第１８２６堀：新大陸の各員の状況確認 (Part1)
Ditch 1826: New Continent Member Status Update
New Continent Member Status Update
Side: Yuki
"Hah!"
"This is no laughing matter, you know? If it's truly the Grand Master, he'd probably go to the New Continent with ease."
"Ugh, even for him..."
"I really hope he doesn't."
"Yes, truly."
"That old man is truly powerful, isn't he?"
"I think he could survive anywhere."
I'm currently in a meeting with the members active on the New Continent, including Milly. The reason is that ongoing activities in all departments have settled down, so it's time to discuss future plans.
"Alright, I understand what Milly has told us. The missing persons case in the village led to a conspiracy in Suana Town."
"It's nonsensical that they're involved when they're truly not."
Indeed. In reality, there's no doubt the villagers were summoned by Ohe. However, it wasn't related to the development of Suana Town. This is the situation where something is involved despite having no actual connection.
"Still, as the Grand Master said, we can't just arrest them based on a criminal plan alone. After all, they haven't committed a crime yet. What would Tori do? Oh, Tori is fine, right? And Fiora too?"
"Yes, we're fine. Actually, we're short-handed, so we can only investigate gradually, which means progress is slow."
"Well, land surveys are like that. However, in Weed, we use drones and familiars, so even if our survey is slow, it's overwhelmingly fast compared to other countries."
Of course, surveying land isn't easy, but by introducing Earth's knowledge and technology, we know exactly what and how to investigate. It's not haphazard. There are specific categories; to put it simply, things like area, soil conditions, vegetation, presence of animals, water sources, minerals, and so on. Since we're investigating by creating zones, we're getting clear results. Meaning there are no vague answers.
"Mhm, mhm. Oh, and regarding what I would do... I think for something like this, we just have to go in ourselves, don't we?"
"I agree with Tori's opinion. If nobles are behind it, they've likely been very thorough with silencing people. While it might sound dismissive to say 'commoners,' it also becomes a question of whose opinion is more trustworthy: that of ordinary people or that of nobles. If one of us were present at the scene, we could gain some credibility, but then it becomes a question of why we're in Suana Town in the first place..."
"That's the point. For this matter, while we certainly intervened discreetly, it's ultimately a matter of national circumstances. The New Continent's summoning and kidnapping case has already been resolved. Well, while the New Continent still has many problems, the missing persons case has been solved, and it's been proven that the Dark Guild had no involvement with that village. In other words..."
Before I could speak, Stacia, who is defending the northern town, spoke up.
"Weed has lost its pretext for intervention, then."
"Exactly as Stacia said. Well, we still don't know if the Dark Guild is truly uninvolved, but..."
"But the possibility has almost vanished. If this comes to light now, it could cause problems."
"Precisely."
"However, since the missing persons case was a summoning incident, can't we intervene from that angle? Wasn't that entire forest area the summoning range? Kagura was investigating that, right?"
At that remark, all eyes turned to Kagura. Currently, she's prioritizing her duties as an envoy to the Jeyaes Kingdom, but her initial objective was to investigate the mechanics of summoning. It would be troublesome if people were summoned arbitrarily, so we hoped to analyze the rules of summoning and prevent it. Well, there was also the question of why that particular village. Was it simply the coordinates, or was there some reason to choose the people from that village?
"The analysis of the summoning circle is still ongoing. I only had the magic power to summon; I didn't have the knowledge. For now, I've gathered data on that magic circle and am seeking cooperation from Comet, Zargis, and Souta-sama. I haven't heard about any progress. If they figure something out, those people would happily come to boast about it, wouldn't they?"
Everyone nodded at her words. As expected, that's how everyone sees them. Research fanatics of technology and magic. Well, if it's nothing major, they probably won't report it, but once the analysis is complete, it's still work, so they'll at least send a message. After all, we're their employers. If they want their salary, they have no choice but to listen to me.
"While we're at it. What's the situation with Kagura and Mikos?"
"As for me, I'm on good terms with Princess Suena, as well as Ohe's royalty and important figures. Even more so after bringing them to Weed. They seemed relieved after seeing our power, or rather, the countries we're connected to. Queen Dana is also preparing for childbirth at Weed's hotel, so in that sense, our relations are good. Regarding the envoy, Mikos will speak."
"I think Yuki-sensei already knows about the envoy, but this catalog is very popular. It's so well-made that Seraria told us to distribute it to other countries too. It'll be a lot of work to edit it again."
As Kagura said, bringing Ohe to Weed was the right decision. I believe they've come to trust us even more. The product introductions using Mikos's catalog were unexpectedly well-received, and because of its high quality, it became an issue not to show it to the countries of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. Well, the catalog Mikos made is truly excellent. It's understandable without needing detailed explanations, and for those who are already familiar with such products, it must be a truly convenient catalog. That's why it was decided to create one for the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance countries as well.
"Mikos will just have to do her best. Kagura has been doing a great job. Well, it's a hassle, but please continue as our negotiator."
"Leave it to me~. Mikos-chan will grab their interest with her pushy sales... I mean, her perfect sales!"
"So you're aware it's pushy sales. Well, it's our job to get things like that through, and regarding our interactions with Ohe, it's not just me; Yuki and the others will also be dealing with Ohe."
Indeed, interactions with Ohe aren't solely Kagura's responsibility. As for Mikos, she's achieved results through her introductions during the Ohe situation, so I'm not worried. Well, I'd like to tell her not to overdo it, but this is the best way to get Weed recognized. I think this kind of enthusiasm is necessary, so no holding back. There was a problem with difficult inventory management, but we decided to overcome it by ordering through DP. We have no idea how much will sell, after all.
"Right. Now, returning to Stacia, what's the situation with the northern town?"