081. Groping in the dark
Perhaps because of the all-night drinking with Osada-kun, I was completely hungover the next day――I was completely taken aback by Lilyza and the other three, but I recovered around mid-afternoon.
While introducing Philly once again, what happened to each of us during the days we were apart? We discussed as much as possible and decided to set a course of action for the future. However.
「N-No. I mean――no matter how you look at it, that's too absurd.」
「Y-Yeah. To accept a request to secure the king's custody and hand him over......that's a bit.」
Lilyza and Nora were completely taken aback by what they heard.
Osada-kun also seemed surprised, saying, "Why would you accept such a request if you don't have any proof?"
「I understand everyone's feelings, but the fact of the matter is that many of our brethren and subhumans have disappeared. Some of them have come back in a dismal state, and most people think that the King's ability to summon Yuuto resulted from an experiment. As far as we know, the upper echelon did not have the knowledge or ability to make this possible in the first place!」
Philly said in a rough tone, perhaps a little excited.
「But, to be honest. I personally only heard "only half" of what Philly and others said. There are too many questions and contradictions, and as Osada-kun said, there is no "hard evidence"」
「Are you saying that we're all talking nonsense!?」
Philly raged, slamming the table.
「Now, calm down. Let's take it one step at a time. First of all, how did the elves give up on the king and disappear?」
「――As I told you, a friend of mine saw them conducting experiments on humans in the castle.」
「Your friend?」
「Yeah. She is also an elf, and her name is Stella... There is an underground transition zone, and when she went beyond it, ......she finds many humans, demihumans, and beastmen locked up in a prison. They said 'sacrifices are being made' and 'human experimentation is taking place' and ...... then they found her and she panicked and ran away――After reporting to the Elders, knowing the dangers. We did an investigation but the evidence had already been destroyed.」
「...... Who is this Stella?」
「After we evacuated to the hidden village, she said, "I'm going to find out the truth!" and left and never came back――We have been doing some research to corroborate what we've learned, and it seems that there have been several mysterious disappearances in Hanaria for quite some time now. In fact, the Fixer's Guild is also operating in absolute secrecy.」
「Eh? I've never heard of such a thing before ...... No, hold on?」
I held my head in my hands and tried my best to pull back the threads of my memory. And then...
「Ahh! Come to think of it, I didn't tell Yuuto about that. The day after you were captured by the Evil Group. To find you, I asked Hannah-san, "Have you heard anything about people disappearing or going missing in or out of Hanaria lately?" She seemed to notice something right away!」
said Osada-kun, who remembered something.
「That was.....right after we met, wasn't it?」
It was probably right around the time I met Yume on the outskirts of Hanaria.
「And the senior fixer was on a mission in another direction――or something like that.」
When was that?
If I remember correctly, I think it was around the time of the goblin raids.
If this is the case, it means that for quite some time now, the Guild Fixer――the high-ranking Fixer――have been working behind the scene.
「I'm sure it's 'designated as top secret' because of the content. Come to think of it, even though I've reached the D-Rank, I still haven't met a fixer with a rank of C or higher.」
「When you are a C-Rank or above, the cases you handle are on a different level from those of the lower ranks, you know.」
「Besides, I've heard that the Guild tends to keep the information a top secret.」
Nora and Lilyza express their own thoughts.
「And one more thing. Since the coronation of the current king, the relationship between the "human race" and the "other races" has been deteriorating. The reason for this is the "expansion policy," which may seem aggressive.」
「Expansion policy?」
「Yes. As a person from another world, Yuuto may not be able to experience this, but until a short time ago, everyone was equal and the country was prosperous. But」
「――But then they adopted a 'meritocracy' and cut down those who couldn't produce results.」
It was Nora, a half-dwarf, who took over the conversation.
「Up until then, we had been doing a very small business as "a few fine products," but when I was a child, the orders from the top increased, I think? But when the number of unreasonable orders from the top increased and we couldn't keep up with them, we changed our attitude. It seems my father put up with it for a long time, though」
「On the other hand, the support from public support has been steadily increasing――the result of active exchanges with foreign countries, the introduction of superior technologies and products, and investment. As a result, Hanaria has grown rapidly to become one of the world's leading powers.」
「But at the cost of that, it has been involved in excessive deforestation and gray activities that are beyond the reach of the law,......, and the "environmental problems" are among the most serious. Deforestation, water, and air pollution, pollution――the Elders did everything they could, but in the end, they could not fill the gap.」
「If human experiments were being conducted in such a situation, it would be natural for them to disappear, wouldn't it?」
「Yes. Fortunately, there were many supporters, not just the elves. They left a single letter behind and ran away(?).」
「――I see.」
I felt like an employee who quits because he can't stand the black environment.
「In any case, there seems to be no doubt that "something is going on" here in Hanaria. In fact, I was captured by an Evil Group, and in Karguri, I witnessed Lodl's transformation into a Goblin King, in addition to the ghastly things he was doing.」
「Ah! Come to think of it, even after that disturbance, the military was quick to survey the ruins and recover anything of interest.」
「Ahhh. They certainly did.」
It's as if there's something left that's inconvenient? Before outsiders like us get involved――or something like that
「Given all that, it's a stretch to think that the top brass―the king―wasn't involved at all.」
Of the "origins," "story," and "conclusion," the "origins and conclusion" of the story have been almost completely established.
Of the "Introduction, Development, Turn and Conclusion" that make up the story, it can be said that "Introduction, and Development" is almost completely established.
Little by little, the disparate dots are beginning to connect――but...
(Still uncertain.)
I can't help but feel that there is a hole in the foundation.
The ironclad rule in cases like this is that you can only get to the bottom of things by eliminating feelings and preconceptions and accumulating only the "facts", which are absolutely undeniable.
At this point, however, there is still a lack of information――a "proof".
We cannot make judgments based on "words alone."
"Something" is happening in Hanaria.
Something terrible is about to happen.
If we try to make a bad move, the "enemy" will surely detect it and allow them to make a preemptive attack.
(Conversely, the "enemy" is not ready to make a full-scale move yet―if they do anything unnecessary, they may use it as a clue or evidence against us.)
They are a very unpleasant entity that is left alone without provocation and only continues to act solemnly to achieve their own objectives
By the looks of it, the Fixer's Guild must be having a lot of trouble.
「What should we do? Should we ask Hannah-san about it?」
Osada-kun suggested it, but after thinking it over, I said, "No. Let's not do that right now".
「Fortunately or unfortunately, I have some "clues" left by the old man Iru. According to the clues, there are places where they are secretly based and locations of suspicious facilities, but it's too high a risk at the moment.」
We can't beat around the bush and let the snakes out.
「...... Sorry, guys. Can you please keep your mouth shut until I say something next?」
I told them all that, and when I was sure they all agreed, I closed my eyes and focused all my nerves on my brain.
(What should I do? I――How should we move on from this?)
Without compromise, I searched for the "next move".
Thinking, thinking, thinking――biting my back teeth, sweat pouring down my forehead, I considered all the "possibilities" I could think of. And then...
(......! This is the only way, huh?)
Can we get to the "truth" by moving around in the "outside" of things?
Even if we could get there, would we be able to take action before it was too late――after examining the risks and rewards, I decided to come to one conclusion.
I let out a deep breath and Lilyza, who was standing beside me, wiped the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief.
I thanked her briefly, "Thank you♪" and was about to make my next move.
Suddenly, the door of the store opened with a loud noise.
「Yuuto!? You're back!?」
With a loud voice, Barbara came into the store, out of breath.
As expected, I was a bit startled, but as soon as Barbara saw my face, she sat down on the spot losing her strength
「H-hey. Are you all right?」
When I said that, Barbara replied, "Y-Yes. I'm fine. But――" and she slurred her words.
「Ah~. If you're talking about that, no need to apologize, okay? As you can see, I'm fully recovered――」
「I'm glad to hear that――but that's not it, that's not what I want to report!」
As I took her hand and helped her to her feet, Barbara, with a face that looked as if it was about to burst into tears, said something outrageous. It was.
「My sister――my sister went missing in the "Great Sea of Trees" where she was headed to break the Eastern Front!」
Previous Chapter --- TOC --- Next Chapter
Tftc
ReplyDelete