第６７９堀：嫌な事実 (Part2)
"The Duke's faction in August has been handled, I believe. They picked a fight, so we apprehended them and handed them over to the Royal family. From here on out, negotiations will be conducted with the crown."
"As planned, then. How about the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"
"That’s been agreed upon as well. I’ve already secured the signatures."
"Excellent. In that case, we should coordinate our schedules and begin the meetings immediately."
If only the conversation had ended there, things would have been simple. But, of course, that’s never how it goes...
"Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. A problem arose after we suppressed the Duke's faction."
"A problem? What is it?"
"The mass-produced magic swords stored in August have been swapped out for ordinary blades."
"What!? Details?"
"Princess Inis and Advisor Feigel are currently on-site conducting a direct investigation, so I don't have the specifics yet. It might be related to the conflict with the small nation of Zilba. Come to think of it, were you monitoring the mass-produced magic swords in that region?"
"I monitor my own country, but I can't exactly keep tabs on other nations. I’ve basically only been monitoring the outposts you established, Yuki."
Ah, I figured as much.
The If Continent suffers from a severe depletion of magical energy. If we were to carelessly cause a surge in magical density—primarily through mass casualties in war or the creation of dungeons—it could trigger a stampede, a massive outbreak of monsters, or a widespread catastrophe.
Because of this, we don't create dungeons unnecessarily on the If Continent, and our "Dig-Here-Woof-Woof" monitoring system is limited to only a few select regions.
"Understood. It’s only natural that you haven't investigated it yet. I need you to look into something for me. The disappearance of the magic swords in August shouldn't have happened that long ago. Therefore..."
"The shortest route to Zilba is through Ex. It’s possible they’ve already passed through, but there’s also a chance they are still in transit."
"I appreciate how quickly you catch on. We’ll notify the other nations through diplomatic channels about the leak of the mass-produced magic swords from August, but I need you to conduct your own investigation. We don't have the personnel to spare for a deep dive."
Honestly, we’re stretched to our limit as it is. I don't have the time to be playing detective. I still have to prepare for the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I don't have much personnel to spare either... but fine. The management of the If Continent is under my jurisdiction. I’ll take the job. What are you and your people planning to do, Yuki?"
"After we hear the details from Princess Inis regarding the leak, we’ll head out to the various nations. Most likely, we’ll move to keep Zilba in check."
"...Don't tell me you think this leak of magic swords is connected to the trouble in Zilba?"
Oh, he’s thinking the same thing I am.
"I’ve considered it. But there’s no proof yet. We have no choice but to investigate steadily. That’s why I need you to track the leaked swords. We at Weed will handle the notifications, but you’re the one who needs to gather the intel from the other nations, Noble. I’m counting on you."
"Understood. I pray this doesn't turn into a disaster. I’m currently in the middle of compiling the agenda for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs meeting myself."
"Same here. By the way, just how many of those mass-produced magic swords did you scatter around? This is all your fault, you know."
Don't you go praying for anything. You’re the one who spread them in the first place.
"...Don't say it. Let me live in denial. That said, you’ve seen the reports, haven't you? The total number of mass-produced magic swords distributed elsewhere is 15,000. 2,000 to each major nation, and 5,000 total to the smaller ones."
"5,000 just for the small nations? How many do you think the small nations currently at war with Zilba have managed to collect?"
"If you only want the preliminary data: excluding the six major powers and my own Ex, it was reported that each nation had secured about 2,500. Well, that’s just what they declared, so they might be inflating or hiding numbers, but based on that, 2,500 would be the remaining count. However, they can't possibly collect all the remaining swords. Even if they buy them up, they’re small nations. They’d be lucky to scrape together 1,000."
"Ah, come to think of it, weren't the magic swords in the small nations collected by the five major powers, excluding White Forest?"
"Yes. Every nation feared rebellion, so they tasked the small nations under their influence with collecting the mass-produced magic swords. It was effectively an order, though the rewards were exceptional, so they managed to gather quite a few."
"Understood for now. Once I get the information from Princess Inis, I’ll head back to Weed and discuss our next move with everyone. You do the same—see if you can find a way to track or verify the status of those swords."
"Right. I’ll do that. Though, it’ll likely just be a matter of checking inventories."
With that, the information exchange with Noble ended.
*Sigh.* Inventory checks. Well, that’s all we can do.
I wonder if Princess Inis will finish her inventory check by tomorrow.
The fact that highly volatile weapons are being scattered across the If Continent has been brought to light. As the ones involved, Yuki and his team are on the move once again!!
Now, what will happen next?