第１５７９堀：本部も特に動きなし (Part1)
### Chapter 1579: No Movement at Headquarters
**Side: Ratz**
"Understood. Please, take care."
With those words, Milly ended the communication with her brother.
Today—or rather, at this very moment—I had prioritized staying in the operation command room to monitor the situation, setting aside my duties as the academy principal. If things took a turn for the worse, I might have been needed to act.
"Phew. It seems Yuki-san is doing just fine."
"Indeed. If anything, he sounded perplexed by how uneventful it all was."
"I know, right? I was surprised at first, too."
It was true. After all that elaborate intelligence gathering and tactical positioning—after all that meticulous preparation—the enemy had offered no real resistance, and we had succeeded in capturing them entirely.
The dungeon’s structure was also painfully simple. It was even more rudimentary than the ones we build in Weed for our adventurers. I suppose the conclusion, as my brother had suggested, was that they lacked the budget—the DP—to do anything more. To acquire that budget, they had cast out bait: a beautiful woman named Canaria and the promise of hidden treasures.
But the fish that took the bait was us, the people of Weed.
It must have been an unexpected turn of events for them, but even so, their performance was pathetic. It was an overwhelming defeat, to a degree that made it hard to believe there had even been a Dungeon Master on the other side.
"Honestly, Reye-san’s dungeon had more backbone than this. At least he had competent subordinates and a complex layout."
"That’s true. Does this mean they were only as capable as Deryu’s younger brother?"
Though, even Reye-san’s dungeon was, in our estimation, still lacking.
"Anyway, I’m going to contact Rurua and the others. Ratz, has there been any word on your end?"
"No. There’s been no movement within the scope of the businesses I track. Milly, what about reports from the Adventurer’s Guild?"
Milly and I weren't here simply because we adore my brother; we were here to collect and provide information from our respective spheres of influence.
"Nothing on my end, either. Still, it’s only been about an hour since the enemy base fell. We need to stay vigilant. Perhaps for the next few days?"
"Agreed. If Old Vinosia was just a decoy, then unless they strike somewhere other than Weed, they won't be able to make a move."
That was one of the scenarios my brother had anticipated: using Old Vinosia to lure Weed away so they could execute their true objective elsewhere. We all agreed that the most likely time for them to reveal their hand would be while my brother and his team were away, hunting for treasures or dismantling dark guild dungeons.
After all, if they were to target Weed, my brother would return in an instant. They would need to lure him into a dungeon capable of stalling him first. Otherwise, they’d suffer the same fate as Suurus. Even so, the lack of a reaction was unsettling.
"Well, even if a dark guild were to run wild in another country, it’s not as if Weed could easily intervene."
"True. The Suurus incident was favorable for us in many ways. The fact that Litea, the leader of Suurus, immediately requested our assistance, and that information flowed through the Adventurer’s Guild, was significant."
If only one of those factors had been present, we might not have been able to move. And this time, my brother is on an expedition. Seraria is here, but for matters of this importance, my brother’s judgment is essential; if they were to strike elsewhere, we would be helpless.
As I was lost in these thoughts, the door to the command room opened.
"Is my husband safe?"
Seraria entered, asking the question. Qual was right behind her, looking just as concerned about the situation. Well, that was to be expected. If anything were to happen to my brother, it would be a catastrophe.
"He’s safe. Besides, haven't the reports been circulating?"
"I can't rest easy unless I see it with my own eyes. You’re the same, aren't you, Milly?"
"I suppose so. Here, look."
Milly nodded at Seraria’s words and projected the view of my brother onto the monitor. He was lounging about, having spread out a plastic sheet and enjoying an early lunch with the others.
"He seems quite relaxed. I heard he was behind schedule, but is this the reason?"
"No, it’s not the meal. It’s because trekking through the brush was far more tedious than anticipated. He couldn't exactly march straight ahead without a care in the world."
"True, that would look suspicious."
Qual offered a wry smile, understanding exactly what I meant. Marching through someone else’s territory without hesitation would certainly raise eyebrows.
"Hah, well, fine. The enemy base has been secured. Now, we just need to narrow down the intelligence. Use the Doppelganger to extract their memories."
"Steve and the others are already on it. But it will take time to transcribe, compare, and verify all that information."
"Indeed. That part, unfortunately, just takes time."
Weed has become incredibly convenient, and we’ve streamlined many tasks, but we still can't simply read a person’s testimony or memories and instantly turn them into data. Even if we perfectly copy the memories via a Doppelganger, the process of extracting the necessary information, writing it down, compiling it, and synthesizing it is a time-consuming endeavor.
"And Seraria, has there been any movement on your side?"
"None. Fortunately, there have been no troubles within the alliance. If there were, it would have reached my ears by now."
"I suppose so. That leaves the non-aligned nations, then?"
"Likely. They saw how quickly the alliance moved in Suurus, and even the non-aligned nations were wary after that."
"It would have to be somewhere very far away. Though, in the Rogari Continent, 'far away' really only means the coastline. What is the situation there?"
"Unfortunately, reports from the coastal regions are scarce. If they were to act there, there wouldn't be much we could do. That said, there aren't many major powers along the coast. That doesn't mean it’s safe, but unless a nation is as developed as Weed, the seas of Rogari are as impassable as a sheer cliff."
She was right. While the If Continent and the Haiden region have limited monster habitats and lower threat levels, the Rogari Continent is teeming with active monsters. The same applies to the sea. In fact, for us humans, the sea—the surface and the depths—is a sheer cliff, just as Seraria said. It is a world where death awaits. Wooden ships are pulverized, and monsters dominate the beaches, emerging from the surf without warning.
It is land ill-suited for national development. After all, there is nothing one can do about the sea. It would have been nice to fish, like in Dressa’s homeland, but that would be an act of suicide here.
So, would a dark guild bother to take such a country?
"Well, it’s possible they could catch us off guard, isn't it?"
"The possibility isn't zero... but the people living in Rogari only venture to the sea in very specific locations."
"Still, if they were to seize a small nation, they could secure a decent amount of budget for a dungeon."
Indeed, the DP—the lifeblood and currency of a dungeon—could be sustained well enough even by the population of a small nation.