'But Julia was my best friend. We even never missed a letter back and forth, even after we were separated. If I can, I'd like to help ...... if it's still not too late.

　Alexia declared, looking me straight in the eye.

　I let out a deep breath and leaned my weight against the checkout counter.

　Garnett gives me a concerned look from beside me.

　Don't worry about it.
　I don't let these things get to me.

The guild has already told you about my relationship with the hero's party. And now you want me to help you save Julia?
No, no!　No way!

　Alexia raised her voice with an impatient look on her face.

　At any rate, I asked her with a hand gesture to explain the situation, and Alexia took a firm breath before she began to speak.

'It's been a decade since I last saw Julia, ...... and the Falcon,'

　In contrast to the easygoing attitude of earlier, her smile has lost its energy.

　About ten years - in terms of Alexia's age, that's nearly half of her life, and in my case, it's a long period of time, equivalent to a third of my life.

'So when I stopped with my childhood impressions and heard about what ...... the two of you did to Mr. Luke, I didn't believe it right away.
What were they like in the old days?

　From the way Alexia talks, it seems that there's already a huge gap between what she envisions Julia and Falcon's personality to be and what I actually saw and heard her say and do.

'Julia was a kind and firm girl who wouldn't overlook bullying the weak. Falcon was really just a friend of a friend, but I think he was a caring brat to his friends.
Well, that's definitely not the same thing.

　In particular, ten years of boyhood is more than enough to distort human nature.

　It's no wonder that this is the result of the experiences he's had in the nearly ten years since he was invited to the royal capital by the general who conquered the multi-storeyed city - now a minister - that have had a tremendous negative impact on his personality development None.

　Even if it were, my impression of Falcon has not been shaken at all.

　The worst personality, blessed with abilities in every way, colored by carelessness and pride.
　An existence that makes me feel uncomfortable just remembering it.

　Whether or not it was caused by a warped personality development, it was not a reason to revise my assessment.

'But you've been exchanging letters with Julia, haven't you?　Did you feel any discomfort or anything?
It wasn't there. That made it all the more difficult to believe. Oh, I've got a couple of letters for you.
Show me.

　I received a thick package from Alexia and opened some of the letters that were contained in it at random.

　A nondescript status report. A bland description of the people who are in my care, including Falcon.

　It's like a different person from the brave party I know - or would it be like this if I deliberately wrote it without any venom.

"...... If you say this is your only source of information, then you don't realize that you've become a 'human being', do you? For all intents and purposes, it's the same old letter from a friend.

　-- unexpectedly, I remembered the letter I was planning to write to my parents.

　In the end, I gave up on writing the letter, but if I had written it up as it was, it would have been as fact-bending as this Julia's letter was.

　Whether or not I'm happy with the current situation and whether or not I can honestly tell my hometown what's going on is another matter.

　I'm happy with my current group of friends, but I was afraid to tell my parents about it for fear of causing a new misunderstanding.

　And maybe Julia is comfortable with being with the personality-distorted Falcon, but she was afraid to tell her best friend back home about it and change her perception.

If it were true, I would have gone to Green Hollow Town right away to find out the truth ...... and help Julia if I could and ask her why she did such a terrible thing to you, Luke.
But there were circumstances that prevented me from doing so.

　I thought about it for a moment and came up with a candidate for that circumstance and whatnot.

'Master Technician Master, your day job employer, right?
''...... yes. I think I've told you before, Luke, but I need my master's permission to operate as an adventurer.
But this time I couldn't get permission. I don't know if it's an adventure related to my day job, but it's unrelated, so I can't give you permission.
U...... That's right.

　When she was working with me, Alexia's adventures had a purpose related to her day job in a crooked way.

　The search for rare materials. The testing of prototype armaments.
　Both of these objectives were connected to her day job as a mechanical engineer.

　But this time was different. It's a completely personal affair, from one to ten.
　It's no wonder that his master, who is also his employer, is reluctant to give permission.

''The request for help from the Adventurer's Guild was my last chance. My master also agreed with me if the request came directly from the guild. So I'll be able to go to .......
"You didn't want me to say no, so you snapped back like that. It makes sense. I've got a pretty good idea what you're talking about.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of this article.

''You know, ...... now that I think about it, you're supposed to be using Luke-kun to help someone who did something terrible to you, ...... I'm sorry, I didn't think it through.
You should have realized that before you met the white wolf's. I can't believe how desperate they are.
...... Sorry.

　Garnett pointed out to her in no-holds-barred terms, and Alexia squirmed and shrank.

　If she decides that this is it, she tries to make a quick decision and act on it immediately, and later regrets it. It's the same old Alexia flaw.

'Well, that's okay. If you are an adventurer, you should be strong enough to use whatever is available to you.

　If my position were reversed, I would have had the same strategy in mind.
　I'm sure I would have gotten around a little better, though.

"So, what are you going to do, White Wolf?
'...... Alexia. I'm sure you've heard via the guild what happened to the Falcon 'what happened'. It's possible that Julia is already too late. What are you going to do then?

　Falcon fell into the hands of the demon race and was turned into a dragon man who was made to synthesize with a dragon.

　If you believe Bran's statement that he voluntarily turned, Julia has already undergone some kind of modification as well.

　If that's the case, there's a possibility that we can't save her no matter how hard we try--

Of course it is!

　Alexia tapped the metal case that housed the large crossbow (Scorpion) while raising her voice.

'I've made some adjustments to the Scorpion that will allow me to finish it off with a single blow, whether it's a wyvern or not, as long as it hits the kryptonite. If there's nothing I can do about it, I'll take them out.

　The power in his eyes was strong and there was no hesitation in his voice.

''You may have betrayed me by your own will, while your form remains human. Will you still be able to defeat him?''
...... I will defeat you. I will defeat you.

　When the moment came, who knows if they would really be able to act as declared.

　But at least at this moment in time, he really seemed to be ready for it.

　We've finished confirming everything we wanted to hear. All that's left to do is draw a conclusion.

''I won't cooperate with you. I don't feel at all heartbroken if Julia dies, and I have no righteousness or reason to help her. If the Golden Fang asks me to help in defeating them, I won't hesitate to ask for it.

　Alexia draws her lips together and listens to my words.

'But what you do on your day off is up to you. I won't interfere as long as it's not to the detriment of me or the town.
So long: ......!
''However, if you side with the heroic party, I will advise the Knights to treat you as having turned to the Demon King's army as well. If you're okay with this, you can start working tomorrow.
'Yes, sir!　Thank you!

　With the force of turning over the Scorpion's case, Alexia bowed her head and ran out of the shop, saying she would get ready for tomorrow.

　Around the time her footsteps were out of earshot, Garnett let out a mixture of sighs.

''Even if you're lucky enough to survive, you could still be sent to jail for what you did to you. I don't care if you succeeded in defeating the demon king, if you failed, you can't expect any special measures.
It's much better than being killed without even being judged like a human being: ...... Maybe something like that.

　Not that I have any sympathy for Julia, but I can understand Alexia's sentiments.

'So, white wolf. Are you sure this is the right thing for you?
It's true that we're short on staff, and we can't just let the guilds introduce us to each other for nothing.
...... even if this Julia thing is spared?
"There's more to it than just dying, isn't there?　If I'm rescued from the Demon King's Castle and judged legally as a human, that's something I can live with.

　Hearing my opinion, Garnett cowered his shoulders and then silently patted me on the back.

　He didn't throw any words at me, but it was a gesture that certainly conveyed that he was concerned about me.