Another side
“Now then, Dazzlo, tell me the details.”
Princess Anri encouraged Dazzlo to speak, her expression conveying that she already knew the conversation would be tiresome.
“Um, well, I think you already know, but the main instigators are from the Theocratic Nation Tris, and it seems the Eclair Kingdom is also involved in various ways to cooperate with them.”
“As expected. I thought it would be those countries if they were up to something. After all, they’ve attacked the Demon Lord’s Army twice and failed both times. They even lost valuable military strength in their second offensive.”
“They probably have no other choice.”
Princess Anri found the content of the conversation so predictable that even the act of elegantly drinking tea felt like a bother.
Her gaze was completely cold, as if to say that disrupting the actions of this alliance was the problem itself.
Dazzlo, while thinking to himself that this was completely him being blamed, reported the individually gathered information to his employer without speaking his mind.
He didn’t bother to record anything on paper to leave evidence.
Dazzlo’s ability to store all of it in his head showed considerable talent.
“It seems several Holy Swords have been taken from the temples.”
“I heard there are no Holy Swords that can actually be used?”
“There are a few worn-out Holy Swords that they’re prepared to break. They’ve probably brought out their antique collection. They seem to be having angels repair them.”
“Then, that means it’s a place that requires that much military strength. Dazzlo, do you have any familiarity with it?”
“I have absolutely no clue, yes, yes, I understand, I understand. I’ll investigate. I’ll investigate, so please stop smiling like that. That kind and beaming smile is terrifyingly scary for an old man like me.”
However, even that talent was not enough to satisfy Princess Anri.
Dazzlo had indeed uncovered the actions of their own allies’ covert operations. It was an achievement in itself that could be called a feat.
To demand more was, in a way, cruel.
However, to Princess Anri, it seemed as if Dazzlo was holding back.
Therefore, she smiled with a warm smile like the signs of spring, but to Dazzlo, it felt like he was looking at something more terrifying than a dragon’s glare, prompting him to declare his intention to work.
“If that’s the case, then please work harder from the beginning.”
“Don’t be unreasonable. It’s not worth it for me to deal with an inquisitor and the Kingdom’s First Knights’ Order by myself.”
“I’ll give you high marks for not saying you couldn’t do it, Dazzlo.”
“Only dogs get happy just by being praised~”
Dazzlo felt a pang of sadness considering that if those he was working for were truly allies, they would be worthy of the title. Furthermore, the information Dazzlo had obtained involved the most terrifying group in the religious nation, the inquisitors, whom he least wanted to deal with, combined with the First Knights’ Order, renowned as the strongest in the kingdom, led by its knight commander. He could feel his stomach churning with stress.
“Then there are no problems. You are like my dog.”
“Let me correct that. Even dogs don’t wag their tails if they aren’t given food.”
“Oh, do you want food?”
“I’m an adult who can work reasonably hard if I’m praised or promised a reward.”
“I’d love to hear you say that to the followers of Tris.”
“Please don’t! If you did, I’d go completely into seclusion. No matter how unreasonable your demands, Princess, I can endure for three days.”
“I can’t afford to delay work for three days, so I’ll endure… ”
Dazzlo gently held his stomach and took out a pill from his pocket, swallowing one. It seemed to be medicine that didn’t require water, as he didn’t drink anything else. However, it didn’t seem to take effect immediately, as he kept one hand on his stomach. He glared at Princess Anri, indicating that if she increased his stress any further, he would go on strike himself. Even Dazzlo’s seriousness was limited to three days. However, for Princess Anri, even those three days were precious time. Even long-lived elves consider three days precious.
“The Demon Lord’s movements have become difficult to track. Have you obtained any information regarding that?”
“That’s also been a complete dead end. Before, the inquisitors were catching Demon Lord-related individuals one after another, but for the past month, they’ve only been catching the lowest of the low.”
“We’ve also destroyed several organizations, but we haven’t been able to reach any that could be considered the main camp. As a result, all clues to the Demon Lord’s movements have been lost.”
They couldn’t grasp the Demon Lord’s movements. Was the allied side moving forward, or were they in pursuit?
“The dungeon routes to the ruins have also been systematically destroyed. Either the entrance on their side has been completely blocked, or something has been done to the exits on our side.”
Even that was now out of reach. These were dungeon routes that Dazzlo had painstakingly created.
“Haa, those people really do troublesome things. Originally, I planned to have Dazzlo continue in hiding for a few more years, consolidate our own forces, and then launch a full-scale attack.”
“Unpatient friends make things difficult. Why do they all want to work so much? I can’t understand it.”
Those routes were also sealed off during the great offensive, rendering all usable paths unusable. Princess Anri, understanding the reason for this, let out an obviously loud sigh.
“Vainglory must be that important to them.”
“Can you say that to them right at the end?”
“Let’s save that for when the Empire has to fight the Demon Lord’s Army alone, and we use them as shields then.”
“I sincerely pray for a day when it doesn’t come to that, old man.”
And with a great deal of sarcasm, he criticized the actions of the Theocratic Nation and the Kingdom.
“In that case, work diligently. The effects of the medicine should be kicking in by now, shouldn’t they?”
“Um, that medicine is just a regular stomach medicine? It just stops my stomach from hurting, it’s not some convenient drug that cures my fatigue.”
“I’ll have potions delivered later. For now, just understand that we urgently need to know about the secret machinations occurring between the two countries.”
“Yes, yes, you truly are a demanding mistress, aren’t you? Don’t you agree, Black Knight?”
Trying to avoid being assigned overtime by his employer, Dazzlo directed a hopeful glance towards the person standing behind Princess Anri, clad in a full suit of black armor despite being indoors, and spoke to him.
“……”
“You’re as silent as ever.”
However, no reply came from the armor. It wasn’t just a hollow decoration. As proof, there was a slight movement of his head towards Dazzlo. In other words, there were no other movements. Dazzlo, knowing the true identity of the person inside, wished they could get along a little better but resigned himself to the fact that it was impossible in his current state.
“Dazzlo.”
As if seeing through Dazzlo’s thoughts, Princess Anri called his name in a chilling tone. Hearing that tone, Dazzlo’s intuition sounded an alarm, crying out “Danger!” The Black Knight was Princess Anri’s favorite. Any undue interference could lead to merciless punishment. Dazzlo believed he had maintained a clear boundary, but it seemed he had overstepped it slightly.
“I understand, I understand. In that case, I have to get to work, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“I’ll be waiting for good news, specifically, the objectives of those two countries and the Demon Lord’s Army’s new information transmission methods.”
“Ugh, that’s another unreasonable demand. Or rather, have my tasks increased?”
If his punishment was to be an increase in work, he wouldn’t be able to stand it. Thinking this, Dazzlo rose from his seat and left. Princess Anri would undoubtedly continue to meticulously examine documents and information. Knowing his employer, who was always diligent in preparing the battlefield, not just with words, Dazzlo, even though he craved a state of degeneracy, felt a spark of willingness to work.
“Haa, but where do I even begin?”
However, that mere spark of willingness to work wouldn’t solve the current situation.
“We’re supposed to be looking in the same direction, but we’re looking at different mountains. They seem united, but their strides are different. Haa, truly, whether it’s a country, a group, or simply people, they’re all such troublesome individuals.”
It wasn’t that they were completely unorganized, but the relationship was only a fragile unity that Princess Anri, his employer, had created. Dazzlo let out a big sigh. He fully understood his employer’s exceptional talent. She was extremely curious and would persistently acquire anyone she took a liking to. However, she also did her work thoroughly. Because of her nature, her subordinates worked well. Dazzlo and the Black Knight were the exceptions. While she usually acted like a sheltered princess, she revealed her darker side only to them.
“Oops, is it already time for work?”
Unlike the darkened continent, Isal, where it never got dark, would not allow for darkness deep enough to conceal oneself. Therefore, when gathering information, it was difficult to escape the crucial element of being seen. However, this was where his upbringing came into play. Dazzlo felt it would be easier to live on a continent where it was easier to hide, but that didn’t mean he was bad at espionage activities here. It was impossible to reach the location where he could obtain the necessary information within a few minutes of leaving his mansion. Nevertheless, Dazzlo said it was work.
“Um, the deployment of the elite troop is…”
As if whispers were coming from empty space, information flowed into him one after another. It wasn’t eavesdropping through magic. Nor was it the mechanical eavesdropping used by the Demon Lord’s Army. So how was it done? Dazzlo walked around for several minutes, muttering indistinctly, while being mindful of his surroundings to avoid being seen by anyone, as if he were on a stroll.
“…Haa, lip-reading is tiring, you know. But well, since the magic wavelength is hard to detect, long-distance surveillance is the only option for information gathering.”
His movements were also calculated to measure the distance to his familiars and to position himself for optimal information reception. If asked what he was doing, Dazzlo would simply say that he used small animals like birds as familiars, applied multiple spells for enhanced eyesight and shared vision in various locations, and was reading the lips of all of them. To an ordinary person, it would be utterly baffling, a godlike feat. If he focused on one location, he could probably do it.
“There’s movement in the Knights’ Order, they’ve clearly separated the diversionary tactics from the main objective, which is considerate. It makes their actions easy to predict. And, oh, I feel sick. Why do the inquisitors always do things that are so disgusting? Do they have a personality that can only be satisfied by grinding living beings into mince?”
However, if someone had overheard these mutterings, they might have realized that this man was monitoring multiple locations. But bound by common sense, such an idea wouldn’t arise. Or rather, it could be said that few people possessed the capacity for such thought.
“Still, it’s helpful. By reading the movements of their limbs, I can predict their actions to some extent. It also makes it easier to figure out who to monitor.”
And Dazzlo made a point of minimizing contact with those who could deduce such things. One might think this would lower the accuracy of his information, but it was a reversal reversal of thinking. No matter how amazing someone is, there are limits to what they can do alone. The brain needs limbs. If you can read all of their limbs, you can infer what the brain wants to do. And limbs have no eyes, ears, nose, or mouths. Therefore, they are easy to monitor.
“Well then, time for work, time for work. It’s boring, but I can’t do the things I like if I don’t work.”
Dazzlo possessed a difference in perspective.
Today’s Word: Doing things secretly has meaning.
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