第１３５４堀：ウィードとしての結論 (Part1)
Chapter 1354: The Conclusion as Weed
Side: Kagura
*Scritch, scratch, rustle...*
The sound echoed through the office—the familiar rhythm of pens dancing across parchment and pages being turned.
Still...
"Ugh, it’s never-ending!" Micos groaned, her voice dripping with misery.
Looking at the mountain of paperwork, one could hardly blame her.
"It is quite substantial, isn't it?"
Even Solo, who usually took the lead in encouraging Micos, was offering a wry smile. That alone spoke volumes about the sheer volume of the task. But the reality remained: complaining wouldn't make the work disappear.
"Do your best. You knew today would be heavy, didn't you?"
"I knew, but still! Why is there this much after just three days? It’s as much as a long holiday backlog!"
"That’s because the International Exchange School has started. It’s packed with petitions and reports from all over."
"But they say nothing’s really happened, right? It seems surprisingly quiet."
It was true. According to the reports, the school was operating normally, with no particular issues noted. However, those reports existed for every single student. This International Exchange School was centered on interaction with people from other continents, which necessitated the meticulous exchange of information. If even one response were delayed, it would bring shame upon the Haiden region. That was something we absolutely had to avoid.
"Even so, that is no excuse to neglect your reports. Besides, this has been the volume of paperwork since the student exchange program began. Why are you acting surprised now?"
"Micos-chan basically has more work with *Weekly Weed*, too. So, things are piling up on that side as well."
"Ah, I see. Well then, I shall..."
"Solo, stop. You cannot keep coddling her."
Solo worked harder than any of us as a diplomat. Ever since we married, she had been the one steering the ship as the head of Weed’s diplomatic corps. Piling more work onto her was out of the question.
"Don't make such a fuss over simple verification tasks. If you’ve been training your subordinates properly for *Weekly Weed*, it should just be a matter of checking their work. Do you intend to expose your own incompetence to Yuki?"
"Nngh... fine. I get it."
Micos was always weak when Yuki’s name was invoked. After all, he carried a far heavier burden than she did. Besides, I knew that if she just applied herself, she could work at a blistering pace. As if on cue, the speed of Micos’s work began to pick up. Her volatility in motivation was her greatest flaw.
Well, I should finish my own tasks and help her with the rest. Just as I reached for the next document, thinking that Micos’s workload was indeed daunting, the call chime rang out.
"From Yuki? I wonder what happened."
Receiving a call wasn't particularly rare, but he knew we were busy after the holiday. I couldn't shake a bad feeling.
"Aren't you going to answer?"
"I am."
Spurred by Micos, I snapped back to reality and accepted the call. Yuki’s voice filled the room. I would have liked to see his face, but I couldn't afford to stop working, so I settled for audio only.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, I apologize for calling during your busy post-holiday schedule."
"So, what is it?"
"I have something I need to verify. Could you come to the conference room in the General Government Building?"
"This isn't something we can discuss over the line?"
"Other nations are involved. I want to hold a meeting with our own people first."
"Understood. What about Micos?"
"Bring Micos as well. Tell Solo she can prioritize her own work for now. I’ll inform Princess Carrie that any delays in the other reports are on me."
I turned the call screen toward Solo. She seemed to grasp my intent immediately.
"Understood. I know you cannot afford to cut corners, Yuki-sama, but please do not push yourself too hard."
"Yeah. Sorry, Solo. Alright, you two, get over here."
"Understood."
And so, Micos and I left our work unfinished and headed for the General Government Building.
"I wonder what this is about. It’s rare for Yuki-sensei to call a meeting during work hours."
"Indeed. We should probably prepare ourselves for the worst."
The only reason Yuki would call an unscheduled meeting during work hours was if some kind of trouble had erupted. That said, I was certain it wasn't school-related; if there were trouble at the school, we would have been notified immediately. We steeled our nerves and arrived at the building, only to find...
"As I thought, Kagura and the others, too?"
"It seems so."
We had met up with Stasia and Enora at the entrance.
"Were you two called by Yuki-sensei as well?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"Actually, it’s not just us. Agil and Show were there too, so I suspect this is related to diplomacy."
"So the others have already gone ahead?"
"Yes. We were just waiting for you as friends."
"I see, thank you. Let’s go."
I walked past a smug-looking Enora and entered the building.
"Hey, wait a second!"
"Yuki is waiting. Let’s go."
We arrived at the conference room to find everyone present, save for those like Kirue and Sasari who were tending to the children.
*Wait,* I thought. *Is this a bigger problem than I imagined?*
As we took our seats, Yuki began to speak.
"Alright, everyone is here. Thank you for taking the time during this busy period. To get straight to the point: a massive outbreak of monsters—a Stampede—has occurred."
The reaction was split. Some remained unmoved, while others, like us, wore faces of pure shock.
"Um, Yuki? May I?"
"Go ahead, Agil."
"I’m sure you’re going to elaborate, but just to confirm: a Stampede is when monsters swarm in massive numbers and attack people, right?"
"That is correct."
Yes, a Stampede was a disaster where a massive surge of monsters caused catastrophic loss of life and property. But that was something that couldn't happen in our Haiden region, where monsters were non-existent. Which meant this was happening on another continent.
"Right. I understand. Give us the details."
"Very well. This Stampede occurred in the Principality of Suls, where I was scheduled to visit for the spirit investigation. The scale is ten thousand. The composition includes weak monsters like goblins, but there are also many powerful ones like trolls, which makes it troublesome. However, that is not the problem."
A force of ten thousand monsters was certainly a threat, but if Weed were to move, a force of that composition—as seen on the monitors—could be dealt with easily, both magically and technologically.
"The problem is that the Principality of Suls is not part of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. Therefore, we cannot dispatch the Alliance’s military. As you know, doing so could be interpreted as an act of aggression."
"I understand the issue regarding the military. Can the Principality of Suls prevent this Stampede on their own, or perhaps with some other form of cooperation?"
Jessica asked, calmly probing for the facts.