The day of my audience with King Alfred.

　I left Green Hollow Town and headed down the mountain, led by the Silver Wing Knights.

　Thanks to the bridge that was previously [repaired] at the request of the town hall, if we left the town early in the morning, we would be able to arrive at our destination around noon.

　It's been a long time since I've ridden a horse, but surprisingly, my body is remembering it.

　As long as I don't make it run in a hurry, I'll be able to ride it with no problems.

''Yo, white wolf. Don't freak out and pass out just because it's your first audience.
'Don't worry, Master Luke. His Majesty is a very friendly man.
I'm not going to pass out.

　As we continued our leisurely chit-chat, we left the tree-covered mountain road and came to a vantage point overlooking the plains.

　We knew immediately where our destination was.

　In the middle of the plain, a large encampment consisting of countless tents had been set up in the middle of the plain.

'That's the camp of His Majesty Alfred's mobile court.
The mobile court ...... was, as I recall, a system in which the king himself patrolled the lands he conquered to make sure they were properly governed.

　Felix looked a little surprised when I said this with my knowledge.

''You know a lot about it, don't you? However, this has been His Majesty's territory for a long time now, so we're simply passing through now to move around. ......
Felix. There's a lot of them this time, don't you think?

　Garnett interrupted Felix's explanation and pointed to an encampment in the distance.

　I don't know the usual size of the mobile court, so I can't say for sure, but from a knight serving the royal court, the size of the encampment seems strange to me.

''If you ask me, that's true. Anyway, let's head there.''

　We rode our horses down the slope and crossed the plain to reach the front of the encampment.

　A sentry, noticing our approach, stands in the direction of our progress, with his men in tow.

'Halt!　What do you want?!
'I am Felix Alabaster of the Silverwing Knights!　By the decree of His Majesty, I have brought you Luke of the White Wolf Forest!
'Excuse me, sir, I was told that you were being briefed!　Please present your subpoena!

　After completing the paperwork and formalities, Felix led the way to the largest tent.

　The number of soldiers standing around it. The number of horses roped together.
　The number of horses on the ropes around the perimeter of the tent, all of which were tremendous, clearly indicating that this was the most important part of the encampment.

''We'll be waiting outside the tent. From this point onward, you may proceed on your own, Lord Luke.
What? Is it just me?
The biggest and most prominent man in the room is His Majesty the King. Don't get your panties in a bunch just because he's not the guy you think he is.

　Agitated by Garnett, I stepped fearfully inside the tent.

　Inside the tent, which is the size of a small house, men who can be recognized as aristocrats and officials are holding meetings around the meticulously arranged desks.

　And one person stands out from the crowd.

Oh, there you are!

　His dynamic voice echoed in the tent.

　His body is so muscular that it's hard to believe he's nearly 50 years old.
　His face is full of energy and vigor, and he looks like a dynamic man.

　His dignified outfit was roughly worn down and his collar was opened to its limit, proudly exposing a body that had never faded.

　I understood at a glance.
　This un-royal figure is the current King Alfred himself, the most powerful adventurer of twenty years ago and the current king.

Let's take a short break from this conference. We've been working hard all morning. We've been up to our necks in the morning.

　After receiving King Alfred's instructions, the participants of the meeting left the tent one after another.

　Just by looking at their expressions of fatigue and openness, I could tell how spirited the discussion was.

　And only me and King Alfred are left in the wide tent.

　...... Wait a minute, you don't even have an escort?

　Even though my background is completely cylindrical, it's no wonder that I'm fearless.

　Or do they have a skillful attendant who can protect them without a problem even if they are not at their side?

''Sit in a suitable chair. Don't worry about whose seat you're sitting in.
Yes, sir.

　I wondered if I wasn't supposed to kneel on the ground in these situations, but if he told me to sit down in a chair, I had no choice.

　I sat down on the farthest seat for now, but to my surprise, King Alfred left his seat as a matter of course and sat down in the chair next to me.

''......!''
I won't be able to talk to you if you're that far away.

　Not caring that I was rolling my eyes in surprise, King Alfred cut to the chase without any preamble.

He said, "Luke of the White Wolf Forest. All of my suspicions about you have been cleared. Both the harm to the brave and the trafficking of mithril will be officially dealt with as a clean slate. You have caused me trouble.
No, no, no, no. ......
Well, here's the thing.

　The main point?　So now what?　I can't believe my ears.

　How do you deal with the frame-ups that have been blown up by some minister?
　I had only thought that was the main question of the day.

　-- and when I thought about it, I was unexpectedly convinced.

　If that's all there is to it, there's no need to bother calling them out, and we haven't even talked about the future collection and sale of mithril.

　It would not be strange for the royal palace to recognize that that is the main issue.

'You know about the violation of orders committed by the brave Falcon. Even though it wasn't our intention, since he carried out an attack on Demon King Gandalf and failed, a full-scale confrontation with the Demon King was inevitable.

　What King Alfred told me was very different from what I had imagined.

''It's probably impossible to deal with a small number of elites led by a new brave man. The Demon King will be on full alert. In other words, the next best thing to choose is the next best thing to do. The only way to choose is not to defeat him with brave men, but to subdue him with an army.

　It's not a case of wet clothes, nor is it a case of mithril.
　It's about a military point of view that shouldn't be as relevant to a former adventurer like me, or even a mere arms dealer.

　It was as if he had no idea why I was being told this story.

'Oh, um, ...... and what does that have to do with me ......?'

　When I asked him if he was brave enough to ask, King Alfred put his hand on my shoulder with a bold smile.

　It's not so much a hand on my shoulder as a smack.

　My shoulders and arms are tingling and numb.

''We are going to set up an outpost on the fifth level of the 'Sundial Forest'. A large scale thing that is both a choke point for the knights and a base for adventurers to explore the underground space.
'Eh ......, so that means you can't possibly be ......'
I need your help. We're going to need equipment, a base, and a study of the portal to underground space.　I've got a lot of things I need to rely on, you know!

　The sound of a grandiose laugh echoed through the tent.

　As I basked in it at close range, I could feel a drawn-out smile on my own mouth.