第１５３５堀：いざ出発 (Part1)
We stood before the gate, having made extensive preparations in a short time.
Among the many familiar faces present, there were also some unusual ones.
That would be...
"Canaria, are you alright?"
"Does the armor fit properly?"
"Yes. There are no problems."
Canaria, the princess of the former Vinocia royal family and a crucial figure in this treasure hunt, was being fussed over by Ria and Dressa.
There had been some debate about leaving her behind if she lacked combat ability for this treasure hunt, but ultimately, it was decided that her own opinion held more weight than any other.
Of course, bringing her along also served the purpose of luring out the Dark Guild.
And then, separately...
"Alright, let's do our best!"
"It's good to do your best, but please calm down. You are a representative from among us."
"And Lyusy, please don't get hurt."
"We'll be waiting for you~"
"Good luck."
Prof, Orelia, Hobis, and Yayu were worrying about Lyusy, who was brimming with enthusiasm.
Among them, Lyusy, who served as both bodyguard and secretary, was the only one who could take time off from her duties.
Actually, everyone had said they would go, but Fiorra had looked like she was about to die.
"Are you expecting me to handle all the work?"
She had said, and immediately retracted her offer.
It was only natural, of course. If Orelia and the others went, Fiorra would have to cover as much of their work as possible.
In other words, she would be busy.
That was no easy task.
Especially since she would also have to cover for my absence.
Her workload would likely more than double.
More importantly...
"We'll continue our investigations here, so do your best~"
Nina waved to us, her usual expression of whether she was motivated or not being unclear.
That's right, just because we were heading to the former Vinocia didn't mean our investigation and surveillance of the Dark Guild would end.
While Nina said she would do her best to cover our absence, it was unlikely she could cover everything.
This meant that Fiorra would also have to shoulder that additional workload.
It was undoubtedly going to be tough.
But that was the case for every department.
Especially the hospital and church-related ones.
If Rurua and Lilishe were gone, Weed would be without its top healing mages.
While there were replacements, the sense of security would be different, and procedures related to the hospital and church would inevitably be delayed.
We had trained them to be able to manage even in our absence, but it was still difficult to cover the gaps left behind.
And so, amidst this peaceful atmosphere, there was one person who felt a slight tension, and that was...
"Well then, I'll be counting on you for this short period."
"Yes. I will do my best."
Light Revive replied with a serious tone to Aegil.
She was the woman who handled the replica of the Light Holy Sword.
In the end, Light was chosen to come from the Enaria Holy Kingdom and the Holy Church.
Apparently, sending only personnel who could heal but not fight was deemed too dangerous.
If you thought about it, Light wasn't exactly a frontline fighter either, but some things are better left unsaid.
At any rate, all the key individuals were gathered here.
No one was feeling unwell or injured.
The equipment was prepared, and all that was left was...
"Master. Reporting from the intelligence department. We began surveillance of the transfer destination, Ritea, and the route yesterday, but we have not confirmed any suspicious individuals or locations."
"Understood. This is a report from the special forces. There are no enemy presences on the road to Hinsua or in the royal capital of Hinsua. I will send the dungeon data to you."
Information continued to be sent from the advance party.
When we headed to Hinsua and the former Vinocia territory, we had naturally sent an advance party to investigate the situation. However, we had not been able to locate any members of the Dark Guild within Hinsua, or perhaps they possessed skills that deceived dungeon detection, or maybe they had unwitting collaborators.
Still, I had to admire their thoroughness in concealment.
They were likely gathering information from merchants coming and going, or from the servants working in the castle.
Logically, even if the upper echelons of Hinsua were connected to the Dark Guild, they wouldn't cooperate with assassinations if Weed or the alliance were to intervene.
Not only would it be a matter of responsibility, but their involvement with the Dark Guild was an open secret.
If something were to happen to us here, Hinsua would be ruined.
They would have been warned extensively by Ritea as well.
We had sent advance notice of our visit, and they had said they would welcome us without any issues, so the possibility of Hinsua itself being hostile was low.
However, they had apparently been hesitant about our visit, citing that security would be lax for such important figures. But Ritea had managed to convince them by mentioning the recent turmoil and the possibility that Canaria, the daughter of the former Vinocia royal family, might be able to quell the unrest in the former Vinocia territory upon her return.
Hinsua was also troubled by the state of the former Vinocia, so they seemed willing to cooperate if it meant resolving the situation.
Wait a minute, I had said I wouldn't help with the governance of the former Vinocia, but Ritea and Hinsua seemed to think that just the mention of it would make things a little better.
And it didn't seem like they were demanding Canaria's return either.
What could a young girl who couldn't govern do? Moreover, her parents had gone bankrupt, so she had no credibility whatsoever.
That was certainly true. I wouldn't have her return either.
It would only invite backlash.
They had even suppressed the populace, so one might think she would be a target for stones, but that didn't seem to be the case either.
It seemed to have been settled with the story that I, the prince, had rescued the pitiable princess and would help her find the treasure and aid in the revival of the former Vinocia.
The key figures from each church were gathered for this purpose, and in a way, it could be said that they had arranged things to make salvation easier.
Well, being able to receive healing magic without any cost was certainly a welcome prospect.
Normally, one would be asked for at least a small offering, but with three goddesses and a former saintess among those gathered, this was truly exceptional.
My concern was that such an obvious display might deter the Dark Guild from making a move. However, they had been aware of our actions since the auction, and it was decided that drawing public attention would be beneficial for the Dark Guild to achieve a victory here.
Now it was just a matter of how the Dark Guild would act.
Please, make a move.
That was my only wish.
As I was thinking about such things, Covil, who was part of the escort unit and had been dispatched by the Adventurer's Guild, approached us.