第３２６堀：口八丁手八丁、あの手この手で (Part1)
**Chapter 326: A Silver Tongue and Sleight of Hand, By Any Means Necessary**
**Side: Laraina, Magic Sword User affiliated with the Kingdom of August**
"Will they really be alright…?"
I had voiced that same question more times than I could count. Two days had passed since the declaration of war by the Holy Maiden Hifi. By some miracle, we were still being permitted to stay within the borders of the Holy Hifi Kingdom.
The reason was simple: it had been discovered that an acquaintance of Yuki, the leader of the mercenary group acting as our escort, held a high position within this nation. They were currently using that connection to arrange a dialogue with the Holy Maiden Hifi, desperately trying to negotiate a way to avoid war.
"It’ll be fine. He’s my husband, after all."
"That’s right. If it’s Yuki-sama, he’ll find a way."
"Mm. Just leave it to Yuki."
Those words came from the members of his mercenary group—the women who were also his wives. They were formidable warriors capable of venturing into such dangerous lands, but I couldn't help but wonder: why did they trust Yuki so implicitly? And what was I doing here, just leaving everything to them?
I hadn't been able to offer a rebuttal to the words the Holy Maiden Hifi had spoken back then. I wanted to deny them—to say she was wrong. But a nagging thought kept surfacing: was my own way of life truly just a means of grinding away at human lives, as she had claimed? Well, that was a personal issue, so it wasn't the main problem. The real issue was the sheer scale of the casualties if this war were to break out. Yet, in that moment, I had lacked the words to stop her. I had convinced myself that I couldn't stop her from starting a war, and even now, every argument I formulated to counter her was immediately shot down in my own mind.
What kind of discussions were Yuki and the others having to spend two whole days on this?
"U-um, Master Eris, Ria-san?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Is something wrong, Amanda-chan?"
Beside me, the dragon knight Amanda, who seemed just as anxious as I was about the outcome of those talks, called out to Eris and the others.
"A-are you really sure Yuki-san and the others are okay? I-I heard from Eoid that Taizo-dono is a gentle person, but… the Holy Maiden Hifi is…"
"Do you think she was serious?"
"…Yes. That’s why we have to go help them!"
Amanda couldn't take it anymore and shouted. She was right; in the worst-case scenario, the negotiations could have already collapsed, and Yuki and the others might be under attack. Given that their combat prowess was lower than mine, surviving such an onslaught would be a Herculean task.
"It’s fine, Amanda."
However, it wasn't Eris or Ria who answered her, but her husband, Eoid.
"How can you say it's fine?! Eoid, your two masters might be in grave danger!"
"Those two will be fine. Taizo-san is with them, too."
"Why do you trust Taizo-dono so much? I can't believe someone would keep their word just for the sake of a sword."
"That’s because you didn't see that moment. Taizo-san truly keeps his promises. And I, along with those two, believe in him. The reason Eris-san and the others are so calm is because they believe in that, too."
"…Is that so?"
I, too, had been troubled by their composure. Honestly, given the situation, it wouldn't have been strange for them to be in a panic. At any moment, the lifeless body of Yuki could be tossed into this room. Yet, Eris, Samantha, and the others remained completely natural. It didn't look like they were forcing themselves to stay calm; it looked like they were just going about their daily lives.
"Hey, Eris. Isn't it about time we revealed the truth?"
"Ah, I suppose so. Well, things are starting to move, so we might as well let them hear it. Laraina-san, would you mind listening?"
"?" I blinked. "I don't mind, but what do you mean by 'starting to move'?"
"Well, you're acquainted with Milly, aren't you?"
"Y-yes, that's right. So, you really are the people Milly-dono was talking about?"
I hadn't been certain until now, but if Eris was bringing up Milly, there was no doubt.
"Yes. They act as our information gatherers, moving behind the scenes… and we’ve noticed some strange movements within this Holy Hifi Kingdom."
"By strange movements, do you mean the war?"
"That, and more. The Holy Maiden Hifi we met the day before yesterday was clearly brimming with a desire for war. She hadn't been like that before."
"Could it be because their preparations are complete?"
"That is a possibility, but it doesn't fully explain why they would suddenly pick a fight with a major power. Normally, the standard tactic would be to absorb the surrounding smaller nations first. Otherwise, they’ll just be ganged up on. Even if they had a way to handle that, it would inevitably cause harm to the citizens living in Hifi. It’s hard to believe Hifi-sama would make such a move."
"That is what I and His Majesty were thinking as well. But she insisted that she could handle anything..."
"And here is the interesting piece of information. Recently—well, it happened while we were in Enaria—the capital was attacked due to a mole working for Roday."
"I heard about that. They said a minister was pulling the strings."
"The investigation results arrived recently. After that minister was executed, they found the real minister in a hidden basement in his own home."
"What? Another minister had been captured?"
"No, it wasn't that. It was a look-alike, identical in face and physique."
"What does that mean?"
Were they twins?
"When we dug up the grave of the executed minister to examine the body, we found an entirely different man inside. But he was wearing the same clothes as the minister at the time of the execution, and since there were no signs of the grave being disturbed, it wasn't a simple case of swapping the bodies. There is only one conclusion to be drawn from all this."
"Magic that allows one to mimic another's appearance…!"
"Exactly. Honestly, this is top-secret information. You understand the implications, right?"
"Yes. If that magic exists, you can never tell who is an enemy and who is an ally…"
Information this chaotic couldn't be spread lightly. The greedy vultures eyeing power would use this incident to purge their political rivals. And the person using the transformation magic—knowing they couldn't be caught—would be even more effective…!
"Could it be!?"
"Yes. Considering that possibility, we were assigned to escort this envoy as people who were involved in the Enaria incident."
"E-eh? I-I don't get it… I'm sorry."
Amanda seemed lost, her head spinning. I decided I should try to organize the information, both for her sake and to clear my own thoughts.
"Amanda-dono. If there were magic that allowed you to perfectly transform into someone else, how do you think it would be used?"
"Eh? W-well… maybe to take someone's place in class?"
"Haha, that’s a nice way to put it. But what if you could replace someone in a position of great power?"
"A-ah. That’s the incident Master Eris and the others were involved in at Enaria, right?"
"Exactly. But there are people even higher up than those in power."
"…Ehh?! Does that mean, could it be, Hifi…?"
Amanda reached the same conclusion, but I quickly covered her mouth before she could shout it out.