第７２９堀：不安なこと (Part2)
Watching her give orders so efficiently is always a sight to behold.
"…Come to think of it, Agil, shouldn't you be accompanying King Enaria?"
"I’ll join them when they return here in three days. I can leave things over there to Prism, old man Hein, and Joshua."
"General Hein is a veteran of many battles, I know. But the name Joshua sounds familiar…"
"Mm. Don't know him. Who’s that?"
"Ahaha, well, if we Magic Sword and Holy Sword users weren't around, he probably would have made quite a name for himself. For the record, Joshua is an adjutant to General Buris Woolley, just like old man Hein."
"Ah, I have heard that name. General Buris was a renowned commander within the Enarian army—a master strategist said to be capable of defeating even Magic Sword users through sheer troop management."
"Exactly. Joshua serves as Buris's adjutant. Same as old man Hein."
I see. If such a famous general is acting as an escort, there is no need for Agil to go out of her way to meet them.
Just as I was thinking that, Cleena spoke up—rather carelessly.
"But didn't that Buris guy lose to Steve…?"
"Cleena!"
The fact that General Steve defeated General Buris is classified information. Or rather, at that time, General Steve was officially just a powerful wild goblin. On the surface, he is supposed to be a subordinate of General Mino-chan. On this continent of If, the connection between General Mino-chan and Weed is still a closely guarded secret.
"Hm? Ah—well, we can't say it to the bigwigs, but anyone looking at Weed can pretty much guess the truth. You’re connected behind the scenes, right? It’s obvious when you’re using monsters as soldiers. Besides, Lord Yuki is the boss of both Mino-chan and Steve, isn't he?"
"Exactly. Agil is sharp."
"Cleena, please…"
I wonder how I am supposed to report this to Lord Yuki…
"Now, now, Samantha, don't let it get to you. The kings of If have mostly figured it out too. Think about it—there’s a dungeon with a massive horde of monsters living right near Betan, yet no one is on guard against it. Even if Yuki was asked to deal with it, the situation looks bizarre from an outsider's perspective, doesn't it?"
"Mm. True."
"I suppose so. Does that mean they are aware of the truth but choosing to ignore it?"
"Likely. Given the timing, speaking of it now would only cause chaos. It would just give the Church crowd an excuse to start an uproar."
Hearing that gave me a slight sense of foreboding. Could it be…?
"I hope it is just my imagination, but do you think they might attempt some kind of sabotage using Mino-chan and the others?"
"I doubt it. The Church people don't want to eradicate Weed; they just want to seize leadership of the country from the royal family. They actually want to stay on Weed’s good side. So, would they really try to incite something using monsters now?"
"Mm. It’s a difficult call, but personally, I think it’s impossible."
"Why is that, Cleena?"
"It would be strange for Yuki to leave such a glaring opening. I agree with Samantha that it could be a seed for trouble. However, there is no way Yuki hasn't noticed that. In other words, this is either bait, or he already has a countermeasure prepared."
"True. Even if it were leaked that the dungeon monsters are Yuki’s subordinates, or if someone claimed the Holy King of Enaria had made a pact with a demon, they are still Yuki’s subordinates in the end. There’s no point in making a fuss. Weed’s credibility isn't going to drop at this late stage. If they were going to try that, they would have done it already."
"That is true."
"Mm. Besides, every country already bowed the knee to Yuki once before Mino-chan and the others even showed up. I don't think 'fighting him' is even an option for them anymore."
That was true. When faced with such an absolute disparity in military power, no one would realistically think of rebelling against Lord Yuki. Even if they did, Ex and the White Forest are on our side; we could handle it.
"In that case, if they are going to try something, it will likely involve Light, won't it?"
"Mm. High probability. Yuki can't lay a hand on her."
"That’s the worrying part. Well, I’ll use my subordinates to scout around. We have three days. I’ll report if anything comes up."
With that, we parted ways to busy ourselves with preparations for three days from now. I truly hope nothing happens…
And so, a new problem surfaces.
Will the hand of evil reach out not to Yuki, but to Light—the girl who was once sent flying by a tank shell?
What will become of the Holy Sword Unveiling Ceremony?