第１７３４堀：答えの意味 (Part2)
Unless, of course, there was pressure from headquarters—though in this case, it seems they knew about that pressure and acted deliberately.
"Usually, there’s an unspoken rule that we don’t pry into a nation’s secrets, but the scale of this is just too large," someone remarked.
"Right. Normally, if a country tells us to back off, that’s the end of it, but..."
"Exactly. With the threat of a Great Stampede looming, and the involvement of a dark guild that every nation is desperate to crush, the branch couldn't just stay silent."
If they ignored it, both the branch and the town itself could be wiped out. They couldn't afford to look the other way. After all, if a Great Stampede or a dark guild started rampaging on their doorstep, they’d be helpless. Furthermore, knowing that the Adventurer Guild headquarters was watching through Weed gave them the assurance that this wouldn't simply be swept under the rug.
Still...
"So, it’s been entrusted to us, but how are we supposed to act? In the end, there’s nothing we can really do."
"Well, we are the Weed branch. This is for headquarters to..."
Just as he started to say that, he noticed more people crowding around to peer at the documents.
"Grand Master."
"Ho ho ho, this has turned into quite the troublesome affair. Or perhaps, is this the price of negligence?"
Indeed, it was the Grand Master, the head of our Adventurer Guild. Naturally, he was also the top official at headquarters, but...
"I don't think it’s a matter of negligence. It’s only natural for a country to want to keep certain things hidden, and Weed is no different."
I didn't believe this was a failure of the Adventurer Guild, but rather a structural issue within the nations themselves. Or perhaps, it was just a matter of bad luck. I wanted to tell them: *If you’re going to be up to something strange while we’re investigating, at least have the decency to cover your tracks well enough that it doesn't matter.*
"I appreciate you saying that, but with the threat of a Great Stampede, the Adventurer Guild and the people in the surrounding areas are in danger. It’s not confirmed, of course. But I heard you and your group found something, Yuki?"
"Ah, yes. That’s correct. Summoning rituals are being conducted in a remote village, and we are currently in negotiations with the nation that has already performed the summoning..."
"And the country that village belongs to is hiding a great deal, so you need to deal with them as well, I presume?"
As expected, he was quick on the uptake. Though, I hadn't told the Grand Master that Yuki and the others had gone to the Kingdom of Ohe. I wondered where he’d gotten his information.
"Hm? Ah, it was from Miyabi-dono."
"I see..."
He really does have a loose tongue. Or perhaps it’s just a testament to the connections and trust the Grand Master has cultivated.
"So, what about the situation in Weed?"
"What do you mean by 'the situation in Weed'?"
"The requests for investigation from Roschur and Gartz are still ongoing, aren't they? I doubt they’d give up just because they were turned down once. After all, it involves the connection between the Great Stampede and the dark guild."
"Ah, I see what you mean. As you said, negotiations are ongoing. But they are proving difficult."
"In other words, the nation is currently unable to act."
"Yes. And as for Weed, our current focus is..."
"Dealing with the nation where the summoning is taking place? By the way, what are the details on that?"
"If you would, please keep this between us."
As a high-ranking official of Weed, I had the authority to disclose this kind of sensitive information. And so, I relayed the situation in the Kingdom of Ohe as I knew it, with Rock and Kina joining in.
"That’s brutal."
"Whoa... that continent on the edge of the map?"
"This isn't going to be a simple matter to resolve."
I was grateful that they immediately grasped the magnitude of the problem.
"In that case, would it be better for the Adventurer Guild to take the lead regarding the area around that remote village?"
"Is that something you can do?"
"If I put my mind to it, yes. However, acting unilaterally would be unwise. Could you arrange a meeting with Queen Seraria?"
"Understood."
And so, the head of the Adventurer Guild began to move, and the wheels started turning for the nation harboring that remote village. It just goes to show that there are many ways to approach a problem. It seemed likely that Weed would no longer be able to handle this alone and would have to rely on outside organizations.