Chapter 467: Rica Rescue Operation 7
Now with Naris and the others in a state of confusion, the line of information was narrowed down to Lady Swallow’s information network and Nord-san.
“At worst, we could use the dragon’s mobility to catch every ship that comes and goes between us and Lapal, but that would be inefficient. It’s a last resort”
“If we don’t do it over a reasonable period of time, we’ll miss them if they happen to be in port”
“We can’t really attack a suspicious ship. If the captain is a good liar, he may be able to get through the net”
While eating the bananas served to us, we discussed our strategy with Dianne and Anzeros. Bananas are indeed soft, sweet, easy to peel and eat and more appealing than the silver clan pears. I wonder if these fruits can be grown in the northern forest.
“But it would not be possible to inspect every single one of them on site. Only three teams at most can move at the same time: Laila, Maia, and Sahul”
“A maritime nation like Lapal has a large number of ships. If we can’t distinguish the ships that have left the area, it will be a hopeless task”
“What about getting the maritime brigade to turn around? If the mermen can help us, we can…….”
“Mermen will be just as fast on the spot. Sure, they’re mobile, so they might have more hands……but also sailors have a peculiar clique that’s hard to deal with, my father often spills”
“I see……it doesn’t look like we’ll be needing a hand anytime soon either way”
“I need to think of a new move. For the time being, let me save the move of directly attacking the influential people in this town for last. Father’s position may be affected”
“Directly?”
“We must force them to let Rika-san out from the front, in a dignified and coercive manner. Worst case scenario, we’ll have to take the whole town under our wing. The dragon is more legitimate and less uncertain than going out to destroy it directly. But even so, there is no denying the possibility that they will be fooled”
“Umm, I wonder if we can be that tough against the military”
“If 『Parent Bird』 is a one-man organization, the responsibility may flow into the leader and it may be possible to eliminate it in one fell swoop, but if it is not monolithic, it will end up being used to kick off the relatives after pushing the whereabouts of the responsibility. Even if 『Parent Bird』 is relatively weakened by that, if Rika-san doesn’t return after all, it will be a strategic defeat for us”
“Umm……it’s really tough to explore an organization that is not clear. If you pull that one, this one closes, if you hit this one, that one disappears……”
“If only we really had Becker……he’s really good at analyzing the tactics and intelligence of these criminal organizations. He can do infiltration and interrogation”
“Its really amazing……”
He’s fast and strong enough to bullshit for free, but he’s also good at that kind of low profile maneuvering. He’s not the most famous spy in Celesta with his bluff. I know it’s a contradiction in terms, but…….
“Emm, doesn’t Owl-san have any idea what ship they’re leaving for or where they’re going?”
Neia, who was listening from a distance, suddenly asks Dr. Owl a question. I listened with a bit of anticipation.
“I’ve heard rumors, but nothing more than rumors. We are just weak people and we try to avoid getting involved with them as much as possible. I can’t give you any definitive information”
“I see……”
“But don’t you think the quickest way is to find the source of the information in the first place?”
“Yes……but that’s 『Parent Bird』”
“You don’t think 『Parent Bird』 sent the letter on a flying dragon, do you?”
“Ah”
I see. Come to think of it, there must be an agent somewhere who discovered and reported Rika-san in the first place, right?
“……Well, even so, that person must have already left town”
“No good!”
When I pouted, Dr. Owl shrugged his shoulders as he chewed his banana and laughed, as if to say, 「This is why I don’t like amateurs who don’t get it」.
“If 『Parent Bird』finds out that we have been doing surveillance of the town, they will immediately try to eliminate us. But how can you contact the flying dragon service? How can you entrust the letter to a flying dragon while you are still in the town?”
“……I see”
Umm. In that case, would it be possible to find her somehow?
“However, that person was suspected from the beginning and 『Parent Bird』has also been keeping an eye. He may have gone into hiding to cool off in the town where we went to contact him. At the very least, he must be using some kind of magic to disguise his face”
“Then how do you expect us to find him……”
I’ve been feeling like I’m being played.
“I’m sure it won’t take more than a day or two. But if the intelligence brigade is serious about searching for it, there will be no reason”
“Owl-san. But if that person left town to make contact, it is possible that he did not see which ship Rika boarded?”
“Well, that’s right”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. The fact that he found Rika-san is commendable, but it is already prerequisite information now. It’s not a clue”
“Hmmm”
Dr. Owl folded his arms. I guess it’s not going to be a breakthrough after all.
“Laila, how are Naris and the others doing?”
“Ho. Wait a minute. I’ll listen outside the sound barrier”
Laila leaves the room and returns a few moments later.
“……For some reason, they’re starting a drinking party with the thugs”
“Why?”
“One of them seems to be an former adventurer. They’re talking about the Southern Great Plains”
This is not good.
“We’re not going to get there anytime soon……let’s let them pull out now. If we just run away at once, those thugs will be pissed off, but they won’t alert the organization to our presence”
“Right……”
“No, wait. I’m not going to take any chances”
Tetes stopped me and Laila.
“Let’s let Naris hear it while they’re drinking. What will happen to the elf girl if she is really caught? If she does well, she might at least spill the beans about where she will be sent and who she will be sold to”
“……Isnt there little hope? It’s highly unlikely that the end user would know that much about it”
“Owl-san, you said that your clients are also selective, right? If that’s the case, it’s quite possible that the same person will be entrusted with the executioner to go after if the type of prey is the same……I’m sure they would insist on handling each species. If it’s the same person, we might be able to get some useful clues, even if we can’t trace them back to direct information. Either way, if you’re in a situation where you’re going to break up, it’s worth a try”
“……I see, you’re right”
Dianne nodded.
“Laila, please. I’m sure you can use the application of illusions to quietly relay instructions”
“Ho, I’ll see what I can do”
Laila leaves again with an expression that seems to be thinking something like, 「Does that make sense?」. And I was curious about Maia and Sahul, who have been silent so far, and when I looked at them, I saw that they were both silently eating bananas and piling the peels on their plates.
“……Did you like it, Maia?”
“…………”
Maia nodded her head and moved her mouth expressionlessly. It’s certainly delicious, but even if you’re not crazy about it.
“Huaharairaire. I’m not going to get carried away”
“…………”
Maia slammed her back fist into Sahul’s jaw from below. Then, looking down at the fainting Sahul, Maia moved her mouth, swallowed and said a few words.
“Its bad manners”
“No, you don’t have to go that far”
“This idiot is the type that needs to be disciplined by beating him”
“Maia doesn’t need to educate him in any particular way!”
It looks painful.
—————————————————-
And Maia and Sahul ended up eating all the bananas, so Dr. Owl goes to the fruit store to order more bananas. ……I’m sorry.
“Isn’t that quite expensive……”
“I think it’s okay, because the doctor makes quite a bit of money on those. I’m sorry, but it’s a lot of food……”
“Well, a dragon’s main body is like that……”
While cleaning up the skin, I smile wryly with Oskar-san.
“Well, I can see why you’d be fascinated, though. I haven’t been able to find any fruits in the desert that can replace this or mangoes”
“Certainly……what’s a mango?”
“A fruit that is as soft as a banana. It has a very nice aroma. It is a little tricky to eat because of the large seeds”
“I’d like to try that too”
“When you solve the case, I’ll take you to a town famous for its produce”
“Well, maybe someday”
It’s a shame we can’t spend more time here.
“So did Neia eat a banana?”
“……Yes, a few”
“This kind of thing would be nice to have in Kalwin”
“They’re so delicious, or rather so candy-like……I can’t even think what that would be like if they had them in Kalwin”
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve received several of those, Neia said, smiling apologetically.
“Kalwin……? I’ve never heard of that name, where is it?”
“It’s in the north. Nobody knows where it is”
Neia laughs vaguely at the curious look on Oskar-san’s face. Well, Oskar-san seems to be over a hundred years old, but I guess he’s not three hundred.
But then again, it’s nice to see a youngster mindlessly chomping on a banana☆”
Hilda-san was laughing in a strange way. Dianne sighs.
“Sister……they were genuinely impressed by the taste”
“Of course, I know. But it’s that kind of purity☆”
“Wh, What is it? What are you talking about?”
I felt a little uneasy and scowled.
“Well, banana is…….☆”
“?”
“Because of their reasonable thickness and length, some prostitutes use them as props to appeal to their customers by carefully licking them”
“……Eh”
Dianne’s dumbfounded and embarrassed explanation made me realize what it all meant at once. ……No, well, it may indeed be affordable……at the size of a human race, you know.
“Like this?”
“Yes, yes”
“Dont demonstrate it, Tetes! Oskar-san is here!”
“You already told him that I’m Master’s slave, didn’t you?”
“But I told you to mind your own business!”
As I was angry with Tetes, who was playing with the leftover bananas, Luna interrupted me out of nowhere.
“……What’s this? It smells sweet”
“Ah, Luna-san. We just got them as a snack”
“Unfair”
……Oh no, I’d forgotten all about it.
“Wh, Where have you been, Luna?”
“Investigation”
“……Investigation?”
“When Naris and the others were getting excited about doing a decoy mission earlier, no one seemed to be paying attention, so I went off on my own for a bit”
“Eh!?”
What is she investigating by herself?
“I’ve been practicing my scouting skills with the mud that Special Agent Becker taught me. I found something that might be useful”
“……Dianne. If you’re going to have this kind of insurance policy, you should have said it sooner”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t. I just realized Luna wasn’t here either”
No one really noticed? In a way, that’s great.
“So, what Luna presented was……is this as a proof?”
“One elf woman, one beastman woman and 50,000 gold pieces worth of jewelry……eh, this was dated three days ago!?”
“I also found the client’s contact information”
“…………”
Wait. Did Luna just solve all the problems that we were all trying to figure out by herself? I mean, how loose is their control over them……no, they don’t think they’re going to be robbed, do they?
“So, she was found and chased, so she forced her pursuers to Naris and the others on the way, but it didn’t work?”
“……No, I think it’s fine”
Or rather, if they were drinking, they would have had both hands free, so I guess it would work out somehow. Just as I was thinking that, Dr. Owl quietly came back from outside, handing out a mountain of bananas to Maia while looking at me with a dubious look on his face.
“What is it? Jose and the jewel butterfly have returned with panicked looks on their faces”
“Did something happen”
Dianne is leaving quietly and we follow her.
“Miss Diane, we’ve found it! A suspicious ship has been spotted! The guy who has the lighthouse as his stronghold has memorized the detailed description of a ship that went out the other day and was clearly acting strangely!”
“Well done. Now we can track it down”
Those two were also making a fine war effort here. And then, Naris and the other four came running from behind them.
“We did it! We did it, everyone! Did you make any progress?”
“Naris. I heard that Luna has forced enemies on you”
“That’s right, it’s terrible! Didnt you say there were some people who had been ace knights! Almeida and Knight Chief blew them away in an instant!”
“……That’s going to cause a commotion in the not-too-distant future”
“Ah, but I’ve heard good things about it! I heard that the elven slaves are collected by a man called Rabines and they are transported to a place in Lapal called, what is it called, the Red Whale!”
“……You too?”
“Eh? You’ve already heard about this?”
“No, I’m just saying that things are starting to turn around quickly. Laila, can you protect this place? Owl-dono and the surroundings may be in danger”
“Ho. What about you?”
Anzeros, go get Maia and Sahul. We will attack the ship ourselves. We’ll attack the ship ourselves. ……Owl-dono, it may have caused the town to be disturbed”
“Kakaka, don’t worry. I’ve lived long enough anyway. It’s about time that I’ve become troublesome to spread my affection to the 『Parent Bird』. At this time, I’ll team up with Swallow and hit them with one long-standing dissatisfaction”
“Take care of your life. Sharon, your swordsmanship will be difficult to use at sea. Stay and protect the town with Laila”
“I understand”
Jose and Nord-neesan are also staying here. The rest of us will ride to the outskirts of the city! The carriage is hidden! We’re all going to retrieve Miss Rika!”
『Understood』
Everyone salutes and replies to Dianne’s order. We are finally starting to look like us.