第１３８７堀：上層部の判断 (Part2)
"That stands to reason. Still, in the event of some emergency, you would be able to sortie or provide support, would you not?"
"That goes without saying. It’s stipulated in the treaty, after all."
Even among great powers, the agreement dictates that we shall face emergencies as a united front. The definition of an emergency covers natural disasters, plagues, great floods, and war. Regarding war, however, the treaty specifies that we are not obligated to assist in an ally’s war of aggression outside the alliance.
Essentially, we only deploy our military for defense—when an ally is being attacked. Just as it is now.
Granted, once the dust settles, we do levy demands upon the aggressor nation to recover even a fraction of the damages our ally sustained. Depending on how they respond, we may inflict a proportionate level of ruin upon them to maintain the prestige of the alliance.
But we have no intention of wiping a nation off the map.
Doing so would only invite those who love to scream about "tyrannical regimes." Even now, factions like the anti-Weed movement are active, and I have no intention of handing them a pretext to use against us.
Oh, and for the record, wars of aggression between member states are strictly forbidden. A nation’s territory is defined by what they declared upon joining the alliance. As for border disputes, the standard procedure is for the great powers to step in, weigh the claims of both sides, and determine which village or town belongs to whom.
There are minor complications here and there, but for now, that is how it functions.
"Speaking of Gartz, your princess mentioned she had uncovered the involvement of a dark guild. Has she returned yet?"
"No. It seems she is still tracking the flow of supplies on the other side. I ordered her back, but you know her—she was never going to return so easily. Given the nature of the shadows involved, I cannot simply task any subordinate with such an investigation."
Ah, that’s right. The letter from Lowel wasn't just sent to us; it was shared with Gartz as well, keeping the intelligence loop closed.
"It reached us, too. We’ve been probing as well, but has anything surfaced on your end?"
"No. As I just said, we don't know how deep the rot has spread internally. It would be troublesome if rumors began to spread that the dark guild was actively supporting the war effort."
Seraria turns to ask her father, the King of Roschur, but it seems there has been no significant progress there either. I understand the sentiment. It’s a matter of where to even begin the investigation, and who to entrust with such a sensitive task.
"We could make a grand, public declaration... that is one option."
"That would likely cause the target to go to ground. Losing the trail would be a problem. Besides, it seems this dark guild is also purchasing goods from merchants on the If Continent. If we aren't careful, the dark guild may have already entrenched itself there as well."
It is Noble, the King of Ex, who continues after King Gartz. Though he is a god, he carries his role as a monarch with gravity and understands our intentions perfectly, which is a great help. As Noble says, announcing the dark guild’s involvement to the world would only send them scurrying into the shadows. Since there is a high probability they are working in tandem with a Dungeon Master, allowing them to escape is a scenario I want to avoid.
We need a way to capture them in secret.
"To uncover the true identity of this dark guild, it will be necessary to probe the Kingdom of Kinauf and the Kingdom of Irinau."
"Agreed. How about we refrain from any rash moves, pretend we haven't noticed a thing, and make it appear as though we are focusing our attention solely on those two nations?"
The suggestion comes from the Kings of Haiden and Findall in the New Continent. Both of their nations were hollowed out from within by the fanatics of the Assembly of Wisdom, so their advice is born of bitter experience.
"In a situation where we cannot easily issue orders to our subordinates, perhaps we can only watch the movement of supplies? Shall we mobilize the International Investigation Agency? They are currently investigating the anti-Weed factions, are they not? If that group is connected to the dark guild, then we are already at a dead end. I believe it would be effective to investigate that link as well, don't you?"
"Indeed, that is true..."
As Yupi suggests, the International Investigation Agency holds exactly that kind of classified information. Leaving it to them and waiting for a reaction is a viable path. It’s certainly better than standing by and watching.
"Very well. I will contact them and have a select few of their investigators look into those movements. We might find that some of them have already caught wind of the dark guild."
As I speak, the kings of each nation nod in agreement.
Well then, I suppose we shall continue to hunt this dark guild from our end as well. I wonder if the anti-Weed faction is involved behind the scenes, too? With the matter of Rushi still lingering, I want to resolve this as quickly as possible.
Even if we win as planned, there is still so much to do. Even if things go off-script, there is still so much to do.
In conclusion: war is, as always, a massive headache.