After Arx was knocked unconscious by the mercenaries.


　Charlotte and the others in the guest room had been robbed of their weapons by the Marquis' men and were now tied up behind their backs.


　Lisha and I are next to each other on the couch.
　There are no guards, it's just the two of them.
　They're treating me badly.
　Not the way you treat a noblewoman or a hostage.
　They probably thought it would be okay to leave her in the room as long as she was tied up and gagged.


　He was right, he couldn't cut the rope because he didn't have a knife, and he couldn't remove the gag from Lisha because he couldn't use his arms.


"Lisha, are you okay?


　When I asked, Lisha nodded her head, her silver hair shaking.
　But her expression was not cheerful, and I could sense that she was somewhat apologetic.
　She is a serious person. She must be feeling responsible that it was her fault that things turned out this way.


　To Lisha, he said.


"It's not your fault, Lisha.


　"It's not your fault, Lisha," he says softly.
　It was the Marquis who cheated.
　And it's the Marquis who is trying to cover up his wrongdoings by catching them in the act.
　This is nothing for Lisha to worry about.
　This is the result of trying to fulfill the teachings as the heir of a noble family.
　How can I, a nobleman, be blamed for that?


　It was the result of a righteous act. You can be proud of it.
　The Marquis came to the drawing room while I was soothing Lisha's guilt.
　What's the matter? The Marquis suddenly gave a small smile as he steeled himself and prepared himself.


It's been a long time coming, but I think things are finally settling down.


　Such a strange thing to say when you come in.
　Arx had arrived and the Marquis had gone to see him, but if he was right...


"Are you saying that Mr. Arx didn't bring any evidence?

"The Princess of House Clemellia is very intelligent. She's right. He didn't bring me what I wanted.


　But then...


Then what happened to Mr. Arx?

He tried to get out of control. He's asleep now. All we have to do is send him to the seal tower.

A sealing tower?


　A sealing tower. Are you talking about the sealing tower in the heavens?
　But why would they want to send Arx, a child who is not a sinner, to such a place?


Marquis, if you send a noble's child to such a place without any reason, ......


　Just as I was about to say that the head of the family would not keep quiet.


"Hmm?　What do you think will happen?　I'm sure the head of Raytheft wouldn't care if Arx Raytheft got into such a place. It is well known that the head of Raytheft dislikes his son, calling him incompetent. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige.

It's .......


　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　I'm not sure what to say.
　I'm not sure what to make of this.


　In the midst of this exchange with the Marquis, the door to the guest room suddenly opens.
　The person who appears is a large man with a Danpei - the head mercenary.
　As soon as he entered the room, the mercenary head leaned his large body forward.


"Sir, excuse me.

"Head. What's up?

Huh. I'm ready to send the kid to the sealing tower.

I see.


　Is that the plan to send Arx to the sealing tower?
　The mercenary head, after having such a conversation with the Marquis, suddenly approached us.
　He stood in front of Lisha and gave her a sneaky smile.


I'm the one who got your brother, but that kid was funny.　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.


　The head of the ...... mercenaries, perhaps wanting to humiliate the child, lays out insults against Arx in front of Lisha.
　You can't even handle a sword properly, but you came at me.
　When he realized that he couldn't win, he became very sullen.
　He said he'd never seen such an impudent kid before.


　Having been insulted by her respected brother, Lisha's face became slightly red with anger and her eyes became sharp as she stared at the mercenary head. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


　In the past, Risha said that Arx was a hard worker and a great magician. ...... I wonder if that story was just a favor to her family.
　It was an act of courage to come alone to challenge the Marquis with false evidence, but it would be meaningless if he was caught in the end.


　Suddenly, the mercenary head said


And that kid can't even use magic, even though he's a member of a military family.　In a pathetic voice, fire! Get out!　Come on!　That was a masterpiece!



"......?


　The mercenary head's vulgar laughter echoed through the room.
　But the story is different from the one Lisha told me before.
　I believe Arx can use magic.
　I'm sure he can use magic, and it's a modified version of the magic used in warfare called the Flame-Rune.


　Then...
　One of us is lying.
　But it's hard to imagine that the sincere and honest Lisha would tell such a blatant lie.


　So what kind of discrepancy is this?
　As I was thinking about this, the Marquis suddenly looked into Lisha's face.


　Then, with an unusually stern face, he asks her.


"...... Miss Lisha, is your brother really such an incompetent child?

"............


　Did the Marquis have the same question?
　But Lisha was gagged and could not speak.
　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
　She silently meets the Marquis' gaze.


　Then, the mercenary head said.


"Your Excellency. You're very wary of that kid.

...... No, I was concerned about Arx Raytheft's attitude.

"Attitude ......?

Head. Arx Raytheft is polite, gentle, naive, and a child of a good family. Isn't that right?

Hey. The kid was definitely a scion of a noble family. I'm sure of it.

But he wasn't afraid when he met me. Not even a little.

Scared?　What did you do, sir?

I thought I was strong-arming Arx Raytheft at the time. I thought I had intimidated Arx Raytheft strongly enough at the time, but it was not intimidated by me and moved on to the conversation.


　...... The Marquis of Curlew Gaston is quite intimidating. It's not only his physique, but the dignity he's cultivated through his time at the center of the kingdom is more impressive than that of an inferior soldier.
　It's not comparable to the head of a military family, but even so, it's not something that a child should be able to take in.


　The Marquis suddenly rubbed his chin with his hand as if to confirm something.


And... As soon as you said you were sending Arx Raytheft elsewhere, why the sudden change in attitude?

That's what you said. ......

You didn't even get angry when I told you I wasn't returning your sister, but then you suddenly changed your tone of voice. It's almost as if it didn't suit your purpose.

That's why you said you'd send him to the sealing tower?

Not only that, but ...... I was wondering if the real purpose of Arx Raytheft was to join them.

Sir, I think you're overthinking this, don't you?　At his age... He's at that age when anything can go wrong. The only reason he didn't is because he didn't have the strength. I don't think the kid's hiding anything.

I hope you're right. ......


　The Marquis looks out the window with a look of inexplicable concern in his eyes.
　It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if you can find any useful information.
　I'm not sure what you're thinking about when you stare at such a place.
　The head mercenary expressed his doubts with a questioning expression.


"Sir?　How can I help you?

"...... head. Have you ever seen a horrible child?

Terrible kids?

Yes. I've seen him. --The crown prince of this land.

Oh. The one they say is a genius?

Yes.


　The crown prince of Rynor.
　He is said to be a genius since the beginning of the kingdom, even though he is around the same age as us.
　It is not uncommon for royalty to over-praise the child of a newly born head of state.
　The words "genius," "beloved son of the twin spirits," and "qilin" are often used to decorate them.


　Basically, it is thought to be a way to show off the power of the royal family to people inside and outside the kingdom, but since the royal family itself is a powerful group, it is hard to say that they are embellishing the story.


　Suddenly, the Marquis turned to me and said.


The Marquis turned to me and said, "Princess Charlotte's attitude and Miss Lisha's attitude are not appropriate for her age, but they are in line with the education of a nobleman. Even if they are still young, with education, they can be made to behave like these two. But the Dauphin is different. He is broad-minded and has a firm will that is not forced upon him by anyone. He has an air of authority that belies his age. Even though he is only ten or so years old. In front of His Highness, I don't feel as if I'm dealing with a child.

"But they are human beings after all, aren't they?

But after all, they're human beings, aren't they?" "That's what people who have never been in the presence of royalty say. No matter how powerful the royals are, they are still human beings. The only reason we are afraid of them is because we are influenced by the atmosphere around us. But they're not like us. They're not human. They are rulers, something else entirely.




　The Marquis, remembering the dignity of the Dauphin, felt a bead of fearful sweat run down his cheek.


"So, Your Excellency. And the King?

"Head. I'm afraid to speak of His Majesty, let alone His Highness. Be careful.


　The Marquis's face tenses up badly.
　That tension is not because he's reprimanding the mercenary head, but because he's afraid of the king.
　That's how terrifying the king's majesty is.


"...... Dauphin of the Kingdom. I wonder what kind of face is hiding behind that veil. No matter how you try to imagine it, you will only find a gaping hole of empty darkness.

...... Sir, why are you telling me this all of a sudden?

What? Arx Raytheft is similar in some ways to that. Of course, it is not comparable to His Highness, but like His Highness, it did not feel as if it had seen a child.


　The Marquis let out a sigh as he spoke, and then looked into his face again.
　A bad feeling runs down my spine at the oncoming blank expression.
　And then.


"Now that it's come to this, I'm going to let you all die. No hard feelings.


　This was the ultimatum we had been expecting to receive.