第２６８堀：持てる者 持たざる者 (Part2)
Before creating Weed, I had to demonstrate my strength to those around me, so I used hardline tactics to make Seraria a general and clashed with Ritea. But that was about the only thing you could call a "battle."
Since then, it’s been nothing but internal administration.
Wait, I’m getting distracted.
I need to finish these confirmations quickly and move on to the next step.
"As you said, Popuri, it’s a whirlwind of developments, but if we don't do this, it’ll never end. Well, I’ll just have to do my best while avoiding any actions that might leave us unable to move. To start, have you looked over the report with the photos of the six captured Holy Sword Users?"
"Yes."
"We have confirmed it. Still, to produce such meticulous documentation in just a few days—Weed’s technology is truly remarkable."
Lara says this while holding the only sheet of white copy paper among the parchment.
Well, photos don't exist here, and handwritten parchment is the norm.
"Eris worked through the night on it. Please thank her when you see her later."
"Ah, Eris-san. I suppose that’s something she would be capable of."
"I see. That makes sense."
...By the way, this document is written in the language of this New Continent.
In other words, we had to register the characters into a computer and create it from scratch.
Eris, Ratz, Rurua, Labyris, Shera, Zargis, and I were incredibly busy with this work right after arriving in the New Continent.
While I can translate using skills, nuances often shift between Japanese and English, so we decided it was necessary to be able to record things in their original form.
"Since you've looked it over, I have a question. Are they definitely the real deal?"
That’s right; I need to confirm if those Holy Sword Users are the ones Popuri knows.
I could invite Popuri and the others to Weed, but the New Continent is still unstable. If a problem were to occur while Popuri is away, our response time would be significantly delayed.
That’s why we’ve simplified the process through reports and our exchanges.
Popuri and Lara re-examine the report on the spot and speak up.
"Without a doubt, all six are the real ones."
"Yes. I recognize their faces as well. However, it is strange. The story that they abandoned the Holy Swords—mementos of their comrades—to groom a girl from Enaria as a Holy Sword User... it just doesn't sit right with me."
"As Lara says, I have a bit of a bad feeling about that story, too."
We conducted this confirmation because, during the previous defense of Zilba and Enaria, there was a girl who claimed to be a Holy Sword User.
If there is a successor, then even if the captured individuals were once Holy Sword Users, they might be fakes or decoys.
However, if that were the case, it would be unnatural not to deploy the next-generation Holy Sword User to defeat us.
"...It seems we'll have to ask the captives themselves. And if they are decoys and are planning to move elsewhere, where would they go? That’s what’s important."
"Even so, Taiki-san already stopped their activities in the Monster Forest. That leaves Cleena’s country and the Demi-human country, doesn't it? We can fly to all the other countries immediately except for one, and that last one is a friendly nation to Zilba. We can move quickly through the King of Zilba."
"Those two countries are definitely suspicious. Since there was already a Holy Sword User active in the Monster Forest, I want to visit both as soon as possible. Popuri, how does that look on your end?"
"Hmm, Cleena’s side is no problem. I’ve already prepared a suitable letter of introduction, and Cleena’s master is a student of mine, just like Samantha’s father. Was it Court Magician now?"
"...Mm. That’s right. But usually, they’re holed up deep in the forest, just researching magic."
"As Cleena says, it will take a little time to make contact. We’ve notified the royal palace, but it will take quite a while for the message to reach Cleena’s master. Well, we have an agreement with the palace, so there’s no problem with leaving immediately. However, in name, it would be an issue not to meet with Cleena’s master."
"I figured. We are, after all, only delivering the letter at the request of Principal Popuri. If we ignore that and start operating, we’ll stand out."
"That’s where the delay in setting up a base will come from. Even if we leave someone behind, we don't have any connections there."
"...That said, we can't just head out today."
"True. It’s just a letter of introduction; rushing around would only make us look suspicious. If we consider it a debut for the Dragon Knight Amanda, a day trip would make people wonder what kind of debut that is."
"It might be safer to wait a little while. Even with the subtitle of 'Dragon Knight Amanda’s Debut,' there’s the issue of Amanda’s own stamina."
We don't mind, but Amanda isn't used to air travel.
And after realizing her precarious position in Roday, she’s currently in the middle of intense training with the other wives, determined to live a peaceful life with Eoid.
Naturally, she’s exhausted.
While we were at the sea, it seems she couldn't even get out of bed with Eoid.
Not for anything "mufu-mufu" or lewd, but physically—due to muscle aches and the like.
Eoid is also undergoing rigorous training from me and Taiki-kun, so the two of them were resting in bed together.
There was no sex appeal to it; it was a state where any movement resulted in strange groans of pain.
"Well, it’s frustrating, but I think we should be patient and focus on organizing the information we’ve gathered so far."
Popuri says this, fluttering the documents.
"True. We might have missed something, and we should make good use of the time we have. 'Haste makes waste,' as they say."
"What is that saying?"
Popuri asks, curious about the meaning of the words I used.
I guess they don't have that proverb here.
"It means that if you’re in a hurry, you’ll make silly mistakes and fail to achieve your goal. Rushing isn't always the shortcut to success. It’s a phrase that means 'hurrying' and 'being fast' are two different things."
"That is well put. I think it’s a wonderful saying."
"Ha, so the continent where Weed is located has sayings like that. My, how truly interesting."