第１５４４堀：訪問一日目の報告を (Part1)
The sun had long since vanished, and the shroud of night had reigned for some time when the party dispatched to the church finally returned.
"Welcome back," I called out.
"We’re hoooome..." Micos replied, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Honestly, pull yourself together," Kagura snapped, immediately scolding her partner's lethargy.
It was their usual routine. Seeing that familiar dynamic brought a wave of relief not only to Ria and me, but to everyone else who had remained within the castle walls. We had been monitoring them constantly, of course, but there was a particular kind of solace that only came from seeing one another face-to-face.
"I thought there was a chance you might have to stay the night. How did it go?" Yuki asked, turning his attention to Rurua and the others as they stepped inside.
It was a fair question. Even if they had only gone to a church, the subject matter was heavy, and their mission involved a public declaration of their activities—a diversion of sorts. They couldn't have expected a simple exit. Once word got out that a Saintess from Litia had arrived to offer healing, people were bound to flock from every corner of the region.
"Yes," Rurua began. "The number of patients is staggering. As for the discussions... to be honest, they were less than encouraging. Lady Lilishe?"
Rurua shifted her gaze toward the goddess. It had been Lilishe’s idea to gather information through the church, after all.
"Well, you see~ the Hinsua Church headquarters went through the trouble of gathering my colleagues for me, but it seems the Litia Church has indeed withdrawn from the former Vinosia territory~. There are rumors of a few sisters who stayed behind, but no further reports have come in~."
"I was the one who issued the withdrawal order," Rurua added, affirming Lilishe’s words. "Litia cannot sanction medical activities in areas where safety cannot be guaranteed. While there were those we dispatched, like Lady Lilishe, we prioritized the safety of our personnel. However, I have heard that the priests and sisters recruited locally chose to remain behind."
Rurua’s tone was somber. It made sense; some people simply cannot bring themselves to abandon their homes. It wasn't surprising that some clergy would stay for the sake of those who couldn't flee, but still...
"Hmm. Ordinarily, the proper course of action would be to establish contact with those remaining church members," Deryu mused. "And what of your side, Yuki? I assume you exchanged information with the Hinsua upper echelon?"
"Yeah. As expected, they claim to have no knowledge of the 'secret treasure' Canaria mentioned. They received the auction advertisements, but they dismissed them as a hoax and didn't participate."
That was only natural. Setting aside the capture of royalty who had caused them grief, there was no point in spending money—taxpayer money, no less—to buy back a relic. It was far more logical to invest those resources into the reconstruction of the country.
"Furthermore—and I think we’re all on the same page here—no members of the Dark Guild have been seen entering or leaving the Hinsua capital. I’ve confirmed this by expanding the dungeon's reach."
It was a bit surprising, or perhaps it just showed how cautious the enemy was. As of now, there was no sign of the Dark Guild in the capital. This was a certainty, thanks to the advance reconnaissance conducted by Steve, Kirika, and their teams using the dungeon network.
"Overall, things are proceeding mostly according to plan. We’ve secured permission for our future operations from the Hinsua royalty. In fact, they were actually grateful."
"Grateful? What do you mean by that?" Highren asked, tilting her head in confusion.
It was a reasonable reaction. Normally, a foreign power entering your land to seize a treasure would be cause for resentment. However, once you understood the reality of Hinsua’s situation, the logic became clear.
"You all know that based on Steve and Kirika’s scouting, combined with Canaria’s testimony, we’ve confirmed the treasure is likely located in that ancient dynastic tomb we found on the way here, right?"
Everyone nodded at Yuki’s words. No other plausible locations had been found; that tomb was their primary target.
"That area is notorious for monsters, so people stay away. It’s been completely abandoned lately. The kingdom is struggling just to send soldiers to the old Vinosia capital. Regardless of whether the Dark Guild is there, they don't have the manpower to spare for monster culling. So, when we offered to go in and handle it, they were thrilled."
"I see~. Though, it’s not like we’re actually going there just to hunt monsters~," Lilishe chirped.
"They seem to understand that. I told them we’d handle whatever we ran into. The 'payment' for our services is the treasure itself."
"So they’re trying to use Micos and the others in exchange for a treasure that might not even exist~?"
"Under normal circumstances, entering another country for a treasure hunt wouldn't be permitted," Yuki explained. "Even with a request from Litia, there would be pushback. But the kingdom doesn't have the money to hire experts of our caliber even if they wanted to. This way, they get the job done for free. It’s a fair trade for both sides."
It made sense. Hinsua wanted a dangerous area neutralized but lacked the funds and connections. Then, amidst this treasure scandal, a group far more capable than any average adventurers showed up. It was only logical for them to exploit the situation. If we managed to take down the Dark Guild in the process, it would be an even greater boon for Hinsua. We were forcing our way in, so some concessions were necessary; if the two interests cancelled each other out, it was a small price to pay.
"So, can we assume there won't be any official interference with our future activities?" Rurua asked.
"Not on the surface," Yuki replied, his voice carrying a hint of ambiguity.
"Meaning there are still those who aren't happy about this?"
"Of course. King Siana might be committed to helping Vinosia, but his subordinates are a mixed bag. Some might feel it’s too little, too late after all their suffering, or they might fear we’ll just tear the place apart looking for the treasure. It’s only natural for them to wonder if outsiders will actually bring stability or just more chaos. If a foreign nation told Weed they were coming in to hunt monsters, would you just take them at their word?"
"Hmph. Forget believing them; even the army of a great nation couldn't do a thing to us," Deryu scoffed.
I couldn't help but agree with her. Between our sheer levels and the fact that we had people like Steve—who looked like ordinary monsters but possessed devastating weapons and tactics—our strength was overwhelming. We knew the terrain, and the outcome of any confrontation was as clear as day.