After I finished eating dinner, I was summoned to the tent of the knights escorting the encampment and received a brief explanation of the future [Restoration] policy.

　The content is nothing special, it's just a formal procedure to confirm that the whole thing is progressing as planned, so I want them to proceed according to the plan.

　By the time that explanation was done, the sky - the luminescent ceiling of the underground space - had already gone completely dark, and the faint afterglow was flickering like a star.

　The temperature had dropped, and the adventurers had withdrawn into the tent, except for the defenders.

　However, the residents of Green Hollow Town were not.

　Perhaps the night sky in the underground space was so unusual that they had gone out of their way to beat the cold by putting on a blanket to enjoy watching the night sky outdoors.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of this.

I'm sure you'll find that ...... is one way to enjoy it.

　I felt bad about interrupting them, so I headed for my tent without calling out to them.

　Just before my tent, a soldier on guard approached me, ordering me to stop, but he quickly realized it was me and let down his guard.

''Excuse me. Please pass.''
You're overreacting: "You're overreacting ......, do you really need a lookout?
It's necessary now. You are irreplaceable in Lord Luke's role.

　Objectively speaking, that's certainly true, but since the encampment's defense itself is rock solid, there's no need to go so far.

''Oops. Luke-dono's tent is on the right side. The left side is the tent assigned to the female employees of the white wolf store, so please do not make a mistake. Please make sure there is no mistake.''
I know.

　Make no mistake, by "make no mistake" you mean don't get the tent wrong, right?　I thought about ...... for a moment, but I didn't want to say it out loud.

　So now that all the work for the day is done, what do I do now?

　Do I rent a big bath and sweat it out as planned, or do I go to sleep right away and get a longer sleep?

　While thinking about this, I dove under the cloth at the entrance of the tent - the first guest was already there.

''----.''
----

　A hardened garnet. A vat of water filled with hot water, making the steam rise.

　My hands gripping a wet hand towel, stopping exactly in the middle of wiping my exposed white upper body.

　After a few seconds of staring at each other, frozen, I backed away and closed the entrance cloth without saying a word.

'Hey guys, say something.'
"...... Sorry, I thought I'd let my guard down.

　Since Garnett is ostensibly a man, it was only natural that our tents would be assigned and that we would not be able to use the large bathhouse.

　For some reason, these days, I almost forget that inadvertently.
　It is a big regret. You have to keep your guard up or you'll end up in a rage in public.










　--Then I waited for Garnett to finish bathing in the hot water before taking a change of clothes and going back to the tent to finish bathing in the large bathroom.

　It's already late in the evening, so it's time to get some sleep on the stones.

　Tomorrow I'm planning to finish the [Restoration] of the underground farm in one fell swoop, so I can't afford to lose my concentration due to lack of sleep.

　No matter what the situation is, lack of sleep is only a factor that reduces work efficiency.

'Alright, ......'

　I adjust the sheets on the simple bunk provided in the tent and finish all the preparations for sleep.

　The simple bunks are placed one at each end of the two-person tent, and each one is to be used by me and Garnett.

'You need to get to bed early too ......'
Yeah.

　However, just as I got under the covers and was about to turn off the lamp, Garnett moved the bunk with great force and made it adjacent to my bunk.

'Oh, hey!'　What?
I've got something to tell you. I don't want anyone else to hear it.

　Garnett crawled under the covers flatly with the bed adjacent to him, and without waiting for my approval, he slumped down and began to talk.

'You know, the other day. You and your brother, you know, when you were talking to me the other day. I actually overheard a little bit.
...... What part of the story are you talking about?
It's about your mother. As soon as I heard, I thought it was bad and left, but since it was your brother, he told you why I became a knight anyway, right?
Yeah, ...... right.

　I didn't have any desire to deceive myself.

　When he was a child, his mother was killed in an attack that seemed to be in retaliation for the resentment of a mithril trafficking organization, and he wanted to become a knight in order to catch the culprit with his own hands.

　It was a fact that Garnett's brother, the Knight Commander of Carmine, had told him about it, and there was no hiding it.

'Agart Ram. That's the name of the most likely suspect organization.

　I don't know why Garnett suddenly started talking like this.
　But I didn't say anything, and I listened without question.

"To tell you the truth," he said, "I thought you were the bait that would attract Agat Ram, and I haven't been able to get a hold of you. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I'm sure Agat Ram, who still hasn't been able to get a hold of his tail, would bite at this one.
Yeah. That sure sounds like bait.
...... at first, okay?　It's different now, you know?
I know. I know that's why you got my security detail.

　There was no reply. The fact that he didn't get a denial back was an implicit sign of affirmation.

'So, what are your thoughts now?'
I don't know.

　Garnett lay on his face and buried his face in the pillow.

But I felt that I couldn't hide the fact that I was thinking that way at first. It's a good thing that ......, well, you know, ...... is not a good thing.

　After struggling with his choice of words for three minutes, Garnett turned his head to look away from me.

'Are you ...... disillusioned?'
No way.

　My reply was simple and straightforward.
　I can't think of any other answer at all.

If you had told me that from the beginning, I would have tried to help you as much as I could. If anything, I'd be happy to do it now. Oh, no, ......, not until after the quarrel is over.
"Heh. ...... Thanks, white wolf.

　He kept his gaze somewhere else, but his voice alone conveyed his happy smile firmly.

　Maybe Garnett had been holding onto this anxiety for a long time.

　If that's the case, it's a big deal. There was no way I would deny her for that reason.

　I reached for the lantern on my cot and twisted the fire switch to turn off the light.

'I'm going to bed now, quicksilver. Good night.
Yeah, good night.

　They exchanged bedtime greetings and fell asleep in the dark tent.
　It was an unfamiliar bunk, but tonight's sleep was going to be peaceful and healthy.










　-- but our comfortable sleep would be broken without warning before dawn.

　Multiple roars resounded from the direction of the Demon King's Castle and by a violent impact that shook the atmosphere.