I’m really sorry about that. We were just suddenly told by our superiors.”

Surrounded by a large number of soldiers, two men on horseback exchange words.

“…Well, fine. I have been curious about the strength of the ‘trump card’ mage corps for some time. I expect you to perform accordingly.”

The man speaks to the other man, showing his dissatisfaction. A large man with a rich beard, wearing armor that only generals are allowed to wear in the Nagan Kingdom. He is ‘General Derotado’, entrusted with the Plaque invasion plan this time.

He holds the ideology of Human Supremacism and has a lot of support from those with similar ideologies. However, he is a person who can suppress his own thoughts when necessary, and is highly evaluated by the ‘Strategist’. He also has the skill to match that evaluation, and his command ability, necessary as a ‘General’, is above average. Furthermore, although his words are rough, he was a person who could think about the physical and mental burden of the soldiers and act accordingly.

“Yes, yes, leave it to us.”

The slender man who answers is wearing a yellow robe, the color that symbolizes Nagan. From his slender body, you would never think he was a person who went to the battlefield. It would be better to say he is an unhealthy researcher.

He is Nagan’s ‘trump card’, ‘Boble’, who commands the mage corps. Being called out by the ‘Strategist’ for an irregular response, he seems to be a very capable person.

It seems he is not a human supremacist in terms of ideology, and has the objective eye peculiar to a researcher. Also, the knowledge to command an army, the head to understand their own role among these over five thousand soldiers, and the ability to use lightning magic that is a step stronger than the other mage soldiers. He could be said to be a man befitting Nagan’s secret weapon.

“…Well, whatever. Thanks to your magic, we were able to proceed safely through the ‘corridor’. I was prepared for some damage, but the damage is zero. Also, where there was a slight delay in the plan, everything is proceeding as planned. Being able to give the soldiers rest time, which I was debating whether to cut, is a big deal. I’ll thank you for that.”

“Oh, so the general can say thank you.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

The general brushes off Boble’s lighthearted remark with a sigh. In this operation, the plan was to launch a surprise attack at dawn, so it was necessary to have the soldiers make a forced march at night. Therefore, the general was prepared for a certain amount of loss, such as soldiers being killed by monsters hiding in the dark of night, or soldiers straying from the ranks in the darkness. However, all such problems were eliminated by the mage corps that joined midway, and the reduction in burden succeeded in regaining the loss that occurred due to the rendezvous.

There is no delay in the plan, and the damage is less than expected. While sullen, the general seems to have properly thanked Boble.

With a light raise of his hand, the general called over a messenger who was waiting nearby.

“Messenger, make space in the center of the army for the mage corps to enter. They are our main force. Place shield soldiers in the vanguard to solidify the defense. Order them not to let a single person through to the rear.”

“Then, I would also like to request a message. To eliminate the enemy before they can engage, and. Also, please tell them to be careful not to use too much magic for the siege.”

Both of them understand that their ideologies are different, that they are contradictory. However, they align their steps, cooperate, and face the matter. That was simply because both of them had the rationality to cooperate for the ‘purpose’. The rationality to suppress their own ideology and cooperate for the success of the ‘plan’, for the glory of the ‘Nagan Kingdom’. It is an ability that is always required of those in a position to command people, but there are not so many who can actually demonstrate it.

Such excellent commanders in Nagan. They are by no means the best, but it is a lineup that can be confident that the operation will succeed. The soldiers participating in this operation were, of course, confident of an absolute victory, and the two generals present also considered victory a prerequisite. They thought it was important how to win with minimal casualties.

And the ‘Strategist’ who gave them instructions is the same. While waiting for a report of victory from the spy, Aran, who he had snuck into the enemy city, he even had the composure to enjoy tea.

As you may have all realized… let me state it clearly first.

Unfortunately, they are the victims this time.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Alright, line up~! Form ranks~!”

“Okay~!” “Lining up!”

“Lined up!” “Good job!”

“Yes, yes, good job, good job.”

I give instructions to my kids and get them into formation. That said, even if they get in formation, it’ll fly out of their memory in a flash. It’s more of a check to see if everyone is here. You know, in a large-scale battle like this. Isn’t it cool to activate some strategy and defeat the enemy? But that’s impossible with these kids’ heads. I’m the only one who can command them right now, and it’s just a matter of ‘playing around’ freely while upholding the ‘commander at the front’ principle.

“Reis-dono, really…”

“It’s fine, I told you~. More importantly, you’re going to cover our future food expenses as thanks, right? You’d better be prepared~?”

“…Haha, that’s scary. …No, that’s really scary.”

“Now, you hungover folks watch from a safe place. I don’t really know what will happen to these kids, you see.”

I trust these kids, these ostriches. But at the same time, I don’t trust their brains at all. I haven’t told Matilde or the adventurers, but sometimes my kids… ‘look at humans with the eyes of a predator’. Maybe they’ve already noticed, though? Because the target is someone’s favorite, or because I warn them with a ‘That’s a no-no, ’kay?’, there have been no casualties so far. But it’s a pretty worrying matter.

In that respect, visiting the town yesterday was a great success. And the banquet after that too. You can’t eat people, and you can’t attack them. And if you do nothing, there’s a high probability they’ll give you delicious food. That information probably doesn’t exist in these kids’ heads anymore, but it wouldn’t be strange if a fragment of it remained. The accumulation of learning is important in everything.

Well, to be honest, I have no idea if the choice to ‘let them hunt people’ here is the right one. That’s what it comes down to.

From my perspective, I want them to get along with other races, and if we can coexist, I want to. But the enemies of the people who will spend time with me are my enemies. I have no resistance to eliminating them. A normal person would probably hesitate to kill people… but I understand in my brain that the enemy soldiers spreading out before me and I are not of the same species.

I’ll probably be able to do it as usual.

And if I do, these kids behind me will do the same. Ostriches move in a flock. These kids imitate what I do. …But I still can’t judge if that’s the right thing for these kids. Because their minds are so young, my choice, as their parent-figure, could decide their future.

Ah~, this is difficult. I miss the highlands where I could do whatever I wanted without a care.

“Well, this is way better than over there, though.”

“Better?” “Better!”

“Food?” “Enemy~!”

“Not yet?”

“…Sorry. Can you wait just a little longer?”

““”Okay-!”“”

Oh, and! That’s not food, okay! It’s an enemy, but! Even if you defeat them, you can’t eat them! I don’t want them to learn the taste of human flesh! ’Cause the visuals are horrible! I don’t want to eat it either, and I don’t want to see them eating it! You have to promise me that! I’ll give you something much more delicious! Got it? If you got it, answer me!

““”Got it!”“”

Yes, very good. Seriously, don’t forget, okay…?

…Hah. Fufu, that strangely relaxed me. Well, either way, not fighting would leave more regrets, and the option to ‘not do it’ was never there from the start. If we don’t fight, I’ll lose the friends I just made, and the next to come will be a bunch of weirdos with some strange ideology who don’t recognize us as people. I don’t intend to belittle other people’s ideologies, but if it causes actual harm, I can’t stay silent. If we’re going to be persecuted for staying silent, then crushing them before they do anything is the most correct course of action.

“Alright, switched gears.”

“Switch?” “Switch-switch!”

“Done!” “Me too!”

Are you sure? Isn’t it just that you forgot what you were thinking about until just now? And Dere, I know you were waving at Amelia-san on the defensive wall and not looking this way at all, you know? You’d better follow properly, okay? I don’t think anything will happen, but if you’re late, you might get hurt. Got it? You got it. Alright, okay.

Alright, now, where to charge…

Spear walls on the left and right, shield soldiers in the center. I can’t see the back well, but judging by the position of the flags and the enemies moving as messengers… the commander is at the back of the center. I don’t want to kill all of them, so it’s probably better to aim for a decapitation strike through a forced breakthrough of the center.

I don’t know the basics of this army or its command system at all, but basically, if you take out the top, the army collapses. A well-trained army would have the second-in-command retake command, but I can just ‘hunt’ that person too. In other words, if I defeat all the important-looking people, it’s a great victory. I can make adjustments after I charge in, so that policy should be fine.

All that’s left is to charge.

“Alright you guys, it’s about time we go~! Are you ready~?”

““”Ready~!!!”“”

Well, honestly, you guys. The Nagan Kingdom, was it? I don’t have any grudge against you at all, but…

“Just chalk it up to bad luck. …Charge!”

““”WAAAAAH!!!!!!”“”

The moment we started running, the enemy army also moved as if they had been flung.

Because of the considerable distance, I can’t accurately hear the voices of the soldiers shouting orders. But fortunately, ostriches have very good eyes. I can see with perfect clarity who is giving what kind of order, and what kind of movement they’ll make in response to that order.

If I were just a smart ostrich, I probably wouldn’t have understood what they were doing at all. After all, there are no other people besides us in the highlands. Of course, since there are no armies that fight with weapons, it’s impossible to predict and respond. But I have ‘memories’. If I have a brain that carries memories of my previous life and can make simple predictions, responding is easy.

There is still no reaction to the opponent’s strength that I can understand by instinct, the sense of danger I feel on my skin. There probably isn’t anyone on their side who can hurt us. However, it’s better not to take a hit. Let’s avoid what can be avoided.

The enemy army is still divided into three: center, left, and right. The front is heavy shield infantry solidified with armor and large shields. The vanguards on the left and right are light infantry with long spears.

I can’t see well what’s waiting at the back of the center because the shields are blocking my view, but I can tell the troop types of those waiting behind the left and right. Probably normal infantry and archers. Those guys are receiving orders from the commanders of each platoon and company, and are just about to loose arrows at us.

Because there are people in front, it’s not a direct shot but an arcing shot. …Should I increase speed to evade, just in case.

“Speeding up!”

““”Okay-!”“”

The moment the strings, drawn to their limit by the archers, are released, I raise the gear of my speed to its limit and start running. They probably shot considering our speed to some extent. There will be variations, but I can estimate the arrows’ drop point. I run to greatly exceed their predicted point.

In a normal battle, a battle between humans, this would surely be a useful strategy. Reduce the number of charging soldiers with archers, and even if they reach, stop them with sturdy shield soldiers. Then, attack the enemy who has lost their advantage of speed with the spearmen deployed on the left and right to annihilate them.

They seem to have a pretty high level of training, and they’re probably trained to respond to other developments as well.

Then, as I thought, the best way is to break through from the front!

People are most shaken when a strategy they had planned is broken through in an impossible way. In other words, I’ll blow away the heavy infantry, who are prepared on the assumption that they won’t normally be broken through, at an impossible speed, invade the interior, and take out the commander of this entire army. After that, if I just run around in the enemy army and trample them, they should rout on their own.

Fortunately, that lump of iron is light. With that weight, it’s a lightness that would be blown away like a pebble in the highlands…

The moment I had firmly fixed my sights on the opponent I would kick first, a gap forms between the shield soldiers who had been solidified without a single opening until just now. And what can be seen from that gap are the tips of what look like staves, well over a hundred of them.

Ghk, damn it!

By the time I thought that, it was too late. Something yellow is shot out from the tips of the staves all at once. Changing direction is possible, but considering the speed of that magic that was launched, even if I change course now, the rearguard will definitely be hit. If it were just me, I could dodge, but a full-flock evasion is impossible.

I was too caught up in the ‘common sense’ of my previous life! Of course, if magic exists, there’s a specialized branch of the army for it, huh!

If it can’t be dodged, then it’s my ‘duty’ as the ‘toughest’ one to take it. Us, running at the same speed, and the magic shot directly at the flock. The moment they were about to collide, I spread my wings. From the color and the crackling nature of its advance, the magic is likely all lightning-based. I, who somehow managed to withstand the attacks of ‘Biku-Biku’ the Thunder-Dragon, should be the one to take it.

I can’t take it all, but I spread my wings so that I’ll be hit as much as possible, to reduce the damage to the rearguard, and brace myself for the pain.

But.

…………Eh, did it just hit me?

Nothing, nothing happens at all. No, I could confirm with my own eyes that the magic hit my body, but there was no impact, no damage, nothing of the sort. Huh? C-Could it be that my electrical resistance is so high… that it didn’t do any damage?

P-Phew. I worried for nothing. The moment I thought that and tried to catch my breath, I noticed something was wrong. The pressure I feel from behind is much greater than usual. And then I finally noticed. I glance back slightly, and regret it a little. The eyes of all my kids have turned bright red.

The one thing that makes my kids fly into an absolute rage is ‘me being attacked’.

And just now. Even though it ‘had no effect’, I spread my wings to protect them and took the attack. From my flock’s kids’ perspective, it must look like I, their chieftain, was attacked, and that I was hurt trying to protect them. I’m uninjured and perfectly fine, but to these kids, that doesn’t matter.

On top of that, in the highlands, I’ve lectured these kids time and time again, ‘These troublesome enemies that use long-range attacks, let’s take them out first, ’kay?’. Most of them have probably forgotten, but if even one remembers, they’ll all follow, and they’ll all charge ferociously.

Ah, ah~. Yeah. I’m really sorry. When this happens, they can’t be stopped, yes.

Na-Nagan Kingdom-san. D-Do your best to stay alive <3

““”““GYABIBIBIBIBIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”“”“”

My kids let out some kind of incomprehensible cry and charge towards their target. Usually, they’re as fast as me, or a little slower. That’s how it should be, but they’re clearly faster. And because they’re completely swallowed by anger, they have absolutely no ‘mercy’.

The shield soldiers, standing upright to protect the mage soldiers who were supposed to be in the rear, are ‘destroyed’ in an instant. The iron shields are shattered by the ostriches’ leg strength, bisected, and at the same time, the soldiers protected by thick armor are literally sent flying. No, that might still be acceptable. Some soldiers, who were further enraged by an ostrich that was annoyed at having its path blocked, are bisected, armor and all, and some have their heads crushed flat. Before they can even scream, all the shield soldiers are trampled, leaving only flesh, blood, and the wreckage of iron. And what spreads out before the ostriches is a path. A path to the opponent that has enraged the ostriches the most.

I don’t know if it’s a spell or a scream. But the mage soldiers let out some kind of voice and launch the same electrical magic as before. However, even if their resistance is weaker than mine, ostriches are apparently not weak enough to be damaged by human magic. They advance without losing momentum and trample them down. And they do it thoroughly.

To the fact that I was attacked, the element of they themselves being attacked is added. The anger that had already surpassed its limit swells even further, linking to the ferocity of their attacks. In less than ten seconds, all the mage soldier-like existences have been reduced to chunks of meat and pools of blood. The mage soldiers, annihilated.

…………Wow.

Furthermore. As good or bad luck would have it, the ostriches’ anger doesn’t seem to be subsiding yet. Perhaps a soldier tried to attack to help the mage soldiers, because the ostriches, after thoroughly killing the magic-using soldiers, seem to have decided to next attack the enemy who had meddled with them. With their anger unabated, they each begin to move to eliminate the enemy before them.

Their eyes, still stained with anger. They continue to glow bright red.

What should I do about this.

I don’t know if it’s good luck or bad luck for me. But because they’re consumed by anger, it’s certain that the ostriches see the soldiers before them not as ‘food’ or ‘hunting partners’, but as ‘enemies’ and ‘enemies that should not exist in this world’. On top of me being attacked, they’re also attacking other members of the flock. In that case, we have to kill them, something like that.

Fortunately, from what I’m seeing, the soldiers’ attacks are completely ineffective against the ostriches. It doesn’t seem like even a single cut has been inflicted on the relatively young ostriches. If they had demonstrated their true abilities, their trained power, it might have been a different story, but the opponents are in a complete state of panic after seeing the tragic state of the mage soldiers. Organized action is probably impossible now.

When this happens, my kids won’t stop until they’ve had their fill…

Really, what should I do. I understand that it was bad of me to act in a way that looked like I was protecting them, even though I took no damage. But it’s also true that I had no other choice. It’s only natural that I would take the hit if it meant someone in the flock wouldn’t get hurt. But well… seeing this, I feel a sense of pity for Nagan Kingdom-san…

“For-For now, let’s change the plan.”

If the enemy’s command is destroyed, the decapitation strategy I was thinking of earlier has little need. In that case, it would be better to change the plan to capture the enemy’s commander-in-chief and have Nagan Kingdom-san pay reparations or something. If he’s an enemy commander, he should hold a corresponding rank, and such a person would have high value as a prisoner. I’ll do a big favor for the Heed Kingdom, to which Matilde belongs.

“If that’s decided, let’s secure that important-looking person first………… ah.”

The moment I finalized my policy and was about to move. A scene reflects in my eyes.

A group of enraged ostriches charges towards the place where the enemy commanders seem to be gathered. The magnificent old man with the beard, whom I had marked as the commander-in-chief, was trampled by one of my kids. Just like that, splat. A beautiful red stain spreads on the ground.

“A-Achaa… Too late, huh.”

U-Uhm…

E-Everyone, don’t make an ostrich angry, okay! That’s a promise with Reis-chan!

◇◆◇◆◇

“A-Astounding…”

Cheers erupt ceaselessly from the soldiers stationed on the defensive wall. As a commander, I should probably rebuke them since the battle isn’t over yet… but there’s no way Nagan can regroup now. Telling them to stay on their toes would be meaningless.

After all, they were shown an overwhelming difference in military strength of five thousand, and just when everyone had resolved to die as a defense force, they gallantly annihilated the enemy. Faced with such a situation, there’s no way to suppress the emotions welling up from within. In fact, I should probably praise them for keeping it to just cheers.

I can probably let it slide for today, huh.

Thinking that, I take a look at the battlefield again with the ‘Far-sight’ magic tool in hand.

At first, they followed Reis-dono’s command and acted as a group, but… the moment she was attacked by the lightning magic, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed. The ‘army’ that had been obedient until then transformed into an enraged ‘monster’. Thinking about it now, for them, having her, Reis-dono, attacked is equivalent to touching their imperial wrath.

I, who didn’t know Nagan’s mage corps. It was probably a secret unit. My mouth, having seen them instantly slaughtered, naturally spun the words.

“…Special, War Potential.”

An existence that each country has, that can change the tide of battle alone. Even if you prepare ten thousand soldiers, it’s questionable whether you can win. No, rather, an existence that makes you wonder how much time you can buy. That is what are also called ‘Special War Potentials (Monsters)’. Those who can annihilate an army by themselves, those who can cleave a mountain with a single swing of their sword, those who cannot be killed no matter what you do, those who can turn ten thousand into charcoal with a single spell. …They, as a flock, might be counted as one of them.

“Hm? Come to think of it…”

As I was thinking that, I suddenly remembered yesterday. Reis-dono and my mock battle…

“GHK!!!”

Eh, could it be that, if I had made some mistake, we would have become ‘that’? Oh god, oh god, oh god. This is bad, so bad. Way too bad. Even now, my whole body won’t stop trembling? Eh, if I had hurt Reis-dono, it would have been over? Oh god, oh god, oh god.

Through the ‘Far-sight’ magic tool, I can clearly see her, who, while watching the rampage of those under her command, is smiling wryly and scratching her cheek with her wing. In other words, if that happened, even she couldn’t stop it. Realizing that my actions were like tap-dancing on the brink of this town’s destruction, my blood truly ran cold.

I’m glad I gave orders with a policy of reconciliation…

S-So, for now, after the battle is over, we’ll welcome them as heroes throughout the town, right? We’ll show them a pose of being super friendly, right? Not just the soldiers, but I’ll persuade all the citizens until they understand, ‘Absolutely do not harm them, I’m begging you,’ right? And then, prepare food to celebrate the victory…

While watching the adventurers who had served as guides for Reis-dono until she came to this town and the soldiers of my defense force joyfully embrace each other, I summarize my plans for the future. It’s the norm in war, but when you’re in a position to lead people like this, even if you win, thinking about the post-war cleanup, which is grueling work, you can’t really be happy… it’s tough.

Whoops, my thoughts are reverting to before I was commissioned. I must be careful.

Still, that tragic scene. It could be said that it was good that it was far enough from the town. The defense force soldiers are trained to some extent, so even if they see a sea of blood or a mountain of corpses, their attitude towards the one who did it will not change. However, it’s a different story when it comes to ordinary citizens. If this battle had taken place near the defensive wall, the citizens might have felt fear.

If that were the case, the distance between the citizens and them would naturally grow. At first, it might be glossed over by the elation of victory, but eventually, fear would win. And people would start to move to somehow eliminate what they fear. If some fool who can’t understand things threw a stone, this town would vanish from the map in less than a day. Faced with a future that can’t be said to be impossible, as a ruler, it is extremely joyful that they fought in a distant place.

Now, it’s only a matter of time before they are annihilated or begin to retreat. For the victory banquet, I’ll place an order for ingredients with Aran-dono… oh?

The moment I organized my thoughts and turned my gaze to him to act, I noticed something was wrong. My trusted ‘purveyor’, Aran-dono, has turned so pale he looks like he could die at any moment. This is despite the fact that the enemy army that came to destroy this town is being annihilated by our friends, Reis-dono and the others. His face has gone beyond blue to white, and his whole body is trembling, the outline of his face blurring.

…Ah, perhaps this was his first time on a battlefield. I’ve done a bad thing.

I let him climb on this defensive wall, taking his words of ‘In the face of this crisis, there is surprisingly little I can do, but as a resident of this town, at least let me be at the front’ to heart, but he is a ‘merchant’, not a ‘soldier’. It must have been his first time seeing blood, and seeing people die. If it were my own well-trained soldiers, they have enough guts to have a picnic while watching that, but he is an ‘ordinary person’ with no training. The stimulus must have been too strong.

“Aran-dono! My apologies, I had forgotten! The stimulus must have been too strong for you… You there! Take him to the rear and get him something warm.”

“Yes! Understood… and Aran-san, are you really okay? Let me lend you my shoulder.”

“Th-Thank you. My apologies…”

At first, I was wary of him because of the eeriness of his face, or rather, his expression that seemed to be plotting something, but after exchanging words and entrusting him with work, he is a surprisingly capable and trustworthy person. Such people are probably what you’d call ‘a person who loses out because of their face’. …However, with him down, it’s difficult to ask for work. It’s a shame for him, but I’ll have to rely on another merchant.

“Still… If we have a victory banquet like this, it’ll be a hair of the dog for a hangover. I probably won’t be able to work tomorrow, but… oh well! It’s a festival, after all! Let’s finish the post-war cleanup quickly and drink until we drop!”