Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 369

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Another side

Dazzlo, a Court Mage of the Empire, remained there with an outwardly lazy attitude to avoid being discovered by the Demon Lord’s Army soldiers, surrounded by a forest. However, the barrier he had set up was a masterpiece. The barrier’s effects included concealment, blocking sounds from inside to outside, and blending the temporary base into the surrounding scenery. Within such a barrier, Dazzlo silently listened to the audio flowing from the crystal before him.

“Hey, don’t push yourself. You were unconscious until just a moment ago, you know?”
“It’s alright. Besides, I can’t sleep when something so important is happening in the village.”

As he listened to the conversation between the Dark Elf who had set things up and the accompanying Dark Elf, he realized they were moving. And their destination was somewhere Dazzlo believed a very important person to him was located.

“Stop! What business do you have here!”

Realizing they had reached their destination as their progress was halted by a loud voice, Dazzlo focused even more, listening to every word. His expression was not that of the usual lazy man, but of one fulfilling a mission.

“I am accompanying the survivor that the soldier just asked about! this man regained consciousness after an attack, so I brought him here!”

Minimizing magic manipulation and maximizing secrecy, he watched the conversation unfold. If he acted carelessly, Dazzlo’s plan would be exposed. He absolutely could not let that happen, and if necessary, he even considered the self-destruction of the magic stone he had swallowed, leaving the outcome to fate.

“What? Understood. Wait a moment.”

The soldier’s reaction was positive. Currently, the Demon Lord’s Army must be eager for any information regarding the devastation Dazzlo had caused. Dazzlo figured that disguised as natural eyewitness accounts rather than obviously suspicious information, he could extract some information from the other side.

“Confirmation is complete. You may enter. Tree King-sama is waiting.”

He had no time to rejoice that his prediction was correct. Dazzlo tensed, knowing this was where the real work began. A brief silence followed, and then…

“Tree King-sama, I have brought the survivor.”
“Enter.”

The time had come. A resolute voice he had never heard before. With that tone, Dazzlo inwardly rejoiced that he had unexpectedly reeled in a big fish. Dazzlo knew of the title “Tree King” only through knowledge. Its name had come up in battles against past Demon Lords, and it was the being that unified the Dark Elf race. He had never expected to come into contact with such an existence so soon. While contemplating this, the man with the embedded magic stone presumably entered the room where the Tree King resided.

“It is an honor to meet you, Tree King-sama. I am Hulk, the guardian of the village.”
“Please, make yourself comfortable. First, I thank you for coming despite your injuries.”
“Thank you.”

The exchange clearly showed the hierarchy. Though unseen, Hulk, the Dark Elf, was kneeling, and the woman known as the Tree King was comforting him. He could tell from her voice alone. This woman was definitely not twisted. Dazzlo wondered if he could trade her for his own lord, the princess who loved clandestine operations and hid her emotions behind a smile, but he put his work first.

“As time is short, I will be direct. The attacks by the magic beasts have not stopped. Please tell me what happened here.”

Would his plan, with the thread, hook, and bait, bear fruit? From here on, it was a branching point between expending effort or achieving results.

“Understood. I will tell you everything I know.”

What would be gained by implanting false memories?

“Please, I hope it yields results commensurate with the time wasted from my valuable time.”

Dazzlo’s complaint, muttered because he had no fear of being overheard, was understandable. After all, even though the time Dazzlo spent manipulating Hulk’s memories was brief, the effort he put in to ensure no flaws would have normally required a normal mage to sacrifice their life. It was only natural for him to expect results commensurate with that effort.

“From when I entered the forest…”

Hulk’s story began without any alterations but gradually changed, leading to a certain narrative. He noticed the anomaly in the forest, then the attack of the magic beasts. Up to that point, the story was unchanged. The part about desperately defending with his comrades was, from Dazzlo’s perspective, the story of the very person who caused the attack. He found listening to what he already knew a bit tedious, but he prayed it would serve as a material to increase credibility.

“Despite our earnest efforts, we were outmatched, and this is the result.”

He finished describing being attacked, and the story seemed to conclude without anything particularly noteworthy.

“Is that so? Was there anything unusual you noticed?”

This was the question he had been waiting for.

“Something unusual, you say?”

Memory manipulation is not a convenient tool that can change anything and everything. If a sense of incongruity arises, it leads to memory discrepancies and confusion. Furthermore, what can be done is to erase or add, but replacing memories is nearly impossible. The more it is tampered with, the greater the danger; it is a double-edged sword. And the reason he wanted to perform such a dangerous procedure. In other words…

“Come to think of it…”

Making the incongruity seem like a sudden recollection. Even if the person whose memory was manipulated only felt it as a slight incongruity.

“There were no “wolves.” Normally, there are at least a few.”

Even if they didn’t attach great importance to this information, they couldn’t ignore it.

“Is that true?”
“Yes, I didn’t see any when I was fighting.”

The absence of a normally present entity is an abnormal situation. It makes one suspect something. In fact, Dazzlo had brought the wolf magic beasts under his control and manipulated them to not show themselves.

“Indeed, there were no wolf-type magic beasts among the defeated monsters.”
“…I see, understood. Was there anything else?”
“No, nothing other than that.”

How would they react to this bait? Would they ignore it or investigate? In information warfare, the key is to gradually release one’s information without the opponent realizing it. Giving too much information to the opponent will make them suspect ulterior motives.

“Understood. Then…”

Unfortunately, Dazzlo sensed a miss, as he couldn’t offer his personal opinion.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, a third voice chimed in. Dazzlo’s intuition whispered that he couldn’t let this person escape. Someone who could interrupt the Tree King, a being of high status. It wasn’t just intuition; Dazzlo was intrigued by someone who could do something so reckless so easily.

“…Something?”

Though the tone remained unchanged, the Tree King’s voice sounded unwelcoming to the statement. However, she didn’t reprimand him. Who is this being? Dazzlo’s doubts grew deeper.

“Could you please let me gather information about those wolves!”

What is this guy saying? Dazzlo’s mind was filled with question marks at the speaker’s words. Is this person interrupting the highest authority for such a trivial statement? Dazzlo began to think that this person was someone he absolutely should not get involved with. Instead of the fish he intended to catch, a different fish had bitten. He couldn’t fathom the intentions behind this statement.

“…”

If this were the Empire, he could be beheaded on the spot and wouldn’t have grounds to complain. His voice was certainly full of confidence, but to Dazzlo, it was the reckless bravery of a noble trying to show off. He nervously anticipated the subsequent judgment, thinking it was someone else’s problem.

“Haa, understood. I will include you in the unit that will be organized later. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes! Thank you.”

That prediction was betrayed.

“What is this guy? Is he some kind of noble’s spoiled brat, perhaps?”

Dazzlo, who had not expected his statement to be accepted, frankly voiced a possible explanation, but it didn’t quite sit right. The being called the Tree King shouldn’t have allowed such reckless behavior so easily, and the fact that she would incorporate him into a unit, rather than appointing him as its leader, further fueled his suspicion. While he felt something was going on, he also thought, “This kind of earnest kid with illusions must be a favorite of the Princess.” Dazzlo knew of beings who loved to manipulate things from the shadows and wondered if he should sacrifice him to avoid being involved. Furthermore, based on his experience, he deduced that he should confirm this man’s position.

“Haa, I intended to investigate the Demon Lord’s Army, but now I have extra work.”

He calculated how many magic beasts he had for espionage or how many he would need, then crushed the magic stones used for eavesdropping to destroy the evidence. He might have been able to obtain more information, but leaving it behind could mean handing over information that would undermine the core role of the magic beast offensive. He still couldn’t let them know of his existence. With that thought, he moved away from the spot.

“Ah, you go back to your nest and bring reinforcements. It seems we’ll need some combat power for this investigation.”

At that moment, he sent off a wolf magic beast that was standing by.

“Haa, to think I have to clash with a Demon Lord’s Army executive. I’ll blame the Princess.”

Dazzlo judged that the battle that was about to happen was unavoidable. After all, he had to launch an offensive so powerful that his presence wouldn’t be noticed. Grumbling and complaining, Dazzlo melted into the darkness of the forest.

—

Another side End

I learned that the Dark Elf village I had visited for training had been attacked when Keiri-san told me after we returned from the Dragon King’s Dungeon.

“Is everything alright?”
“Yes, Lunaria-sama moved quickly, so I don’t think there will be any further damage.”
“Ah, if it’s her, then it’s fine. Someone of the same caliber as the instructors wouldn’t be easily outdone, would they?”

Hearing that the village I had been indebted to was suffering damage from magic beasts, I thought it was serious. However, the fact that Keiri-san was informing me meant there was nothing for me to do. I understood that acting rashly could be an overreach, so I was fine with it if there were no problems.

“It’s not that there are no problems, though…”

However, Keiri-san seemed to have information I didn’t know. Sighing, she beckoned me with her index finger as if to declare she was about to complain, and then, speaking as if sharing a secret, she looked around cautiously.

“Just between us, Himusumi and Ms. Kawasaki from the Third Division apparently went with Lunaria-sama.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I don’t know. I only found out by chance while researching the magic beast subjugation. Because of it, the Section Chief of the Third Division who found out is apparently quite angry.”
“Without permission?”
“Yes, it seems they acted on their own initiative. Since Lunaria-sama is there, there probably won’t be any trouble, but it will be tough when they get back.”

Keiri-san cynically informed me about what happened in the Third Division. Why Himusumi and Ms. Kawasaki accompanied her outside their division was a matter not worth considering. From my perspective, I wanted to say, “At least get permission,” but I didn’t think the Section Chief of the Third Division would grant permission. I surmised that Himusumi acted knowing this and would seek retroactive approval.

“I just hope they don’t cause any trouble for us.”
“That’s true.”

Himusumi’s actions, which could be seen as arbitrary, could potentially affect other Dungeon Testers. I thought I should make it known later.

“Ah, and one more thing.”
“There’s more?”
“What? Are you saying you don’t want to hear my information?”
“Stop clinging to me like you’re drunk.”

I rarely have good memories of being told something else after hearing unpleasant news. Apologizing for showing my displeasure and cautioning her on her choice of words, I asked what had happened.

“So, what happened?”
“It’s not that something happened, but rather that it’s something I wanted to ask about.”
“Something you wanted to ask about?”

Usually, I ask more questions, so it was unusual for Keiri-san to ask me.

“What is it?”
“I overheard something. In Kanagawa, the neighboring prefecture, was it?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Recently, there was talk of a saintess who performs miracles there.”
“That sounds rather occult.”

I wondered if she had seen it on an occult TV show, but I supposed mysteries do exist in Japan. I wondered if perhaps my aunt’s situation had leaked and urged her to continue.

“It’s something that came up on our information network. Apparently, there’s a blonde woman who can instantaneously heal wounds.”
“That kind of thing? Then… it’s real?”

But I heard it was information from the scout team of Dungeon Testers. At that point, it became a serious matter.

“If they aren’t scouting her, there must be a reason, right?”
“Yes, I heard that when the scout team approached the vicinity, there was a magic power reaction. Because of that, the HR department is currently confirming with the Japanese Government.”

Seeing Keiri-san laugh, half-jokingly, as if a hero had been born, I could only laugh too.

“Perhaps, she might be a visitor from another world.”

I left those words, half in jest.

Today’s word:
Isn’t it funny when things are happening that you don’t know about?

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*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
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