第２９５堀：表は穏やか (Part1)
**Chapter 295: The Surface is Calm**
**Side: Milly**
"Milly, Kirika, continue gathering detailed information in the Royal Capital. We will be in contact with Popuri and Lara."
"Understood," we replied in unison, then ended the call.
Yuki and the others would handle the finer details from here on out. If anything came up, they would reach out to us, so for now, I needed to focus entirely on gathering intelligence.
"Phew. It’s been a while since I’ve done work this close to my original profession," I said, stretching my body.
Kirika looked at me with a curious expression.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. You know I used to be a receptionist at the guild, right?"
"Yes."
"Before that, I was a low-level adventurer for a bit. Well, various things happened, and I ended up getting hired by the guild pretty early on. My rank wasn't particularly high, unlike Tori or Riel."
"You were an adventurer?"
"Mhm. And I was a scout—basically a specialist in reconnaissance."
As I said that, I drew a knife in each hand and threw them instantly, pinning them deep into the house's wooden pillar.
"Impressive. Between that and your dual-wielding with short swords, I suspected you were speed-oriented, but your style is quite similar to a ninja's."
"Ah, maybe so. Oh, wait."
I hurriedly pulled the knives out and checked the pillar.
"Ugh. I sank them in deeper than I thought."
"Isn't that necessary for a lethal blow?"
"That’s not the point. This is going to be our base of operations; there’s no sense in damaging the place, is there?"
"Ah, I see. Shall I fill the holes with some wood shavings later?"
"Good idea. Since everyone else will be coming here eventually, we can just cover it up with a poster or something."
That’s right—we had already used our wealth to secure a base. We had plenty of money from our past adventures and treasure hunting, so buying a single house was cheap. I’d have to file the paperwork as a necessary expense, or Eris would get angry at me, though.
"However, was this house truly the right choice? It seems a bit small for everyone to stay in."
"It’s fine. I chose it this way on purpose."
"May I ask why?"
"Hmm, we’re here to gather information without drawing attention, right?"
"Yes."
"We’re supposed to be two women who just arrived in the Royal Capital. For two women to live in a house this size is already quite a luxury. If we had bought a mansion like the ones nobles live in, we would have attracted unnecessary attention. That’s why I bought this ordinary, average-priced home. Even the person who showed us the property was surprised when we paid in full, remember?"
"That is true."
"If they were that surprised by a full cash payment for a standard house, a noble’s estate would have been terrifying. Besides, even if it’s cramped for everyone to stay here at once, we’re connected to the dungeon anyway, so there’s no need for this place to be large. Smaller places are easier to guard, too."
"I see."
While chatting, Kirika and I inspected the house. The entrance, the living room, the kitchen—though calling it that might be a stretch—no bath, and a storage room. I had considered a two-story house for more rooms, but that would have stood out too much.
"It’s cleaner than I expected."
"Yeah. The merchant who introduced us to it said the previous tenant hadn't moved out that long ago, so that’s a relief."
According to the merchant, it had belonged to a soldier who decided to retire and spend the rest of his days relaxing in the countryside. Apparently, he was going back to his wife’s hometown to start farming... Personally, I found that quite enviable. I hope that one day, we’ll be able to spend every day relaxing with Yuki, too.
"Well, cleaning shouldn't take too much time. Let’s get it done quickly and decide on our information-gathering strategy."
"Understood."
Once that was decided, things moved quickly. Before I lived with Yuki, I was a guild employee who started every day with cleaning, and since I’m a woman, my mother made sure I learned all the domestic skills I’d need for marriage. Or rather, she drilled them into me.
We used magic to fill buckets with water and did a light scrub of the floors. If it had been a two-story house, we would have had to focus only on the living room, but since it was just the first floor, we were finished in less than an hour.
"Alright, the cleaning is mostly done. Now, about the information gathering."
"Yes. What strategy shall we employ?"
Kirika and I sat across from each other at the table, sipping tea. Yuki’s way of doing things was to think slowly and calmly in times like these, and I agreed with that approach. There was no immediate danger, after all.
"First, before we talk strategy, let’s organize the types of information we need to collect."
I placed a sheet of paper on the table and started writing with a pen.
"One is the state of this country. Things like seeds of conflict, dangerous areas, safe zones, local specialties, and general rumors. Yuki’s contact mentioned several problems are occurring, but we need to see if there are any other troubles we might get dragged into. We need to compare the information from surrounding countries with the information from within this country to see if there are any discrepancies."
You never know; some trivial rumor might lead to information about the Holy Sword or the magic depletion problem. This kind of detailed intelligence gathering was essential.
"Second is the information about the small nation that attacked August, which Yuki just told us about. Yuki and the others are already acquainted with the princesses, so they can handle the military and central government side of things. We’ll focus on the general public."
"The general public?"
"Exactly. There should be people fleeing because of this turmoil. The King is personally calling for evacuations, so there must be people who have already arrived. We’ll listen to their stories and cross-reference them with the information from the central government to get a multi-faceted view."
"Then, in terms of priority, should we focus on the second point first and leave the first for later?"
"Yeah. The first point isn't something that can be solved in a day or two. Right now, we need information on the enemy attacking this country. Especially since they’re supposedly armed with a massive amount of magic swords and enchanted staves..."
"The remaining Holy Swords and magic swords that Master was concerned about. And the possibility that there is someone else behind their creation."