Mr. Ronald?

　I wasn't expecting to see him there, I was muttering to myself.
　I didn't expect to see him in such a place," he said with the same smile on his face.

I've been here before Lausto came.

　He was not in his usual armor, but holding what appeared to be liquor in his hand.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing from you.

　...... Apparently, I was so distracted by the figures around me that I just didn't notice Ronald-san.

'Sorry, I was a little distracted by other things,'

'No, I don't mind. And I know that Raust has been out of it until now.

　I apologize on the spur of the moment, and Mr. Ronald forgives me with the same smile.

'I just want to ask you a few questions, okay?

　Then Mr. Ronaldo pointed to the location of a sparsely populated building.
　Since it was Ronald-san, I wondered what was going on.

'...... Can you give me a moment, please?'

　It's not that I don't want to listen to what he has to say, but it's not that I'm thinking of continuing my search for Narcena.
　It's not that I'm thinking of continuing my search for Narsena without listening to Ronald-san.
　Finding Narsena is plenty of time to search for Narsena even after the conversation with Ronald-san.

　It's not like there are a bunch of adventurers rushing in like there were in the ...... guild's room.

　And I can see why Ronald-san is so concerned and has gone out of his way to tell me to talk to him in a less popular place.
　He dares to designate a place far away so that the adventurers find him and don't make a scene.

　However, I wanted to stop Marnell and his friends as soon as possible to stop the adventurers from barging in, which prevented me from agreeing to Ronald's words.

　You'll be able to find out what's going on in the world, and you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

...... Do you really want to stop Marnell and his friends so badly? Don't you want people to barge in on you at Roust?

'I don't get barged in on people like Mr. Ronald and my mentor.

　...... No one can be chased by someone in a state where they can't talk to you like that and not have a hard time with it.

'Ha. You don't like it that much. Sorry, I should have stopped you.

　Ronaldo-san smiled happily, as if such inner feelings were evident.

'But will you forgive him if you can?　Because this is what Marnell and the others wanted as their reward.

...... in lieu of your own reward?

　It was then that I, who had tried to refuse, involuntarily fell silent.

''Come to think of it, were Raust and the others not there? Actually, we talked about it once after we pulled up to the barrier of the labyrinth city and settled down. In order to motivate ourselves, we thought we would reward the adventurers who played an active role in the labyrinth runaway afterwards.

　I remembered that I had heard about Marnell and his team's success in the square.
　I remembered that I had heard about Marnell and his team's success in the square.

We have decided which adventurers will be given how much of the bounty, but they are the only ones who refused. They wanted to spread the word about what they owe more than they did.

　When I heard those words, I couldn't stifle my inner astonishment.
　I knew that Marnell and the others adored me.
　But I never thought that they would be willing to throw away their own bounty to say such a thing.

　Ronaldo still smiled, but he told me that even if he didn't care about it, he would still be able to tell me.

Even if he doesn't care about it, it's more painful than you might think when your benefactor is being unfairly judged.

　I looked at Marnell and the others again and muttered softly.

'...... the way they're doing it is a bit too forceful, though.

　To begin with, the evaluations I heard in the square were also subtly strange.
　As usual, what Marnell and the others are doing is slightly off.

　Even though I thought so, I no longer had any intention of stopping Marnell and the others.

''Let's go then.''

　As if sensing this, Ronald-san started to walk away.
　Without saying anything in particular, I follow his back and start walking too.
　On the way, Mr. Ronald says, "I'm sorry, Roust," he says.

I'm sorry, Roust," he says. I'll tell him to stop the adventurers from barging in on us tomorrow. But I'm glad you stopped Marnell and the others.

...... Huh?

　When I hear those words back, Mr. Ronaldo turns to Marnell and the others and tells them.

I'm not sure if you'll be a hero or not. That will make a big difference in the state of our adventurers.

What do you mean?

You've been a great support to the adventurers. And that is nothing compared to the bounty.

　There was a lot of emotion in Ronald's voice like that.

'To be honest, I didn't expect the adventurers to be so motivated. These adventurers here were just ordinary young men.

...... ordinary young man, is it?

''Ah. An ordinary young man who is easier to handle than the escaped adventurer, but doesn't know why he became an adventurer. That's my impression of them. I don't feel that they are willing to risk their lives to achieve their ambitions. ...... To be honest, I was wondering how to keep them motivated.

　When he told me that, I was secretly convinced.
　He had no intention of risking his life on his ambition, which is a given.
　After all, labyrinth orphans only live as adventurers because there was no other way to live.
　It's not that they aren't interested in wealth and honor, but more than that, the only thing a labyrinth orphan wants is to survive.

'So, you really helped me, Raust. That's the only way to keep their mental health intact. But above all, you're the core of what they need to grow up with.

　When he said that, I felt a hint of compassion in his words.
　That's why I had a question for Mr. Ronald.
　After a moment of hesitation, I asked Ronald-san that question.

"When the adventurers escaped, did you dare to leave only the labyrinth orphans behind in the labyrinth city?

　As far as I remember, most of the adventurers left in this labyrinth city were young adventurers who seemed to be labyrinth orphans.
　Of course, it's not like there aren't adventurers from outside the city, but I don't think most of them are in the labyrinth city.

''No, as expected, I didn't have time for that. My priority at that time was to find a way to get rid of the adventurers who were an obstacle to leading the city out of the labyrinth city.

...... Huh?

'I really didn't realise that at the time. I would have used it better if I'd noticed .......

　I couldn't hide my upset at Mr. Ronaldo for saying that, exactly as he had always said he would.
　What more does Mr. Ronaldo want, while taking full advantage of it, in the form of getting rid of the distractions?

　...... Maybe it's my imagination, or maybe it's the evil aura coming from Mr. Ronald, and I pull my cheeks down.

　But soon, Ronald-san's mood returned to normal.

''Well, as far as the adventurer escaping, there was no purpose to it, but I do have genuine sympathy for the labyrinth orphans,''

　Looking at Marnell and his friends in the distance, almost out of sight, Ronaldo tells us, "It's a very sympathetic environment for them.

"It's a very sympathetic environment for them to be in.

　Having lived as a labyrinth orphan myself, I had to admit that Ronaldo's words were true.

　Since birth, a society of adventurers has surrounded them with adventurers who cannot be trusted except by their friends.
　Even if you don't have the ability to fight, you will be mistreated as incompetent, and even if you have useful skills, there are few who can survive in the labyrinth city.
　As a matter of fact, I don't know what happened to the labyrinth orphans in the orphanage I was in before.

　I've been kicked out for being incompetent and opposed to the incompetence, but it was my best luck that I was able to get into a training school for healers.

　So I think.
　Yes, they may be cooperating with me now, but I still don't think I'll ever trust Mist in the future.

　...... It's the Mist that created this hell," he said.

　Suddenly, Mr. Ronald stopped, and that was when he was thinking about it.

'Roust, I'm about to ask you a few questions, if that's okay?'

Yes!

　I look around as I reply to his words and realize that I'm here.
　This is the place that Ronald-san was pointing to, the destination.

　...... A little too far away from Marnell and the others, though.

　Honestly, I don't think we're this far off the beaten path, and even in the alleyway in front of us, I don't think the adventurers will hear us talk.
　While I'm thinking about that, Ronald-san starts talking.

''Doesn't the wound the ogre cut you with hurt anymore?　How bad is it?　How long do you think you can move?

　But Mr. Ronaldo's question caused me to frown.
　All of his questions were ones that I thought someone else would have told me.
　If he hadn't told me, I could understand why he asked me again, but maybe he hadn't told me?
　No, maybe that's just the way it is.

　...... I pictured Lila-san, who would be surrounded by adventurers by now, so I'm convinced.

　If you're that busy, it may be inevitable that you'll have to explain later.
　I gather myself up and answer the questions.

Oh, yes. It's all right now. The wound is mostly sealed, and I think you can move after two days.

'I see. So it's like Lyra said, or maybe a little better than that.

　It was only when he told me what he had said that I realized that I had made a mistake.
　I didn't understand why I had to listen to Lyra-san's words again, but I had some doubts about Ronaldo.

I asked Ronaldo, "So, did you heal even once after the ogre cut you off?　That's before we cut to Fenrir.

　But Ronaldo paid no attention to my situation and asked me a series of questions, and as I managed to answer them, I couldn't help but ask him.
　As I manage to answer his questions, I can't help but ask him that question.

No, no. I didn't go to the "heel" during that time. No, no, I didn't go on a heel during that time. Why did you do that?

...... Yeah, I'm sorry. You didn't get away with this circular question.

　That's when Ronaldo's mood changed.

　I felt a chill in my skin, and I gulped for breath.
　I was under the impression that he looked exactly like Ronald, but his face hadn't changed, and I felt as if he had been replaced by someone else.
　It's not just to keep adventurers from listening to you, that's when I realized that Ronaldo had brought me to a deserted place.

　...... that Ronald-san had chosen such a place so that no one would hear him.

'Then let me hear it in a nutshell,'

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

It's a good thing that you're not just a guy, but a girl.