...... I didn't know that was going to happen. Those status-conscious idiots. There's no limit to how blind they can be.

　Feeling the vibration from his waist, Allen let out a wry smile as he heard those words.

　It's not a complimentary phrase, in fact, it's a spiteful tone, but there's a straightforward anger in it.
　I felt a little tickled to know that he was angry for me.

...... I'm sorry, Mr. Allen,

　And when he turns to apologize, he sees Leeds biting his lip.

　But Allen tilts his head at it.
　It's because I didn't understand why he was apologizing.

"Hmm, I don't know why you're apologizing ......?　You don't mean to say that Leeds lobbied for my expulsion from the dukes, do you?
...... No, maybe it is.
To ......?

　It was said as a joke, so I didn't expect it to be affirmed, and my eyes widened lightly.

　But you only have to look at Leeds' face to see if it's true.
　It was filled with a variety of emotions, but perhaps the strongest was regret.

...... I should have spoken up even harder. I should have told you that you're not a bastard. I wish I had told people better: ...... and then I could have told them ......

　Suddenly Allen's mouth relaxed as he looked at Leeds, who was trapped in remorse.

　It's not a mockery, but rather out of relief.
　It's the same as it was back then, when Allen was starting to be called a failure, when only one person said that was ridiculous.

　Yes, I probably don't need to say it again, but the previously mentioned one of those curious people is Leeds.
　I couldn't help but loosen up when I saw that she really hasn't changed.

　The other curious person is also Beatrice, but Beatrice kept her mouth shut at that time, and Leeds was the only one to complain.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　You can't afford to say anything poorly.

　I knew Beatrice was unhappy, and Allen knew it was inevitable.
　It's because he knew that he didn't feel any particular way about it, but that may be why what Rees said at that time touched his heart even more.

　But therefore--

No, ...... Leeds did enough. I was happy that there was only one person who had an objection, and more importantly, I felt like I was saved. So Leeds did the best they could, and I don't have to blame myself.

　Saying that, Allen slowly stroked Rees' head.
　I used to do this kind of thing back then," he said, opening his mouth further.

"Well, and to be honest, the current situation is rather what I want. I'm not going to be a trueborn son or daughter of a duke: ...... If you think I was banished from the house because of Leeds, then I should probably thank Leeds for that, right?　Thank you for getting me banned from that house,
"...... Huh, what is it, it's ......, thank you.
You're welcome.

　Then they look at each other and laugh at each other.
　It was utterly ridiculous to say thank you for being kicked out of the house.

　But it was nice.
　I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to do it if I had stayed at that house.

Hmm ...... for now, Mr. Allen, you're happy with the situation you're in, and you have no particular plans to do anything about it.
Well, I guess so. Well, that's why I'm doing this.

　Beatrice giggled and lightly pulled on the reins, indicating a thumping of something underneath her buttocks, and that too with a wry smile.
　The speed of the scenery slowed down a bit, and the vibrations that were being transmitted became slightly smaller.

　You're at the top of the gyoja-dai.
　That meant that Allen and his friends were in the middle of a carriage ride.

　There were two main reasons for this.
　First, if I tried to explain Allen's situation seriously, it would take some time.
　Secondly, there was no good place around to talk about it at length.

　To solve this problem, ...... is a bit of a misnomer, but at any rate, the way to do so was by carriage ride.
　Not only does it save time, but it is a good way to kill time while traveling.
　In addition, you could explain, and there was no better reason not to do so.

　I wouldn't have told you that I was kicked out of my home in the first place if I chose not to explain, and it seems that Rees and the others have business in a certain village that exists in a remote area.
　Even in a remote area, if people gather, it's natural to become a village, even if it's in a remote area, and this is one of them.
　I've already told you that Allen hadn't decided on a specific place to go, so fortunately, I decided to accompany him to that village.

　Incidentally, the reason why all three of us are outside the carriage is simply because it's difficult to have a conversation between inside and outside.
　Originally, the coach was only big enough for two people to sit on, but because of Rees' small stature, we managed to sit on it.

　The carriage was damaged when it rolled over, and one of the doors was trashed because Beatrice broke it forcibly.
　It was not impossible to run as it was, but...

...... And yet, Allen, your gift is truly amazing.

　That said, the reason why Rees is banging on the gyoza-dai as he says this is because that part of the building was damaged.
　But now, not even a vestige of it remains.
　That was because Allen had fixed it.

"Yes, indeed. I don't know how much a gift that could fix not only a non-human creature, but also a carriage, would be worth.
It's not that big of a deal, though.

　Shrug with a bitter smile.
　I'm not sure if it's natural to think so, though, since I didn't tell you everything.

　That's right, Allen decided that all the power he showed Beatrice and the others was a gift.
　Strictly speaking, Allen didn't say that, but he somehow verbally induced the two of them to think that way, but ...... is not much different.

　I did so simply because it was cumbersome to explain.
　It's the easiest to convince them most blandly, or at least better than suddenly saying you were a hero in a previous life.

Whether it's humility or just not having an accurate grasp of one's own worth: ...... Either way, there's no flattery in my words. If you don't have an accurate grasp of your value, you should change your mind now.
Well, ...... at least once they know about it, I'm sure the Westfelt family will do everything in their power to bring you back, Allen.


"Well, it's all right there. You know that's why you lied to me.
It's hard to say if it's a lie ......, but it's not something you would say. You didn't come up with this, did you?
Sort of.
However, because the Archbishop told me to do so ...... I think even I would believe it. No one could have predicted that you would receive a gift of a higher rank than the Archbishop.

　In order to receive the gift, you need to perform a ceremony called a blessing, as we have already said, and since the gift is given by God, the priest is supposed to perform the ceremony.
　And how to confirm what gift was given is confirmed by the priest.

　Or should I say, he confirms it.
　One who has the skill to identify who has what gift can become a priest.

　In addition, there are ranks of gifts.
　They are divided into ranks 1 to 5, with the higher the number, the more powerful the gift.

　However, to find out, you have to take a very cumbersome way.
　The effect of the aforementioned gift is that you can only examine the gift that is below your gift rank.

　That is, if you can check the gift, it is a rank below the priest's gift, but you must continue to check the rank until you can no longer check it.
　Needless to say, it's a hassle, so I usually don't bother to find out.

　But that also means that sometimes it happens that you performed the Blessing, but you don't know if you received the gift.
　But then it's almost never a problem, because the archbishop will see it.
　Because the archbishop has a rank 5 gift, there is supposed to be no gift that cannot be examined.

　But Allen was not recognized by that archbishop as having the gift even if he saw it.
　That's why it was decided that Allen was not given a gift, but it is true that ...... Allen can use powers that can only be considered gifts.

　That's why the two of them thought of this.
　Allen's gift to me was probably rank 6 (・・・・).
　That way there is no contradiction.

　That's what Allen led me to believe.

　And it's not entirely a lie, for one thing.
　If the gift is a God-given power, then this power that Allen wields is certainly a gift as well.

　It's not a completely self-generated power, but one given to him by the goddess in a previous life.
　The power of omniscience, the power of the sword, and the power of reason.
　These are the three that Allen was given.

　And power is the power of God itself, then it is definitely the highest of gifts.
　It's too powerful to be handled by humans, though, so each of them is scaled down considerably for Allen to use: ...... At any rate, that's why we can't say that Allen is lying.
　Of course, it's a technicality.

But that doesn't mean that they're the only house that would expel their son from the house: ......
"To begin with, I don't know if I could have fooled you in any other house. To be honest, the gift thing was just an excuse.

　As Beatrice had mentioned, the Westfeldt family has a mindset called status bias.
　It's the idea that status is literally the absolute, and gifts are just an adjunct to it.

　Just to be honest, this is unusual.
　Status and levels are given by spirits, whereas gifts are given by God.
　The most common is to respect both, and more likely to believe in God.
　Status bias is a heretical idea that is sometimes called a spirit belief.

　That said, as an Allen, I think you have a point.
　While sometimes the power of the gift can win out over those with higher status, it's rare.
　The emphasis on status is a rational thing to do.

　And that's why it's rational to discard the useless ones that don't have a higher level.
　It's a good idea for you to be able to get out of the house, and if you want to force others to do the same, you'll easily change your opinion.

'Speaking of which, it just occurred to me, are you two okay with that?
"What is?
No, we both know my power is useful, don't we?　And I wondered if it was okay to let such a person go free in the wild.
I'm sure that ...... is the right thing to do for this country, I should bring you back to that house at all costs. As a member of this country, as a knight in shining armor. But I served Master Leeds before I served the country. When it comes to what Master Leeds values most...
I would put my friends before my country. I'm sure that's a disqualification for royalty ...... but I still think it's wrong to have a country that is built on the sacrifice of one person.
That's what I mean. Since the Lord is like this, of course I'm going to put my friends first.
"I see. ...... Thank you.

　Even if the two of them tried to bring Allen back somehow, he's confident that he can get away with it.
　But regardless of that, they are willing to help you.

　That's certainly not a good way to be a member of this country, but it's certainly the right thing to do as a person.
　That's why I said thank you.
　For helping me and for being a righteous human being.

You're welcome, sir.
You're welcome.

　Then the three of us looked at each other and somehow laughed at each other.
　A gentle breeze blew through ...... and it really was like going back to those days.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier and more enjoyable. It's obvious that you're cheating by calling me "you", right?

　It is not a nobleman anymore.
　You will need to have a lot of time and energy to get to know each other.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to know them. You'll have to get used to it.
I mean, I'd rather just call him by his name.
Oh, that's not fair. In that case, I want Beatrice to call me by my name too!
"Do you want me to call the knight Lord?　Even though this tone of voice is because Mr. Leeds insists on doing so: ......


I don't mind, okay?
"I care. Please don't give me that much of a break. ......

　The usually gallant Beatrice made a pitiful voice, and Allen and the others laughed out loud at the sight of her.

　A gentle breeze and a gentle swaying.
　You'll be able to see that you're not alone.

　Soon, a small village came into view in their direction.
　But...

...... is the destination village, right?　I've heard it's a quiet, laid-back village, but isn't it kind of stuffy?
Just because we've heard that doesn't mean we've been here before. ......
"Somehow, there's something troubling about the atmosphere, isn't there ......?

　The three of us look at each other, but as expected, we don't know what's going on.
　All I know for sure is that something is going on, but--

"My goodness, ......, it doesn't look like you're going to live in peace anytime soon. ......

　Allen muttered with a sigh as he watched the village slowly approaching.