第７３５堀：立ちはだかる難題たち (Part2)
"In that case, wouldn't we be able to tell if they're involved?"
"The tracker is pinging in a different small nation. The personnel tracking them aren't my subordinates from Weed, and I can't just go around making contact with them on my own authority."
"So, that means we need to get in touch with the nations on the New Continent."
"Exactly."
I have to confirm just how much they understand about Aquenoki's movements, and how they view the recent commotion caused by Magic Gear in other major powers. Are they taking the situation seriously, or are they being optimistic?
"But, something from what you said earlier bothered me. Why hasn't Findar assigned anyone to track them? They were put through hell by those church fanatics too, weren't they?"
"It's the opposite. They said that if they assigned people to track them, they'd just end up killing them. They don't want to incur our displeasure by doing that. And the biggest reason is that they don't want other nations to know that Findar, Haiden, and the Haire Church are all chasing and monitoring the same target."
"…I see. They're wary of Aquenoki being snatched up by another nation."
"Right. Aquenoki has no power now, but they still possess all their knowledge from before, and it's a fact that we were desperate to subjugate them. To other nations, they're a source of trouble, but in another sense, they're a powerful card to play against our country."
"For nations that want to fight us, at least."
As Seraria said, Aquenoki would likely look like the most effective card for anyone wanting to challenge our New Continent alliance. Well, whether they could actually win or not is another matter, but they would certainly think they have a chance to oppose us. After all, Aquenoki has the track record of having thoroughly toyed with Haiden, Findar, and the Haire Church.
"Still, the timing is exquisite. Was letting them escape a mistake, I wonder?"
"Who knows? But I think it's a good thing that the enemy is clearly identified. If some nation takes them in, it'll be easy to judge that nation as an enemy."
"In a sense, that's exactly what Luna intended, then."
"No, Luna's goal is to flush out the other gods of the intermediate faction. It's not necessarily about finding hostile nations. Though, I can't rule out the possibility that the nation trying to take in Aquenoki is another god."
They say there are eight million gods in Japan. I suppose in this world, if you see one, you should assume there are a hundred more. Well, the gods here are mostly worldly, so they might be better than the eight million in Japan. They're at least easier to understand. The eight million gods include everything from natural phenomena to things that make no sense at all. Their abilities are too limited, but because they are limited, they are incredibly powerful. I'm just grateful that the ones here can be dealt with physically if they come at us.
"If other gods are moving, that's just more trouble. Well, we'll find out about all of that during our investigation starting tomorrow. Tomorrow, we head to the New Continent, right?"
"That's the plan. I'm taking Kagura and the others with me. The matter of them skipping school is on hold for now."
"Well, they've only been in school for three or four days. I suppose it's too early for information to have gathered... but they really don't want to go to school, do they?"
"There's definitely something going on. Lilishe accepts it as if it's normal, and she's a proper member of the clergy, even if you set aside her marital issues. She corrects what is wrong, yet she isn't doing that here..."
"There must be something. Should I try asking Lilishe about it?"
"Do you think Lilishe would tell you? Or rather, she might not have heard anything at all."
"We can't just leave it alone. Besides, if I don't get as angry as Shera did, she probably won't be as guarded."
I suppose she was worried about Shera's intensity, too...
"Then, I'll leave it to you, Seraria."
"Yes. Leave the affairs of Weed to me, your Queen. In return, I'm leaving Kagura and the others to you. Don't let them die, even if it comes to a fight."
"I know. Kagura and the others are important acquaintances and diplomats from the New Continent. Besides, they are descendants of Sota-san. I won't do anything that would make me unable to face him. At the very worst, I'll bring them back to Weed, even if it's just them."
For the current Weed—no, for me—they are the only people in the New Continent who understand and help us this much.
"…My dear. It's time you faced reality."
"…"
"You know what I mean, don't you?"
"…I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I understand that you're worried, but no one is going to blame you."
"I have you and the others, Seraria. I don't know what you see in me…"
"Oh? I find it hard to believe there's a man in this world better than you."
"Well, I'll do my best, including that."
"It's time," huh. *Sigh.* Honestly, this is more of a problem for me than Aquenoki is.
Will the final battle with Aquenoki finally be depicted?!
No, well, everyone is more interested in Kagura's love life, right?
Aquenoki doesn't really matter, does it?
But, they might turn out to be an unexpectedly strong boss!!