"Sophia Wedgwood of the White Wolf Order. Bran of Magical Gorge, I need to speak with you about something very important.
Me?　I wonder what the knight is up to.

　Bran seems to be mentally calm and is responding to Sophia while looking up at the lighted window.

　I heard that his mental state was in considerable danger when he was found in the basement, but he seems to be reasonably calm now.

''You may have already been notified by the Silverwing Knights, but if we are to follow the precedent set so far, you will be sentenced to nine out of ten extreme sentences.
I suppose. Are you going to introduce me to someone who can help me reduce my sentence by any chance?
...... It's up to you to decide if it will lead to a reduced sentence.

　Felix and Ambrose are standing in the background, showing no sign of interrupting while Sophia tries to talk to Bran.

　Aside from Felix, who is present at the meeting as the head of the incarceration facility, it seems a bit surprising that Ambrose doesn't interfere.

'With the exception of the very thugs, the only way for a person accused of any crime to have their sentence reduced ...... is to make a contribution to the kingdom. You could say that part of the sentence is replaced by service to the state.
'I suppose it means that if I don't keep the information about Agart Ram under wraps and come clean, they'll give me a better sentence than the maximum penalty. That's about the only thing I'm worth, isn't it?

　Bran didn't even turn his gaze to me, a self-mocking smile on his side face.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.

　Therefore, eliciting information from the Demon King's Army is a so-called "taking", and even if she confessed, it wouldn't be a contribution and might only end up making her feel better at the time of sentencing.

　However, the fact that he gave credit to an automaton (Agat Ram) that attacked a neutral city (Asropolis) is not so.

　Neither is treated in terms of earthly law, and it is unlikely that either the cooperation or the attack would be charged with a crime on earth.

　Of course, it was possible that she could be tried under the laws of a neutral city (Asropolis), but an agreement had been made with the administrator (Fraxinus) that her treatment would be decided on earth.

'Of course I'm going to tell you everything. But don't you think you might window-dress the contents in the interest of saving yourself?
Naturally, we will verify the truth. We can tolerate a few factual errors, but if you believe that the information was obviously false, you don't have to tell everyone at .......
Good. I'm a little relieved that you're not a total wuss who believes in the likes of me. Let me know when you have a date for the hearing.

　Brann seemed to be saying that this was the end of the conversation, but there were still things that needed to be said.

It's a good thing that you have ...... one more possible contribution to make. You know that Commander Luke runs a weapons store as his day job, right?

　As soon as he brought up the subject of the White Wolf Store, Bran removed his gaze from the lighted window for the first time since he had arrived here and turned to Sophia.

　It's a different vibe than ......, which I hadn't expected that name to come up.

　I should say that I had thought of it, but I really didn't expect it to happen, or should I say that I didn't think it would.

''Currently, White Wolf Store is involved in the manufacture and sale of not only weapons, but also medicines and magical tools, but production is becoming unable to keep up with the increasing demand for magical tools.''
...... witchcraft: ......
It is unlikely that the owner of the [magic tool making] skill will come to this land in search of a job. That's why I suggest ...... that you make a second contribution by subcontracting the production of goods.

　Bran was silent for a long time with a dumbfounded look on his face, and then he gave her a deliberately dumbfounded look.

'Disgusted. There's a great deal of confusion between public and private.
No, not really.

　It's obvious that I've already crushed any problems that I could easily come up with.

''The White Wolf Store's magic tools are purchased as equipment not only by adventurers exploring the dungeon, but also by the other knights stationed there. Stability of supply is a fine contribution to the nation.

　Even if someone somewhere complained, Sophia was confident that she could certainly dismiss them reasonably.

　There weren't many people who could beat the Blue Peacock Knights in this kind of argument.

　Because in the position of auditing each knight order, judging what is allowed and what is not allowed is an absolutely necessary ability in performing official duties.

It's fine if that's the case. But if it's such an important product, is it okay for me to touch it?
'Of course. The work will be done in this facility, and also at .......
I'll give you my word of honor. It's the Green-Eyed Order's seal of approval.

　Suddenly, Ambrose, who had been watching from the sidelines, interrupted his statement.

''It's a very basic task that I leave to you. There's no room for extra preparation, and you can easily do it with your right arm alone. If you're going to cut corners and make more defective products, we'll pretend we're not talking about this. Simple, right?
If you look at ...... and think it's fishy, you're a wizard after all. Why don't you do it?
'Just kidding!　If it's just a bunch of money-hungry strangers in the field, how can they spend their time doing that when they're in the palace service?

　Ambrose laughed at Bran's sarcastic suggestion under the bangs that hid his face.

　The reason why the White Wolf Store was having difficulty in hiring users of the [Magic Tool Making] skill was exactly what Ambrose said.

　Many wizards with that skill only perceive the act of creating and selling magic tools that they don't use as a way to raise funds.

　That's why Sophia was ordered by Luke to get his own consent--.

''I'm a Knight of the Blue Peacock, so I don't know what a wizard's values are. But I will tell you this. This suggestion was also strongly desired by the women involved in the creation of ...... magical tools.

　--this is probably the main reason why Luke came to this idea.

　It was a reference that didn't mention a specific name, but it seemed to convey who the 'woman' was.

　Bran lowered his eyebrows, choked on his words, and gasped several times before finally turning to the wall to reply.

'I'll do ....... Something to lighten the punishment a little.

　His voice was trembling slightly.

　It would be tactless to ask why.
　Sofia briefly conveyed her approval and quickly decided to leave the cell and leave Bran alone.

　As soon as she returned to the entrance of the facility, there was a woman in all black - Noir of the Magic Gorge waiting for Sophia.

''Consent, accepted.
Thank you ......, thank you .......

　Noir bows his head deeply with tears in his eyes.

　No more extra words are needed.
　Sofia smiled and took Noir with her on her way back to the Knights' headquarters.