第１３９３堀：現在わかっている情報のまとめと行動 (Part1)
**Chapter 1393: Summary of Current Intelligence and Action Plan**
**Side: Orelia**
"Right, let's wrap up the talk about workload and get straight to summarizing the information we have on the Dark Guild."
With those words from Yuki-sama, the meeting commenced. As usual, we began recording the session and taking minutes, ensuring we could review everything later.
I suppose I was wrong to think I should have finished my tasks before attending to this. I had meant well, but as Kirika-sama and the others pointed out, I cannot simply manifest the ability to handle more work than I am currently capable of overnight. If my precision drops, it wouldn't just be a simple mistake—it would be a failure. I realize now that my efforts were merely spinning their wheels. I have always been told that when Yuki-sama needs an escort, my other duties can be pushed aside, but the fact that I couldn't apply that logic to today’s workload is pathetic. I still have much to learn.
Yuki-sama and the others pointed this out with a laugh, so I shall strive to do better. However, for some reason, Yayui looks like she is on the verge of tears. Perhaps she, unlike me, couldn't simply brush off her own mistakes? I should check on her later.
As I was thinking this, Yuki-sama spoke up.
"Yayui. Are you alright?"
"Eh? Oh, yes..."
It seems Yuki-sama noticed her state as well and reached out to her.
"What is it? Are you worried about the work?"
"Ah, n-no... well, yes. I just... why am I so incapable?"
"I know it’s easy for me to say 'don't worry about it,' but look at Prol in front of you."
Yuki-sama gestured toward Prol, who was acting as the moderator.
"Eh? Me?"
"Is something wrong with Prol-san?"
"No, no, I won't let you say you don't know Prol's personality. Excuse me."
Saying that, he approached Prol and hugged her.
"Fuhya!? Y-Yuki-sama!?"
"Look, she’s in 'work mode,' which is why she can do this, but she’s only human. Everyone has flaws. Everyone has their own way of working. Yayui, you have a talent for driving that no one else can imitate. And Prol has this knack for streamlining work. That’s perfectly fine."
"A-ah, yes!"
"Good. Now, once this talk is over, let’s all cook a meal together."
"Ehh..."
"Come on, Prol, play along. Well, the fact that you can complain like that shows you’re growing. Besides, knowing you, Prol, you’re just going to end up working overtime anyway, aren't you?"
"...That is absolutely not true."
"No, she will definitely work overtime."
"Kirika-sama!?"
"You are just as prone to fatigue as anyone else. Shall I tell Kirue-sama to come and drag you away?"
"...Nnggh. Understood. *Sigh*, my work is going to fall behind."
I see. There is no doubt that Prol is similar to Yayui. They just have slightly different personalities. Both tend to bottle things up and try to handle everything on their own.
"I’ll make adjustments to account for that. Now, let’s return to organizing the intelligence on the Dark Guild."
"Yes. Then, I shall explain once more. First, from the beginning."
Prol began her explanation.
"Perhaps you all missed each other? This was back when Yuki-sama was searching for Orelia and the others, and Fiora-sama was managing the water in the Dafaio Kingdom. As-san, a merchant who frequents Weed, and his adventurer escorts brought in a slave they had protected in an emergency. That was Lyushi. Her injuries were severe; it was obvious at a glance that she had been treated that way intentionally. At the time, we thought it was a case of bandits colluding with a village to eliminate an obstacle, but..."
As she spoke, Prol wrote on the whiteboard.
**Dark Guild Intelligence: Chronological Order**
* **The Bandit Incident along the Roschur-Gartz Border**
"We didn't conduct the interrogations ourselves, but investigations by Roschur and Gartz confirmed that they were acting on orders from the Dark Guild. However, the nature of the request from those suspected to be Dark Guild members was simply to ravage the borderlands."
"Eh? So, it hasn't been definitively confirmed to be the Dark Guild's doing?"
"It seems they were detected and fled. However, based on how they erased evidence when their base was raided and the state of the site, it has been confirmed that the methods used are strikingly similar to those of the Dark Guild."
"So, it’s 'almost certain,' but not confirmed."
The great powers are surprisingly pathetic. Then again, they initially judged them to be mere bandits, so I suppose that is to be expected.
"That is the situation. That said, both Roschur and Gartz are still investigating. It is important that we conduct our own inquiries to see if we can uncover any new information."
**Dark Guild Intelligence: Chronological Order**
* **The Bandit Incident along the Roschur-Gartz Border**
* *Action: Interview involved parties for additional information.*
Prol wrote this down and turned back to us.
"This is what we must do. And based on that information, we will investigate further."
I see. That is certainly something suited for us. Since we would be requesting information as part of our diplomatic duties, it is exactly the kind of task we should be handling.
"Next, this is something that came to light when the Great Flood began in Suurus, and it involves me directly..."
**Dark Guild Intelligence: Chronological Order**
* **The Bandit Incident along the Roschur-Gartz Border**
* *Action: Interview involved parties for additional information.*
* **Inflow of Anti-Weed Factions via Additional Immigration for the International Exchange School**
"As written, I’m sure you remember that when we established the International Exchange School, we created a district with apartments and houses, anticipating that some would want to reside in Weed."
"Yes, I recall hearing that it was designed to be isolatable in case of such problems?"
"Orelia is correct. That was part of the intent, and as expected—or perhaps I should say, as planned—the so-called 'Anti-Weed' faction has infiltrated. It is curious, isn't it? We discovered that among them were people from the two nations that invaded Suurus. However, that alone is not enough to detain them."
"Eh? Isn't being 'Anti-Weed' enough?"
"Yayui. That is just what the appraisal shows. They haven't committed any crimes or caused any trouble within Weed. It’s likely just reconnaissance. Since the great powers do the same, we leave them be—it serves to show them that Weed is safe and powerful."
Indeed, it is difficult to detain someone who hasn't actually done anything wrong. We could use our authority to do so, but that would only invite resentment from those around us.
"Then... then how are we supposed to investigate them?"