I looked in the direction Alexia had pointed and saw Noir, glass in hand, sitting on a bench, pensive.

　I approached her to call out to her, but before I could, Erica ran up to her and spoke to Noir.

'Noir-san ...... uh, I heard about your sister,'
............
I'm not really in a position to say anything about it, but ......, I mean, don't let it get you down.
Thank you ...... but I'm fine .......

　Erica is worried about Noir's situation, which she found out about after everything was over, and Noir, on the contrary, is concerned about Erica's distress.

　Apparently, neither of them have yet to notice that I'm nearby.

It's a ...... thing that can't be helped. It is ...... fortunate that I was able to ...... settle the matter.
............

　Erica's face fell sadly.
　Noir looks up at Erica from her seat on the bench and tries to make a smile awkwardly.

　It's not that she's forcing herself to smile, she's not forcing herself to smile.
　He's doing his best to 'make a smile', an act he's been bad at for a long time, for Erica, who is sad about him.

' (I guess I shouldn't interrupt her: ......)

　I stopped talking to them and turned on my heel.

　Garnett and Sakura seemed to think the same thing and followed me without saying a word.

　We were just about to pass through the center of the festival when a lively and energetic voice stops us.

Ah!　Mr. Luke!　Sakura!　And Mr. Garnett!

　The owner of the voice is Sylvia.
　It seems that she is serving various dishes to tables arranged in the square.

'Well ...... could you be at work?　Not a participant.
I'm more of an organizer. We're cooperating with them.

　Sylvia placed the food she was carrying on the table, then turned to us and smiled cheerfully.

'Because while you all were risking your lives, I couldn't do anything about it. I'm sorry I can't face you if I don't at least do the best I can.
'As for me, I rather think Sylvia has always been a great help to me.
'That's right, Sylvia. We were rather in a position to return the favor in our usual way.

　Sakura fully agrees with my opinion.

　However, Sylvia clearly shook her head.

''It's a matter of our feelings. It's really nice to hear you say that, but we still want to help you in a way that we're comfortable with.''

　Sylvia says so cheerfully and without hesitation.

　No matter how much others affirm it, if you can't agree with it, it's meaningless - I've held my ground with the same logic many times.

　That's why I had to say that I understand how Sylvia felt.

'I almost forgot. Hey Sakura, I actually tried to make an Eastern-style dish, but I wonder if you could taste it?
'My God!　I'll have to try that one by all means!

　Sylvia returned to the Springtime Wakaba Tei with a joyful Sakura in tow.

　The only two people left behind were me and Garnett.

　Alexia had resumed touring the stalls before I knew it, while Noir and Erica were in a corner of the square, talking about specialized topics.

''Well, since we've come all this way, let's enjoy ourselves too, shall we?
Yeah!　We've got a full day off tomorrow, so let's make some serious noise today.

　Accompanied by a strangely happy Garnett, I too jumped into the midst of the festive hustle and bustle.










　-- That night, an all-night meeting in the royal palace of the Westland Kingdom was reaching its climax.

　The agenda was piled high, but it was the topic of a certain adventurer that caused the most confusion.

''Then, I'm fine with the following two plans for the treatment of Luke in the White Wolf Forest: ......

　The person in charge of the meeting, King Alfred of Westland, looked around the chamber while announcing this in a dignified voice.

　The people in attendance are all important people of the kingdom and high-ranking nobles.

　They are all involved in the governance of the kingdom in both name and reality, and these people were exchanging opinions by directly mentioning the name of Luke of the White Wolf Forest.

　The current situation where the Golden Fang Knights and the Silver Wing Knights were vying for the White Wolf Forest Luke was a matter that needed to be resolved as peacefully as possible in terms of the deteriorating relationship between the knights.

''First plan. We will perform the knighthood in the name of our Kingsguard, the Knights of the Dragon King.

　Following King Alfred's remarks, those present spoke out one by one.

''It's still this one. If the highest-ranking knight order, the Order of the Dragon King, the apex of Westland's knights, is the one to call, the rest of the order can't complain.
'But that thing has never taken inductees from anyone other than its own people. I wonder if he'll ever shake his head.
'I would accept it if it were recommended by His Majesty. I would personally prefer to push for the other plan.
You're the one who's never seen anything like it!

　Eventually, when the audience had calmed down, King Alfred read out a second proposal.

''The second proposal. We will establish a new Order. I'm not sure what form it will take, but if you're going to be headed by him or herself, it's going to be ...... that's the White Wolf Order.

　The attendees kept their mouths shut in a tense manner.

　After a short pause, the nobleman who called this idea unheard of opens his mouth.

...... Your Majesty. There is no precedent for the establishment of a new order of knights.
'What do you say? Our country has only just become what it is today after twenty years of work. The present system of knighthood is a new one that has arisen in the meantime.

　King Alfred was somewhat taken aback by the statement.

He said: "It's not that it's not allowed, it's just that we haven't tried to do it yet. It's just that we haven't tried to do it yet. There is no article in the charter that forbids the creation of new knights.
"But there is no written procedure for establishing ......
"Cases that don't fall under the article are left to me, the king, to decide: ...... That's the kind of arrangement we're talking about, isn't it?

　The negative nobles fell silent, at a loss for a rebuttal.

　After confirming their reaction, King Alfred looked around the chamber again.

''It will be decided in a future meeting which one to adopt, the first plan or the second plan. I don't know if the Knight Commander Drake will agree to it, and above all, we have to find out his will.










　--Joining the Knights of the Dragon King as a Kingsguard. The establishment of the new Order of the Dragon King.

　Either way, it's unprecedented and unheard of.

　The 'value' carried by the man named Luke of the White Wolf Forest continues to soar endlessly, whether he himself wants it or not.

　However, he has yet to learn of this fact.

　The two of them sleep peacefully together on the couches of the tavern, unknowingly huddled together on their shoulders with the girl who is always at their side.