第１５６５堀：理想の対策と現実の対策 (Part1)
Chapter 1565: Ideal Countermeasures and Realistic Countermeasures
Side: Kirika
The night has deepened. Although this was once a royal capital, the civil war and the recent mass exodus of its people have left it almost entirely devoid of life.
Amidst this silence, I have established a base of operations in a single room of a house...
"…And so, there is currently no situation where the people who gathered for the recruitment are shivering from cold or hunger due to the time limit."
That is how I am reporting today’s situation via radio.
We, the intelligence unit, infiltrate ahead of time like this to provide security for the Master and his party, and to gather information.
『You’re as ruthless—or perhaps as shrewd—as ever. It’s just like a commander to do things this way.』
"You should just praise me normally, Steve. That attitude of yours is truly hopeless."
The person on the other end is Steve, who, like us, is waiting in the outskirts of the royal capital as part of the advance reconnaissance unit.
They are using their usual wild-looking camouflage, so there’s no problem even if they are seen; it’s quite convenient.
As for me, I am a delicate woman, so I cannot mimic a goblin.
『It’s fine. We have this kind of relationship, after all. Well, putting that aside, I’m surprised more people gathered than I expected. I thought it would be a struggle if even a fifth—no, a tenth—of the remaining lot showed up.』
"Indeed. Usually, in these situations, people are uncooperative, and it’s a struggle to gather enough hands, but it seems Sister Kunoshia and the others worked harder than expected."
I shared the same sentiment as Steve.
No matter how much the sisters have helped, half of these people are under the influence of the dark guilds.
And above all, even though they were gathered by the saints of Litea and healers of equal power, they are ultimately outsiders.
It is quite difficult to expect people to honestly believe the words of such strangers.
After all, these are people who have been tossed about and suffered at the hands of such "great" figures until now.
『That’s true. Though, I’d like to say that, but you do understand there’s a possibility the other side designated them to gather, right?』
"That goes without saying. If people gather, it takes time and effort to control them, and above all, it increases the danger to the Master and his party. Furthermore, it consumes supplies. The possibility that they are aiming for that cannot be denied."
Yes, the Master accepted them without issue, but if things had gone poorly, it could have led to chaos due to supply shortages.
If that had happened, it wouldn't just be a matter of the pretext of searching for hidden treasures; rumors would spread that we had pointlessly incited chaos.
It could even lead to a further loss of honor for the Litea Church.
That would be a significant blow to that little girl, Alstaire.
We must keep that possibility in our field of vision as well.
『In that case, the easiest thing to do would be the disappearance of the accumulated supplies, right?』
"Most likely. It would be difficult for those gathered to attack the Master or the members of the church. Although they are affiliated with dark guilds, they are likely just personnel meant to disrupt the investigation—less than amateurs. In that case, while there might be some minor chaos at first, there won't be a second time."
『Well, they wouldn't want to help someone who’s going to take away their own food and shelter, would they?』
"Exactly. That is why it is best to stage something where no one knows who did it. And when it comes to things that would cause trouble if they vanished, supplies are at the top of the list. We are the ones managing them, after all."
『So, if they disappear, it’s a failure of management on our part—or rather, the commander’s part. And since those supplies are nominally provided by various countries, not only the alliance but also the non-aligned nations watching from the sidelines won't simply overlook such a blunder. Especially since the stated purpose is the search for hidden treasures.』
"A massive loss over a mere game. They wouldn't let that slide. Though, that would also involve the honor of the Litea members who accompanied us."
We must avoid a decline in Litea's reputation at all costs right now.
Moreover, if the cause of this is us—the Master—then it is even more critical.
『So, it comes down to ensuring the security, surveillance, and management of the supplies, but...』
"As for the storage locations, they won't be able to lay a hand on them. John and his men are handling the security and management."
『That’s true. Well, even if they managed to slip past John’s surveillance net and burn the supplies, replenishing that amount is easy for us.』
"Just because it’s easy doesn't mean we should allow them to be burned. However, it might be a viable strategy to lure them in."
『It’s better than having them ruin the fields, at least.』
"Indeed. It would be troublesome if they thought that was the only option available to them."
As Steve says, if the enemy decides that attacking the supply depot is impossible, it is only natural that they will resort to other methods.
In this case, the next target we anticipate is the land reclamation work currently being led by Kaya-sama.
The results are far off, but it is something we prepared so that the people remaining in this old Vinoshia capital can survive.
What if this were to be destroyed at harvest time? Or if it couldn't be harvested? Even if it’s just a little, resentment would likely be directed toward Weed and the alliance.
Well, since the management of the fields is left to the sisters, one could say it is their responsibility, but they would still find some way to nitpick, claiming it’s the "Weed or Alliance way" of doing things.
『If things go poorly, the fields could burn, and the fire could spread. It would be a massive conflagration.』
"That is true. Therefore, I don't think they would go that far, but we agreed earlier that cornering them too much is not good, so we should indeed create a lure."
『Right. There’s no guarantee they won't set fire to civilian homes or even the church if they can't touch the fields. To avoid that, we should intentionally let them target the supplies.』
"Yes. If we make things too perfect, we can't have them dragging the commoners into the crossfire."
If we deprive them of all methods to attack us, they might resort to methods that could be called thoughtless.
I would like to believe they wouldn't, but there is no guarantee they won't resort to the reckless means Steve mentioned.
Well, we wouldn't be undone by such things, but in that case, the number of people we could save would be limited.
That is something we must avoid.
『Then, I’ll draft the plan with that in mind, but keep in mind I can’t go to provide security inside the royal capital. I hope you understand that.』
"Of course. First, I will obtain the Master's permission. Steve, please continue to maintain surveillance of the surroundings and the dungeon."
『Understood.』
With that, the discussion was mostly finished, and now I must present this to the Master and obtain his permission.
"...Based on the above, Steve and I have reached a consensus that it would be better to use some of the supply depots as bait. Master, what are your thoughts?"
『I think that is reasonable. What does everyone else think?』
The Master, convinced by the points Steve and I raised, consults with his wives.
While he could technically force the decision through on his own, the "Weed way," unless it is an emergency, is to operate by consensus.