I'm home!

　After finishing dinner with Letty, Lasse came home alone.

Welcome home.

　Then he is greeted by Merc, who seems to have been waiting for him in a shack.

"Huh?　Letty?

　Merck cocked his head at the absence of Letty, who was supposed to be going into town with him.

She's going back to the inn.

"Hmmm, I see.

　But Merck didn't take the fact that his colleague had abandoned his work very seriously.

"I hope it's not that bad. You're here to take me home, right?

Yeah, I know, but I can't just take him away against his will.

　Merck, who tells him that he will only respect Lasse's wishes.

"I heard the current Commander asked you to manipulate me not to return.

　But Lasse, who knows Merck's true intentions, rejected his words outright.

'Who told you that?　Letty?

　A faint hint of Merck's presence is faint.
　Normally it would be an unnoticeable change, but Lise, who has been in contact with demons that are different from humans in shape, seemingly unreadable in expression, and even different in values, could clearly discern the change.

"I know someone who told me. There are people who don't want me to come back.

Well, it's nice to know someone who does.

　On the surface, Merck was mending his ways, but inwardly he was very upset.

(So former General Maldo's spies have infiltrated Commander Frieda's faction? This is getting awkward. This is getting tricky.

　Merck was puzzled. Lasse's original intention was not to return to the army, but if he found out that the new commander's side was manipulating him, he might say he would return to the army to harass them.

(I used to throw a lot of frogs into the room of the senior who had a history of conflict with me).

　But Lasse's words were a gospel for Merck.

"Don't worry, Merck. I'm not going back in the army. I'm staying here in town.

"...... Really?　That's good to know!

　I can't help but be honest with you, Merc.

By the way, didn't you see that Serga Kingdom spy I caught the other day?

Uh-huh. Now I've got him drugged and locked up in this town's vigilante prison.

　Merck wondered why he had come out of the blue to tell me this.
　Then he came to an answer, and his face turned blue.

"You got me that poisonous potion, right?

What?　What the hell?

　I was right.
　But Merck thinks it would be a bad idea to give it away and uses his wits to cover it up.
　But Lasse continued with more words.

"To begin with, there can't be only one enemy spy, can there?　

"Huh?

　It was a blind spot. It's a normal thing to do, but I was mistaken.
　Of course, he was a knight. That's because he's not a knight.
　With his youthfulness, it was natural for him to not think about it.

"I heard they were here to recruit me. So there's no reason to get poison for you. When the guys saw the guys I had with me, they immediately contacted me and said they'd excuse themselves.

"I mean, isn't it a bit unwise to believe that so easily?　We've been fighting over this one!

　Merck was convinced that this was the right thing to say.
　This is the word of a man who fought for decades against the enemy, and it's too careless to believe it.

　But then Lasse pulled a small vial from his pocket.

"What do you think this is?

　I mean, is that a poison pill I took away from a spy?　Don't tell me you went through the inn's luggage?

　Merck raises his eyebrows at the obviously disrespectful behavior, even though he is a friend.

"Calm down, this is not your luggage.

"Huh?

　Lasse snapped his fingers and a loud thud sounded outside the shack.
　Outside the roof is the right word, though, since the shack now has no walls.

　Merck turns around and sees a pile of men, all dressed in black, lying in a pile.
　All of them seem to be unconscious and show no signs of moving.
　But the costumes were a different style of costume than the black-clad ones that Rise's shadow squad had captured.

Who are these guys?

　Based on his conversation with Lasse, Merck wondered if he was a neighboring country's spy.

"They're my own special forces that followed you here.

What?

　Merck yells in surprise at the answer he wasn't expecting.

You're here to see if you can do your job. One of those men had the drug.



　Yes, the Rise's shadow troops understood not only the existence of spies in the neighboring countries, but also spies in their own country.
　These had already been discovered through Ketsey's intelligence network, Arakne's thread wards, and the eyes of the dragons who regularly went to the Great Demon Forest where they were hiding out.
　On the first day, I deliberately left them alone, but I let the demons capture them as a bargaining chip while I captured the enemy's spies.

General Frida didn't trust me: ......

　Merck is shocked to learn that he has a spy following him.
　But Merck is more than that, he's backed into a corner.
　Although Lasse has no intention of returning, he has been sent by his friend to the boss who kicked him out.
Not only did they find out that I was trying to interfere with your reinstatement, but the fact that your superiors didn't even trust you.

(I just thought that as a nobleman and knight, obeying my superiors, I would be safe in my position in the army. And even if Lasse comes back, he'll still be a cold-hearted loser under the general. (You're not going to do anything good by going back.

　But now that you mention it, it doesn't help.
　The fact is that he followed the new general's orders.

"Hey Merk, what do you say we make a deal?

"Huh?

　Merck is puzzled that Lasse has broken the air of silence.
　He wonders what the deal is in this situation.

"I'll give you these spies. I'll give you these spies, and I'll tell you that you made a deal with me to give them to me.

What the hell?　What does that mean?

　The proposal confuses Merck.
　It's too good for him.

I'm not coming back to the military. And I don't want the military to come back to me either. So me and the army are in agreement.

Yeah, I guess so.

Merck nodded at Lasse's words.

"But here's an enemy spy who wants me to come to his country. Does that bother you in the military?

"Yeah, I'm in trouble. Very embarrassing.

　Merck nodded, because that's what Gen. Maldo feared the most.

"So, I hope the army will protect me. I don't want to be a target for the enemy.

"Huh?

　Again, Merck rolls his eyes at the unexpected words.

I'll let bygones be bygones for trying to use poison. And since I don't want you back, the army doesn't want to hand me over to the enemy. So how can you protect me?

But that's a lot of money. I mean, I don't think General Frieda would have asked for that!

　Merck was perplexed that the new general, who had cut Lasse off as unnecessary, could end up spending more than he could get Lasse to return to the army by allocating men and money for him.
　If I negotiate with my bosses like that, I might get demoted.

But I have neutralized our prized special forces as we speak. Which means you can't assassinate me and get rid of me without taking me to the enemy. Do you understand?

...... ah!

　At that point, Merck finally figured out that Lasse was going to give the credit to him.

(If General Frieda didn't accept Lasse's request and plotted another assassination, this time the spies, or rather the special forces, would be wiped out. Moreover, if he defected to a neighboring country, Lasse would become a complete enemy. If they failed to assassinate Lasse and went against the wishes of former General Maldo and the king, General Frieda would be a ruined man. So that's what they wanted to do with the information they gave to Lasse!

　It's a complete misunderstanding, but it's true that Lasse can defect to a neighboring country while protecting himself from assassins.
　After all, he was protected by his own demons 24 hours a day, and when he escaped, he only had to fly high into the sky on the back of a dragon to escape.
　Ordinary special forces that specialize in fighting humans and assassinations cannot attack an enemy that flies above the sky.
　At this point, the new general's progress was deadlocked.

(I'll have to figure out a way to handle this one.)

All right, I'll take that suggestion. I'll take you up on that offer. I will support your request to the best of my ability.

　Merck, who had easily turned to Lasse's side, had planned to use this information to obtain a position in General Frida's inner circle.

(The existence of these spies proves the existence of the people who leaked the information. Now all I had to do was tell them I'd saved their lives and that I'd succeeded in convincing them not to return to Lasse and my value would skyrocket. In the future, the deputy commander will likely be entrusted with the commander's job after Commander Frieda retires. (This is better value for your money on the Rise!

　Merck had no principles or beliefs.
　As a nobleman, he wanted to live comfortably in the future.
　That's why he was quick to approach Lasse, a man of useful abilities, and quick to follow the orders of the new leader, Frida.
　He was a very pliable long winded man.

OK, let's have a toast to our progress!　Today it's my treat!

No, I just came in for a meal.

　The lightness of the footwork of his friend, who turned easily, was a bit unsettling for Lasse.