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Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Kabur & Silavin
Following the failure of the adventurers’ private army, the <Shadow> also failed.
Amidio had never imagined that the Shadow would fail, let alone the adventurers, but the unexpected turn of events had finally pushed him into a corner.
He had never imagined that even the Shadow would be blocked in the capture of a mere group of adventurers.
Thinking about it calmly, it would have been reasonable to expect that they were using the same <Shadow> when they interfered with <Shadow>’s activities.
Unfortunately, the Shadow, whom Amidio trusted, was found this morning with wounds all over his body and was unable to report back to Amidio.
At that point, someone else had come to contact him, but Amidio could not believe the report that there was nothing the shadow could do to help him.
Amidio completely ignored the report that a mere adventurer might be using the same <Shadow>.
Amidio’s defeat was due to being too caught up in his own common sense.
At this point, however, Amidio had not given up.
He was taking steps towards a last ditch attempt.
Amidio, the ruler of the town of Eiren, was the absolute authority in the town.
Naturally, he would never bow down to anyone in the town.
Amidio was currently doing the unthinkable.
He was bowing to a certain item.
The thing was a communication device, and he was bowing to the person he was communicating with.
“Shadow failed?”
“Huh? Ye, yes. This morning it was found abandoned in front of my residence. I thought it had been handled privately, so the residents had not found it.”
“Well, that’s not what I meant. What did the Shadow say about how it was dealt with?”
“Huh? Eh, well, I was only told that it failed, but I don’t know exactly how…”
This was a lie by Amidio.
He had received the report, but he was too angry to ask for the exact details because he had immediately turned them away.
However, he had no intention of telling the correspondent every single detail of such a thing.
It could be taken as his own failure.
“An adventurer who can even repel the Shadow…?”
Amidio did not know whether he was aware of this or not.
The other party was silent for a while after muttering this.
During this time, Amidio did not speak to him.
He simply waited for the other party to say something.
There was such a gap between Amidio and the other party.
“… Well, it can’t be helped. Don’t make any more mistakes.”
“Oh, well then!”
“Very well. All right, I’ll allow it. I’ll send you the letter right away.”
“Thank you very much.”
“But…!”
Amidio’s body jerked at the sound of the other man’s voice.
“I will not allow you to just give orders and then stay in the house. You must go to the scene yourself.”
“What? But that’s not…”
Amidio himself knew that it would be useless for him to go there, as he had no background in the martial arts.
He didn’t feel the need to go with him.
“You yourself, go and take a good look at that adventurer’s face!”
“Yes, sir.”
Amidio had no choice but to bow his head in response to his speaker’s instructions.
Now he could no longer just stay in his mansion as he had done in the past.
In short, he had to take responsibility for himself.
But Amidio saw an opportunity.
He would not fail in his next move, no matter how hard they tried.
He was going to put out a force of that magnitude.
If that was the case, he could take credit for it.
Amidio was thinking like that.
***
Meanwhile, Amidio’s correspondent was lost in thought after he hung up.
“An adventurer who can defeat even the best Shadow…. Was it a mistake to give him permission? … No, I’m probably thinking too much.”
He shook his head after muttering that.
It was unlikely that a single party of adventurers would be able to prevent the next move.
After all, the opponent this time would be a regular army.
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“Oh, hey. I heard that the regular army is heading toward this city!”
At this information, the Inn’s cafeteria was abuzz for a moment.
The incoming regular army was said to be moving toward the town from the fortress where the checkpoint was located.
The regular army rarely came to this town.
Off-duty soldiers would probably go there to play.
However, the adventurers confirmed that the regular army would be armed, so it was certain that they were not of that kind.
“… So, what are you going to do?”
One of the adventurers asked Kousuke.
He must have understood what the regular army was heading this way for.
He was asking Kousuke and the others, who had previously demonstrated their overwhelming power, what they were doing.
Kousuke did not answer immediately.
“How big is the regular army that is coming toward us?”
“Oh, oh. Two platoons of infantry.”
In the Kingdom of Flores, a platoon of infantry consists of about fifty men.
In other words, about a hundred men had been deployed to contain the commotion.
When the adventurers at the inn heard this, they gulped.
Even knowing Mitsuki and Peach’s abilities, they probably thought that they could not take on two platoons.
“I see, a hundred regular soldiers…. What a waste of their time….”
Kousuke, on the other hand, only chuckled.
Mitsuki and Peach were also laughing.
Wanri had a blank expression on her face.
The adventurers saw this and laughed.
Seeing Kousuke and the others so completely unconcerned, they must have been able to predict what was going to happen to some extent.
But there was one problem.
“With the regular army, we can’t use the same tactics as before, I suppose?”
Kousuke was talking about the time when the private army of adventurers attacked him.
At that time, since they were dealing with adventurers, they were able to get away with a silly deception, but that would not be the case if they were dealing with a regular army.
“That’s true… Well, there are some moves that we can use because we are dealing with the regular army.”
Kousuke replied with a meaningful smile, and the adventurers shrugged their shoulders.
The adventurers here, because of what happened before, already did not consider Kousuke and the others to be mere adventurers in the slightest.
If Kousuke said he had a hand, then there was something to it.
They did not doubt that.
“I see. By the way, about us…”
Kousuke interrupted the adventurer, who was about to say something, with his hand.
“I’m sorry, but please don’t get involved this time, either. I mean, if you make a move this time, I won’t be able to protect all of you, you know? We are dealing with the regular army, after all.”
“…Muu.”
Kousuke was right.
If they tried to interfere in any way, it would be considered an attack on the military.
The same was true for Kousuke and the others, but even if Kousuke and the others were able to protect themselves, the others might not be able to.
Therefore, Kousuke did not let the other adventurers get involved in the situation.
“I’m sorry. I know you guys would probably want to go wild too, but the situation is what it is.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. There’s nothing we can do if we get caught for obstructing business or something.”
One of the female adventurers who had been listening to the conversation between Kousuke and the others interrupted the conversation.
Incidentally, Nana was firmly muffled at her feet.
“That’s how it is.”
Listening to the female adventurer’s words and to Kousuke’s nod, the adventurer nodded reluctantly.
“Well, it won’t turn out like you guys are worried about. You can watch with peace of mind.”
“Well, excuse me, but I’m not worried about you guys if it ends up in a battle.”
Kousuke couldn’t help but chuckle when the adventurers said that to him.
