--After finishing the conversation with Sir Justin, he returned to the lounge of the inn and decided to look for Garnett and the others to join them for a while.

　The three of them were able to find them quickly, despite the drunkenness in their heads.

　The reason being, the extremely talkative Mark was having a great time with the bewildered Sakura, talking about a topic I didn't understand.

　I'm not sure if I would have noticed if he was making that much noise, even if I hadn't thought to look for him.

　Sir Justin walked over to Mark with a large stride and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders from behind.

'I'm about to pull away,' he said. Oh, and don't bother the other young lady.
'Duh, Commander ......!　But, you know, I'd like to ask Miss Shiranui a few more questions: ......

　With apparent strength, Sir Justin pulled Mark out of the lounge.

'Excuse me!　If you get another chance to do so, please do so again at ......!

　Mark still didn't seem ready to give up, but he was taken out without any good resistance.

　I couldn't do anything but watch him go off with a bitter smile.

　I didn't know he had such a taste for the East.
　Fifteen years of separation seems to be even greater than I thought not long ago.

　Even though it was a coincidence, I ended up forcing Sakura to be Mark's partner, so I'd better apologize for that first.

'Sorry, Sakura. It looks like my people got in trouble.
No, no. I don't want to bother you. It's just that ...... people often asked me about my hometown, but it's rare to find someone so enthusiastic about it.
"If that weren't for the knight and your brother, I'd have taken him to the Silverwing choke point anyway. We'll hear your excuses in the stuffy room!　You're the guy who promises to be .......

　Garnett cowered his shoulders in a half-joking manner.

　I'm troubled that I can't say how much I'm exaggerating .......

'For your information, let me ask you, what did that guy ask you about?
'Mostly about the culture and customs of your hometown and all that. I think he wanted to take this opportunity to see how accurate his knowledge was.

　Garnett, who was supposed to have been watching their exchange from the side, didn't particularly deny or correct me, so it seems that Sakura is right about that area.

　From Mark's own statement and Sir Justin's explanation, a large part of that guy's selection criteria was taken up by his intellectual curiosity about the Eastern Continent.

　Perhaps, but if Sir Justin asks whether or not he's going to be sent soon, he's bound to shake his head, overwhelmed by his lust for knowledge.

　...... Still, I don't want to think that he hates me enough to say no, although I have a personal feeling about it.

It's a good idea. Lord Luke, I will return this journal to you. It would not be a good idea for me to continue to keep it, just in case.

　Sakura took out the example journal and returned it to me with a polite gesture.

'Do you think you can decipher it?'
"I've skimmed through the first two pages or so, but it's not a ciphertext, and given enough time, it should be fine.
That's good to hear. I was worried that the bad writing would be too bad, and that perhaps it would be too dirty to read.

　When he said this jokingly, Sakura giggled with a hand over her mouth.

'I'm used to bad writing. I'm sure your father was one of those people who wrote these kinds of letters. It even made me feel rather nostalgic.'

　Sakura's father - a member of the family that pursues the Eastern ritual of "God-Surrender," and is now deceased.

　Some people believe that the gods exist as transcendent beings with selves, while others believe they are a mass of power without selves.

　And The Divine Descent is an attempt to take the latter point of view, not in the roundabout form of skill, but in an attempt to bring down a part of the mighty power of the gods directly onto the human body.

　However, the elements needed to achieve this - the manufacturing method of the ritual tool, the sword of the Hihiyrokane, has been lost in history, and the 'pattern' passed down from generation to generation by bloodline has deteriorated.

　However, Sakura's father sees the pattern as a supplementary tool, and instead of focusing on it, he attempts to use it as a ritual implement to bring down the gods.

　-- the results were disastrous.

　Sakura's father is said to have lost his mind and lost his life in the scorching flames that engulfed the surrounding structures.

　However, Sakura didn't give up on completing "God's Descent" and left her hometown to visit this Westland Kingdom, thinking that an alchemist from the Western Continent could process the baboon kane.

　And after encountering us after many twists and turns, he was able to complete his sword and restore the pattern through his evolved 【Restoration】 skills, and he finally acquired the ability to descend to the gods--that's how it all came to be.

''...... By the way, did you ever talk to that guy about the God Descent?''
'No way!　That's not something to brag about lightly, you know.
'I knew it. It's an important secret in your house. ......
Oh, no. Not that.

　Sakura looked as if she'd been told something she wasn't supposed to, and waved her hand to the side, dismissing my thoughts.

'Because god-descending could be perceived as blasphemy against the gods, if it is. We don't teach it before we know the other person's principles.
'...... Well, I see. I certainly do.

　Now it was my turn to feel caught off guard.

　I'm not very religious, so I didn't care that much about it, but it's certainly possible that I could be perceived that way.

　From now on, you'll be dealing with personnel dispatched by various knights, so you may need to have a broader perspective.

''Thanks. I've learned another thing.''
'Why would you thank me, Lord Luke? I haven't done anything to you.

　Then, as he and Sakura are laughing at each other, Garnett pokes his head in from the side.

'I mean, White Wolf's. You've been drinking this stuff. You've been drinking.
'There's no such thing as cheating. You're right. ...... Sakura, I'm going to have to go out with you for a minute. I just wanted to thank you for what you did back there.
Yes, with pleasure!

　He turned on his heel and walked off in search of a different tavern than the one he had just left.

　It was going to be noisy and fun, and a quiet place like that wasn't going to be a very good fit.