--Then we left the uninhabited underground living quarters and resumed our movement inside the Demon King's Castle.

　At the head of the line was Nagi, the guide, and Melissa, who was acting together at her own request.

　In the middle of the line are the five Golden Fang men and the captured Falcon, while we, the White Wolf Shop's officials, are walking behind them.

　As usual, the corridors of the Demon King's Castle are not popular.

　According to Nagi, who had been scouting the place for some time, it seems that this place has a lot of equipment for peacetime, and during the siege and defense battle over the city walls, most of the people will be out.

　Of course, the risk of encountering them unexpectedly is not zero, so it is necessary to always pay attention to them.

''Anyway, are you sure that was the right thing to do?

　Garnett, walking next to me, speaks to me in a hushed voice.

'I don't think anyone could have complained about you getting revenge on a brave man.
That may be so. But revenge is for self-satisfaction, so as long as it makes you feel good about yourself, that's all that matters.
...... It's got to be you. That's your style.

　Garnett laughed in disgust.

　If I were to describe the response from me to Falcon as revenge, it would still be a topic that Garnett couldn't ignore.

　The mithril trafficking organization that killed his mother, Agat Ram - Garnett became a knight with the goal of destroying this organization.

　But I haven't yet grasped the extent to which that means dealing with it, either.

　If they can destroy the organization, is that enough?
　Are we going to hunt them down until we get all of our members?
　Or will they have to go as far as taking lives to end it?

　What is the borderline that Garnett is satisfied with and can accept?

　Maybe it would be quicker to ask him directly in words, and he would seem to have a surprisingly normal answer, but he couldn't get his footing.

　As I was thinking about this, Alexia came running up to me at a small run and paced next to me on the opposite side of the street from Garnett.

'Um, Luke-kun ...... thank you for your help earlier.
What did I have to thank you for?
It's about Julia. He said he would try to capture her if he could. At first he said, 'I won't help you.' ......
...... Come to think of it, you said that too.

　I'm not going to cooperate with you - that's the response I threw at you right after Alexia came to Green Hollow and told me about her relationship with Julia.

　I don't feel my heart hurts at all when Julia dies. I have no righteousness or reason to help her. If the Golden Fang asks me to help defeat him, I will beg him - I'm sure he said something like this.

　I'm confident in my memory, so there should be no mistake.

"I haven't changed my mind about what happens to Julia. It's true that I didn't feel like helping her at the time. But that doesn't mean I didn't want to help at any cost ...... and that's all there is to it.

　If I had to describe it very succinctly, it would be 'I'm ready'.

　There's no righteousness or reason to help Julia, but people don't operate solely on righteousness or reason.

　I'm not particularly interested in the outcome, but I'm motivated to help because I'm motivated - that's the extent of my motivation for being human.

It's a good idea, but I'm not going to be the one to ask the Falcon this time. You know, the one about why Julia is different. Maybe now I can get some answers out of you.
Ha, yes. Please.

　Alexia suppressed the urge to shout out and uttered her agreement at a whispered volume.

　The two of them ...... No, Garnett followed, so the three of them quickened their pace and caught up with the five Golden Fang people and Falcon, who were a little ahead of them.

You're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them. That question this guy asked me earlier, can you get a more detailed answer?
...... Hmm. It's not like they're trying to take advantage of your weakness. For the record, I don't have any 'cause for sympathy'.

　Falcon took one look at us and began to speak as he walked, not slowing his pace.

'I've been expected to be a brave man, and I've lived up to those expectations and made a difference. You've only known this failure, though. I've only been treated as special and behaved as I deserve.
In short, they've been lifted up and multiplied. That's easy to understand.
Shut up.

　With a bitter twist of his face, Falcon piled on the words to interrupt my reaction.

'But Julia, ...... this is really stupid, but I heard she felt a pullback to me.
Julia?　What do you mean?
You'll laugh at that, right?　I almost died because of his mistake when I was on a mission to defeat a monster that was eating the ground. After that, he stopped disobeying me.

　With that, Falcon gave a small shake of his shoulder.

'You've never changed your mind about playing with women, though. You're still going along with me in everything, and instead of being opposed to what I do, you're now actively playing a part in it. Stupid girl, right?

　Although at first glance it seemed to be trembling with laughter, it was clear that he was trying to suppress a different emotion.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time and energy, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. The reason why he lost to the demon king is because he dragged his feet. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. Don't you think so?
It's ......, Alexia.

　Alexia listened to Falcon's story with a downcast look on her face, but she let out a short huff and then raised her face, which made a strong expression.

'Totally, I can't believe Julia had the predisposition to fall for a bad guy. When this fight is over, I should be angry at her for throwing away this useless man. I can't overlook him as a childhood friend.

　I'm assuming that when this battle is over - that is, the curtain will be drawn back without taking Julia's life.

　Of course, Alexia probably didn't say this with an optimistic view.

　This is a statement of determination, so to speak.
　It's a statement of determination, a wish to herself that she will let Julia survive.

　While the conversation was going on, we arrived at an open place.

Be careful, everyone. The situation is far from uninhabited from here on out.

　Nagi, the leader of the group, stops abruptly and looks back.

　Rather than a room, it's more like a hall where corridors intersect.

　The overall shape is a vertical cylindrical shape, with a vaulted ceiling for several floors, with a decorative glass ceiling at the top.

　And the first floor is connected to four crisscrossing corridors, and we had just emerged from one of them.

'If you go straight ahead, you can reach the nearest city wall: ......'
Wait.

　Falcon interrupts Nagi's explanation.

'Someone's caught in my [presence of mind]. One ...... human woman on the second floor?

　Out of the Falcon's line of sight was a section set up just at the height of the second floor that jutted out like a balcony-type auditorium in a theater.

　Immediately afterwards, a white-clad, white-haired woman appeared with a voice that we had heard many times before.

You know," she said, "I don't like it, hero. The ambush is ruined!