第１５０２堀：穏やかな夜の中で (Part1)
Chapter 1502: In the Midst of a Peaceful Night
Side: Kirika
The night has fallen, marking the end of the boisterous banquet.
Under normal circumstances, it would be well past bedtime, but those who have come to this facility are savoring the night in their own ways.
Of course, some from the allied nations have returned to their rooms to sleep, but the majority are deepening their bonds, chatting leisurely in the conference lounge or while soaking in the hot springs.
It is a testament to how rare and enjoyable they find this facility.
"How's it looking?"
Steve is the one who breaks the silence, interjecting while I am monitoring the facility through the screens.
I reply without even turning around.
"Nothing of note has occurred. Exchanges between the allied and non-allied nations can be seen throughout the facility; it is peaceful."
"Sounds nice. Just talking while relaxing in the hot water."
Steve’s gaze is fixed on the monitor displaying the hot springs.
However...
"Please stop staring at the women's bath. I will report you for sexual harassment."
"Nah, I was just taking a quick look. Besides, the men's bath is the main focus. The women are just talking about beauty stuff and the like."
"You are eavesdropping, aren't you? Well, setting that aside, do you have any input as someone who was guarding the site?"
"It's peaceful. Even if the Dark Guild is involved, it’s just standard slave trading. In a good way, this town really has no strategic value. I thought it might serve as a hideout, but..."
"The more I investigate, the more I realize it is truly unsuitable as a base."
I, too, had considered the possibility of something suspicious regarding this auction and investigated the town itself, but the result confirmed that it is a place completely ill-suited for a base of operations.
It is only natural, one might say...
"For starters, there’s no place to hide a large number of people, right?"
"Indeed. The entire town has at most 2,000 residents. The former members of the Dark Guild were said to have 400 people just at the Rumel headquarters. That alone would account for one-fifth of this town's population."
That is correct; the Dark Guild has a large scale and, consequently, a large number of personnel.
If they were to be active, they would stand out glaringly in a town this small.
Even if they tried to remain inconspicuous, this town is already under the surveillance of Master’s dungeon.
While the precision of the appraisal might not be absolute, if a Dark Guild base were present, one or two individuals should have been detected.
In reality, in places like Irinau and Kinauf, where such turmoil occurred, we were able to confirm several individuals in hiding.
That the count here is zero is, frankly, impossible.
In other words, this town of Wean is truly peaceful.
Of course, there are plenty of small-time crooks, but they are the sort that the town’s guards and lord should be handling.
"So, this place is neutral in the truest sense. And yet, seeing as there’s been no significant movement despite the fact that the Alliance—including the Boss—is participating in this auction... is it a bust?"
"That is a possibility. The former princess might truly be looking only for the profit from the sale, and the Dark Guild might not be involved at all. However, that is Master for you. This time, he conspired with Taiki-sama and others, and a certain rumor was spread through the conference hall. Are you aware of it?"
"I know. If the enemy won't move, we'll spread some poison ourselves. Man, he really will do anything."
"Naturally. That is Master. Above all, to involve allied nations—major powers, at that—and achieve zero results would, under normal circumstances, be a massive blunder."
Yes, thinking normally, participation in this auction would be unthinkable.
He brought the leaders of major powers to a place that is not only a dangerous non-allied nation but also a location where the Dark Guild might potentially strike.
If there were no results from this, there would certainly be those who would come to criticize him.
It is only natural.
Even I would be furious if Master were used as bait and yet no results were achieved.
I would call it utter incompetence.
It would create problems for future negotiations, but...
Well, considering everything that has happened until now, he would likely say that such things don't matter.
"Under normal circumstances, yeah. The folks from the major powers would probably think it's lucky if the Boss fails."
"Ha, I believe you are correct. They are people who have caused us no end of trouble until now. They would likely hope for a reduction in their debts or see this as an opportunity to ask a favor of Master."
That is how significant Master’s actions toward the great powers have been, and how much influence he wields.
The fact that the talk of this auction went through so easily is predicated on the fact that Master proposed it, which shows just how much trust and influence he has among the various nations.
Nevertheless...
"That is the major powers. Smaller nations that don't know the circumstances will surely be the ones to complain."
"It's hard to say that publicly, right? After all, the small nations that came along were chosen by the major powers. They either guessed the purpose or, as Loweel-neesan explained, were informed."
"Indeed, the small nations chosen by the major powers are certainly aware of the purpose of this auction, but those around them are different. The fact that there were no results this time will spread as a rumor. From the opposing side."
"Ah, so since it's a fact that the Dark Guild was interfered with by non-allied nations, they're trying to pull the rug out from under us?"
"Exactly. We said we would spread poison from our side, but the same is likely true for them. And even if nothing is said publicly, one cannot say for certain that there aren't countries that were forced to participate against their will at the request of a major power, and there are certainly countries that have been inconvenienced by their work being stalled. Especially the subordinates."
"I see, so they're planting seeds of distrust within the Alliance from there?"
"That is the optimal solution in the current situation. If they intended to face us head-on, they would have raised an army by now, and we should have been able to catch their tail. The fact that we haven't means..."
"It's an information war behind the scenes, then?"
"That is what it means."
Steve and I fall silent, watching the surveillance camera monitors before us.
We have learned that the Dark Guild will not be acting aggressively regarding this matter.
The fact that they did not launch an attack despite such blatant bait being laid out suggests that they lack the military strength to intervene.
"If they had even a little bit of leeway, they would at least use some pawns to test our movements."
"That is the case. There was a one-month preparation period. Master and the others are satisfied with the explanation that they couldn't get ready in time, but they could have at least sent in a few small-timers."
"Aren't they doing that? You know, just as unwitting collaborators."
"That is separate. I am not talking about information gathering, but combat power intended to cause harm. It is not as if they lack active combatants."