Chapter 114 If Chloe Is The Enemy, I'Ll Take Care Of Her
It's been almost 3 months since we established the clan ≪Wooden Sword Way≫.
We've been busy as usual, making wooden swords and living fulfilling lives.
But on that day, our clan activities were unusually scheduled to end in the morning. The reason was that Lady Eva, our clan's sponsor, had called us out to discuss something important.
After finishing our work and disbanding in the morning, the members called by Lady Eva moved to the house next to the workshop.
The meeting was to be held here.
The place we moved to was the largest room in the house――the living room. The people who usually live here had been asked to leave their seats.
The members who gathered were me, Fiona, Lady Eva, Garon, and Glen. Io was also called, but hadn't arrived yet. Still, he should be here soon.
We sat down on the sofas and chairs arranged around the round table in the living room. Then, I was the first to speak up.
"So, Lady Eva, you've gathered us here. Does this have something to do with the mastermind behind the Stampede?"
Lady Eva, sitting next to Fiona, nodded and said, "Yes, that's right".
The members called by Lady Eva this time were the main members of the former ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ clan. Of course, everyone knows about the behind-the-scenes story of the Stampede.
But, I asked just in case.
"Didn't you explain the situation with the Stampede to the members of ≪Wooden Sword Way≫?"
It's been 3 months since we formed the new clan.
During this time, we haven't just been focusing on making wooden swords and securing wood. We've also been doing normal dungeon exploration, and even getting attacked by our clan members in the dungeon. As a result, all of our clan members have now cleared the 45th floor and can register as users of the teleportation circle on the 46th floor.
By the way, the 45th floor is Ignitor, but if you're a member of a clan, you can somehow clear it by forming at least 3 raid parties. I guess you'd need around 15 people.
The new wooden sword (or new wooden equipment) I developed played a big role in that, but I'll tell you about that some other time.
Anyway.
It's been 3 months since we formed the clan, and I've already explained the behind-the-scenes stuff about Stampede to the clan members.
So, I asked if it was really necessary to limit it to just this group, but Lady Eva shook her head slowly with a serious expression.
"I'm not saying I don't trust the others... but I'd like to keep the number of people who know about this as small as possible. Depending on the situation... I might even ask you all to forget what I'm about to say."
Forgetting what she's about to say means making this conversation nonexistent.
The fact that she's asking us, who already know the behind-the-scenes stuff about Stampede, to do that means this conversation is going to be pretty dangerous.
This is getting pretty suspicious.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
――and with that, Io, the last one, entered the living room.
"No need to apologize, it's my fault for gathering you all suddenly."
"Thanks for understanding, Lady."
Io replied to Lady Eva and walked over to the empty chair, slowly taking out a doughnut-shaped cushion from his storage ring and placing it on the seat before sitting down.
"Shall we get started then?"
"......"
"――Lady."
Lady Eva was staring at Io's actions with a blank expression, but she snapped back to reality when Io called out to her.
After clearing her throat, she opened her mouth.
"Before we get to the main topic... I'd like to do something first."
and took out a staff from her storage ring, closed her eyes, and cast a spell.
The spell she cast was Space magic――[Space perception].
A faint ripple of magical energy, imperceptible unless you're close by, permeated through the floor, ceiling, and walls, spreading far and wide with Lady Eva at its center.
I could immediately sense why she had used [Space Perception].
Well, that's only natural. For the past 3 months, those impolite stalkers had been keeping us under surveillance from a distance.
"They're not inside the workshop grounds, are they?"
I said to Lady Eva, though I already knew the answer.
Even without using magic, I had a general idea of where they were watching us from, and if they were close enough to eavesdrop on our conversation, I'd definitely notice.
"Assuming they're scout Jobs, just in case."
That's a bit too paranoid.
Still, considering the worst-case scenario, it's not entirely unnecessary, I suppose.
"If someone like Ail were hiding, we might not even notice."
Unless they have hostile intentions, it's extremely difficult to detect a skilled scout Job that's just lurking. There aren't any scout Jobs present here, and if the conversation is sensitive, it's not like we're being overly cautious.
"Of course, there's no one as skilled as Mr. Ail..."
Lady Eva said, scanning the surroundings until she was satisfied, then dispelled the magic.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
Lady Eva put away her staff and turned back to us.
"So, what's this about?"
"Yes...Mr. Aaron, will everything be ready in about a month?"
I asked, but was instead asked back.
The preparations...it goes without saying. I'm referring to the preparations needed to fully explore the labyrinth.
"Yeah. Soon, I'll be intimidating the old guildmaster and borrowing the guild's scout unit. Since we'll be handling combat ourselves, it's not a problem to bring the scout unit with us up to the 46th floor. So, once the final barrier magic tool is complete, we can move out anytime."
I'm planning to borrow the scouting unit and take a few clan members with me to quickly reach the 46th floor, then return to the surface once to prepare, and on our next expedition, make a beeline for the deepest floor of the labyrinth.
Currently, we've already mapped out more than half of the 47th floor, but to clear the 48th, 49th, and 50th floors, it'll take at least a month, no matter how fast we go.
However, if we don't return to the surface even once, the heads of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] won't be able to do anything about it. Even if they try to take away our exploration permits, it's too late once we've already entered the labyrinth.
"Roger that. The barrier magic tools will take at least another month, so please bear with us."
"Yeah, I know."
It's only been a few days since we finally finished making the third one, and now we've just started working on the 4th one.
"There's one thing I want to take care of before we force our way through the labyrinth..."
If we successfully clear the labyrinth, the situation will change in an instant.
We're planning to find evidence to silence the [Four Great Families of the Seals], but we don't know how they'll react to that. Plus, the masterminds behind the Stampede will likely make some kind of move if we clear the labyrinth.
It's also possible that they're plotting something evil on the deepest floor of the labyrinth, and we'll end up fighting them there.
That's why Lady Eva wants to take care of anything that's bothering her before we start our labyrinth expedition.
So, what's the thing she wants to take care of...?
"It's about Ms. Chloe."
Lady Eva said.
I've already told the members here about how I was kidnapped in the Hellem Wilderness. Along with that, I've also told them that I suspect――no, I'm certain――that Chloe is an enemy agent.
"Currently, Ms. Chloe is highly likely to be a human on the enemy's side, and her whereabouts are the only ones that are clear. There's also the head of the Caduceus family... Sir Jilva, who is extremely suspicious, but we can't do anything to him without evidence. Moreover, his security is too tight. So, we're going to..."
"...Kidnap Chloe or something?"
We're planning to kidnap Chloe and extract information about the enemy organization from her, right?
When asked, Lady Eva nodded with a resolute expression.
"Yes. We'll secure Ms. Chloe's person and interrogate her ourselves. Normally, I wouldn't want to get involved in such actions, but this is an exceptional case. After all, she might be one of the culprits behind the Stampede in Necronia, so we can't show her any mercy."
"Well...I agree that we should gather as much information as possible before entering the labyrinth..."
For example, even if we clear the labyrinth and obtain irrefutable evidence of the Stampede's masterminds on the lowest floor, do you think they'll just continue to operate in Necronia afterwards?
If we think about it normally, they'll either take drastic measures or go into hiding.
In that case, extracting information from Chloe, who is the only known enemy human, is something that can only be done at this stage, before we enter the labyrinth.
Moreover, if the opponent is one of the masterminds behind the Stampede, we may need to take more drastic measures.
However, the problem is whether we'll succeed or not.
Io, who had reached the same conclusion, asked Lady Eva.
"Lady, if we fail, we won't be able to clear the labyrinth, and at the very least, we won't be able to stay in Necronia. Wanted posters will likely be circulated to the surrounding countries immediately. We can't afford to fail, especially now that we're about to clear the labyrinth. Is there a high chance of success?"
"Lady Eva, I think it's difficult to kidnap a member of the 4 families, not because of the guards, but because they'll definitely notice right away."
Glen followed Io, looking concerned.
"I hate to agree with Glen, but I have to. Temporarily kidnapping someone is one thing, but if we can do it without being noticed, that's a whole different story."
Throughout history, the people of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] have always been targeted by those who desire the Space magic that runs in their blood. In fact, it's said that in the past, members of the 4 families were often kidnapped by force.
However, nowadays, such incidents are extremely rare.
That's because those who kidnapped members of the 4 families were wiped out, along with their countries or territories, by the 4 families' retaliation.
Of course, this only applies to cases where the kidnappers were nations or nobles.
The [Four Great Families of the Seals] only have a private army in the form of a knightly order, and their numbers are tiny compared to those of a nation. But if it came to war, there's no country that could defeat the 4 families.
That's because, although it takes time to prepare and consumes a large amount of magic stones, the 4 families can use a long-distance teleportation magic on a massive scale. And if the historical records are true, they can even do it without setting up a teleportation circle at the destination.
No country could possibly win against an enemy that can teleport anywhere in their territory at will. For example, just teleporting a thousand knights into the enemy's castle would be enough to decide the outcome of the war.
And if the 4 families' mages were to join the war, even a frontal battle would be meaningless, no matter how numerical superiority the enemy had. The Space magic used for attack is just too powerful. There's no way to defend against it.
That's why the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are called the "bloodline of the gods"――it's not just an empty title.
――Anyway.
In the past, those who have been targeted numerous times like this are precisely why the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are meticulous about guarding their blood and keeping track of their whereabouts, and they must have taken several countermeasures. Therefore, if they were to go missing, they would likely notice right away.
"I may have phrased it a bit inappropriately."
Lady Eva rephrased, looking at us with a hint of displeasure.
"Not a kidnapping, but rather, isolating others and having a little chat with Ms. Chloe."
"Changing the way you say it doesn't change the fact..."
We looked at each other in exasperation, and Lady Eva continued.
"Indeed, if it were in Necronia, they would immediately suspect it was our doing. But what if it were in another country?"
"Another country?"
We widened our eyes in surprise.
"...So Chloe has some business in another country or something?"
"More accurately, Ms. Chloe is currently on her way back from the royal capital of the Arbarheit Kingdom, and is scheduled to return to the capital of Zepardia, the territory of Count Zepard, the day after tomorrow."
Lady Eva explained.
Apparently, the [Four Great Families of the Seals] often receive various requests from other countries. There are space magic spells like [Space Freeze], a pseudo-time stop spell, and [Status Restoration], a spell that can rewind time, albeit with certain conditions.
They also rent out their mages, who can treleport to various locations, as a means of high-priced transportation.
These magic spells are in high demand, reinforcing the power of the Four Great Families and serving as one of their sources of income.
Not only that, but there are also many requests to repair large, space magic-sealed magical tools that are too big to carry around.
According to the information Lady Eva obtained, Chloe had been sent to the royal capital of Arbarheit a month and a half ago, and was on her way back after completing her work.
In short, it seems like we plan to ambush her on her way back.
"Hmm... I'll do it. If Chloe is the enemy, I'll take care of her."
I said this in a low voice.
I'm not getting involved in this without being prepared. There's no reason for me to hesitate about getting my hands dirty now.
"Aaron..."
Fiona looked at me with a worried expression, but I avoided eye contact.
However, Lady Eva said something that was the opposite of what I was thinking.
"No, if possible, I'd like you to just restrain Ms. Chloe, including her guards, for now."
"Why is that?"
Io asked, sounding puzzled.
"I mean, if Lady Chloe talks or doesn't talk, in order to cover up our involvement, we'll have to take care of everyone. I've heard that the [Four Great Families of the Seals] have magic that can track down the location of their blood relatives. If that's true, wouldn't it be bad to let her live?"
(――Hmm?)
When I heard Io's words, I remembered a past event.
When I was kidnapped and taken to Hellem Wilderness, no one from the Caduceus family came to rescue Chloe until we reached Necronia. If the [Four Great Families of the Seals] really have magic that can track down the location of their blood relatives, wouldn't it be strange that they didn't come to rescue her even if they knew she was heading straight to Necronia?
My doubts were confirmed by Lady Eva's next words.
"...I'd like to try to bring her to our side. And... if Ms. Chloe is one of them, she might try to kill herself before we can do anything."
Lady Eva didn't deny the existence of such magic. Which means that Chloe's kidnapping was just an act from the start.
They were planning to kill me all along, and it was all just a show.
"Hmm... based on my past experiences, I think that's a high possibility... but if that's the case, wouldn't it be even harder to turn her against them?"
"It might be true, but trying won't hurt, right? If it doesn't work out, we can just..."
"......"
It doesn't seem like Chloe is going to get any sympathy. Lady Eva seems to have made up her mind already.
Looking around the room, everyone except Glen seems to have steeled themselves for what's to come. Lady Eva said what she said, but this is probably going to be a huge mess. It's different from just fighting back when you're attacked.
That's why I said,
"Fiona, you stay here and wait."
"――――don't stop me!!"
Fiona suddenly stood up, looking furious.
"I didn't come here without a plan, you know! You can't stop me, I'm going!!"
"......"
Fiona glared at me with a strong gaze.
As I was trying to figure out how to persuade her, Glen spoke up in a carefree tone that didn't match the tense atmosphere.
"Hey, hey, Mr. Gale I get what you're saying, but Lady Fiona is a great lady, isn't she? Maybe you're being a bit too overprotective?"
"......"
"Hey, don't glare at me like that! Ah, I know! How about this: instead of Lady Fiona, I'll stay behind?"
"......"
I ignored Glen's words and let out a deep sigh before telling Fiona.
"Fine. Do what you want."
I couldn't think of anything to say to persuade her.
So, I've decided to take care of things myself.
Fiona nodded, looking indignant, and Lady Eva chimed in.
"Well, we haven't actually decided to hurt Ms. Chloe yet, and we don't need to be so serious... Besides, Ms. Chloe is just suspicious for now. Maybe she's not involved at all."
"Yeah, right..."
I replied, but I was convinced.
I had just found out something that confirmed my suspicions.
Unfortunately... Chloe is definitely the enemy.
"Hey, should I stay behind? Huh, is everyone listening? Hey, come on, hey!"
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