Garnet and I both gasped and opened our eyes to the old man, who called himself Algernon.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

It's a good thing that you have this reaction just because you say your name ...... so you know me from the beginning, right?　So now it's coming from Charles and his people. You think so?　This is Charles, the Duke of Kingswell. If I hadn't handed over my position to my son since then.

　Algernon mentioned the person we had in mind without hesitation.

　Is it because we are brothers that we have a hunch?
　After being so accurately stated, it's unlikely to be able to mislead me appropriately.

''That's how it is. His Excellency the Duke has provided us with a little information. Including the fact that you ...... the Duke's brother has been challenging the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss' for many years and finally did not return from the labyrinth.
Oh, jeez. So that's it?　And you've uprooted the research materials that you've been leaving behind?　Oh, yuck. Yeah, yuck. It's not worth the embarrassment. It's not something that can be shown to anyone else.

　Algernon is terribly talkative, at best friendly and at worst rambunctious in his tone of voice.

　It's not very good, but it's not something you'd expect from a candidate for the heir of a duke's family at the top of the aristocracy.

　If you are born into a good family but your tone is rough, then it could be said that the same is true of Garnett who is right next to you, but as expected there is too much difference between a knight and a duke.

　No matter how much power a knight these days has gained over a lowly nobleman, that's not even comparable to a duke.

''...... I've heard that you've hired a number of adventurers and guards so far. For example, he's ...... an Eastern man. Do you remember?
Of course I do. I remember every single one of them. Their memory has been enhanced by their skills. Especially that guy in Shiranui, I couldn't forget him even if I wanted to.

　Algernon shook his head with a deliberately sad expression on his face.

　Shiranui (Shiranui) was Sakura's last name.
　Naturally, Sakura's father, who is believed to have dived into the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss' with the Duke of Kingswell's brother, would have taken the same surname as her.

　I only said that I'm an Eastern person, but the fact that I even guessed my last name exactly, strengthens my conviction that the person in front of me is indeed the Duke's brother.

''I found out that there wasn't any other realistic way to get down to this level of the hierarchy, so I had to sneak through the Demon King's Castle for a while or two. I'm sure you'll be able to find a strong dark elf with bad luck.
...... I'm sure you have several people in mind.
'Right?　I'm sure you'll be able to get away with it, but the guy from Shiranui became a lord and let us go. We said we would catch up with him, but if we haven't heard from him yet, that must be what it is: ......

　Algernon's emotions are exaggerated, and even his expressions of sadness seem like an act, but it's understandable if you say it's part of his personality.

　Sakura's father's body has been used as the temporary body of the Demon Lord's Army's demon general Suzuri.

　If Algernon's testimony is correct, then he was defeated and captured or killed after serving as a lord (shingari), and his body was used for his own purposes.

　But he hesitated to tell Algernon about this fact.

　There were too many reasons to suspect the old man, and I couldn't reveal the information I had to him lightly.

''Well, you know what? I'm as good as given up on the duke family. I'm a council member of the Asropolis. But I'm in the minority, and I'm not even close to being a human being. But for now, it's nice to have you in the future.

　After a lot of one-sided talking, Algernon doesn't wait for us to respond, he turns on his heel and turns to leave the room.

　We stepped back from being almost swept away by his overly uninhibited behavior and stopped Algernon from leaving.

Wait. I have a lot of questions for you.
Hahaha. Don't be in a hurry. You don't really have time to do this, do you?

　Algernon stopped in the doorway of the room, turned around to look over his shoulder and returned the words.

'Despite appearances, I've been busy. I don't think I'll have time for you guys for a while. I'll have plenty of time for you when I'm over the hump, so can you wait until then?
...... I understand. I'll check with administrator Fraxinus later.
Hey, hey, I ain't lying. You're a slippery one, aren't you?
It's just a confirmation of when I can get some time off.

　Algernon laughed briefly in hearty amusement, and then left the room as declared.

　To tell the truth, he wanted to ask Garnett to take him down, but that would violate the rules of Asropolis no matter what he thought.

　Moreover, when you're a member of the council, a poorly executed hardball move can only lead to bad results.

　Telling myself that I shouldn't be in a hurry, I ask one more question to Eversol, the owner of the room.

'How many people are there in Asropolis?'
'A very small group, I'm told. I've heard that they were the ones who accompanied Mr. Algernon on his descent to this level. I don't usually try to meet outsiders, so no one knows much about it.
Thank you to .......

　Shortly thereafter, the allotted time was reached and Populus, the errand boy, came for us.

"Time's up. Time is up, huh? There's so much more to say.
It's a good first day's work. You've found someone to catch up with.

　As I was walking down the corridor to return to my room while exchanging opinions with Garnett about the matter I just mentioned, I saw Sakura and Noir running from the other side, looking terribly flustered.

　Aside from Sakura, it's really rare to see Noir running with her hair in a mess like that, and it's really amusing to see her at a glance.

''What's going on, what the hell. You're in such a hurry.''
Bran is ...... Bran is ......!

　The name that leaked out of Noir's mouth, who looked unsettled, was not something we could miss.










　-- before noon that day, I decided to gather my friends in a room for a meeting.

　There were a total of nine participants: me and Garnett, Sakura and Noir, Ezell and Eddie the Brave, Lionel the Golden Fang, Hild the rainbow scale, and Dustin.

　They would be cramming more than double the number of people into a room of four, but this must be discussed with all of them.

'I'm sorry to get you all together on such short notice. There's something I need to talk to you about right away. Specifically about the human trustees of ...... Asropolis.