Mira pictured the interior of her wagon as she replied. If she sat inside with two others arranged in the interior, it would be comfortable enough. But if one more person entered, she could imagine it being too crowded.
「So three people, huh. Are you registered in the Union?」
「Yes, I am. But I’m still at rank C, so I can’t get permission to enter either.」
Mira could guess what she was trying to accomplish, so she stated her rank at the same time. Uzume reprimanded her in a low voice so only Mira could hear 「It should’ve been easy enough for you to get a higher rank, grandpa」, then looked at the two Hidden members sitting together.
「Then we have no other choice. Hebi, you stay here. We’ll find a rank A adventurer to help get permission and they’ll go with Mira and Sasori. They’ll all travel in Mira’s wagon so it takes the least amount of time. Would that be good?」
She spoke like everything was already decided, her last request for confirmation being mostly directed to Mira and Hebi.
「I don’t mind.」
「…Alright.」
Mira replied knowing she could not back off after coming this far, but Hebi’s reply and nod were slightly delayed. Still, she appeared to be in a foul mood being left out, fiddling with her long black hair while pressing her lips into a straight line. This was a very important mission that would heavily impact the course things would take in the future, all Hidden members were taking part in it except her, and the only reason for that was a vehicle without enough capacity. It was a direct order from Uzume, who she deeply respected, but it still took her a moment to accept it.
Kongou could not bear seeing her like that, so he reluctantly raised his voice, trying to find appropriate words.
「Err, we’re truly keeping in mind that Chimera will also send people just as strong, right? It’s a rank A dungeon, so the monsters will also be just as strong. I could understand this decision if it was simply an investigation, but aren’t three people a bit too scarce to pit against an unknown number of opponents?」
Hearing Kongou, Hebi instantly lifted her face and nodded before continuing where he left off.
「This is our most important mission. Success is of utmost importance. Sending three people could be dangerous, so I wish to come too.」
Hebi’s voice sounded younger than her appearance as she stated with a monotone voice. Although every time she finished a sentence she would strike the table with both her hands to stress her words.
By then, a slight gap had formed between Uzume’s and the other member’s thoughts. It was simply based on their perception of their fighting strength. Uzume was considering Mira their strongest asset, since she was aware that Mira was one of the Nine Wisemen, but the other members only knew her as the pupil of a Wiseman, so the extent of their knowledge was limited to what they heard of her. While they knew she was stronger than a highly skilled Spellcaster, they assumed she was at best at the same level as the members of the meeting.
「That’s true. This is our most important mission since we were established as an organization. I still feel a bit iffy about relying on a messenger for something of such importance… but Lady Mira seems to agree in cooperating, so maybe she’s already in some sort of agreement. Still, even if she’s the pupil of a Wiseman, I don’t feel confident in relying on her without knowing the extent of her power.」
Mira had come as a messenger from Arkite, but now she was being involved in the Fifty Bells’ most important mission. She was already the benefactor that had given them a chance to strike back, but her trustworthiness was still uncertain, and the leaders of the Fifty Bells Union were very skeptical people. But they realized from their commander Uzume’s attitude that she had full trust in her.
Uzume was also Kagura, one of the Nine Wisemen who were established in Arkite. Maybe she trusted her because she was a messenger from that country, or because of her attachment to her former comrade Danbulf. That was how Alioth saw Uzume and Mira’s relationship.
He looked at the letter from Solomon that was left on the table, thinking that maybe something in it spoke more about Mira, then he shot a probing stare towards Mira whose stance was being tested. She returned the stare, examining him back as their eyes met.
He wanted to see if he could grasp the extent of the wiseman’s pupil’s power through her eyes, but now he wondered if the opposite was happening, if she was trying to test them, see if they were worth receiving her help.
「There’s no need to be concerned about that. I can guarantee her alignment as well as her might. If she were to unleash her full might here, I would be the only one left standing after ten minutes.」
Alioth, Mizar and Kongou knew Uzume’s identity, so they instinctively turned to look at Mira finding it hard to believe. The rest of the members also looked at her after some delay.
Mira claimed to be the pupil, but in reality she was the wiseman himself. Uzume knew the strength of everyone present, so if she could vouch for her so much, then it had to be true.
On the other hand, Mira had been staring at Alioth since he looked like an old man just like her ideal appearance, so she was seeing if there was anything she could learn from his looks. But then she felt everyone’s stares on her, which gave her an odd feeling as if her body was becoming transparent.
「Hmmm, I feel like that’s exaggerating a bit, though I have no intention of falling behind youngsters that easily either. And you mentioned the Libra Fortress? The monsters there should pose no problems to me, the only thing I’m concerned about are Chimera’s elite or whatever you called them.」
Mira’s reply was not a flat out denial of Uzume’s claim. Hebi frowned a bit, while Uzume stuck her face up pridefully as if she had been given an award. The other members remained silent, trusting Mira was telling the truth seeing Uzume’s confident reaction. But there was one person who later reacted to her words.
「I have some knowledge regarding that.」
Sasori raised her voice to respond to Mira’s inquiry.
「There was one time when I came across one of the higher-ups of Chimera. Or well, I say higher-up but I have no way of proving their actual position, but their character was clearly different from any other underling we’ve met. But either way, I would say we were an even match. Though if they had not run away I would’ve won!」
Sasori mentioned her experience while barely concealing a boastful tone. But since her power was still a mystery to Mira, it still did not serve as a comparison. Sasori was aware of that much, so she continued speaking, unable to hide from her face just how curious she was about Mira’s own strength after Uzume vouched for her so much.
「It’s not like I don’t believe Uzume, but I would still like to verify Mira’s strength myself. I’ll fight her, and so everyone will be able to rest easy, and I think Hebi will be able to let the matter go as well.」
「Yes, that sounds like a good idea.」
Alioth was of the same mind, the mission was very important so being extra careful would only get them closer to success. Uzume understood how the rest of the members felt, but she was still convinced Mira would emerge victorious.
「Alright, fair enough. Can you come with us for a moment?」
Uzume asked Mira as she internally prayed Sasori’s confidence would not get shattered as a result of this.
「Sure.」
For Mira, this was a good opportunity to learn how strong Chimera’s elite were, so she also agreed to it. A break in the meeting followed as everyone headed to a garden in the center of the inner palace.
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