'Lord Garnett. I understand that you wish to improve your fighting abilities. I'd like to hear a few words about that.

　The moment Ambrose said that, I could see Garnett's alertness spike, even from behind.

'...... Teme, where did you get that from?'
'I only heard about it through rumor. 'Do you remember asking Sir Luke for advice while you were in charge of the arms store?　If so, that's probably where the rumors came from.

　Garnett miffed at Ambrose's point of view, who was unconcerned.

　Indeed, he had brought the matter up at the White Wolf Store.

　Although it was only when it was just the two of them that they were able to confide in each other about having this problem, part of the exchange of ideas on how to resolve it specifically was done in between customer service during business hours.

　Of course, he had tried to express himself in a way that he didn't have to worry about anyone overhearing him, but did that mean that the rumors had reached Ambrose?

''It is already well known that you are the knight in charge of guarding. It's natural that the reputation of such a man wanting to train himself would reach the ears of his colleagues who belong to the same organization.
d*mn. ...... Well, I'll just put it that way.

　Garnett clicked his tongue and dismissed the pursuit.

　Ambrose's explanation was inexplicably hard to deny.

　The possibility that a third party had accidentally heard the exchange of opinions could not be denied, and if it was a positive assessment of 'ambition' rather than a bad reputation, there should be little resistance to bringing it up in some form.

　It's certainly not an unnatural development for information that was passed around in the form of an assessment of the work ethic of a guard knight (Garnett) to reach a member of the White Wolf Knights who is physically and duty-wise close to him.

　Whether or not Ambrose really grasped this kind of background or not could not be determined, but at least it could not be dismissed as an unnatural excuse.

And so what about it? It's true that I want to get stronger. But what's that got to do with you?
It's relevant to my research.

　Ambrose affirmed that, covering Garnett's statement.

'I heard that the cause of Sir Luke's [Restoration] skill being altered was due to his wandering in the First Labyrinth and holding his life in the underground water affected by Mithril ...... I heard that's what you're speculating. Why haven't you tried that?

　So that's what I meant by relevant.

　That's why I didn't bring it up.
　That's because I didn't want Garnett to go through that much pain.

　Moreover, there's no guarantee that he or she will succeed, and it's possible that he or she will suffer and gain nothing but weakness.

　It's not so much that you have to bet on it, but the current situation isn't that urgent, so it didn't even occur to me to take it up as an idea.

'Teme, ...... the white wolf's are dying for it. There's no way I'm going to casually say let me try it.

　The reply Garnett threw at Ambrose was in a different direction than the reason I hadn't mentioned it.

I'm not going to deny that I've been thinking about it. "I don't deny that I thought of it," he said, "but I thought maybe I could do the same thing. But there's a huge difference between what you imagine in your head and what you actually say. Don't you get it?

　Earlier, when we were discussing how exactly we were going to get stronger, Garnett had looked strangely choppy.

　Maybe that was the moment when he thought of trying the same thing I once did, but swallowed it with reservations about me.

'I understand. If you say it's for emotional reasons, I don't have any room to interfere.

　Ambrose put away the contradiction in a rather perceptive manner and easily dismissed the topic related to the first labyrinth, the "Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss".

　Is it really just because he was curious about it, and was he satisfied with the confirmation of the reason?

　I can't read through what Ambrose is thinking in any way.

　I'm not sure if there's some kind of underlying reason for this, or if he didn't have any major intentions from the beginning, as he said.

"Sir Garnett. You may not trust me, but I'm your friend and Valentine's brother, and if you need my skills, I can help you. I'd be happy to help you if you need my skills.
I'll remember it at ......
No, thank you. I've been working on the idea for a while. It's not your own personal reinforcement, so if you want to turn it down, don't hesitate.

　Ambrose was about to turn on his heel and leave, but when he stopped unexpectedly in the middle, he added a word without looking back.

'Yes, I'll tell you this too. The rumor of the example has reached Valentine's ears. Maybe we'll get some kind of reaction from him in the not too distant future.
"Seriously, ......, this is gonna get ugly.

　Garnet watched Ambrose leave, letting out a sound that sounded like she had bitten down on a bitter worm.

　He was relieved to see her go.

　It was disconcerting at first, but in the end, it ended up being uneventful.

　After all, did Ambrose really just happen to stop by with an interest, and in the process, confirm something that had been on his mind for a while?

　With an inexplicable thought in my mind, I decided to step out from behind the bend and call out to Garnett for now.










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

　The adventurers who participated in the experiment will receive their rewards via the guild branch, and the staff members who helped out will be treated to dinner as a thank you.

　Just as I was about to move on, Sir Oswald, who had changed his clothes, spoke to me.

Thank you, Sir Luke. "Thank you, Sir Luke, this has been a very good experience for me today.
I am glad to hear that you are satisfied with the results. We'll get to work right away on an improved version that reflects these tests.

　The performance tests were largely successful, but with some improvements - that was the overall result.

　For example, it was pointed out that in the case of Noir's prototype, even though it melted when it came into contact with snow and ice, it was made of cloth, so it would feel worse when it got wet.

　In the case of Alexia's prototype, it was pointed out that it could be handled with gloves, but it could be too hot when handled with bare hands.

　Both of these points were perfectly legitimate, and a solution for improvement was readily apparent.

　This would allow us to start the process of eliminating the problems and increasing productivity and cost savings tomorrow.

It's going to be a lot easier for my guys when they finish that tool. Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to completing it.

　He shook the hand that was offered to him and we shook hands.

　I'm not going to be able to stop a smile from appearing on my face as I feel a sense of fulfillment from the depths of my heart that my well-prepared attempts were successful.










　--The next day, we get an urgent call at our house.

　It was an advance notice that Garnett's older brother, Sir Valentine, would be visiting the White Wolf Knights' headquarters in a hurry.