I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 20: Unexpected Survival (2)

Chapter 20: Unexpected Survival (2)

“────However, this has become quite a troublesome situation. To think that Finn Teraward is alive… No, more than that, there is even a possibility that she has been accepted by the frontline unit…”

The conversation had momentarily stopped when the purple-haired woman asked about Finn’s height.

As if to restart the discussion, the obese man spoke, and a well-dressed man opened his mouth.

“Regarding that matter, up until now, those in the frontline unit have never tried to form close relationships with any man, have they? So why would they accept only that trainee?”

“Well… I have no idea at all. What do you think, Deandre?”

“Ah… Ahh.”

Perhaps he was still in shock over the fact that Teraward was alive and well.

Though he seemed a bit more flustered than usual, his pride allowed him to maintain his composure as he responded, then continued.

“I can’t even imagine why those in the frontline unit would accept Teraward. If they were going to accept anyone, they would have accepted us instead of a trainee like Teraward. Even those man-hating women should understand that would be more beneficial to them.”

“Indeed… There should be no reason for them to reject us and accept Teraward instead.”

“In that case, the next possibility to suspect is misinformation…”

Deandre turned his gaze toward the man who had brought the report. The man, looking flustered, quickly responded.

“A-At the very least, the Teraward we saw was uninjured, and it truly seemed like she had been accepted by the women in the frontline unit.”

“Perhaps, knowing you would be watching, they simply healed her wounds and pretended to welcome her on the surface?”

In reality, the frontline unit had not accepted Finn at all.

As the upper ranks had imagined, they might have been tormenting her to take out their hatred on her. However, openly showing such behavior instead of keeping it unspoken could cause problems.

For that reason, they might have merely put on an act of accepting Finn, the well-dressed man pointed out.

But the man who had brought the report shook his head.

“No… We did not send any prior notice before heading there. Moreover, we rarely interfere with the frontline, and our encounter was extremely unexpected. So, I believe that possibility is low.”

“Hmm.”

“If they were keeping her alive only to take their revenge, they would have locked her up somewhere. But since they haven’t done that, it’s natural to assume something unexpected has happened beyond our expectations.”

A brief silence followed.

Silence was a rare occurrence in a meeting like this, which showed just how unexpected Finn’s survival was for the upper ranks.

“W-What should we do? Originally, we sent Finn Teraward to the frontline to ensure her death. That way, the commoners who placed their dreams in Teraward, as well as the nobles who were blinded by those commoners, would wake up to reality. But if that plan has failed────”

“No, it hasn’t failed yet.”

“……What do you mean?”

“Indeed, our plan to send Finn Teraward to the frontline and have her die without us lifting a finger has failed. However, in that case, we will simply have to take action ourselves.”

As he spoke, Deandre stood up from his seat.

Then, placing both hands firmly on the table, he declared with conviction.

“I hereby propose that we directly eliminate Finn Teraward with our own hands… More precisely, I propose we assassinate her.”

The purple-haired woman, who had been looking down the whole time, finally raised her face and turned toward Deandre.

“Assassination… is it?”

“Yes. We could send thousands of troops to ensure success, but that would be too conspicuous. Even though she is a mere commoner, if word got out that we did such a thing to an ally, it would be quite troublesome.”

“……Rather than something as passive as assassination, I believe we should take this opportunity to reduce their numbers as much as possible. Even if we have to be forceful, I think sending thousands of troops is the better option.”

“Hah, you’re quite cold toward your own troops… I understand how much you want to get rid of that commoner Teraward, but that unit, aside from their hatred of men, is truly an exceptional military force and is made up of nobles. We cannot afford to spill their blood for the sake of a mere commoner like Teraward.”

Misunderstanding the purple-haired woman’s statement about reducing their numbers, Deandre smugly continued speaking.

Then, he added.

“As for the assassin who will carry out the deed… I intend to hire a professional rather than selecting someone from within the military.”

“Oh… An assassin, you say?”

“Yes. Assassination is a task the military can undertake, but when it comes to assassination alone, professionals are simply better. The one I plan to hire is said to be the most skilled assassin in the Luvankrum Empire, someone who has never failed a job.”

“Unbelievable…”

“Never failed, you say…? That is impressive.”

“Indeed. What do you think?”

When Deandre directed the question at the purple-haired woman, she replied indifferently.

“Any assassin will do.”

“Heh, I understand the temptation to underestimate Teraward just because she’s a commoner, but when it comes to sheer ability, she is undeniably exceptional. If we sent just any assassin, she might turn the tables on them instead. Moreover, she’s currently with the frontline unit… It wouldn’t hurt to take extra precautions.”

Hearing Deandre’s words, the purple-haired woman────

“That’s why I said any assassin will do…”

She muttered in an exasperated tone, so quietly that no one could hear her.

However, unaware of this, Deandre continued.

“In any case, with this, we will finally be able to rid this world of Teraward. By the way, what about those people who wanted to send gifts to Teraward?”

“They are still pouring in, mostly young women… We’ve been using training as an excuse to divert them, but it’s uncertain how much longer that excuse will work.”

“…It seems we need to deal with Teraward as soon as possible. Leave the matter of the assassin to me… Today’s meeting is adjourned.”

As Deandre concluded the meeting, the purple-haired woman was the first to stand up as usual.

She then left the meeting room.

Her eyes were as dark and empty as ever.

“…Just a little longer, I suppose.”

She whispered with a slight smirk on her lips.

Then, she started moving for a different plan, separate from the upper ranks’ scheme.

◆◇◆

After finishing my conversation with everyone, I headed toward the forest to train.

On the way—

“Hey, hey, Finn-kun.”

Norn-san called out to me.

“Yes! What is it?”

“It’s not anything that serious, but there’s something I’ve been curious about for a while now.”

“Something you’re curious about…?”

“Yeah. It would have been best if I could have asked that guy earlier, but he left. So, I thought I’d ask you instead.”

“If it’s something I can answer, I’ll tell you anything!”

“Thanks~. But since we have training after this…”

Then—

Norn-san leaned close to my ear and whispered in a sweet voice.

“How about… we have a private conversation, just the two of us, in my room tonight?”