Does the Assassin Girl Dream of the Mana Doll?

The following day, around midday when most adventurers were out on quests, Egret and Ellie visited Thomas. Recognized by the receptionist, they were quickly ushered into his reception.

Thomas arrived shortly after, looking a bit flustered.

“Ghost—no, Egret, you’re back pretty quick, considering it’s only been a day.”

“Well, I’ve run into a bit of a problem.”

“Whoa… what happened? No first have a seat”

He gestured to the long sofa and sat down opposite them. After a moment of silence, they exchanged glances for a moment, as if unsure how to start. Both gazed up at the ceiling briefly.

“First of all, Count Azal is definitely smuggling supplies to Balandia.”

“I figured as much… But how did you find out so much in a day?”

“I was just lucky, I guess.”

She then explained the results of her investigation: the majority of the scarce supplies were military-grade, the transactions were taking place in the western forest, and Azal had been receiving letters that likely pertained to his personal safety.

As she spoke, Thomas’s expression grew increasingly grave.

“How do you two gather information so easily? It’s almost unfair to information brokers…”

“I told you, it was just luck”

“Now, the real problem is… the trading partner was someone called Dian. They referred to him as ‘The lord’.”

“Wait. Are you talking about Balandia’s Dian? As in, ‘Lord Dian’?”

“He’s probably the commander of the First Knight Order.”

“Are you kidding me….”

Oscar von Dian. Commander of the First Knight Order of the Balandia Kingdom, He was rumoured to have used magical weapons that decimated the forces of Marquis Uris in no time.. The First Knight Order was a rapid response force with the authority to take military action without the king’s approval.

It was already problematic enough that he was connected to Count Azal, but what was even more concerning was…

“It’s not just that he’s smuggling supplies to Balandia. The fact that he’s dealing with the First Knight Order, which could arrive at a moment’s notice, is a huge problem. What do you think will happen If a border lord who’s been smuggling military supplies to save his own skin gets assassinated, then… there’s a strong possibility they might seize the chaos to invade and cover up the evidence, right?”

“Considering the type and quantity of supplies they were gathering, they’re probably prepared to invade immediately. With Count Azal’s help or after taking advantage of the chaos caused by his assassination, they could probably occupy the territory for at least a month. In that time, they could seize food from nearby villages and establish a foothold, or they could simply plunder and retreat.”

“I didn’t act yesterday because they said there was another deal in a week. If we do nothing, we probably have at least a week’s grace period.”

“I think that was the right decision… This is bad… We need to find a way to keep an eye on the First Knight Order’s movement.”

Thomas looked up at the ceiling. It seemed to symbolise the uncertainty of the situation.

Whether they killed Count Azal or not, there was still a high chance the city would become a battlefield. And if that happened, their entire goal of assassinating him would become meaningless…

As they pondered their next move, Thomas suddenly had a question.

“Wait a minute. The First Knight Order? Dian is the commander of the First Knight Order?”

“As far as I know, but what about it?” Egret replied to Thomas’s sudden question

“Something’s off. The city of Augsburg, near the border, should be stationed by the Third Knight Order. I don’t know where the First Knight Order is, but… what’s going on?”

Letty and Ellie exchanged glances. They pondered the implications of his words. But they only tilted their heads in confusion.

“Why would they take the trouble of transporting supplies to a place that’s not even near the First Knight Order? They’re bypassing the Third Knight Order, which is stationed near the border. Strategically, that’s a waste. Does that mean the Third Knight Order is not strong enough and they’re considering relying on the first order?”

“No, that’s not the case. The Third Knight Order consists of a thousand knights and about seven thousand attendants and foot soldiers. In total, they have eight thousand combatants and nearly ten thousand people including non-combatants. It’s not like their fighting strength is significantly lower than the First Knight Order’s.”

Count Azal also had a sizable force to counter them, but if they were defeated, and the area was occupied, it would take nearly two weeks for reinforcements from the kingdom of Jurastin to organise and dispatch an army. In contrast, the First Knight Order from Balandia could join attack Azal in less than a week, making their arrival almost guaranteed to be faster.

And yet, this strange disconnect—what did it mean?

“They’re not in sync… there’s no unity in their actions?”

“That’s how it seems… Thomas, have you heard of any internal conflicts in Balandia?”

At their questioning looks, Thomas folded his arms and stared at the table. After a moment of thought, his brows twitched, and his face gradually took on a confused expression

“There is. There is, but… no, it can’t be… could it?”

“Sorry but you’re going to have to explain that…”

“Sorry. I’m not entirely sure about this, but… There’s a major conflict in Balandia. There’s a faction that wants to expand the kingdom’s territory and another that wants to be more cautious. The queen is in favour of expansion, and the leading figure of the cautious faction is the First Prince, Crown Prince Riohart. I’ve heard that he is close to the Third Knight Order.”

The Third Knight Order, which was currently stationed in Augsburg. Although the specific chain of command leading them there was unknown, the pieces were starting to fall into place.

“Wait a second. So, if the Third Knight Order is there following the Crown Prince’s orders to block Augsburg, and the First Knight Order, displeased by this, is stockpiling supplies to bypass them and invade directly…?”

“Count Azal’s assassination could provide the perfect trigger…”

“”If they can capture the strategic base of Azal within a few days, they wouldn’t need to worry about resupply for a while. And even though there’s a rift between the factions, no army would refuse to support or resupply their allies after capturing a key point. The Third Knight Order would be forced to fall in line…”

“That’s an even worse scenario than if the First Knight Order were stationed in Augsburg and preparing to invade directly…”

Though there was no definitive proof, the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. Thomas leaned back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling in defeat.

“…What the hell are we supposed to do?” His voice, filled with helplessness, barely escaped his lips.

**Next: What a Drowning Person Clings To**