Looking through the report in hand, Craig sniffed.

　I'm sure that Brett, who has been looking at me, has been giving me a curious look, so I just handed it to him, and immediately afterwards, Brett sniffled in a similar way.
　There was a dismay.

It's also ......
Well, I'm inclined to agree, but don't say so. Technically, it wasn't the same last time, was it?
That's true, but isn't ...... too incompetent at any price?
I agree with you. Still, it's true that we wouldn't be where we are today if we hadn't worked with these guys (・・・・).
...... It's certainly true, too, isn't it?

　Somewhat dissatisfied, but still nodding, I took the parchment from Brett and looked at its contents one more time.

　What was written on it was, to put it simply, that an experiment had failed.
　It seems that a village that was conducting an experiment that was essential to this project has lost contact with you.
　Considering the circumstances, they must have failed, it seems they decided.

　But to be honest, it didn't matter.
　If you were ten days ago, or even ...... or so, you might have felt the same way about this.

　They may have chalked it up to failure because they couldn't carry it out to the end, but they've already achieved what they set out to do.
　It is true that they may have been found in the end, but they were able to disappear for nearly five years.
　Considering what's to come, it's more than enough.

　And as for why it failed, I had a pretty good idea.

...... But the sudden failure of coming here to ...... is still because of those things?
I know. I can't think of anything else. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to have more pieces at this point in time. It's a good thing that they had the intention of adding more pieces to the mix," he said.
It depends on which side of the dragon you're on, but they've definitely failed at least once. So, you want to get the rumor going again and catch them. It seems to have worked up to that point: ......

　They have been destroyed.

　The report also says that they were successful in bringing them in.
　So what's up with that? ...... Well, I suppose you'll say that we've done our job, at least.

　Certainly if you went there, you will not be able to make it to this one (・・・・) no matter how fast you go.
　In that sense, you've certainly done your job at a minimum.

Well, now we know that the biggest problem is the saint. So I'd say they've done their job in that sense as well.
Sure . ...... By the way, there is one thing in the report that caught my attention.
"Huh. ...... Did you find anything of interest?

　After looking at it twice, there was nothing in particular that bothered Craig.
　So what the hell did this thing notice?

"The report says they showed up in threes,
Yeah, there was a saint and probably his personal bodyguard and a boy about the same age as the saint, wasn't there? A saint and possibly his personal bodyguard ...... and a (・・・・・・・) boy of the same age as the saint (...), was it?
Yes. The boy ...... no, I'm strangely curious about the man.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of where it came from, but it's probably just a matter of getting it right in town anyway. It's also a woman. It's no wonder that she's loosened up after being freed from the cramped castle, and it's not surprising that she's ransacked for a man or two. It is said that when your life is in danger, your survival instincts lead to an increase in s*xual desire.
"No, that ............ is nothing. It's nothing.
"...... hmmm

　If you're concerned about such things, then this is what you've got in mind.
　It was certainly a reasonably good look ...... but when all is said and done, you might want to think about it.

　You don't have long to live anyway (・・・・・・).
　I don't mind giving him what he wants at least for the last time.

　Anyway, it's even more trivial than I expected, if you're wondering what was bothering me.
　Well, that's about it.
　It was just a nice way to pass the time, but...

Well, ...... is almost there. They're doing well out there, aren't they?

　Looking out of the carriage window (・・・・), you ask it in front of you with a sideways glance.
　The black-robed, faceless man nodded in a muffled voice.

"Yes ...... everything is in order.
It's a good thing ...... that you've been making a lot of mistakes lately because you know best. That's because you know that better than anyone else. ...... Don't make mistakes, okay?　This is what you wanted, too.
"...... ha!

　Craig sniffs, looking down at it as it bows its head without showing its face after all.

　They're still a mysterious bunch, but that's okay .......
　We all want the same thing.
　It's just a matter of time before you get to the point where you're able to join forces with them.

　We both use each other.
　The only thing left to do is to decide where to end up ...... but we don't need to think about that now.

　Or rather, there's no room for it.
　You've got everything you need, but you're dealing with an opponent.
　There was no time to think about anything else.

　Of course, that's why they could come after you.
　After all, we are still enemies.
　We're both trying to outsmart the other.



　So never slack off, but still focus on what's in front of you.
　It's a difficult task, but we can't afford not to do it.
　If you don't do this, you can't save (・・・・・) humanity (・・・・・・) or fulfill (・・・・・) your own wishes (・・・・), then you have to do it.

　Feeling the erratic vibrations, Craig looks out the window again.
　The scene there is familiar.

　The capital was almost there.

...... At last. Yeah, finally. ......!

　Muttering an all-encompassing thought, Craig squinted his eyes.
　He clenched his fist tightly, as if to suppress his hesitation, thinking about what lay ahead.











　As he watched Craig staring out the window, Brett felt some frustration.

　I really wanted to say more about what I just said.
　But he couldn't because he had no basis for it.

　So, after Brett saw the information about the man who was accompanying the saint, he was strangely curious about why.
　There are a number of things you can do to make sure that you have the right information.

　But as I said, there is no basis for it.
　It's just a hunch.
　There was no way you could convince my father with that.

　And ...... to begin with, and even if it was, so what?
　It's all going to be over soon anyway.

　From here, it won't take another day.
　Whatever power the saint can use is no longer relevant, even if we've missed something.
　No matter how fast you run your horse, there is no way you will be able to make it from that place further out in the frontier.

　Thinking about this, Brett let out a slow breath.
　Calm himself down and reconsider.

　There's no way he was the only one who noticed and his father didn't.
　Then this must come from the anxiety of accomplishing something unheard of.
　And so you have created something that never existed.
　That must be it.

　As if to tell himself that, Brett calmed himself down even more.
　So ...... that time is almost there.
　There's no time to think about anything else.
　Brett closed his eyes, determined to follow in his father's footsteps and focus on the moment.

　The only sound in the closed carriage is the sound of three people's breaths.
　In the midst of it all, all I can think about is what's to come.

　Brett has also been entrusted with a very important role.
　We couldn't afford to fail, just in case.
　So I have to be ready and focused for that.

　But.
　But no matter how hard he tried to tell himself that everything was going to be okay and to think only about the future, the vague anxiety in Brett's mind would not go away.