第１９５２堀：色々考えて現状維持かな？ (Part2)
"Understood, Brother. I have the Adventurer Guild in my sights now, so I won't be able to respond further. Are you still tracking us with the drone?"
"Yeah, that's all taken care of."
I always keep drones and familiars attached to Vilia and the others—partly for surveillance, but also as an escort. Naturally, it also serves to record their conversations. As I watched Vilia and her group head toward the Adventurer Guild...
"So, you aren't just flying drones in that one area, are you? Do you already know where the enemy is coming from?" Seraria asked, her eyes fixed on the monitor.
"We’ve only had two days, but thanks to the enemy attacking three times a day, I've been able to narrow it down to a certain extent."
Well, once you get this far into the conversation, the next logical topic is where the enemy is originating from.
"Oh? Have you already found the enemy's base? Well, I suppose that’s to be expected. The number of reports coming in every day... it stands to reason there’s a base somewhere."
"It’s a bit late to say this, but that’s true. Though, it does raise the question of why the Adventurer Guild hasn't found it yet."
"As for that, Vilia and the others are about to ask, so that should be fine. My guess is that even if they did find it, they didn't think they could do anything about it. Plus, having multiple spawn points thins out And’s defensive capabilities."
I’m sure the Adventurer Guild, and the nation itself, have tried to move against the source several times, wanting to put an end to it. And yet, given the current situation... it’s clear they’ve failed.
"If that’s the case, they can't afford to move their troops recklessly. They can't afford to wear down the adventurers, who pride themselves on their freedom, either. But we have the situation grasped. So, in an emergency, we’ll be the ones to intervene?"
Seraria is able to grasp the current situation quite clearly when she looks at it from the perspective of the state. It’s surprisingly difficult to do that, isn't it?
"For now, yes. Though, if the defense lines of other countries are hit simultaneously, it won't be that simple. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll have to mobilize the land battleship."
"I understand that it was built for a reason, but I really think we need to clear that with them beforehand."
Yeah, she’s right. Thanks to the land battleship, we can expect significant results from a single unit, but its capabilities are still limited. More importantly, without prior notification and permission, we risk being attacked by our own allies. Being seen as a source of such confusion would be a loss for us as well.
"Well, setting aside the response as a nation... where are the predicted locations?"
"Let's see. Orelia."
"Yes."
At my prompt, Orelia displays the map. Three red dots appear at locations ten kilometers north of the town of And.
"Three locations? Not just one?"
"I haven't investigated whether it’s a deception, if they have multiple entry points, or if there are separate sources entirely. After all, I’m using drones. Besides, they aren't exposed from the sky. If there’s a Lich-class monster nearby, it might sense them if I get too close."
"So you can't get too close, then."
"Exactly. Well, I’d like to deploy our own units when the time is right..."
"That will require caution, too. If the matter is exposed, the enemy will move. We can't just act on our own."
That’s the crux of it. The enemy’s communication network is a total mystery. If they’re like my dungeon, where clearing one location alerts all the others, the enemy might not just take countermeasures—they might launch a full-scale counter-offensive.
"The ideal would be to clear all the bases simultaneously, but..."
"That’s far too idealistic. We don't have the manpower or the intelligence-gathering capabilities for that."
"You're right. Yes, for now, we maintain the status quo. It won't be too late to act after we see if we can get information and cooperation from the Adventurer Guild and the Clearstream Church."
Everyone nodded at Seraria’s words. Even so, I doubt it will be that simple. And then there are the movements in the central region to consider...
Honestly, this is just too much of a headache. It feels like we’re going in circles, only to end up back at the same conclusion. Well, it’s just a lack of information, but I wonder how things will turn out at the Adventurer Guild?