SWNOVELXO Chapter 84
Chapter 84. Return Report In The Wilderness
“Onii-chan!”
On the way to the depths of the Veliero Trading Company, I was suddenly tackled from the side.
“Oof!”
Caught completely off guard, I couldn’t even brace myself for the unexpected attack and ended up tumbling over.
“Onii-chan! You’re alive! I’m so glad!”
Clutching onto me as I sat on the floor, it was the Narnia girl from the Whale Inn.
“Ugh… Narnia… you… you’re heavy.”
“Whoa! Big brother! Saying a girl is heavy is taboo!”
“Well… sorry, it’s not heavy, it’s… painful…”
Whether she was listening or not, Narnia showed no signs of moving away from me.
“I was worried! They said you were taken to the royal castle!”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, I’m back, though I can’t say if it’s safe.”
“Yeah… I’m glad.”
She hugged me tightly once again.
Feeling like I had worried her, I gently patted Narnia’s head.
Leading the now-calm Narnia, I entered a hidden room. So, there’s a place like this here.
“Now, what are we going to do?”
I looked at Cherina sitting next to me. The room wasn’t spacious, so she was leaning against the wall while sitting. On the opposite side was Narnia. Hagg and Yaralai were facing each other on the left and right walls.
Among this group, Cherina was undoubtedly the most critical.
Whether it’s me, Hagg, or Yaralai, we could manage somehow if we escaped from this city, but Cherina was different.
“We’ll contact the Sea Dragon.”
“The Sea Dragon, that minister mentioned it.”
“Yes, in simple terms, it’s a resistance organization. I’ve been invited before.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
That surprised me. I never thought Cherina would be involved in such matters.
“I was invited, but I didn’t agree with their cause. Well, I did provide financial support…”
“What’s that?”
“We had to do that much, otherwise we’d have to worry about our lives too. Besides, there were some aspects of their ideology that I could sympathize with, albeit slightly.”
“That pig of a king…”
I’m an outsider, so I don’t feel it, but he’s probably a king whom the residents can’t tolerate.
“I’m currently having Shadow handle the communications. We should receive a response soon.”
“Communication is fine, but what do you intend to do using the Sea Dragon?”
“Of course, it’s revolution.”
“Hey.”
That’s too straightforward.
“Why do you talk about revolution so easily? It’s not something that can be done so easily.”
“It’s not as difficult as you think. Thousands of people support the Sea Dragon.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Not necessarily. Even our own independent investigations have confirmed that many people are in support.”
“But still…”
“The current population of this country is probably less than 30,000. It has decreased by almost half compared to a few years ago… There are said to be 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers. With the support of thousands of people who support the Sea Dragon, there’s a good chance of success if the people of the city join in.”
“But it’s too dangerous.”
“It’s already a dangerous situation. If we continue like this, it will only get more dangerous.”
“But Cherina, wouldn’t it be better for you to escape?”
At that moment, Melvin nodded repeatedly without saying a word.
“…But that wouldn’t solve anything. While it’s true that I might have a chance of survival, I would never be able to return to this country again, and above all, I don’t know what will happen to everyone in the company.”
“We don’t need to worry about us! As long as Master and Miss Cherina are safe…!”
At that point, Cherina gestured to stop her with her hand.
“If the revolution succeeds, the king will change. We don’t know who will become the king, but it won’t be worse than it is now. This is an opportunity.”
“…”
“Miss Veliero, are you serious?”
Until now, Hagg, the dwarf who had been silent while playing with his beard, opened one eye.
“Yes, I am serious.”
“Hmm… Even with as many amateurs as there are soldiers, they can’t win, can they?”
“That’s true, but most of the soldiers are people who were forcibly conscripted and are dissatisfied with their treatment. Many soldiers have promised to support the Sea Dragon.”
“Akira, what about you?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. You’re close to the young lady. If you participate, I’ll go along with it.”
“Going along with it isn’t such an easy decision.”
“Frankly, if I join, the chances of success will skyrocket. I thought so when we broke through earlier. The soldiers of this country have low training levels. Even soldiers should have been trained in basic wave theory, but their level is poor.”
“I was wondering about that.”
Yaralai, the elf, nodded in agreement with Hagg.
“The answer is simple. There aren’t any formidable enemies. Considering why only city-states exist in the western wilderness, the answer is obvious.”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, I see…”
As Hagg tilted his head, I arrived at the answer.
“I’m not familiar with the geography yet, but this wilderness is quite vast, isn’t it? And aren’t city-states far apart from each other?”
“Indeed, as expected of Akira-sama, that’s worth 30 points.”
“Um… Oh, well, wars won’t happen without an incentive… No one would want to conquer a country surrounded by thick walls in a barren land where decent food can’t even be produced.”
“Right. 70 points for that. The remaining 30 points are that none of the city-states are even managing their own internal affairs properly.”
“Which means there’s no room for war.”
“That’s right. With internal concerns and the logistics involved, no country can march through the wilderness and attack another country with similar military strength.”
“Hmm… But Carman and Meisides are constantly at war.”
“They’re particularly prosperous areas beyond the Midal Mountains.”
“Carman? Meisides?”
Sensing my question, Cherina supplemented.
“They are the Carman Empire and the Meisides Kingdom. They are large countries located southwest of the Great Midal Continent. It’s fertile land, but that’s why territorial disputes are endless there. There haven’t been frontal wars for a while now, but skirmishes are still common on the border and in the frontier.”
“I see.”
“To the northeast of Carman is the Iron Hammer Kingdom Dwaril, which is believed to be Hagg-sama’s hometown. Most of the population seems to be dwarves, but not much detailed information comes from there because it’s too far away.”
“Hagg, is that your hometown?”
“…Yes.”
Hagg gave a somewhat awkward response, which was unusual.
“By the way, there’s a small country between the Iron Hammer Kingdom Dwaril and the Carman Empire called the Almines Kingdom, where the headquarters of the Termias Teaching is located. It’s a small country, but it has a high degree of influence in the world. Further east of Dwaril is the largest country in the world, the Brilliant Empire Atlantia. It has the headquarters of the Sun God Helios religion and is a country where politics and religion are strongly intertwined. And beyond the sea to the east, there’s a country called the Sword Saint Kingdom Vajura, but I have no idea what kind of country it is.”
“Why?”
As Cherina, usually well-informed, gave such an ambiguous answer, I raised an eyebrow.
“It’s too far away… Atlantia influences the Midal Continent, so some information comes through, but beyond the sea…”
“I see.”
From the current conversation, it seems that there’s no wireless technology in this world. With magic? No, with wave theory, you’d think communication would be possible, but apparently not.
“We’ve digressed a bit, but basically, the military strength around this western wilderness is mainly for dealing with monsters and internal threats, and it’s a military force maintained with minimal funds. Besides, the former king himself was like a bandit mercenary. There’s no know-how to properly train soldiers.”
“I see.”
Now I understand why someone like me, who can wield powerful weapons, managed to reunite with Hagg and the others. If you think about it normally, soldiers who can use wave theory would have captured me long ago.
“You were lucky.”
“The luck you grabbed yourself, Akira-sama.”
When Cherina said that, she leaned on me. She must be tired from all the commotion.
“How about getting some rest?”
“…No, I’ll stay like this.”
She was wearing a thick US Army jacket, so I couldn’t feel her body, but her warmth was transmitted to my face as her head leaned against me. There was a faint smell of sweat. But it wasn’t unpleasant.
Suddenly, her hand overlapped with mine on the floor.
Silently, I felt the warmth of her hand on the back of mine.
――――
As I rested for a while and had a light meal to pass the time, a slender man slipped into the room.
Almost simultaneously, Yaralai and Hagg started to rise, but Cherina gestured with her hand and they obediently returned to their seats.
“It’s okay. He’s my shadow.”
A nondescript young man, bowing slightly in acknowledgment, approached. He leaned in close to Cherina’s ear and whispered something softly.
“…Understood. Please inform me immediately when you’re ready to go.”
With Cherina’s instruction, the man silently left the room.
“Just got confirmation. Kairyu is willing to receive us.”
Cherina’s expression tightened.
“So, they’ve decided on our course of action and said I should come alone.”
“Alone?!”
It was Melvin, her aide, who exclaimed.
Well, who wouldn’t be surprised? I’m shocked too.
“Sending a woman alone to a gathering of anti-government forces? That’s reckless.”
Melvin vigorously nodded in agreement.
“That’s true… Melvin, you should be fine. Come with me.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Melvin bowed respectfully.
“Well, that’s fine, but could you at least tell us where we’re going?”
“Well… It’s something that should be known soon enough. It’s at Guildmaster Mile Bachar’s place.”
“The Guildmaster? The rugged, dark-skinned one?”
“Yes.”
“The Guild’s a big shot around here, right? Are they really involved in the resistance?”
“It runs deeper than you think. Can’t you understand what I meant by having a winning hand?”
“Oh.”
I see. So, it’s war already. Maybe it’s understandable that as a traveler, I didn’t notice. But this city-state has been at war for a while now.
The use of force is the final resort of diplomacy. That’s all it was.
“But does Cherina’s trip serve any purpose?”
“Because… I’m the essential piece they need for Kairyu.”
“Piece?”
“Yes. It’s a matter of principle.”
“Isn’t Cherina increasingly irrelevant then?”
“Not quite. It’s widely known that she’s been skillfully dodging the kingdom’s accusations for years, and it’s also a well-known fact that our company has frequently petitioned for a business-centric government. Furthermore, it’s our company that’s been allocating work to small and large businesses and street vendors that should have collapsed long ago.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? So essentially, this company supports this country… Oh.”
That’s what it means.
“I see you’ve understood. As the de facto head of this company, if a young woman takes the lead, most of the people in this country will agree and act, foreseeing what Kairyu wants.”
“So… what they want is a figurehead?”
“Exactly.”
“…Wait a minute, so if you go to Kairyu, does that mean you’ll be the one taking the lead?”
“How about it? You’ll probably have to give a speech in public, but I think the details will be planned by Kairyu’s executives.”
“What? But the details are unclear.”
“That’s why I’m going to find out.”
Hmm…
I found myself speechless.
“At least, can’t you ask Hagg or Yaralai to come with you?”
“It’s not appropriate to bring outsiders. While Bachar-sama knows Melvin well, it would raise unnecessary suspicions if we brought strangers like dwarves or elves to an organizational meeting. Besides, Melvin is quite strong, you know?”
With that said, I couldn’t insist any further.
“Understood. Just be careful.”
“Yes. Of course.”
As always, she smiled and left the room.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that her smile was just a facade for negotiations.