"Since the unusual activity is in the northern region, it looks like she must have been behind all of this."
Once the investigation was complete, Sangonomiya Kokomi felt much more at ease.
She let out a long breath and looked at the desk, where a wanted poster bearing the portrait of a beautiful woman lay.
The "she" Kokomi had mentioned was the person on that poster.
As for how she knew that the powerful figure in the north was Ellin, the wanted fugitive, that story began half a month earlier.
Ellin's assault on the Kanjou Commission had far-reaching consequences, even on Watatsumi Island.
The Resistance Army on Watatsumi Island was inferior to the Shogunate Army in every respect. With trade with Narukami Island cut off as well, its situation was already dire.
Although the Resistance Army had put up a determined fight against the Shogunate Army thanks to Sangonomiya Kokomi's strategies, it had still been steadily losing ground.
At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the Shogunate Army reached Watatsumi Island.
But after the incident in Ritou, two commissions had defected at once. The situation was so serious that Kujou Sara, the Shogunate Army's general commanding the front lines, was temporarily recalled to Narukami Island.
Because of this, the intense fighting had paused. Although both armies remained locked in a standoff at the front, the Resistance Army, already at a disadvantage, had gained a rare chance to catch its breath.
A shortage of people and food was Watatsumi Island's greatest crisis.
Surrounded by the sea, the island's residents had previously managed to scrape by growing a few vegetables and going out to fish.
Unfortunately, during that time, a gigantic sea beast named Shanqi had appeared in the waters near Watatsumi Island.
The beast was a