第１９４４堀：最前線の町へ (Part1)
Chapter 1944: To the Frontline Town
Side: Vilia
"I see. So, you’ve begun probing the Clearstream Church in the central region."
"Yeah. Based on the reports from you and the others, I figured there was almost no coordination with the north."
It seems my brother has secured the cooperation of the Adventurer’s Guild in the central region to investigate the Clearstream Church.
"It’s only natural. The treatment of demi-humans is clearly different. It’s a situation that could easily spark a war. Unless they’re actively trying to incite one, I can’t fathom their true intentions."
"Agreed. The lack of a clear objective is, frankly, unsettling."
"Indeed. If they wanted to trigger a war, using the torture of demi-humans as a provocation would make sense, but there’s no such trend—they’re just obsessed with concealment."
As Nina and the others say, their actions are contradictory.
"If this were the work of the Demon Lord, wouldn't it be more effective to use the demi-humans as a pretext to agitate the northern and southern nations, thereby scattering their military strength?"
"Vilia is right. That’s what I would do. I suppose there could be another motive, but this feels like the perfect moment. The central region is almost entirely in league with the Clearstream Church, the demi-human-aligned nations centered around the Giadana Kingdom have had their strength sapped, and the southern nations, led by Ohe, are currently overwhelmed by monsters pushing up from the south. And the north is under siege by monsters as well. If you’re going to break them, now is the time, isn't it?"
Haha, my brother summarized the current situation perfectly, but the survival sphere for the people of the New Continent seems to be stretched to its absolute limit.
Assuming there is a Demon Lord, would they really let this opportunity slip by?
Or are they simply waiting for the timing my brother mentioned?
As I pondered this, Kishua spoke up.
"There’s no need to rush to a conclusion, is there? The chaos is sufficient as it is, but there’s still time to act. If you’ll pardon the phrasing."
"As Kishua says, it’s just that the enemy’s movements will become easier to track once they act. It’ll be easier to rally everyone together at that point."
That is true, but in that scenario...
"You two, why are you speaking so casually? If it comes to that, the casualties will be immense."
Sia is right.
In that event, the invasion by whoever this Demon Lord might be will cause countless people to suffer... or worse, to perish.
That is...
"Sia, you’re on the side that heals, so that’s the natural perspective, but there’s a limit to what we can do, too."
"We don’t even know what the enemy is, or what’s lurking in this New Continent. There’s a name for a 'Demon Lord,' but no form to go with it. As for the Clearstream Church, which seems to be the root cause, their handling of demi-humans differs entirely between the north and the center. Those of us on the outside don’t know where to start. If we move clumsily, things will only get worse."
"That’s true. At worst, Weed could be blamed for everything, leading to a massive war with the southern nations."
"Exactly. We could defeat the enemy, but the aftermath would be a landscape of corpses. In more ways than one. We’d have to deal with the reconstruction of nations, and so on."
Yeah, that’s no laughing matter.
In that scenario, my brother would be at the center of the administration, and we would undoubtedly be forced to assist.
Without even trying to avoid it, we’d end up stationed in some country, helping with reconstruction for the long haul...
Which means being separated from my brother.
"That is something I absolutely want to avoid!"
"Hmm. Indeed, that should be avoided."
I raised my voice without meaning to, but Sia and the others don’t seem to have noticed the underlying reason.
No, they surely realized I spoke loudly, but they likely misinterpreted it as concern for the hardships such a scenario would entail.
"Well, that’s a near-worst-case scenario. I agree that we want to avoid it. But we can’t just sit still. We’ll gather as much information as possible and act to minimize the suffering of those who would be caught in the crossfire. No objections?"
"None."
"None."
"None here."
"Yes."
We all replied to my brother immediately.
Not a single person here desires such an outcome.
"There’s a lot we don’t know, but it’s clear that many factors are intertwined. For the time being, we’ll investigate the divide between the northern and central branches of the Clearstream Church—the difference in how they treat demi-humans. And as for Nina and the others..."
"We’ll make contact with Bishop Petra."
"Right. The central region flinched when Petra’s name was mentioned. There’s no doubt she has some influence. And they haven't been able to take a hard line against Archbishop Dodona, either. It’s strange, but it means they haven't reached a breaking point yet."
"After acting so freely, why do they think they can work with the northern Clearstream Church?"
That is truly as mysterious as Kishua says.
It’s a course of action that can only be described as picking a fight with the northern headquarters of the Clearstream Church.
"Who knows? I want to believe we’ll find out as we investigate further. People of that sort, if you’re not careful, often operate under the delusion that everything they do is inherently justified."
"In that case... is there any room for negotiation?"
"In that case, it’s extermination—or force. Words truly don’t reach them."
Yes.
I know all too well that people of that ilk don't listen to reason.
In my time as an adventurer, I’ve encountered many such thieves, and in helping my brother, I’ve dealt with those types before.
"Well, let’s save the troublesome talk for when we actually encounter them. For now, let’s focus on your objectives, Vilia. You’ve arrived in the Ioa Kingdom, right?"
"Yes."
That’s right.
The reason I’m speaking with my brother now is that we have arrived in the Ioa Kingdom.
Ever since the monster attack in the town of Uesa, we have been on the move.
We’ve checked the towns we’ve stopped in, but there hasn't been any overt discrimination against demi-humans; they’ve been living their lives normally.
The only thing that weighs on my mind is that while the Ioa Kingdom is close to the north and rumors suggested the monsters were growing stronger, we haven't seen many attacks.
Well, if monsters were truly rampant within the country, the transport of supplies would be impossible, so if they claim to be conducting subjugation efforts, I suppose that’s a plausible explanation.
"Then, all that’s left is to contact the Adventurer’s Guild, confirm their ties to the Ioa Kingdom, track the movements of the Clearstream Church, and investigate the state of the Ioa Kingdom’s frontlines."