Chapter 308 – 308. Everyone’s Second Countermeasures Meeting (4)

– One –

It was morning.

The party who had gathered for the meal all looked haggard.

“Huh~”

“Ugh… I’m sleepy…”

Because of repeated meetings until dawn, they were complaining of fatigue.

“Umm… Did everyone secretly have a banquet all night…?”

Lieutenant Fraffin, no, Fraffin, now a deserter officer, cautiously opens his mouth while noticing others.

Everyone’s eyes are focused on him.

Their expressions looked somewhat sad.

Only Urmama could not hide her bewildered expression.

“That can’t be the case. Let alone a banquet, they told me to just die at the meeting all night…

Everyone nods as Margarita lets out her sigh as she grumbles.

They were so tired that they couldn’t even get a good rest, which was largely due to Fraffin.

It was because he was walking in and out of the kitchen and wandering the hallways with a hungry stomach, disturbing the sound sleep of the Honeywetts and Margarita, three people with very sensitive senses.

In a way, it was natural that the three people’s gazes toward him were mixed with resentment.

“Ah, no, I didn’t do that on purpose…”

“Huaamam … Because I know that, everyone is not angry with the plaffin …”

Demosido mumbles rubbing her eyes.

As she gives a long yawn, Frapin looks away from her and looks away.

Valentine, who had been hovering nearby, approached,

“King, King! Panting heh heh heh!”

Chuck!

Put a foot stamp on his leg

Valentine seemed to be comforting Fraffin.

“Ah, ahaha… Yes, go, thank you…?”

By the time Fraffin let out an awkward laugh,

“Uh, uh uh? Fraffin bro! Watch out for him!”

“Why why…?”

Benison panics and warns him.

When Fraffin looked back at Benison with a puzzled face,

Hey hey hey.
Shiver.

“Ouch! What are you doing!”

Valentine pees at his feet.

The crotch of his pants soaks up urine.

Fraffin jumps up and hurriedly retreats.

“Ah, ahaha… I’m sorry, Fraffin-hyung… If Valentine has something he doesn’t like these days, he always marks the territory like that…”

“I see… It’s okay, I’ll wash up later…”

Dump.

Frapin slumps in her chair, exhausted.

He looked like he would have to eat a hearty meal today.

“Uh, everyone, hurry up and have breakfast and take a nap… I’ll do the dishes and tidy up after you…”

He voluntarily declared that he would take care of the tidying up in order to eat less of the fuss.

When he came out so low, everyone burst into laughter.

“It’s okay, Fraffin. We have a story to share with everyone, including you, so we can wrap it up and rest a little early today. So let’s all finish cleaning up quickly together.”

“Yes, yes, Sir Octopoda!”

“Just call me Octopoda.”

“All right.”

Dalgrak, moongrak.
Squeak, squeak.
Chap, Chap.

Fraffin then began to enjoy the meal with a slightly relaxed expression.

It was a relatively peaceful morning.

– 2 –

Squeak.

Brew tea according to each person’s taste, and Ada pours it into the teacup placed in front of the party.

Dalgrak.
Hurl.

As if she put her main focus on relieving fatigue, the expressions of those who drink her brewed tea gradually become more comfortable.

In fact, they were mentally exhausted from the long meeting, but not physically exhausted at all.

It was because Ada’s beginner healing method had already blown away the blood that was in their bodies.

What they paid attention to, Fraffin, was only a minor complaint about mental fatigue that had not yet been resolved.

Hurb.
Dalgrak.

“Praffin. I want to ask you something.”

Putting down the teacup, Demosi asked with a serious expression.

Fra Pin holds her shoulders tight and raises her head with a tense expression.

“Yes. Please speak, ma’am.”

At this moment, he had returned to the form of a full-fledged soldier.

It is because I felt a kind of awe at her figure, who steadfastly endured with a resolute appearance after overcoming the terrible memories of suffering together as prisoners and traitors.

“When Fra Pin sends a letter to a unit belonging to the Imperial Army, is there any means to clearly prove that he is an Imperial Army officer? For example, a password or a seal.”

“Um…”

Fraffin groaned and furrowed his brow.

He couldn’t easily answer her question.

Although he fell into the position of a deserter officer in the Imperial Army, he seemed reluctant to do anything that harmed the Imperial Army.

“I’m not asking you to tell me that.”

“Yes…?”

“We, to be honest, want to avoid clashes with the Imperial Army for the time being.”

She told Fra Finn the plans she and her colleagues had discussed all night.

Frapin nodded at her with her dazed face.

“… Looney, Fraffin checks the contents of the letter we want to send in advance, and if you don’t like it, it doesn’t matter if you don’t send it.”

“Such… Under those conditions, we can cooperate as much as we like.”

Although he was accused of being a traitor and was almost executed, the Imperial Army is an organization he has been attached to for years.

Knowing how terrifying their power was, he did not want to see the organization he was attached to unilaterally being overrun by them.

And if possible, he never wanted to see the Imperials lose even more disastrously by actively helping them.

However, it is true that he helped them to some extent, but it bothered me that they were also benefactors who saved his life.

Therefore, it was difficult to blindly reject their request.

That’s why they didn’t ask too much, he was very happy in his heart.

“I will tell you later about the contents of the letter to be delivered to the Imperial Army currently moving north. I would like to warn you in advance that you may be concerned about asking me to write down excessively nonsensical information, but for the time being, we will keep our actions from the eyes of the Imperial Army. I just want to hide it.”

“I understand what you mean, ma’am. If that’s the case, I’ll cooperate as much as I’d like, so please don’t worry too much.”

Chuck.

Fra Fin turns to her and reflexively bows her head.

For those who watched their negotiations, they were greatly relieved to hear his confirmation.

– 3 –

“Are you sure you’re okay, Mr. Slammer?”

“What. It’s not too difficult.”

“That’s not what you’re talking about.”

“Um…”

Slammer chooses silence.

It was because he was well aware that the method he proposed and took did not guarantee his safety.

“Yes, have we ever been safe? Since becoming the target of the Regal, we are all the same. We will not give up our ambition until he is dead, so there is only one way for us to escape his clutches and be safe. I have no choice but to.”

“Either kill Regal, or go to the side of the Goddess…”

“I know it well, yes. If we can’t overcome the current crisis even with some risk, we will all go to the side of the goddess. After being worked on, when the use is over, wouldn’t it be inevitable to die?”

“…”

Margarita’s face goes pale.

Because the future he foresaw seemed so clear.

“I don’t have much value, so I might be used as a suitable subject for human experimentation, or perhaps killed quickly, but you aren’t. I don’t want to see those who gave me a new life fall into that situation…”

“Yes, I see what you mean, mister.”

Jerk, jerk.
Zap, zap.

They walk side by side along the lake shore.

The place they were heading to was a thick reed field near the lakeside.

“Have you hidden them around here?”

“Yes. There is still plenty of time, so take this opportunity to look at it. It will definitely be more than you imagined.”

Looking at him, Margarita smiles.

She seemed somehow proud.

“For being so proud, I can’t see anything…”

Slammer murmured as he looked around.

There are no buildings to hide something in, and there are no large-scale materials stored outdoors.

“If you’ve left it open for anyone to discover, you wouldn’t say you hid it, would you?”

“Well, there’s a point in what you’re saying.”

Slammer nodded.

He turns to look at Margarita.

He was urging her with her eyes to reveal her secret.

“See this yearbook here? Remember this well.”

“Hmm. It’s definitely engraved in my eyes.”

His eyes light up

If it was such an unusual tree, it would not be easy to forget it.

“If you step on the trunk of the tree on the left here with your foot…”

Tuk-tuk.
Woo woo woo woo.

Margarita points with her foot at the protruding root, and presses her toe vigorously.

“Now, step back.”

“Huh…?”

Slammer looks at her with her bewildered eyes.

However, as she tells her to, she quietly withdraws.

Yet,

Gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg ggggg
Squeaky.

“100 million…?!”

The ground begins to vibrate.

Hooch is startled and panics.

Tok, tok.

As if to reassure him, she pats Hooch on the back a couple of times.

“What is this?!”

“It’s an engine device made by Monohon. It is said that it used a hydraulic cylinder and a pulley, but I was staring at it, but I didn’t know what it was. Besides, some of the mechanical devices were underground, so I couldn’t understand all of them.”

“That, is that so… That, then,”

Gulp.

Slammer swallows dry saliva.

He raises his trembling hand and points out a huge hole in the middle of the reed that splits left and right, slowly revealing itself.

“Under that pit…?”

“Yes. I hid everything down there.”

“My God… Not magic or witchcraft, but using only engineering techniques to create such a gigantic device?!”

“Yes. To borrow the words of Monohorn, as long as you have imagination and perseverance, there is nothing you can’t do.”

“My God… Goddess, my God…”

Swoop, squeak.
Tup.

He was making the sign of the cross and offering up his prayers.

He had to admit that he had underestimated Mono Horn, and his companions, even though he had already raised his rating once.

“Is he really…?”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

Slammer’s muttered words were so unclear that even Margarita couldn’t understand them.

However, it was certain that he felt an extremely great awe for the Monohorn.

“Go downstairs, Mr. Slammer.”

“Yes.”

Zap, zap.
Jerk, jerk.

This time, Margarita took the lead.

As if she was familiar with the place, she went straight through the darkness without tripping her feet.

Perhaps, through the breeze, he was forming a super sense similar to Estrus.

“It’s very dark, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. But the floor in the hallway is well polished, so it’s not too uncomfortable.”

“It’s good. If you go a little further, you can light up.”

“Okay.”

Tumble, Tumble.
Another angle, another angle.

They walk through the dark.

How far did they walk?

“Mister, I’m going to turn on the light now. The sudden bright light may hurt your eyes, so you’d better turn your back.”

“Okay.”

Swoop.
Click.

As Slammer turns his back, Margarita pulls the lever.

Immediately after that,

Fire, fire!
Fire!

The perch hanging on the wall all at once catches fire.

The smell of burning oil spread thickly, but soon it began to escape somewhere.

It was clear that this was a facility equipped with facilities for ventilation.

Slammer opens his eyes and looks back.

I look around in all directions with blank eyes.

“This, this…”

“Let me introduce you. They are our secret weapons, and weapons for the decisive battle of the Corps.”

Slammer couldn’t close her open mouth.

– 4 –

Smart smart

A knocking sound is heard in the study of the Octopoda couple.

“Huh? Who is it?”

“Yes, come in.”

Since there weren’t many people who would knock on their study and come in, Demosi raises her head with a puzzled expression.

Let’s look at the door

Profit.
Sleep.

A truly unexpected person enters their study.

He bows his head at the two of them.

“Welcome, Fraffin.”

Octopoda and Demosi greet him with smiles.

“Do you two have a moment to talk?”

“Sure. Have a seat.”

Demosi laughs and leads him to the tea table where they used to discuss and drink tea.

He sits at the table with an awkward expression.

“You must be busy, but I don’t know if you interrupted me or not.”

“No. I’m not so busy that I can’t find time to chat with my friends. I’ve already finished preparations for defeating the first expeditionary force, and there’s still plenty of time before the second expeditionary force heads north.”

“Then I’m glad.”

Octopoda also finishes what he was doing for a while and comes to the table where they are sitting.

He seemed quite curious.

“By the way, why did you come to visit my wife and I, Fraffin? I don’t think I’ve ever asked for a private conversation like this before, as far as I can remember.”

“That is…”

Fraffin lets out an awkward smile.

When he tried to speak, he seemed quite agitated.

“I hope you will listen and not laugh at me, Lord Octopoda and Lady Demosi.”

“My friend and I aren’t rude enough to laugh at a friend’s serious concern, even if it’s absurd, so please rest assured. Whatever it sounds like to us, it could be a very serious concern to the person concerned. Can fully understand.”

Fraffin’s expression relaxed.

At the same time, it is filled with satisfaction.

It seemed to be the satisfaction that comes from finding a good counselor.

“Actually, I seem to have lost my way…”

Fraffin struggles to open his mouth.

Hearing the words he uttered, the Octopoda couple’s eyes widen slightly.

It’s not because it’s funny, it’s because I was a little surprised to hear something so unexpected.

“It’s not that I’m young, but I’m having troubles like puberty kids, so I understand that it looks a little funny, but…”

“No, it’s not like that, Fraffin.”

Demosi opens her mouth in a determined voice.

She had a caring yet stern expression on her face.

“I was surprised for a moment because I was just so surprised, but when I heard it, it would be more appropriate to say that I was surprised because I thought I had overlooked a fact that was so obvious.”

“Ahhh…”

The concentration of emotion and relief hovering over Fraffin’s face deepens.

He feels that when the couple listens to his concerns seriously, it becomes much easier for him to come up with his next words.

“In fact, I know very well that feeling remorse for causing harm to the Imperial Army is nothing more than trivial self-satisfaction and hopeless deception. In a word, isn’t it just hypocrisy?”

“Um…”

Octopoda did not deny it.

No, I couldn’t

“Ever since I fully cooperated with all of you who already took the lives of 200,000 people in the 1st Expeditionary Force, and since I was saved by your hands, in the eyes of the Imperial Army, I have already become a real traitor who has committed acts of treachery. It is, isn’t it?”

“…”

Demosi is also silent.

It was because it was hard to find the logic to refute his words.

“I’m going to be listed as missing or dead now, but if I ever return to the Imperial Army, I’ll be held accountable for desertion immediately. And no matter how much I try to deny it, you guys saved my life. Whether it’s black magic, witchcraft, or torture, there are countless ways to find out, and the Imperial Army is not incompetent.”

“… That’s very likely.”

At Demosi’s reluctant affirmation, Fraffin smiled bitterly.

However, rather than clumsily comforting him with lies and hypocrisy, the cruel affirmation that made him face up to reality was much more comforting to him.

“Before, if I wanted to leave the Imperial Army half of my own accord, half of the other side, now I am in a situation where I can’t have that kind of thing. Moreover, to keep the fact that I belonged to the 1st Expeditionary Force from reaching the ears of the Imperial Army, I have been a fugitive for the rest of my life. It’s clear you have to live.”

“Umm…”

Octopoda groans.

“Before that day, there was an option to leave the Imperial Army voluntarily, whether it be retirement or dishonorable discharge, and live by doing whatever it was, and at the same time, there was an option to endure and remain in the Imperial Army even if it was not. If not, fight against the Imperial Army leadership , There must have been a way to prove that you helped rescue the Crown Prince and receive a reasonable price for it. But now… I’m at a loss as to how to live… There won’t be…”

Fraffin’s troubles were more serious than the couple thought.

The reason Fraffin got involved with them in the first place was because they used Fraffin to give Regal a shot.

Even if he got involved with them because he was just unlucky, and even if he tried to take care of himself, he cooperated with them because he had the cause of doing the right thing.

To rescue the kidnapped prince and to protect the imperial army from Monohorn’s wrath.

Those two causes were the main drivers that moved him.

But now, Fraffin has completely lost his place to go, just by choosing to cooperate with them.

If they feel a moral responsibility for it and do not take responsibility, it is the same as trampling on Fraffin’s right to live for their own benefit.

It was also an act no different from the bad karma that Regal had done.

“It’s everyone’s fault, so I won’t make a fuss about taking responsibility. I judged it and it’s the result of my choices. However, if you truly consider me a close friend, could you please give me some advice on my future path?”

His question was full of sobs.