第１４４４堀：静かな夜 (Part1)
Chapter 1444: A Quiet Night
Side: Steve
Once again, I find myself experiencing the sheer absurdity of being a general who is constantly out in the field.
"I really wish I could just settle down in the rear for once."
"That’s unlikely to happen. After all, this is our first real foothold into the dark guild. There’s no guarantee the enemy won’t deploy a dungeon of their own."
"That’s true, I suppose."
The one keeping me company through my grumbling is Surakichi-san.
The Slime Corps has also been deployed for this operation.
It’s much easier for Surakichi-san and his kin to handle the pursuit than for us goblins to chase down the stragglers.
It’s honestly unfair how they can just attach a piece of themselves as a clone.
Well, I suppose it’s just an application of their splitting ability.
Though, they can only exert power proportional to the volume of that split-off piece.
Anyway, our job today is to track down the dark guild executives we’ve finally managed to locate.
Since there’s a possibility the enemy has a Dungeon Master waiting in the wings, we need a unit capable of deploying a dungeon ourselves.
And that authority, naturally, falls to us.
Ah, I truly hope it doesn’t come to that.
"You’re being awfully relaxed. Are the units ready for deployment?"
"I’m on it. I can mobilize ten units of tanks and infantry at a moment’s notice."
"Ten units, is it... It’s hard to say if that’s a lot or a little."
"If we’re talking about a scale of ten thousand, there’s a high chance we’ll get pushed back. We’d have no choice but to fight while retreating. Trying to hold a defensive line isn’t exactly a sound strategy."
"True, there’s little point in building a defensive line. Well, if we’re attacking Irinau, we can just use their own ramparts. Besides, even if they do deploy a dungeon, their objective remains unclear."
"Exactly. The Boss is worried about that dungeon deployment, but the goal is just so murky."
"That’s exactly why it’s terrifying. When you don’t know the purpose of a dungeon deployment, you’re always forced to react on the back foot. That’s why the Boss is gathering intelligence. He even gave Kirika permission to infiltrate the enemy’s living quarters this time, didn't he? That’s unheard of."
"Yeah. You’d think we’d be more cautious, but since the ladies are out in the field, he’s probably factoring that in. He might be thinking that if we can flush them out, that’s the best-case scenario."
"That’s plausible. It’s the Boss’s weakness, I suppose. Though, he’s not above using that to his advantage."
Yeah, as Surakichi-san says, the Boss treasures the ladies and the children, but he’d never leave that as a mere weakness.
He’s the type to use it as bait without hesitation.
This might even be close to that.
Perhaps he’s even letting them know on purpose.
"Regardless, this raid will surely reveal something. We’ve already identified the identities of the executives."
"Come to think of it, wasn't it a merchant who holds sway in a small nation?"
"That’s the one. Seems he was a rough-and-tumble adventurer back in the day. It’s safe to assume he made his connections with the dark guild during his adventuring years."
"I can't imagine a rough adventurer suddenly becoming a master of business, though."
"Right? Well, he’s an executive, but he’s on the lower end of the totem pole. They’re gathering manpower, so we’re just doing our due diligence to dig up his background."
I cut the conversation short and glance at my watch; the operation start time is almost upon us.
"Man, what are we doing out in the middle of a grassy field at night?"
"It’s work."
"I want a bath once this operation is over."
"I hope you get to enjoy a nice, long soak."
While we exchange idle chatter, we keep our senses sharp, scanning the surroundings.
It’s almost time...
"This is Theta, commencing operation."
"Copy."
"Copy."
The message comes in from Kirika.
We’re raiding the various locations where the dark guild members are staying.
It’s not something you’d normally do, but they say it’s partly to gauge the enemy’s true strength.
Well, we just have to do the job we’re given.
While keeping watch, we’ve turned the capital of Irinau into a dungeon, and through that surveillance, we’re tracking not just our allies, but the enemies and even the civilians.
That said, there are ways to slip through this surveillance.
Magic-blocking abilities.
If one could use that perfectly, they could escape the dungeon’s gaze, but since we’ve added heat signatures and the like to the mix, that’s not an option for them.
Well, the Boss is a pain because he’s always finding ways to spoof those things, too.
As I ponder this while staring at the monitor...
"…There’s no movement at all."
"Indeed. Wouldn't a normal person notice something?"
That’s right. For some reason, despite us raiding a base with fourteen residents, there’s been zero reaction.
Are they asleep?
I mean, it is night, and even dark guild members need their sleep.
But don't they wake up?
"So far, we are moving according to the base infiltration manual, and it seems to be functioning perfectly."
"The manual, you mean the double-whammy of sleeping gas and magic?"
"Yes. Infiltrating while they are awake... it’s not impossible, but there’s no reason to go out of our way to do it. One would have to ask what the intelligence agency is even for."
True, causing a scene is something only an idiot would do.
Still...
"…The fact that the manual works is a good thing, I suppose."
"Yeah, that’s the whole point of having a manual."
"Exactly. It’s only in stories that manuals fail to account for things. This kind of manual is the result of countless refinements. I don’t expect a mission of this level to produce a situation that exceeds our protocols."
Well, as Kirika says, a manual is just a collection of countermeasures for various anticipated scenarios.
The possibility of a situation exceeding that—a "trouble"—is indeed low.
Though, this manual is something we built up since coming to this world, not something from Earth.
Things like putting enemies to sleep before moving in—that kind of thing wouldn't have worked back there.
We only use those as a foundation or a reference.
"Come to think of it, what’s the plan if the target doesn't notice?"
"Oh, I didn't actually hear about that. I thought the idea was to search the base for information..."
"We’ll just capture them and interrogate them, obviously. Though, since there’s a chance other dark guild members might arrive tomorrow or later, we’ll only take half of them, and leave the executive alone for now."
"Won't that make the enemy suspicious? If half of them lose contact..."