第１４５７堀：頼れる彼女 (Part1)
Chapter 1457: A Reliable Woman
Side: Lowell
After returning to Weed and Gartz for a long-overdue period of relaxation, I was summoned by Seraria.
Well, a lot has happened lately.
Around the time I returned, there was a Great Outbreak in Litea’s subordinate territory of Irinau, followed by a border violation from a neighboring country.
It’s the classic case of "we are obviously involved."
That said, as one would expect from Weed, the Great Outbreak was suppressed with ease, and the two countries violating the border immediately turned tail the moment the Alliance made its presence known.
Well, regarding Irinau, since they hadn't actually occupied the town or engaged in open combat, it seems they haven't been forced into an agreement regarding apologies, reparations, or cooperation in investigating the Dark Guild.
Even so, the fact that they forcibly expelled the envoys is practically a declaration of their involvement.
I had wondered if they were just trying to buy time to prepare, but at this point, they’re already out of the game.
Perhaps the upper echelons have gone into hiding?
Or maybe the Dark Guild and the Dungeon Master are joining forces to launch an offensive so aggressive that the Alliance can no longer pursue Irinau... though I don't see how they could possibly dismantle an alliance centered around Weed.
It’s an impossible dream, but if they could assassinate all the top leaders of the Alliance—like Yuki or Seraria—that would be the way, but that is the most difficult task of all.
"What’s with that difficult look on your face?"
"Hm? Ah, Seraria."
I looked up at the sound of her voice to find Seraria standing there.
"Here. Coffee."
"Thanks."
I accepted the cup and took a sip.
Yes, this is definitely coffee brewed by Seraria.
"So, why did you call me here?"
"Well, there’s something we need to discuss. My husband is scheduled to come as well, but I wanted to fill you in on the finer details regarding Irinau first."
And so, I listened to the detailed account of what transpired in Irinau.
I had already heard that the envoys were expelled, but it seems they didn't bother capturing the Dark Guild executives; instead, they replaced half of them and left the rest to swim, so to speak.
"...Is the Dark Guild really that incompetent?"
"Seems so. Well, according to Yuki and Kirika, even the ones they caught were likely just low-level grunts."
"Well, that makes sense. They were the ones out in the field, after all."
True high-ranking executives never show their faces in the field.
That’s the same everywhere.
In Weed, people like Seraria and Yuki, or in Gartz, my father and older brother—they hold their ground firmly at the center.
In that sense, I suppose I’m just a low-level executive myself.
"And while the Dark Guild was causing a ruckus in the castle town of Irinau, they were actually doing something else besides attacking the envoys, you know?"
"Something else?"
"Yes. They snuck into the treasury and made off with money and items that could be easily liquidated without leaving a trail."
"Huh? After all that, they resorted to safecracking?"
The pettiness of it left me stunned.
However, Seraria didn't seem to find it particularly strange.
"It’s not that mysterious. It seems the current Dark Guild has had its headquarters destroyed, and the various branches are forced to scrape together their own funds to keep operating."
"Ah—so with the supply from the headquarters cut off, their cash flow is tight?"
"Likely. If that weren't the case, they wouldn't be doing something as reckless as trying to topple a country. The reward for this job should have been substantial enough."
"Well, that’s true. With a situation this big, the payout would be commensurate... but did you find any evidence of that?"
"No. We’ve been investigating in Kinauf, but financial records can be forged as easily as anything, and in Irinau, we had to leave before we could even be accused of being the thieves."
"Ah, is that why you left Irinau so quickly?"
"Yes. If they had spread rumors among the populace that the envoys were the ones who cracked the safe, our already poor reputation would have plummeted even further. We couldn't leave them there."
"True. It would have led to nothing but trouble, so leaving was the only option."
The envoys hold the status of representatives of their respective nations.
If they were harmed, it wouldn't just be Irinau’s fault; it could have become a liability for Litea, who nominally holds them as a subordinate territory.
Even if most of the envoys were Yuki’s wives.
Well, in that case, Weed would have crushed them with everything they had, so that might have been a solution in its own right.
But that’s beside the point.
"So, I understand the Dark Guild is in financial trouble, but why was I called in for this?"
"Right, about that..."
Just as Seraria began to speak, the door opened.
"I’ll explain from here."
It seems Yuki and the others had arrived.
For some reason, Agil and the others were with them, making the group larger than usual.
Actually...
"Oh, Agil and the others are here too? Weren't you all on break?"
Yes, Agil and her group had been heading toward the now-infamous Irinau as envoys and military personnel.
They should be exhausted, so seeing them here is strange.
Yuki is usually very considerate regarding such fatigue.
"We are on break, but there was something that caught our interest."
"Yes. We came because we were concerned. It’s what you might call an occupational disease."
"Truly. Well, we’ve been relaxing until now, so this is nothing."
Agil, Stasia, and Jessica replied with wry smiles.
"I suppose so. I’m here responding to Seraria’s summons, after all."
I’m not much different from them.
I came here simply because I sensed something was up.
"So, what happened?"
I decided to get straight to the point.
"Seraria has likely explained the gist of it, but you heard that the Dark Guild is short on funds and is scrambling to collect money, right?"
"Yeah. Safecracking a national treasury—I can't tell if that’s a grand-scale operation or a pathetic one."
"I agree. And it seems Weed—or rather, the Alliance—is involved in the cause of that financial shortfall."
"Hm? That’s only natural, isn't it? The Intercontinental Exchange Alliance has brought in the major powers of the Rogari Continent, as well as many smaller nations. We’ve deeply integrated not just resources, but human capital as well. Moreover, we’ve begun managing things systematically. Without that, they wouldn't be able to receive support. Naturally, those who operated illegally would be starved out."
"..."
I had stated the obvious, but for some reason, Seraria and Yuki’s group fell silent.
"What’s wrong?"
"No, well, as long as you understand the situation, Lowell, that’s fine. Please, continue."
"Right. Assuming it’s a fact that the Dark Guild is being starved out, they need to find a way to earn money. You understand that, right?"
"Of course. An organization needs money to function. That’s why, when their base in Rumel was destroyed and their activities were curtailed, they were likely scraping together pennies by dealing with individual merchant guilds."
"That would be the case. However, is there any possibility that the Dark Guild actually owned merchant guilds of their own?"