第７９３堀：できる女の仕事部屋 (Part1)
### Chapter 793: The Capable Woman’s Office
**Side: Kagura**
“...Huh? Hey, Kagura.”
“...What is it?”
I barely managed to respond to Mikos’s call.
“...Mikos-chan and the others were just at the inn a moment ago, right?”
“...That’s right. We were supposed to be at the inn...”
Solo echoed the sentiment, sounding just as uncertain as Mikos.
Well, that was understandable.
Because...
“Why is there a command center in a corner of the inn?”
And it wasn’t just some makeshift setup with a few desks lined up; it was a fully equipped command center, just like the ones Weed uses when conducting military operations!
It was on par with the one used to direct the reconnaissance units when the Seisifo Kingdom suddenly appeared at the border.
Why on earth would something like that be in an inn...?
“Why, you ask? Well, Kagura...”
“Master, allow me to take it from here.”
Kirika-san stepped forward, smiling brightly as she began to explain.
“Kagura-sama, the reason is quite simple. This place is the base of operations for us, the intelligence unit directly under Master.”
“This inn is...?”
“Yes. On the surface, it serves to properly host first-time guests and help them find suitable lodging, but in reality, it also serves to monitor VIPs and gather information. Well, it’s something every country does.”
“...Well, now that you mention it, I suppose that’s true.”
“Yes, I believe so.”
Indeed, gathering information like that is fundamental.
But I never imagined they would have such extensive facilities inside an inn.
As I was busy being surprised and coming to terms with it, Kirika-san suddenly added...
“Oh, and in this inn, I am merely Kirina, the landlady. I am not ‘Kirika,’ the name of a super-beautiful girl.”
“Kirika. I don’t think you should be saying that yourself, you know?”
“There is no way a name given to me by Aslin-aneesama would be unsuitable for a beauty.”
“...Aslin is well-loved, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She is our precious older sister. Now, since it is clear that I am the one in charge of these facilities, let us look at the monitor.”
Ah, right. We came here to monitor the situation.
“Operator. Any movement?”
“Yes. At first, they seemed unsure of what to do, so someone has been sent to explain.”
That makes sense.
If you were suddenly brought to a Weed inn, you wouldn’t have the slightest clue what to do.
Just as I was thinking that, Kirika-san moved quickly...
“I shall head out as well. Naturally, the landlady, Kirina, should be the one to guide VIPs. I will go under the guise of having returned after seeing Master off.”
“Got it. Be careful.”
“Yes, Master.”
I instinctively called out to Kirika-san as she started to leave.
“U-um, please be careful. And, thank you for the sake of our country.”
““Thank you.””
Following my lead, Mikos and Solo offered their thanks as well, to which she replied...
“...That it serves the sake of Kagura-sama’s country is merely a matter of result. I act solely for Master’s sake. Now then.”
Kirika-san said that and left without waiting for our response.
“I wonder if she really hates us...”
“Well, we did kidnap Yuki-sensei and the others...”
“...It’s a bit sad, isn’t it?”
No matter how many times I try to talk to Kirika-san, she always gives these dry, curt responses.
As Mikos said, we are the ones who kidnapped Yuki and the others, whom she adores as her master, so I can’t really complain...
As I was feeling down, Yuki spoke up.
“Don’t worry. Kirika has forgiven you, in her own way. You just need to communicate with her properly.”
“You think so?”
“If she thought of you as enemies, you’d already be dead.”
“...True. Kirika-san could probably kill Mikos-chan and the others easily...”
“Exactly. Oh, look at the monitor. They’ve arrived. That was fast.”
“Well, she is an intelligence operative. She moves quickly.”
Following Solo’s suggestion, I looked at the monitor and saw that Kirika-san, who had just left, was already dealing with General Lake.
“But, Yuki-sensei, I don’t think it’ll be easy to get anything out of General Lake...”
“Well, Mikos, you try to extract information directly, but Kirika’s methods have a different direction.”
“Different?”
“Well, I’m sure you do it sometimes too, Mikos, but it’s more like leading questions—observing their daily habits and the way they carry themselves to understand the state and movements of the entire Seisifo Kingdom.”
“Oh, so it’s that indirect?”
““?””
Mikos seemed to understand what Yuki was saying, but Solo and I could only tilt our heads, completely lost.
Realizing this, Yuki began to explain patiently.
“People don’t just answer questions when you ask them directly. Kagura and Solo, I’m sure you do this in diplomacy too: learning about the common sense and state of the other country through casual conversation.”
“Ah, we do that, but does Kirika-san really go through all that trouble just for that?”
“I thought she’d be doing something more intense to uncover secrets...”
“Even so, it doesn’t end with just small talk. You can learn about the Seisifo Kingdom’s movements from it. For example, if there’s information that they recently held a successful festival, it means the country has the leeway to afford such an event.”
“Oh, I see. Our Haiden and Findar don’t have that kind of leeway.”
Ever since the turmoil of the Haire religion that started with that Aquenoki, our national strength has plummeted. We aren’t in a position to hold festivals; we are struggling and putting all our efforts into rebuilding the country.
Of course, when international relations began, Haiden, Findar, and the Haire religion couldn’t hold festivals either.
We hadn’t even properly declared to our citizens that we were participating in international exchange, and frankly, we didn’t have the resources for it.
“That’s true. We were so battered...”
“That’s why we accepted the Seisifo Kingdom’s reconstruction support army, isn’t it?”
As Mikos and Solo said, even if the damage from direct combat wasn’t that severe, moving the army consumed a massive amount of supplies and money, and we gained nothing physical from it.
The damage to the national treasury was immense.
“So, the idea is to draw out those kinds of stories to understand the situation in the Seisifo Kingdom.”
“Exactly. Asking directly like Mikos is one way, but that type of person will just dodge the question with ease.”
“Ah, I get it. Old men like that are good at deflecting the conversation.”
“In that sense, sending General Lake was probably the right move. Thanks to that, we still have no idea what the Seisifo Kingdom’s intentions are. Well, the King of Haiden seems to have grasped something from the letter, though.”
But His Majesty didn’t try to tell Yuki the contents of the letter.
“...Um, Yuki, are you angry at His Majesty’s actions? He’s being so roundabout...”
I asked honestly, worried about it.
“No. The King of Haiden’s intention is for you to use this opportunity to earn General Lake’s trust. Whether or not you gain that trust is what connects to the contents of the letter the King of Haiden read.”
He answered normally, without seeming particularly bothered.
“Later, we’ll compare notes to see if you managed to earn the trust of the Seisifo Kingdom—or rather, General Lake.”
“I see. So Yuki and His Majesty really are thinking about everything.”
“Well, yeah. Oh, Kirika finished her explanation and left.”
“But General Lake and his men didn’t seem very surprised even after hearing the explanation.”
On the monitor, General Lake and his men were sitting around the table calmly, without looking around the room in wonder.
“We were so surprised when we came to the Weed inn, so that’s amazing. Mikos-chan is surprised.”