第１６９６堀： 核心をついてくる女神 (Part1)
Side: Yuki
"Oh, Yuki's here too. Hey, Yuki. Wouldn't Hiiro be perfect to stick with Holy?"
"Brother, what's going on?"
"Sorry, Yuki. I was too slow to stop Hairen."
Hiiro, pushed forward towards me with those words, tilted her head, seemingly not understanding the situation.
Come to think of it, Enora did say Hairen was running wild.
So, she came here before I could catch up.
And to target Hiiro, of all people—in a way, that's exactly like Hairen, hitting the mark perfectly.
"Well, Hairen's rampages are nothing new, so since it's come to this, I suppose I should explain the situation to Hiiro. My apologies for interrupting your work."
"No, I'm happy to be with you, Brother."
"Hiiro, you're not happy about skipping work, are you?"
"Hiiro does her work properly!"
Hiiro puffed out her cheeks in protest at Vilia's admonition.
Well, Hiiro trusts Vilia, so she's probably showing her childish side like this.
If it were truly just that, neither Dressa nor I would consider putting Hiiro to work, but as an older sister, there must be some worry.
Anyway, moving on from that.
"So, Hairen wants Hiiro to go with Holy, then?"
"Exactly, exactly. She's small, she talks normally with Holy, and I just felt she could move around among the current members. The other candidate was Aslin, but you know, she's doing something with monsters in the sea."
"That's true, Aslin is incredibly busy right now."
Aslin is currently dedicating her efforts to the early training of sea-guarding monsters at the military port in Glass Port Town.
Considering the future, this is absolutely essential.
After all, if this goes well, there will likely be calls to strengthen defense forces in other port towns and sea lanes.
I also want to see them strengthened, so Aslin going somewhere else with Holy is out of the question.
"Right, Hiiro. My apologies for the late explanation. We received reports of a kidnapping incident, and upon closer investigation, it seems people are being summoned."
"Summoned? That's kidnapping."
"Yes, it's kidnapping. However, since it's ordinary people being taken, investigating the great flood originating from the Dark Guild takes top priority, so we haven't been able to touch this yet. Moreover, it's happening in a village near the border between Roschur and Gartz, close to the sea."
"…Too far. But we can't just leave it?"
"No. That's why we were looking for a child-sized member who could be mistaken for being alone."
"Hmm? But Big Sister Vili is quite… *bouncy* these days."
Indeed, Vilia is a beautiful girl, and her figure is as good as Aslin's.
It's a mystery of growth how Aslin, who used to be flat-chested, is now slender with a prominent bust.
Ah, Vilia is the same.
Of course, she usually moves around as a child doppelganger, so the public perceives her as a small Aslin.
"That's why a doppelganger. However, while I believe Hiiro is also a candidate, from what Brother and Dressa say, if she were kidnapped, negotiations might arise. Considering that, it seems I was chosen."
"Ah, I see. Talking to important people other than Brother or Big Sister is a pain. Besides, I went to school last time, so Big Sister Vili is perfect."
"Hmm? But isn't Vilia big?"
Hairen tilted her head, looking at Vilia's current form.
Right, Hairen only knows Vilia in her current appearance.
Vilia doesn't usually use such small doppelgangers, so Hairen wouldn't know.
"That's fine. I also had a time when I was about Hiiro's size, and I have a doppelganger from that period."
"Oh, really? Then, as Hiiro says, perhaps we should ask Vilia."
"Mm. Big Sister Vili is better at negotiations. Hiiro can do it too, but Big Sister Vili is superior."
"That's unusual for you, Hiiro. I fully expected you to say you'd go yourself after hearing this."
Vilia said this to Hiiro, a little surprised.
However, as Hiiro said, if it were just going to play, that would be one thing, but intentionally getting kidnapped and then having to negotiate afterward would be a parade of unpleasant tasks for Hiiro, or for anyone, really.
I wouldn't want to do it either.
But if we ignore it, the damage is likely to spread further, so we had no choice but to act.
"Hiiro chooses when to be selfish too. Considering negotiations over there and Hiiro's appearance, it would be a big problem. Even if Big Sister Holy is there, Hiiro's small size doesn't change."
"Indeed."
Yeah, Hiiro doesn't grow very big, perhaps because of her race.
I don't know if the summoning destination is tolerant of such races, but it would be a mistake to expect that.
"Isn't it also because she's a girl? Why not just punch them?"
"Hairen. Resorting to fists only increases the trouble, so we're discussing how to reduce it."
"Ah, I see."
Enora is explaining it to Hairen quite skillfully.
I'm confident I would have been much cruder.
"So, Hairen, are you satisfied with Vilia going with Holy?"
"Of course. Vilia is a good girl, and she'll support Holy, won't she?"
Why is this one so full of confidence?
Well, it's just a hassle to be complained at.
"Hey, sending Vilia is all well and good, but this is an international matter, isn't it? Can you get approval from above for that?"
"Ah, officially, it would be impossible. Or rather, publicly."
I answered Dressa's question.
"Ah, I see. So we can't get permission head-on."
"There's also the possibility of some strange scheme by the Dark Guild."
"Speaking of which, what about the Dark Guild's movements since then? There's been nothing at all on the sea side, has there?"
"Their hideouts, where they fled, have also been quiet. That's precisely why we want to finish the investigation quickly. And that's why we can't move."
The main members of Weed also serve as a deterrent to the Dark Guild that caused the great flood.
That's why we're deploying Vilia and Holy, whose affiliation isn't clear, as the smallest possible unit.
"Of course, I'll inform those above. Otherwise, it could easily be mistaken for an act of invasion. The pretext will be an investigation into missing persons cases via the Adventurer's Guild."
"That sounds plausible. Via the Adventurer's Guild, so as adventurers."