If he were to enter Viscount Gayle's house, Sett would not be able to enter as a matter of course.
　Still, the guards are not afraid of Seto, so Ray leaves him in charge and enters the building.
　The maid led me to the reception room, not the office... as she did in Dusker.
　The moment I see Ray in the room, the man sitting on the sofa rises with a happy smile.
　Near him, there are some people who seem to be guards.
　This isn't necessarily because of Ray's vigilance, it's just the usual thing.
　The sight of the bodyguard bowing to himself gave Ray such an expectation.

"Hi, Ray. You've come very well."

　in one's late twenties and thirties
　If you think about it as an aristocrat, it's not like you're too young or too old.
　It's a little thick, but it doesn't interfere with movement.
　Such a man greeted Ray with a big smile.
　There is no doubt that this person is Viscount Gayle, and Ray bows.

"I'm sorry to take your time."
"I don't care. Thanks to Ray, we were able to do almost nothing in the war with the Empire of Bestia. That being the case, you are a benefactor. -- now, sit down."

　At Gayle's urging, Ray sits on the sofa and immediately pulls a letter out of the mystery ring.
　Unlike the letter of introduction from Dusker, which I gave to the guards earlier, it was a letter with detailed information about the incident.

"From Mr. Dusker,"
"Yes,"

　When Gail receives the letter, he immediately takes it out of the envelope and begins reading it.
　As Ray watches the scene, the maid who just showed him to the drawing room prepares tea and puts it in front of him.
　Then, with a bow, the maid leaves the room.
　A glance at Gail reading the letter, Ray drinks tea.
　The bodyguards don't say anything in particular, and the reception room is full of silence.
　A little while later...when Gail finishes reading the letter, he breathes out.
　a sigh that can only be described as bitter

"Well, I see. ... That's the way you do it." I don't know what I was thinking about reaching out to Gilmoo... I know exactly, but I don't want to be convinced."

　Even if you act as if you were a member of the aristocracy, you might say that it would be helpful to have the backing of the aristocracy.
　For the aristocracy, Lerdact is not something you want to protect against even the neutrals.
　Of course, some of the aristocrats, who are too proud of their lineage, will argue that they need to defend Leldact even when confronted head-on with the neutrals.
　However, such an imitation would benefit the unscathed royal faction.
　The Duke of Quevel would probably not accept that.

"...and what are you going to do with this letter, which says that Ray has left it to the Earl of Leldakt to retaliate?"
"I'm thinking about it for some reason," But I think I'll get some information about it."
"I see. The letter also asked for information. -- all right, what do you want to hear?"
"In particular, if you could tell me where the property is in the Earl of Lerdacht... in particular, where there are magic items, that would be of great help to me."

　When Gail hears the word "magic item," he nods.
　Ray's interest in collecting magic items isn't all that widespread, but it's something you might want to know if you're a little bit familiar with.
　If so, Gail, who belongs to the neutral faction, must not know about it.
　And it was clear what Ray was aiming for when he asked for this information.
　Some magic items include lights and firestones that are normally sold in stores, while others, like Ray's, have only a few of them in the world.
　And obviously what Ray is now listening to was the latter.

"Where... the first thing that comes to my mind is the residence of the Earl of Leldakt." I'm afraid I don't know where the house is."

　The answer was half-expected for Ray, too.
　In the first place, neutrals and aristocrats have long opposed each other.
　That being the case, it would be strange to know where Leldakt is hiding his treasure in the estate.
　...although Lerdact may aim to spread false information.

"Then you must sneak in first, must you?"
"Ah... Ray. Just to remind you, there's a good chance that there's only magic items that don't match the effort to do that."

　Leldakt is by no means a high position in the aristocracy.
　Even Gayle, whose territories lie next to each other, can tell.
　I don't think I can say that I'm eating coldly, but I think I'm only as good as many others.
　That's why I have to tilt my head when people ask me if I have a magic item that Ray wants.
　Of course, ordinary adventurers will want many magic items.
　However, Ray basically wants a magic item that can be used.
　They don't want magic items that can only be decorative.
　Still, Ray nods back to Gayle's words, because in this case, the magic item was only seized and hoped it could be done.

"Well, there's a possibility. But this time, that's just an opportunity. Whatever it is, the loss of magic items will be a great loss to them."
"Ah... well, that's..."

　The thief was not particularly interested in the treasured magic items stolen from him stolen.
　When he finds out, there will be some damage from the theft of the magic item, but even more so, there will be a psychological shock to Leldakt.

(I think if you do that, Ray will only get a grudge... but in Ray's case, he has the power to bounce back regardless of what the other person does.)

　Ray's power is shown to the full extent in his war with the Empire of Bestia.
　That's enough power to compete with the first army, so Lerdact, who doesn't have that much presence in the aristocracy, won't be able to deal with Ray.

(And...)

　Gayle, partly neutral, understands that Ray played a significant part in the civil war in the Westian Empire.
　He was active not only in the war but also in the civil war that ensued in the Vestian Empire, and he made a name for himself through various other requests.
　It's obvious to everyone that he's capable enough to be a notorious adventurer.

(If you think about it that way, even if Count Leldakt tries to challenge Ray with all his might, you can only see a future in which he loses.) though... that would certainly have been a great disturbance.)

　If a nobleman were to fight against an adventurer with all his might... and lose badly, it would certainly be a great disturbance for the nobleman and the adventurer.
　For the nobles, it is safe to think that their honor has been defaced, and for adventurers, it is safe to think that the nobles have used their positions to oppress adventurers.
　There may be a variety of circumstances, but it is only natural that many people think so when they look at the surface.
　And if things escalate further, what ultimately happens is a confrontation between aristocrats and adventurers... or even a civil war, if not done well, the adventurer's guild could withdraw from the entire kingdom of Mileana.
　I don't know if it will really turn out to be that big, but there's a good chance of it.

"Ray, don't be too flashy."
"What? Oh, yes."

　Ray himself didn't get that far, but somehow he understands that overdoing it would lead to a lot of bad things.
　nod back to Gail's words

"And as for the information on the Earl of Lerdacht..."
"Well, first of all, I don't know if you know, but the taxes on the Earl of Leldakt are very high."
"I know that," for the father of the man whom I had accidentally saved on his way here was from the Earl of Lerdacht."
"Well, that's rare,"
"I suppose so,"

　If we become adventurers and look elsewhere, we'll see that our lives are far from blessed.What's more, in the Viscount Gayle's territory next to the Earl of Leldakt, the tax rate is not low... but it's still not high.
　their lives and those ruled by other nobles
　If you've seen both of them, it's no wonder you want to get out of their lives.
　Many people didn't want to abandon their native land, but many who would be adventurers were not so attached to it.
　As a result, the number of people was decreasing, albeit little by little, from the Earl of Lerdacht.
　And what should we do to earn the same amount of income as fewer people... it's to raise the tax rate.
　The original high tax rate is going to be higher than that, so the livelihood of the inhabitants of the Earl of Lerdacht is all they can do.

"I think a little lower taxes could increase the number of people. and because we are chosen as the destination for those who have escaped from it, the hostility from them is tremendous."

　Tired sighs are exhaled and Gail smiles weakly.
　Being viewed as an enemy by Lerdact unilaterally, even though you're not at fault, may still lead to mental fatigue.

(Moreover, Viscount Gayle is by no means a strong-willed type, as far as you can see. --or rather the friendly type)

　Ray opens his mouth again, looking tired in front of him.

"Is there any other information that you may need in the Earl of Lerdacht?"
"Well, that'said he. There are some mines in the Earl of Leldakt's territory."
"A mine?"

　Mines bring in great wealth, depending on their reserves.
　On the contrary, depending on the ore in the reserves, it would be possible to even pursue a higher peerage.
　What's more, if it's a rare ore like flame ore, it doesn't have to be considered.

"It would be very helpful if you could keep the mine out of use, if you could."

　with a brush
　The casual remark makes Ray realize that the person sitting in front of him is a nobleman, no matter how amiable he looks.

"I don't think it came out of the mouth of someone who was worried about the lives of the people there."
"Well, I sympathize with the lives of the people over there. but I do not wish to see that the arms of the Earl of Lerdacht are badly strengthened."

　A nobleman who views himself as an enemy strengthens his military power with ores excavated from mines and gold sold.
　It would mean getting stronger weapons and armaments, or hiring stronger mercenaries and adventurers with money.
　I worry about the people next door, but that doesn't mean I'm putting my territory at risk.
　It was a natural action for an aristocrat.

"A mine?" Do you know exactly where it is?"
"No, I only know where it is," It's very difficult to get information from them."
"I suppose so,"

　Ray nods to Gayle, who tells him that entering the Earl of Lerdacht from the Viscount Gayle can be suspicious of many things.

"I don't know, can you do it asked.
"…I think the mines are excavating on a fairly large scale, so if you look for them in the sky, you can manage them." and there is still a brother of the man who escaped from the Earl of Lerdacht's estate, as I said before, and if I could get any information from him."

　When Ray says so, Gail looks relieved... and then for about an hour they exchange information.
　What Ray particularly wanted to know was information about the city of Hazlouis, where his jazz brother Dostrite lived, but fortunately it was readily available.