Chapter 41: A Brief Interlude (The Guild Master, Part 5)
Recently, the Paraiso has been actively gathering information from the surrounding areas.
“What is the name of this country?”
“Ah, yes. I hadn’t confirmed it.”
She suddenly asked about the name of the country, and indeed… I had never taken the time to explain it, and she probably hadn’t been interested until now. However, as we were on the brink of serious intervention, it became necessary to investigate the geopolitical situation.
That said, given the current circumstances, we weren’t exactly flooded with the latest information either.
“This territory belongs to the Afrasia United Kingdom. It’s positioned as the southernmost city. Although, I can’t say for certain whether the United Kingdom still exists…”
“I see. And currently, there is a civil war ongoing.”
The one listening to me was Zex, the female fleet commander. The Paraiso has been trading with the Port Town of Terek through four fleets. Each fleet consists of two battleships and one large transport vessel. At present, one battleship is docked at the port, ensuring that three battleships are always guarding Terek.
“Yes. Until now, information has only come through merchant caravans, but as you know, things have changed recently. The last contact we had was six months ago. Iron Town might have a bit more information, but it’s a small town to begin with. The volume of information is limited.”
“I understand. Please gather any information you can. By the way, do you have a map?”
“A map… Unfortunately, ownership is not permitted in this town.”
“I see. I would like you to provide a non-official one, if possible.”
It was clear that I couldn’t brush this off. With a sigh, I retrieved a complete set of maps from the safe. I had anticipated this request and had moved them from the hidden vault.
Sometimes, I felt as if those golden eyes could see right through everything, and it sent chills down my spine. When she stared at me expressionlessly, it felt as though I had to spill everything under that pressure. My subordinates had mentioned that her gaze was appealing, but then again, they were a peculiar bunch.
“This is a map drawn using the information we could obtain. Don’t expect much in terms of scale. Here’s the world map, and here’s the map of the United Kingdom. This one shows the surrounding area of Port Terek. The names of the nobles are completely unreliable given the current situation.”
“…This is quite useful. May I record it?”
“I can’t exactly say no to you.”
“Thank you. Twanzig, please record this.”
“Yes.”
The girl called by Zex began manipulating some tools over the maps spread out on the table. I initially thought she was going to copy them, but it seemed otherwise. I had heard tales of magical tools in some wizarding kingdoms that could capture landscapes and turn them into images, and perhaps this was a similar kind of device. I wanted to ask what it was, but the atmosphere didn’t seem right for such inquiries.
“I’m finished.”
“Excellent. Guild Master of Terek, I appreciate your cooperation.”
Despite their overwhelming power, these girls treated me with utmost politeness. Just that alone made me feel that this country was rotten enough to sell out the wretched nobles. This civil war was likely a consequence waiting to happen.
“Should we send someone to investigate? It’s helpful that you’re keeping an eye on things with your strength, but we’ll only know about enemy movements after they’ve occurred, right? If we could somehow gather information beforehand, we could take preemptive measures.”
“…Please wait a moment. I need to consider this. We must also think about the risk of our information leaking.”
Information leakage, huh? Indeed, the Paraiso possesses advanced knowledge. They understand the importance of information quite well.
“We could use investigators armed with false information.”
“And if they get caught, they’ll provide the enemy with incorrect information? …However, if the personnel have incorrect prior knowledge, the information they gather could be biased.”
They were quite adept at handling information. Some of the terms they used were beyond my understanding, but I gathered they were saying that the credibility of information from spies could diminish if they were fed false information. I had indeed heard that reports from spies given false information often turned out to be erroneous. Analyzing all of this would require considerable effort.
“That said, it’s better than having no information at all. Guild Master of Terek, how about we move people under the guise of purchasing supplies? We can consider the infiltration of spies back in our homeland. We’ll have to rely on you for intelligence since we’re not suited for it.”
That would certainly cause a stir if they appeared nearby. Even in this town, which had some level of resilience, it had turned into a festival.
“That sounds good. We’ll initially send personnel under that pretext. However, the security situation is… Can we manage to reach the neighboring town with merchants and guards along with the wagons?”
The surrounding security was dreadful. From what I heard, the soldiers would attack anything they deemed prey. It was such a dire situation that it was hard to tell whether they were real bandits, private soldiers of some noble, or even the kingdom’s regular troops. If we sent a merchant caravan with wagons into such chaos, they would likely become immediate prey.
“For now, let’s send a messenger. We’ll attach a reasonable number of guards and aim to open trade routes. Once we secure some level of safety on the roads, it should make it easier for merchants to move.”
“…Understood. We’ll consider the details of our formal movements separately. For now, I’d like you to dispatch an envoy. As for weapons and armor, it would be fine to take the latest ones to showcase our strength.”
“That would be helpful. Understood, I’ll report back once preparations are complete.”
After that, we wrapped up two or three reports, engaged in some small talk, and then the crew from Paraiso took their leave.
Speaking of which, the land we had leased was rapidly being developed with buildings. Their technological prowess was indeed impressive. They had also requested to scout for even larger plots of land, but it seemed we had no choice but to have them develop outside the town. They had no intention of demanding relocations, which was fortunate. Terek was a small town with no surplus land available.
“Guild Master. The construction sites for the artillery have been secured without any issues.”
“Ah, that was quite fast.”
At that moment, a subordinate who had been tasked with securing the sites for the requested artillery came in to report. I had given the order about a week ago, and it seemed the five sites we needed had already been secured.
“Well, it wasn’t a particularly large area we requested. Also, the girls have an excellent reputation. We were able to reach an agreement at the standard price. They seem to have chosen locations that minimize relocations, mostly gardens and fields.”
“…I see. Well, if it’s the Paraiso crew, they likely did their homework on that.”
Initially, I had been concerned about what would happen when they expressed the desire to build defensive artillery. However, it felt as though they were making efforts to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with us. Honestly, when they requested leased land and construction sites, I braced myself for the worst, but…
“Guild Master, we should gather workers and start the construction. They said we could begin once the land acquisition was complete, and I was anxious about that, but it seems it’s all going according to their plans.”
“Indeed. That’s quite reassuring. However, they also mentioned they would handle road improvements before construction. They say that doing so first would ultimately shorten the construction time…”
“Yes. If they say so, it must be true. I’ve heard various things, but the girls don’t lie. They’re either sincere or…”
“…They feel no need to deceive us.”
I nodded silently, and my subordinate echoed my thoughts.
Lately, I’ve been forced to understand this reality. There exists an immense technological gap between us and the Paraiso. I had felt a similar sensation when I docked at Port Uryabak in the Rosria Empire long ago. I vividly remember the terror I felt when I saw the iron-clad battleships lined up with their cannons. I knew then that we could never match that power.
However, when I witnessed the battleships of Paraiso, which they referred to as Alpha-class, the shock I felt from their rapid-fire capabilities was enough to shatter any confidence we had. Upon later confirmation, I learned that their firing rate was 45 rounds per minute, with a range of at least 30 kilometers. Each ship had three cannons, and with three ships stationed as a permanent force, they were keeping a vigilant watch over Terek.
“I believe we’ll be fine, but even if there’s a one in a million chance, we must suppress it. We cannot afford to oppose Paraiso.”
“Yes. I fully understand.”