第６１１堀：噂が終わり真相へ (Part1)
### Chapter 611: Rumors End, Truth Begins
**Side: Yuki**
*With this, I thought I could just teach some classes here and focus on bridging the gap between Rogari and If until preparations were complete.*
That was what I had thought, once upon a time. Yes, my foresight was naive; I knew that these kinds of troublesome matters excelled at catching people off guard, and yet here I was.
"I mean, it was the right call to set up a net," I remarked.
"I honestly didn't think they’d actually come, though," Steve replied.
"They must be idiots."
"They’re definitely idiots."
The ones speaking were Steve and his subordinates, whom I had tasked with the surveillance and security of the academy. Since the DP consumption had been eased to about double the usual rate, I had invested in land development around the academy and the surrounding area, preparing for enemy raids. As it turned out, that foresight had paid off. Incidentally, the surveillance of the Haiden royal capital was being handled by John’s squad.
"Good grief. They just keep adding to my workload," I muttered, staring at the remnants of the self-proclaimed "Assembly of Wisdom," who were currently trussed up like sushi rolls.
The Assembly of Wisdom in the Haiden capital had been wiped out, but in truth, the core members from the original laboratory had never been found. Searches were ongoing, but the Haiden royal palace was currently swamped with the task of explaining the situation to Findar and other nations, leaving them with little room to maneuver.
To be honest, it wasn't even clear where one should start investigating. Even without jumping to conclusions, the fact that monsters were being used meant that, following the incident in the Lira Kingdom, there were already whispers—some suggesting that Findar had orchestrated the whole thing, and others arguing that they should launch an attack.
Well, since acting on that would play right into the Assembly of Wisdom’s hands, we hadn't made any moves, but because those sparks of conflict existed, it had been necessary to iron out the details with Findar first.
And for them to strike right at this moment... or perhaps, had they been targeting this all along? If so, that made for a strange story. Why target Solo?
As I pondered this, Solo approached, accompanied by Amanda, Eoid, Kagura, and Mikos.
"U-um..."
"Hm? Oh, Solo. You weren't injured, were you? Rurua?"
"Yes. Thanks to the ring’s defensive functions working properly, she doesn't have a single scratch. However, it seems to have been quite a mental strain for Solo-san."
Hearing that, I looked at Solo again. She was trembling slightly, and I could see the traces of tears on her face. *Damn it.* I should have prioritized comforting her first. Distracted by these idiots, I’d forgotten the most obvious thing.
"Ah, sorry. I was late in saving you. You must have been terrified."
"N-no!! It’s true that I was scared, but... I was saved. By the goblins. Thank you so much!"
In this continent—or rather, this region—goblins were viewed as a type of demi-human known as "Spirit Maidens." They weren't categorized as monsters but were treated as good neighbors. It was a good thing that Steve and his group weren't feared here. Steve, having been thanked, looked surprised for a moment before replying.
"Not at all. Solo-san, you fought back quite firmly. You were impressive."
"She fought back?"
"Yes. She put up quite a fight, five against one."
"Eh? Solo, you’re strong?"
"N-no. Honestly, it wasn't a contest. I was completely overwhelmed, but thanks to the power of this ring, I managed to hold out."
*Ah, I see.* I was glad I’d given it to her—a secret tool of sorts, I suppose?
"But why would bandits appear in a place like this? And they were dressed so well, too..."
As Solo voiced her confusion, we all exchanged glances.
"Damn. Solo didn't know anything about the situation."
"Indeed. What should we do..."
"For now, Kagura is the person in charge of the Haiden side present here."
"Right. Let’s ask her."
The academy headmaster and Kanna hadn't accompanied us on this emergency sortie. Or rather, I hadn't called for them; they were busy enough with their own surveillance duties. Kagura and Mikos, being a Weed diplomat and her assistant, had returned to our side, and upon receiving the report, they had rushed to rescue Solo.
I had assumed it was just a random bandit attack, so I was surprised when Steve’s report suggested they were remnants of the Assembly of Wisdom. I decided to ask Kagura, the top Haiden representative present, how we should explain this.
"...I can't make that judgment. The Assembly of Wisdom is a separate matter from the duties of a Weed diplomat."
"That’s true..."
"Besides, this matter will have to be reported to the Princess, and the higher-ups will be in an uproar again."
"I bet. Can we handle the interrogation of these guys on our own for now?"
"...Since you were the ones who restrained them, Yuki, there’s no problem. Honestly, you seem better at that kind of interrogation anyway, so I’d prefer to leave it to you. The Princess will probably just complain about 'owing another favor' again."
"Well, we can hash that out in discussions later. The remaining issue is how to convince Solo and Mikos. I’ll just make something up, is that alright?"
"Please do. If I say anything about these people, Mikos will get suspicious."
I certainly wanted to avoid Mikos, who knew nothing, from digging any deeper.
"As Solo said, they were well-dressed, so I don't think they were just bandits. They were operating near an academy where important figures are gathered. It’s reasonable to assume they are someone’s pawns. It’s better if Solo and Mikos forget about these people for now."
"Eh?"
"Ah, so there’s a possibility that a nation is involved. Understood. Mikos-chan didn't see anything. That’s fine with you, right, Solo?"
"Eh? Yes. If you say so, Senior..."
Solo didn't seem to fully grasp it, but Mikos, sensing what I meant, nodded immediately. I figured that kind of sharp intuition was why she’d been safe until now.
Mikos convinced Solo to back down, so that was settled, but the captives were a different story. I wanted to believe that targeting Solo, whom we had brought into our fold, was a coincidence, but if it wasn't, it meant there was an inside informant. We had to make them talk, no matter what.
"Alright, take them to Duke Kamishiro’s mansion."
"Understood."
Since the trussed-up captives were caught in one piece, there would be no trouble getting information out of them. I would have liked to take them to our own base, but using Duke Kamishiro’s mansion would be easier in the long run.
"I’ll leave the interrogation to you. Also, investigate the town."
"You got it."
Since they had gone out of their way to target Solo in town, it was safe to assume their base was there. The fact that they were well-dressed also suggested their base was nearby; if they had been hiding in the forest for a long time, they would have been filthy.
"I’ll report to the relevant parties."
"Good luck."
*Sigh.* Honestly, I wanted to do the interrogation myself. Or rather, I wanted someone else to take over the contacting of the relevant parties.
"Alright. I’ll leave the cleanup of the scene to Steve and the others, and we’ll head back to the academy to make our reports. Kagura, you handle Princess Carrie and her group, and I’ll contact Duke Kamishiro. I’ll also handle the academy headmaster myself."
"Understood."
And so, when we returned and reported that Solo had been attacked by the Assembly of Wisdom, it caused the expected uproar. Duke Kamishiro, already exhausted from days of heavy work, rubbed his eyes at the report. He did, however, lend us his dungeon, though he looked drained at the prospect of having to report it to the King of Haiden. The academy headmaster was in a state of constant bowing, apologizing for causing us such trouble.
As for Kagura, once she contacted Princess Carrie, she was likely summoned immediately to the royal palace, where she would be questioned by the parent-child duo.