第１８０５堀：メイドさんたちのお茶話 (Part1)
Chapter 1805: The Maids’ Tea Talk
Side: Kirue
"Hmm. So, the Master and the others are gathering those who were defeated and staging a triumphal return, are they?"
"That’s right. They intend to return to the Giadana Kingdom and broadcast the Church’s defeat there, aiming to shatter their authority."
I was chatting with Sasari during a break from our household chores and childcare duties at the inn we call home.
"Things are getting quite chaotic, aren't they? Though, it was a strange story from the very beginning. Who would have thought a missing persons case would escalate to this extent?"
"It’s certainly not a common occurrence."
I nodded in agreement with Sasari’s words. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the rumors drifting into Weed would balloon into something of this magnitude. Missing persons cases are, after all, a dime a dozen in other nations.
In Weed, while adventurers might occasionally go missing within the dungeon sectors, people simply don't vanish from the streets. Well, children get lost sometimes, but even then, it’s reported to the police and they are searched for immediately. The dungeon’s functions make finding them a breeze, after all. But setting that aside, this current affair that grew from mere gossip is quite something.
"No, 'not common' is an understatement. It’s practically unheard of."
"Indeed. But it is a fact that it happened. Knowing the Master, I suspect there are other incidents lurking beneath the surface as well."
"Sigh... I can't even deny what you're saying, Senior. Given the Master's nature—or rather, the situation in Weed—we’ll likely be investigating these kinds of topics intensively from now on."
Exactly. Even if this time was just a coincidence, a precedent has been set. From now on, Weed will likely attempt to investigate the details of every missing persons case that arises. It will increase our workload and we’ll likely be stretched thin, but...
"Well, they’ll scrutinize them and maintain a balance. They wouldn't commit enough personnel to cause Weed to collapse, after all."
"They certainly wouldn't. But, moving on from that, what about this operation on the new continent..."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no. It’s as ruthless as ever—or perhaps I should say, they understand the situation all too well. But the enemy, the Church... the reality of what they are is still quite murky, isn't it?"
"That is true. Precisely because we don't fully understand them, the plan is to use this triumphal return to corner the Church and uncover the details."
The enemy this time is not a coalition of people. Well, of course, the nations of that coalition are providing the military force, but the problem is the Church that manipulates those nations. It’s no wonder Sasari is skeptical.
"Even so, though! What could they possibly do to make a Church capable of moving nations? They don't even possess a country of their own like Litea, do they?"
"There is no information to suggest that. However, the Clear Church, which is considered the mainstream and the root of Clearstream, seems to be an ancient institution, and it is said that its faith has been deeply ingrained in various countries."
"Even if it is ingrained, I still can't imagine them excluding demi-humans to the point of inciting war."
It is true that it’s rare for a church to exert such immense influence over the masses, but...
"Sasari, you seem to have forgotten, but the ideology that demi-humans should be excluded was not exactly an unusual opinion on the If Continent."
"Ah."
It seems Sasari, being from the If Continent herself, had completely forgotten.
"On the If Continent, their absolute numbers were low to begin with, and they were likely targets of exclusion simply for appearing different from humans."
"...That is certainly true."
Sasari replied, looking startled. She doesn't treat people differently based on whether they are demi-humans or not, and since Rowdy has diplomatic relations with the White Forest in the north, she likely doesn't have that kind of perception.
"Where does that reason lie, then?"
"The reason?"
"Yes. You were in that environment, Sasari. Putting aside the Church for a moment, have you never questioned the direction of excluding demi-humans, who should possess superior individual abilities? Perhaps there is a hint in that regarding the Church on this new continent."
Well, the possibility is low. Reasons are varied, and the exclusion of others is something that happens everywhere. There are certainly people who kill others simply because they don't like them. Still, such short-sighted individuals couldn't possibly build a massive organization...
"Hmm, I never really paid it much mind, but I did occasionally see people in town talking about how demi-humans are base and lowly. And I have heard stories of humans actually being attacked by demi-humans, so I did think there were many dangerous beings out there."
"I see. That must be why those people were calling for such things—because there was actual harm done. Perhaps they held the same wariness as one would toward bandits or thieves?"
"...Indeed, now that you mention it, that might be it. Encounters with monsters weren't exactly common on the If Continent, so it feels like they were being spoken of as a threat."
While she seemed convinced by my words, it still felt like something was off. It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't quite right either. Is that the case? No, wait. Come to think of it...
"I heard that the leader who supposedly committed suicide was turned into an undead and had their information extracted."
"Ah, now that you mention it, they did say that. But we don't have that information, do we?"
"Yes. I haven't been able to confirm it either. I wonder what happened."
I realized, belatedly, that the most important piece of information—the one that couldn't be a lie—was missing. I find it hard to believe that Yuki-sama would make such a mistake, but as I was thinking that...
"Ah, as for that, it’s honestly a bit ambiguous. Right, Stasia, Kagura?"
"Yes."
"That’s true, isn't it~"
Before I knew it, the Master and the others had entered the breakroom.
"Coming here... did something happen?"
That’s right, as Sasari said, this breakroom is for servants—a place that the Master and the Wives don't usually use. Specifically, it’s for employees and staff. Well, that’s exactly why it’s a place of respite for us maids, as well as for Prol and Orelia who serve the Master. The Master and the others understand this, which is why they rarely come near here. In a sense, it’s treated as a private space. For them to come here, it’s only natural to assume something happened.
"It’s not so much that something happened, but rather that I came to talk because nothing much is happening. That’s why I came to consult with you, Kirue and Sasari."
"Does that mean you didn't obtain any significant information from the enemy?"
"Yeah. I turned him into an undead and he did chatter away, but, well... he was more of a lackey. He joined the Church out of his own greed. I don't know the Church's true intentions. It was just a case of his interests aligning with theirs."
" "Ah..." "
It’s a common enough story, or perhaps it was just that man’s way of surviving. He likely sensed that if he asked anything careless, he would be eliminated, so he adopted the mindset of utilizing what he could.