Night - we were at the inn where we were supposed to stay.
　More knights will be sent to guard the place.
　I've already informed Remyll of the situation. She, too, was moving to take immediate action because of the fact that Aena had been targeted.
　The four of us are gathered in a room at the inn, Aena, her guard Mercier, Iris, and me. The conversation was about the "Shadow Apostle" that Aena had mentioned earlier.

First of all, ...... I'll admit that the reason I've kept my numbers as low as possible this time was to lure them in. I used you guys.
"Used you?" ......

　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.
　I'm sure she had some idea of what she was doing. ...... This could be a problem between countries.

They knew they would be targeted, so they reduced the number of guards. ...... Isn't that dangerous?
"Yes, I know. And if anything happens to me, it'll be the Kingdom's fault. That's what they're after.
The Shadow Angel.　The Shadow Apostles? Some kind of assassination squad?
Something like that. It's a pretty big organization for the Empire, though. ....... There's a reason why I call it an enemy of the Empire, of course. The Empire is not monolithic either.

　Although she didn't go into specifics, Aena's words conveyed what she was trying to say.
　There must be someone who wants to start a war between countries by targeting Aena.
　And considering that Aena's father is a marshal in the imperial army - at the very least, she must want to protect her father's position.

(Conservatives and extremists: ...... or something like that)

　Aena is the reason for the friendly relations between the Kingdom and the Empire, and it is the purpose of the Shadow Apostle to target Aena.

I know it's impossible not to worry, but I've prepared myself. Even if something should happen to me, there will be no war between the Empire and the Kingdom.
"What does that mean?　What do you mean by that?
It's simple. I've informed your father of all my plans, though I can't say he's been convinced.

　Aena answers my question.
　She was going to use herself as bait to fight her father's enemies. I'm sure that the ...... stage for this was the inspection in this country.

This is the reason why I proposed the visit. ......?
"The visit itself was necessary to establish friendly relations. You can say that this was my own decision. Of course, the kingdom can hold me responsible for it. I understand all of this, and I'm acting accordingly, but I apologize for the inconvenience.
"No, it's not a problem. It is true that you are being targeted, and it is our role as knights to protect you.
The role of a knight is ....... I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it.

　I'm not sure if what Aena is saying about "the true meaning" applies to me at all, but at least if I knew Aena was going to be targeted, I would still be doing what I do.
　It's my job, as a knight of the kingdom, to protect her.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. ...... In this case, Aria is involved in it.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.
Yeah, it's been around for years. ...... Speaking of which, I heard that one of your enemies is Iris, an acquaintance of yours.
My best friend. He's my family, too. ......

　Iris replied to Aena's words.
　How did Aria get involved in that organization? ...... From what I've heard, it was Iris and Iris's mother who protected Aria. --Aria was on the side of the Empire, I guess.
　I don't know if she was separated from the organization for some reason, or if she stayed with it from the beginning. ......

I'd like to say that the Empire will take care of this, but I hear you have some history with them as well.
That's true. I'd like to say that the Empire will take care of this matter, but I hear that you have a history with them as well. Aena-sama wants to destroy the organization itself ......, is that it?
That's right.
We want to bring back Aria, who is in that organization - that's what we're doing. We want to bring back Aria from that organization - that's what we're trying to do. If necessary, I'll have to fight that organization for whatever reason, rather than just .......
"So you're saying that you're willing to cooperate again?　I've been hiding the truth from you, haven't I?
I've been hiding the truth from you. - So let's keep it that way. Of course, there may be things that you can't tell us, but at least you can provide us with information regarding the Shadow Apostle. That way, we can investigate.
"...... Okay. I'll give you a summary on that later. Mercier, get ready.
Yes, sir.

　Mercier, who was standing behind me, replied.
　My movements and Aena's are unchanged. I'll continue my inspection, but I'll also have to fight the Shadow Apostle that's targeting Aena and the others. ...... because that's where Aria is.

......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


　In this story, we didn't know much about Aria either.
　All I knew was that the organization had existed in the Empire for a long time.
　But then, Mercier came to me.

"Mr. Alta, I need to talk to you for a moment. Do you have a moment?
"No problem, what can I do for you?
"It's about ......, Notoria. I'm leaving some of this to you, Miss Aena.

　You say such things.
　...... Nautria is - Aria's last name.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to.