第８４５堀：訓練と敵の狙い (Part2)
"I apologize if I startled you, but your conversation with the instructors carried on the wind, and I couldn't help but overhear..."
*Oh, crap. This is bad.*
If they take this the wrong way, they might think we’re dissatisfied with the Kingdom of Seasypho’s decisions. Kagura, sensing the tension, spoke up immediately.
"Please, forgive the intrusion. It is not that we have any issue with Seasypho’s decisions. We were simply curious."
"No, the fault lies with me for my lack of explanation. Or rather, His Majesty and General Lake had sworn me to secrecy, as nothing is set in stone just yet."
"...What do you mean by that?"
The way they phrased that—it implies there’s something they’ve been keeping from us.
"Since it hasn't been officially confirmed, would you mind keeping this between us?"
"Of course. Given that this likely concerns our own standing, we will keep this strictly confidential."
Kagura said this, but her eyes remained sharp. Naturally. If they’ve been hiding something, it’s almost certainly something that could cost us our lives. I, Mikos, couldn't agree more.
And the core of this "lack of explanation" was...
"His Majesty and General Lake requested that you all from Haiden provide instruction and education in magic for a very specific reason."
"That goes without saying. It would be unthinkable to invite those capable of teaching magic from Haiden as some sort of game or jest."
Exactly. It’s truly unthinkable. In the first place, when General Lake came to Haiden, he had prepared a massive support system, including reconstruction supplies, just in case he was turned down. That’s how difficult it is to get another nation to share their technology. Well, one could ask about Weed, but the original technological disparity was so severe that we couldn't even hold a conversation until we were on somewhat equal footing.
But, setting Weed aside, the reason Seasypho had been keeping this hidden was...
"Yes, that is correct. We did not invite you for a game or a joke. The truth is, almost all of Seasypho’s combat-ready mages were deployed to defend our maritime borders, and as a result, there is almost no one left who is capable of teaching magic."
"Excuse me? I... I apologize, but I don't quite understand what you mean."
"It is exactly as it sounds. Our magic guns were ineffective against this recent wave of sea monsters, so we relied on mages, who possess greater firepower, to intercept them. And, for a time, it was effective."
That makes sense. Even if pseudo-guns don't work, if you can unleash an attack that exceeds the monster's defenses, it will get through.
"After confirming those results, Seasypho sought to reclaim our sea lanes in one fell swoop. We gathered our high-firepower mages and dispatched the Second Fleet."
Right. I can follow that, too. If you see results, you gather the group that produced them and set them to the task. But the soldier telling us this didn't look well.
"However, the result was the annihilation of half the Second Fleet. There were no survivors on the ships carrying the mages."
"...What does that mean?"
Kagura’s expression hardened at those words.
"...The mages were all eaten. By the monsters."
"..."
I figured that if they were eaten by something like that Sheera-clone, they wouldn't survive, but then it hit me.
"Forgive me. Are you saying the monsters were intentionally targeting the mages?"
"...Yes. That is what we believe. As a result, we have no mages left to face the monsters, and furthermore, we lack the personnel to provide education."
"..."
I see. They didn't ask Haiden to teach magic because they wanted to adopt Haiden's techniques; they asked because their own mages were wiped out.
"So, the enemy recognized the mages as a threat capable of inflicting damage and prioritized them as targets... I understand. Thank you for being honest with us. Naturally, we will ensure your position and safety are protected. However, an urgent matter has arisen, so we will be canceling the remainder of today's training. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. That is fine. I am just glad my information could be of use. And please... do not let young lives be thrown away."
"Thank you. Mikos, Solo, we’re going to Yuki."
"Got it."
"Understood."
This is vital information. The enemy recognizes mages as a threat and targets them first. Seasypho doesn't have concrete proof, but Yuki and the others will surely be able to piece something together from this.
With that, Mikos and the others hurried toward Yuki.
New information has come to light. Is the enemy truly after magic power? And what was the reason for hiding this fact? Who is the true enemy?
And so, Kagura and the others headed toward the dismantling site.