The day after work, the day after I came to the rather roundabout decision …. to decide on a future course of action. I turned down an invitation from my friends and went looking for Amelia on foot again today. Unlike the mercenaries, Amelia was dressed in a solid metal armor, and fortunately, she was easy to spot, and she stopped and looked back at me when I called her name.
“My, If it isn’t Ed-kun. It’s rare to see you alone. How may I help you?”
“Yeah, I’d like to talk to you about something, or rather, discuss something with you. ……”
“Hmm? Alright. Shall we go to the usual place?”
“Thank you.”
Since we had already shared many meals together, Amelia readily agreed. We went into the private room of the restaurant, which was becoming a familiar place for us, and I told Amelia some of what I had told Tia yesterday.
This was because the existence of my banishment skills, especially [Auto-Mapping] must be kept an absolute secret. If anyone in the military were to find out about my ability to easily make maps, the only two options would be to be tamed or just plain killed. I don’t mean to question Amelia’s personal sense, but that said, she would be powerless before the might of the military.
“The source of the ever-increasing number of demonic beasts is getting closer. …… That’s certainly one way to look at it, but Ed-kun, what exactly do you want me to do with that story?”
“I’m asking you to expand this town’s defensive forces to the greatest extent possible.”
“Even if you say that…”
At my words, Amelia raised her eyebrows as hard as she could and continued to speak with a reluctant face.
“The frequency of attacks by demonic beasts has increased, and the town’s defenses have become a bit inadequate. We are aware of this and would like to gather more manpower if possible….but even Ed-kun knows that it’s not as easy as it sounds, right?”
“Of course. We’ve probably already gathered what we can here.”
Mercenaries, who could be bought with money, have already gathered in this area. If we raise the reward even higher, we may be able to attract a few more, but to be honest, it’s a bit of a long shot since some people may feel it’s too risky and leave.
However, it would be impossible to say whether they would dispatch the regular army that remains in the country or the army that the local nobility may have over here. Unless there was a very imminent crisis that was clearly visible ……, no, they may be reluctant to send troops out of self-interest, so we can’t expect that anyway.
As a last resort, a conscription order could be issued, but only royalty could issue such an order, and above all, even if farmers and merchants were given swords, they would not even serve as meat shields against a large army of demonic beasts. I was not stupid or devilish enough to count them as a fighting force.
The impasse is in all directions. No matter how we do it, we can’t increase our defenses any further. The conclusion I came to was also close to Amelia’s….but there was one crucial difference
“It would certainly be difficult to increase the total number of defensive forces. Then why don’t we just borrow them from somewhere else?”
“Borrow!? From where in the world!?”
“That, of course, was from …. other walled cities that will have more than they can handle”
“……? What in the world are you talking about?”
Amelia showed a puzzled expression as I grinned and spoke. But, of course, I had expected that.
“As I said before, the source of the demonic beasts is getting closer to us. That means that other walled cities, especially those far from here, should be seeing a decrease in the frequency of attacks by demonic beasts. So, how about we ask them to transfer their forces to us?”
“Wait, wait, wait! It is only your theory that the source of the problem is approaching us, isn’t it? How can one person’s unsubstantiated information move the forces of a walled city! You think I’m royalty!?”
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“Not that. While it’s true that having royalty stay here would strengthen our forces, that’s not what I’m after. I don’t think you can do that, Amelia-san. So what I’m asking is for you to connect me to someone higher up who can make that kind of decision.”
“………… So you’re saying that you’d like to take the trust I have in you, Ed-kun, and add it to the trust I have in myself, and negotiate it with my superiors?”
Amelia’s eyes sharpened and she stared straight at me. But I faced it head on and never looked away.
“Certainly, I think I’ve become somewhat close with Ed-kun and the others. However, I don’t think our relationship has reached a level where I can lend out the name of Amelia Carlton. Even though it’s a rural baron’s house, the name of a noble is not something to be taken lightly, you know?”
“I know. Here…… this.”
Saying this, I removed the [Dawnbreaker] from my waist and placed it on the table. Amelia, who took it in her hand and pulled the sword out of its scabbard, looked astonished at the brightness of the sword’s blade, which was like the dawn.
“This is …… a wonderful sword. Even with my appraisal skills, I cannot tell how much value this sword holds.”
“I will leave that with you. So could you please connect me? ”
“…… I don’t get it. This is your precious sword, isn’t it? Why are you so fixated on this that you’re willing to entrust it to me? What is the reason for you to go to such lengths?”
“This Sword was entrusted to me by my master and is as precious to me as life itself. I entrusted it to you because I trust you, Amelia-san, and because I decided that it would take that much to make up for the lack of trust you have in me. And I am willing to do this much for …… my purposes, I suppose.”
“Purpose? Ed-kun, what is your objective?”
“To take down the source.”
Shortly but clearly. Amelia looked back at me doubtfully as I asserted this.
“Do you aspire to be a hero?”
“Haha, It’s not that big of a deal. But if the main culprit is defeated, there will no longer be an overabundance of demonic beasts in this world. Even though strife will not disappear from the world, there will be a fewer people crying unreasonably …. so that they will have more opportunities to drink good wine with their friends. Above all, I want to live a life that I can be proud for …..those who have supported me up to now. Well, that’s my selfish reason.”
“Haa, What can I say…”
As I shrugged my shoulders lightly and spoke, the tension seemed to dissipate from Amelia’s expression, and she gave a wry smile that was hard to describe.
“I understand. But all I can do is introduce you to you and set up a meeting where you can be heard. After that, I don’t know if your proposal will be accepted, and in some cases, you may even be punished for disrespect. In that case, unless it’s an extremely unreasonable situation, I won’t help Ed-kun, nor will I be able to. You have the determination to bear various dangers and still convey your message… Is that right?”
“Yes, I am. Please do it.”
I quickly got up from my seat and bowed deeply on the spot. I felt the presence of someone approach my side, and Amelia’s hand was placed on my shoulder.
“You really are an interesting person… I thought that about you before, but I didn’t expect you to be this crazy,”
“Hahaha….Can I take that as a compliment?”
“Suit yourself. Well, let’s get back to eating. The food is getting cold.”
“Ah Right…… sorry.”
“It’s fine. I mean, if we were going to talk this much, should I have asked them to wait to serve the food?”
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”
I just keep apologizing to myself for my inattentiveness. Gosh, if only Tia was with me at times like this…… No, no, no, I can’t rely on Tia here. She has her own responsibilities to take care of…
“Well, it’s a good dish to begin with, so it won’t lose its flavor even if it cools down a bit. It’s the same as you, Ed-kun.”
“Who? Me?”
As I let out a dumb voice, not understanding what she meant, Amelia, who had returned to her seat, smiled happily as she stabbed a fork into the pasta in front of her.
“That’s right. The words of a person with a strong core will resonate no matter how you mend the surface. Even if you say you are doing it for yourself, if it saves the world, …. people will call you a hero.”
Feeling the affection in Amelia’s eyes, I could only give a wry smile to cover up my embarrassment.