The preparations for the parade were steadily progressing.
　Since the equipment of the Knights was basically made in another world, the online auction was a bit reduced. I didn't put out too many new items, selling items that I had on hand.
　Well, the main reason is that I simply don't have the time.

　Most of the equipment for the knights' squadron went to the Grand Master. I only asked Mr. Bill to do the decorations.
　Also, since we're planning to run a high quality fabric store, I made some of the equipment out of high quality cloth.
　The race insignia is finished for all of us and we are almost ready to go.

One thing: "....... I've got something important to do. I have a few things I need to get done before the parade.

　I cut him off while we were eating.
　For this parade, all of our members will be in attendance except Orica and me.
　Deanna, Marina, and Rebecca, of course, but Elepippi and Etowah, as well as Aeon and Shamash, will also be participating in the parade.
　We are proceeding with the plan to have Shero, our advisor, join us at a bluff.

　Orica can't ride a horse, and she doesn't look too much like a knight, so I'll pass. I'm not a knight either, I'm just an owner and patron, so I'm going to pass.
　The main characters in this parade were female knights.

　I had to do something in order to put on the parade.

　Today's lunch members are me, Deanna, Marina, Aeon, Orica and Shamash-san. Orica and Shamash, and Rebecca and Shero. It's the usual lunch after training.

What's that?　Will you be decorating your horse after all, sir?
'I thought the horses needed decorations, too. Dragons are all cheating.
'Come to think of it, I was going to ride a horse too, but you could also ride a golem. Yeah.
No, I'm not talking about the ride.

　Well, the idea of riding a golem certainly wasn't a bad one, and the idea of putting armor on a horse was certainly an idea. I've been pouting in favor of decorating the dragons in my schedule, though.

I'm sure it's all about the parade, though. ...... It's a parade, and I felt I had to do something before that.

　Everyone nods their heads.

　Don't you understand? You don't get it.

I'm breaking my contract. You're throwing a parade to get your lady knights recognized as an independent vocation and half of them are wearing the slave crest.
Eh, .......

　Marina turns a straight face.

'Is that a ...... instruction, Lord which ......?'

　Ah. Marina finds her identity in being a slave, you know.
　But that's not good enough.
　But that's not good enough for me, because I bought her as a slave.
　I'm overdue for that now.

"Orders, Marina. This parade needs to go ahead. It's a bit of an exaggeration, but it might help dispel some of the prejudice against the Turks in this town: ...... It's an opportunity. I want to do whatever I can to help.
So is there ......? ......

　He didn't seem to like it, but he seemed to have gotten the nut out of it, for the most part.
　This parade is something special. Elves, humans, demons, Turks and Canaanites will be holding a parade hosted by the imperial city as the same knightly force.
　I'm sure that this will mean a lot to them. It will be a small but great step ...... I have a feeling it will be such a great step.
　I'm sure that Milk Pearl, who knows the sour and sweet sides of this country, also said that it will have a big impact on the people of this country.

It's all right, Marina. We just need to sign up again after the parade is over.

　Deanna advises a visibly depressed Marina.

'Oh, that's right too!

　Marina looks up.
　Well, it's true, but re-signing up, I guess: .......

'Oh yeah. Only at the parade.

　Let's just ride it for now.
　We'll decide then whether or not to actually re-sign the contract again.
　To put it bluntly, both Deanna and Marina are already close to a formality of a slave contract. The same goes for the contract with Shamash-san.

　If you have more than a certain level of trust, you don't need a slave contract.
　This contract is for people who can treat a slave as a slave, right?
　I can't do it, apparently.



　◇◆◆◆◆.



　The day after Deanna, Marina and Mr. Shamash terminated their slave contracts.

'I am anxious, anxious. I am still more heartbroken than ever.

　Marina, who had terminated her slave contract, grabbed on to me more than she needed to, barely leaving me.

'It's okay. It's not like I'm going to change anything by terminating my contract.
'And yet ....... You say that, but there is no connection with the Lord. I want a connection. Some other form of, you know, a contractual one.

　Clinging to my arm, I say something like that.
　I've never felt that kind of connection, even though I was under a slave contract, but maybe Marina felt something. Maybe it's something like the difference between people from another world and people from Earth?

There's a connection: ....... Oh, that's right. Here.

　I showed Marina the shiny orange ring. A slightly simpler, similar ring shines on Marina's finger as well.
　It's a ring that is a proof of connection ...... clan members.

'...... And yes. If you successfully complete the parade, I'll buy Marina a necklace or ring. The first spirit stone, I used it when I fought the bear. In return.
Really?
Really.

　Marina groans and rubs her cheek against my arm happily.
　I don't need to tell you that I was actually going to get it ready earlier, but I forgot about it because of all the things that happened. ......
　An amethyst ring or necklace.
　I'm sure I had some amethysts at home that I got from my black company days, so I'll have to ask Mr. Bill to make them into rings again.

　Rebecca still takes good care of the ring I gave her, and I'm sure Marina would be happy with a ring. Deanna might be jealous, though.

　...... Uh, do you want to make one for Deanna as well?

　Yeah, I'll make one for you, too. I'll make one for you too.



　◇◆◆◆◆◆◇.


　That evening.
　I was sitting on the couch, drinking tea and thinking about the future, when Deanna came in after her bath and sat beside me.
　We quietly sipped the tea that Orica had brewed and relaxed.

''It's rare for the master to stay at the mansion until this time.
The parade is coming up, and there's a lot to think about with the store and all that.
'He's been a bit busy lately. You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?

　I'm not sure if I'm busy or what.
　Actually, there's a lot to do. Whether the parade succeeds or fails, I want to think about my next move, and I've already rented the shop, so I'm busy preparing for it.
　Well, we've already rented the shop, so we're in a bit of a bind.

No, I'm enjoying this. It's a fulfillment I never felt in Japan.
'That would be nice, though: ......

　And we sip our tea again in silence.
　The tea cakes are rice crackers. You can buy similar ones at Elishe, but the soy sauce flavored ones are only available in Japan.

'...... Master, please hold on a moment.'

　Deanna said and got up from her seat and came back a bit later.
　It seems that she went to her room to get something.

This is for you. It's a good luck charm for you.

　Saying that, he hands me the bangle that Deanna always wears on her left arm.
　Since the moment we met, Deanna had been wearing jewelry that seemed to be made of several spirit stones.
　A red coral necklace and a bangle on each arm.
　The bangles were green turquoise on the right arm and blue turquoise on the left arm.

The bangles have been in our family for a long time, and they are said to protect the health of their owners.
Are you sure?　It's like a family heirloom, then.
'Master, I want you to keep it, because you seem to be tired lately. Oh, you mustn't appraise him. You must not appraise him, for he will lose his benefits.
You look like your grandmother.

　A talisman.
　Well, it looks like it's made of spirit stone, so it must actually have some kind of enchantment to it.
　It's nice to know that just by wearing it, you can become healthy.
　I'm not sure of the actual efficacy of this, but since Deanna has been wearing it for so long, it's not a bad thing.

Then I'll be grateful for the opportunity to use it. How do I look?
'Uh-huh. They look good together. See, they're even together.
Oops, I'm being set up!　Pair of eyes!

　All joking aside, it's actually a pretty cool bracelet.
　I'll be grateful for the opportunity to use it.



　◇◆◆◆◆◇.



　Then again, the next day.

　The square in front of Shero's house is a nice grassy field, except for the monsters that spring up there.
　So the battle training takes place exclusively there, but as you would expect right before a parade, everyone is in the middle of rehearsing on horseback.

　Basically, all we had to do was follow Rebecca on her dragon to the destination, but we had to practice.
　There was an idea of throwing candy balls or red and white rice cakes to the spectators, but I decided against it.

　Just then, a horse came running at full speed.

　This is off the main road, so people rarely come here.
　Strictly speaking, it's only people who have business with Mr. Shero or Rebecca. My mansion is much closer to the city, and, well, I've never had nearly as many visitors as I have.

　The person on the horse was dressed in traveling attire and wore his hood deeply over his head.
　At his waist was a single sword.
　He stops his horse in front of us as we practice. Tension builds in everyone.

'Thank God!　Looks like you made it in time.
That voice, Miss Hetty!

　The figure on the horse removes its hood, revealing its shining silver hair.
　Even though she is the eldest daughter of the Solo family, and the woman who once united one mercenary group ......, to me she is Hetty, a gentle and strong person in a maid's uniform. She doesn't wear a maid's outfit now, though.

''What's the matter, Hetty? You're in such a hurry .......

　Rebecca asks.
　'You're definitely sweating unusually, and you look a bit dingy somehow.

''I've rushed in from the Imperial City. But thank goodness. Apparently Uncle Dida hasn't arrived yet.''

"Dida?

　Dida is the uncle of Efta and Hetty.
　He's also the person to whom I sold the velvet I bought in Japan a long time ago for a good sum of money.
　He is a chubby merchant who smells of awful perfume and is constantly rejuvenated with spirit stones, and he is a bad-taste man with a number of strong slave fighters in tow.
　What's up with that Dida?

'Yes. As a matter of fact, rumors have reached the imperial capital about the Knights' parade.''
'Really?　Information travels faster than I thought it would.

　Or did the mayor skip the document?
　I didn't think that the information would be enough to reach the imperial capital hundreds of kilometers away, although I've had fliers put up in the temple and other publicity.
　No, Elishe is a big city. I hear it's the third largest city in the Empire. This time the parade is being held as an official city event, so maybe it's not surprising that the story has reached the imperial capital.

It's not just my parents' house that's involved. My parents' house is a bit of a special ......, or rather a place where information is gathered.
I see.

　Hetty's family is a purveyor. They say merchants are all about information.

"So I was just checking into the matter of Uncle Dida's offer to support Lady Diana himself, and it seems that he heard about the parade and plans to do something there .......
What is it?　What do you mean?
'I'm sorry, my ability to gather information only goes so far. I'm basically estranged from ...... my parents' house, so I couldn't do ...... too much flashy activity. So I came back anyway. Because if I was there, I could prevent some interference, if only to a certain extent.

　What is it? ....... Is he planning to do something, that guy.
　I mean, wasn't that guy going to play at a place called Lakeside Street or something?
　Originally, it was supposed to be about doing guidance support for Deanna instead of Efta, but she should have gone on vacation with the slave warriors in tow.

　Well, it's been many months since then, so I've been thinking about the possibility that he went back to his hometown, but I wonder if that really means he was back in the imperial capital.

'That chubby or ......

　When I sold my velvet to Deida, the chubby merchant, I thought I sold it at a very high price, but in reality, it's a very high quality piece of cloth that exists in this world, and it's a relative loss.
　Well, it's not like I lost money on it, or that the other side gained, but that's just the way it is in business.
　I didn't have much of a relationship with the guy other than that.
　We'd only had a little bit of an altercation when we first met, and in fact, we'd only talked about it three or four times.
　So it's not even clear if he even remembers me in the first place.
　No, I'm a High Elf, Diana's master, and it's certainly not true that you don't remember me.
　But it's possible that he doesn't know about the knightly parade and its connection to me.

''Does something ...... mean that they're going to sabotage me or something? Is there some kind of benefit to that person, that?

　But I feel like it's unlikely that they will interfere.
　I have a feeling, but I have no idea what else to expect at all.
　No, if he's a smart merchant, he might try to take you in.
　Exclusion or nostalgia. Originally, the Solo family would be supporting Deanna's guidance, and I can't rule out the possibility that Deanna might think she has the right to take a bite out of her involvement.

'I don't know. But I'm sure he's planning something bad. It's that man's 18th.
Unnu. No good? ......

　It was supposed to be a fun parade, though.
　Was it better not to make a big show of it?
　No, that weakens the point of doing it all the way.
　Even if there is an obstacle, we can repel it.

　In a sense, this may be a critical moment for us. You may want to live a modest, unassuming life, but when you get to this point, you can't just say that.
　There are times when you have to fight, you know.

"Dida ......?　Dida Barbaculo ......?　Is that one coming to ......?

　A small murmur.
　I turned around and saw Aeon with a white face.
　Mazu, thanks.