第３５４堀：隠し札を切る時 (Part2)
"Those three have only really been active during the Lithea incident and the establishment of the Adventurer Guild. Since coming here, they’ve just been left to their own devices in the Beastman village. Even I’ve only been reading the reports that say 'nothing to report.'"
"Well, as usual, the reports say everything is normal. That said, a lot of dissenters who didn't go to the White Forest have been gathering in that village lately, so the public order seems to be deteriorating a bit. But it looks like Mauve and his group are keeping a firm lid on things."
"Come to think of it, have any Magic Swords been leaking into the Beastman village like they did in the White Forest?"
"There have been no such reports as of yet."
"Then it doesn't seem to be a problem. Let’s have us take over the Beastman village and send Mauve and his team to the Ex Kingdom. They’ll be able to do some good 'cleaning' there, too."
"Cleaning, you say?"
"Yeah, cleaning. If we remove the suppressors—Mauve and his group—and step in ourselves, the disgruntled ones will surely make a move. Only the original members of the village know who we are. Those who gathered from elsewhere don't know anyone but Mauve. If he and his team are gone, someone is bound to step up and try to take control of the village."
"I see... yes. That is highly likely."
"The Ex Kingdom will probably make their move after they recover the Dungeon Core. They probably wanted to recover the Holy Sword as well. As for Enaria, even though I moved to make them exhaust themselves, it was a mistake for them to get greedy and target the Magic Sword users and my wives."
"Wait a moment. Are you saying you think the attack on Rurua and the others in Enaria was just a side effect, Yuki?" Jessica asked, voicing her doubt.
"Hm? It’s just my speculation. The attack happened when we arrived in Enaria, and it’s the second time now. But this time, the Magic Sword warehouse has already been seized, and inspections for luggage and weapons are quite strict. Especially at the Church of Sia. With things like this, even if they wanted to stage an attack, they’d have to do it from very far away. Meanwhile, the Saintess is being evacuated, and security is being tightened further, right?"
"That is only natural. So, what about an inside job?"
"If it were an inside job, there would be no need to do something like that. It wouldn't be strange for them to have acted much sooner. Besides, they would know about the prowess of my wives, so the idea of picking a fight with them wouldn't even cross their minds."
"...I suppose so."
"Well, it’s like a process of elimination. So, why did they cause this situation? It wasn't through brute force, but indirectly—they wanted to temporarily exhaust the church. In other words, the goal was to wear them out across the board. If it were just an assassination, there would be better ways, right? So, only one possibility remains."
"...The Holy Sword housed in the church, then? They were aiming to snatch the Holy Sword by exploiting the gaps in security caused by fatigue."
"At that time, for better or worse, my wives and Agil happened to be there to check on the Holy Sword. Perhaps out of greed, or perhaps as a diversion, I don't know—but either way, if my wives, who are treated as Saintesses in Enaria, were killed, it would make it difficult for the country to act and would be a major blow. More locally, the church's security would naturally focus on them, right? The fact that Agil was attacked alongside them was an appeal that they were targeting the Saintess. If they did that, the military would move to protect my wives. That would thin out the church's security."
"I see. So even just wounding them would have been enough?"
"Exactly. And if they pretended to flee outside, the guards would chase them, drawing them out. Well, their premise was wrong, though."
"It is nearly impossible to wound us..."
"And if they did manage to scratch us, we’d all have them bound in an instant."
"That is true."
"Anyway, their goal, simply put, is to steal useful items from various countries to weaken their national power. Riots also serve to deplete military strength and public order. That’s why it seems Hifi didn't send Magic Swords to the Beastman villages, but there’s a possibility the Ex Kingdom is doing otherwise. When we swap places..."
"You think they’ll attack?"
"Probably. The Beastman villages are a variable. I don't want them moving behind our backs while we're clashing with the Ex Kingdom, and it would be helpful if they made their move while Mauve and his team are gathering information in the Ex Kingdom."
It wouldn't be a bad idea to dangle some bait and wait.
There were quite a few people obsessed with my wives—especially Tori, Riel, and Kaya, who are classified as Beastmen—so I have enough cards to stir them up.
"And... I've made contact with Mauve."
"Thanks, Eris. Now, Mauve. Can you hear me?"
*“What is it? It’s already time for the Beastman village to be asleep. It’s not like Weed, you know. Besides, my shift is over, so I was planning on heading to a tavern in Weed...”*
"I’ll treat you to some better liquor in exchange, so come to the meeting room in Weed for a bit. I have a small request for the three of you."
*“Heh. So, we finally get to go outside, huh?”*
"Yeah."
Staying behind to watch the house is boring.
I know the pain of that all too well, having had to 'stay' while waiting for a new world.
So, for all you Mauve fans out there, the wait is over.
It’s time for some dandy action!!