[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Chapter 23 - Clandestine Operation
Beato tilted her head, while Strah looked as bored as ever. It seemed like only Joanna and I understood what this meant.
"We're going to rescue Cain-san's daughter and assassinate Tario, right?"
"No, that's not it. The operation is solely focused on retrieval."
Retrieval, he's emphasizing it a lot. Why? Wouldn’t assassination be better?
"At the moment, the front line has temporarily settled. The demon clan is engaged in defensive warfare, so they won't actively attack. The kingdom, lacking a hero, is in a state of... you know."
"I'm not really familiar with things like battlefronts, factions, and all that. So, it doesn't really click with me."
"...Well, that's understandable. Since you're here, I might as well explain it to you."
I felt like I was being pitied. Well, I was just an ignorant country girl anyway.
"First, the main body of the Deltirad Kingdom is located in the central part of the continent."
He pointed to the middle of the map, where there were many mountains.
"Moving east from here, there used to be small countries in here until a dozen years ago, but now it's under the kingdom's jurisdiction. My country, Stige, is here."
In the eastern corner, facing the sea. I see, that's Stige. It's the leader and Cain-san's hometown.
"And on the northern side of the kingdom. It's a place even the kingdom can't touch. It's the territory of Paladis, a religious superpower led by the saint of the Enpyrean Church, Liche."
Saint Liche, I'd heard that name before. When I glanced at Beato's face, she seemed flustered again. There seemed to be some connection. ...Well, I was not interested in her or in others.
"Paladis is neutral, neither an ally of the demons nor of the kingdom. However, they possess a powerful military force and religious authority. In all senses, Brutogyu can't lay a hand on them."
That tyrant also seemed to have considered that much. So, having taken care of the eastern side, he went west since the northern side was a no go.
The western side gave the impression of being filled with mountains, forests, and nature, so why would he want their territory? How much territory did he want? Was his head really messed up? Perhaps it was.
"And finally, the western side. It is said it's where various non-human races, such as the Elven Kingdom, the Dwarven Kingdom, and the Merfolk Kingdom are located."
"Oh, half-fish people…"
It's hard to imagine. Do they have fish-like bodies with legs, or what? Well, never mind, I should focus on the conversation.
"At the core of all this are the countries inhabited by the Demon Race, beings who excel in magic and possess bodies even stronger than humans. One such country is Corcut."
Oh, I'd heard of that. Kenny-jii-san told me about it. Corcut didn't want a war, but the kingdom wanted it, and waged a one-sided war against them.
"The Demon King, Seatham, is said to be an elderly and gentle person. It seems he also mourns the war."
I see, there must have been many sacrifices on the side of the non-human races as well. Really, if only Brutogyu died, everything would be resolved, everything would come to a peaceful conclusion. He really shouldn't be alive, that guy.
"Well, that's about it. And there's the city of Frejenta, where the target is. This is the frontline against the demons."
"We're going all the way to the front lines."
"Yes, it's a dangerous mission. Will you still do it?"
"...Sure, but is it alright for you, leader? I'm the trump card, for your cause, right?"
I felt bad for saying it, but isn't this operation mostly based on personal feelings? The leader didn't seem like himself. ...Could it be that there's another objective?
"This operation was planned by me and Joanna. You can ask her for more details."
I see. After burying Cain-san, he planned the operation with Joanna. That's why they were so late.
"First of all, this operation can only be carried out with a few number of people. If we move with a large group, we'll be detected, and there's no guarantee there aren't other informants besides that person."
"Yeah, that's true."
We couldn't assert that there were no people in the same situation as Cain-san.
...The leader hasn't laughed even once since earlier. Just like me.
"That's why we need to allocate a reliable and powerful force that we can trust not to betray us."
"We could rely on Raid, but he's the brain of the Resistance, just like Joanna. If both of them are absent for a long time, the operations during that period won't progress smoothly."
"Joanna is coming, too?"
"Yes, it seems I'm trusted as well."
"Yeah, I'm certain that you won't betray us. That's why I entrusted this to you."
"My, my, what an honor."
Yeah, I still couldn't fully understand, but there's definitely something behind this. And Joanna was trusted to the extreme by the leader. I wondered if he really knew her. Who she is, what she does, and so on.
"That's it. Kyrie and Joanna will form a team to rescue Cain's daughter. It'll take about two weeks to reach Frejenta, so make thorough preparations..."
"......!!!"
As soon as the number of days came out of the leader's mouth, Beato stood up with incredible force.
What's wrong? What's going on? She then wrote on a paper with a brush...
"I'm going, too!"
No, that's reckless.
"Oh, isn't that fine? Let Beato-chan come along too."
"Joanna, are you serious?"
"I am serious. It'll be more fun if we're together, right? Besides, I was planning to bring non-combatants with us anyway, so adding one more person won't make a difference. Beato-chan can use healing magic, so she won't be a burden."
"But, still..."
"Kyrie-chan, you can't sleep without Beato-chan, can you?"
"H-How do you know!!"
"Oh, it's the first time I've seen that. Kyrie-chan's face turning red."
...I give up. If Joanna said it's not a problem, then it must really not be a problem. And, by the way, my face wasn't turning red.
"......♪"
Beato looked extremely happy, but did she understand the danger? Did she understand at all? But this child was smart, so…
"Sigh... By the way, what do you mean by bringing non-combatants?"
"I've been to the city of Frejenta a few times. I don't know the area well. I couldn't find any natives from the Resistance, so I thought about hiring someone this time. I can't trust them, but there's no choice."
***Read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com***
***Please check out ko-fi.com/kettle1! ***
***In there you can support me and you can also get to read advance chapters!***
"A native of Frejenta...?"
I looked at Beato's face. Something tugged at my gut. Surely, if it's that girl, I could trust her.
"Joanna, I have an idea. I know a girl from Frejenta, someone who doesn't seem to be a spy for the kingdom."
...
It was already night outside the armory. Joanna and I have arrived at the inn with a note in hand.
"The Red Horsehoof Inn," a street on the south side of the capital lined with cheap inns. There's no mistaking it, this was the place.
"That girl is here, really? ...But still, it's such a shabby inn."
"Don't say that. She didn't seem to have much money."
Certainly, it would be cheap here, but it felt like it's just enough to shelter from the rain and wind. Light was leaking from the broken windows, and the walls have holes in them here and there.
"Let's go and ask quickly. The room where Melo-chan is staying."
"...Did someone call me?"
...I heard Melo-chan's voice. But it's not from inside the inn, it's from a place with straw spread out like a stable.
"It's rare for someone to have business with me..."
The straw rustled, and a girl with purple hair crawled out from inside.
"Ah! It's the boy who helped me yesterday! What's wrong? I'm not in trouble yet, you know"
"W-Why were you sleeping in the stable?"
"Because this is where I'm staying."
"What about food?"
"I didn't think straw would be good, but it surprised me how edible it is!"
"...You're not in trouble?"
"That’s right, I'm not in trouble."
I see, she's not in trouble. This girl must be the type who wouldn't ask for help until she's about to die.
"Well, anyway, we can't leave this girl like this. Kyrie-chan, let's take her with us for now."
"Yeah, we can talk about it later—"
Chills ran down my spine. I sensed the killing intent, and three men wielding daggers attacked us from the alleyway.
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment