kscans

Chapter 191 - Episode 7: Part Two, The Fieldwork Destination

"Has your plotting finished, I wonder?" Maytyl said, paying no mind to the troubled expression on Leonard's face beside her.

Maytyl, for her part, had no choice but to represent the Empire's interests. In that sense, they both found themselves in difficult positions. No risk-free relationships truly exist, after all. And when it comes to the person right in front of you, seeing them with your own eyes is the best basis for judgment. Of course, the absolute prerequisite is to invest enough time to assess people whose positions and backgrounds differ from your own.

It goes without saying that the time required increases proportionally to the number of people one must judge. This is precisely why I, who aims to increase contact between the Kingdom and the Empire through trade, intend to limit that contact, at least for the time being, to the context of the new city.

It would be unnatural to drop one's guard against people with different positions and backgrounds without intending to invest the necessary time and the mental energy that comes with it. This is especially true for me, given my communication issues.

Well, if I were to say such a thing, then what about me, who is likely the only reincarnated person in this world? Pushing that line of thought would lead me to Alfina-sama.

No, no, this isn't the time for that. Anyway, regarding Maytyl, I believe I've spent enough time to make at least a minimum judgment.

"As a result of my plotting, I have determined that Princess Maytyl's cooperation is essential."

Leonard's face stiffened in surprise at my words. Of course, putting aside matters of trust, I always properly consider the Kingdom's circumstances. However, in this particular case, the greatest national interest is speed. After all, the nation's destruction is coming in just six months.

"...Hmm. Well, let's hear what you have to say first. I suppose a prophecy has been issued."

"Yes, I want your cooperation in gathering information about the next impending disaster."

"Not a request, but cooperation? The crystal only predicts the Kingdom's disasters, doesn't it?" Maytyl feigned ignorance.

"Currently, we're primarily considering the possibility that the same events as the disaster 400 years ago will occur. In other words, it's not just someone else's problem." I added, mindful of Leonard. It goes without saying that my trusting Maytyl based on my invested time and judgment does not contradict Leonard remaining wary of Maytyl based on his own assessment.

I briefly explained the content of our earlier discussion.

"Assuming that hypothesis is valid, what are your means of verification? You're assuming ambiguous records and an unknown source, the Blood Mountains. You're not going to tell me, I hope, that you're planning an expedition all the way to the Blood Mountains to confirm if Heyleight swarms are appearing, are you?"

Maytyl's face showed a hint of trouble. Well, that was to be expected. Even Fulsy had not said she wanted to go there, though she was certainly interested.

"There are two means of verification. One is unchanged from before, measuring the magic veins. As Princess Maytyl pointed out, we have ambiguous records and an unknown source. It's impossible to consider everything at once. The first thing to investigate is whether this disaster is different from previous ones. If it's a different kind of disaster, we should see different movements in the magic veins."

I looked at Fulsy.

"Our usual magic vein measurements showed no strange results last year or this year, meaning there haven't been any major fluctuations in magic power levels. However, one of the magic vein spectrum analyses from the observatory has arrived, and this is the result from the west."

Fulsy showed us the magic-sensing plate.

"A band in the same position as the Crimson Magic Crystal has been observed."

"What do you think?"

"...Just that alone doesn't tell us much. It's possible it was appearing all along, and we simply lacked the observation technology before, isn't it?" Maytyl said cautiously.

"That's true."

"...Well, there's a high possibility that the same thing is happening in the Empire. What about the results from the eastern observatory?"

"Not yet. We're sharing a single measuring device between the east and west, and each measurement takes several days."

"If you have Iris Unit 2 in the east, I recommend measuring the reactions at Tuvil Mountain as well." Maytyl said. I nodded to Fulsy. The appearance of a magic vein on Tuvil Mountain was an anomaly in itself, and it was that magic vein which the Heyleights had targeted when they came to the Kingdom. We could not ignore it. And then.

"If possible, I'd like to measure the Empire's magic veins directly as well." I said. Maytyl replied.

"If the same magic vein reactions are occurring regardless of whether it's the Empire or the Kingdom, then the credibility of a large-scale, widespread disaster increases. But that doesn't guarantee it's the same as 400 years ago, does it?"

"Ah, either way, a comparison with the past is necessary."

"Measurements from the tree rings haven't found a definite lead yet. Vinaldira and her team are working hard, but they've only just managed to extract magic vein components from the tree ring samples." Noel said.

"We only need to know if something unprecedented happened, so perhaps we can broaden our scope to decades at a time, for example."

"We probably have no choice but to start from there."

"But that still won't be enough, will it?"

"That's right. To confirm it, we need records spanning more than 400 years..."

The maximum magic vein data obtained so far covered 70 years. Even if current improvements allowed for about 100 years of data, we would still need trees over 100 years old located near magic veins. What's more, even that would not be enough. We needed something that recorded data spanning over 400 years.

Actually, I had one place in mind where such a record might exist, but that would probably be impossible within the country.

"I understand. If our current verification, the hypothesis that the next disaster will be the same as the one 400 years ago, proves true, then the Empire will suffer the greatest damage, and what's more, it will be the first to suffer it."

"If you acknowledge that, then we can proceed quickly."

Assuming Heyleight swarms emerge from the Blood Mountains, the first place to be attacked would likely be somewhere in the Empire. The Kingdom would then be able to observe this and gather information.

For example, if the disaster's monsters were not Heyleights, we would have to quickly abandon the strategy of dealing with them using pollen. I don't want to think about it, but it's far better than waiting with ineffective weapons in hand. On the other hand, the Empire would not have such a luxury.

Leonard seemed to have understood what we were saying. His face, which had been tense moments before, now showed a hint of relief. Noel, meanwhile, recoiled slightly with a sound like "Uwah."

"What other information do you need?"

"There is. Or rather, it's something Princess Maytyl mentioned before. Please look at this description..."

I pointed to the words, "Scars on the Wall." This was primary information that Alfina-sama had desperately examined for us. Could they be Heyleight claw marks? Perhaps something could be learned from the shape of those marks. Of course, these marks did not yet exist.

"If these are Heyleight claw marks, then it's possible the same marks remain from the disaster 400 years ago. We might have to search for them domestically, but the place they are most likely to remain is..."

I pointed to a spot on the map, the new city we were planning to build. Further beyond that, near the Blood Mountains.

"There are ruins of a city destroyed in the Great Disaster, you see. There's a possibility that the scars of the disaster remain there. If we make copies of them and have Alfina-sama examine them, we might be able to determine if the monsters that caused the disaster were the same. Also, I want to measure the magic veins as close to the Blood Mountains as possible."

I spoke of what I had heard from Maytyl before, like trace fossils, so to speak.

"Meaning?"

"It means traversing the territory of the Heyleights."

"I'm appalled. That's not just near the Blood Mountains, it's a place even we wouldn't venture into. You're as reckless as ever. To say it's for that girl, you're truly fearless."

"...Well, we had to survey the new territory eventually. But this might be a bit too soon, huh. Haha."

Of course, I wanted to minimize Alfina-sama's burden. In fact, we had already incorporated a Blood Mountains measurement base, related to the disaster, into the new city's reason for existence. The status of being an observation hub for dealing with a common human disaster would provide significant backing for the city's security.

"You don't actually think you can do it yourselves, do you? By the way, the location of that ruined city is at the foot of a mountain predicted to be a Heyleight nesting ground."

So that's why humans couldn't venture into that area, because it was the heart of the Heyleight swarm.

"Yes, we'll need the Empire's cooperation." I nodded.

"The closest human territory to this location is Princess Lisabet's domain, Maldras, isn't it?" Maytyl pointed to the southeastern edge of the Imperial territory. If we were to challenge an area even the Empire wouldn't venture into, a safe base would be necessary.

"Unfortunately, I have no way of influencing the crucial negotiations with the Empire. All I can do is increase the persuasiveness of this disaster prophecy hypothesis and make those in power feel a sense of crisis."

"You'll likely receive a summons from the Royal Palace soon. After all, it's an outlandish tale, the reproduction of a disaster from 400 years ago. It all depends on how much evidence you can gather..."

An envoy proposing cooperation against monsters has already left for the Empire. For now, it likely depends on their response. Everyone's eyes turned to Maytyl.

"I'll send a letter to the Empire. Although, given my current position, its effectiveness will be limited." Maytyl gave a self-deprecating laugh. From the Kingdom, she was suspected of saying something advantageous to the Empire, and from the Empire, she was suspected of being threatened or co-opted by the Kingdom. Well, I was the one who put her in that position.

"Uh... right, I'm kind of sorry about that."

"...Well, you've more than met my expectations for coming here, so it's fine. However, you should hasten to develop enough power to deal with Heyleight swarms. For the sake of negotiations, too." Maytyl said. It was something she had asserted from the very beginning. They needed to rush the creation of cartridges that purify magic wavelength using magic catalysts. If possible, I also wanted to start working on circuit design.

"First, it depends on the Empire's move..."