第１３６８堀：怪しい国発見 (Part1)
Chapter 1368: Discovery of a Suspicious Nation
Side: Yuki
The Kinauf Kingdom and the Irinau Kingdom.
Investigations revealed that these two nations had been active even before the Great Stampede occurred.
In other words, it became clear that they had been gathering funds, stockpiling supplies, and mobilizing people.
Moreover, this was uncovered just two hours after I had alerted Lilishe and the others.
It was still within normal business hours at Weed.
"Um, Yuki-sama. While it is true that these two nations are suspicious, isn't there a possibility that they were simply planning to attack a neighboring country?"
Orelia, who had gathered around to look at the documents with me, offered this suggestion with a slightly perplexed expression.
"……Indeed. I cannot deny that possibility, but the fact that they are moving at this specific timing remains suspicious."
"That’s true~. I looked into their recent diplomatic relations, and it seems they were recently rejected when they requested investment from Weed~."
Hovis said this as he handed me the documents.
I took them and immediately scanned through the contents.
"Kinauf’s reason was that they lack water and wanted us to increase it. The Irinau Kingdom cited food shortages due to poor weather and a lack of sunlight~."
"And they were rejected after applying through Litea. In terms of scale…… if the figures are to be believed, it’s within a manageable range."
According to the documents, their water and food situations were at a level that could be handled by their own domestic stockpiles.
Actually, regarding the water, it hadn't increased or decreased, so there was no logical reason to demand an increase.
Well, as for where that talk originated from……
"……It’s my fault, isn't it."
Fiora spoke those words with a bitter expression.
Even if I told her otherwise, she would still worry about it.
"I did solve the water shortage, after all. Though it wasn't exactly free, I suppose this kind of jealousy was inevitable."
"B-but, I heard that Fiora-sama’s homeland, Dafaio, was on the verge of war. Isn't the situation far too different?"
Yayui offered this follow-up to support her.
"That’s true. Even so, it doesn't change the fact that they are envious. To them, it must have looked like we did it easily. Above all, we aren't a major power; at a glance, we look like a small, weak nation. They probably thought, 'If we push them, we can get what we want.' Well, such foolish requests were cut off by Litea, and since we had already established a policy to route such matters to Litea regarding Fiora's situation…… ah……"
"In other words, they have a reason to hold a grudge against Litea because of recent events."
Orelia grasped what I was trying to say and voiced it.
"But still~. Would they really pick a fight with Litea and Suls over something like that~? We have the Rogari Union Alliance and the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance now, too~. I don't think two small nations gathering together could do anything about that~? Even if they are Dungeon Masters capable of causing a Great Stampede~. No~, isn't it even stranger because they are Dungeon Masters~? The more they know about Weed’s internal situation, the less I think they would pick a fight~."
Hovis was speaking at unusual length.
That alone showed how unnatural and unconvincing the situation was.
Indeed, as Hovis said……
"We have to investigate that. Perhaps they have a way to win, unexpectedly."
"I don't think that’s something you should say out loud, Yuki-sama~?"
"I have to consider those possibilities, too. But, it’s certain that if we don't move, we’ll be worn down. If we leave it any longer, the gap will only widen. Lilishe said it, didn't she? That we might have been late to the draw. She also mentioned that they seemed to have been hoarding power from the start……"
"So, they moved now because they realized that even with that hoarded power, they would end up in an impossible situation?"
"I’ll say it again, this is just a prediction. I’ve sent out drones, but as for the people……"
As I muttered that……
"We have currently dispatched one intelligence agent to each country. They are scheduled to arrive by tomorrow, but since we are short-handed, I don't think the level of information gathering will be very high."
Even Kirika couldn't guarantee that they would definitely gather the information under these circumstances.
With targets scattered everywhere, the intelligence department was short on personnel.
They weren't the kind of people you could just recruit easily.
"There is a possibility that there is a Dungeon Master on the other side, so please be careful about that. There is a possibility of them being 'lost' suddenly."
"Yes. I have conveyed that to them. Including the procedures for if they are captured."
The most troublesome thing for us is having information leaked.
We have solid countermeasures for that.
Still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to give such instructions to a woman who looks so innocent.
"The rest depends on what these two nations are doing right now……"
"Drones, familiars, and personnel have not arrived yet. It will take at least five hours until arrival."
"They’ll need late-night pay. No, since they are going to dangerous places, add hazard pay on top of that."
"That is fine, but what about reporting this information to the Mistress and Lilishe-sama?"
Kirika seemed more worried about not being able to pass on the information than about her subordinates' pay.
It’s a matter of life and death, so that’s only natural.
"It’s enough that we were able to flush out the suspicious nations. In the current situation, it’s all just speculation anyway. They are just suspicious. Unexpectedly, there is a possibility that they are just gathering soldiers to exterminate monsters within their own borders."
I said something I couldn't even believe myself.
However, that possibility did exist.
Therefore……
"Let’s convey this information to Lilishe and the others and have them keep an eye out for such types in the Suls royal capital. I’ll perform a re-appraisal from the drones. Also, regarding the dungeonization of the Suls royal capital……"
"It should be done. If there are no problems, we can just undo it. This is an emergency. We are already dungeonizing to build fortresses to stop the Great Stampede, so it’s too late to turn back now."
"That’s true. Let’s proceed without changing the policy. Still, appraisal via drone is a pain……"