Chapter 604 – Meetings and Resolutions

000

At the strategy meeting headquarters temporarily set up in the living room of the inn where Cleon is staying, tak, tak. And the chalk dancing on the blackboard continues to echo.

As if giving a lecture, the one moving the chalk with a concentrated expression was a red-haired magic girl. Lyla Flamewatch.

Looking at her small back her with a concentrated attitude are her colleagues, including Cleon.

Except for one-

“Ah! This tea is delicious~ Where did you get it from?”

“It must have come from the tea fields in the south… “

“I see~ Amelia is well-informed~”

It is Artis who pours the high-quality tea that should be enjoyed by taking a sip in one sip and then pours it from the kettle.

As soon as her voice breaks the mood, the tip of the chalk in Laila’s hand makes a cracking sound.

It’s not actually like that, but for some reason, along with the feeling that the temperature in the room has risen a little, I can see the vision of blazing flames burning around Layla.

And Sasha, who noticed Layla’s anger at her, glanced at Layla and Artis with a worried expression, and her gaze at her swam between the two.

“For a moment. The benefactor of the white robe. It’s too noisy anyway. Sasha, her sister her is making you uncomfortable.”

Ironically, when Hati, who notices Sasha’s condition her, speaks bitterly at Artis, who doesn’t care about others, Artis smiles generously and puts down the teacup.

“Lyla seemed nervous, so she was trying to relax. Do you have to think about it that seriously?”

“Does she need to think seriously…?”

This time, as Lila squeezes her hand hard, she hears the whole chalk itself crushing as her powder falls.

“Because you’re the only one here who isn’t serious right now!?”

And Gyaak! Calia nodded her head, as if she said it right, at Lyla’s attitude her as she screamed and turned her body to stare at Artis.

“You’re right. Artis. You need to be more careful. Are you serious about how to enjoy alcohol and tobacco?”

“Extreme vitriol… Did I do something?”

“This is the artifact you gave to Herti as a gift! You didn’t even tell me how to use it properly, and if you wield it, it would be attached to a nearby target. You should have told me that first!”

At Calia’s words her, Artis said ahh and nodded her head as if he understood why she was upset.

“Yeah, I gave it to Bahamut to use, but since Bahamut is gone~ I was going to tell you later. I feel sorry for Kshat, but you were able to get it out safely, right?”

“Yes… Thanks to Artis-sama’s help.”

Kshat also had a slightly drawn face, and recalled the scene where Fleur ran amok from earlier, and seemed a little discouraged.

Kshat himself had no way of knowing why she was so agitated, since Fleur never explained a word about the reason for her rampage her.

The way to break the ring was surprisingly simple.

All he thought about was to pull and loosen it, but when he held the ring with both hands and pushed it in once as if to tighten it, he heard a ‘click’ and the ring came out.

Of course, in the process, he tightened his neck slightly, but since it was only for a short time, there was no worry about any problems with his body.

‘If I couldn’t pull it, I should have pushed it~’, the proud face of Artis is still vivid in my mind.

“Should I say that Artis helped me with that? Or should I say it’s natural because it was Artis who provided the cause in the first place…”

“I should have asked when I got the present… It’s not Artis’ fault.”

When Cleon added bitterness to Artis’ actions as if his head hurt his, Hertie, who was next to him, was the only one defending Artis.

“Herti~ You’re the only one who thinks of me here~”

Saying that, Artis stretched out her arms to hug Hertie, but Bahamut sitting on Hertie’s lap her shook! Reject her by making a loud noise at her.

“Ah, Bahamut hates the smell of cigarettes… I’m sorry.”

And when Herti also turns down Artis, Layla bangs! And slapped her blackboard with the palm of her hand.

“To there! Small talk is no longer allowed! Because I have summarized the current situation in a way that is easy for all of you to understand!”

As if she were her teacher her, she looked at Lyla, who was talking with her glasses pulled out from somewhere, and her group of people closed her mouth and turned her gaze towards her.

So, Lyla nodded her head as if she liked that things had quieted down, cleared her throat once, then looked back at her blackboard her and started talking about her.

“First – the current situation in the East. For those of us who have escaped from the kingdom, the East is a place where Adam’s influence is less than that of the kingdom. I was thinking Actually, even in the Eastern countries, Adam’s hand was not insignificant.”

Figures related to Adam existing in the East.

It was presumed that the base of the returnees was in the Saryong Mountains in the north of the Eastern country.

An oriental aristocrat, the family of Enrai, who exerts influence in the political world.

And, the group of assassins, ‘Yamma’, who moved under Enrai’s orders.

“Although it can be said that the situation is much better than that of the kingdom where Adam’s influence was put into the establishment of the country itself. Still, I guess you can’t ignore it. In particular, since Enrai is directly connected to Adam, it is correct to assume that he is also connected to the Church of Exile, which can be said to be his limbs.”

“Still, did Cleon and Sasha go and destroy one of the three axes, Yeomma, today?”

When Artis raised her hand like that and pointed out Laila’s drawing of an oriental country surrounded by triangles on the blackboard, Laila nodded her head and drew an ‘X’ over the word YAM.

“Right. At least now you can think that the victims buried in darkness by the demons are gone. If possible, I tried to reveal the relationship between Enrai and Enma using them, but-“

They were silenced because of the intervention of Enrai, whom they thought would step on their tails.

By now, the raccoon must be soaked in the joy of overcoming the crisis.

“Ha, but. It’s not all gone. There is proof… Because Hati is there.”

“Yes. If you need my testimony, I’ll do it anytime. Enrai, I will pay the price. When would be good? Tonight… No, tomorrow morning is fine.”

Layla nods her head at Hati’s will her to betray them—no, to see her hatred for Enrai, who has been using her from the beginning.

“Of course I will do it sooner rather than later. But we need more conclusive evidence. Hati’s presence is obviously a trump card for us, but on top of that. A more solid basis for proving the connection between Enlai and Adam.”

“Why don’t you catch that Dharma… And make him open his mouth?”

When Sasha said that, Cleon thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“He’s not the type to open his mouth just because he’s caught. For some reason, magic doesn’t work on my body… And besides- I’m not an opponent I can fight with hand-to-hand combat.”

There were things I could know because I was an opponent I had fought in person.

At Cleon’s words, Lyla nodded her head.

“Right. If it’s a testimony, Hati is enough. Let’s find some more material material here.”

“Looking for it, where are you talking about?”

As if Layla said that she could guess, Calia asked her a question as if she was curious.

“Wherever, if Enrai is a noble, there must be a mansion, right?”

She said as if Lila was asking something obvious, and she momentarily shut her mouth as if everyone in the room didn’t understand what she was saying.

And- after a while.

“Now, now, now, wait a minute, Mr. Layla!?”

Sasha raises her voice at Lila as she gets herself up.

“That means we are going to rob Lord Enrai’s mansion. It is a daring operation.”

Kshat nodded her head in genuine admiration.

“Infiltration is my specialty. I will retrieve all the plausible things from Enrai’s mansion without being caught by the guards.”

Even Hati, who burns with enthusiasm.

With each her reacting differently, Calia put her hand on her chin as she closed her mouth with a slightly thoughtful expression, then looked back at her tea her.

Herti, too, was silently sparing—and then nodded.

“Indeed. It’s like stealing to catch the country’s thieves. Something, it feels like a bandit.”

While saying that, looking at her with a smile on her mouth as if she were having fun, Cleon spoke as if to her surprise her.

“I thought it would dry.”

“It can’t be. If necessary, it is our business motto not to hesitate to break through forcefully.”

In response to the conversation between the two, Lila was smart and tapped her blackboard to focus her group’s attention again.

“It’s good to be motivated, but that doesn’t mean they’re attacking right away. Even as an Enrai, I guess I need to focus my attention here and there as much as possible. If you do, boldly, and boldly.”

“Lyla… You’ve thought of quite a few things.”

When Cleon said that to Layla’s expression her, which she seemed to be somewhat happy, Layla reacted like a prick and then scratched her cheek while talking.

“What, what… In the capital, this and that. It’s because I just kept getting beaten up. This time, I counterattacked properly. I will make sure that this country is no longer in the hands of the Exiled Church. It’s an expression of will…”

“You’ve been thinking about the East so far…!”

Herti talks to her as if she’s a little moved, but Artis is beside her-

“No, maybe that’s just burning with anger because I lost…”

“Even if you feel that, I think it’s better not to say it… “

In the end, he was Artis, who even listened to Sasha’s bitter voice of hers.

“Great. So you’re saying there’s no disagreement with this plan?”

Lila’s OK. If no one answers, she nods her head in satisfaction and looks back to her blackboard her.

“The search for Enlai’s mansion will be during the Five Elements Festival. First, let’s talk about the operation. First-“

001

After Layla explained the operation, her group had no choice but to keep their mouths shut for a moment.

Everyone, should I say that she was a little distraught or distraught by what she said.

“…Lyla. Ever since she came to Touhou, I thought she had been confined to the workshop. When did she come up with this idea?”

“Our purpose was to finish preparing to give Adam a shot here. I was trying to gather as much information as possible. The five elements system will be an important turning point for us. If everything succeeds, the goal is to continue that momentum and go to the Dragon Mountains to catch the regressors. Got it?”

After Lila said that, she and the group gathered there nodded together.

“Okay, then the story changes a bit- but one more thing. Something about as important as anything related to Adam. It is the purification of the spirit vein of the Eastern country. No matter how much we exorcise the Exiled Church, if the problem of the Eastern country itself is not resolved, Adam will take advantage of the weakening gap and reach out again.”

“Because even the beauty dyer himself asked for it.”

Hertie nodded at Lila’s words her.

“Right. If this matter is resolved safely, the eastern countries will also be able to afford the upcoming direct conflict with the kingdom of Adam. First of all, what we need to find is the ‘Earth Dragon Gaios’. It is the only one of the five Elemental Dragons left on this continent, whose whereabouts are unknown.”

As she says so, she looks at Cleon, who adds an additional explanation to Layla’s words to her.

“It is said that Gaios was originally a dragon deeply related to this eastern country. Originally, it was said that the power of Gaios was needed to purify the earth’s spirit veins. However, Gaios erased all records about himself with his magic his and went into hiding. Maybe, even his own memories of him.”

“How do you find someone like that?”

In response to Hati’s natural doubt her, Cleon continued to talk to her.

“I am cooperating with Tenchi, who is the archivist in the palace. Gaios had ties to the Oberti family. The Oberti family was looking for Rakshasa. And- Nayuta, who was a former high priestess. If purifying the spirit vein is the role of the great priestess- Rakshasa is likely to have been related to Gaios as well.”

“There, is it an investigation into Rakshasa? I’ve heard about rachal before. Although the record was mostly consistent that it was a ‘bastard’.”

When a story related to archeology comes up, Artis, who changes his eyes, talks like that.

“Well, regardless of whether he’s a son of a bitch or not, it’s important to find an ‘accurate record’ about him. What you need there is Artis.”

“Is that what you said in the letter? The elf kept it.”

“Right. Novelist Kanon was an elf. In the ancient ruins where she is hiding, there was a technology that could observe Asteris here.”

“Ka, Kanon…!”

At that time, when Fleur raises her voice so rarely that others can hear it, everyone else’s eyes turn to that direction.

“Aww…”

Then Fleur lowered her head as if she couldn’t stand the gaze.

Kshat then looks back at the party and talks.

“Your lady has been an avid reader who has liked Mr. Kanon’s works for a long time… “

“Ah. Come to think of it, she liked romance novels. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Artis remembers Fleur’s hobbies and nods.

Fleur seemed to want to say something, but he kept hesitating, unable to get his voice her out properly.

Then, Cleon, who was watching it, seemed to notice something about her and spoke to her.

“… Then, do you want to go see me?”

“To…?”

When Fleur looks up at Cleon’s words and looks back at him, Cleon makes eye contact with Laila.

It must have been a confirmation that it would be okay.

When Lyla thought for a bit and then nodded, Cleon spoke to Fleur again.

“Because there are not many opportunities to meet the writers I admire in person. Besides, this time I’m getting help in this and that. Kanon too, because he seemed to really want to meet his fans his. How is it? I don’t think it’s a bad suggestion.”

“Ah- uh, that, that…”

Hearing Cleon’s story, Fleur quickly rolled her eyes under the gas mask draped over his face her and couldn’t speak properly.

“I-I’ll go…!”

And she spoke in a barely squeezed voice.

Phew, Kshat let out a relieved voice from the side.

“Of course, if you go, I will go too.”

“Well, only Kshat can interpret Fleur. Is that even necessary? Then the five of us… It might be a bit dangerous, right?”

When Lila says that, Cleon looks at her as if something is on the line.

“That’s right, the number of human beings that Kanon can deal with at once. You know what I saw last time? How antisocial you are.”

“Ah…”

She recalled the scene in her head and nodded as if she understood.

“It’s hard to say anything about Gaios unless you look at the canon records first. So, let’s continue tomorrow. Lastly, Hati.”

“Yes.”

At the sound of her voice her calling her own her, Hati looks back at Layla, and Layla talks to her.

“I heard the explanation that Hati became a disciple of Ruben, but first of all it is difficult to stay in this mansion. Because this mansion seems to be being watched by Enrai. It’s guarded by a barrier to some extent, but if you leave this mansion, you’ll be contacted right there.”

“Then, what if I don’t go out?”

“No. Hati has things I want her to do until the day of the operation. So I’ll leave it to Banguidae for a while. If it’s that way, I can move without being watched by anyone.”

“An anti-gwidae…”

Hati thought for a moment as she heard the words from Laila’s mouth her, then looked at Sasha.

“If Sasha-unnie allows it.”

“No, of course I allow it. Joe, you have to be careful.”

“Yes. Of course, sister.”

After giving Sasha a brisk nod, Laila sighs and looks at the blackboard on which she writes.

“—A little bit more. Until the day I return to the kingdom from this eastern country. Let’s win a victory so big that it’s more than enough to pay off everything we’ve suffered so far.”

Then, spinning her body around, Layla’s gaze fell on Cleon and Amelia.

“Right?”

“…Yes!”

Amelia responded with a vigorous nod, and Cleon strengthened his resolve while looking at Amelia.

“Then, since the meeting is over, let’s go get a drink! I know a good place to drink in the east.”

“Because I’m already prepared. You just need to go there. Ah, I sent someone to Mr. Quon earlier to ask to meet him there.”

“As expected, Herti~ I know you well~”

As Artis’ voice shattered the atmosphere, the night of Asteris was about to pass again.