Needless to say, once again, it takes time to strike a sword.
　It's a process that involves several steps, all of which require skill and concentration.
　Especially if you are more serious about it than ever before.

　Ten days.
　That was the time Noel had specified.

　It wasn't to be completed in ten days.
　It's that you should come back in ten days first to see it.

　If it's a mass-produced item, or if it's meant to be a dedication, but if it's meant to be a personalized sword, fine tuning is essential.
　For now, they'll have the foundation for it ready by the end of the ten days.

　From what I've heard about Noel's production pace, it's going to take a long time, but I'm sure he's serious about it.
　There's no need to rush, so you can do as you please.
　It's not that much of an obsession with swords, but if you can make a good one, it's better than nothing.

　Anyway, if you can't make it right away, then of course you can't just wait until it's ready.
　This is the reason why Allen and the others are wandering the streets.

Well, ......, what's going to happen now?
"It's the tenth or ...... the most spirited Noel I've ever seen, and probably won't even respond to a visit in the meantime.
Well, why don't we just wait it out?　That's what you came here for in the first place, right?
Certainly.

　It's not that I don't like busy places, although I was imagining a lonely place to relax and have fun.

　However, the fact that there are so many people means that there is a high possibility of trouble, especially if there is an adventurer's guild.
　Adventurers are often rough around the edges and are a source of trouble.

　Nevertheless, the presence of adventurers means that they will be there to take care of any problems.
　It is unlikely that there are many things that cannot be handled by adventurers, and from a quick look at the city, there seems to be no intolerance towards strangers.
　It's not a bad idea to take a leisurely stroll through the city to see how it feels and what it means to live here.

Speaking of which, what are you two going to do?
It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get away with it, because it's going to be irresponsible for you to think that this is the end of the story because you've introduced .......
Oh, no, no, I just thought you two had something to do here. --You guys want to do something here?
The "---ha

　Rees chokes for a moment at Allen's definitive statement.
　Beatrice also stiffens slightly and smiles, still so obvious.

　The aristocrats basically learn the poker face as part of their education in order to discipline themselves and avoid giving out unnecessary information to their opponents.
　Since it is basic enough to be said that those who cannot do this are not noblemen, there is no reason why Rees can't do it too, but does this mean that he is trusted to the extent that he doesn't need to do such things?

　While thinking about this, I shrugged my shoulders--

Well, I know they're loyal and kind, but that's not the reason why Leeds and the others are here.

　No matter how much free time she had, she was still the first princess.
　Although she said she had received permission when she reported the other day's incident, there is no ordinary way to get permission.
　The king of this country is not that lenient.

　Although they didn't seem to know it, there is no way they didn't get permission from the state to strip him of all status, let alone abolish him.
　There is no doubt that the report was reported, and the fact that it was carried out means that the permission was granted.

　In short, Allen is, for lack of a better word, a state-sanctioned unidentified person, not much different from a suspicious person.
　Although Allen has a modicum of acquaintance with the king, that's no reason for the princess to be in the company of a publicly unidentified person.

　There is no way I would have gotten permission to accompany her, but in reality, I did.
　This means that there is something so important here that you can ignore it, and in fact, Allen's business is more likely to be an afterthought.

...... I see, it's not that you thought you could always fool me, but you were caught out from the start.
"Mmm ...... You know, you're cheating, Allen, you've been quiet and you know it.
"No, it's not fair. ......

　That said, Leeds puffs out his cheeks, and Allen laughs even harder.
　Well, maybe it's not fair to pretend that you knew and were being tricked, but that's not the way to say it.

I know that I knew from the beginning, but I know that you two have your own reasons. I'm not asking you to talk about it, I'm just saying that I know you have things to do, so you can go ahead and do them without me.
"Hmm. ...... Okay. Well, since you've found out, I must say that we do have a role to play here. In fact, about three months ago, the general fell ill.
No, I didn't mean to tell you--what?　Is it true?

　--The General.

　He is so called because he possesses the gift of the "General" and his gift is said to be as effective as, or even more effective than, a brave man's, depending on the circumstances.

　The effect is to increase the ability of everyone under your command, so much so that once he drew an equal number of Westfeldt's elite with the ordinary soldiers in the capital.
　It is said that they would have won if they had continued on because of the time limit.

　It's not something you can use casually as it can make you so fatigued that you can sleep for a whole day instead of increasing your abilities, but he is one of the strongest men in the kingdom.
　He is a nightmare for the enemy, as he is only as strong as a skilled soldier when he fights alone, but he can turn the tide of the war around at a moment's notice even when the odds are stacked against him by leading an army.
　This country is surrounded by friendly nations for the most part, but it is said that this is because of him, and it is true, considering that we were hostile to about half of them before his rise to power.

　If he were to fall, the kingdom's strength would certainly fall, and it would not be surprising if about half of the countries became hostile again.
　The kingdom has a lot of fertile land and mines that can produce a wide variety of ores.
　It's a mistake to rely on friendship between countries, and from the point of view of the surrounding countries, if they are in a position to target, there is no reason not to target them.

　And the kingdom will surely not be able to outrun it.
　The kingdom's ability to intercept him is lower than it was before his rise to power.

　The reason for this is simple: the Westfelts are stuck in the south end.
　It is impossible to intercept an attacking country, even if it is only temporary.
　Because at the southern end of the country lies the only country that is currently hostile to this country, the country of the "devil".

　They are very belligerent and each one of them has great strength.
　No one but the Westfeldt family could deal with them, and several houses and territories were swallowed up before the Westfeldt family actually took care of them.

　As they weren't neighbors in the past, Westfeldt was able to intercept other countries, but while building friendships with the surrounding countries, the demons destroyed them one by one, until they became neighbors.
　If the Westfeldt family has to deal with this, if the Westfeldt family leaves, the southern end of the country is likely to become one of them.

　Either the devil would take it or the surrounding countries would take it.
　The fall of the general would mean the choice between the two...

"...... seems to be true,

　Looking at the two of them, it doesn't seem to be a joke.
　As Allen muttered with a bitter face, Rees sent an accusing glance to Beatrice.



"...... Beatrice
I know what you mean, and normally I would have agreed with you. But now this is out of our control. Master Rees knows that, doesn't he?
"...... it

　At a loss for words, Leeds' eyes now turn to Allen.
　It seemed to be asking for help, or hoping that he would say no. The matter is clearly being hushed up.

　This case is clearly being hushed up.
　Moreover, this is something that has not even reached the duke's family if it's done poorly.
　It's definitely not something Allen should know, and there's no turning back if he hears any more about it.

　But, on the other hand, you can still turn back now.
　Now we can still say it was just a joke.
　Then Beatrice won't be forced to do anything.

　Then Allen won't get in trouble and won't stray from his peace.
　Both Leeds and Beatrice won't be heartbroken that they've gotten Allen involved, and that's a bummer.

　Having thought this far, Allen shrugged.
　f*ck you.

"Hmm ...... I'm just checking to make sure you didn't have a cold or something, right?

　The words were enough to show Allen's intent.

　Beatrice gives an eye roll, and Rees gives a look of apology mixed with gratitude and joy, but Allen just shrugs again.
　The reason why I didn't ask, even though I knew the two of them had something going on is because I couldn't discern whether I should step in.

　It is true that Allen wants peace, but it is not something he can do in exchange for friends.

...... Yes, that's right. For those of you who must have contact with the general, I've decided that you can't meet with people because of the epidemic that's been going on ......

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.
　It seems to be a fairly high density information.
　The fact that she told you this means that she trusts you, but it also means that she is in even more dire straits than that.

But it's been three months, right?
"We left King's Landing about a month ago, so I'm only lightly aware of the current situation: ...... Well, I'm sure many of you have a sneaking suspicion.
Yeah. And by the looks of it, you're not sick or anything, are you?
One morning three months ago, three months ago, the general usually woke up early in the morning, and his wife was curious, so she went to her room to check on him, and found him with his head missing.
"Wow. ......

　The general's age was said to be in his fifties, so his wife must be around the same age, but the situation is traumatic.
　And in short, it was killed--

"So, how did you end up here?
We don't know who's the bad guy, we don't know the purpose. It is most likely that a neighboring country sent assassins, but the lack of knowledge of the means (...) has led to a quick impasse.
"Don't know how to ......?

　It was a funny story.
　There is no way that someone as powerful as the Shogun could be poorly guarded and would definitely need the power of the gift to get through it.

　Even though it's perfect, there's no way to prevent him from using more power ...... but if he uses such a powerful force, it will definitely leave traces of it, especially in the kingdom.
　Especially in the kingdom, there must have been a gift holder who specialized in reading such traces.
　It's hard to imagine that the means are unknown.

Are you saying that there were traces of a gift that wasn't meant to be used for assassination?
No, to begin with, there was no gift response other than that used in security within a hundred-meter radius around the scene.
"Ah ......, I see.

　It's not inconceivable that it could be the work of a super-skilled assassin who doesn't use gifts, but if such a thing really existed, it wouldn't go unheard of.

　And above all, there was something to think about before thinking about such things.

"So it's more likely to be the work of the 'Devil'?

　It is called "demon" for the sake of convenience, but in reality we don't know much about it.
　Some say they are monsters. Some say they are humanoid beings with horns.

　Not much is known, but one of them is that although demons use powers similar to gifts, they are not gifts.
　No matter how much power the demon wields, there is no trace of it as a gift.

　So it's understandable if the devil did this case too, but--

But I've never heard of them taking such steps as assassination. They're always frontal assault.

　The demon's fighting style is so harsh and simple that it is said that he may have a grudge against humanity.
　It doesn't care if you are a human species, an elf or a beastman, but it will kill them all.
　The identity of the demon is not so clear, partly because there are almost no survivors when you fight a demon.

　However, although you are not losing in all your battles with demons, demons somehow seem to be able to use demons.
　Therefore, most of the demon battles are demon battles, and there are many demons that you have never seen before.
　In other words, you can't tell which ones are the demons.

　Some of them committed suicide when they tried to capture the demonic one and then disappeared without a trace. ...... Anyway.

That said, it didn't have to be taken, though: ......
If you could do that, you would have done it before and against the person who is interfering.

　After all, the Westfeldt family started dealing with the devil before Allen was born.

　It's possible that such a method is a recent development, but there's a bit more to it than that.

Any ideas on how the devil might have been involved in ......?
"Well, ...... you can honestly doubt where it is if you want to.

　Trust in people is very important and precious, but just as it is not healthy to doubt everything about a person, it is not healthy to trust everything about a person.
　Unfortunately, friendships are often based on a relationship of mutual benefit, which can be easily betrayed if the benefits outweigh the benefits that can be gained.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it at the border of the world ......
"You can't have true friendship between countries. To the extent that we don't forget that, our border guards are very good at what they do.
"That's why we're here, and

　If you think so, this is the place to be.

　Although the identity of the demon is said to be many things, that's why the truth is surely hidden there.
　Perhaps it's the fact that there are various forms, and if they are close to people, there is no place more inconspicuous and suitable for intrusion than here.

　An abandoned place full of miscellaneous races, close to where the demons are.
　It also has an unofficial connection to the royal capital.


　Although the abilities of the demon are unknown, it must be surprisingly easy to break into the royal city if one wanted to.

　The reason why this place was not guarded is because we never expected the demon to take such a step.
　No one can blame them for that.

　Or rather--

To be frank, it's kind of fishy, isn't it?　Well, it's my former family home.
...... You're once again saying the hardest thing I've ever heard you say. But the fact is, of course I had my suspicions, and I had my interrogations.
"Oh, really?
Yes, only in secret, my master, but. "Yes, only the master in secret, but not in treason, and not in betrayal of this country. Of course, we used the Gift to make sure he wasn't lying to us and the result was ...... white.
Hmmm ...... Well, sure, it's blatantly suspicious and I'm not sure I haven't looked into it. So, since we can't directly examine people from other countries, let alone from within our own country, we're here to look for traces of the devil?
It's just a guess that the devil might be involved. If it's found, it's confirmed, which makes it easier to move on to the next move, so there's no reason not to come looking for it.

　It was reasonable.
　But one question still remains.

"So, why is Leeds looking into it?
I'm not sure if it's because of the ...... convenience of the situation, right?　There was a revelation, and it was bound to come our way anyway,
"Oh, that was before the revelation.
Strictly speaking, shortly after it happened. That's one of the reasons why I came here, because I thought there might be a connection between the two.
Hmmm ...... By the way, how does Leeds feel about it?　I thought that was a little strange,
Well, you know, that ...... is the one I'll be talking about later, right?
"Hmm?　Oh, I see. I guess we can't talk about that here.
"Are you aware of ...... indeed?
Sort of.

　When Beatrice smiles bitterly, Allen shrugs his shoulders.
　What I'm talking about is that it's not okay to talk in a place where there are people around you that are normally hushed up.
　Even though you are in the middle of a crowd and you can hardly hear what anyone is saying, there is no guarantee that anyone is not listening.

　Nevertheless, even if the story is heard by everyone in this city, this is after all a remote area.
　There is no way it would spread to any other place, and even if it did, the royal capital would be unable to hide it anymore by then.

　So there is no problem and--

"I'd rather fish for it,
There are no leads to be found. Well, that is, if there are still people involved.

　It's possible that they are further preparing for their next move here, or that there may be some collaborators left.
　It's better than nothing, if I can find them.

　Still, as long as we don't have a clue, it's worth doing.

But that's only if you help me out. ...... I'm sorry to involve you in this, but I'm sorry. And thank you.
...... Right. Thank you so much, Mr. Allen. And I'm sorry.
You don't have to thank me or apologize for anything you've done. It's mostly just a question of what I can do to help.

　You are the one who decided to get involved in the first place.
　In that sense, there is no need to thank or apologize.
　If there was a need, it would be when something really happened and Allen was able to do something.

　He shrugged his shoulders as he said this, and he was proud to say that it was a good way to kill time.