Chapter 252

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

Meeting Adjourned

「That was surprisingly fast . 」Hikaru said matter-of-factly .

Behind the mask, however, he was frowning . So far the enemy had acted according to Hikaru’s expectations, but they moved too early .

「I want details, now!」Patricia exclaimed, and the messenger started explaining .

Warships had entered into Ville Zentra seas, about thirty kilometers away, and closing in . These vessels were no doubt the ones that surrounded the island of Dew Roke . Equipped with cannons, the fleet one-sidedly destroyed Vireocean’s navy .

As Patricia gave orders, Kaglai turned his attention to Hikaru .

「What do you think, Silver Face?」

「And by that, you mean?」

「You knew they were coming, right?」

「Yeah . 」

Hikaru mulled over how much he should divulge . Not wanting a war to break out between them and the invaders from the Ruined Continent either, he decided to explain as much as he could .

「A spy would employ some kind of means to send information to his commanding officer . In other words, they’re communicating using a method we don’t know about . 」

「Something like a Linga’s Quill Pen perhaps?」

Kaglai was referring to the magic item used by the Adventurers Guild capable of sending messages over long distances . But that thing used the mana flowing underground to work; it could only be used on land .

Since the enemy had optical camouflage and pencils, Hikaru thought they might be using some sort of a long-range radio communication, although most likely not satellite phones .

There’s a high chance that an actual engineer was transported to this world from Earth, and they’re recreating the technology there in this world . Maybe it’s what enabled them to repel the gigantic sea monsters .

He had no way of knowing if this person was still alive or not, however .

「So when the spy failed to make contact with them, they realized he got captured . 」Kaglai said .

「Yeah . That’s probably why they made a move quickly . 」

「Wait a minute . 」Patricia cut in . . 「So you’re saying they’re coming to save their friend? Mobilizing their troops just for that is absolute nonsense . 」

「Not at all . They’re in a tight spot too . 」

「How? Please explain . 」

Hikaru pointed out that there might be a division between the enemy’s forces . If one faction sent a spy without orders from their commander, the spy’s capture—although a consequence of their own actions—would surely put them in trouble . The opposing faction could use it as the perfect excuse to criticize them .

Gigy’s superiors would take some sort of action which the commander would oppose . He’d rather not have chaos in his troops . So in the end, they decided to make their move under the pretext of saving Gigy from the enemy . That was Hikaru’s guess .

He just didn’t expect them to make their move so soon . That was the reason for the scowl on his face . The commander took immediate action to unify his forces, going as far as using the fact that Gigy was captured, and he made the decision in just a day .

「Bastard! You made contact with the spy without permission?!」

Hikaru told them everything, including the fact that he talked to Gigy . Patricia’s close aides were fuming . Even the officials and guards from the other nations watched him with hateful eyes .

I expected this reaction anyway . But shouldn’t they be focusing on something else?

They criticized Hikaru for talking to the spy without permission, even blaming him for the lack of progress on the questioning . They probably just felt disgraced that he caught the spy first; all the more so when he acquired information that the interrogators couldn’t .

However, some remained calm—the leaders, Selyse, and the people from the Church . Patricia maintained an air of nonchalance, perhaps to let the others vent out their frustration, which was of course unfair to Hikaru .

「All right . Let’s get back on track . 」Kudyastoria said calmly .

Some of them still wanted to voice their displeasure, but Patricia raised her hand, silencing them . 「This is not the time for that . I’ll talk to Silver Face later . You’re fine with that, yes?」

Uh, no? We don’t have anything to talk about, Hikaru thought . The people around him nodded reluctantly, a few of them still scowling at him .

「So now the question is: Will they attack or not?」Patricia asked .

「I don’t think they will . 」Hikaru said .

「Why do you think so?」

「They should ask for the spy to be released first . That will be a chance to negotiate . 」

「So we’ll have the opportunity to find out what they want . 」Kudyastoria said, reading Hikaru’s mind .

Some of the civil officials present seemed to assume that war is what the invaders were after . It showed just how wise Kudyastoria was . She already realized that the enemy were trying to obtain something that would benefit them .

「Very well . We’ll just confirm things during the negotiation . 」Patricia said .

Assuming that a messenger would come, the Supreme Leader then started giving orders—strengthening surveillance and how to deal with the messenger if one arrived .

「So what are you going to do?」Marquedo asked Hikaru, who was just thinking of disappearing .

「I don’t follow . 」

「Don’t play dumb . What are you planning? Surely you’re not just going to sit around and do nothing . 」

「You’re right . I actually need a small and fast boat . 」

「Approved . 」Kaglai immediately vouched .

He must’ve quickly realized that Hikaru was planning to board the enemy’s ship . It was this type of work that the Man Gnome hired him to do in the first place .

「Before that, I need you to come to my office . 」Patricia said . 「Kaglai, I’m borrowing him for a bit, okay?」

She didn’t want to let Hikaru go .

Eh, whatever . I do have some questions anyway .

The meeting was adjourned .

Patricia’s office was a lot bigger than Hikaru expected . It had a huge table, good enough for ten people . Around it were two sets of tables . Does she get like two parties of guests or something? Hikaru wondered . When he saw the piles of documents, however, he realized the tables weren’t for guests, but for Patricia’s close aides .

「You may all leave . 」

「You can’t be serious, Supreme Leader! We can’t leave you alone with this shady fellow—」

「I said leave us . Now . 」

Patricia’s severe tone prevented the aides and officials from speaking any more . They left the office with disgruntled looks . With the guards also leaving, Patricia and Hikaru were now alone in the room .

「Are you sure about this?」Hikaru asked .

「It’s fine . With your skill, hurting me would be easy . Am I right?」

「Yeah, but we have an emergency . Should you even be talking to me right now?」

「The fleet was spotted just moments ago . I still have a few hours before a messenger arrives requesting for the spy to be released . Right now, obtaining information about you is much more important . 」

「You seem to have taken quite a liking to me . But for the record, them demanding the spy’s release is just my own guess . 」

「Only idiots would think about attacking with only ten ships . We may have lost once, but we still have more than 200 ships to spare . 」

「Oh…」

Vireocean’s military was much bigger than Hikaru expected . That’s why Ville Zentra appeared to be calm . It made sense now . That’s why Patricia didn’t order an evacuation . If push comes to shove, the navy can act as shields . They were prepared to overwhelm the enemy with numbers even if it meant getting battered and bruised .

She didn’t make such a move yet, as there would be no benefit on both sides . The enemy would be completely annihilated, while her forces would suffer a devastating blow . Patricia wanted to discuss things peacefully if possible .

She has the presence of mind, in spite of her language . Maybe her crude way of speaking is just a camouflage . I have to keep an eye out for her .

「So who are you?」she asked .

「I’m Silver Face . 」

「I know that . I’m asking where you’re from and where have you been until now . I doubt you’re Kaglai’s protégé or something . You’re acquainted with Queen Marquedo and Miss Kudyastoria, someone who hasn’t been at the center stage of politics before . We can’t let a strange and suspicious guy like you get too close . 」

「I see . So you’ll have peace of mind if you knew my identity . 」

「Exactly . 」

Hikaru scoffed . 「If I don’t answer your question, or if my answer won’t clear your suspicions, you’re going to arrest me . Is that it? How many men do you have on standby in the next room?」

「Good, you already know that much . That’ll save us some time . 」

「So who’s your friend hiding behind the curtain?」

Patricia arranged for plenty of men to be on standby in the next room just in case something happened . She must’ve expected Silver Face to sense the bloodthirst oozing from them .

「I didn’t think you’d noticed…」

「You thought you could use your men’s bloodlust for cover?」

「You’re one really eerie guy . How can you even guess right so easily?」

It was all thanks to his Detection skills, of course . All he had to do was put together the information he gathered with it and he would have his answer easily .

「No point in hiding, then . You can come out, Dennis . 」

Dennis? That name sounds familiar…