第４９６堀：生きるための情報 (Part2)
"Well, I agree that a soldier who can't earn any military merit is pointless. Maybe that's where it's at? I haven't quite grasped their true objective yet. Based on their movements so far, all I know is that they seem to think they can actually win a war."
True, it’s rare to find someone who would start a fight they know they’ll lose. Regardless, it just confirmed that Haiden is even more of a headache than I thought.
"Alright, lastly, tell me about the Findar Empire."
"Since it's another country, I have even less info on them than I do on Haiden. They're one of the great powers, and they have quite a bit of military might. Or rather, it's whispered that they might be the top in terms of military strength."
"If they're the top in military strength, are they fighting a war somewhere?"
"Not right now, but I'm pretty sure they were clashing with a neighboring country up until about seven years ago."
"A neighboring country? Not Haiden?"
"Yeah. Something about a princess being assassinated, and it was a retaliatory act, I think? There was evidence presented, and they didn't have to worry about other countries interfering, either."
"Sounds like a false flag operation."
"Hard to say. We only hear the information that gets leaked out. But since no other country stepped in, there must have been evidence convincing enough. Otherwise, they’d be next on the chopping block. The rest of the world would have surely ganged up on the Empire. Even Haiden didn't intervene back then. And that’s with the current bunch of warmongers in charge, mind you."
That’s strange. It would have been the perfect opportunity for them. The nature of that evidence is bothering me.
"Since then, the Empire has been peaceful. Trade flows normally, and people traveling from Baide to Imperial territory is common. The higher-ups say relations are bad, but from the perspective of the common folk, they seem fine. Well, that’s about all I know."
"I see. Thanks for the information. Either way, both sides are hiding something."
"I’m sure they are. So, how does Weed plan to move from here? Are you going to conquer the world with the girls behind you? If so, we’d appreciate it if you let us in on the action."
Ah, that reminds me of what Big said earlier.
"Speaking of that, is life really that difficult for you all?"
"Well, yeah. Partly because we're outcasts, but I think it's the same for everyone in the city after this whole ordeal. A lot of supplies were taken away. Lady Catherine is handling the distribution, but there’s no way it reaches everyone. And if outcasts like us show our faces, it just causes chaos."
"I see. In that case, tell me what supplies you need. I'll have them brought over."
"No, I appreciate the sentiment, but won't that cause dissatisfaction? Supplies are limited, aren't they?"
"They are limited, sure, but you don't need to worry about that. This is aid from Weed, not Baide."
With that, I pulled a sack of wheat from my Item Box and dropped it with a thud.
"Hah? What was that!? Where did that come from!? What is this!?"
"Calm down. It's one of my abilities. Haven't you heard of an Item Bag?"
"Ah, yeah. The bags mages use to store a lot of things, right? Is that what this is? No, wait, Yuki, you weren't carrying a bag or anything just now."
"It's something similar. Anyway, this is wheat flour. Would bread have been better?"
Seeing Big look confused—right, he wouldn't know what the characters on the bag meant—I started popping out loaves of bread one after another.
"I-I'm stunned. So this is what a real mage is like. H-how much more of this do you have?"
"I have plenty, so just tell me the required amount. You aren't going to hoard it and sell it off, right?"
As long as I can recover DP, I can't exactly say I have an infinite supply. Well, I do need to pay for the gate construction, after all.
"Yeah, I wouldn't do that. In that case..."
I started stacking the requested amount in the warehouse. Watching from the side, Big suddenly muttered.
"...With power like this, I can see why they think Haiden could win."
Honestly, with the abilities of a Dungeon Master and the current situation, the people in Haiden are just incompetent.
"Oh, by the way, Yuki. Did you hear the story from the Princess?"
"That? It was a complete waste of time."
"The Princess might be that way, but there was an assistant named Kamishiro, right? From what I hear, they’re reasonable. Apparently, they were summoned as a descendant, so considering the future with Haiden, it might be worth talking to them."
At that, I remembered. I had been so fed up after talking to the Princess that I’d left Kagura hanging—or rather, completely forgotten about her.
"There was someone like that, wasn't there."
"Someone like that, you say..."
"Big, do you want to try talking to the Princess? It’s awful."
"Is it that bad...?"
She really is impossible to talk to. I’ll give the people of Haiden credit for one thing: the sheer skill required to raise a princess like that is impressive.
"Sigh. Anyway, I have to go talk to Kagura."
Poor forgotten Kagura. Because the Princess was such a hassle, she’d been left behind along with her. By the way, for those of you in the comments worried about my wives being left behind, don't worry—I've been in constant contact with them.
Though, their mental state is currently at an all-time low.