"Hm? When did you start wearing glasses too?"
"Lord Qual gave them to me. Once you get used to them, they're quite handy."
Lugner pushed up the square-lensed glasses. "Since we happened to run into each other."
"Another situation report?"
"Yes. Same as always—peaceful to an abnormal degree."
"With the Central Lands and Southern Lands thrown into chaos under Minus's influence, and the Northern lands restless and itching to move, Gaderia—squeezed between them, staying independent and free—being this excessively peaceful is itself the anomaly."
"Precisely."
Nanoda and Lugner traded skewers, one for you and one for me, chatting quietly as they ate. Having prepared a soundproofing spell in advance, they had no fear of being overheard.
"I suspect some power is secretly looking out for us."
Lugner tore into the meat, expressionless.
"The Continental Mages' Association? The Church of the New God? Or perhaps Glück's side—Weisse's faction? Can't rule out those shadows of Waros meddling either."
Nanoda snatched the last skewer of tendon.
"Since you don't know the exact reason, that just means your intelligence network still isn't up to scratch. So improvise. If there's a problem, tell me or Aura. In an emergency you can bring Qual along. The rest, handle it yourself."
It couldn't possibly be that slacker Frieren. If they ever met, they'd be too busy tearing each other apart as enemies.
Starting to feel a little sick of it, Nanoda chewed on a couple of lettuce leaves.
"This really is something."
Lugner's cold expression shifted a fraction, and he too began chewing lettuce in imitation.
"Honestly, the way things stand now is pretty good. Minus, who invaded the Southern Lands from the Central Lands, is busy brawling with the south; the Northern lands want to stick a foot into the south as well. No one's paying us any mind, and developing on our own is going quite well."
Nanoda snatched the last skewer of loin.
Lugner's hand froze in midair a moment, as if he regretted being a step too slow.
Just as one plate was about to hit bottom, a bird's cry rang out.
A dull-witted wooden bird passed through the soundproof barrier and landed on Lugner's shoulder.
"What sort of oddity is this now?"
While the other man was examining it, Nanoda snatched—yet again—the last skewer of sausage.
"A magic tool Lord Qual invented. It's a letter from the outer city."
Lugner drew out the mana within it. The wooden bird lost what little liveliness it had, and that mana wove itself into an illusory character hanging in midair.
"急" (urgent).
"Looks like Schlacht ran into trouble."
"The usual troublemakers are no match for Schlacht, and the city defenses have so many guards..."
"This is a first. And it's an urgent report. Looks like I'll have to go arrange things at once."
Lugner finally managed to grab the last skewer of kidney.
"Fine, I'm free anyway."
Nanoda unleashed her Mana Perception and swept the entire city in a single scan.
"So fast. And what an absurd range."
In all his years, Lugner had never seen Mana Perception so swift and keen.
"Detection is one of my specialties, after all. Strange—I don't sense Schlacht's mana. Could he already have left Gaderia?"
"I'll go gather people—"
"No. Since I already know, leave it to me. I'll fetch my own subordinates."
Nanoda set down the empty skewer in her hand and, with a single palm, pressed the half-risen Lugner back into his seat.
"Then I'll defer to you rather than refuse."
Lugner cast a cold glance at the few skewers still unfinished. The next moment, the black-robed figure at the edge of his vision simply vanished.
He looked up and caught a flash of black darting across a nearby rooftop, then picked up a skewer and slipped it into his mouth.
Slacking off now and then wasn't so bad, it seemed.
Having an easygoing superior was a fine thing. At least the workload now was far lighter than back when the Demon King still lived. No running all over to fight, no being pressured again and again by higher-ranking members of the Demon Race.
And yet, halfway through the meal, something felt off.
This skewer shop was eat-first, pay-later... huh?
His expression stiffened further. Frozen in his seat, Lugner felt the skewer in his hand lose half its aroma in an instant.
At that same moment, in Gaderia's outermost city, Nanoda had already leapt atop the wall.
The soldiers on guard, realizing it was Nanoda, were startled, and for a moment saluted respectfully, unsure what to do.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Does anyone know where Schlacht went?"
Nanoda simply waved a hand, motioning for everyone to relax, and let her Mana Perception spread once more.
Beyond the wall there was no trouble, but not far off she detected a great many unfamiliar mana signatures mingled with Schlacht's.
A seasoned-looking guard hurriedly reported in a clear voice: "General Schlacht and General Dorat sensed unusual movement from a magic beast tide nearby. They left the messenger bird and went to investigate. They told us: if too much time passes and something seems wrong, we're to use the wooden bird to contact you, my Lord."
"I understand the situation. Keep watch on the wall. I'll be back shortly."
Before the sound had even faded, Nanoda was already gone without a trace.
Leaving behind only a crowd of soldiers in an uproar.
"...? Why did reinforcements arrive so quickly?"
Once he had calmed down, the seasoned soldier remembered, and murmured to himself.
The two generals had set out only a few minutes ago. He'd planned, per their instructions, to send the wooden bird half an hour later.
Quietly patting the empty pouch at his waist, the soldier felt sweat bead at his temple.
Could it be? Had he accidentally triggered the mechanism? And when, exactly?
"Decisive and swift as ever."
Not far off on the wall, an old guard—his face masked by an iron helmet that left only a stubble-covered chin exposed—leaned against the parapet.
He didn't crowd in with the others to greet Gaderia's once-renowned guardian; instead he watched in silence from a distance as that black figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Yes, yes, his reactions were always quick."
Another equally aged voice drifted over from beside him.
The old guard glanced sideways and only then noticed another guard, likewise masked in an iron helmet, revealing a flowing white beard.
Something about this guard's appearance gave him an odd, unplaceable feeling.
"Hm? And you are?"
"Bah! Am I really that forgettable? Old pal, we've guarded this gate together for ages—sure, we hardly ever cross paths, but how could you forget me?"
"Huh? Oh. Oh, right. Sorry, brother—I'm getting on in years, and I honestly can't quite place you."
The old guard scratched his head through the iron helmet. Looking at that waterfall of a white beard, he truly couldn't recall there ever being such a man.
"Well? Care to share a drink? The Demon Race generals are all away anyhow, and that heroic Lord has stepped in too."
The bearded guard drew out the hand he'd hidden behind his back—clutched in his wrinkled fingers was, of all things, a bottle of fine wine.
"No, no, this is a critical moment!"
"Bah! You're no fun, old man. Good drinking companions are so hard to find~"
Seeing his "colleague" shake his head again and again, the bearded guard simply went ahead and drank on his own.
The old guard parted his lips, wanting to say something—but looking at this mischievous old rascal of an "old comrade," in the end he let it be.
____
👻🔥+40 ch on Pátreon: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — read it on The_Mikudayo
📚 Forty chapters of advanced reading at Walnut-chan, and it goes straight into keeping the translations on schedule
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