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Yes, we weren’t strong. We had deliberately avoided becoming too strong. Still, we were stronger than the average person and moderately stronger than most adventurers you’d come across.

Despite having just been summoned, we had gained much strength.

Monobe guessed what I was implying. Although it was just a mere guess, he’d gradually gathered information to support his suspicions.

But that aside.

“If Fraus defeats the Nigel Kingdom, won’t we be left with our hands tied?”

The soldiers and knights who defeated their hated enemies, along with the royals who started the war, would receive tremendous support from the people. If that happened, it would become even harder to act than it already was. Monobe looked troubled and shared his thoughts cautiously.

“Do you remember the commotion on the day the heroes were unveiled?”
“I think there was something about bandits breaking into the castle. I heard that something was stolen, but I never found out what. Wasn’t there a rumor that the culprit was Toriyama?”

However, Toriyama was dead. I hadn’t seen it myself, but the information seemed plausible. Because of that, I suspected that the claim about bandits breaking in had been a lie from the beginning. Monobe nodded thoughtfully in response to my question.

“What was stolen at that time was probably the spirit. Even if Fraus has been targeting the Nigel Kingdom for a long time, this war feels too sudden, and I highly doubt the princess is the one leading the operation.”
“Regardless of how she treats us, in the eyes of the people of Fraus, she is an admirable figure. And it’s not just superficial; it genuinely seems like she’s trying to develop Fraus.”
“And what does it mean that such a princess would willingly destroy her own villages and towns just to go to war?”
“So you mean to say that the spirit was involved. What exactly is that spirit anyway?”

When I asked, Monobe showed me a picture book. I skimmed through the letters, quickly deciphering them with the help of my skills. The book was apparently meant for children. It stated, “In the past, nations prospered greatly with the help of the six spirits.”

At first glance, this seemed like it belonged to the realm of myths and fairy tales. After all, the book itself appeared to be a retelling of how the kingdoms became what they were today. A story of many years ago.

“Are you saying that what the book claims is true and that Fraus wants Nigel Kingdom’s spirit because theirs was stolen?”
“Looking at the current situation, it seems quite likely. Fairy tales like this aren’t as fictional as you might think. Even if the facts are distorted, I believe the fundamental elements of the story are true.”
“What do you think the role of the spirit is, Monobe?”
“A mechanism to make the kingdom prosper. I think it’s something equivalent to electricity on our planet. It enriches the land, and if it disappears, the food situation could deteriorate rapidly.”

I nodded in understanding. If Monobe’s explanation was correct, then the loss of the spirit could spell the death of the nation. The general public might not know about the spirits, but if the crops became tasteless or the harvests diminished, they’d vent their frustration at the leaders.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be even more difficult to act if Fraus defeats the Nigel Kingdom?”

Winning against the Nigel Kingdom would mean reclaiming the spirit, restoring its blessing, and preventing public frustration from building. The plan would become far more challenging to execute under those conditions. I wanted his thoughts on this, but instead of answering directly, Monobe countered with a question of his own.

“Do you think the one who stole Fraus’ spirit would be satisfied with just it?”
“I see. So, there’s a good chance they’re after the spirit of the Nigel Kingdom as well.
Or perhaps they’re trying to collect all the spirits¹.”
“Even though the bandit was revealed, I still think they are quite capable. Given that they could sneak into the royal castle of Fraus alone to steal the spirit. They’ll probably try to steal them during the confusion of war…”

It would take time, and it wasn’t a guarantee, but it seemed like a decent idea if we considered our safety.

“I see. Then let’s proceed with your plan for now, Monobe.”
“We also proceeded with my plan before. Are you really okay with this?”
“I am. I seem to be way too impatient. And, if we fail, I won’t blame you.”

I would convince him to go along with it, even though he was the one who suggested it. Somehow, I still felt responsible for the outcome. With only the two of us involved, it never felt right to place the full burden on anyone else.

“Okay. Well then, let’s keep an eye on things and have someone go to the villages and towns where the operations took place.”
“Why?”
“Maybe we’ll find evidence that one of our classmates was responsible for destroying them².”
“And maybe we won’t.”
“We’ll think of that when it comes to it. If we can find something that looks promising, we might be able to use it to our advantage. Even if we can’t use it, the last thing we want is to run out of options.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll leave it to you to decide when the time is right to go.”

Surely, it would be valuable if something with a royal coat of arms had fallen³. It might not be enough to persuade, but it could be enough to motivate. I quietly slipped out of the room, wondering who I should ask to go.

1. Robinxen: I wonder how they will react to the tree collapsing as the news spreads.
2. Robinxen: OH. So that’s how the sword duplicate is going to come into play. Wait but weren’t the swords deliberately generic? Will that actually tell them anything? Unless there’s something specific about Nigel’s swords that would make it distinct. Like a country that uses scimitars wouldn’t leave a longsword behind type of deal?
3. Robinxen: … are we really going to have a dumb situation where they used swords branded with the royal insignia for a false flag operation??????

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