Chapter 51: The Conference Against the Divine Soldiers Part I

The sudden arrival of an important project completely destroyed Lute’s day off.

Lute was saddened by this fact, but the passage of time is equal and impermanent.

At the appointed time, Lute visited Liselotte’s office.

“It’s me”

“Please come in, sir.”

“Ah… uh, it looks like I’m the last one.”

It seems that the office has already been cleared of people, and the only people in the office are Liselotte and one high-ranking Imperial Guard officer.

He was also acquainted with Lute, and was the person in charge of the Imperial Army side who was present at the previous discussion concerning the divine soldiers.

His name is Zeno Org Landvald. He is a colonel at the Leon Base, which is located near Sandelica and manages the Imperial Forces operating in the region. He is a colonel who is the head of the intelligence department of the base.

“It’s been a few days, Colonel Landvald. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Ha. I am very sorry to have bothered your Excellency, the Grand Duke.”

“I don’t mind. This is my role.”

When Landvald bows his head and apologizes, Lute simply tells him that there is no problem.

I was saddened that my day off was ruined, but that was it. As long as it is my role as a demi-god, I have no intention of cutting corners because of personal feelings.

“I want to confirm, has the discussion already started?”

“No. We have been expecting your Excellency, the Grand Duke.”

“I see. I’m sorry I put you on the spot.”

“It won’t start without my husband. It’s a matter of course.”

Then Liselotte spun her words. Liselotte, the owner of the room and the lord of the house, led the discussion.

Landvald was the first to speak.

“First of all, let me explain the situation. Based on your Excellency’s report, I have mobilized the most skilled members of my staff. Here is a summary of the Divine soldiers in question and the [Triston Trading Company] to which the subject ostensibly belongs.”

“Hmm. That’s pretty fast.”

“As expected. I’ve heard stories since I was in the castle, but it seems that the military’s intelligence department is really excellent.”

“I am honored.”

While reviewing the bundle of papers presented to them, the investigation report on this case, Lute and Liselotte expressed their admiration.

It’s only been a few days, but the report is quite extensive. The contents were also summarized in an easy-to-understand manner, and the key points were described in detail.

Even a quick glance at it reveals the excellence of Landvald and his intelligence department.

“….I take my hat off to you, honestly.  It’s not something that can be done overnight. I’m amazed you’ve gotten this far in such a short period of time.”

“It’s a bit tough when it comes to individual scale, but we have been keeping a close eye on organizations of a certain size since peacetime. Especially since this trading company is based in another country.”

“Is it originally a target of caution? No, of course.”

If an organization under the influence of another country is operating in one’s own country, it becomes a target of vigilance, regardless of whether or not it is suspected. From the perspective of counterintelligence, this is reasonable.

That’s why Landvald isn’t proud either. He is responding to the praise of Lute, but in reality, he probably only considers it a natural provision.

“… I’ve finished checking the documents. It must be splendid, as you say, sir. But from what I have read, it does not seem to me to be of sufficient substance for the Colonel to visit us?”

“Please understand that this is just a kind of basic knowledge. As for the main issue, I will explain it orally based on the materials I have just handed you.”

“I see. Let’s hear it.”

Liselotte nodded at Landvald’s words.

The documents are just that, documents. This is the starting point from which everything begins.

“First of all, regarding this company, it doesn’t seem to be completely transparent. From my investigation, I believe that it is not an organized group, but rather a nest of agents of the Republic.”

“Do you think they’re blending in unnoticed?”

“It was difficult to investigate the internal circumstances, so the details are unknown. But we believe that there is at least one person in the upper echelons of the Trading Company who is a member of the Republic state.”

It is only an estimate. But it is true that it is more efficient to be in a certain position in order to secure some discretion within the Trading Company.

Therefore, although he had no proof, Landvald told him so in a way that was close to a definite statement.

“Do you have an idea who it is?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know who this is. But as for those below, I think we have a pretty good idea of who they are. I have been monitoring the Grand Duke’s report on the Divine Soldier, and there are several people whose behavior is not quite right. These are the ones listed in the fourth document.”

“… Ah, this part? I thought the way you summarized the personnel relations was odd, but I guess that was your intention.”

“Yes. It’s unlikely, but it’s a form of precaution against information leakage.”

“Well done…..”

Lute was also worried about the fact that even among the materials that were handed over, only the parts related to the employees were summarized in a slightly sloppy manner.

Apparently, the intent was to collect the descriptions to the person in question in one place and to blur them.

It was just a simple camouflage, but it seems that he is quite careful even with the materials given only to Lute and Liselotte.

Lute let out an admiration mixed with exasperation, saying that it was a vigilance worthy of the top of the intelligence department.

“Then, did you find out something important about them? Or do you want me to find out how many divine soldiers are among them?”

“I would very much appreciate your help in identifying the divine soldiers, but that is a different matter….Actually, since the day we began our investigation, these men have been quite active.”

“How?”

“…that’s also not a gentle topic.”

A slight hint of edginess begins to emanate from Liselotte, not to mention Lute.

Activation of operatives. It is a change that can only be imagined.

“The survey started with the report of His Excellency the Grand Duke, but as I mentioned earlier, I have been paying attention to this Trading Company for some time. I compared their movements over the past few days and found that there was a considerable difference.”

The people in question have begun to casually gather information about the Duchesse de Gascoigne, so to speak.

It is said that recently, some people have recently started attending the tavern where the sister and brother of the Duchesse de Gascoigne worked.

According to some sources, there is a trend within the Triston Trading Company that is approaching a firm that has ties to the Duke of Gascoigne.

In this way, not all of the movements are explicit, but they are active enough to be seen by those who see them, says Landwald.

“It’s disturbing.”

“Yes. How disturbing.”

“From my personal experience, at times like this, there is usually a hidden agenda.”

The three of them all made a frown. Even though they had no definite proof, they could clearly imagine the troublesome situation that was soon to follow.

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