第１７１５堀：いつもと違う別のお仕事 (Part1)
Chapter 1715: A Different Kind of Work
Side: Firia
Today, for a change, Firia wasn't checking or crafting military equipment…
"Sorry to bother you, Firia. I need something urgently."
"It's no problem."
That's right, this time Firia was working alongside her older brother.
Specifically…
"More than I expected, or rather, I should have anticipated this much."
"You're right about that. I was too lenient."
"If you're going to say that, then it's me. I underestimated the country's pride. Firia, for the time being, please monitor the village and provide support in case of an emergency with Agil."
"Yes. I'll leave it to you."
Firia, along with her older sister Agil, was tasked with monitoring and guarding a village where disappearances were occurring, using drones.
Well, if things got truly dangerous, they would use teleportation, but the objective was to deal with the situation discreetly unless absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, Weed's activities in other countries would become a rather precarious situation.
So, they were managing with drones and familiars.
"By the way, Yuki. Can't we send in monsters?"
"It's not that we can't, but if we send strong monsters, the village will become wary or evacuate. And if they're weak, they won't be a deterrent. Honestly, drones and familiars are more convenient."
"Ah, I see."
Just as her brother said.
If they sent in John or Mino-chan, it would cause a commotion.
And if they sent Steve, people would underestimate him.
They didn't want to be chased either, so it was best to avoid monsters as much as possible.
"So, monitoring is fine, but what about the data being sent, Zargis?"
"Unfortunately, I can't see anything unusual. How about you, Agil-dono and Firia-dono?"
All eyes turned to Zargis, who was looking at a different monitor.
Zargis was part of the investigation team for this disappearance case.
Firia also brought up the same screen to check.
She looked through the data sent by her older sister Nina…
"Hmm, there's nothing particularly strange."
"Same here. I don't see anything unusual."
Neither Firia nor Agil found anything that could be called an anomaly.
"So, what about the places Nina has investigated so far?"
"I didn't find any numbers that I would consider abnormal. Well, the most recent disappearance was about a month ago, so the traces are likely gone."
"That's true. The magical energy left after using magic, like the air, flows and disperses."
"If it didn't, abnormal magic concentrations or magic pools would form, and monsters would appear."
This was undeniable.
Where magic gathered, monsters would generally appear.
"In that sense, it's reassuring. ...Hmm? Monsters?"
At that moment, Seraria tilted her head.
"What's wrong, Seraria-nee-sama?"
Firia, curious, asked for the reason.
"No, it's easy to dismiss it as my imagination… but my husband always tells me to consider all possibilities, so I should ask."
"Yes. Please ask anything."
"That's right. Perspectives other than those of us researchers are always appreciated."
"Yes. Exactly. Your Majesty Seraria might have an interesting perspective."
As Firia and the others encouraged her, Seraria nodded and explained why she had tilted her head.
"Monsters. I was wondering if there were any differences in the distribution or appearance rate of monsters around the village. A remote village means it's a harsh place for people to live, right? A forest where monsters live implies there's a magic pool somewhere, doesn't it?"
"I understand what you're saying. However, it's not always the case. A forest where monsters live doesn't necessarily mean there are magic pools scattered everywhere."
"Really?"
Seraria tilted her head in surprise at Zargis's reply.
Agil, noticing this, seemed to have an idea.
"That's right. For Seraria, perhaps the military was often mobilized for subjugation after magic pools formed and caused damage?"
"Yes, that's exactly right."
"I've often moved to deal with goblin outbreaks, so I was mistaken, but that's rare. Well, looking at the country's territory, there are quite a few, but I don't think it was ever in the same land, was it?"
"Now that you mention it, I've never heard of subjugation operations in the same land. There have been culling operations, though."
"Magic pools rarely form in the same place. And the forest is important. Monsters move through the forest. Having a lot of them and them inhabiting a forest are different. Culling is the prime example. By reducing them to a certain level, they don't overflow, but magic pools exceed that cycle, so the military is dispatched for subjugation."
I see.
Firia knew that monsters appeared from what her brothers had discussed, but this was the first time she had heard about how the country was involved.
"Also, since it's called a monster-inhabited forest, it means powerful monsters live there, and you can't go deep into the mountains. Sending the military would result in casualties, but they wouldn't necessarily come out. It's a losing battle."
"Ah, I've heard that before. Since there's no immediate damage, it's not something the military needs to be dispatched for."
"Exactly. It's a losing battle to get involved. So, it doesn't mean there's a magic pool, but the movement of monsters is concerning."
"Oh, you're not saying it's unrelated."
"I don't know if there's a magic pool, but the movement of monsters is concerning. It's the distribution and appearance rate Seraria mentioned. There might be something there."
That's right.
Firia didn't think magic pools were particularly relevant, but the movement of monsters was concerning.
"Since it's a remote village, it should have its share of troublesome monsters, but we haven't received any reports of that kind from Nina-dono, so it's strange."
"I see. So that's how it is. What do you think?"
"We should ask."
Her brother immediately agreed and contacted Nina.
"What?"
"As a progress report, there's something else I'd like you to investigate."