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“――And that’s the situation.” (Yuri)

I explained the circumstances to Tillet, who had arrived late. At the same time, the women from the Queen’s Sword had begun searching the house while I was explaining.

“If the Regent thinks that way, then let’s proceed with that plan.” (Tillet)

Tillet said. For some reason, it seemed to fit her well to prefer addressing me by my role.

“In any case, if it’s the work of a foreign power, that’s the most urgent situation. If she is taken away, we must retrieve her now, or it will be as if she is dead. In other cases, regardless of what happens, there is a higher chance of recovering her, no matter what happens to her.” (Tillet)

It’s an ominous thought.

“However… as the Regent would understand, in such situations, assumptions can be dangerous. If there are pitfalls in the reasoning, everything can be ruined. We should consider unexpected situations and leave four people here to search for evidence and conduct an independent investigation.” (Tillet)

“That’s fine. Please do that.” (Yuri)

Indeed, it’s only an assumption that the enemy country is mistaken. For example, there’s also the possibility that the Witch households might be grossly mistaken and think that Lily-san is pregnant with my child, although such a possibility is not zero. As Tillet said, human thinking is prone to pitfalls. However, while it would be good to have evidence, it’s not available at the moment. So, there’s no choice but to proceed without it.

“If the enemy country were to carry out such a mission, where do you think they would invade from?” (Yuri)

“By sea.” (Tillet)

Tillet answered immediately.

“If they’re just coming, they could move at night and rest during the day… Well, it might not be impossible to come by land. However, bringing back a non-cooperative hostage by land would be nearly impossible.” (Tillet)

The Kuran cannot travel freely within the peninsula. Special permits are required. For special figures like Eisa-sensei, such permits can be issued immediately, and of course, if Shanti guards accompany them and they are suspicious, explanations are provided, so there’s no inconvenience in traveling. But for ordinary Kuran, it’s not so easy. For instance, if a Kuran newly integrated from the east of the peninsula, getting a permit to enter the peninsula is nearly impossible unless they have exceptionally special skills or there’s a compelling need for cooperation. In other words, the biggest enemy for them is the eyes of others. As Tillet said, coming by land would be impossible. So, it leaves only the sea.

Of course, the sea is monitored by eagles with incendiary bombs, so large ships cannot navigate. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult for a fishing boat or similar to come. The eagles that monitor are generally in pairs, and since incendiary bombs are heavy, only one bomb can be carried by one eagle. They might miss twice in a row with small targets, and since incendiary bombs do not blow up ships entirely, it’s not possible to instantly annihilate the crew. If they are navigating along the coast, they can swim to the land if they are good swimmers.

“Then, they must be descending the river by now. We need to hurry, or we won’t make it.” (Yuri)

I couldn’t help but feel anxious and irritated.

“Calm down, Regent. Descending the Sibyaku river is not something amateurs can do. Especially at night, it’s difficult even for experienced sailors unless there’s a full moon.” (Tillet)

…I had forgotten. The river from Sibyaku to the sea has numerous islands, big and small, and some of them are dead-ends with no escape routes. Among them, only the northern route is commonly used, and ships from the south also take a detour to use that route. The islands all look similar, which makes it easy to get lost, and passing through scattered areas increases the risk of grounding.

“Their first time here might make them commit such a suicidal act.” (Yuri)

“If that’s the case, accept it. In this situation, there is no chance of saving her 100%.” (Tillet)

Tillet said clearly.

“That’s true…” (Yuri)

My frustration with my own inadequacy grew, but I had no choice but to accept what Tillet was saying.

If the enemy were to make foolish mistakes on their own, such as running aground in some unknown part of the sea and deciding to end their lives, there would indeed be nothing we could do about it.

“I think it’s highly likely they will go by land to Elin and then take a ship from there.” (Tillet)

Elin is a famous port town with a large lighthouse, located at the exit of the coastal road that connects Sibyaku to the sea. The path from Sibyaku to the sea has a gentle current. Usually, the thrust provided by sailboats is sufficient to go upstream, but with strong headwinds, this becomes impossible. In such cases, ships are anchored at Elin and wait for a change in wind direction. Alternatively, ships can be pulled by horses along the coastal road to reach the upstream.

Elin is a town equipped for such functions. Ships may unload their cargo there and transport it overland to Sibyaku, or people may disembark and travel overland, which is why there is a well-maintained broad road to Sibyaku. It takes no more than a day or two to travel. If done at night, it would avoid attention, so aside from the risk of accidents on the way, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Horses would make the hostage too conspicuous… They’ll likely procure a carriage. That means it will take about six hours to arrive. They’ll arrive by dawn and set sail from there…” (Tillet)

Tillet said.

The possibility of staying in Sibyaku until morning and then descending the river is… almost unthinkable. Staying hidden in Sibyaku carries risks, and even if the primary goal is killing, they would still want to achieve the kidnapping. It’s a significant achievement, so they would likely do their best to accomplish it.

“If that’s the case, leaving now with the eagles should be sufficient to catch up. The problem is how to find them.” (Yuri)

“We have no choice but to fly to Elin immediately and search around.”  (Tillet)

Tillet continued.

“The troublesome part is actually the method of rescue. As the Regent suspects, the hostage-takers are not mere thieves who value their lives. Moreover, given the nature of the mission, they are elite among elites. They probably wouldn’t sleep for a ten-hour operation, and it is safe to assume that they will be constantly on guard.” (Tillet)

That’s probably true. Hmm…

“As the regent understands, dealing with such opponents, even for us, it would be difficult to approach undetected and kill everyone in an instant. If we are killed during a skirmish or two, there’s no guarantee of a successful rescue.” (Tillet)

“Isn’t there some kind of dart or something with a toxin that makes people lose consciousness instantly?” (Yuri)

“…There’s no such convenient thing.” (Tillet)

Tillet said, sounding exasperated.

“No matter what kind of poison you use, it would only make someone feel ill for about ten seconds.” (Tillet)

If that’s the case, rescuing them is indeed extremely difficult.

“If we were to rely on you, what method would you use? To sneak up and surround them to kill them?” (Yuri)

“Trying to capture them while moving and then blowing up the carriage without killing the crew would be the best approach. If we can seriously injure everyone in the initial move to immobilize them, it would create some chance. We might break Lily’s legs or arms, but that can be fixed later.” (Tillet)

“…That won’t work. If the neck is broken, they’ll die. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that everyone will conveniently fall unconscious.” (Yuri)

The success rate is far too low. There’s no know-how for adjusting explosives on the spot to match the size of the carriage, and there’s no method to remotely trigger it either, so the success rate would likely be less than 10%. If all other operatives are strong men, the most vulnerable is Lily-san. It’s unacceptable if Lily-san is the one most likely to die.

“In that case, you should go ahead to Elin and identify the ship. I’ll consider the recovery plan.” (Yuri)

“…Is that alright?” (Tillet)

“Go before it’s too late.” (Yuri)

“Understood. But before that—” (Tillet)

Tillet approached Enrique, who was standing idly, and suddenly grabbed her arm and restrained her.

“Ow, ow, ow, that hurts, Tillet. What are you doing?”  (Enrique)

Enrique complained as she was thrown to the ground and had her arms bound.

“You’ll stay behind. I don’t know what you might do.” (Tillet)

“Hey, isn’t she useful for extracting information from people?” (Yuri)

After all, it would likely involve tasks such as identifying an unfamiliar ship that no fisherman has ever seen. Enrique, who can motivate men with his charm, might be helpful.

“From what I can gather, Miss Lily is personally important to you. If you would feel anger comparable to the wrath you felt with Princess Carol’s death, it wouldn’t be surprising if you were to act against us out of revenge.” (Tillet)

“No, no, I wouldn’t do that.” (Yuri)

“That’s quite possible.” (Tillet)

Now that it was mentioned, there is indeed a significant chance Enrique might act out.

“But it’s also true that she could be useful.” (Yuri)

“I disagree. She might be useful, but he’s a bundle of uncertainties. He absolutely shouldn’t be taken along.” (Tillet)

Indeed, that’s true.

“Hmm…” (Yuri)

“Alright then. If Enrique betrays us, I won’t do anything. You’ll be responsible for finding her. Capture her, but make sure that someone with no grudge or connection to her kills her. After that, don’t report anything to me.” (Yuri)

“Huh?!” (Enrique)

Enrique’s voice sounded sharply surprised. It might be the first time I’ve heard him so startled.

“—Ah, in that case, understood. I’ll handle it.” (Tillet)

Tillet smiled with rare amusement, pulling the ropes to release Enrique from his bindings.

“Ugh, so cold! Men who say things like that aren’t popular! So uncool!” (Enrique)

Enrique grumbled while rubbing her bound arms. She seemed quite offended by my suggestion.

“I’ve put up with your antics twice today. Be satisfied with that and get to work. If you don’t take this seriously, I’m done with you.” (Yuri)

With that, I left Lily-san’s residence.