第４１０堀：新しい風たち (Part2)
“Yes. As you suggested, Lord Yuki, while it hasn’t reached the point of inciting public panic, I felt it was necessary to properly investigate matters that could destabilize the nation. To be honest, I was hesitant about creating such a department, but your words gave me the resolve I needed.”
*Wait, really?*
I hadn’t realized she was thinking that far ahead.
“But won’t a department where it’s unclear if they’re actually working be disliked by the public?” I asked.
“Yes, exactly. That is why they will normally serve as part of the patrol units.”
“Ah, so they’ll do it while maintaining public order on the streets?”
“Precisely. I made it sound grand by calling it a new department, but in reality, it will just be a few members of the patrol gathering rumors. Until now, we only investigated rumors when they took the form of a formal complaint or a request from a resident. By doing this, the police can proactively gather and investigate information on their own initiative.”
“I see. You’re removing the shackles of being unable to act until actual harm has occurred.”
“Yes. However, since we cannot make arrests without evidence of harm, their role will be strictly limited to information gathering. I expect the findings will be reported to the government office or to Lady Seraria.”
She’s really thought this through. Honestly, she’s much better suited to be Chief than I am.
“Fortunately, I have already met with the representative of Super Ratz, where rumors tend to circulate easily, so it should be simple to secure their cooperation.”
“You’ve even done that much legwork? What about the Adventurer Guild?”
“Yes. If we can cooperate with them as well, our efficiency will increase significantly.”
...I mean, she was stumbling over her words and blushing like crazy when she first met them. I wonder what changed her so much?
“The only thing left is figuring out where to squeeze the budget from,” I noted.
“...Yes. That is the one thing I am struggling with.”
Right. Even if it’s treated as a sub-unit of another department, establishing a new branch costs money. Startup costs, personnel expenses, and various other overheads.
“I’ll talk to Seraria and Eris about that. I support your vision, Chief Poni, so I’ll help you out.”
“Thank you very much.”
“As for the paperwork... how long will it take you to prepare the necessary documents?”
“...I should have them ready in about a week.”
“Then I’ll come by in a week to pick them up. I’m sure I can get Seraria and Eris on board by then.”
“Please do. Also...”
As I watched Poni speaking confidently with Yuki, Riel and Deryu approached me.
“She’s amazing,” Riel whispered. “I could never do that.”
“She is a finer talent than I anticipated,” Deryu added.
“Yeah. You’re right.”
It makes me happy to know we aren’t the only ones working hard. This is how we all build and protect Weed together.
“Oh? Come to think of it, Dressa, why did you come along?” I asked.
“I thought I could help with this,” Dressa replied. “Lately, while I’ve been taking on various odd-job quests around town, I’ve been hearing all sorts of rumors.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
It sounded like she could be quite useful. Poni, having overheard us, turned our way.
“Was that Lady Dressa speaking with Vice Chief Tori?”
“Eh? Yes, it was.”
“Please, tell me more about what you just said. You heard rumors while helping out with quests for the Adventurer Guild?”
“Yes. Today I was helping with the cleaning, tidying up the park, and...”
“I see. How would you feel about joining this new department?”
“Huh!?” Dressa squeaked.
“Of course, since you haven’t taken the police entrance exam, it would be as an external collaborator. However, we will pay you a proper salary. I think the idea of gathering rumors while engaged in various tasks is truly wonderful. What do you say?”
“E-Eh? Um... Yuki, what do you think?”
“I don’t see why not,” Yuki said. “As long as you don’t go sticking your nose into anything dangerous, it’s fine. You just have to go about your business as usual, right?”
“Exactly,” Poni confirmed. “Please leave the dangerous work to us.”
“U-Um, in that case, I look forward to working with you!”
And so, it was decided that Dressa would be stationed in the rumor-gathering department as an external collaborator.
Seeing the motivation and competence of these young people, I joked, “Maybe it’s time for us old-timers to retire?”
“What are you saying?” Deryu huffed. “I am still in my prime.”
“I don’t know, Deryu, based on your age, you’re basically a grandm—”
“Right. Riel. Sparring. Now.”
“Wait, wait!?”
Yeah. We’re still young. It’s just that our roles are shifting from managing Weed to supporting Yuki directly.
Thus, Dressa has officially involved herself in this mess.
Now, what are the rival nations aiming for? Who is the mastermind behind all this? And what kind of battle will Yuki wage against them?
Well, before we get to that, we have a series of "drops" coming up. The classic paranormal/ghost story tropes. We did a swimsuit arc last year—does anyone actually want to see another one? I’ll think about writing it after the ghost stories are finished.