第１４６９堀：大氾濫起こってからの全体の流れのまとめと調査結果 (Part1)
**Chapter 1469: Summary of the Overall Flow and Investigation Results Since the Great Outbreak**
**Side: Yuki**
A little over two hours have passed since the meeting began.
Whether one should call that long or short is a matter of debate, but it is a good thing that everyone has reached a unified understanding of the overall situation in Weed.
With this, we can finally move on to the main topic.
"Everyone, thank you for bearing with this long meeting. However, this is where the real work begins. That said, it won't take that long from here on out."
I say this first to let them know it won't be a time-sink.
If I told them it would take twice as long, it would only dampen their motivation.
Without a break, it would be impossible to keep going.
No, at the very least, we need a break long enough for a meal.
Personally, I want to wrap this up in another hour.
"As I mentioned at the start, while this is a meeting, the primary purpose is to grasp the current state of Weed, relay what happened during the Great Outbreak, and share what we have discovered so far. This is not to definitively identify the enemy or their true objective. Please understand that."
We might be able to decide on a policy during this meeting, but we won't be pinning down the enemy.
That is simply because we haven't managed to grasp the enemy's true form.
The scale remains unknown, and there is a high possibility that other nations or Dungeon Masters are lurking in the shadows.
If that turns out to be the case, it could easily become the trigger for an intercontinental war, which is my biggest concern.
We are moving specifically to prevent that, so I want to avoid being hasty and falling for a "severing of the lizard's tail."
My intention is to remain calm, look at the facts, and try to sense the enemy's movements and intentions.
In truth, I wouldn't have realized the funding acquisition from slaves if not for the information from Lowell and Agil.
I’ll save that topic for last, but is there anything else we can glean from the information gathered so far?
Unfortunately, my brain isn't wired for this kind of thing.
I’m good at applying what I’ve learned, but coming up with unexpected ideas isn't my forte.
That’s a job for the geniuses—my wives and the real experts here.
All I can do is handle the negotiations, as always.
Well, I suppose I should call this my true nature, or perhaps lament my inability to grow.
Regardless, it’s a good thing my wives and companions are so reliable.
"Alright, then. I will briefly explain the basic timeline of the Great Outbreak. Orelia."
"Yes."
As I say this, Orelia operates the computer, and the events following the Great Outbreak are displayed in chronological order on the aerial monitor.
It’s only text, but...
* Report of a Great Outbreak in Suls, under the jurisdiction of Litea, during the International Exchange School exams. At this point, the western town of Suls was already devastated.
* Inquiries made to Litea and the Adventurer’s Guild. A discrepancy in communication speed between the two was noted, along with differences in verification procedures.
* On the same day, a request for military deployment was received from Litea to the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. This was based on the judgment that a new dungeon had appeared and that a Dungeon Master might be present.
* Deployment decided immediately. The Weed military departed as the vanguard. As this was the first Great Monster Outbreak since the alliance's formation, all nations were watching closely.
* Approximately three days later, the Weed military arrived and constructed a fortress simultaneously. They intercepted the Great Outbreak as it headed toward the northern town and succeeded in annihilating it.
* While checking for remnants, a support unit was dispatched to aid the refugees who had fled from the western town to the northern town. Simultaneously, we moved to the Suls royal capital to obtain permission to suppress the Great Outbreak and investigate the western town.
* Arrival at the Suls mainland. Confirmed that Kinauf had occupied the eastern town under the guise of defense, and that Irinau had seized the river originating from the southern Spirit Spring.
* On the same day, Suls joined the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. We received a request to negotiate the withdrawal of the two nations currently committing territorial violations.
* As the negotiator for Suls, I took Princess Hasnia to the eastern town to negotiate with Kinauf. The talks broke down, but through combat, we succeeded in capturing the Kinauf military.
* Next, we headed to the southern Spirit Spring to negotiate with Irinau. This was successful, and Irinau withdrew immediately.
* Afterward, together with envoys from the Suls royal capital, we began an investigation of the devastated western town and the site where the Great Outbreak occurred.
* Unfortunately, the investigation results were lackluster. While assisting with the confirmation of survivors and the reconstruction of the western town, we waited for the negotiations regarding the territorial violations by Kinauf and Irinau, which were likely connected to the Great Outbreak.
* Negotiations with Kinauf began. Since we held prisoners, we managed to push through most of our demands, succeeding in securing military stationing and a joint management zone. Regarding the Dark Guild, we did not investigate, but we confirmed the presence of a liaison who remained inactive.
* Next, we moved to negotiate with Irinau. On the same day, the Dark Guild liaison began moving toward Irinau, but they could not outpace our vehicles.
* The envoys arrived in Irinau and began negotiations. We confirmed that executives of the Dark Guild were staying in the Irinau royal capital and that their personnel were gathering.
* Negotiations with Irinau stalled. The other side tried to push through using reinforcements. In the meantime, our intelligence agency moved against the Dark Guild personnel, succeeding in securing a certain amount of information.
* Negotiations with Irinau were interrupted by a civilian riot. Simultaneously, we confirmed the Dark Guild was moving to lay hands on the Irinau national treasury, and we withdrew.
"That concludes the general flow of events since the Great Outbreak," Hovis says in closing.
"Thanks for reading that out. Go have a drink and take a break. Orelia, if you would."
"Yes. Next, I will display what was happening behind the scenes within Weed during this same period."
As Orelia explains and operates the controls, new text appears next to the previous timeline.
* Alerted alliance nations to watch for signs of spreading chaos or suspicious organizational movements.
* Assuming a large backer exists due to the targeting of figures like Lilishe in the Suls Great Outbreak, we investigated the flow of funds and goods to see if any nation was involved. The names of the two countries adjacent to Suls were raised.
* Kate of the Dosou Kingdom was dispatched from the Adventurer’s Guild as an investigator for the western town, and a joint investigation began. From Weed, Mauve and his team were sent.
* Since this was the first trouble since the opening of the International Exchange School, we checked for confusion among students and related parties. We also disseminated information to ensure the alliance's intervention in this Great Outbreak was seen as legitimate.
* Having confirmed the possibility that the Dark Guild and a Dungeon Master were operating in the shadows, we established an independent investigative agency and began operations. This is led by Yuki, with Orelia and others assisting. Prof and Nina were added as reinforcements.
* During a meeting with Princess Lowell of the Gartz Kingdom, who was independently investigating the Dark Guild, it was suggested that slaves might be one of the Dark Guild's funding sources.
There are fewer points than before, but there is still a lot that we started doing after the Great Outbreak occurred.
In particular, it was a major step for Weed to set up a task force and begin investigations.
Well, even if I call it a "task force," it’s really just my department cutting back on other work to handle it.