“Well… I guess if most of the mercenaries we went to the trouble of hiring ended up not even fighting, that’d be a serious issue…”

Saying it out loud again made me wonder—could there be something else going on?

Or maybe, those guys who know the western territories well are seeing something we aren’t?

“Yeah… But the real issue is that these situations are happening. And it’s not just one. There are multiple.”

“…Huh?”

“First, that a commander who’s supposed to lead troops on behalf of a nation doesn’t understand that without the Empire’s oversight, the mercenaries won’t do their job properly. Well, maybe they do understand but, due to the political situation back home, they just can’t show it…”

Zighart paused there.

Summing up what he just said…

“…So they’re just dumb, huh.”

The participating nations already seemed a little behind on continental politics to begin with—like they were stuck in the past. And now it seems that backwardness is bleeding into the battlefield, too.

Of course, it might just be the higher-ups who are like that, and the people on the ground could be different. But considering war actually broke out, this is probably already a lost cause.

“Exactly.”

Zighart nodded at my comment and resumed talking.

Now that I think about it, he did say there were multiple reasons.

That first one alone already felt pretty fatal… so what else could there be?

“Next is… that despite probably understanding things better than we do, the Empire and the others still allowed it all to happen.”

“Huh? Isn’t that a good thing?”

Alec nodded along to Zighart’s words, but I wasn’t really following.

Letting those countries screw up so the Empire and the others could use it as an excuse to intervene and reorganize the west… that’s kind of what I thought was going on?

From what I heard earlier, it sounded like the screw-up was massive, and they’d made it clear that the west couldn’t function without their help. That should be a strong enough message to the rest of the continent…

I tilted my head, still not fully understanding, and Alec added more context.

“Sera. If this only involved the western countries, it wouldn’t be a problem. A bunch of outdated, weak countries caused trouble, couldn’t fix it themselves, and got absorbed into a larger power… that’d be all there is to it. But this time, the eastern territories are heavily involved too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And not just with the mercenary surveillance. This time, the major powers in the west have been way too uninvolved. Up until now, even if they didn’t directly confront the east or the alliance, they always tried to maintain an upper hand. Unless something big is going on internally that’s keeping them from interfering—which doesn’t seem to be the case—this is weird.”

“…You’re right.”

I started to get a clearer picture of what they were trying to say.

The western territories—basically, they’ve always looked down on the east, including the alliance. That’s part of what led to this mess in the first place. But even so, if the Empire or the United Nations or the Holy Nation had taken control of the situation, they could’ve shown their power and influence to both the west and east.

But they didn’t. They’ve done nothing, which just makes it look like the west completely dropped the ball.

That’s what these guys are suspicious about.

“We can’t be sure yet… but maybe they’ve changed their approach toward the east.”

“Like what kind of change?”

“Who knows… I doubt they’re cutting ties entirely…”

Alec shook his head at my suggestion.

Zighart just shrugged.

So they really don’t know anything concrete yet?

Well, I guess this isn’t something we should be chatting about in the open anyway.

“There are other minor things, but those are the two major issues. Liesel’s husband is probably gathering information in the capital by now. No point in us talking further here.”

“Agreed. Sera, keep this conversation private, alright?”

“…Yeah. Got it.”

As I nodded firmly, Zighart looked at me like he’d just remembered something.

“Sera, you came straight here from Riana today, right?”

“Yep. I flew along the highway.”

“We’re heading out from the city tomorrow. If there are any monsters on the way to Riana, we’re planning to take care of them. Did you notice anything unusual?”

“Ah—right, makes sense since you’ll be moving in a group. Hmm… well, I did feel some presence in the forest, but there weren’t many of them. No signs of them coming out to the highway or attacking towns or villages.”

They’re sticking to the main road, but I guess since they’ve got a full force together, they figured they’d get some work in on the way back instead of just heading home.

Still, things seem peaceful this year. If they’re moving in a big group, the monsters probably won’t even show up.

“I see… We could always return by ship… What do you think, Alec?”

“No, let’s stick to the original plan. Sera, I’m guessing you’re heading back today, right? When you do, let the lady know we’ll be returning on schedule.”

“Roger that!”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】

Blessed Item ・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】 +1 【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards