第３８２堀：続・困難な任務だったぜ（棒読み） (Part2)
Well, it is true that we’re keeping a close eye on things so that we don’t end up as casualties, so I suppose that’s fine.
(Anyway, that’s enough small talk.)
(Agreed. There are no new developments. I think we can proceed with the infiltration as planned.)
We had been observing the situation while chatting in front of the factory, but there were no particular changes.
(Honestly, if there had been even the slightest movement, I would have turned right around.)
(That’s fine, isn’t it? Just think of it as getting the job done quickly.)
(You’ve got a positive attitude, don’t you? In that case, let’s get this over with. I’ll buy you a drink when we get back.)
(I’ll look forward to it.)
Alright then, time to get back to work.
Ah, it’s that feeling of being halfway through the day after a lunch break.
And so, as planned, we re-confirmed our route and began moving around to observe the activity, but...
(It’s peaceful, isn’t it?)
(It really is. Seeing everyone working so hard is quite dazzling.)
I couldn't find any of the changes I’d been wary of; all I saw were laborers diligently tending to their tasks.
I’m starting to feel a bit guilty about sneaking in and borrowing those parts earlier.
I have this nagging sense that I’ve disrupted their work...
(So, what now? The route we took is clear, for what it’s worth.)
(We’ll stick to the plan and check the rest of the contents. I really want to get my hands on the remaining parts.)
(...Do you really think there’s a core for a magic sword in there?)
(It’s not a certainty, but looking at their defensive posture, it’d be easier to gather everything here at once.)
That’s right—my goal is the remaining parts.
The former dungeon core, the very thing that makes a magic sword a magic sword.
Since they’re mass-producing magic swords, it was said from the start that there had to be a production site.
Whether by luck or misfortune, we stumbled upon that very site, and now that we’re here, we need to grasp the full extent of their production capacity.
Investigating this thoroughly will give our commanders a significant advantage.
(From here on out, we’re going to push through, even if it gets a bit reckless.)
(Understood.)
With that said, we cautiously searched the remaining structures that looked like warehouses, but they all turned out to be genuine storage facilities.
It seems they were gathering the parts boxed up from the factory we’d seen earlier and stockpiling them here.
(Tch, I guess things aren’t going to go that smoothly.)
(Indeed. It seems they only produce the parts here, and the core that serves as the starting point is somewhere else.)
*Sigh.* Come to think of it, they did say those inferior magic swords have a high wear-and-tear rate. They probably make them in parts so they can be repaired quickly.
Well, since they were intended for military deployment, they wouldn’t be much use on the battlefield without that kind of maintainability.
(Well, it’s a gain just to know that much. Let’s withdraw once and rethink our infiltration plan...)
Just as I started to say that, I heard the voice of a soldier standing by the warehouse.
It sounded like he was talking to someone.
"Huh? You want to know if I remember the quantity taken out today? Why? I recorded it according to the rules, didn't I? I didn't skim anything off the top; I value my life too much for that."
"No, no, that’s not what this is about. There’s some trouble with the higher-ups, and they’re double-checking everything. It’s not that there was a problem with us specifically."
Hmm?
Did they make a mistake in the count?
If something like that happened in Weed, we’d thoroughly scrub the records to find where the error occurred.
The idiot who tried to skim goods from Ratz’s store was caught easily enough.
Records and double-checking are important.
Even we have to report the number of rounds used; unless it’s an extreme emergency, we’re under strict orders to recover the shell casings, just like the Japan Self-Defense Forces, to keep our technology from being discovered.
What a pain. Though, I suppose it’s better than the Japanese military during World War II.
Those guys were apparently told to bring back shell casings even in the middle of a battlefield.
I don't know how they expected to keep fighting a war under those conditions.
"Oh. Well, that’s a relief. Let’s see... I think..."
"...Hmm, I see. Thank you."
"No problem. Though, since it’s just from memory, there might be some discrepancies."
"I understand. But that’s what I’ve been told."
"I see. Well, you’re meeting with the big shots soon, so that’s tough."
"Well, it’s part of the job, so it can’t be helped."
The grunts have it tough everywhere.
I feel for them.
(Well, this is a lucky break. We’ve got a guide, so let’s change plans and follow him.)
(Understood. I’ll notify the standby unit.)
The low-level errand runner walked away.
*Sigh.* I wish the enemy would pass a law for a nine-to-five schedule.
Eight hours of labor, universal across the world, please.
Well, they’d have to include a lunch break, so that would add an hour.
Anyway, I’ll follow the example of that grunt and work as hard as I can.
Yes, I’ve inserted a couple of plot holes, but that doesn’t make life any easier for Steve or the average person working their jobs.
It’s sad, isn’t it? That’s reality for you. (In the style of Sleggar).
Now, as I mentioned before, regarding the distribution of samples: there have been many opinions suggesting Tokyo, so we’ll proceed with that policy.
The draft and the timing haven't been decided yet.
To organize those plans, I’ll post an activity report titled "Let’s Plan the Tokyo Meetup," so let’s discuss and decide there.
See you later!