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CHAPTER 254 – EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE TEKIRANA ALLIANCE 1

—Wislo Second District—

It was late into the night, and the city lights had thinned out. That’s when Shinku and I arrived at the Tekirana Clan House.

「…Aun-sama.」

「Yeah, we’re being watched. Two of them, hiding three alleys over… Almost certainly Calvados members.」

「Should I take care of them?」

「No, best to leave them be. The more attention we draw, the easier it’ll be for Curu to stay hidden.」

「Understood.」

By boldly entering through the front door, we could not only draw the attention of Calvados scouts, but also divert the focus of other clans siding with the second faction, beyond just Ciel and Heil.

Ciel and the others had already agreed that all information regarding Curu—even his very existence—would remain top secret. The fact that he was an unknown factor was exactly what could yield the greatest tactical advantage. Which meant even allies had to be kept in the dark.

「Hey! We’re here!」

「Please don’t shout, Aun-san!」

As I knocked loudly on the door, a member of Tekirana quickly unlocked it and ushered us inside.

「My bad, my bad. Since we got the time and place for the meeting, I just figured the door’d be open.」

「It’s a confidential meeting. Please try not to draw attention.」

「Yeah, yeah, I got it. So, which room’s the talk happening in?」

「It’s at the far end of the second floor. Everyone else is already present, so I’ll guide you right away.」

Following a neatly dressed woman—polished, by adventurer standards—Shinku and I climbed the stairs. When the door at the end opened, we were hit by a wave of tense air.

The people already seated inside gave us a glance, each reacting differently: shock, hope, unease, suspicion, blank stares. Judging by that mix, it wasn’t just the second faction centered around Tekirana—some clan masters from previously neutral third factions must have been invited too.

Tekirana was staking everything on this large-scale liberation battle. Their attitude made that clear—they’d do anything they could, no matter the cost.

At the head of the long table setup were Ciel and Heil. Ciel wore the same unreadable expression as always, while Heil approached us under the pretense of greeting, then leaned in to whisper.

「Aun-san, we’ve been waiting. I was getting real antsy thinking you might not show.」

「Well, I’m not completely uninvolved in all this. Also, that ‘certain something’ made it just in time.」

「Seriously!? What kind of magic did you pull off…? Wait, then, it’s here?」

「Yeah. It’s hidden well. Oh, and just so we’re clear—our support ends here.」

「Knew you’d say that… Well, fair enough.」

Along with confirming that Curu was hidden nearby, I made our stance crystal clear—all without letting the others overhear.

We were subtly guided to two open seats. I sat, while Shinku remained standing behind me, playing the role of a proper attendant.

After sitting himself down for a moment, Heil stood up again and formally opened the meeting.

「Everyone, thank you for gathering at this late hour. I think most of you already know one another, seeing as you’re all core figures of your respective clans based here in Wislo. Time’s short, so I’ll skip introductions and get right to it.」

As expected, the people gathered here were mostly clan masters and sub-masters.

Since we’d come and gone through the Adventurers’ Guild countless times, it was clear many of them recognized us as well.

「First off, I’ll give you a rough outline of the day of the operation. After that, we’ll need everyone here to make a final decision about whether or not you’re joining. This is to prevent any leaks, so I hope you’ll understand. The operation will commence three days from now at noon. The plan is to launch a simultaneous assault on the sealed floors of the Supreme-rank dungeon—the Dragon Tower—and the Advanced-rank dungeon—the Lion Tower.」

「Hold on. How can you even think about coordinating an operation or deployment without solid numbers? And a simultaneous assault? You’re sure this strategy has a real shot at working?」

「Good question. First, we already have a general idea of who intends to participate and who doesn’t. As for the plan’s chances—frankly, they’re quite high. That said, if some of the undecided clans here agree to join, those chances only improve.」

「But if you’re not sharing the full plan until the night before, how are we supposed to prepare supplies? Some things aren’t easy to scrounge up last minute.」

「Each clan’s number of members and planned participants differs. That’s why we’ve already handed out lists of what we’ll need you to prepare. Also, based on logistics movements, we’ve got a decent sense of how much each clan’s already stockpiled.」

「Tch… So you’ve been keeping tabs on who’s planning to join based on their supply orders? Don’t you think that’s a bit much, treating your allies like that?」

「Yeah, exactly. Digging into the clans you’re supposed to fight beside—how’s that supposed to build trust?」

「They’re right! There was no need to go that far!」

Heil had deliberately admitted to investigating the clans’ preparations and intentions ahead of time. And as soon as he said it, the room erupted in backlash.

I briefly wondered if he’d miscalculated—but there’s no way that scheming bastard would make a mistake like that.

And sure enough—just before he spoke again, I caught a subtle smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.