CH 106

Chapter 106 – Who Would Benefit From This?

Sylphy’s POV

It’s already been a week since Kosuke disappeared.

We were able to figure out Kosuke’s current location early on. Isla was able to find him quickly by using ritual magic to search for him using a catalyst. Fortunately, we had a ‘fresh’ catalyst to find Kosuke, so we could trust the accuracy.

The problem was the location.

“Merinesburg…”

“I knew it…”

I should say that my premonition had come true in a bad way. It’s not clear how they managed to travel the distance to Merinesburg in such a short time, but they must have used some kind of transfer artifact. If not, there is no way he could have traveled from Erichburg to Merinesburg in just half a day.

“How do we rescue him…?”

That was the problem. Merinesburg is the political center of the Merinard Kingdom. It is also the center of the enemy. In terms of distance, it takes about five days by carriage, and two to three times that on foot. There are also garrisons and forts of the Holy Kingdom’s army on the way to Merinesburg, and it is unlikely that we could send an army there to conduct operations.

The Holy Kingdom’s army must be very nervous about us occupying Erichburg, and they are watching us very closely. They’ve been sending out scouts around Erichburg, after all.

Nevertheless, there is no way not to rescue Kosuke. The Liberation Army can’t afford to lose Kosuke, who is the key to our logistics, and I, personally, can’t afford to abandon him.

If we can’t send troops, then we have no choice but to send a small number of elites…

“I’ll go.”

“No.”

“Impossible.”

“No, you can’t.”

“That’s out of the question.”

Melty, Isla, Danan, and Leonard came to me and rejected me.

“Why not?”

“Why would we allow Sylphy to infiltrate alone? Think about your position.”

“Your ears stand out. There’s no way to hide them.”

“I agree with Melty.”

“I also agree. There is no way for a leader to go into a dangerous place alone.”

“Gnunu…”

It was a good argument that left me speechless.

“I’ll go.”

“You can’t do that. You can’t hide your eyes any better than my ears.”

I might be able to manage it by cutting down my ears at worst, but there is no way to hide Isla’s eyes.

“In the first place, Isla’s body is too small, just like a child’s, isn’t it? A child on her own would be conspicuous.”

“You’ve said what I need to say.”

“Same for me.”

“I’m not a child…”

Melty’s words had an effect on Isla, and she slumped. She’s not a child, but she’s small in stature.

“I’m not sure I can either.”

“Your mane and face are not suitable for infiltration, are they?”

“Then I will do it.”

“Danan, they know your face. You’re still on the wanted list, after all.”

“It’s going to be difficult because of your horns. So I’ll go.”

Melty started to say strange things. Melty has horns, too, after all.

“Melty has horns too.”

“Yes, I’ll just have to cut them off.”

The horned subhuman said something outrageous. There was no way that Melty didn’t know what it meant for a horned subhuman to lose their horns.

“Since we have the medicine that Kosuke made, there will be no danger. There is no risk of infection.”

“No, that doesn’t mean――”

“It’s not difficult to blend in with humans once I remove my horns. If I’m alone, I can escape at will if the need arises.”

Melty might indeed be able to manage on her own, but… cutting off her horns is not something…

“I’ve prepared myself for that. Besides, even if I were to die at the worst possible time, the impact on the Liberation Army would be minimal, among this group.”

“I suppose so.”

“Leonard!”

“Your Highness, facts are facts. I’m sorry to say this, but Melty’s position is that of an internal affairs officer. In addition to Your Highness as our leader, Isla, who is the head of the research and development department and the leader of the mage troops, and Danan, who was in a leadership position in the rebellion three years ago, and I have different influence in the event of an emergency.”

“That’s what I mean. You know what I’m capable of, don’t you?”

“That’s…”

Of course, I know that, but that doesn’t mean that she has to cut off her horns…

“The best thing to do would be to have a human soldier from the Liberation Army infiltrate the place. There’s no one we can trust, either in terms of competence or integrity, right?”

“That’s true. In fact, the people Qubi brought in have betrayed us.”

Silence fell over the meeting room. In fact, this is a big problem. The fact that the kidnapping of Kosuke was discovered and that the truth was discovered through a general investigation was good. Still, it created a mutual distrust, or rather a rift, between the subhumans and the human refugees.

Now, the overt conflict has somehow subsided, but there is no telling when it will start up again. I’m still struggling to solve this problem.

“Qubi… the next time I see you, I’m going to shave your entire body and expose it to the world.”

“And the fur on his tail.”

“Of course.”

The damage he has done to the Liberation Army is immeasurable. To be honest, I think the damage that he brought to the Liberation Army is greater in confusion and mutual distrust than the damage received from the Holy Kingdom Army.

“I’ll leave it to Sir Leonard to do the cutting. Please make it painless.”

“I shall do my utmost to ensure that.”

After this, both of Melty’s horns were cut off by Leonard’s hands, and after only one day of recovery, she departed.

About two weeks later, when my frustration had reached its peak, the time came.

☆★☆

“Is this the Golem communicator?”

“Yeah, it’s a portable, high-powered type.”

I’m proud to show off my completed golem communicator. The communication range of this portable golem communicator is more than five times that of the previous model. I’m sure that’s the case according to the specifications. I honestly don’t know the specs, though, because I made it as an item creation.

It looks like a square box the size of a desk, with a dial to change the frequency and a microphone and speaker to make calls, and it’s a rugged piece of equipment without a shred of design. Sorry, don’t ask me to design anything. That’s the domain of Lamia-san, the blacksmith.

“Kosuke-san.”

“Hmm?”

“This can send but can’t receive, can it?”

“Eh? No, I don’t think so. It has five times the communication range of the previous model. The distance is sufficient…”

“No, so even if the magic waves from this communicator reach over there, the magic waves from over there won’t reach here, will they?”

“…Oh no!”

That’s also true. Even if I increase the reception sensitivity, the output of the magic wave transmitted over there is not enough, to begin with, and the magic wave decays before it reaches here. Is this a failure?

“Even if it’s a one-way communication from here, we can still let them know we’re okay, so I don’t think it’s a total waste.”

“Yes…”

I think it would be best if there were a relay station with transmitters and receivers… I wonder if it would be possible to make one with item creation…? I think it’s going to be difficult.

I can craft the only golem cores for golem communicators, so if I want to make a relay station, I think I will need to have the research and development department make a golem core for the relay station.

No, but if it’s an item creation, is there a chance…? I’ll try it later.

“In the meantime, let’s try sending a message.”

“That’s right. Let’s try it on as many frequencies as we can.”

“All right. Supply the magic.”

“Okay.”

“I understand.”

“Roger-nanodesu.”

The slime girls touched the magic supply slots on the large golem communicator and began to supply magic power. I can’t feel any magic power, but I can tell by looking at the indicator that shows the stockpile of magic power is rising rapidly that it is supplying magic power without problems. It’s amazing what civilization can do.

“It looks like the magic power has finished filling.”

“All right, let’s get started… This is Kosuke, this is Kosuke. We are currently hiding in the underground sewers of Merinesburg. Melty and I are safe, and most of the royal family of the Merinard Kingdom are still alive in the royal castle. No one has been taken.”

At the same time, I transmit the same message on multiple frequencies used by the Liberation Army, including the fact that I am currently communicating with a prototype large golem communication device and that I probably won’t be able to receive communications from that device.

“My throat is dry.”

“Ei!”

“Gabfff!”

Lime suddenly turned a part of her body into a tentacle and shoved it into my mouth.

It’s going down my throat! I’m done! Or rather, I can’t breathe! When I was in a panic, she released me.

“Cough! Cough! Geh! Oek…”

“Are you better?”

“What are you… doing? Oh, my throat doesn’t feel dry anymore.”

My throat was recovering from its near-death state. No, it’s great, but the image is not good. Image, huh? Who’s it for?

“It surprises me when you do it suddenly. Don’t do it suddenly in the future.”

“Hmm?”

Lime tilted her head. It’s no good having such mocking reactions. Mainly because of the image.

The taste of lime? Tasteless and odorless… No, there was a slight fresh scent in the air. Though, it’s not that delicious.

“Did this reach them over there?”

“Maybe, probably, surely. There’s no way to be sure.”

If the communication has reached over there, Isla will be able to somehow achieve a magic wave strength that will allow the communication to reach here in the not too distant future and send the communication. If it’s just a matter of output, she’ll probably be able to manage it. I’m also considering the installation of an external transmitter antenna to ensure reliable transmission and reception… No, I think it’s better to go home immediately.

Let’s talk about it with Melty and Lime. Yeah.