第１５７掘：運命の出会いはいりません (Part2)
"Oh, so that's who you're with. I can't slack off then. Dinner starts after the bell rings twice. It goes until the fourth bell, so make sure you come down to the dining hall by then."
"Understood. What about my room?"
"Room 204. Here, take this key. Don't lose it, or I'll charge you a silver coin for a replacement. The room is up the stairs and to the right."
"Thanks."
I took the key and headed into Room 204 with Ria.
"Hmm, I suppose I should say they're doing a good job."
"Yes, I don't think you'd find many places like this elsewhere, either."
"I only really know Weed, so I wouldn't know."
"That place is an anomaly."
Room 204 had two beds, a table in between them, and a closet—it felt quite a bit like a business hotel.
It was made of wood and the beds weren't exactly high-end, but it was kept very clean. As Ria said, it was a decent inn.
"Right then, let's take a break."
I tossed the bag I’d been carrying onto the bed and sat down. Ria placed her bag on the floor and sat on the opposite bed.
"Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask. Is that alright?"
"What is it?"
"It's about this reconnaissance mission, but... don't you think the people in that village are being a bit too rude?"
"Ah, that. Well, if you consider their position, it's only natural."
"Natural?"
This reconnaissance mission, at its core, was caused by the villagers releasing the soldiers on their own, forcing us into a situation where we had no choice but to fight. It might seem unreasonable from our perspective, but from theirs, it was their only option.
"Think about it. If they had executed all those soldiers, do you think the army would never come back?"
"That... I don't think that's possible."
"Exactly. And if they let them go, you know a larger force would come back soon, right?"
"Yes."
"So, their only choice was to abandon the village and flee. But this time, with our help, they managed to repel the Zilba Empire without taking any casualties. That's why they clung to us."
"Clung to you?"
"Yeah. They wanted to keep us from leaving and use this as a chance to gain their independence."
"But isn't releasing the hostages on their own a bit too reckless?"
"Well, they saw us save the villagers, so they probably think we're soft. That's why they let the hostages go without asking. They bet that we wouldn't raise a hand against them."
"I see."
"From their perspective, this victory is great publicity to gather other beastmen and elves to their cause. But even if they gather them, if we—the ones who were at the center of the battle—aren't there, they'd likely face a crushing defeat, wouldn't they?"
"That's true."
"That's why they had to do what they did to ensure we'd stay on their side. They don't know we're important figures from another country; they just think we're convenient mercenaries."
"That makes sense. If that's the case, they really had no other choice."
"Well, I can't say I'm entirely happy about it. But we were the ones who jumped in to save them in the first place, so we have to take some responsibility for the mess."
We were the ones who stuck our necks into this trouble with our first move, so I guess I have no choice but to accept it. It's not like there are only downsides, anyway.
"For today, let's look forward to dinner. While we eat, we can talk to the innkeeper and the staff to gather some information."
"Are we not going to the tavern today?"
"Hmm. Taverns are usually for back-alley rumors. If we were pressed for time, I'd go, but we have time now. Let's gather public information ourselves. Even in public, there hasn't been any talk about the soldiers we repelled."
"Now that you mention it, you're right."
That was true. Even though the soldiers they let go should have been in this city, the city didn't seem to be in any rush or preparing for war.