第１９１３堀：北部は状況が違いすぎる (Part1)
"That sounds like a fun conversation," Nina remarked.
"Indeed. If we can produce warships, it would be quite convenient in many ways," Yuki replied. I hadn't meant "fun" in the way he took it.
"Not that. I meant the land battleships."
"Oh, those."
"Yes, those. After all, it seems the North has been engaging in fierce battles with monsters that come down from the south to gather information. Having something that can serve as a mobile fortress would be incredibly useful."
"I see. That's certainly true." Yuki readily agreed with my point. A mobile fortress held that much value. In fact, for the North, which was under intense assault from monsters, it would be an unparalleled fighting force and defense. In a way, it was more so for them than for us. It could serve as a base, and the ability to retreat made it too convenient.
"We've entered the country called the North, but the Adventurer's Guilds are all posting requests for monster subjugation. And their strength is increasing, and I'm seeing demi-humans quite commonly."
"Yes. Just as Nina-san said. Honestly, I was surprised." Vilia agreed with me, so she wouldn't think I was lying, but in the North, demi-humans were indeed living ordinary lives. Moreover, they were being treated as the main force for monster extermination. I also visited the Clear Stream Church, and I often saw them chatting amicably.
"...It really feels like the central Clear Stream Church is acting on its own."
"We should investigate where their information is getting stuck. At worst, if such rumors spread, it wouldn't be strange for the Northern countries to launch an attack on the Central region."
"They are threatening their own forces, after all. For the North, it's a matter of life and death."
Yes, for the North, which was on good terms with the demi-humans, hearing that the Central region was sacrificing demi-humans could make it difficult for them to concentrate on the fight against monsters. Moreover, the demi-humans might act on their own and head to the Central region. If that happened, their fighting strength would decrease, and their defenses would become more stringent. The North wanted to avoid conflict with both the monsters to the north and the human nations to the south.
"More importantly, I can't understand what the goal is in this situation. Even if the Central region's plan succeeds as is, they will only reduce the demi-humans, start a war, and deplete their own forces through internal strife. The result will be being crushed from both north and south by monsters."
"Considering the situation, that's true. However, those who cause these kinds of inexplicable troubles often don't think that far ahead."
"...Well, if they were thinking ahead, they wouldn't be doing this."
"However, they seem to have connections within the organization?"
"Precisely because they have such connections, there's a sufficient possibility that they are being optimistic, thinking it will all work out."
I see. Given that they were effectively manipulating the Central countries, it wasn't strange for them to think they would continue to succeed.
As I was thinking about this, Kishua spoke up, as if she had just had an idea.
"Hey, in cases like this, isn't the one who benefits the most the culprit? As an organization, that is, regardless of the individual."
"Well, that's a common trope in mystery stories."
"Indeed, in such complicated situations, there's little else to consider but profit."
"Is that how it works?"
It's easy to dismiss it as foolishness, but as Sia said, in times like these, it's more likely to be an organization acting as the主体 rather than personal grudges. So Kishua's point that the one benefiting is suspicious is not wrong.
"Then, Yuki, who is benefiting in the Central region?"
"Naturally, it's the Clear Stream Church. They are manipulating various countries, acquiring demi-humans, and even initiated an attack on the South. However, the individuals themselves have suffered almost no damage. Only the cooperating countries have taken damage."
"So, it seems certain that the root of this trouble is the central Clear Stream Church."
"That's right. Ah, this is troublesome. Cooperation with the Giardana Kingdom is essential."
I understood that it was troublesome. Currently, the Giardana Kingdom is the only one in the Central region that is properly interacting with Weed. And they cannot make a name for themselves in other countries. In other words, Weed has no choice but to act through the Giardana Kingdom.
"What about cooperation with other countries?"
"None at all. The Giardana Kingdom is isolated because they are harboring demi-humans."
Well, based on what we've heard so far, the Giardana Kingdom is on the verge of isolation due to the conspiracy by the central Clear Stream Church. However, there's an oversight.
"But it shouldn't be impossible to contact them. I heard that, on the surface, those supported by the Clear Stream Church are gaining strength."
"Ah, that's not incorrect. Those individuals are scheduled to arrive in Ohe soon, and we plan to apprehend them to obtain information."
"I'll leave the matter of the group heading to Ohe to Yuki. What's important is that, on the surface, the Clear Stream Church's influence is strong. Can't we use those people, pretending to be them, to contact the outside world, other countries? It's not like they're completely cut off from physical interaction, right? They're just politically isolated."
Yes, the King and the Chancellor, and perhaps the members who advocate for demi-human harmony in the Giardana Kingdom, might be in a weaker political position, but the country itself hasn't stopped interacting with other nations. Therefore, we should be able to use that to investigate other countries.
"I understand what you're saying, but we don't have the personnel to send there. You can tell that by the fact that we're sending Nina and Vilia to the front lines."
"Mmm."
That was true. We were suffering from a severe shortage of personnel, to the point where we, the executives, were on the move. It was impossible to extend our reach to other countries besides the Giardana Kingdom at this point, but...
"What about the other Holy Sword members? Someone like Difes should be able to move."
"We could move them if we wanted to, but Difes and the others have activities on the If Continent, and they are also our reserve force for emergencies. Using them during peacetime would make them unavailable when we truly need them. Besides, I don't think we need to proactively attack the Central region to that extent."
"What do you mean? Are you going to let them do as they please?"
"That's right. For now, they are primarily causing trouble centered around the Giardana Kingdom. They will likely file a complaint themselves. We also plan to apprehend the group that went to Ohe, and from there, we will investigate their organizational structure and other matters. If they realize we are strong, they will simply try to escape. Chasing them would be more troublesome."
"That's true. In these kinds of situations, it's easier to get information when they think you're the stronger party."
"Indeed."
Hmm. The reasoning was convincing. There was nothing for me to complain about.