第１４２５堀：わくわくの支援内容を決めよう（劇物入） (Part2)
Prompted by Riel, I hurriedly began handing out sweets to the others, but...
"Yuki-sama. I am dissatisfied with that blatant attempt to appease us. Not that I’m saying you haven't been working hard, mind you."
"Indeed. Yuki-sama, you aren't looking for sycophants or flatterers, are you?"
"Well~, I understand the sentiment~. But it’s not exactly what I’d call 'sincere,' is it? I mean, that’s part of it, but doing various things is just expected, isn't it~?"
"I-I’m sorry. B-but, I think that’s one of your good qualities, Yuki-sama, so I don’t think you need to obsess over being 'sincere'."
"Exactly. As the four of them say, Yuki-sama is not the type to be contained within the narrow vessel of 'sincerity,' so there is no need to dwell on it."
"Pfft. Besides, rather than 'sincere,' it’s more like... what is a twisted soul who has saved so many people doing worrying about that now?"
I have no rebuttal for Nina’s final remark.
After all, I don’t exactly consider myself a "good person."
Though, I must admit, it did make me happy to hear Riel call me one.
"Setting aside whether I’m sincere or twisted, the various nations are satisfied, so that’s not an issue. The real question is how to structure the aid; I think a selective approach would be best."
"A selective approach, you say?"
"Yes. A menu of options. If we just provide raw funding, there’s a risk of embezzlement. Not that it’s guaranteed, but we’ll keep direct cash injections lower compared to other forms of support. If we prioritize material goods and business development assistance instead..."
"I see. That reduces the chance of the funds flowing into the dark guilds."
You can’t just hand out aid blindly.
What is intended to help an ally can easily end up lining the pockets of the enemy.
That’s why I have to think this through carefully...
"Conversely, it might be good to create a form of aid that is easy to track."
"Easy to track? Ah, I see. As expected of Yuki-sama."
Prol, having grasped my intent, wears a wicked, knowing grin.
"???"
While the others tilt their heads in confusion, Nina just smiles at me.
"See? Where is the 'sincerity' in that? Are you talking about attaching surveillance to the funds and specific supplies?"
"That’s part of the plan. And what would you think if we included the provision of weapons for monster subjugation as part of the aid?"
"Wouldn't they just use them for monster subjugation?"
Yayui answers my question with total innocence.
I find her purity touching, but Orelia and Hobis pause to think...
"If they are weapons, there is a possibility they could fall into enemy hands. They would likely use them for monster subjugation, of course, but..."
"And after they use them~, they could just claim they were lost or destroyed to divert them elsewhere~. ...Meaning they’d end up in the hands of the dark guilds, right~?"
"Is that what you mean? We can't track every single piece of mundane equipment, but if it’s weaponry, it might be labor-intensive, but we could establish a tracking system... couldn't we?"
"Exactly as the three of you surmised. I don’t expect the dark guilds to use Weed-supplied weapons directly, but they will eventually acquire them. After all, these are people we are preparing to confront. And as for the tracking system..."
I turn my gaze toward Nina.
"Right. It would be a problem if our own swords went missing, so we’ve made it possible to track them if that happens."
"Exactly. And given that we’ve had kidnapping incidents, we’ve already established methods to confirm the location of personal property—like weapons—based on the magical signature they emit, in addition to triangulation via individual mana. We can’t read their status, but we can track their location..."
"It requires a fair amount of personnel, but by cross-referencing with maps, we can track the weapons to suspicious locations and eventually reach the dark guilds, correct?"
"That’s the idea."
Until now, I couldn't tag the enemy, but now I can intentionally send them something that allows me to track them.
Besides weapons... perhaps furnishings, jewelry, or precious metals?
I have no personal interest in such things, but they would certainly collect items that can serve as a source of funding.
Well, the policy is set, so I’ll leave the rest to be discussed in the meeting.
Thinking this, I begin to organize the documents.
Aid, after all, is aid.
It is a wonderful thing that benefits both the nation and its people.
So, if any negative consequences arise, it must be the fault of the bad people involved. (Smiles)