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CHAPTER 226: HEIL’S INTENTIONS

CHAPTER 226: HEIL’S INTENTIONS

~Heil’s Point of View ~

「Well then, now that we have explained all of the current circumstances to you, is there anything else that you would like to ask us while we are being at it, Aun-san and the company?」

「Hmm? Kinu, what’s wrong?」

「Nnh. That should be all for today.」

The one who suddenly cut the conversation off at this point was the Fox Beastman called Kinu, who had been quiet up until just now.

The one who was the most wary of me while I was talking to Aun-san was not the two other people who were glaring at us with open hostility from behind the rest of our guests, but Kinu herself.

Her eyes were shining bright like transparent jewels…… But somehow I was getting a feeling like they could see right through my heart and soul, and she kept on staring at me like that with a piercing, dagger-like look, apparently not wanting to miss even the slightest of my every single move. It was because I soon realized that I did not tell them “our request,” and instead focused entirely on winning their trust and constructed the conversation around that one, singular point. And then those last words…… Except for the one move that was so natural that even my companions did not notice it at all, and that everyone else also happened to miss.

(It was a completely chilling sensation, to have someone see right through you as if you were saying the most obvious things in the entire world…… And here I was, thinking that I had a pretty good chance of winning this conversation.)

What I did was to force information onto them, disguised as compensation as well as an apology……

Aun-san and the other members of “Seiha” had only recently come to Wislo, so I knew they wanted information more than anything else, so I made this entire move with the belief that I could easily win this.

In the first place, information is a kind of “asset”, no matter where you go. Of course, it takes time and effort to research it and obtain it properly. If it was important information, the spy’s life could be put at a severe risk. Giving it to someone just to compensate for yesterday’s blunder was like a double-edged sword that could even work against the entire Clan in the long run.

However, because of this, the other person who was given the information almost for free would end up unconsciously feeling that they have to pay an equivalent amount for what they were given. Furthermore, if it would turn out later that the information was correct, not only would you be able to win their trust in an instant, but you could also manipulate their impressions and thoughts even further, which was a powerful advantage to have over someone.

The reason I decided to ask “Is there anything more that you would like to know while we are being at it?” was to get Aun-san to ask me about the information he himself wanted to know. By answering his questions now, I hoped they would feel even more grateful towards us, and it would make it easier for us to get our request through to them later.

And that request was for the allies of our Clan “Tekirana” to become enemies of the “Calvados” Clan in an open conflict.

(…… But, oh well, if she has seen through my thoughts and intentions to this extent, I have been completely and utterly defeated for today. I guess all that I could do now was to cover my own tracks so that they would not get suspicious of us or anything like that.)

「I see. Well, In that case, let’s call it a day for today, shall we? However, since we were not talking about proper compensation this time around, I will tell you, Aun-san and the company, anything about Wislo without any lies or beating around the bush. If you want to hear more, please come here again. Also, Kinu-san…… was it? Our feelings of gratitude for saving Curulario and our apologies for Clan Master Ciel’s reckless actions are nothing but genuine, I assure you. So please, there’s not need to be so cautious around us.」

「Mhm. I understand that. …… But it would be better for both of us if we left today’s conversation right here, exactly as it is.」

「…… Oh my, seriously. I can see that there is simply no beating you, Kinu-san.」

The information I found about the Clan called “Seiha” after the yesterday’s incident was that Aun-san had an overwhelming influence and took the lead unilaterally……to be honest, I thought it was a pretty crazy Clan. They arrived at Wislo in an airship, with a notice from the Empress Luna that was sent to the Adventurer’s Guild by express mail, and there were even rumors flying around that they had achieved incredible results during the Ibuldia Empire’s Invasion on Alto Kingdom despite the unfavorable situation of being on the defensive side.

That’s why I thought there might be an opening for us to exploit with them, but…… “Seiha” was more solid than I thought.

The aura of strength that the other members exuded was among the very best of Adventurers, even here in Wislo. I was convinced the moment I met them that they were an SS Rank Party for sure. On top of that, they even had Kinu-san, an extremely powerful hidden weapon when it comes to negotiations.

Added to that, the military strength that saw them go toe-to-toe with Ciel and the way he spoke without worrying about small details, there was no doubt that Aun-san himself possessed some truly exceptional charisma. In fact, Aun-san did most of the talking here, and the other members did not seem to say a word at all. ……Except for Kinu-san’s final remark.

Thinking about it all together, I don’t think my prediction was wrong at all. I needed to change my approach a bit though.

(Perhaps their strength is the reason they were able to enter Wislo with a small number of people without hiding any information about them.)

It was probably a blessing that we were able to learn about the characteristics of the “Seiha” Clan after talking to them today.

It was also a stroke of luck that we were able to contact them before “Calvados” did.

We did not know what “Calvados” would do from here on out, but “Seiha” will most probably be the center of the incoming storm. We needed to prepare accordingly for that.

「Ahh, umm……」

As I was thinking about this and seeing off Aun-san and the others as they left the “Tekirana” base, Curulario suddenly spoke up. His expression made me feel like he had made up his mind about something. Curulario was always to say something completely unexpected when he looked like this.

However, the atmosphere here seems to be the one of “Seiha” members patiently waiting for Curulario to say something next. Despite having a bad feeling about this, I realized that it would be difficult for me to say anything in this situation. All I could possibly do now was to pray that Curulario would not say anything too strange or offensive here.

「…… Aun-san, I have a request to make for you.」

「A request? Okay, what is it? I am going to listen to you, no matter what it might be.」

「Please! Would you do me the honor of becoming my Master!?」