第５５１堀：ハイデン殴り込み隊結成 (Part1)
### Chapter 551: Forming the Haiden Raid Team
The talks between Haiden and Findall, which I initially worried might go south, concluded without issue, resulting in a temporary ceasefire between the two nations. Though unofficial, pulling this off is a significant achievement. Now, we can head toward Haiden without worrying about what’s happening behind our backs.
However, a new problem has emerged. It’s a reasonable concern: if remnants of the Lira Kingdom are active, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have already infiltrated the Findall side as well. If our repeated operational failures lead them to change their strategy, things could get troublesome. That change in strategy could involve shifting their focus away from causing chaos in Haiden and instead centering their efforts on Findall.
The talks themselves were kept secret, and since the current goal of the "Gathering of Wisdom" seems to be collecting magical power, I don't think there’s any reason for them to target Findall specifically. Still, it’s better to be cautious.
With that in mind, we decided that we would operate in Haiden to gather intelligence, and depending on what we find, Findall will determine its future course of action. Normally, this would be a long-term endeavor requiring periodic reports, but since we members of Weed are involved, we should be able to settle things in a month or two. Even if we don't manage to resolve everything, we’ll at least gather the necessary information to make an informed decision.
"The only thing left is to decide who will come along as the Findall representative..."
Yes, who from Findall would join our raid on Haiden? We couldn't officially ask for their cooperation due to the Lira Kingdom situation. However, having some form of cooperation would be beneficial for the future friendship between Haiden and Findall, so we agreed that a collaborator would join us secretly, without declaring their affiliation. But then...
"I have decided to accompany you on this trip to Haiden. I apologize for the trouble, but I look forward to working with you."
"Oh, uh, sure."
For some reason, Princess Stasia had become the one accompanying us. I felt a sense of inexplicable anxiety as I watched her talking happily with Princess Cleena.
"Hey. Prince George, George-in, what’s the meaning of this? Does your country have a custom of choosing princesses for espionage activities in other nations?"
"We do not."
"Certainly not."
"Then why Princess Stasia? She just had an emotional reunion with Princess Cleena, didn't she?"
"That is precisely why."
"She was unusually stubborn about it. She said she couldn't afford to lose her sister a second time. She wants to protect her this time."
Ah, so that’s it.
"But what about your duties as a General?"
"Oh, that’s fine. We’re officially under standby orders in Baide anyway, and I’m here, as is George-in."
"Besides, everyone else understood her feelings and agreed to cover for her, saying Princess Stasia is feeling a bit under the weather and is recuperating at Weed."
What is this "gentle world" I’m living in? Why doesn't my workplace have that?
"We absolutely need to cooperate for the sake of future friendship, and if that’s the case, it’s better to have the sisters, who are close, together from the start," George added.
"I understand the logic, but I can't say there’s no danger."
"Well, there’s no such thing as absolute safety. But if you and your people, Yuki-sama, are the ones being targeted, there’s nothing we could do anyway. Besides, Princess Stasia’s face isn't widely known. In that sense, she’s a convenient companion."
"Ah, I see."
It’s true; she was always wearing a full-face helmet, so no one knows her true appearance. Even if she comes to Haiden with us, no one will be able to claim that Findall has joined forces with us. Yet, she is actually a princess of Findall, and if there’s a record that she helped take down the Gathering of Wisdom, it will be difficult for Haiden to scheme against us later.
"I will wear that full-face helmet while working, and Duke Kamishiro has kindly agreed to provide armor from Haiden, so no one will suspect my affiliation with Findall," she explained.
"It’s also a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the friendship between Findall and Haiden," George continued. "In a way, it’s a natural choice. Sisters separated for many years finally reunite and work together to defeat evil—it’s an easy narrative to sell. It will be easy to gain the support of the people. That’s favorable for Weed as well. You’ll be recognized as the country that supported this, so you’ll be less likely to be underestimated in future developments."
"If you’ve thought it through that far, I have nothing more to say. Please proceed with the preparations."
"Understood. I’ll go speak with my sister for a moment."
"And I shall go notify the military."
The two of them left. ...Tch. They’ve calculated that much, have they? It’s not a bad deal, but... why? Why does this feel wrong? I thought the inexplicable sense of crisis I felt toward Princess Stasia during the talks was just me being self-conscious, but hearing she was coming along gave me another bad premonition.
"By the way, why is Kagura here?"
"Eh? Me?"
Yes, for some reason, Kagura is also participating in the Haiden raid.
"Duke Kamishiro—your father—is coming along, so there’s no reason for you to force yourself to join, right? Wouldn't it be better to stay quietly at Weed, Baide, or your family home? You’re a bit of a wildcard in terms of combat strength."
"...You’re certainly blunt."
"What? Are you surprisingly used to chaotic battles?"
"I’m not. ...*Sigh*, actually, the Princess and my father told me to come along."
"Why?"
"They’re appointing me as a diplomat to Weed. They want me to participate in the raid on the Haiden capital, and as a reward, they’ll push through my appointment as a diplomat."
"Ah, I see. No one would be convinced if the daughter of Duke Kamishiro, who didn't even participate, was suddenly called a diplomat for Weed. You’re still a student, after all."
"...Sorry for being an inexperienced youngster. I’ve been working hard, you know."
"I’m pushing for you to be the diplomat to Weed precisely because I know you’ve been working hard. Besides, if anyone else came as a diplomat, it would be a guaranteed disaster. Our top brass is almost entirely female."
"When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right. In our countries, it’s rare for women to hold key positions, so they might be indignant if someone other than me came as a diplomat. And if that’s all that happened, it would be fine, but if they started acting high-and-mighty, talking about how 'women shouldn't be doing this,' it would be a disaster. Ah, so that’s why they said I should be the diplomat?"
"Probably. They likely figured it would be more profitable to rely on you, since you’re used to us. There’s also the matter of the monsters."
"Ah, right. By the way, what about the monster situation for the two Findall royals?"
"I haven't told them that Weed has monsters under our command, so don't say anything careless. For now, cleaning up Haiden is the priority."
"Understood."
"Also, please contact Princess Cleena and the others. We’ll meet in the conference room in an hour to finalize the details of the raid."
"Roger."
With that, Kagura left to find the princesses. Now, I should go make my own preparations.
By the way, Seraria’s audience with Findall has been postponed. We decided it would be better to hold it after everything is settled. Since Findall isn't exactly on bad terms with Weed, there’s no urgent need for an audience to offer excuses. We agreed to finish our respective troubles and talk at a leisurely pace later. Besides, if we were to sign any formal agreements now, we’d have to send people to the Findall Imperial Capital, which isn't ideal from a security standpoint.