第１８６２堀：分からない届かない場所であるなら (Part1)
Chapter 1862: If It’s a Place Beyond Reach and Understanding
Side: Aslin
"Here are the new documents from the Adventurer Guild."
"Thanks! Just leave them there."
"Understood. Excuse me."
With that, my subordinate—or whatever you’d call them—exited the room.
Technically, I do have command over a portion of the monster army, but taking care of them is the job of the subordinates, and since they possess enough intelligence to understand our instructions, it’s not much of a hassle.
I mostly just handle the training schedules.
But what I’m really working on—what I’m pouring my energy into—isn't managing the troops.
"Hmm. Still, there really isn't much of a difference, is there?"
That’s right: monster research.
I flipped through the documents from the Adventurer Guild regarding the monsters of the New Continent, but they didn't seem all that different from the ones we have here.
Well, the monsters native to the New Continent’s wilderness are unique, but they’re all much of a muchness. There’s no groundbreaking information to be found.
I had hoped for a different perspective, but I suppose that was too much to ask.
It’s not that I think I’m some kind of super-genius, but being able to communicate with them to a certain degree is a definite advantage.
Big Brother is hoping for some kind of hint from all this, so I should try a little harder.
I moved over to the whiteboard to reorganize the information and write down what we know.
"The monsters that were in a state of confusion have returned to normal and are calm. What they recall is that while they remember being in the south, their memories suddenly cut off. The existence of a commander-like monster remains unknown. However, there was no infighting—no battles between the monsters themselves."
That’s what we know so far.
It’s basically the same as knowing nothing, but from this, we can deduce...
"The fact that there was no infighting is the key. Normally, you can't travel while unconscious without getting injured, and if it were a rampage caused by hunger or something similar, they wouldn't be able to choose their targets. They would just attack everything in sight. The fact that didn't happen makes it clear that some kind of intent was at work."
Yeah, I’m sure of it.
If it were just a loss of magical power or a rampage due to starvation, they would have been devouring everything in their path. They never would have made it all the way to the north—to the Great Forest where Ohe is located.
Even if they had, it would have been in small numbers.
Therefore, it’s certain that someone intentionally led them here.
"But the reason is unknown, and the culprit is unidentified. Well, if we could advance into the south, I’m sure we’d find some kind of hint... Ah, so that’s what it comes down to."
I realized where I was hitting a wall and wrote it down.
"Right, to investigate in detail, we need to survey the south."
Exactly. No matter how many theories I come up with, I can't say anything for sure without seeing the site.
In other words, we have no choice but to conduct an on-site investigation.
"Well, it’s not like we can just go and investigate right away, though."
I know that the priority in the New Continent is the movement of the northern nations.
Still, facts are facts. I should report this to Big Brother.
"But this isn't any different from the last report. Is there anything else?"
I read the text I had written down, wondering if I had missed anything new.
"Monsters. Yeah, the monsters."
The monsters themselves. That’s the biggest bottleneck.
The reason we can’t openly leave the southern fortress to investigate is that we don't know when the next Great Flood will occur, so we can't conduct a large-scale investigation.
It would mean splitting our forces, and aside from the fortress troops, there’s a risk that the investigation team could be caught in the Great Flood and wiped out.
"...So, it means we have to accept the risk of casualties? If that’s the case, then it’s scouting via familiars or drones..."
It’s not like we haven't tried that, either.
We’re just short on manpower.
That’s also why the southern investigation team hasn't been deployed; this New Continent is incredibly vast.
Even if we sent out a massive number of familiars or drones, there’s no one to manage them.
I can handle about ten screens at once, but that leads to sloppy work and missed details.
We’re scouting precisely because we need critical information, so that would be pointless.
"Hmm. It really is difficult. I suppose drone surveillance along the defensive line is the best we can do for now?"
Currently, because we’re short-handed, we basically keep the drones in fixed positions, using them like security cameras.
Mainly for the defensive line—that is, the fortress and the town south of Ohe.
Everything else is prioritized for the northern investigation.
Just as I was wondering what to do, the door to the room suddenly opened...
"Aslin. Pardon the intrusion."
Firia-chan entered, as she always does.
She usually works in the Blacksmith District, but since we’re currently investigating the minerals of the New Continent, she’s been borrowing the adjacent laboratory and forge.
Narjia-onee-sama uses it quite often, by the way.
But that aside...
"What’s wrong?"
She didn't look flustered, so I knew it wasn't an emergency.
Still, it was working hours, so I assumed it was about work.
"I have a small consultation. It’s about the south."
"The south? Did something happen over there?"
"That part is fine. Tori-aneesama and the others are managing the fortress just fine. I came here regarding the investigation of the deep south."
"Ah, I was just thinking about how we could investigate the deep south myself. As it stands, we’re just too short on information."
"Exactly. I want to investigate the mineral veins, but at this rate, it seems I’ll be stuck here for a while, so I wanted to see if there’s anything we can do."
"You want to investigate the mineral veins? What do you mean?"
I didn't think investigating a vein was that difficult. You just dig it up, right?
"Ah, that’s right. Take a look at this."
With that, Firia-chan pulled out a photograph. It showed a cliff.
"What is this?"
"There’s a mineral vein running beneath this cliff. We still don't know its full length."
"Eh? You don't know?"
"That’s right. We’ve confirmed via drone reconnaissance that it exceeds 100 kilometers, but we can't move them any further because we have to consider the defensive line."
"Ah, I see—we can't scout further because we need the personnel there."
"Exactly. I’ve been thinking about drone-only reconnaissance, but ensuring the safety of the surrounding area and conducting the survey takes priority. Well, that’s only natural, I suppose."