Chapter 35: A Call for Scouting
Lupy made her way to the bakery that Anne seemed to use as a home base. Although the girl was told to take some time off from this part-time job and keep a low profile by adventuring, she still had a couple of days before Kat was planning to get everyone together again. Maybe Anne could suggest something for her to do that wasn’t too risky.
The shop was closed again, although a clerk dutifully sat near the entrance, screening would-be intruders. He nodded at Lupy as she entered, clearly already familiar with her. Lupy proceeded to the backroom, where those strange guys would normally hang out and lob weird puns at her. Thankfully, they weren’t there this time. She continued towards the offices in the back where Anne brought her previously.
As she neared the office, she overheard a conversation between Anne and another man, probably the man who had first overseen her combat testing not long ago. She wasn’t sure whether to quickly get their attention, back away so as not to interrupt them or eavesdrop, or stay and listen. Oh, wait, wasn’t she supposed to be a spy for DM? She should probably just listen. If she blew it and lost her source of snacks it would be a bit disappointing, though.
“…s one’s supposedly much better than the last, inheritance aside,” echoed Anne’s muffled voice from beyond the office door.
“Oh. That wolf girl…”
“Yeah?”
“One of her adventuring friends was adopted into the Lord’s brother’s family or something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know the details. We just found that out today.”
“Did I screw up somehow?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, it seems like a coincidence.”
“Couldn’t someone have realized our connection to—“
“Nobody in the Twin Cities. With the time delay communicating between here and the capital, I really doubt—“
“But just to be safe—”
“Anne, don’t you have her on a break right now?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want things escalating after how she handled—“
“Oh I’m not criticizing your decision at all. I just mean we can keep her at arm’s length while we look into this.”
“True.”
“Personally, I’m banking on us not finding anything else. If that’s all, I’m not giving up on her.”
“You’re that invested?”
“From what you told me, she’s every bit as talented as I thought.”
“Well, I am known for my keen eagle eyes.”
“With a body like that? Doesn’t even—”
“Not everyone’s as comfortable with beast-kin…”
Although Lupy was surprised to hear herself mentioned, she eventually lost interest in the conversation and turned around. It didn’t seem like now was a good time to seek out something to do. As she passed through the front end of the shop again, the guard spoke to her.
“Leaving so soon?”
“Yeah. They seem busy. Oh, can I…?” Lupy gestured towards some of the leftover food items that were still sitting around.
The man just laughed and gestured for her to feel free, not realizing that she had actually skillfully changed the topic to cover up her eavesdropping.
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Olivia finished briefing the Guild Master on what DM had told her. He thanked her for the good work and dismissed her, asking her to send another staff member over on her way out. Judging from her facial expression, she still wasn’t used to receiving polite treatment and praise from the Guild Master. She’d earned it, though, becoming an effective liaison in such an unusual circumstance. Still, the Guild Master had forced himself to seem calmer than he actually was.
With her out of the room, DM could no longer spy on the conversation that followed.
“Guild Master, what did Olivia report?”
“According to DM, the Union has sent a literal army into the dungeon in the Upper Gordu.”
“What? Why? Wait, are they planning to…”
“We don’t know. According to Olivia, DM suspects they blame the Holy State for seizing control of the dungeon.”
“Because it’s linked now with our dungeon?”
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“Yes. I don’t think they’re going to do you know what with the dungeon, but they might control who goes in and out.”
“Guild Master, might they cross the border? Shouldn’t we inform—“
“That’s why you’re here. Go straight to the Lord’s office and drop this bomb in his lap.”
“Sir, shouldn’t you be the one to go?”
“Normally yes, but this makes things complicated. I need to work out the Guild’s stance with everyone else. It’s been a long time since a foreign army attacked a city with a Guild Branch in this part of the world. Tell the Lord the report is trustworthy but unverified, and we don’t know anything aside from what’s happening inside the dungeon in the Upper Gordu.”
“It’s a shame you won’t get to see the look on this new Lord’s face.”
Under his breath, the Guild Master mumbled, “It’s too bad those elves already left…”
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A runner from the Guild found Bandit and sent her to meet with the Guild Master. She entered his office, closed the door, and had a seat.
“I heard from Thaw that your initial training is done and you can be trusted with missions from me now.”
Bandit nodded.
“You’ll get some more training later, but until then you work for me, is that understood.”
“Yes,” she lied, not just because Thaw had told her agents work directly for the capital branch, but also because she was really spying on behalf of DM.
“Well, I’ve got your first mission for you.”
The Guild Master summarized everything Olivia had told him and explained that he had already sent someone to report this all to the Lord.
“Wow…”
“Yes, this is potentially a really big deal, Nina. War is especially complicated for the Guild. Most of all, I need to know what’s really happening out there. I did the minimum required of me by sharing what I learned with the Lord, but now I need you to be my eyes and ears.”
The Guild Master pointed to a map of the region, emphasizing different locations as he spoke.
“Surely the Lord will send out his own scouts soon, but I want you to get ahead of them and stay out of sight. First, stop by the dungeon in the Lower Gordu and verify it’s not being monitored by the Union or anyone else suspicious. If it is, come right back and tell me.” He looked up from the map and glared at Bandit.
Bandit nodded in recognition so he continued.
“Otherwise, proceed directly to the border and scout it from here to here. Once again, as soon as you learn anything come straight back. If not, cross the border carefully and travel as far as the dungeon in the Upper Gordu, staying out of sight.”
“If I spot a lone soldier, can I try to get information?”
“Since you’re one of Thaw’s students, I won’t even ask what methods you have in mind, but use your own judgment. Make sure to keep the Guild’s involvement secret.”
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Vulp was actually present in the Lord’s office as an observer when the Guild messenger arrived. After receiving the report, the Lord dismissed the messenger and started discussing the news with his advisors.
“We need to request reinforcements from the capital and other domains,” suggested one staffer.
“No, we can’t do that until we gather more information,” argued another. “We need to send out scouts right away while we reorganize the local forces and draft—“
“Draft, just based on that report!?” the Lord shouted. “Forcing barely-trained citizens to take up weapons is a last resort. Is that clear?”
He looked around the room at his startled advisors, most of whom at least nodded at his prompting. His eyes suddenly landed on Vulp standing at the far end of the room.
“Oh, I forgot you were even there. Vulp, what do you think we should do?”
“Um…” She hesitated in front of all these important people, not wanting to sound dumb. “We should force the soldiers to leave the Upper Gordu Dungeon.”
“What!?” a couple of the Lord’s staff exclaimed, but the Lord drowned them out with booming laughter.
“That’s great, Vulp. You’re ready to lead my army into a neighboring nation in order to clear enemy soldiers out of a dungeon. You must have really liked that dungeon, young miss adventurer.”
A few others nervously laughed along.
“I did!”
“Well, dungeons are a precious resource, and my son does share your love of them. Were that dungeon just a little further south, perhaps we’d be doing exactly what you said. But no, it’s premature to declare war on the Union. We will deploy scouts, of course.”
The Lord gestured to another man who jogged out of the room, presumably to get some horsemen ready to depart.
The Lord turned back to Vulp. “If this does turn to war, do you want to join the battlefield or stay here?”
“M—My Lord, all joking aside, we couldn’t possibly expect—“
“The battlefield.”
“—a young girl to—what?”
“Hah, she silenced you good.” The Lord addressed Vulp again. “Forgive me, I’m a bit giddy. I didn’t think I’d be tested like this so soon after assuming this post, you see. I have to ask. Why are you feeling such aggression towards the Union? Is this personal?”
“I didn’t like the people I met from the Union.”
“Ah.” The Lord and everyone else could more or less fill in the blanks.
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Having a reasonable head start, Bandit reached the Lower Gordu Forest well before the Lord deployed scouts. Using this as an excuse, she entered the dungeon where she was met with a succubus.
“Hi DM,” she guessed.
“…Bandit, welcome back. I saw your conversation with the Guild Master so I know what your mission is.”
“Nobody from the Union entered this dungeon, right?”
“…Correct. All I know is that they’ve captured every room of the Upper Gordu Dungeon. …They haven’t messed with it further.”
“What about the monsters?”
“…I brought most of them here, downstairs. I can use them if necessary.”
“Oh, okay.”
“…Before you continue north to spy on the Union, I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
“…As of right now, Kat can summon a dog, Shiba can summon a cat, Vulp can summon a fox, and Lupy can summon a… minotaur, right?”
“Yeah.”
“…I didn’t want to make you wait for too long, but even more so now that you’re doing solo missions for the Guild, I think you should receive a summoned creature as well.”
“Really!?”
“…Yes, but of course keep it a secret.”
“Okay! What do I get? Is it a raccoon?”
“…No, I don’t have any type of raccoon monster. Plus, a raccoon probably wouldn’t be all that useful for you as a Guild Agent, right?”
“That’s true…”
“…I have some thoughts, but let me ask you this: What capability do you need in order to do your job?”
“Hmm…” Bandit stopped to think for a few moments. “Thaw said that an Agent either uses control, interrogation, or manipulation?”
“…That’s true. Eventually, I may choose to give you a skill similar to controlling someone. …I’m not quite ready to give you or the other girls such an ability yet.”
“Why not?”
“…It’s very powerful and very dangerous. Even I am trying to limit my use, although that might need to change soon judging from the Union’s behavior.”
“I see…”
“…My point is, there’s not much point in me giving you a monster that can directly charm or control an enemy because you’re likely to have that ability yourself later on. Instead, I think you should focus on manipulation.”
“How?”
In response to Bandit’s question, a succubus entered the room. Unlike the creature Bandit had been conversing with, this succubus was not a morphling.