After leaving the royal palace, me and Garnett decided to head to the inn where Sakura and the others were staying as planned.

　Hild and Ezell were separated because Hild and Ezell had other plans, so we were the only two people to ask for Sakura.

　However, when we arrived at the inn, we found that Noir, Erica, and Alexia were the only three companions there.

'Oh, Sylvia and Sakura aren't there?'

　I called out to the three men who were hanging out in the lounge.

　Alexia, who was closest to me, was the one who answered my question.

We went out quite a while ago. 'We went to see Sylvia's grandmother or something. I'm not sure when I'll be back,

　When I asked for more details, it seems that Sylvia and Sakura left the inn immediately after leaving us and went to Sylvia's grandmother, President Dorothea.

　When I was fed up with my spacing, Garnett lifted her cheeks with a grin next to me.

I'm not sure if I've misplaced you again.　It's not your lucky day, white wolf.
Maybe that thing at my appointment wore out my luck.

　When I first came here, I only met Sylvia and Sakura, and when I went to the inn where my relatives were staying, I found that all of them were out sightseeing in the royal capital, and when I came back here after the royal capital, this is what I saw.

　It's a series of splendid misunderstandings that almost makes me laugh in reverse.

''Ah, yes!　Store manager, ordained ......?　Anyway, congratulations!

　Erica poked her hand on the table and stood up to congratulate me as she leaned forward.

　Next to her, Noir was also smiling happily.

'It's really ...... good ...... you. I was ...... drunk in person, but ......
You've been out of bed for a while, haven't you? You okay?　Don't take it too hard. If anything happens to you, you're in big trouble.

　I thought I was being concerned about my condition as a matter of course, but for some reason Noir had a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.

　It's not that I didn't like the content of the statement, but rather, it's as if I blame him for making such a statement itself.

'Fiancé, if you have ...... indiscretion, nah, I've stopped speaking ......, it's better ......'
'What?　...... haha!　So that's how it works. You're supposed to care about your employees' health, right?　And he's not going to get upset about it either. Hey, Garnett.
'Huh!　Why did you talk to me about ...... oh, no, that's right. I know my sister better than anyone else. I'm sure she'd be disappointed not to speak to you here.

Apparently, Noir thought that the earlier exchange might cause Alma's displeasure.

　It would have to be said that he was thinking too much, no matter how much he thought.

''Is that so ......?　Julia, is ...... to the Falcon ...... this, or at least ......
'I've been a jealous kid since I was a kid, but isn't that because the brave man was full of ulterior motives, as expected?　Normally you wouldn't care about every single thing.
I'm not used to ...... for this kind of stuff, but I'm not used to ......

　Noir and Alexia are both citing Julia, the brave party member, as the one they are citing together.

　She is the lover of the brave Falcon, the female swordsman who partied with Noir, and a childhood friend of Alexia's who spent her childhood with him.

　To me, she was the woman who took the initiative to be complicit in leaving me behind in the Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss, but lately, I hardly remembered that bitterness anymore.

　It may be partly because another year has passed since then, and partly because I've witnessed the way the dragonborn have transformed me and even robbed me of my ego.

　But more than that, I think it was also significant that he reached a turning point in his life as a result of the incident in the example.

　If I had been panting as the lowest-ranked bottom adventurer even after escaping, I might have been left holding on endlessly to the bitterness of being left behind.

'Speaking of which, manager. Your fiancé was with you when you came in earlier, right?
Potential fiancé. I may or may not be able to make it official, depending on my future career.
We haven't met the guy after all. When will we get another chance to meet him?
It's not like they don't have a family situation.

　Erica let out a sigh of disappointment.
　At the same time, Noir and Alexia also showed a pretense of interest in the topic.

''Hey, White Wolf's. It's not a good idea to stand around and talk while holding valuable materials, is it?　Let's get a message to him and pull him out once.

　Perhaps sensing that the flow of the conversation was leaning toward the matter of Alma, Garnett quite naturally began to break up the chatter.

　Regardless of the reason, the proposal itself is definitely a good argument.

　The memoir in hand is a unique document.
　If it was accidentally lost, it would be a big deal.

I'm sure that's true too. I'm sorry, but can you give me a word to Sakura?









　I'd like to ask for a translation of materials related to the underground search, so I'd like to ask for the inn again tomorrow morning - after leaving a message for Sakura with the three of us, Garnet and I decided to return to the inn.

''Sakura's hometown is the Imperial State, right? The Empire is the biggest one in the Eastern Continent. What if Sakura can't read it?
''Well, ...... I'll have Nagi take a look at it for now, and if that doesn't work, we'll have to turn to the other Knights of the Order.
As for the other Knights of the Round Table: ......

　While having such a conversation with Garnett, he entered the entrance hall of the inn.　

　Then a young man's voice came from the end of the hall.

'So!　I said no!

　I looked over in surprise, but it seemed to be directed not at us, but at my companion, a middle-aged man, who didn't even seem to notice our presence.

　It's as if he tried to stifle his indignation, but it didn't work.

　In contrast, the middle-aged man looked troubled and was trying to persuade the young man.

''But hey, you're the best person for the job. Can't you somehow convince me that you're the best person for the job? When your term is over, I'll give you a full evaluation.
''I knocked on the door of the Purple Jade Order because I want to learn about the Eastern Continent. I don't want to stick around in an underground dungeon deep in the mountains and go on a quest that could end at any moment!
But you're very close to the Knight Commander to whom you were sent: ......
That's another reason I don't like it!

　The middle-aged man had a familiar face from somewhere else, but far more than that, the younger man's figure was burned into my memory with intensity.

'...... mark?'

　There's no doubt about it, that's my brother Mark.

　If that's the case, the middle-aged man is Justin Easton, the leader of the Purple Jiaoja Order.
　He must have been remembered as one of the attendees of the joint appointment ceremony.

　I guess my unintentional mention of his name reached his ears, and Mark reflexively turned around and rolled his eyes, just like me.