"...and? In the end, Ray came back without listening?"

　At night, as usual, while eating in Marina's garden, Vihela turns a stunned stare at Ray.
　It is comfortable to eat in the garden even though winter has come by the spirit magic of Marina.Ray is not so comfortable when Vichela looks at him dumbfounded.

"You can say that. You faint just by looking at my face. It's no use being judged that you can't get any information when I'm there, if you keep going on for once or twice or three times."

　Yes, the woman who was unconscious in the infirmary fainted the moment she saw Ray's face entering the infirmary.
　We could have cleaned it up just once, but if it happened twice or three times in a row, we couldn't clean it up by accident.
　As a result, the guard who was dealing with Ray told him to go home today... every time he saw a woman who fainted, he couldn't complain about it, so he ended up leaving.
　Moreover, it was necessary to wait until the woman woke up, so today it is almost impossible to catch the people wrapped in red cloth.

"I will ask you, Mr. Ray, that you will be heading with me to-morrow, Mr. Elena and I, for the Duke of Quelevel, if you wish to remain here a little longer on the red cloth."

　Arra asks Ray a little anxiously.
　I wonder if that's the case with the people wearing the red cloths, just because I've seen Ray's attention up close.
　Elena watched him sideways, not worrying about him.
　Noticing that he was staring at her, Ray nods back without showing any hesitation or thought.

"Oh, that's no problem. I'm a little worried about the red cloth, but Elena was the first to make an appointment."

　Ray's words give Elena relief while keeping her face quiet.
　Returning to the Duke of Kerebel with Ray was a matter of great anticipation to Elena.
　If things go well with this case, I don't think I'll ever have anyone to ask for marriage with, but the number would definitely have dropped dramatically.
　Naturally, there will be some uproar at first.
　Those who participated in the war in the Vestian Empire understand that no aristocratic authority can be applied to Ray, but for those who did not participate in the war, Ray's story is simply a biography.
　I didn't see him directly, so it's certain that even if Ray knows he's that kind of person, many people think he's OK... no, it's almost certain that some of the aristocrats want to show their presence or show a good side to Elena by holding him back because they'

(though such a man will regret his indiscretion.)

　Elena thinks, savoring seafood soup full of fish.

"Well, that's good. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .."
"If you are going wild for me, don't you think it's meaningless to go wild without me?"
"I wonder,"

　Marina, who was drinking wine, interrupts Ray's words.
　When Ray, Arra and the others hear the words, Marina puts a glass of wine back on the table before continuing.

"If Ray isn't there, isn't that what makes the fuss even bigger so that he can come back?"
"If that happens, can I ask for a Vihela?"
"Yes, leave it to me. I know a lot of guards, so I'll get that kind of information a little faster. Maybe one of the red cloth guys will be solved by the time Ray comes back?"

　Since Vihela had basically handled a lot of requests for patrols, she naturally had a lot of contact with security guards.
　. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
　With such a Vihela alone, it's no exaggeration to solve the red cloths while Ray is away.
　They were competent enough to do so, and it would have been quite possible if they could get information from the guards.
　When Ray hears Vihela's words, he looks a little chagrined.
　I wanted to solve this problem myself, which is almost certain to have been aimed at me, a red cloth.
　However, as long as I have an appointment with Elena, I can't do that.
　Looking at Ray's face, the last night we all dined together -- this year's story alone -- passed.





　The next morning, winter has come, and it's still dark outside when the 6 a.m. bell rings.
　And in winter alone, the number of people trying to get out of Gillum was decreasing, and less than ten were going through the process of getting out of Gillum except for Ray, Elena and Arra, who joined here.
　Naturally, the number of guards has decreased considerably from a short time ago, and the process takes some time for a small number of guards.

"Ray, how far are you going today?"
"How long are you going to say? I'm almost there for now."

　Ray answers Elena's question as he watches Seto and Yero play.
　Of course Elena would have stood out in such a place if she had not been in a carriage, but the small number of people would not have caused such a stir.

"Ray, I have prepared lunch-boxes here, for the time being."

　Arra says so, but she doesn't have any particular baggage in her hand.
　No, I carry the Power Ax on my back, but that's it.
　Seeing Arra like that, Ray decides that the lunch boxes are in Elena's magic pouch.

"Well, maybe we can eat it today, though it's winter now, so it won't get worse soon."

　Unlike item boxes, magic pouches can be stored and time flies.
　That's why summer can get worse in the worst of the day, but now it's winter, so you don't have to worry about it.

"Yes. Marina cooked it for me, so that's fine with me."
"Oh, it's Marina's dish."

　Elena and Arra stayed at Marina's until today.
　That's probably why Marina made lunch boxes for Elena and Arra.
　While they're talking like that, the process of leaving Gillum progresses, and the Lays eventually finish the process.
　The guards were a little surprised that Ray and Elena were leaving the city, but Ray had been out of Gillum many times before.
　I was surprised that Elena and Arra were together, but I thought that could happen, and the process ended smoothly without any problems.
　When Ray went out of the guillem, he took the set basket out of the mistling and left.





　A few hours after Ray left Gillum... there is a heavy silence in the room.

"And what happened to Cherish?"

　A man opens his mouth to Carles' question.

"I'm in the guard station, and I don't think it's possible with the red cloths."
"Yes. They're too many but too weak. OK, then, can I go?"

　A small man, with a sharp dagger in his hand, asks Carles.
　But Carles thinks a little about what he says and then shakes his head.

"No, it would have been fine if it wasn't Gillum here, but it's Gillum here. The guards are very skilled, so it's better to stop it."
"Well! Hey, that means I'm going to lose to a guard, by any chance a security guard!"
"That's not the case, but our aim is to investigate the crimson character, because if the guards are badly damaged here, it's going to be hard to do."

　If you say so, you won't be able to refute Carles.
　Carles asks another man when he sees the little man convinced.

"And what are you doing with crimson now?"
"Ah... I heard you left Gilm early this morning. General Hime and her entourage were with you."

　When Carles hears that, he just nods without a sign of movement.

"I see. Judging from what crimson has done so far, he probably went hunting monsters. There are also reports that he has a hobby of collecting magical stones."

　Here Carles decided that Ray would be back soon because there was no information that he was traveling with his luggage.
　Also, Elena, the symbol of the aristocracy, did not even use a carriage.Naturally, Carles, who was looking into Ray, knew about Sett Cage.
　But I never thought that Elena, Duchess of Kelebel, was going back to the Duke of Kelebel without a carriage.
　If the matter had been rumored throughout the city, Carles might have noticed the meaning of Elena's actions, but unfortunately Elena's return was not rumored.
　Elena had explained the situation to Dusker and the nobles she knew, but Carles had not received the information.
　That's why Carles decided that the Reys had gone hunting for monsters or something.
　Carles' bad luck would be that the Rays were so out of the ordinary that they acted like that.
　Normally, a Duchess would travel in a fancy carriage.
　With such a common sense judgment, Carles overlooked Ray and Elena's actions...Ultimately, tonight, the day after tomorrow, and beyond, Ray and Elena will never return to Gillum, and that's what we're going to find out, but that's a little further on.
　Carles didn't think it was going to happen and thought Ray would be back today.
　No, I knew Ray had a magic tent, so I couldn't rule out the possibility that he would stay even in winter.

"So what are you going to do now? Even if you're going to look into crimson, you need Ray, who is the most important..."

　One of the men says so, but Carles shakes his head silently.

"Even when you look into crimson, you don't have to have someone else, but it's very important to be able to get an objective opinion."
"Then do you make them more active in listening to what they used to listen to?"
"Yes. Is it difficult, instead, for those in red cloths to restrain their movements?"
"It's going to be hard. They didn't really manipulate us in the first place, they just inspired us to move that way. That's what Carles knows best about this case, right?"

　Carles smiles bitterly at the words.
　To be honest, Carles was the one who thought about the red cloth, but I never expected it to go this far.
　People who cannot commit criminal acts alone can do so if they act together.
　The gathering of such people leads to more violent crimes.
　I had expected it to happen, and I had similar results when I used a similar technique before.
　But... even for Carles, this incident was more than I had expected.

"Well, do you mean that there were many more enthusiastic people than I expected?"
"If this was the usual guillem, it might have been just as Carles intended. After all, there were too many unnecessary people in the extension work."
"If we hadn't done the extension work, there's no doubt that giving out the red cloth certificate would not have gone this far. It's only now that we can do it."

　No one further complains about Carles' words.
　Carles' honest feelings were that he was not going to do anything about the people wearing the red cloth because he didn't complain about it.
　Also, if the guards get busy because of the red cloths, they'll help Cherish, who's in a guard post... worst of all, it'll be easier to keep his mouth shut.
　Carles made the decision and gave instructions on how to collect Ray's information in a quiet manner.