SWNOVELXO Chapter 11: Part 11: Planning
FYI
Scene/ POV
: Speech
- Thoughts
[Flashback]
"Quoting"
(Author Note)
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Capital City- Ceremony Hall
I knelt before the painting of Volcanica as Reinhard walked to me holding Knight's garments. These garments were slightly altered as were for all the others to show they were bestowed to a student who had yet to become an official knight.
Reinhard: I'm happy to have you join us Kiyotaka.
Koji: Thank you, sir.
Koji got up shaking hands with several knights eventually standing in front of Julius.
Julius: I must say you've impressed me a lot Kiyotaka. Your achievements speak for themselves. Lady Emilia is lucky to have you.
Koji: No I'm the one lucky to have Lady Emilia.
Julius: Modest as always.
I walked over to another man. This was Lord Barnes. He was a significant figure in the Knights of Lugunica and had much sway over the Knights. He had blonde hair and red eyes and a short and rough haircut. I shook his hand.
Barnes: You're a promising recruit. You were able to pass the examinations with a perfect score with what Julius tells me was only one week's worth of training. It's unheard of.
He looked at me with some suspicion.
Koji: I was taught by Lord Wilhelm Van Astrea. I owe it to him.
Barnes: Hmm. Lord Wilhelm... I see. That does explain everything but it surely does explain some of it. Keep up the good work and we'll surely make a knight out of you.
Koji: Thank you, sir.
Barnes: I heard you are serving under the half-elf. Are you trying to make things more difficult for yourself?
Koji: Not at all. Lady Emilia is simply the one I chose to serve.
I eventually walked over to my peers shaking hands with them and greeting them. Soon the ceremony was over so I met with Emilia who had been in the crowd.
Emilia: Congratulations Kiyotaka.
Koji: Thank you, Lady Emilia.
Emilia smiled. Wilhelm walked up to us.
Wilhelm: Well done Kiyotaka-Dono.
Koji: Thank you Astrea-Sama.
I bowed to him and Wilhelm smiled at me proudly. We then returned to the Karsten Estate.
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Karsten Estate
Everyone went inside to find Crusch waiting for us.
Crusch: You've returned.
Koji: Yes we have.
Crusch: So shall we discuss the Emilia Camp returning their favour?
Emilia: Of course.
Crusch: What we want is for you to assist us in the subjugation of the White Whale.
Emilia: The White Whale... One of the Three Great Mabeasts.
Koji: One of?
Emilia: Yes there is the White Whale, the Great Rabbit and the Black Serpent. All three were created by the Witch of Gluttony.
Koji: I see.
Crusch: Would you be willing to assist us with this? You're allowed to refuse. I would understand since it's one of the Three Great Mabeasts.
Emilia: We will return our favour by assisting you in subjugating the White Whale.
Koji: Do you have a method to locate it?
Crusch: Not yet, unfortunately. It has not been sighted since the attack on the Roswal estate.
Koji: So how will you find it?
Crusch: I have sent members of my camp all across Lugunica. They will report a sighting as soon as they see it.
Koji: And you'll forget their existence as soon as the White Whale kills them.
Crusch sweated a little at this retort.
Crusch: I'm aware of the issues in my plan but there is not much else I can do.
Koji: It's simply impossible for this plan to work. The only way to be able to put up a force that can Subjagate the White Whale is to know its location in advance along with having enough forces to subjugate it at the ready.
Crusch: I understand that but how can we predict its movement?
Koji: has anyone mapped out the sightings of the White Whale over the years it's been alive?
Crusch: Yes though the verified files are hardly numerous.
Koji: Give me the unverified ones as well.
Crusch: What?... I see.
Crusch called a servant in and gave her order to her.
Emilia: Kiyotaka-Kun?
Koji: The Unverified sighting may have been from people who were erased from existence. With no one able to verify them of course the sightings would be listed as false or unlikely to be true.
Crusch: But let me ask you this. Some of them will be false. How will we distinguish what's real and fake?
Koji: That depends on whether the White Whale follows a pattern. If it does then the false ones can be easily identified as fake.
Koji sat down.
Koji: Someone please get me a full map of Lugunica as well. Some paper and pen as well.
The servant returned will a pile of letters.
Koji: Sperate them. Verified on the left. Unverified on the right.
Servant: Yes sir.
She did as asked.
Koji saw a pile of verified letters. The amount could not exceed 70.
Koji- More than 400 years and this is all the verified letters. That thing. It's good at what it does. I can say that much.
Koji marked locations on the map according to letters.
Koji: There is a discernable pattern now.
Crusch: So we can predit it?
Koji: Yes but there are too many gaps. While we could narrow the location it would be a waste of manpower.
Koji then took a look at the pile of unverified letters. There must have been more than 2500 letters.
Koji- Even with 400 years there are only 2500 verified letters. It certainly killed quickly. So quickly that most wouldn't have the chance to write a letter.
Koji: I'll have to go through this pile first. Someone give me a copy of this map.
The Servant went to get it and returned with it. Koji began marking the locations of unverified letters on the second map. Many letters described people and villages that there were no records of. Emilia walked up to him.
Emilia: Kiyotaka. It's night already. Go to sleep.
Koji: I'm fine. I'll finish this and head straight to sleep.
Emilia: Just don't push yourself too much.
She gave him a worried look before leaving. Koji continued marking the locations down until finally he was finished. It was morning as Emilia walked into the room seeing Koji as she walked up to him grabbing him by the ear.
Emilia: Why didn't you go to sleep?
Koji unfazed looked to Emilia. He didn't look tired.
Emilia- Right... he's been put through much worse than this before.
Koji: Don't worry Lady Emilia. I always ensure to get good sleep so my body will forgive me for one day without it.
Emilia: Well alright.
Koji: I finished it.
Emilia: That quickly?
Koji got up and walked over to the dining area to find Crusch, Wilhelm and Felix.
Koji: I've finished. Everyone is ready to see it come into the war room.
Wilhelm stood up followed by Crusch and then Felix. They all entered the war room as Koji put the second map on top of the first map having made sure his indentation for the first map was much thicker and clearer. This made it so it could be seen through the paper of the second map. He then drew a path on the second path connecting all of the verified sightings. Several. Most of the unverified marks fell within a close range of the path. Koji took the Second map discarding the first. He then marked the most recent sighting on the second map.
Koji: This was the last sighting. The Roswal estate. However we can assume that because the Witch Cult was involved they were able to call the White Whale to assist them.
Crusch: I see.
Koji then marked the second most recent location.
Koji: This was the last place. He then drew a line leading to the next location.
Koji: That will be the next location it appears.
Crusch: Incredible. You did this in just a day?
Koji: It took all night but this should help you coordinate your efforts.
Koji- Though that leaves the question. How did they find the White Whale originally? Sheer luck? Something about this feels strange.
Crusch: What is the difference in time?
Koji: in 4 days.
Crusch: Servant. Send mail to my men immediately.
Servant: Yes Lady Crusch.
Crusch: Thank you for your assistance so far. Emilia-Sama will your camp be assisting us directly in the battle?
Emilia: Yes.
Crusch: Very well.
Koji: I hope you all don't mind but I'll be sleeping for 8 hours now since I didn't get that sleep last night.
Crusch: Of course. Good work.
Koji went to his bed and fell back into it. He wasn't tired but he knew that it was unhealthy to continue staying awake.
Koji- Could there be another power similar to the White Whale? Is that how Crusch and Wilhelm were wiped from everyone's memories? If that were true I would have to make plans for it. But for now, I should just sleep.
Koji drifted off into sleep.
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To Be Continued
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