Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 10 Episode 2 (section)

===Part 3===
「Please forgive my rudeness before this, Lux-san. My thanks for stopping a violence that was perpetrated by a person of our Heiburg Republic.」

Calensia who arrived at the tea house that was slightly far away first bowed her head quietly and apologized.

It appeared that the tea house was originally designed to be a quiet place, there was no other customer inside.

It seemed that Brandish of Cutting Punishment was arrested due to the violation of military regulation. He would be imprisoned until the return of the general.

In any case he got his arms and legs broken, so he couldn’t move anyway.

「Please don’t worry about it. After all right now we are also people who are infiltrating and hiding in Heiburg. More importantly, can you remember about her? Your cousin──」

Calensia affirmed about that point without hesitation.

「Yes. It’s about Stefa isn’t it……. Thinking back now, it has been a few years since I met her the last time. No, I’m scared to meet her. If she knew about the change of her friend Rosa, how would she react……. When I imagined that, I became unable to meet her.」

「What is happening in Heiburg right now? What is Lady Rosa trying to do?」

Calensia looked down, her intelligent expression was clouded.

And then the tone of her voice lowered a notch more and she directed a gaze that looked pleading at Lux.

「You two Drag-Knights of the New Kingdom──furthermore it’s Lux-san who is a member of the Seven Dragon Paladins, are coming here while hiding your identity, so you surely already have an idea. It’s about the transaction in the Underground Market, right?」

Lux confirmed it wordlessly.

Then Calensia let out a sigh of resignation and then she took in a deep breath.

「Then, I will talk. Just what in the world is happening right now inside this Heiburg Republic──」

Like that, the girl began to tell a long story.

–

More than ten years ago.

The military of the Heiburg Republic received damage from a skirmish against Arcadia Empire, and the backlash from that was strengthened.

Especially since the arms dealer Hayes began to get involved with Heiburg’s military, the momentum of military expansion was accelerated.

Right now, entry into the Ruin Gigas was forbidden, but at that time the production facility inside it was operated at full capacity. A large amount of Drag-Rides were manufactured within a few years.

The existence of Drag-Rides was greatly related to national power. Even in other sectors such as industry and commerce, Drag-Rides were something indispensable.

Because the production of that essential Drag-Ride was controlled by Hayes and the military, the meaning of a republic system already disappeared.

The military expansion didn’t slow down any, and in less than a few years a military regime was established.

「What do you think happened after that? Of course, Heiburg sheltered the rebel army of the Old Arcadia Empire and Hayes attempted to destroy your country. The reason for that was──」

Calensia suddenly cut off her words and asked Lux that.

The Ruin of this country, Gigas was completely controlled.

A few months ago, they thought that perhaps Hayes was harboring some kind of fixation towards Lux and Airi, the imperial family of the Old Empire, but now they could also read her other motive.

「Could she be──trying to put all the other Ruins under her control too?」

Perhaps it was an accident or perhaps there was some other thing at work, the New Kingdom that possessed the largest territory had three Ruins existing in it.

If the New Kingdom was conquered and ruled, it would be easy to conquer the other remaining three Ruins too.

The point was, although her path was different, there was a possibility that the {{furigana|Third Imperial Princess|Hayes}} was also aiming to reach Avalon.

「At this present time, this is nothing more than a mere guess, but after she obtained the New Kingdom in her hand, what did she intend to do I wonder?」

Here Calensia muttered as though she was talking to herself.

Hayes who climbed up to the position as Heiburg’s strategist in a short time planned to conquer the Ruins of the other countries too after that.

But, different from the New Kingdom where she had a connection of fate with, she was unable to easily make a move on the Ruins of the other countries.

If she forcefully invaded the other countries, all the remaining countries would unite and oppose her.

If that happened, putting aside whether she would be able to prevail or not, it would surely become troublesome.

「Then, don’t tell me, the true identity of Dragon Marauder is──」

「Yes. I believe that they are the groundwork prepared by the strategist Hayes and the male military commander of that time conspiring with each other.」

If Heiburg was unable to move its military in the open, they would make use of mercenary Drag-Knights and invade the Ruins of the other countries.

Lux already had a hunch that the backer of the mercenary group that was so skilled like that wouldn’t be anyone small. He could accept that there was such manipulation behind Dragon Marauder.

「Then, even now Heiburg is controlling and manipulating that Dragon Marauder?」

「No. In my opinion, that’s not the case.」

Lux’s question that stepped into the heart of the matter was responded to by Calensia with a shake of her head.

「Since Hayes died in battle, Dragon Marauder put some distance from Heiburg, because they thought that after the plan to take over the New Kingdom was crushed, and the movement of Gigas was also stopped, at that rate the Heiburg Republic would only get weaker.」

Dragon Marauder that had already gathered considerable battle force considered that their business with Heiburg had been settled and so they abandoned Heiburg, then they aimed to reach Avalon by their own hands.

There was no profit to be made even if they stayed on board a sinking ship made from mud. That was how it was.

Hayes who became strategist and conspired with the male military commander vanished.

The rebel army of the Old Empire was also destroyed, and the mercenary Dragon Marauder was also breaking away.

Like that, the populace would try to rise in opposition seeing the government was weakening.

There, a new powerful person──Rosa Granhide who was affiliated with the military was selected from among many people.

Although she had overwhelming power as a Drag-Knight, she had a problematic personality.

However, there was no other existence who could become a new pillar to recover Heiburg that was in the process of weakening.

And then, for some reason the commanding officer of the military abruptly died from sickness after that and got buried.

In the first place the man was reigning as a foolish ruler, so there was nobody who lamented his death, but then Rosa was snugly placed as the replacement of that person.

A new rule of military regime by an up-and-coming powerful person.

But just when such rule was going to start, the Lords swooped down and proposed to hold a talk with all the countries.

It seemed that was how it was if the chronology until the present situation was spoken of concisely.

「Then, you are saying that there won’t be a transaction with Dragon Marauder anymore in the shadow of the Underground Market this time?」

If that was the case, then Lux’s mission would lose its meaning.

If he didn’t catch the enemy’s transaction in the act, he would be unable to prove who was the traitor. In other words the conquering of Babel in the New Kingdom also couldn’t be stopped.

If that was the case, what Lux could do was only to return to Triport in the New Kingdom’s west territory and defeat the Abyss appearing around Babel but──

「No──there will be one last transaction. On the day the next Underground Market is opened, there will be one more negotiation with Dragon Marauder.」

Calensia said that with a nervous look.

That was to say, it was a clear proof of her betrayal as the aide of Heiburg’s Seven Dragon Paladin.

「Behind the scenes of the Underground Market, Dragon Marauder will offer the treasure of Ruins to Heiburg, in exchange they will receive Drag-Rides and dozens of troops. That is the arrangement. All of the troops will be former slaves, they won’t be traced even if they move to another country. That should be the last transaction of this time.」

「…………」

There was only one chance to catch the enemy’s transaction in the act.

However if he could grasp this chance, not only could he save the New Kingdom, he would also be able to grasp some clue about Dragon Marauder.

The combat force that could participate in the mission this time was Lux and Philuffy, and if they were lucky the Triad would also be present to participate at that time.

Because Rosa and her Servants were conquering Babel in Triport, there was no doubt that their side would be at an advantage if the situation continued like that.

「If you two could just attend the banquet in the Underground Market, on that day I will take you two to the crime scene. As the exchange material, Heiburg will receive the secret medicine──Elixir, that is currently only handled by Dragon Marauder. If at that time you can catch them in the act and arrest them under the name of the Seven Dragon Paladins, that would be splendid.」

At this kind of time, the post of Seven Dragon Paladin that was affiliated with the world alliance would work to their advantage.

Originally it should be difficult to interfere with another country, but now it was possible using the pretext of exterminating Dragon Marauder.

「However, is it alright? Calensia-san will──」

Lux wasn’t relieved by that plan. He asked Calensia once more.

「Yes. Hearing that Stefa is worrying about me, helps me to resolve myself. My family was taken hostage by Lady Rosa and I had no other choice than to obey her. But──if Lux-san would cooperate with me, I might be able to destroy her stronghold. I don’t want to see her rampaging in my homeland even more than this.」

「……I understand. Then, please help us on that day, five days from now. I, too, am planning to act as carefully as possible, but if something happens please don’t hesitate to consult me.」

「Thank you……very much. Lux-san.」

Calensia nodded with a powerless smile and she stood up.

She told Lux that she had no face to meet Stefa, so she wanted him to stay quiet about her to Stefa.

「Let’s go back too, Phi-chan.」

「Yes……」

Philuffy who was observing the progression of the talk without saying a single word lent her shoulder to Lux and helped him to stand.

Lux and Philuffy would stand by inside the inn until five days later, when the Underground Market was opened.

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