Turning back the clock a bit, it was May 20th.
In the regional city of Draugr, located fifty kilometers north of Jagus Region, the royal capital of the Jagus Principality.
There lay a hundred-meter-square section surrounded by four-meter-high walls, designated as the Treaty of Amity and Commerce Zone.
Commonly referred to as the House Arrest Zone.
It served a role similar to the Dejima that once existed in Nagasaki during the Edo period.
Merchants from various nations stayed there, negotiating trade with the Jagus Principality.
Shaun and Dorothea Arkin, intelligence operatives dispatched by Nostalgia, were grumbling.
"Haah... To think our stay would be dragged out like this..."
"Indeed..."
Originally, they were supposed to leave and start their journey home in mid-May, but they had been held back due to circumstances on the Jagus Principality's side.
"I wonder what happened..."
"I wonder as well..."
Restricted to a plot of land merely a hundred meters square, they were bored out of their minds.
"Are the merchants being held in place?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Mm. Good....And are the preparations complete?"
"They will all be ready by tomorrow."
"Then that is fine."
"However, Your Majesty, at this rate, our supply will not be able to keep up."
"Mm..."
"We must do something about the engineers... Being forced to let go of the Melkana Autonomous Region was a bitter blow."
"Indeed. But we will manage somehow. Our engineering corps has grown considerably more capable, after all."
"Understood."
And then came May 22nd.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone. We have finally prepared the drinking water and food provisions."
The voice of the official in charge echoed across the Treaty of Amity and Commerce Zone.
Behind him were stacked barrels of water and containers packed with hardtack-like rations.
"Oh, finally!"
"About time!"
"Hurry up and hand it over!"
"Yes, I will distribute them in order....First, the delegation from the Klein Kingdom..."
The official proceeded to hand out the drinking water and rations needed for the journey home to the merchants of each nation.
"Finally..."
Shaun and Dorothea Arkin, posing as merchants from Nostalgia, were the last to receive their water and provisions.
"Now we can finally head home!"
All the other merchants looked delighted, immediately rushing to pack and prepare for their departure.
Shaun and Dorothea Arkin did the same.
By noon that day, every single merchant had left the Treaty of Amity and Commerce Zone behind, embarking on the journey back to their homelands.
Naturally, Shaun and Dorothea Arkin were among them.
It was only natural that everyone left together, as they had all been loaded onto sturdy golem carriages that resembled prisoner transport vehicles.
Though older models, the golem carriages possessed considerable power, effortlessly hauling the carts laden with the merchants' baggage.
First, they traveled northwest from Draugr, arriving at the coastal town of Nupchiro, roughly twenty-five kilometers away.
There lay a massive magic circle.
Between its outdated design and sheer size, activating this magic circle required a vast quantity of magi-crystals. Naturally, the cost fell entirely upon the merchants.
Even so, being able to teleport along with their carts made the magi-crystals well worth the price.
The travel efficiency was extraordinarily high. For that reason, the merchants gladly paid for the expensive magi-crystals out of pocket.
The receiving magic circle was located in the town of Tosa, in southern Mitsuho.
It was a port town where ships from various countries lay at anchor.
Boarding those vessels, the merchants would return to their respective homelands.
The time difference between Nupchiro and Tosa was about four hours. The local time in Tosa was 4:00 PM, still broad daylight.
After loading their cargo onto their ships, the merchants from each nation stayed overnight in the town.
Departing after dark was simply too reckless.
"We can finally report back."
"Yes."
Shaun and Dorothea Arkin boarded the Nostalgia ship along with their cargo.
Using the magic circle on board, they traveled to headquarters via a transit relay.
Elena was waiting there to welcome the two returning operatives.
"Shaun, Dorothea Arkin. Good work."
"Thank you, Lady Elena."
"You are late, are you not?"
They were about a week behind schedule.
"Yes. They claimed they were unable to procure enough water and food for everyone in time."
"I see... And where are those provisions now?"
"They are with the merchandise we purchased."
Hearing that, Elena issued an order.
"Examine the water and food they brought back at once!"
An analysis was promptly carried out... but to no avail.
"Lady Elena, both the water and food are completely ordinary," came the report.
Elena looked disappointed.
"Is that so... I suspected there might be some secret hidden within them."
"What do you mean by that?" her close aide, Wattes Schretzer, asked.
"It is abnormal for the Jagus Principality to sell merchandise of practically no value without anyone raising a single complaint. I thought we might uncover the reason behind it."
In short, Elena explained, she suspected the provisions might contain something like narcotics or brainwashing agents.
"Perhaps they were simply on guard," Shaun offered.
"As noted in our report, while we were staying there, merchants from the Celuroa Kingdom were detained on suspicion of espionage."
A look of contemplation crossed Elena's face.
"I see... This was our first transaction with them, after all. It is entirely possible they were being cautious."
Elena could not help but feel a lingering sense of regret, wishing there were some way to inspect the water and food brought back by the merchants of the other nations.