第１９３１堀：見落としているところはないのか (Part1)
Chapter 1931: Is There Something We’ve Overlooked?
Side: Kirue
"Even from my perspective, it’s clear that they’re functioning as an organization, no matter how you look at it."
Those were the words of Sasari, who works as a maid alongside me. We were currently managing the inn while reading reports regarding the recent battle in the New Continent and the reasons behind it.
"…I agree. Considering the enemy’s coordinated offensives and their positioning, they are blatantly operating as an organization. That much is certain. However, their objective remains elusive."
"Well, that’s true. Even if they manage to destroy a town or whittle down our forces to some extent—if I may put it bluntly—it’s just one town, after all. And given the scale of the enemy, it’s questionable whether they could actually reach the royal capital and take it."
"Indeed. That said, we don’t know the situation of this country. If taking this town were to paralyze a vital transportation network, it wouldn't be entirely impossible…"
"If that were the case, they wouldn't have such a small standing force, would they? After all, if that place collapsing meant every other front would fall, it would only be natural to fortify its defenses."
As Sasari says, a hub that serves as the heart of a country’s transportation network should never be allowed to fall so easily. I want to deny the possibility, but…
"At the moment, we lack the information to make a judgment."
"Well, that’s true, too. Still, both the northern and central regions have a lot going on."
"That can't be helped. The New Continent is unexpectedly vast. Or rather, Sasari, you know this too—that New Continent might even be larger than our own."
"I know. Though, it seems more than half of it is still unexplored."
"That’s the same for our continent. We’d be lucky if even half of it were developed. But setting that aside, why would Master want to disclose this data to us?"
That’s right. For some reason, he shared this information with us, even though we are primarily responsible for internal affairs here at Weed. We are, at least, senior retainers who support Master, so it isn't entirely strange, but…
"Exactly. He said he wanted our opinions, but there are plenty of experts like Lady Agil and the others for that."
As Sasari points out, there are far more reliable people to ask for an opinion than us. Despite that, the fact that he handed this data over to us means…
"In other words, he wants a perspective that isn't from those usual sources."
"If you mean our unique perspective, do you mean as maids? I don't think we differ much from the adventurers like Lady Vilia and her group. Otherwise, it’s just the perspective of an ordinary person."
"True. However, unless one lives there, I don't think we’ll come up with the kind of information Master is hoping for—and he surely knows that."
"Right. Master wouldn't be unaware of something like that. Perhaps he just handed it over in case we noticed something?"
"That possibility isn't zero. And that just goes to show how complex the situation truly is."
With that, I stop looking at the disclosed information on the monitor and pull out the paper reports instead.
"What’s wrong? It’s easier to see on the monitor…"
"No, I want to take in everything visually. On the monitor, you only see what you’ve chosen to look at."
"Ah, I see. I understand. It’s convenient, but perhaps a bit *too* convenient. There’s so much miscellaneous information to sift through, after all."
"Exactly."
As Sasari says, managing data on a computer is very easy. But there are times when I feel it narrows the information down too much. With paper, even if you’re just looking for one thing, you have to go to where the books are stored. In the process of searching through vast amounts of volumes, your eyes might wander to books of different genres, leading to new discoveries. Master himself once said that digital tools can rob us of those opportunities.
I felt the same applied to this report. I thought there might be something I couldn't notice if I only looked at pieces in isolation.
And so, I spread the documents regarding the New Continent across the table in a cluttered, disorganized fashion. Since it includes not just the information from the north, but the south as well, it’s impossible to spread it all out neatly.
"Whoa, isn't this a bit too much? Shouldn't we narrow it down?"
"…No, please wait a moment."
Sasari is right—it’s chaotic and the sheer volume of information is overwhelming. However, I have a feeling this is better. Master never said to limit ourselves to the information from the north. He likely wants information on the entire New Continent.
No, that’s only natural.
As of now, the situation in the New Continent is in utter turmoil. The pile of reports on the table makes that painfully clear. It started with the kidnapping incident in Ohe, followed by the repulsion of the coalition army centered around the Giadana Kingdom. Then came the food shortages, the efforts to repel monsters, and the investigation into the source of the monsters coming from the southern wilderness, which also served as a survey of the wasteland itself.
In parallel, we repelled the coalition army and reached out to the southern countries to grasp the situation. The meeting with the Jeya-es Kingdom revealed that the coalition army had been pressuring the southern nations, meaning Ohe wasn't the only one being targeted; it became clear that the objective was the acquisition of demi-humans.
The reason for that remained a mystery, but through the expeditionary force—Baron Siana and the others who returned to the Giadana Kingdom—it was revealed that the Clearstream Church, which holds sway in the Giadana Kingdom, was the one orchestrating it.
Well, we suspected the Clearstream Church the moment we took prisoners, but this confirmed it. From there, we made connections with the King of Giadana and his chancellor, who were also dissatisfied with the Clearstream Church’s methods, and we ended up joining forces.
Thanks to that, we gained an entry point and obtained the cooperation of Archbishop Dodona of the Clearstream Church to send a unit to the north. Well, it was only a single party, so calling it a "unit" might be a stretch.
Regardless, thanks to that, we’ve begun to grasp the movements in the north to some extent. We encountered a swarm of monsters—a single skirmish, but one of a scale capable of annihilating a town—and confirmed that those individuals were far stronger than usual.
The history so far has made it clear, through the formation and movements of the enemy swarms, that there is an obvious commander or leader…
"Ah, should we try arranging these in chronological order?"