第３３２堀：次なる地の前のお話 (Part2)
August is currently on edge, unsure whether the trouble is the work of the Ex Kingdom to the south or the White Forest to the north.
"I suppose Amanda will be the one acting as the liaison, then?"
"That’s not happening. She got caught up in the fighting at August—or rather, she stuck her neck out—so there’s a chance the mastermind knows her face. If she goes flying around to other countries, she might get ambushed. After all, she’s the biggest nuisance to them right now."
"That’s... terrible."
Well, in a way, that just means the Dragon Knight is functioning exactly as intended. She’s our human shield, after all.
"That’s why the Principal would never let her take such a risk. She’ll be staying at the Academy. Besides, Deryu and the others are staying behind, so there won't be any issues."
"Eh? The way you put that... does that mean you and Yuki-san aren't staying?"
"We’re planning to head to Roday. Samantha is there, so it’s easy to coordinate."
That’s right. Instead of going through the August region, we’re planning to head to the White Forest using the connections of Samantha’s father, Duke Huge of Roday, whom we already trust deeply. I want to deliver the footage from the recent duel tournament to him as well, to help solidify the status of video cameras within Roday. We need to hurry with that handover, too. Last time, with the Holy Sword Users and the Dragon Knight Amanda present, we just wrapped things up quickly with a simple, "We’ll take Samantha, okay?"
"I see. What about Enaria and Zilba?"
"Fortunately, General Agil has arrived in Enaria, so we’re planning to talk to her and have her deliver the information. As for the Zilba region, we’ve already reached out to an acquaintance of the Principal."
Well, since the situation in Enaria is already settled, it’s more like we’re having Agil return there to report the Academy’s battle results while handling the delivery. As for Zilba, they are currently on high alert, so we’re keeping the information locked down from our end to prevent any unnecessary interference. Steve and Zargis should be able to handle that well enough.
"Come to think of it, how are you going to handle communication with the Ex Kingdom?"
Ah, right. Even though Amanda and Eoid know there’s a mastermind, they have no idea who it actually is. It’s classified information, after all; we can’t just go around blabbing it to students. The idea that the Ex Kingdom could be the mastermind...
"A messenger is supposed to be going there from August."
That’s a lie, of course. Thanks to that blatantly obvious letter, there’s no way we’d get a straight answer even if we asked them directly, and in the worst-case scenario, the messenger might return as a corpse. That’s why we’re currently at a standstill. We can’t exactly raise our hands and say, "We’ll go investigate!" so we decided to start by looking into the White Forest first. If the Ex Kingdom makes a move in the meantime, that’ll confirm our suspicions, and since there’s a direct passage, we can rush to August or Zilba as reinforcements if things get dire.
"I see... Please, take care on your journey."
"Yeah."
Eoid seems bothered by the fact that he can’t come along, his voice trailing off as he speaks to me. Well, it’s impossible to tell him not to worry. Even though my time with Eoid has been short, we’ve eaten from the same pot, as they say.
"Don't worry about it. It’s Yuki-san who’s going. More importantly, you should be worrying about yourself, right?"
"Eh?"
"I’m staying behind. I’m going to whip you into shape. Just because you’re at the Academy doesn’t mean it’s safe. I’m going to train you, train you, and train you some more."
"……Yes."
Good luck, young man. Meanwhile, Amanda, who had been listening nearby, was talking to Eris about the White Forest.
"They say the White Forest is covered in snow for most of the year, Eris-shisho. Please, make sure you wear warm clothes."
"Yes, I’m fine. I’ve prepared everything."
"Oh, that’s right. There’s a shop that sells cute gloves, so please let me buy you a pair as a gift. You’ve taken such good care of me, and it’s for good luck."
"Good luck?"
"Yes. At the Academy, they say that if you give someone a tool for their journey, it creates a bond between the one staying and the one leaving, ensuring they return safely."
"……I see. In that case, let’s pick out a cute pair."
"Yes!!"
It seems those kinds of superstitions exist everywhere. I suppose it’s human nature to want to wish for something. Still, according to every source of information, the White Forest seems to be a land of snow. ...In that case, farming must only be possible for a short time in the summer, and most of their livelihood comes from fishing? Come to think of it, I don’t really know much about life in freezing climates during the Middle Ages. Even in the modern era, we hear about pipes freezing and transportation issues; isn’t it incredible to survive in such a place with this level of civilization? ...Well, judging by history, it doesn’t seem like they live in the northern frontier by choice.
Still, why did it turn out like this when I originally intended to keep things low-key? Life never goes the way you want it to.
The August predecessor issue has been resolved!!
But problems keep popping up one after another!!
Well, that’s inevitable, I suppose. Whether it’s athletes or companies, the more you win in competition, the bigger the stage you’re dragged onto. Considering that, since we’ve already won major victories against Demon Lords and entire nations in the early stages, this is just the natural course of things.
Next time, we’ll talk about that person who has been completely forgotten.
I’ve made a simplified character list, so let’s use that to look into someone the day after tomorrow!!